0
0
Claremont Motorsports Park Saturday, October 18, event story
CLAREMONT, N.H. – Charlie Baldwin, Kyle Kenny, and Ben Bosowski stayed perfect on the CMP Fall Challenge weekend Saturday, each duplicating his victory of Friday night on day two of the Thrasher Road speedplant’s fifth annual three-day Fall Challenge event.
Baldwin baled out of his flaming car, dashed pitside, and returned to top the $5,000-to-win Fraser’s Place Super Street Fall Nationals 78-lap main event. Bosowski rocketed off the final turn to nip Ethan Williams by only .038 second, a track transponder-era record in the Crown Vics, and Kenny had to wait for the votes to be counted before being awarded his trophy for topping the triple-20-lap segment Pure Stock headliner.
With more than 100 cars packing the swollen CMP pits, and no fewer than 14 feature races up for grabs, Saturday;s day two of the Fall Challenge was action-packed from start to finish.
Other winners Saturday at the storied third-mile oval included Brad Babb in the rocketship SMAC Super Modifieds, Rob Richardi – who else – in the Pro 4 Modifieds, Todd Owen, who topped the 604 Modifieds, and Chris Riendeau, king of the Saturday Outlaws.
Michael Yeaton, a close second Friday in the SIx Shooters, won with ease Saturday, Mitch Wendell thrilled in the Pro V8 Sportsmen, and Cody Hodgdon won a thriller of his own in the Dwarf Cars. Kenny, Andrea St. Amour, and Carter Conroy each won a 20-lsp Pure Stock 20-lapper, with Kenny then edging St; Amour for the day’s top prize.
Baldwin sat up front as the R.E. Hinkley Super Streets took the green to begin Fraser’s Place Fall Nationals, and having soared to victory 24 hours earlier, he had to be a favorite in the star-studded field.
To that end, he quickly took control, leading the first nine laps until abruptly stopping at the top of turn two as flames lept from under his hood. The fire extinguished, his ride was then towed to the pits as his bid for a two-peat seemed to go up in smoke. Not quite!
As Chris Riendeau led the 18-car field back around for the restart, Baldwin dashed out of the pits to the roar of the crowd. Now scratch on the field, he began his march to the front, passing Cody Schoolcraft for third on lap 33 but still in bad need of a caution to catch the lead pair still far ahead.
Baldwin got that yellow flag on lap 47, took second from Rollins two circuits later, and roared into the lead on lap 55. Rollins kept him close the rest of the way, but there was no way of keeping Baldwin from his appointed rounds in victory lane for the second day in a row. With Rollins the runner-up, Riendeau came home third, Robert Hagar was steady in fourth, and Justin Beecher, all the way from 18th on the starting grid, finished fifth.
Starting up front in the first 20-lap round of the LaValley Building Supply Pure Stock three pack, Kyle Kenny never looked back en route to victory five lengths ahead of Carter Conroy. Jimmy Zellman, Sean Nadeau, and Andrea St. Amour completed the top five in the caution-free event.
Round two went the St. Amour. Taking the lead on lap 13, she then held off Kenny to take the win. Colton Hull, the 2025 track Pure Stock champ was third, with 2024 CMP king Chris Chambers fourth, and Travis Handt fifth.
Conroy dominated the third 20-lapper but a rough second go-round would leave him out of the money for top honors on the day. A battered Chris Quinn was second in round three, with Kyle Begos, Dominick Stafford and St. Amour completing the top five.
Kenny’s sixth-place finish in round three netted him the top spot in the triple 20s, nipping St. Amour for the overall top prize.
Nutmeg State ace Todd Owen led all the way in the Asetex Tire and Auto 604 Modified feature. Nate Wenzel finished at his bumper to claim runner-up honors, Joey Jarvis was third, and Jason Bonnett and Ryan Bell completed the top five.
There was only one caution in the SMAC Super Modified 50-lapper, and Brad Babb took full advantage of it. Taking the lead from Rusty Poland on the lap-47 restart, he rocketed off to victory. Poland held strong to come home second, just ahead of Justin Harris.
Hometown hot shoe Hayden Grenier, who had set fast time in qualifying with a mind-bending lap of 12.996 seconds, was fourth in the main event, while George Helliwell used his fifth-place finish to lock up the 2025 SMAC series championship.
Chris Riendeau, third earlier in the Super Streets, took the lead on lap 12 of Saturday’s Outlaw feature and then held potent Robbie Streeter in his shadow the rest of the way to score the win. Trevor Rocke was third in the 40-lapper, Kyle Goodbout was fourth, and Craig Smith rounded out the top five.
Rob Richardi – he of 11 wins in 14 tries a summer ago – dominated the Pro 4 Modified feature, Taking the lead on lap five and then charging off to score the win ahead of Doug Meservey Jr. With Craig Phillips and Jack Dumas third and fourth, Randy “Rambo” Clark powered home fifth to wrap up his first career Pro 4 Modified Series championship.
Cody Hodgdon saved his best for last in the New England Dwarf Car series feature, blasting out of the final turn to snatch an airtight victory over Andrew Harmon. Tom Harmon went home happily in third, his Saturday bronze medal run good enough to wrap up his second consecutive Dwarf Car series championship.
And if Hodgdon’s last-second heroics were something in the Dwarfs, track owner Beb Bosowski did him one better in the Crown Vics. Storming out of the final turn, Bosowski nipped Ethan Williams in a photo finish, hitting the stripe just .038 seconds ahead of Williams, who led every lap but the one that counted the most. Kamden Robinson was third, Bobby Payne fourth, and 2024 CMP Pure Stock ace Keegan Tabor fifth.
Michael Yeaton had finished Friday night’s Six Shooter feature glued to Meghan Bell’s bumper in second. Getting the sour taste out of his mouth early Saturday, Yeaton rocketed to the front on lap four and darted off into the sunset to win with ease. Bell, backing up her first career win 24 hours earlier, was second, and Dustin Thibodeau third. Garrett Barry and Josh Brigham completed the top five.
Ageless Mitch Wendell, aboard a ride he’d unpacked from moth balls after 11 summers, dominated the Pro V8 Sportsmen Saturday, topping both his heat and feature races. Aaron Thompson was a close second in the 20-lap main event, with Stephen Dubois third, Ron Burgess fourth, and Kyle Buck fifth.In STAR vintage stock car events Saturday, Ken Archambault of Bristol, CT topped the Sportsman division and 77-years-young Curt Snow of West Warren, MA piloted his Dandy Donuts ‘36 Chevy coupe to victory in the STAR Modifieds.
