LOUDON, N.H. – The 96th annual Loudon Classic was a fierce battle through wet conditions, ending with two generations of Greenwoods on the podium on Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Ending the reign of Shane Narbonne, Scott Greenwood took the win with his son Sam in third, sandwiching Cole Hall in second.
“I’ve been trying hard the past couple years to beat Shane in dry conditions,” said Scott Greenwood. “I was looking forward to making another attempt this weekend, but the rain came, and you never know what happens in the rain. I’m comfortable in the rain; I like riding in the rain. I’m sure Shane will be back stronger next year for sure.”
Sunday’s win marks Scott Greenwood’s fourth Loudon Classic victory, dethroning Narbonne, who was dubbed the King of the Classic in 2018 after his fourth consecutive Loudon Classic victory and seventh overall.
Scott Greenwood led all 20 laps, while Hall, Sam Greenwood, Alex Guilbeault and Narbonne had a tight battle for second, third and fourth for most of the race. Narbonne worked his way up from his 18th place start to reach third by lap five and second at the halfway point before wrecking in turn five with six laps to go, ending his run early.
After a strong restart following the second red flag of the race, Guilbeault, who took an early second place at the start of the race, dropped to seventh after crashing in the exit of turn two with 10 laps to go and returned to second with Hall close behind. Hall made the pass on Guilbeault with four laps to go, taking second, and Sam Greenwood took third with three laps to go, leaving Guilbeault to eventually finish fifth after dropping behind Kristopher Hopkins, who finished in fourth.
“It feels good; I’m super stoked,” said Sam Greenwood when asked how it feels to be standing on the podium with his dad on Father’s Day. “I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for him.”
John Beaulieu ran away with the win for the amateur class after launching off the start and never looking back for the entirety of the race.