![]() SEEKONK, Mass. — Saturday’s 45-lap finale of the Everett’s Auto Parts Triple Crown Series for the Late Model division had two different winners celebrating when the race ended. Chase Belcher crossed the line out front after the checkered flag, but didn’t make it through post-race inspection in his No. 35. That meant second-place finisher Vinnie Arrenegado inherited another feature win on the 2023 season. Connor Souza finished in the second spot, with Luke LeBrun in third. It was LeBrun clinching the 2023 Everett’s Auto Parts Triple Crown Series title in the division with his podium finish. With multiple wins and now a Triple Crown title, LeBrun is poised to chase the championship during the month of September. Ryan Vanasse and Jacob Burns finished fourth and fifth. Tyler Tomassi, Mark Jenison, Scott Serydynski Jr. and Richie Murray followed. Behind them, Charlie Rose finished off the top-10. The Late Models will be back on the track on Saturday, August 26 for the final race of the regular season, set for 30 laps. The division will be off next week, but many of the regulars will run with the American-Canadian Tour in the Spring Green 123 on August 19th. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media.
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![]() SEEKONK, Mass. — After weeks and weeks of coming close, Mike Duarte might be heating up at just the right time in the Chaz Auto Body Sport Trucks. Duarte picked up his first win of the season on Saturday night, driving the No. 50 to the front and holding off a long list of challengers in the final laps to secure his first win of the season. Duarte was chased to the finish line by two-time season winner Jake Vanada and defending champion Rick Martin. Amy Arsenault and Ethan Heilborn weren’t far behind at the checkered flag and finished in fourth and fifth. The point standings, specifically around the cutline in the race towards the Sunoco Drive For The Cup, changed again on Saturday, with Bobby Tripp finishing 11th and Mike Cavallaro falling out early. The full point standings will be released on Monday with just two races remaining before the playoffs start on NASCAR Saturday. The Chaz Auto Body Sport Trucks will return to the track for the finale of the Everett’s Auto Parts Triple Crown Series on Saturday, August 19, with another 35-lap feature. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates. ![]() SEEKONK, Mass. — Former Seekonk Speedway Bandolero champion Richie Helger Jr. parked his Legend Car in Victory Lane for the first time on Friday night. Helger passed Isaiah Newcomb, who had won the last three races, for the lead in the final few laps then beat him back to the line to take down his first career win in the Helger’s No. 99. After a few years of trying, Helger was on top during Fast Friday’s premiere division. Newcomb wasn’t far behind after working his way up through the field once again, finishing second. Behind them, Kevin Davis worked his way to the third spot after 25 laps, his best career Legends Cars finish at Seekonk. Cole Robie and Brendan LaBelle followed them in fourth and fifth. In sixth, it was Jacob Burns, with Mason Tessier, Chase Silvia, Nicholaus Bulkeley and Jimmy “Pepe” Silvia finishing off the top-10. The Nick’s Pit Stop Legends Cars will return to the track on Friday, August 18, for the finale of the Everett’s Auto Parts Triple Crown Series, set for 30 laps. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates. ![]() VANASSE BACK ON TOP FOR NUMBER SEVEN IN OUTLAWS SEEKONK, Mass. — Ryan Vanasse Jr. has the car to beat in the Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Outlaws so far in 2023 at Seekonk Speedway. Friday night, August 11, Vanasse drove the No. 11 to Victory Lane for the seventh time this season. He took the lead in the middle of the race and was not going to be denied again. This time, he had a close challenge from Bryson Robidoux and Andrew Gomes during the final restarts, but he was just tough to beat. Robidoux finished second with Gomes right behind him in third, both great runs again. Mikey LeFort III grabbed his best finish of the year, fourth, and Collin Vanasse wasn’t far behind, finishing in the fifth spot. Brent Robidoux, Nathan Rioux, RJ Murphy, Zachary Keith and Brody Wakefield finished off the top-10. The Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Outlaws will return to the track on Friday, August 18, for the finale of the Everett’s Auto Parts Triple Crown Series, set for 15 laps. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates. ![]() SEEKONK, Mass. — Adding to what had already been a great night of Fast Friday racing, Jared Cordeira parked his Pure Stock in Victory Lane on August 11 at Seekonk Speedway. In the Helger’s South Coast Power Equipment Pure Stocks, Cordeira got to the lead just before halfway, but then had to hold off a hard charge in the final laps to seal his first win of the season. Mike Henriques raced his way up to second and hounded the back bumper of Cordeira for the lead for many of the final laps. When the leaders came off turn four for the white flag, Cordeira got a little bit loose and Henriques was right there at the bottom. They raced side-by-side for the final lap and Cordeira had the edge from the outside when they found the checkered flag. Henriques was second, just .035 back at the finish. Nick Brightman finished third on the track but was penalized post-race for a technical violation. The official finish saw Greg Perry third, Sam Lincoln fourth and Ethan Souza in fifth. Brightman was aligned sixth, followed by Scott Cestodio, Timmy Ouellette, Matt Talbot and Don Courtemanche. The Helger’s South Coast Power Equipment Pure Stocks will return to the track on Friday, August 18, for the finale of the Everett’s Auto Parts Triple Crown Series, set for 30 laps. