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Claremont Motorsports Park Friday, May 10
Photo Credit Miss Emms Photos
CLAREMONT, N.H. – Erin Aiken swept a pair of feature races Friday at Claremont Motorsports Park. Aaron Fellows and Brandon Gray each won his second of the young 2024 campaign, and David Smith, the senior citizen of the Pure Stocks, earned his first CMP victory lap in many, many summers.
Dylan Zullo, Carlos Grenier, and Kyle Templeton each earned his first trophy of the summer Friday, while former Pure Stock strongman Aiden White topped his second victory of the fledgling Ridge Runners division.
Travis Sykes and Dave Thibodeau led the thundering 16-car R.E. Hinkley Fuels Super Street field to the green in Friday’s 30-lap main event, with many-time track king Dave Greenslit, firing from row two, jumping all over the early lead.
Greenslit led the first 23 go-rounds, with Jimmy Zullo, Trevor Rocke, and then Joe Tetreault running in his shadow early and opening weekend winner Brandon Gray, from way back in row six, sailing quickly toward the front.
Gray took second from Zullo on lap 20 and then, with last week’s winner Matt Sonnhalter blasting into third a lap later, Greeeslit had his hands full. Gray took charge on lap 24, with Sonnhalter moving up to challenge him a lap later. Second generation star Dylan Zullo, in the mix all night, roared into third with two to go, bringing his dad Jimmy with him, and Greenslit held on for fifth.
Gray’s second win of the summer helped him pad his early-season lead atop the championship points parade.
Like the Super Street thriller, Friday’s LaValley Building Supply Pure Stock main event was a classic. Veteran Charlestown wheelman David Smith led every lap but one but was never more than a heartbeat away from dropping as far back as fifth.
Smith, who decades ago piloted a Modified at the Thrasher Road speedplant, started up front Friday and opened a comfortable early lead as the 16 racers behind him duked it out.
Carlos Grenier, from row three, got up for second on lap five but was still far behind. By lap 12, he’d reeled Smith in and the battle was on. Grenier inched ahead on a lap 13 restart but soon had two-time 2024 winner Andrea St. Amour at his bumper.
Lap after lap, the top five stormed around the third-mile hooked together but Smith never wavered, outrunning the youth brigade charging in his shadow to earn his first victory lap in many moons at the storied third-mile oval. Grenier, whose strong run would have netted him a victory on any other night, settled for second.
St. Amour earned her fourth top-three finish in as many events by coming home third Friday, with Keegan Tabor – he of three second-place finishes already this season – fourth on the night, and Gage Dillingham, victorious a week earlier, rounding out the top five.
Hometown hot shoe Erin Aiken won the first of her two Friday night feature victories aboard her Avery Insurance Six Shooter. Taking the lead from Tyler Scott on lap six, she held former champ Steve Miller Sr. in her shadow to earn her first CMP Six Shooter event.
Defending champion Steve Miller Jr. saved his best for last, edging Paul Colburn for third. The younger Miller also won Friday’s heat race.
Aiken fired again from row three in the Mini Stock feature. Reeling in Kyle Templeton on lap nine, she took the lead a lap later and held strong to earn the win in a thriller, as she and Templeton split a lapped car on their final blast down the frontstretch.
With Aiken winning for the second time on the season in the Minis and second on the night, it was Templeton earning the runner-up hardware just ahead of potent Nolan McClay.
Aaron Fellows won his second Tour-Type Late Model feature of the season Friday, taking the lead from Cam Curtis on lap five and never looking back. Radical Ricky Bly got up for second on lap 14, and Curtis held strong to come home third.
Dallas Trombley, who’s turned many strong CMP laps in a Pro Stock over the years, found success Friday in the season’s first round of Spectator Racing. Keith Martin finished second.
There will be no racing next Friday, May 17. at CMP, as the storied oval allows its sister track, Lee USA Speedway, to host a huge two-day event, including a $30,000-to-win Pro Stock 200-lapper. Claremont Motorsports Park will return to action on Friday, May 24, with a full six-division card of NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Racing Series competition.
CLAREMONT MOTORSPORTS PARK MAY 10 TOP PERFORMERS
SUPER STREET: Brandon Gray, Matt Sonnhalter, Dylan Zullo, Jimmy Zullo, Dave Greenslit, Robbie Streeter, Justin Beecher, Trevor Rocke, Joe Tetreault, Dave Thibodeau.
PURE STOCK: Dave Smith, Carlos Grenier, Andrea St. Amour, Keegan Tabor, Gage Dillingham, Amy Jaycox, Tyler Wheatley, Chris Conroy, Jake Snide, Ethan Meyette.
MINI STOCK: Erin Aiken, Kyle Templeton, Nolan McClay, Pat Houle, David Pratt, Brandon Picknell, Kodi Sabins, Dick Lamotte.
SIX SHOOTER: Erin Aiken, Steve Miller Sr., Steve Miller Jr., Paul Colburn, Andrew Scott, David Bell, Tyler Scott, Rozwell Mason Jr. ,Jacob Scott.
NEW ENGLAND TOUR TYPE LATE MODEL: Aaron Fellows, Ricky Bly, Cam Curtis, Ryan Currier.
