0
0
Two-Way Title Race Shaping Up With Two Races Remaining
By Jeff Brown, for Granite State Pro Stock Series
WALPOLE, N.H. – Only two events remain in the chase for the 2024 Granite State Pro Stock Series crown. But before the season can draw to a close at Lee USA Speedway, one last road trip awaits the series faithful, a road trip that carries special meaning for each of the two championship challengers.
Speedway 95 in Hermon, Maine, welcomes the GSPSS for its second visit of the year, another event in a busy and high-profile month for racing in the Pine Tree State this Sunday, September 15. The penultimate event on the nine-race GSPSS itinerary sets the stage for October’s championship finale.
And while title hopefuls Evan Beaulieu and Casey Call are focused on the big picture, Sunday’s race is an opportunity for both racers to settle their own scores with the tricky third-mile.
July’s visit to Speedway 95 turned the tides in the title race for both Beaulieu and Call. Call, the points leader entering the race, struggled through the afternoon and crashed hard early in the feature, leaving the Pembroke, N.H. racer scrambling to find a new car to finish out the season.
Beaulieu, from Durham, Maine, was poised to capitalize, leading the early laps of the race. But mid-race contact spun Beaulieu from the point, and while he drove back to finish fifth with a wounded ride, he was left to wonder what might have been.
A week later at Lee, Call made an early exit in a borrowed car while Beaulieu finished up front to take the points lead, an advantage he still holds by 19 markers as they return with redemption on their minds. Both drivers are seeking their first checkered flag of 2024, but the big picture looms overhead as they plan for the $5,000-to-win feature.
Another milestone awaits Call if he can pull off the victory Sunday; he would become the first driver not from Maine to win a GSPSS feature in Maine since D.J. Shaw in 2016. With a Vacationland-centric entry list behind him, it looks to be a tall order.
Reigning GSPSS champion Travis Benjamin is back in action this weekend, seeking his first Speedway 95 win and his second GSPSS win of a limited schedule. Gary Smith has not won in ten appearances with the GSPSS, and there would be no better place to change that than at his own home track.
Former GSPSS feature winners Josh St. Clair and Dave Farrington, Jr., recent Lee USA Speedway Pro Stock feature winner Nick Cusack, and others are on the entry list as well, looking to add to their accolades with Sunday’s race.
The Granite State Pro Stock Series season marches on Sunday afternoon at Speedway 95 in Hermon, Maine, with a 125-lap tilt for the GSPSS teams headlining a program that also features the R&R Open Street Stocks and Speedway 95’s own Pro 4s and Cage Runners. Grandstands open at noon with qualifying heats to kick off at 2:00pm. Adult admission is $20.00; Military and Senior tickets are just $15.00. Juniors ages 6 to 12 are $5.00 and kids under 6 are admitted free.
For more information on the Granite State Pro Stock Series, visit www.gspss.net or find us on Facebook and Instagram.
