Beech Ridge Motor Speedway hosted two of its most anticipated events of the season this past Saturday: the Wildcats 71-lap feature and the first Autograph Night session of 2019. With clear skies and warm temperatures, it was the picture-perfect night for racing.
The Sport Series kicked off the racing action with their 12-lap heat races. Todd Libby and Jason Curtis were neck & neck for the lead in the early laps of the first heat. Todd Libby finally cleared him on lap 6, pulling away from his competitors. Jason Curtis took a spin in front of the field on lap 6 in turn 4, collecting both Curt Gleason and Dave Charest. Both Gleason and Charest suffered from heavy body damage (Gleason in the front of the car and Charest in the rear) and unfortunately, neither driver returned to competition. After an extended cleanup with Dave Charest being pulled away on a flatbed, the field took the green once again.
The incident left Todd Libby and Chasing the Checkered driver, Charlie Sanborn, on the front row for the restart. Todd Libby was able to pull away, scoring the heat victory. Charlie Sanborn and Ryan Phillips rounded out the top 3.
Frank Wear pulled away with the early lead in the second Sport Series heat while Bubba Pelton and Mike St. Pierre battled it out for the runner-up spot behind him. Bubba finally cleared him on lap 6, setting his sights on the front of the field. Frank Wear was able to hold off the competition, taking home the heat victory. Terry Merrill rounded out the top 3.
Josh Childs took off with the early lead in the first Pro Series heat. Corey Bubar was on his way to the top of the leader board, pulling into the runner-up spot on lap 2. After starting at the front of the field, Charlie Colby fell back through the field on lap 5 and retired to the pits on lap 7. Josh Childs managed to hold off Corey Bubar, scoring the heat victory. Dan McKeage finished out the top 3.
Trevor Sanborn pulled away early in the second Pro Series heat, but Mike Rowe was quick to settle into the runner-up spot. Dave Oliver was also coming through the field, going from fourth to second on lap 6. Gary Smith also made his way around Mike Rowe in the closing laps, climbing up to third. Trevor Sanborn took home the heat victory, followed by Dave Oliver and Gary Smith.
Mark Grantham pulled away from his competitors in the early laps of the first Wildcats heat. Mike Roe and Ed Connolly went off track in turns 3/4 while battling it out for position on lap 3, but the field remained green. Ray Letellier was hard-charging for the lead, clearing Mark Grantham for the top spot on lap 7 as Dan Bean and Joe Morse followed suit. Letellier collected the heat victory, followed by Dan Bean and Joe Morse.
Cole Watson took off with the early lead in the final qualifying heat of the night while Nate Leavitt quickly made his way into the runner-up spot. He made his way to Watson’s inside on lap 2, clearing him for the top spot the following lap. Tiger Colby was also on the move, making his way into the runner-up spot on lap 4. Cole Watson took a spin on lap 5 in turn 3, but the field remained green. Tiger Colby was all over Nate Leavitt for the lead in the closing laps of the heat, but Leavitt managed to hold him off for the heat victory. Wade Kennedy rounded out the top 3.
Once the fields were set, it was time for the Sport Series’ 35-lap feature. Charlie Sanborn and Todd Libby were head-to-head on the initial start, with Sanborn finally clearing him for the top spot on lap 3.
Ryan Phillips was also on the move, climbing into the runner-up spot on lap 5. Terry Merrill was in hot pursuit, breaking the top 4 on lap 8 and the top 3 just 5 laps later on lap 13. Clyde Hennessey, already a multiple-time winner in 2019, also broke the top 5 on lap 15. Taylor Lampron-Pierce took a spin on lap 19 in turn 4, leading to the first caution of the feature.
Clyde Hennessey managed to navigate the traffic and sneak into the lead on the restart as Charlie Sanborn began to lose ground on the outside line. Ryan Phillips made his way to Clyde Hennessey’s inside on lap 25, challenging for the top spot. Clyde finally broke free from him on lap 32, setting his sights on the checkered flag. Hennessey took home the feature victory, collecting yet another trophy. Ryan Phillips, Frank Wear, Terry Merrill and Bubba Pelton rounded out the top five.
Corey Bubar powered into the early lead in the 40-lap Pro Series feature. Dave Oliver was also on the move early, making his way into the runner-up spot in the opening laps. Gary Smith began navigating through the field, advancing into fifth over Trevor Sanborn on lap 13 and fourth over Nick Cusack on lap 19.
There was a 2-car breakaway by the halfway point of the race, with Bubar and Oliver leading the charge. Gary Smith was still charging to the front of the field, clearing Josh Childs for third on lap 23. The leaders had extended their lead to a full straightaway over the competition with just ten laps to go.
Nick Cusack was on the move in the closing laps of the feature, advancing into fourth over Josh Childs on lap 30. Trevor Sanborn made his way to Cusack’s inside on lap 35, challenging him for the spot. The leaders approached heavy lap traffic with just two laps to go, but Corey Bubar managed to hold Dave Oliver off, scoring his first feature victory of 2019. Gary Smith followed and Nick Cusack managed to hold off Trevor Sanborn for fourth, collecting another top five.
After a brief intermission, the Wildcats took to the track for their big 71-lap feature. Dan Bean took off with the early lead as Joe Morse quickly advanced into the runner-up spot. Nate Leavitt was on the move early, breaking the top 5 on lap 5. Mike Roe also showed strength in the early laps of the feature, climbing up to third on lap 8. Wade Kennedy was also on the move, breaking the top 5 on lap 10. Mike Roe’s woes continued as he took a spin on lap 11 in turn 2, leading to the first caution of the feature.
Dan Bean took off with the lead on the restart as Joe Morse nearly lost it on the backstretch following the restart, descending back to fifth place. Last week’s winner, Dave Cameron, was on the move after the restart, breaking the top five on lap 24. Nate Leavitt was all over Dan Bean for the lead on lap 26 and made his way to his inside just one lap later. He finally cleared him for the top spot on lap 31 as Tiger Colby advanced into the runner-up spot behind him.
Tiger Colby was hungry for the top spot, challenging Nate Leavitt for the lead to his outside on lap 38. He cleared him the following lap, pulling away from his competitors. On lap 49, Lewis Anderson retired to the pits after struggling to find speed all day. The leaders were all single-file with 20 laps to go, but began to approach heavy lap traffic with just 10 laps left in the feature. Tiger Colby managed to hold off the competition, scoring yet another feature victory. Nate Leavitt, Dan Bean, Wade Kennedy and Dave Cameron rounded out the top five.
The night was full of exciting (and mostly clean) racing action following last week’s wild events. Plus, fans were able to see a new face in Victory Lane in addition to two repeat winners.
After the racing action was over, all of the competitors pulled onto the front stretch for Autograph Hour, one of the most anticipated events of the year. Drivers participated in the one hour meet & greet on the front stretch, meeting fans and passing out plenty of goodies for both the kids and adults to enjoy.
The season rolls on with another fun event, the Pro Series 71-lap feature, this upcoming Saturday, June 15th. The racing action begins at 7:00 pm, adult admission is only $12 and kids 12 and under get in for free!
The Thursday Night Thunder season also kicks off this coming Thursday, June 13th at 7:00 pm. Adult admission is only $7 and kids 12 and under are free!
We hope to see you there!
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