Beech Ridge Motor Speedway hosted week 2 of their 2021 season this past Saturday, welcoming drivers and teams from both the Thunder and NASCAR Nite programs. This week, the Sport Series division kicked off the NASCAR Nite competition.
Danny Wear kicked off the Sport Series competition in high gear, capturing the victory in the first qualifying heat race.
DISCLAIMER: To be honest, I do not have a full race recap from the first Sport Series heat because my iPhone decided to randomly dial 911 while it was sitting in my lawn chair cupholder up in turn 3. Not only did it dial 911, it sent a notification to all of my emergency contacts telling them I was in danger. I apologize to my fiancé, Mom and my Dad for the scare. I was a little busy calling 911 back, telling them I was NOT in danger, while the first heat race concluded.
Jason Curtis took off with the early lead over Todd Libby in the second Sport Series heat. Mike St. Pierre was also on the move early, on the rebound after a tough season kickoff the weekend prior. St. Pierre was at Todd Libby’s door on lap 7, challenging for the runner-up spot and capturing the position the following lap.
St. Pierre was all over Jason Curtis for the lead on lap 9, hungry for the top spot. Curtis was able to hold him off, scoring the heat victory. Todd Libby rounded out the top 3.
Danny Wear’s triumph continued as he took off with the early lead in the 40-lap feature race. Chris Smith was also on the move early, going door to door with Mike St. Pierre for third on lap 3. He took over the position, then overtaking Jason Curtis for the runner-up spot the following lap.
Mike St. Pierre was back in the groove on lap 8, advancing to fourth over Robbie Harrison. He continued his pursuit to the front the following lap, stealing third away from Jason Curtis. St. Pierre found himself at Chris Smith’s door on lap 18, taking over the runner-up spot as Robbie Harrison followed in succession. Mike St. Pierre got sideways on the backstretch on lap 26, allowing both Robbie Harrison and Chris Smith to close in on him once again.
St. Pierre held off his competitors in the closing laps as Danny Wear sailed away with the feature victory. The victory marks the first Sport Series feature victory of Danny Wear’s career. Robbie Harrison, Chris Smith and Brian Picard rounded out the top five.
Danny Wear remains competitive each and every week and he finally parked it in Victory Lane this past weekend. Danny’s father, Frank, has made his own name and has carved his own path in the Sport Series for years. Now, he is passing along the torch to Danny while racing alongside him week-in and week-out. The father-son duo celebrated the special victory together on the front stretch following the race, making for a picture-perfect memory that will last them a lifetime.
Drivers like Danny Wear continue to impress and top the leaderboard while drivers like Mike St. Pierre and Chris Smith continue to make gains throughout the early weeks of the season. As always, the Sport Series division is HIGHLY competitive in 2021 and it’ll be interesting seeing how it all plays out come points season!
Catch the next week of Beech Ridge competition next Saturday, May 15th. The green flag flies at 4pm and kids of ALL AGES are now allowed admittance into the pits. As always, grandstand admission is just $12 for adults and FREE for kids 12 & under!
Continue chasing the checkered and support your local short tracks. I hope to see you soon!