Racing resumes on Friday in Claremont

By Gary Dutton
Correspondent
CLAREMONT — Two Modified features will highlight this Friday night’s NHSTRA racing event at Claremont Motorsports Park.

The Mod twinbill will be supported by five other weekly racing series divisions and a special Cone Race Madness event.

The Mod Squad was scheduled to compete twice on the Thrasher Road speedplant’s April 25 opening night card. Young star Matt Kimball edged Brian Robie and Todd Patnode in the opening 35-lapper but, when rain swept the nightcap away, track promoter Mike Parks quickly rescheduled it for this week.

The powerful open-wheelers have already qualified for the starting lineup of Friday’s first battle and will then re-qualify for the second 35-lapper. The Street Stocks, dominated twice so far by Candia’s Jimmy Renfrew Jr., will also be in action Friday, along with the Late Model Sportsmen, with both Dallas Trombley and Ricky Bly owning 2021 wins, and the Mini Stocks, Pure Stocks and Six Shooters.

Renfrew wins again; Bly, Sabins checker FridayTeen star Jimmy Renfrew Jr. stayed perfect on the young season Friday, May 7, topping a deep and talented Street Stock field to duplicate his opening day victory of two weeks earlier.

Sunapee speedster Ricky Bly was victorious in the Late Model Sportsman feature, while four-cylinder king Kodi Sabins rocketed to victory over a 24-car field in the Pure Stocks.

Desmond Skillings picked up where he’d left off last autumn, topping Friday night’s Mini Stock main, and 2020 Six Shooter champ Dustin Thibodear, like Renfrew, won his second race of the season.

Cody Schoolcraft led the thundering pack of 17 R.E. Hinkley Street Stocks to the green, but it was Renfrew, firing from row two, who shot low along the backchute to grab the opening lap lead and then never look back.

Over the first 28 laps, Renfrew was able to open huge leads, with Schoolcraft holding the deuce over an all-star field. Chris Riendeau, strong and steady all day, was able to claim second with two to go, with reigning track champion Dave Greenslit completing his charge from scratch on the opening grid to earn the third-place hardware.

With 33 LaValley Building Supply Pure Stocks jamming the pits in hope of earning a spot into the night’s big dance, Nick Houle would earn the pole for Friday’s 25-lap main event. Opening day winner Joey Jarvis was not on hand.

Houle jumped all over the opening lead, but firing low through the west-end turns, Sabins took control on lap six. The only caution of the event fell on lap 15, when Houle was dumped by a lapper while running strong in second.

Houle’s demise moved Seth Melcher and teen hot shoe Dylan Zullo up to battle for second, with Zullo holding the deuce over the final nine go-rounds to score his second runner-up finish of the young season. Travis Sykes was impressive in third, with Houle charging back through the field to recover for fifth, just behind Kyle Templeton.

Former two-time Route 103 Auto LMS champ Ricky Bly led all the way in Friday’s 30-lapper but had strong competition racing in his shadow most of the way, as Dallas Trombley and Ben Poland went to war just behind him.

Trombley, the opening night winner, while dancing alongside Bly, found the top of turn two too narrow for his liking on lap 18, with Poland then dogging Bly the rest of the way to claim second. Steady Tyler Lescord came home third on the night.

Defending In City Sugar Shack Mini Stock champion Desmond Skillings led all 25 laps of Friday’s feature, holding off the all-out challenges of Haydon Grenier to notch the win. Ray King, firing from row three, came home third.

Dustin Thibodeau started up front in the Avery Insurance Six Shooter feature and blew the field away en route to his second 2021 victory. Robert Shaw claimed best-of-the-rest honors to earn the runner-up trophy, and John Thibodeau came home third.

Jessie Webster had the hot hand in the first round of 2021 Spectator Racing at the Thrasher Road speedplant. Webster topped a field of eight street-legal competitors in the night’s ten-lapper.

May 7 Top 10sStreet Stock: Jimmy Renfrew Jr., Chris Riendeau, Dave Greenslit, Cody Schoolcraft, Joe Tetreault, Jeremy Zullo, Briana Akusis, Matt Sonnhalter, Robert Hagar, Jack McClay.

Late Model Sportsman: Ricky Bly, Ben Poland, Tyler Lescord, Ryan Bell, Chris Jackman, Dallas Trombley, Matt Winter, Scott Boisvert, Ben Lambert.

Mini Stock: Desmond Skillings, Haydon Grenier, Ray King, Cale Skillings, Dave Thibodeau, Eric Lanou, Daniel Young, Dave Pratt III, Kodi Sabins, Nick Skillings.

Pure Stock: Kodi Sabins, Dylan Zullo, Travis Sykes, Kyle Templeton, Nick Houle, Seth Melcher, Andrea St. Amour, Chris Carver, Amy Jaycox, Doug Nelson.

Six shooter: Dustin Thibodeau, Robert Shaw, John Thibodeau, Bucky Thibodeau, Jeremy Blood, Xander Emerson, Paul Colburn, Lucas Bernatchy, Ray Luce.