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By Gary Dutton
CLAREMONT, N.H. – Two former track champions earned their first victory laps of the season Friday, May 20, at Claremont Motorsports Park, as defending Late Model Sportsman champion Ben Poland and Pure Stock strong man Kodi Sabins each aced his feature event.
Tim LaDuc also scored his first CMP victory of the summer, topping the 602 Dirt Modified 25-lapper, while Street Stock super star Dave Greenslit and Six Shooter top dog Steve Miller Sr. were also victorious, as the storied Thrasher Road speedplant completed its fifth consecutive event of the season.
Perhaps it was Greenslit whose star shined the most brightly Friday. After a fuel leak relegated him to spectator in his heat race, the two-time defending R.E. Hinkley Fuel Street Stock champion started at the back of the field in the night’s main event, then charged through the pack to claim second on lap 17, the lead three go-rounds later, and then hold off rookie Matt Sonnhalter to score his third win this year.
Sabins followed a similar route to victory lane Friday. Firing from row six of the LaValley Building Supply Pure Stock starting grid, the Green Mountain State hot shoe took the lead from fellow former champ Kyle Templeton on lap 20 and then sped off to his first win of 2022.
In the Route 103 Auto/Heads Up Late Model Sportsman feature, Poland took the lead from Steve Bly on lap four and never looked back en route to his first win of the summer, scoring the victory just ahead of Ricky Bly, who’d entered the event a perfect four-for-four on the young season.
Bly pulled into second on lap 13 of the caution-free main event and was able to eventually close in on Poland, but never mount a serious challenge before settling for the runner-up hardware. Teen star Cam Curtis came home third in the rapid-fire event.
Opening day Street Stock winner Cody Schoolcraft led the first 19 laps of his feature Friday, before giving way to Greenslit. Former Mini Stock Mighty Man Matt Sonnhalter claimed second on lap 22 to earn the night’s silver medal, with rookie Haydon Grenier and week-four winner Robert Hagar rounding out the top five.
Amy Jaycox led the first eleven laps of the Pure Stock feature, giving way to Kyle Templeton on lap 12 and then running under a blanket with him and Andrea St. Amour until a pair of lap-15 cautions shook things up, as no fewer than seven racers battled for the top spot.
Sabins, inching ahead from the outside groove, took the lead on lap 20, with Nolan McClay, victorious a week earlier, then dropping Templeton to third on lap 23. Two-time winner JD Stockwell was fourth under the flags with strong and steady Chris Chambers completing the top five. Early leader Amy Jaycox finished ninth.
Steve Miller made easy work of winning his fourth Avery Insurance Six Shooter feature of the season Friday, pulling away after Lucas Bernatchy’s lawn mowing excursion on lap 13 widened his lead. Bernatchy was solid in second, with Andrew Scott’s final-turn burst netting him third on the night, his second top-three in a row.
Orwell, Vermont’s Tim LaDuc took control of the Peanut’s Auto 602 Dirt Modified feature on lap 18 and then led Keystone Stater Jeff Parker under the checkers for his first win of the summer. Parker, who’d hauled in from his Pennsylvania home, was second, with Marty Kelly strong in third.
Next Friday, May 27, Claremont Motorsports Park will return to action with the first of two Memorial Day Weekend huge events, as it hosts the $15,000-to-win Racers Honoring Racers 100 for Tour Type Modifieds. Visit CMP’s website for information on this major event.
CLAREMONT MOTORSPORTS PARK MAY 20 TOP TENS
LATE MODEL SPORTSMAN: Ben Poland, Ricky Bly, Cam Curtis, Steve Bly, Craig Smith, Ryan Bell, Jack McClay, Dylan Zullo, Ben Lambert, Andrew Campbell.
STREET STOCK: Dave Greenslit, Matt Sonnhalter, Cody Schoolcraft, Haydon Grenier, Robert Hagar, Briana Akusis, Trevor Rocke, Mike Williams, Brandon Gray, Andrew Brousseau.
PURE STOCK: Kodi Sabins, Nolan McClay, Kyle Templeton, JD Stockwell, Chris Chambers, Colton Martin, Bruce Jaycox, Andrea St. Amour, Amy Jaycox, Doug Nelson.
SIX SHOOTER: Steve Miller Sr., Lucas Bernatchy, Andrew Scott, Steve Miller Jr., Bucky Thibodeau, Tyler Scott, Eric Griffin, Eric Lanou.
602 DIRT MODIFIED: Tim LaDuc, Jeff Parker, Marty Kelly, Tanner Siemons, Todd Buckwold, Lenny Pillsbury.
