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Claremont Motorsports Park Friday, September 20
CLAREMONT, N.H. – Brian Robie dominated Friday’s Nights 75-lap Modified Racing Series main event at Claremont Motorsports Park, blasting to victory lane as he has many times in the past during his championship summers at the Thrasher Road speedplant.
And while Robie led all the way en route to victory in the Key Auto Group and O’Reilly Auto Parts main event, there were many other important victories scored on the busy September 20 conclusion of the oval’s 2024 Weekly Racing Series season.
Seven championships were decided, three won by first timers Matt Sonnhalter, Keegan Tabor, and Aiden White. Guy Caron, the season’s most dominant driver across all divisions, was crowned king of the Outlaws.
Aaron Fellows concluded his 16th – maybe it’s 17, he’s stop counting – CMP championship season by topping the Tour Type Late Model main event, And then there were three drivers earning their second speedway crown. Nate Wenzel, topping the Modifieds a week earlier, was joined Friday by Six Shooter strongman Steve Miller Sr., and 2024 Mini Stock king Kyle Templeton, who titled a few years back atop the Pure Stocks.
Friday’s 255 laps of feature racing at the popular third-mile were slowed by only four caution flags, all for minor interruptions. The large crowd was treated to almost non-stop excitement.
Robie started up front in the MRS 75 and never looked back, taking the checkers a dozen lengths ahead of Matt Swanson. Joey Jarvis, like Robie a former CMP champ, got up for third, with Kirk Alexander and weekly racing star Andrew Martell rounding out the top five.
While he finished out of the money, the presence of MRS founder Jack Bateman in Friday night’s lineup provided a special treat. Now in his eighth decade, the long-ago Windsor High School grad was a dominant driver here on the original quarter-mile dirt track more than a half-century ago. When the track transitioned to its present asphalt configuration, Bateman continued to win, almost 60 years later, he was up to the challenge Friday night.
Brandon Gray took the lead from Dylan Zullo on lap seven of the R.E. Hinkley Fuels Super Street main and never looked back. Robert Hagar was strong in second, with Robbie Streeter, who also owns Gray’s ride, coming home third. Matt Sonnhalter contented himself by watching the action from fourth place as he cruised to his first CMP championship.
George Helliwell took the lead from Cam Curtis on lap 13 of the Outlaw Late Model feature and stormed off to his first CMP Outlaw victory. Guy Caron, in a rare 2024 race that he didn’t win, was second in wrapping up his championship summer, while Curtis held strong in third, and veteran ace Russ Hersey, in his first run here in many moons, impressed in fourth.
The Tour Type Late Models? Who else, Superman Aaron Fellows, who led all the way. Brandon Gray, bidding for his second win of the night, came up one spot shy in second, while Allen Fellows, victorious a week earlier, was strong in third.
Kodi Sabins won the night’s Mini Stock feature, taking the checkers a country mile ahead of the field. Dick Lamotte impressed in second, multi-time 2024 winner Nolan McClay was third, and Kyle Templeton happily watched it all happen in fourth, plenty good enough to earn the crown.
Rookie sensation Kyle Kenny, blasting off from row four, took charge on lap four of the LaValley Building Supply Pure Stock feature and then held off former track champ Kodi Sabins to close out the season with two wins in a row. Sabins, bidding to duplicate his earlier Mini Stock win, finished one spot shy, with Andrea St. Amour third.
St. Amour, who’d earlier in the evening earned her first career championship at Monadnock Speedway before speeding northward to CMP, expressed displeasure in victory lane about some perceived wrongdoing in not being able to overtake Keegan Tabor – fourth on the night – for the divisional championship but the truth of the matter was that she could have won the race, even lapped the field, and Tabor still would have won the title.
Staying totally out of the mucky muck, Tabor, the popular Randolph, VT teen blew celebratory donuts on the backchute before joining the night’s top three to a wave of applause.
Steve Miller Jr. took the lead on lap two of the Avery Insurance Six Shooter feature and never looked back. It is dad, though, Steve Sr. who finished third on the night, who will wear the 2024 crown. It is the elder Miller’s second CMP title. Bradey Lamotte was second on the night.
Aiden White led all the way to punctuate his Race Day TV Ridge Runner championship with another victory Friday. Ford pilot Seth Drown, victorious a week earlier, was second, and Richie Marrocco came home third. While White’s 2024 track championship is his first, he also walked away from a points lead a few summers ago to devote his time to high school football.
While Friday’s Championship Night event concluded Claremont Motorsports Park’s 2004 Weekly Racing Series season, the third-mile speedplant will roar back into action when it hosts its annual three-day Fall Challenge event on October 18-20.
CLAREMONT MOTORSPORTS PARK SEPTEMBER 20 TOP PERFORMERS
MODIFIED RACING SERIES 75: Brian Robie, Matt Swanson, Joey Jarvis, Kirk Alexander, Andrew Martell, Mike Collins, Jeff Battle, Matt Kimball, Dylan Izzo, Ryan Doucette.
SUPER STREET: Brandon Gray, Robert Hagar, Robbie Streeter, Matt Sonnhalter, Chris Lindquist, Cody Schoolcraft, Dylan Zullo, Travis Sykes, David Thibodeau, Jim Carley.
OUTLAW LATE MODEL: George Helliwell, Guy Caron, Cam Curtis, Russ Hersey, Steve Bly, John Meany, Ryan Currier, Tyler Lescord, Dustin Leautsokos, Cory Bly.
TOUR TYPE LATE MODEL: Aaron Fellows, Brandon Gray, Allen Fellows, Craig Smith, Patrick Patten, Scott Colburn, Jimmy Kidder, Ryan Bell, Ryan Currier.
MINI STOCK: Kodi Sabins, Dick Lamotte, Nolan McClay, Kyle Templeton, Sean Lantas, Derek Farnham, Tim Paquette, Pat Houle, David Pratt II, Colton Hull.
PURE STOCK: Kyle Kenny, Kodi Sabins, Andrea St. Amour, Keegan Tabor, Colton Hull, Gage Dillingham, Ethan Meyette, Amy Jaycox, Ethan Waterman, Chloe Zullo.
RIDGE RUNNER: Aiden White, Seth Drown, Richie Marrocco, James Rhodes.
SIX SHOOTER: Steve Miller Jr., Bradey Lamotte, Steve Miller Sr., Lincoln Herschel.
Miss Emm Photo
