LEE, N.H. — The New Hampshire coast roared to life Friday night with the five-division showdown at Lee USA Speedway.
The 350 Supermodifieds kicked off feature racing with their 40-lap main event. Following a pair of single car spins off the frontstretch wall, Ryan Battle and James Witkum set sail out front.
Former winners Ben Tinker and Ben Seitz drove up from their winner’s handicap to run third and fourth in attempt to chase down the leaders. Ryan Battle dominated to the Fast 40 win over James Witkum with Tinker besting Seitz at the line for third.
Mike Williams and Jason Curtis faced off at the head of the Tri-City Lining Street Stocks in their 25 lap feature with Curtis taking charge. Connor McDougal and Dave Cameron went to war for third as Adam Lovejoy and Milton Duran looked on.
All cars ran nose-to-tail around the 3/8-mile oval with some daring souls looking to either the inside or outside for any wiggle they could. In the final lap Mike Williams dove into turn three for a final run on Jason Curtis, spinning in turn four and allowing Curtis the win with Milton Duran and Dave Cameron making it through unscathed to join the podium.
Erick Sands and Ryan Kuhn brought the Seacoast Challenge Late Models on track with Sands snagging the lead early. Kuhn kept to within a car-length of Sands in the early goings before starting to inch closer and closer with each pass of the start/finish line. Kuhn eventually made his way under Sands but the two remained nose-to-tail until the lap 52 caution for Ayla Martin’s turn two spin.
Back to green, Sands followed Kuhn until lap 54 when the lights went out under the hood of the #36NH machine with Sands coasting to the infield pit road and an unwarranted end to his day. From there on it was the Ryan Kuhn show out front to complete a sweep of the two Seacoast Late Model Challenge 100 lappers at Lee USA Speedway this summer. Nathan LeClair battled back from a practice wreck to come home second with Chase Curtis earning third.
The Ridge Runners joined the show next on track with Kam Weir and ‘The Turtle’ Brian Caswell showing the way. Point leader Kyle Dumas and Derek McKeen fought hard for third with Dumas gaining the advantage as McKeen went into the turn one spin cycle but grabbed a gear and kept on trucking. With Caswell backtracking on the outside groove, Weir’s advantage continued to grow even as Dumas began to see daylight. In the end there was no match for Kam Weir who dominated to the win over Kyle Dumas while Darin Kilton bested his nephew Josh Hodgdon for third.
The MLM Diagnostic Services Crown Vics rounded out Friday’s showcase. Josh ‘Guido’ Valliere led the field to green but it was outside polesitter Paul Childs who drove off with the lead. Childs had a straightaway lead over Tom Harwood in the wonder mutt mobile as laps counted down. Paul Childs took down his first career win in a rear-wheel drive car over Tom Harwood with Ty Mello getting the thrilling third place finish as Matthew Hurteau and Jeremiah Sargent made contact in the final corner.
