Grenier sweeps Mini Stock pair

By Gary Dutton
Correspondent
CLAREMONT – Haydon Grenier swept a pair of 25-lap In City Sugar Shack Mini Stock feature races on Friday night at Claremont Motorsports Park, adding to his divisional points lead with his sixth and seventh victories of the summer.

Grenier hasn’t finished out of first at the Thrasher Road oval since April 30, when he took the checkers in second place.

The hometown hot shoe was one of four divisional points leaders helping their cause with feature wins Friday. Ricky Bly topped the Late Models, rookie sensation Dylan Zullo won his third in the Pure Stocks, and Six Shooter Rocket Man Dustin Thibodeau, like Grenier, won for seventh time.

The Peanuts Auto Sales 602 Dirt Modifieds were back in town for their second Claremont Motorsports Park event of the season, with Ryan Christian taking the checkers just ahead of round-one winner Tanner Siemons.

Grenier got to the front early in the first Mini Stock go-round, taking the lead from row-one starter Ray King Jr. on lap three and never looking back. Slowed only by two lap-14 cautions, he scored the win four lengths ahead of King, with Ryan Carman earning best-of-the-rest honors in third.

King had to settle for second again in the nightcap, after surrendering the point to Grenier on lap 11. Joe Olmstead came home third in this one, staying in the top three all 25 laps to join Grenier and King on trophy row.

Ryan Bell led the first ten laps of the Route 103 Auto Late Model Sportsman main event, before giving way to Sunapee blaster Ricky Bly.

Bly, who had a huge night a week ago at Lee, dominated this one, finishing almost a full straight ahead of Bell to earn his third Claremont Motorsports Park victory lap of the summer. Veteran shoe Joe Bates came home third Friday, while division strongman Ben Poland had a rare DNF night and was credited with seventh, losing a dozen markers to Bly in their championship points battle.

Dylan Zullo may soon be on the market for a new trophy room. The teen Pure Stock star was second on the track, but fastest through the tech line Friday to score the third win of his rookie campaign, that along with three seconds and a third in the still-young season.

JD Stockwell led the 23-car Pure Stock field to the green, running strongly in the top three all 25 laps.

Zullo, coming from deep on the grid, dropped Stockwell to third on lap 19, lost it back to him on 23, and reclaimed it with the white flag in the air but, with the apparent winner failing post-race inspection, was awarded the win. Stockwell’s strong night’s work netted him a seaon-high second, and steady Zach Richardson came home third.

Dustin Thibodeau ran wild over the Six Shooter field Friday, romping to his seventh win in eight 2021 outings. Firing from row five, alongside Robert Shaw, the Charlestown charger dropped Shaw to second on lap ten and then quickly checked out on the rest of the 14-car field.

Shaw’s runner-up finish was his seventh of the year, along with one win, keeping him solidly in the points chase. Ben Bushey earned the third-place hardware, holding off former track champ Jeremy Blood for his spot on the podium.

June 25 Top 10sLate Model Sportsman: Ricky Bly, Ryan Bell, Joe Bates, Jesse Emerson, Chris Emerson, Matt Winter, Ben Poland, Scott Boisvert.

Mini Stock (May 28 make-up feature): Haydon Grenier, Ray King Jr., Ryan Carman, Joe Olmstead, Chris Judd, David Pratt III, David Thibodeau, Dan Young, Brayden Morrie, Erin Aiken.

Mini Stock (Regular feature): Haydon Grenier, Ray King Jr., Joe Olmstead, Ryan Carman, Erin Aiken, David Pratt III, Sean Lantas, Dan Young, David Thibodeau, Chris Judd.

Pure Stock: Dylan Zullo, JD Stockwell, Zach Richardson, Travis Sykes, Kyle Buck, Andrea, St.Amour, Drake Nelson, Doug Nelson, Brandon Picknell, Seth Melcher.

Six Shooter: Dustin Thibodeau, Robert Shaw, Ben Bushey, Jeremy Blood, Mark Laroche Jr., Xander Stillwell, Steve Miller, Chooch Snide, Bucky Thibodeau, Andy LeClair.

602 Dirt Modified: Ryan Christian, Tanner Siemons, Tim LaDuc, Brent Warren, Matt Lashua, Todd Buckwold, Lenny Pillsbury, Tom Kimball.

Claremont racing action to kick off the Independence Day weekendCelebrate the Independence Day weekend this Friday, July 2, at Claremont Motorsports Park with five divisions of Advance Auto Parts Weekly Racing Series competition, a show-capping 50-lap Red Neck Enduro, and, of course, a huge aerial fireworks display.

For more than seven decades, people from throughout the region have flocked to the Thrasher Road speedplant to crown the Fourth of July weekend with a full night of oval track racing and a gigantic fireworks show. The Noise R Us folks from nearby Newport will again be providing the pyrotechnic thrills Friday, with the top drivers in northern New England battling in a full night of on-track excitement.

The Route 103 Auto Late Model Sportsmen will be in action Friday, with Sunapee speedster Ricky Bly gunning to keep his winning streak alive. The R.E. Hinkley Oil Street Stocks have battled tooth-and-nail all summer, as have the 30-plus LaValley Building Supply Pure Stockers, from which rookie Dylan Zullo has emerged as the man to beat.

The In City Sugar Shack Mini Stocks and Avery Insurance Six Shooters will also be in action Friday, and the swarming Red Neck Enduro 50-lapper will conclude the night’s event. Post time Friday at Claremont Motorsports Park is 7 p.m.