CLAREMONT– Car counts have a tendency to go down in August as racing budgets are stretched out, but Twin State Speedway continues to improve its car count each week with some mid-season rule changes that have made it easier to race on the third-mile asphalt track. The car count increased once again Friday night with the reintroduction of several Thrasher Road veterans, including 2007 Super Streets
Champion Steve Bly, Ryan Bell, Drew Davis and Joe Lanou. The new competitors have made the already exciting class even better, and are giving the guys who have been winning all season long a run for their money. 

Allen Fellows piloted the 29 to a pole position for the start and made good use of his forward location by going wire-to-wire.  There was some serious pressure applied from behind by Bell, who was looking for a way into the lead for the latter half of the feature.  Dola Holland and Chris Wilk started back in the pack but didn’t waste any time before they were battling side-by-side for third and a look at passing Bell for second.  Lap after lap passed and both Wilk and Holland had traded chances on taking second, but without success. With laps running down, the focus of the battle shifted from a look at second to a place on podium at all.  Holland found his way into the lower line while Wilk stayed high, creating a drag race down the final stretch to the finish. Fellows won, Bell took second, and Holland edged out Wilk for the last spot. 

Travis Cass has been fast in several heat races but couldn’t turn that speed into success in the feature. With a starting spot in third, Cass had a shot at making a few moves early on to get out of traffic and that’s exactly what he did.  Cass passed pole
starter Luke Hinkley on the low side and had similar success against Chris Riendeau
as well, taking the lead and setting himself up for an easy race with little pressure beyond a few restarts.  Riendeau finished second one week ago, and has already made his mark in the Late Model division.  Mark Merrill worked his way from the back of the pack after leaving before the start to fix a loose gas cap to take third.  Points leader Todd Davis took seventh after getting pushed up into the wall on the front stretch, losing his front bumper in the process.  Dennis Stange, who entered the race second in the points,made no headway on Davis, finishing eighth.
 

Arthur Heino Jr. needed a strong finish Friday night to apply the pressure to his
points leading cousin Dana Smith.  He got what he needed.  Heino started fourth and
paired up with Smith to cut their way through traffic before Smith was sent to the
back as part of a spin resulting from three-wide racing in turn two. Heino took the
lead shortly after and never looked back, while the battle for second was on.  Once
again Riendeau was sitting in second and racing strongly despite a practice session
wreck that left some parts of his car bent up.  Smith worked his way through the
pack once again, eventually overtaking Riendeau and locking up second. Riendeau
finished third. 

Joey Jarvis continued his torrid streak in the Strictly Stocks, taking yet another win. Ben Poland passed the speedy Tara Tarbell for with laps running out. Tarbell took third.  Twin State rookie Erin Vien proved that a 350 powered car can keep up with the 305's, taking sixth in the feature. 

Craig Smith won the Sportsman race, piloting his orange Dodge Neon to a win ahead of Jeff Murray in the number 3 and Dylan Bodreau in the 26.  Several Wildcats teams were thrown through a loop when track officials checked rear suspension for rules compliance, disqualifying five cars, including the top three finishers of the race.  Technicians checked rear springs, which must remain stock for the make and model year of the car.  The only spring that is allowed to be switch is the right front. When the dust settled, David Leitch was awarded the win ahead of Bruce Jaycox and Edward LeClair.

The regular season ends this coming Friday with the LaValley’s Building Supply
“Crowning the champions” night. Racing starts at 7 p.m., and with several close
points races, there could be some serious shakeups. 

Don’t forget about the weekend of Sept. 28-29. New England Outdoor Furnaces is sponsoring a one of the most exciting shows to ever take to the Speedway asphalt.

The weekend starts with Full Fender Saturday, featuring Pro Stocks, Late Models, All Star Race Trucks, Super Streets, Strictly Stocks, Allison Legacy Series, Sportsman, Wildcats/Enduros. It doesn’t end there though.

The next day is Open Wheel Sunday, featuring the True Value Modified Tour,
Nema Midgets, Nema Lites, Pepsi Modifieds, Pro-Four Mods and of course the Ricky Miller Memorial 100.

Come for both days or come for one, it’s a show that can’t be missed.