Just three weeks remain in the weekly racing season for 2024 at Seekonk Speedway. This Friday and Saturday night, the Sunoco Drive For The Cup playoffs continue with racing across nine different Seekonk divisions.
The battle is on to gain as many playoff points as possible in all divisions, as drivers continue to try and etch their name into the Final Four. It all begins on Friday night at 7 p.m. with five divisions of racing, followed by another four divisions of NASCAR Saturday racing at 6 p.m. On NASCAR Saturday, the East Coast Towing & Recovery Spectator Drags also will join the show for the final time during a weekly racing event this season.
The Pro Stocks will be back for 40 laps on NASCAR Saturday. Entering race two of the playoffs, regular season points leader Vinnie Arrenegado currently leads the charge with seven playoff points. Dylan Estrella has 6, then Mike Brightman with 5 and Bobby Pelland III with three. Those are currently the four drivers who would advance into the Final Four. After that, defending and two-time champion Mark Jenison has two points and Colbey Fournier, a multiple-time winner this season, has one point. Dick Benoit, a non-playoff car, picked up the feature win last week.
In the Late Models, Charlie Rose shows the way with eight playoff points, including his three from the bonus points by leading the regular season standings and 5 from a second-place finish in the first race of the playoffs. With his feature win last Saturday, Jacob “Rowdy” Burns is second with six points, while Chase Belcher (4) and Richie Murray (3) currently hold the Final Four spots. Right now, Luke Lebrun and former champion Mark Jenison are outside the cutoff with 2 and 1 points, respectively. Although there are six playoff drivers, look for Rookie of the Year contenders Andrew Gomes and Brittany Campbell, along with Connor Souza, to have a say in the winner of Saturday’s 30-lap feature event.
The Helger’s Sportsman has one driver clearly showing the way. With the three bonus points from the regular season and the six from his feature win in round one, Colby Lambert has the most points of any playoff driver at Seekonk Speedway after round one, with nine. He leads the charge over former Fast Friday Pure Stock champion Doug Benoit (5), Scott Serydynski Jr (4) and Josh Hedges (3). Currently on the outside looking in, Tyler Almeida (2) and Adam Pettey (1) will have some work to do in order to get back in. In a wild Sportsman race each week, there are at least a dozen cars that can contend for the feature win. Another 25-lap race is on tap this week.
Chaz’s Auto Body Sport Truck racing has been fun to watch all year. In the playoff battle, the field is chasing regular season top contender Mike Duarte (6) and Rick Martin (6), who are tied for the top spot. Tim Bolger Jr. with 5 is up next, followed by Jake Vanada, currently in the Final Four spot in fourth, with 4 points. Currently outside looking in, Amy Arsenault has two points and Mike Cavallaro one. Last week, non-playoff driver DJ Thibeault scored his first career win, holding off Martin to complete the task.
On Fast Friday, the Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Bandits field has David Bernier out front with eight playoff points. Luka Dib, who won the playoff opener, has six points, while Mason Silva (4) and Jase Chaber (3) are currently the other Final Four contenders as they run. With work to do, Carl Satterlund Jr (2) and Ayla Martin (1) will be looking to find their way into the Final Four this week.
In the Sport 4 class, Matt Pion used a borrowed ride to maintain a spot in the Final Four after week one. It’s Justin Leduc leading the charge with six points as the leading playoff finisher in race one. Richie Johnson has five points, while Pion and Tyler Duhancik are tied with four points, currently holding the Final Four spots in third and fourth. Behind them, outside looking in, two-time champion Crystal Murray has three points and Taylor Bowser has two. Is there a non-playoff contender who can win Friday’s 25-lap feature?
The Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Outlaw field currently sees Bryson Robidoux, who also has the bonus points from the regular season and a second-place finish in round one, leading the charge with eight playoff points. Parker Davis, who won the opener, is second, with six points. They are closely followed by Brody Wakefield with four in third and Mike Hanafin with three in fourth. Outside looking in, Nick Uhrig Jr. has two and Ryder Aguiar has one. Will it be a playoff driver out front after 15 laps on Friday?
In the Helger’s Pure Stocks, Ethan Souza used a strong run in the first race to currently lead in a tie with Mike Henriques with six points. Brent Robidoux (5) and Jared Cordeira (4) are the other two cars that would be in the Final Four if it ended today. Danny Massa (2) and Bobby Bettencourt III (1) are the two drivers currently outside looking in. Last week, Matt Talblot scored the feature win, his first career, in the Pure Stocks.
The Nick’s Pit Stop Legends Cars field is definitely shaken up after round one. Chase Silvia leads the charge with six points after his win in the first round, while Brenden LaBelle (5) and Mason Tessier (4) are next. Jacob “Rowdy” Burns may have been the worst finishing playoff car in the first race, but the three bonus points from the regular season currently has him with four playoff points in the final spot. Outside looking in, Richie Helger Jr. and Josh Parsons, two multiple-time winners this season, are fifth and sixth, with three and two points, respectively. With nearly 20 Legends Cars on average weekly, there are plenty of contenders who are not in the playoffs, but looking to win a feature event before the season is over.
Fast Friday racing begins at 7 p.m. and NASCAR Saturday action goes green at 6 p.m. All tickets are available in advance online. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates.
