WINCHESTER, N.H. – Open-wheel racing super star Randy Cabral – at 43, an eight-time champion of the lightning fast NEMA series – rocketed to victory twice Saturday at Monadnock Speedway.
By Gary Dutton
The Kingston, Mass. ace soared to victory in the NEMA Lites feature, and then took advantage of race leader Paul Scally’s misfortune in the NEMA Midget Iron Mike (Scrivani) Memorial race to win the prestigious 30-lapper and complete the third twin sweep of his career.
Cabral wasn’t the only driver on fire Saturday on the high banks. NHSTRA Modified ace Ben Byrne held Brian Chapin in his shadow to win for the third time this summer, while Street Stocker Kenny Thompson won for the fourth time.
Cole Littlewood won a thriller in the Late Model Sportsmen, it was business as usual, times six, for Mini Stock master Gordon Farnum, and Jimmy Zellman (unofficially), who had struggled mightily for the first half season, romped to victory in the Pure Stocks.
Addison Brooks won for the second time in the Young Gun feature, while recent Young Gun grad Teagan Edson walked away unharmed after putting her Pure Stock ride upside down in the infield.
In the Modified main, Byrne started up front and never looked back. For the last 24 circuits, though, he had Brian Chapin’s Studebaker ride draped all over him. With Chapin rock solid in second, points leader Tyler Leary came home third, ending the night a scant six markers ahead of Byrne in the championship points parade.
Like Byrne, Thompson wired his feature race, leading the soaring Streeters for all 25 laps and, like Byrne, having plenty of company. Points leader Tim Wenzel rode in Thompson’s shadow all the way before settling for the runner-up finish just ahead of Hillary Renaud, still getting the job done impressively with her right arm in a cast.
Kevin Vaudrien led the first four laps of the Late Model Sportsman main, then giving way to Cole Littlewood. Claremont ace Ricky Bly got up for second on lap 12, with he and Littlewood running under a blanket the rest of the way. Littlewood’s brother Justin got up for third on lap 19, then following the lead pair the rest of the way.
With incoming points leader Ryan Currier fifth on the night, Cole Littlewood’s division-high fourth win of the summer created a three-way tie atop the points chase, with Currier and both Littlewood brothers now even with 458 markers.
Gordon Farnum conducted another clinic in the Mini Stocks Saturday, Taking charge on lap six, the Fitzwilliam Flyer then took off into another time zone to score his sixth win of the season ahead of Cameron Sontag and Jeff Asselin.
Jimmy Zellman took the lead from Zach Phillips on lap nine of the Pure Stock feature and then sped off to a decisive victory. Fast Eddie Petruskevicius, a 2021 Young Gun grad, was strong in second, with defending champ Chris Davis third. (At press deadline, results are still unofficial in the Pure Stock Division).
Davis moved to tops in the championship points chase Saturday, with his trophy finish and JD Stockwell’s sour 12th place night placing the veteran ahead 404-390.
Addison Brooks led all the way in the caution-free Young Guns feature to score her second victory of the summer. Aaliyah Tacy was second, with Traver Michaud, hauling all the way from Lebanon, Maine, third on the night.
Cabral took charge on lap four of the NEMA Lites feature, then blasting off to victory ahead of series’ points leader Jake Trainor and Kyle Valeri.
In the NEMA Midgets Iron Mike Memorial, he sat third when leader Paul Scally got booted on lap 18, then quickly taking charge and darting off to victory ahead of Avery Stoehr and John Zich Jr. Cabral also won the prestigious Iron Mike event here in 2020.
In the NELCAR Legends feature, Devin Deshaies led fellow heat race winner Trevor Krouse under the checkers to score his second Monadnock victory of the summer. James Anderson was third.
There will be no racing next Saturday, July 30, at Monadnock Speedway, as the Route 10 speedplant hosts the two-day Gear Jammers Truck Show. The quarter-mile oval will return to action on Saturday, August 6, with a full card of NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Racing Series action.
MONADNOCK SPEEDWAY JULY 23 TOP PERFORMERS
NHSTRA MODIFIED: Ben Byrne, Brian Chapin, Tyler Leary, Aaron Fellows, Andrew Martell, Nate Wenzel, Ryan Root, Eric LeClair, Hayden Scott.
LATE MODEL SPORTSMAN: Cole Littlewood, Ricky Bly, Justin Littlewood, Ryan Bell, Ryan Currier, George Frost Jr., Kevin Vaudrien, Ron LaPerche, Nancy Muni-Ruot, Sammy Silva.
STREET STOCK: Kenny Thompson, Nate Wenzel, Hillary Renaud, Keith Johnson, Colby Kokosa, Tyler Janovsky, Nate Nunez, Dan Robinson, Jim Carley, Chris Castor.
MINI STOCK: Gordon Farnum, Cameron Sontag, Jeff Asselin, Kevin Clayton, Chris Sontag, Jeff Heath, Kevin McKight.
UNOFFICIAL PURE STOCK: Jimmy Zellman, Eddie Petruskevicius, Chris Davis, Zach Zilinsky, Jake Bosse, Zach Phillips, Mike Douglas, Jim Rhodes, Ron Burgess Jr., Billy Graham.
YOUNG GUN: Addison Brooks, Aaliyah Tacy, Traver Michaud, Markus O’Neil, Jamielynn Flannery, Owen Zilinski, Hunter Duquette.
