By Gary Dutton
SPECIAL TO THE EAGLE TIMES
WINCHESTER, N.H. – Brian Chapin guided his fabled “Studebaker” Modified to victory Saturday night at Monadnock Speedway and, on the same card, Milton Duran topped the points-rich Late Model 50-lap main event.
Bob Williams made it two in a row on the high banks in Mini Stock action, while Chelsea, Vt.’s Andrea St. Amour scored her first career Monadnock victory in the Pure Stocks. Young Gun Owen Zilinski made it a hat trick season with his third youth division feature win of the summer.
In support card action, Doug Meservey held off a storming Rob Richardi in the Pro 4 Modified feature, and Jason Pomfry romped to victory in a North East Mini Cup Series 15-lapper.
Chapin and last week’s winner Tyler Leary led the NHSTRA Modifieds to the green to get their 40-lap main underway, with Chapin jumping all over the lead. And while the popular Palmer, Mass. pilot would lead all the way; he’d never in all 40 laps had an inch of breathing room.
Both Nate Wenzel and JT Cloutier had All-Star runs at Chapin’s back bumper but he ran a perfect line the entire distance to earn the win. Wenzel, a two-time 2023 winner and the current points leader finished second, with Cloutier impressive in his second straight podium finish.
With a boatload of points and cash on the line, Saturday’s Late Model 50-lapper drew an All-Star cast. Teddy Bear Pools 2023 Triple Crown, NHSTRA Battle for The Belt and Monadnock Speedway seasonal champ points were all up for grabs, with leaders Geoff Rollins, Milton Duran, and Tim Wenzel, respectively, all in the house.
Wenzel set fast time atop the 23-car field, but Duran drew the pole. Rollins started sixth. Duran led the first 15 laps, then giving way to Chris Buffone on the third of what would become eight total restarts. Duran would then drift back to seventh.
Rollins, aboard probably the fastest car in the field, took charge on lap 33. Wenzel was whacked out of the top three on the 41st go-round, with Rollins then railed from the lead just moments later, the second time he’d been taken out. And who was patiently waiting in the wings? Duran.
He took charge again on lap 41, bringing potent Matt Sonnhalter with him, and held strong to score his third consecutive Battle for The Belt series victory .Sonnhalter finished at his bumper in second, with strong and steady Billy Clement Jr. third on the night.
Andrew Brousseau came home fourth, with Rollins’ second charge through the field netting him fifth, while Wenzel stormed back for sixth.
Kevin Clayton, from row two, led the first 15 laps of the Mini Stock main, but rocket man Bob Williams then sailed past him in turn two and sped off to his second Monadnock victory in as many weeks. Clayton held strong in second, with top points man Louie Maher coming home third on the night, just ahead of the Sontag siblings, Cameron and Chris.
Hot shoe Jimmy Zellman took the lead from Dominick Stafford on lap two of the Pure Stock 25, holding the point until Andrea St. Amour took over on a lap 18 restart. A lap later, Zach Zilinski moved up to second but came up one spot shy of duplicating his younger brother Owen’s earlier Young Gun win.
Zellman, strong all night, joined St. Amour and Zilinski on the podium, with Chris Davis and Colton Martin rounding out the top five. Davis’ one position advantage left he and Martin deadlocked atop the points parade at the end of the night.
Owen Zilinski led all the way in the Young Guns 15-lapper, earning his third victory lap of the summer. Markus O’Neil was solid in second, and Kailyn Hubbard earned the third-place trophy just ahead of her sister Cambri.
Pro 4 super star Rob Richardi was bounced off the frontchute wall at the drop of the green and then made a rock star effort to charge back to the winner’s circle, coming up just short of winner Doug Meservey, who’d taken the lead from Jack Dumas on lap five.
With Meservey victorious, Richardi, Dumas, Justin Faford and Kurt Lester made up the top five in the fast-paced event.
Monadnock Speedway returns to action next Saturday, August 19, when a large field of NHSTRA Modifieds will square off in twin feature events atop a full card of racing on the high-banked speedplant.
Unofficial top tens
NHSTRA MODIFIED: Brian Chapin, Nate Wenzel, JT Cloutier, Scott Zilinski, Tyler Leary, Joel Belanger, Andy Major, Kimmy Rivet, Kyle Boniface and Adam Lapoint.
NHSTRA LATE MODEL, 50-LAP: Milton Duran, Matt Sonnhalter, Billy Clement Jr., Andrew Brousseau, Geoff Rollins, Tim Wenzel, JD Stockwell, Robert Hagar, Chris Buffone and Hillary Renaud.
MINI STOCK: Bob Williams, Kevin Clayton, Louie Maher, Cameron Sontag, Chris Sontag, Erin Aiken, Nolan McClay, Jake Puchalski, David Pratt, Skyler Shippee, Pat Houle.
PURE STOCK: Andrea St. Amour, Zach Zilinski, Jimmy Zellman, Chris Davis, Colton Martin, Chris Chambers, Teagan Edson, Dominick Stafford, Tim Taft, Aaliyah Tacy.
YOUNG GUN: Owen Zilinski, Markus O’Neil, Kailyn Hubbard, Cambri Hubbard, Sofia Rego, Addison Brooks, Madison Cousino, Hunter Duquette.
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