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Griffith dominates competition, wins GSPSS Newport Chevrolet 150

By Gary Dutton
Correspondent
CLAREMONT — The Granite State Pro Stock Series (GSPSS) held its biggest event ever on Sunday and Derek Griffith dominated the day.

It was a picture perfect day for racing in southern New Hampshire as the gates swung open for an incredible day of racing at Claremont Motorsports Park. The highlight of the day would be the presentation of the $10,000 check to the races winner but qualifying and 150 laps of intense racing had to take place first.

As the Crazy Horse Racing fast time challenge played out, two things became apparent. First; Derek Griffith was going to be a force to be reckoned with and second; point leader Ray Christian III was in trouble.

In time trials Griffith would come up short of the track record by just five one hundredths of a second but would earn the right to start at the front of the first heat race. Youngster Gabe Brown would time trial an impressive second with Wayne Helliwell Jr taking home the last of the Crazy Horse Racing fast time challenge bonus money.

GSPSS point leader Ray Christian III would time trial a disappointing thirteenth after breaking a part in the rear end in practice and his point lead would be in jeopardy. Joey “Pole” Polewarczyk came into the race second in points and time trailed eighth while Angelo Belsito came in third in the standings and laid down the fifth quickest lap.

Moving on to heat races Griffith continued his stellar performance, comfortably winning his heat race over Belsito and Helliwell. The second heat would go to Brown with hometown driver Luke Hinkley and “Pole” picking up second and third.

In the GSPSS redraw it was Griffith who would draw first and continuing his perfect day, he would pull pill number one giving him the pole for the Newport Chevrolet 150. As he looked down at the number one he would comment, “Merry Christmas to me!”

At the drop of the green Griffith would jump out to the lead and never look back. He would lead every lap, at times leading by half a lap and putting cars a lap down at a furious rate. The Hudson NH driver would lap into the top ten and never be seriously challenged.

“I’ve got to thank my guys,” said Griffith in victory lane. “We were horrible early in practice and they worked their butts off to get it better. By the time we got to time trials and the race, this thing was a rocket ship.”

Griffith, a former champion of the series, was racing in his first GSPSS event of the season. “It’s always nice to come home and race with Granite State,” said Griffith in a moment of recollection. “This track is where I got my first touring series win so to come back and win this race is awesome.”

Angelo Belsito came into the event needing to close the gap in the point standings and did just that. Belsito would finish second but showed his disappointment after the race. “We missed it just a little bit today,” said the driver from Auburn, Massachusetts. “We needed one more adjustment to run with Derek. I really wanted to win this one and just didn’t get it done. He had the faster car today.”

Gabe Brown would wind up in third after putting together his best run ever with the series. “We have struggled here in the past so It was nice to come here and have a good run,” Brown said. “We’ll be back and maybe next time we can get that checkered flag.”

Cory Casagrande would put together a late charge and finish a solid fourth while defending series champion Joey Doiron would round out the top five.

Second place in the series point standings Joey “Pole” would fall to sixth late in the going after running in the top four for most of the day with local driver Luke Hinkley in seventh and two time champion Mike O’Sullivan in eighth.

Rounding out the top ten would be second year driver Jake Matheson and veteran Josh King.

Up next for the series is a Friday night Sept. 18 visit to the Star Speedway in Epping New Hampshire for the annual Star Classic. This event has become a favorite for fans and competitors alike. Last years event came down to a final laps door banging affair between eventual champion Doiron and race winner Ray Christian III.

For more information visit the series at www.gspss.net or check them out on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Jimmy Renfrew Jr. $1,500 richer after Granite State Nationals victory

Derek Griffith put together the perfect night Sunday at Claremont Motorsports Park.

The 23-year-old Pro Stock star won his heat, then drew the pole starting position for Sunday’s Newport Chevrolet 150 Granite State Pro Stock Series main event at the storied third-mile. The top starting spot in hand, he then led all 150 laps to pocket the $10,000 winner’s purse, the biggest prize ever in series history.

But, while both Griffith and Street Stock Richard Tetreault Memorial 73 winner Jimmy Renfrew each led all the way, it was Red Neck Enduro daredevil Jimmy Zullo’s victory-from-the-jaws-of-defeat move that got the loudest applause. Snaking through the some-kind-of-crazy traffic with two laps to go, Zullo darted past Kyle Buck to top the 63-car, 50-lap nightcap event.

