NORTH WOODSTOCK, N.H. — After battling another rainy forecast, the skies opened up for a Chamber of Commerce day in the Pemigewasset Valley as White Mountain Motorsports Park played host to Round No. 2 of the Wall’s Ford Platinum Late Model Series.
The Foley Oil & Propane 100 gave way to some of the hardest racing of the season so far, not just in the Late Models but in all divisions.
Strictly Stock Minis
The four-cylinder Woodsville Guaranty Savings Bank Strictly Stock Minis started off the evening’s program with Donnie Baumgardner and Jack Hayes showing the way early.
On lap five a wild rolling roadblock went across turn two, eventually sending Les Washburn into the infield to call up the first caution. On the restart, Baumgarnder and Hayes were back at it but it was Todd Derrington in fourth making it a one-man show, bouncing here and there looking to join the top three.
The final caution on lap 14 for a stalled Jacob Ailes on his White Mountain return would see a dogfight for second after Krisitan Switser had drove off with the restart lead.
Switser would make it a three-peat in the Strictly Minis by taking his third win on the year followed by Derrington and Baumgardner.
Dwarf Cars
With eight rockets in the pits, the Wayne’s Market Dwarf Cars went for twin 20-lap segments in Milk Bowl fashion. After segment one found David Gyger, Jason Wyman and Ethan Tyrell at the top of the heap, the finishing order was inverted for segment two.
At the onset, Luke Shannon was struck with transmission issues that sent his car pit side for the night. With a newbie on the front row, it became quite the exciting challenge for defending champion Wyman to work his way up to the front in just twenty laps.
Wyman, Gyger and Tyrell excitedly jumped between the inside and outside of each other and their competitors. By virtue of his second in segment one and first in segment two, Jason Wyman would claim the win with just three points followed by Gyger earning four points and Tyrell taking five to round out the podium.
Flying Tigers
The Fisher Auto Parts Flying Tigers saw Joey Laquerre and John Donahue made it a front row for the nostalgic fans until youth movement leader Brandon Gray jumped into the mix with Colin Cornell waiting in the wings.
Side-by-side battles between Donahue, Gray and Cornell would ensue as the three swapped positions and lanes on the racy White Mountain highbanks. After the final caution for the fourth spinning dust-up of the feature, a final showdown between the wily veteran and the young superstar would see Gray also take his third consecutive Flying Tiger win of the season at White Mountain.
Late Models
Twenty-seven Late Models took the field for Round No. 2 of the Wall’s Ford Platinum Late Model Series. The Foley Oil & Propane 100 was led to green by nine-time and defending King of the Mountain Quinny Welch and Bryan Wall Jr.
Welch would quickly launch into the lead under the beginning green flag with the yellow flag flying at lap five for a stalled Jimmy Renfrew Jr. It was now Welch against Jesse Switser in his first White Mountain start of the season as the former 2022 season rivals picked up where they left off.
In no time the leaders were facing lap traffic in a melee as D.J. Shaw and Ryan Olsen had broken into the top-five.
As the field continued to stretch apart, Shaw would take the lead at the halfway point over Switser before the caution flag flew for Jaden Perry spinning in turn four.
Shaw and Switser would battle it out once more with Gabe Brown entering the dance before the final caution on lap 73 for a spinning Jean-Paul Cyr.
The final restart would set up a duel between Brown and Shaw that saw the defending American-Canadian Tour champion slide back to 12th in one lap. Brown in firm control saw nothing but money-hungry racers all over his tail with the $3,000 check on everyone’s mind.
Brown would not yield, taking the Foley Oil & Propane Late Model special followed by a consistent Wall and Switser to round out the podium.