Sports

Bly and Riendeau victorious, first ever for Alden at Claremont Speedway

CLAREMONT – Ricky Bly earned his first checkered flag lap of the season, Wild Cat rookie Jon Alden won his first ever, and the Chris Riendeau Express kept rolling Friday, July 13, at Claremont Speedway.

            Bly won one segment of the prestigious Mike Richardson Sr. Memorial Super Street race and crossed the finish line third in the nightcap to claim the overall victory in the 75-lap event. The non-points race was the Sunapee speedster’s first score of the summer, although he currently sits atop the Super Street points-parade as the speedway enters its annual summer break week.

            The 17-year-old Alden led the final 22 laps of the Wild Cat feature to score his first career feature win ten carlengths ahead of Zach Morse. With the win, the North Springfield, VT rookie became the fourth Wild Cat driver in as many weeks to earn his first victory, joining Kyle Templeton, Kyle Buck, and Victor Branch as first-time winners.

            Riendeau’s points-sweeping night – he won both the Street Stock feature and heat race – brought the Ascutney star to within four points of division leader Bryan Town. It was Riendeau’s fifth victory of the summer, tying him with Super Streeter Aaron Fellows for most wins.

            Aaron Fellows set fast time, turning a 15.223 lap to earn the pole in the first 35-lap segment of the Richardson Memorial Super Street event, firing alongside his cousin, Craig Smith, whose 15.227 effort placed him on the front row. Dylan Bodreau and Hayden Scott made up row two of the 18-car field.

            Ricky Bly, diving low through turn one, ended Bodreau’s 18-lap run at the front on lap 31, then holding the Claremont hot shoe in his shadow over the final four laps to score the win. Craig Smith followed them under the checkers as the trio hit the stripe nose-to-tail. Scott was fourth in the 35-lap go-round, and Fellows was fifth.

            In the 40-lap nightcap, Allen Fellows set fast time the first two trips around, giving way to Ben Poland on lap three, with son Aaron following Poland forward to claim the deuce. Five laps later, Aaron had the lead and once in front, the younger Fellows never looked back.

            Craig Smith, who’d qualified in a second car after his night’s planned ride broke during practice, got up for second on lap 26 but a very savvy Bly, knowing what he needed to claim the overall top prize, cruised in third the final seven laps, earning his first win of the year in the no-points event.

            Hometown pilots Dylan Bodreau and Joe Brown came home fourth and fifth respectively, in both the second segment and overall finish of the Richardson Memorial.

            Rookie Robbie Streeter led the first two go-rounds of the Street Stock feature, then giving way to a very fast Chris Colburn. Chris Riendeau made it his race, though, on lap seven, taking the lead and then driving away from the field to score his fifth win in eleven 2018 events.

            Colburn, strong all night, earned the runner-up finish, Dave Greenslit was third, Lenny Silver fourth, and Bryan Town came home fifth to maintain his divisional points lead at the halfway mark of the season.

            Firing from row three, rookie pilot Jon Alden took the lead on lap four of the Wild Cat 25-lapper and never looked back. Zach Morse, bidding for his first win, settled for a strong second, ten lengths behind Alden. Kyle Templeton earned the third-place hardware just ahead of Zach Lyn, and Kyle Buck came home fifth.

            Lyn, although winless in more than a month, continued to be the gold standard in the four-holer class, maintaining a 70-point lead over Alden at the mid-summer break.

            Claremont Speedway Thrasher Road speedplant will return to action on July 27, when the North East Classic Lites join the R.E. Hinkley Super Streets, Pepsi Street Stocks, and T-Bird Mini Mart Wild Cats in a full card of oval track action.

            For more information, please visit www.claremontspeedway.net.

CLAREMONT SPEEDWAY TOP TENS, JULY 13:

SUPER STREET, 75-lap combined finish.: Ricky Bly, Craig Smith, Aaron Fellows, Dylan Bodreau, Joe Brown, Alex Poisson, Ben Poland, Hayden Scott, Tyler Lescord,

Allen Fellows. SEGMENT WINNERS: Ricky Bly, Aaron Fellows.

STREET STOCK: Chris Riendeau, Chris Colburn, Dave Greenslit, Lenny Silver, Bryan Town, Kenny Thompson, Briana Akusis, Nick Little, Dave Donahue, Robbie Streeter.

WILD CAT: Jon Alden, Zach Morse, Kyle Templeton, Zach Lyn, Kyle Buck, Victor Branch, Sam Giveens, Raven Streeter, Haydon Grenier, Seth Melcher.

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