NORTH WOODSTOCK, N.H. – Jason Corliss kicked off his the 2020 season exactly where he left off in 2019 by winning Saturday’s season-opening late model event at White Mountain Motorsports Park.
The defending Thunder Road track champion took the lead early from Joel Hodgdon and held him off the rest of the way to capture his first White Mountain win in the 75-lap feature.
Corliss earned the third starting spot in the main event under the American-Canadian Tour plus-minus system while Hodgdon started on the pole. Following a rain shower that delayed the start of the feature, Corliss quickly moved to Hodgdon’s bumper, attempting a crossover move on lap five that fell short.
However, the first caution flag of the race waved just two laps later when Christopher Pelkey spun out of the fifth spot. Hodgdon chose the inside for the restart, and Corliss blew past him for the lead when the green flag came back out.
The race was far from over, though, as Hodgon continued to nip at Corliss’s heels. The sophomore late model racer got underneath Corliss multiple times under green and also drew alongside for five more restarts, including one after a lap-31 incident where Randy Cole clobbered the turn one wall.
Even after multi-time Pro All Stars Series champion D.J. Shaw made it a three-way battle, Hodgdon kept up the attack on Corliss. The veteran parried everything he had to offer, though, with Corliss holding on through one final 11-lap sprint after the sixth and final caution to claim the season-opening victory.
Hodgdon’s second-place result marked the best of his young late model career. Shaw came in third while Bobby Therrien took fourth. Jesse Switser completed the top-five.
Michael Clark came out on top of a barnburner in the Wells River Chevrolet Flying Tigers to score the victory in their 50-lap feature. Clark started 10th and held back in the middle stages of the race as Colin Cornell, Cooper Bouchard, Derrick Calkins, and others waged a war at the front.
At one point, Cornell and Bouchard got sideways racing for the lead off turn four, and Calkins went wide open through the front stretch grass to avoid them — all with nobody getting turned around.
Calkins and Clark eventually got into a long battle for third, which came apart when they banged doors off turn two, triggering a multi-car crash that swept up Calkins, Nathaniel Parkin, and defending champion Jody Sicard. Clark was able to escape and was looking underneath Cornell for the lead with four laps remaining when the race’s fifth caution waved for rain.
Following track-drying and the running of the late model feature, the Tigers retook to the track for the final dash to the checkered flag. Clark flew around Cornell on the outside when the green came out and held off a late counter-bid to take the win.
Cornell settled for second while Dwayne Lanphear sliced through the field to take third.
In the Woodsville Guaranty Savings Bank Strictly Stock Mini’s, Tyler Thompson survived a late scare to take his third career victory in the 30-lap feature. Thompson had walked away from the field after early leader Ryan Ware began slowing on lap four and eventually pitted.
His huge lead evaporated, though, when Jamie Ball and Travis Dickinson tangled in turn three to bring out the event’s lone caution with six laps to go.
As the field was coming to the restart, a lapped car on Thompson’s outside suddenly pulled up to let the field by. Thompson hesitated, and in the confusion, Adam Sicard darted around him to swipe the lead away.
After taking a couple laps to collect himself, Thompson set back out to take what had been his. The sophomore dove to the veteran’s inside with two laps to go, leading the white-flag lap by .002 seconds and keeping a nose out front the rest of the way for the win.
Sicard came in second with Les Washburn completing the podium.
Colby Bourgeois combined a fast car with some good fortune to pick up his first career 7-Eleven Dwarf Car victory. Bourgeois was running second near the halfway point of the 30-lap feature when polesitter and early leader Jason Wyman suddenly slowed and headed down pit road. The youngster inherited a huge lead and cruised to the win in the caution-free event.
Tom Harwood finished second while Jeff Ainsworth held off multiple challenges from Bobby Brown to take third.
Luke Shannon captured the victory in the 20-lap Dads 4 By Tool & Supply Kids Truck feature. Shannon was part of a thrilling three-way battle for the lead with Owner Rogers and Thomas Smithers VI when Logan Farnsworth spun on the backstretch to bring out the lone caution with six laps to go.
On the restart, Shannon got the jump over Rogers and sped to the win. Smithers finished third.