By Gary Dutton
Special to
the Eagle Times
CLAREMONT, N.H. — Chris Reindeer stormed to victory in the 73-lap Richard Tetreault Memorial Late Model main event at Claremont Motorsports Park Sunday, crushing the field on the first day of the historic oval’s two-day holiday weekend spectacular.
The veteran pilot, often affectionately dubbed The Weasel, simply blew away the competition en route to his big win. Modified super star Brian Robie also earned a victory lap Sunday, as did Outlaw kingpin Ben Poland and Six Shooter Robert Shaw. And in the swarming Pure Stocks, hometown teen Colton Martin moved closer to a track title by topping Sunday’s feature in a borrowed car.
JD Stockwell and Andrew Brousseau led the RE Hinkley Fuels Late Models to the green to begin their 73-lap main event, with Brousseau quickly into the lead, bringing Riendeau – from row two – with him. Sitting patiently at Brousseau’s bumper, Riendeau finally pounced on lap 12, taking the low line to the front and then never looking back.
While the Ascutney hot shoe opened monstrous leads, Brousseau, Justin Beecher, and Dave Greenslit fought furiously for second. with Joe Tetreault, the son of the event’s namesake, joining them at mid-race.
Beecher got up for second on lap 57, bringing Greenslit with him, half a lap down to Riendeau. A lap-70 caution, the only one of the race, saw Greenslit bolt into second on the restart, then taking the checkers a half-dozen lengths behind Riendeau. Tetreault, Brian Robie – doing double duty on the day – and Beecher rounded out the top five.
In the Asetex Tire & Auto Modified 30-lapper, Joey Jarvis took the early lead, bringing Haydon Grenier and Brian Robie with him. By lap three, Robie had taken charge, and the former track champ was never bested.
Modified points leader Aaron Fellows stayed close, before giving way to Monadnock strong man Nate Wenzel on lap 25. When Fellows was dumped a lap later, he lined up at the rear of the lead lap missiles and, from there, immediately went to work.
Rocketing back up to third on lap 28, he then followed Robie and Wenzel under the checkers. Mike Smith and Tyler Leary rounded out Sunday’s top five.
On the track Sunday, the LaValley Building Supply Pure Stock 25-lapper played out as one of the closest battles in recent memory. In the tech line, unfortunately, things weren’t really what they’d appeared to be.
Colton Martin took the lead on lap six, joined at the front seven laps later by Kodi Sabins, a late arrival Sunday after having earlier turned in a runner-up performance at Vermont’s Thunder Road. For a dozen laps, the two raced dead even, with Martin hitting the finish line only a bumper ahead of his foe.
Sabins’ car failed post-race tech, though, with Andrea St. Amour then awarded the second spot, moving Aiden White up to third, and defending track champ Chris Chambers fourth.
For Martin’s Sunday ride, it was back-to-back feature wins, as the car had won a Young Guns feature race the night before, with Madison Cousino at its wheel, at Monadnock Speedway. The same car had also won a Claremont 24-lapper earlier this year piloted by Colton Hull.
It was quickly clear that Sunday’s Brodie Ladue State Farm Outlaw feature would be won by either Guy Caron or Ben Poland. Short of maybe a nuclear bomb touching down in the infield, one of the potent pair would carry the checkers.
It was Poland taking command before lap two had been completed, then quickly opening a huge lead, as Caron was mired in traffic. But when the caution waved on lap ten, Steve Bly and Caron were again within shooting range.
Caron was quickly up for second, and he and Poland would race the rest of the way under a blanket, with Poland maintaining a fast and perfect line to take home the win. Bly stayed strong in third, with Tyler Lescord fourth, and Travis Cass fifth.
Robert Shaw led all the way to earn the Avery Insurance Six Shooter victory lap. Points leader Steve Miller Jr. was often at his bumper but could never find a path to the front. Andrew Scott survived a last-lap jingle in turn four to come third.
Division kingpin Steve Miller Sr. was an early DNF, leaving the track on lap four, much as he did the night before at Monadnock. Miller Jr.’s runner-up finish kept him atop the points parade.
— Provided by Claremont Motorsports Park
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