7/12/2025
Granite State Pro-Stock Series
Shaw Sets Bar Higher With GSPSS Claremont Checkers
Shaw Sets Bar Higher With GSPSS Claremont Checkers
By Jeff Brown, for Granite State Pro Stock Series
CLAREMONT, N.H. - D.J. Shaw was a last-minute entry for Friday evening’s McGee Automotive 125 at Claremont Motorsports Park, the fourth event of the Granite State Pro Stock Series schedule. But there was nothing last-minute about Shaw’s performance or preparation.
The GSPSS’ all-time win leader outdueled Joey Doiron to score his twelfth career GSPSS victory and a series-leading fifth win at the Claremont, N.H. third-mile.
Shaw, who won last July’s Claremont visit in a thriller against Jeremy Sorel, made the call to avenge a frustrating seventh-place performance back in May. The Center Conway, N.H. ace won his qualifying heat, but rolled off fifth for the feature following a top-six invert.
Defending champion Casey Call and Sorel brought the field to the green flag, but Sorel jumped out front in the early laps. Joey Polewarczyk, fresh off a Hudson Speedway win two weeks ago, charged from fourth to second, then swapped spots with Sorel a few laps in. A dominant force in May’s season opener, Polewarczyk set the pace early, searching for his first-ever win at the speedway.
Trouble for former series champ Gabe Brown brought out the yellow on lap 38, bunching up the field with Shaw up to third. On a restart scramble, Doiron found his way to the front, taking the point on lap 45 with Sorel slipping down the scoreboard.
As Doiron pulled away from Polewarczyk, Shaw went to work on the veteran, slipping into second by halfway. Season-opener winner Wayne Helliwell, Jr. was next to unseat “Joey Pole,” taking third as the yellow flew for a single-car spin.
Shaw pestered Doiron on the restart, but the two-time GSPSS champ shook Shaw free after a few laps, settling into a rhythm with Shaw, Helliwell, and Evan Beaulieu giving chase.
With twenty laps to go, though, chaos struck in turn two as Helliwell lost an oil line and soaked the track behind him. Polewarczyk was the first to hit the oil. Sorel tried to slow down but piled into Polewarczyk, who pulverized the backstretch wall. The red flag flew as safety crews tended to Polewarczyk’s battered mount and Helliwell’s smoking ride further up the track.
Doiron and Shaw led the remaining combatants to the green, Shaw hanging tough on the outside as he and Doiron battled for the lead. With Shaw at his door, Doiron could not break free to drive away. And one bobble against the curb was all it took for Shaw to inch ahead and claim the top spot.
Free of Doiron at last, Shaw sailed to his first GSPSS win of 2025, his first since last July, and his series-leading twelfth win dating back to 2013.
Doiron, one of two drivers who could have matched Shaw’s four Claremont wins entering the evening, held on for second, his second-straight runner-up finish in GSPSS competition this year.
Speedway 95 winner Beaulieu dodged the turn-two calamity and posted a third-place run, building upon a strong season and stretching his lead in the points standings.
Cory Casagrande finished fourth after struggling with the handling of his ride all evening. Rookie Cam Curtis picked up his first career GSPSS top five, with Dan Winter finishing sixth to pick up his best finish of the year.
Mini Stock veteran Joe Kendall rebounded from a spin to finish seventh, matching his best series effort back in 2021. Cole Robie, second in points entering the evening, retired a few laps early, while Polewarczyk and Sorel rounded out the top ten after their late-race wreck.
Next up for the Granite State Pro Stock Series is a return to Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, N.H. next Saturday, July 19. The GSPSS will join the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour for its first visit to “Mad Dog” since 2022.
For more information on the Granite State Pro Stock Series, visit www.gspss.net or find us on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Results, McGee Automotive 125 at Claremont Motorsports Park:
- (60) D.J. Shaw
- (73D) Joey Doiron
- (56) Evan Beaulieu
- (7CT) Cory Casagrande
- (77) Cam Curtis
- (81) Dan Winter
- (62) Joe Kendall
- (29) Cole Robie
- (97) Joey Polewarczyk
- (7) Jeremy Sorel
- (27NH) Wayne Helliwell, Jr.
- (90NH) Casey Call
- (47) Gabe Brown
Submitted By: Mike Parks
