Lee, NH – Mother Nature was the big winner on Oktoberfest weekend at Lee USA Speedway, picking up her first win of the 2016 racing season due to heavy rains that resulted in a complete washout of Sunday‘s scheduled feature events.
“New Hampshire’s Center of Speed” had gone rain-free for the entire 2016 season, starting with annual American Canadian Tour (ACT) season opener back in April, and continuing through the entire 16-week Friday night regular season from late May through early September.
Unfortunately, the perfect season was not to be, and last Sunday’s feature event action fell victim to wet weather and was postponed to Sunday, October 23. A dozen feature events remain to be run to close out the 2016 season at the fast 3/8th’s mile speed plant.
Dozens of heat races went into the record books on Saturday, with a handful of divisions getting their feature events completed as well. First on the agenda was the opener of twin 50-lappers for the Pro Stock/Super Late Models, where Hudson’s Derek Griffith dominated to collect the first feature win of Oktoberfest 2016.
Hometown favorite and son of Lee USA Speedway owners and promoters Red and Judy MacDonald, Eddie “The Outlaw” Macdonald of Rowley, MA recovered from heat race trouble to checker second in the half-century grind, taking advantage of a late-race restart to collect runner-up honors. Tamworth ace Jeremy Davis came home third.
The 4-cylinder Pure Stocks were among the divisions getting their Oktoberfest action completed, with Antrim’s Matt Gauffin taking home his second consecutive Oktoberfest win aboard his immaculate Saab entry. Alex Poisson and Tim Paquette rounded out the podium in second and third.
The Hobby Stock/Strictly Stock “B” main was next to go to post, with Ray Dinsmore III working his way from deep in the pack and outlasting a full field to collect the checkers in the Jay Avery entry.
Third-generation racer Brett Meservey used an impressive three-wide move to get to the front, and eventually took down the Pro-4 Modified checkers in the 25-lap main event, celebrating the win in victory lane with his father and grandfather.
Meservey’s grandfather Dan, a pioneer of 4-cylinder Modified racing, posted a top ten finish of his own, but was more than pleased to join his grandson in the winner‘s circle. The elder Meservey made his first trip to Lee’s victory lane some 40 years earlier in 1976 when the Pro-4’s were known as the New England Mini Modified Association (NEMMA), and Lee was the long since replaced “Tri-Oval“ Raceway.
Another multi-generational racer, Bennington’s Matt Kimball scored his first career win in the Lite Modified feature event, outrunning a hard-charging Cam Sontag to collect the feature win. Kimball was joined by an enthusiastic crowd of supporters for the victory lane celebration.
With the re-schedule to Sunday, October 23rd engines staring at noon with some practice rounds then going right into features, the Valenti Modified Racing Series will open up the feature event action with the first of their two 50-lap feature events, with the Northeast Classic Lites, the second 50-lapper for the Pro Stocks/Super Late Models, the 6-cylinder Ironman main, and several others to follow.
The second 50-lapper for the VMRS will take to the high banks next, with the Roadrunners, Supermodifieds, Late Models, Late Model Sportsmen/Super Streets, NEMST Mini Stocks, open comp Dwarf Cars, Hobby/Strictly Stocks, and Outlaw Mini Stocks rounding out the program.