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates. ![]() SEEKONK, Mass. — Richie Johnson is no stranger to Victory Lane at Seekonk Speedway, but he’s been doing it during Thrill Shows. On Friday night, he found himself back there in a different form, winning his first career race in the Sport 4 division at the third-mile. Johnson has come close at times during the 2023 season, showing consistent speed. But Friday, it was his time. Johnson passed Henry Lavallee for the lead and then never looked back to pick up the win in the 25-lap feature. Jarrod Freitas, a three-time season winner, finished in second, with Lavallee holding on to grab the third spot at the finish. Taylor Bowser and Mikey LeFort followed in fourth and fifth. Crystal Murray, Justin Leduc, Sam Mattera, Jacob Budznya and Christine Cavallaro finished out the top-10. The Sport 4’s will return to the track on Friday, August 18, for the finale of the Everett’s Auto Parts Triple Crown Series, set for 30 laps. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates. ![]() SEEKONK, Mass. — Nick Uhrig Jr. is having his own breakout year in the Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Bandits at Seekonk Speedway. Driving the No. 11, Uhrig has picked up his first career win, and now his second career win during the 2023 season. Friday night, he had a side-by-side battle with Parker Davis for the second straight week to decide the 15-lap feature. The two raced clean, again, barely even getting close enough to sniff making contact. Davis picked up the win a week ago in the battle, this time, it was Uhrig. He held off Davis and defending champion Sam Macedo to score the feature win. Mason Silva led laps early and finished fourth, followed by Mike Hanafin in fifth. Luka Dib, Carl Satterlund Jr., Jayden Sprague, Alya Martin and David Bernier finished out the top-10 spots at the finish. The Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Bandits will return to the track on Friday, August 18, for the finale of the Everett’s Auto Parts Triple Crown Series, set for 15 laps. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates. ![]() Seekonk Speedway is pleased to announce that Race Director and former track champion Len Ellis has been honored by NASCAR and Advance Auto Parts for winning a special award. Ellis has been nominated one of the Advance Auto Parts Home Track Heroes for his efforts in short-track racing at Seekonk Speedway. As part of winning the award, Len’s name will be featured on Ryan Blaney’s No. 12 Ford Mustang in the NASCAR Cup Series event at Texas Motor Speedway in September. Len will also receive a special Advance Auto Parts branded gift bag in the coming weeks. “This is a major honor for someone who really does deserve it,” David Alburn, General Manager at Seekonk Speedway, said. “Len embodies all of the characteristics you want in someone involved at the track. His dedication to racing for all of these years in many different areas is incredible and we’re happy to have him part of the Seekonk Speedway family.” As a Wall of Fame member at Seekonk, Len started winning races in the 1970s and has been a major part of the Seekonk Speedway community for many years. Len is the current Race Director for the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series divisions and the Seekonk Youth Racing Bandoleros. Ellis won two championships as a driver in Seekonk’s Pro Stock division. After driving, Ellis became a winning car owner, then started helping youth through his son, Tommy. Tommy eventually worked his way up and was the champion car chief of NASCAR Cup Series driver Joey Logano in 2022. Ellis returned to the track an an official in 2015. He began working with Seekonk’s youth (ages 8-16), teaching them the ropes of racing. He serves as their mentor and assists them with learning the track, cars and race craft. He also assists in teaching sportsmanship and how to be a positive member of the community. Often, Seekonk’s youth racers make their mark in the Friday divisions & end up racing on NASCAR Saturdays and on touring series, regionally and nationally. The impact Len Ellis has on our future NASCAR stars at is immeasurable. Ellis is one of the most genuine people in the pit area - always looking for ways to help the competitors & see the track thrive. He’s often found attending driver fundraisers in the offseason, assisting with setup advice on cars and chatting with everyone at the track before and after the races. He enjoys the aspects of short-track racing Seekonk Speedway has to offer. Len Ellis is Seekonk Speedway’s home track hero. From driver to official, to mentor, to friend, Ellis is a true Seekonk Speedway community member, and the track would not be where it is today without him. Seekonk Speedway congratulates Len for this great award and we look forward to having him around the track for many years to come! SEEKONK OPENS MOST POPULAR DRIVER VOTING; WINNERS TO BE ANNOUNCED DURING PIT PARTY AUGUST 268/10/2023 Seekonk Speedway announced today the opening of the 2023 Most Popular Driver Contest for all nine track divisions. Spread across Fast Friday and NASCAR Saturday, fans will now have the chance to vote for their favorite driver to earn this prestigious award given out each year. The winners of the Most Popular Driver contests for all nine of Seekonk’s divisions will be announced on Saturday, August 26 during the annual season Pit Party. That night also includes Fans on Parade as the final night of the regular season for Seekonk racing before September’s playoffs. Fans can either vote online through an online ballot via an Email blast on Wednesday the 16th of August or at the track on race day the next two weekends. Voting at the track itself will only be available to fans through ballots at the base of the tower on Saturdays. There will be no voting at the track on Fast Friday. Fans who wish to fill out the ballot on Saturday may do so and pass it in that night to have their vote counted. Those who wish to vote online will need to have their email signed up for the Seekonk Speedway email newsletter