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Granite State Pro Stock Series, Open Wheel Modifieds Headline Saturday Racing at Star Speedway
By Jeff Brown, for Granite State Pro Stock Series
Rob Branning photo
After rain forced a schedule change a week ago, the Granite State Pro Stock Series is back in action Saturday evening for the third race of the 2023 season.
The GSPSS rolls into Star Speedway in Epping, N.H. for a big double feature under the lights, with the Key Auto Group 100 on tap alongside the Racers Honoring Racers 100 open-competition Modified feature. The Pro Stock race will pay $3,000 to win, and the Modified showdown will pay $10,000 to the winner.
Star hosted May’s GSPSS lidlifter and has occupied a place on the series’ spring and fall schedules for many years. But the GSPSS has not visited Star for a summer date since 2015. The warmth of summer, though, poses little challenge to the veteran racers who will try to add to their trophy cases this weekend.
Travis Benjamin returns to the site of his first GSPSS win in May, looking to keep his streak alive with a third-straight victory to open the year. Benjamin’s Petit Motorsports teammate Joey Doiron, the reigning series champ, has filed an entry as well, giving the Maine-based team an opportunity to replicate their one-two performance at Riverside Speedway in June.
In line to dethrone Benjamin is fellow Mainer Brandon Barker, who rounded out the Riverside podium and hopes to improve by two positions Saturday night. Jeremy Sorel, who finished third at Star in May, has a similar goal in mind after skipping the Riverside event.
Following in Benjamin’s footsteps is Trevor Sanborn, who reunited with Richard Moody Racing this offseason to bring the team its first Super Late Model win in years. Sanborn only has four starts in GSPSS competition, and will try to score a first GSPSS win for himself and for RMR.
Former Beech Ridge Motor Speedway track champion and GSPSS race winner David Oliver will make his third start of the year at Star. Connecticut’s Cory Casagrande, who overcame bad luck in practice to finish sixth at Riverside, returns to a track that has treated him well over the years.
Casey Call was fast in May before suspension issues kept him from taking the green, and the New Hampshire native will be out for revenge in the form of a trophy. Call, Rusty Poland, TJ Watson and others might seem like longer shots, but anything is possible on a warm summer night at “The Place To Race.”
Co-headlining Saturday’s on-track action is the second running of the Racers Honoring Racers 100, a joint effort between MDP Motorsports Promotions and The Racing Guys, with support from Ron Bouchard Auto Stores and Maurice Enterprises of Claremont, N.H. This year’s Racers Honoring Racers 100 commemorates the careers and successes of New England racing legends Bentley Warren, Art Barry, Butch Perry and Bob Webber, Sr.
With $10,000 to the winner and $1,100 to start, the Racers Honoring Racers 100 has attracted plenty of the Northeast’s top open-wheel talent. Among the entries for Saturday’s feature are Matt Swanson, Jake Johnson, Brian Robie, Andy Jankowiak, and newcomer and Star Speedway favorite Jeffrey Battle. All will be chasing Matt Hirschman, who won last year’s inaugural event and has plenty of time in Star’s brick-paved winner’s circle.
The GSPSS and Tour-type Modifieds have been a popular twin-bill over the years. Saturday’s double feature promises to be every bit as thrilling. And with feature racing for Bandoleros, NELCAR Legends and Star’s own Six Shooters in a non-points Scottie Frazier Memorial special event, Star Speedway will be the place to be on Saturday night.
MDP Motorsports Promotions and The Racing Guys are proud to present this weekend’s Key Auto Group 100 for the Granite State Pro Stock Series and the second annual Racers Honoring Racers 100 Modified open at Star Speedway. The GSPSS and Modifieds headline a full evening of racing that includes features for Six Shooters, Bandoleros and NELCAR Legends. Time trials begin at 5:45pm.
For more information on the Granite State Pro Stock Series, visit www.gspss.net or find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