Other winner’s in Sunday night’s Labor Day Weekend races at the Thrasher Road speedplant included Windsor’s Kodi Sabins, who sizzled in winning his eighth Pure Stock feature of the summer, and Six Shooter strong man Paul Colburn, who earned his fourth 2020 victory lap.

Griffith and Gabe Brown had the fastest times in GSPSS qualifying, with Griffith almost eclipsing the track record. They then each won their respective heat race, with Griffith garnering the pole in a redraw, and starting up front alongside Luke Hinkley as the 150-lap main event went green.

Griffith led all 150 laps, with first Brown, and then Angelo Belsito, from lap 27 on, trying to reel him in. Slowed only by two quick cautions, the Griffith-Belsito-Brown express sailed by quickly. Belsito, who won here July 24, was strong in second, but had no answer for Griffith.

Like Griffith, Street Stock ace Jimmy Renfrew started up front and never looked back, holding the point for all 73 laps. But hometrack hot shoe Dave Greenslit, second under the checkers Sunday, was a big winner too. Greenslit’s runner-up performance was all he needed to wrap up the multi-track NHRSTA 2020 Battle for The Belt series title.

Greenslit and Brian Robie battled tooth-and-nail for the deuce spot before Robie was dumped out of third by an overzealous fourth-place runner. That moved Joe Tetreault, who’d been strong all night, up to third, where he finished his strong night’s work in trophy row in his father, Richard’s, memorial event.

Sunday’s victory was Renfrew’s second of the summer at the Claremont oval. He also topped a Street Stock feature here on June 12.

Kodi Sabins stormed past Sean Lantas on lap two of the Pure Stock feature and never looked back. Slowed by just a single caution en route to his eighth win of the summer, Sabins held off Dylan Adams and Kyle Templeton, the latter aboard Sabins’ backup 36X machine.

In the Six Shooters, upstart Todd Smith led the 17-car field on its first three journeys around the third-mile oval. Paul Colburn, from row three, then took charge. But while nobody would slow the speedy Colburn, Smith was strong too, picking up his second trophy in as many weeks with Sunday’s career-best runner-up finish. Top points man Dustin Thibodeau came home third.

And if you think traffic is crazy where you live, you should have seen Sunday’s 63-car Red Neck Enduro. Like veteran city cabbies, Jimmy Zullo, Kyle Buck, and Leon Keniston got the job done in this 50-lapper. Sunday’s victory was Zullo’s second Red Neck win this year.

NELCAR Legends kingpin Shawn Buffington topped the motorcycle-powered racers’ 25-lapper. Brandon Martinez was second, and Luke Lebrun, victorious here earlier this year, came home third.

Claremont Motorsports Park returns to action this Friday, Sept. 11, with a full card of racing on its 14th week of the exciting 2020 season. For more information, please visit www.claremontmotorsportspark.com.

Top finishers

GSPSS Newport Chevrolet 150: Derek Griffith, Angelo Belsito, Gabe Brown, Cory Casagrande, Joey Doiron, Joey Polewarczyk, Luke Hinkley, Mike O’Sullivan, Jake Matheson, Josh King.

Street Stock Richard Tetreault Memorial 73 Lap: Jimmy Renfrew, Dave Greenslit, Joe Tetreault, Jaret Curtis, Ricky Bly, Tommy O’Sullivan, Robert Hagar, Chase Curtis, Brian Robie, Trevor Rocke.

Six Shooter: Paul Colburn, Todd Smith, Dustin Thibodeau, Chris Colburn, Ray Luce, Ronnie Carman, Dakota Lanou, David Piper, Ryan Carman, John Vorhees.

Pure Stock: Kodi Sabins, Dylan Adams, Kyle Templeton, Amy Jaycox, Sean Lantas, Robert Shaw, Bruce Adams, Zach Richardson, Doug Nelson, Nick Little.

Red Neck Enduro 50: Jimmy Zullo, Kyle Buck, Leon Keniston, Chad McAlpine, Shane Lebraney, Desmond “Rattlesnake” Skillings, Drake Nelson, Cody Hodge, Josh Thibodeau Jr., Bre Nelson.

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