and also be using the same email for an account through the online ticketing platform. Signing up for the email list and the ticketing platform and both free. Accounts will be cross-checked to make sure fans are signed up for both before tallying the votes. Sign up for our email club here…. SPEEDWAY EMAIL CLUB By signing up for the ticketing platform, fans can save money buying tickets online and prevent them from waiting in lines on race day. Voting will close on August 20 to determine the final tally and prepare the winners for that weekend. This means fans have just under two weeks to vote. Don’t wait! For more information on Seekonk Speedway, including tickets to all remaining 2023 events, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com. Fans can also follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates. The month of August for NASCAR Saturday divisions opens up this Saturday, August 12, with a big night of racing. The Pro Stocks and Late Models have extra-distance action with the finale of their Everett’s Triple Crown, set for 60 laps for the Pro Stocks and 45 laps for the Late Models. The NASCAR divisions battle is on towards the Sunoco Drive For The Cup in September, with the top-eight drivers in each division at the end of August set to battle for the championship. Just three races remain for the Pro Stocks, Sportsman and Sport Trucks, but it’s just two for the Late Models, as the ACT Tour invades on August 19 and the local division will have the night off. Let’s take a look at the current standings with who is close to being in, or out, heading into the final few weeks before the playoff field is set. PRO STOCKS The Pro Stocks only have three scheduled events left before the playoffs - August 12, 19 and 26. Dylan Estrella and David Darling lead the standings, with Mike Brightman not far behind. The big question here is will Darling run any more races except this Saturday? He was only planning a part-time schedule for extra-distance events. Darling will be back to chase this title for the Evetett's Triple Crown, but will he come back on August 19 and August 26 for regular events? If he doesn’t, that will shake things up, as he likely would fall out of the top-eight. Or does his current 50-point gap feel comfortable enough to stay in? Tough one to say right now! Defending champion Mark Jenison is fourth, with Rick Martin fifth and Bobby Pelland only one point behind him in sixth. Dick Benoit is seventh, 14 points ahead of Tom Scully Jr., who holds the final spot right now. It’s Rookie contender Mike Rotondo the first driver out by 13 points in ninth and Kevin Casper behind by 33 points. The big losers last time out were Kenny Spencer and Colbey Fournier, who sit 13th and 15th now after missing the race due to damages from the race prior. Even if they were to come back this week, they are going to have trouble getting back in the top-eight with not enough races left. The story here is going to be whether or not Darling runs the two races at the end of August — and even if he doesn’t — can someone knock him out? LATE MODELS Jacob Burns, Luke LeBrun, Vinnie Arrenegado and defending champion Mark Jenison lead the Late Model standings and appear comfortable heading for the stretch run and the final two events before the playoffs. All but Jenison has won multiple times this season. Chase Belcher isn’t far behind in fifth and leads over the cut by over 50 points, so he looks good. Charlie Rose is sixth, with a 23 point lead on the cut, while Bill Goodrow is just one point ahead of Tyler Tomassi, who holds the final spot. Richie Murray is just outside, but just seven points back after missing one event. Connor Souza is 10th right now, only 15 points behind Tomassi. Scott Serydynski Jr. isn’t far behind either in 11th, just 20 points from the cut. If the season shakes out the way it has been going, it looks like the top-six are comfortable and everyone from Goodrow to Serydynski is battling for the final two spots. Look out - the Late Models are bringing this right down to the final laps before deciding who is in and out! SPORTSMAN Off his recent win, Adam Pettey is comfortably at the top of the Sportsman standings. He’s ahead of former champions Chad Baxter and Steve Axon, who also seem comfortable. Colby Lambert and defending champion Craig Pianka are fourth and fifth. Barring trouble, these five will advance to the playoffs. Randy Moretti is sixth with one win, and is ahead of the final spot by 28 points. Ryan Lineham is seventh, but only three points up on Don Perry for the final spot. Jimmy “Pepe “Silvia is first driver out, 17 points back with Tyler Almeida 21 points out and Ed Perry 23 out. As of now, it looks like it might be a race between 11 drivers for eight spots. Buckle up, one of the most exciting divisions in New England is sure to make this one tight! SPORT TRUCKS Like the other divisions, it seems the Sport Trucks have some drivers at the top who should feel good. Rick Martin, the defending champion, just picked up his first season win and leads Brittany Campbell and Jake Vanada, two drivers who have two wins on the season. Mike Duarte, without a win, is comfortably in fourth. Amy Arsenault is fifth with Darryl Church sixth. Church right now is 20 points up on the final spot. Mike Cavallaro is on a hot streak with a win and a second in his last two races and is just 14 points up on Bobby Tripp, who holds the final spot. Tripp leads Tom Scully III by just 17 points, but did extend his gap this past week. Looks like Scully III and Tripp may battle for the final spot, unless someone behind them can find some extra speed in the final three weeks to make a push. You are not going to want to miss the final three NASCAR Saturday’s before the Sunoco Drive For The Cup begins in September! Buy tickets for all Seekonk Speedway events today at SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates. |
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