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By Jeff Brown, for Granite State Pro Stock Series
PHOTO: Jayden Dole / Granite State Pro Stock Serie
WALPOLE, N.H. – After a slow start to 2025, the Granite State Pro Stock Series season is taking shape at last. And after a needed week off, this week’s gathering at Claremont Motorsports Park should bring a little more clarity to the year-long title chase.
Friday night’s McGee Automotive 125 is the second stop of the year at the GSPSS’ home track, and a perfect opportunity for one of the season’s full-time contenders to bound back into contention for the series championship.
Three races into the season, three different drivers have visited victory lane, with veterans Wayne Helliwell, Jr. and Joey Polewarczyk joined by newcomer Evan Beaulieu. Two drivers stand out atop the points standings, but with seven races to go to settle the championship score, there is plenty of time for the other full-time competitors to right the ship.
Beaulieu, last year’s championship runner-up, leads the charge into Claremont on the strength of his win at Speedway 95 and a fourth-place finish at Hudson Speedway. A new car is paying dividends for the Durham, Maine, driver early on, and a second win would cement Beaulieu’s status as a title favorite.
Only four points back is rookie Cole Robie, still searching for his first Pro Stock win but building consistency in the GSPSS ranks. Robie hails from Windham, Maine, but grandfather Carleton traces his roots back to the Granite State, making five Pro Stock starts at Claremont with a best finish of tenth in 1988.
Defending champion Casey Call ended the season with two cars in his stable and plenty of momentum, but the Pembroke, N.H., pilot has struggled to make speed this season. Call returns to Claremont seeking redemption from last year’s July date, where he finished fourth after being turned from the lead, but also looking to get his title defense back on track.
Helliwell, Jr. won the season opener at Claremont in May to break a long winless streak, but early exits at Speedway 95 and Hudson have the Dover, N.H., veteran mired in fourth in points. Similar chaos has befallen Cory Casagrande and Jamie Wright; the two long-haulers from Connecticut and Maine have been unable to dodge early season misfortune, but remain in the hunt.
A win for any of the six would set the tone for a championship charge in the second half of the season.
But finding the GSPSS winner’s circle is never an easy task. Hudson Speedway winner and 2020 GSPSS champion Polewarczyk came close to a win at Claremont in May and still seeks his first win at the series’ home venue. Two-time GSPSS titlist Joey Doiron and 2021 champ Gabe Brown will each try to tie D.J. Shaw for the most series wins at the track.
Former feature winner Josh St. Clair is trekking in from coastal Maine, with Dan Winter on his heels to chase his own first GSPSS win. Massachusetts’ Jeremy Sorel returns to the site of a nail-biting second-place finish a year ago. Joe Kendall and his orange No. 62 are back in action, and rookie Cam Curtis will be on hand to improve on his run back in May.
The GSPSS’ summer stretch run heats up over the next month, and Friday’s showdown at the tricky third-mile oval will set the pace for the next few frantic weeks for the series’ stars!
Claremont Motorsports Park welcomes the Granite State Pro Stock Series on Friday night for their second visit of 2025. The McGee Automotive 125 headlines an action-packed card including Claremont’s own Tour Type Late Models, Super Streets, Pure Stocks, Mini Stocks and Ridge Runners. Qualifying rounds begin at 6:00pm with features slated to start at 7:00pm. Tickets are $25, with senior and military admission only $20 and kids 6-12 just $5 each.
For more information on the Granite State Pro Stock Series, visit www.gspss.net or find us on Facebook and Instagram.
