5/27/2024
Claremont Motorsports Park
DOIRON WINS BIG, SONNHALTER TOO SUNDAY AT CLAREMONT
DOIRON WINS BIG, SONNHALTER TOO SUNDAY AT CLAREMONT
Claremont Motorsports Park Sunday, May 26, event story
CLAREMONT, N.H. – Pro Stock super star Joey Doiron dominated Sunday’s Key Auto Group presents Granite State Pro Stock Series 125 lap main event at Claremont Motorsports Park, leading all the way to earn the $5,000 winner’s purse.
The Berwick, Maine ace who only a week earlier had won a staggering $30,000 for topping the inaugural North American Pro Stock Nationals at Lee picked up Sunday right where he’d left off. Setting fast time with a lap of 14.136, he then won his heat before wiring the main event to bank another $5,000.
Friday night CMP regular Matt Sonnhalter didn’t earn five grand, but he gave the crowd something to stand up and take notice. Competing in Sunday’s 75-lap R&R Open Street Stock feature, he bested the invaders to score the fan-popular victory.
Other winners on the third-mile oval’s second of two 2024 Memorial Day Weekend events were David Smith, who rocked the Pure Stocks for his second victory of the summer, and Steve Miller Jr., who also scored his second win of the year to claim sole possession of the top spot of the Six Shooter points parade.
While Doiron didn’t decimate the GSPSS field Sunday, he did all he had to en route to the big payday. Holding a three to six-car advantage while leading all 125 laps, he was clearly the class of the field.
Casey Call was strong in second when the caution waved on lap 71 but had to then pit for new rubber. He’d charge back up to fourth but with Doiron setting a blistering pace, could advance no farther. Cory Casagrande, rock solid all day, came home second, with Jeremy Sorel strong in third, just ahead of Call.
Justin Beecher and George Baldwin sat on row one as the R&R Open Street Stock feature went green. If the established teams from afar were supposed to dominate the 75-lapper, a few of the home trackers missed the notice.
Jimmy Zullo had third early, then giving way to Sonnhalter, already a Friday night winner this summer at CMP. While Beecher and Baldwin would pull away early, Sonnhalter was betting his knowledge of the oval and his tires would eventually prevail. He was right!
Dropping Baldwin to third on lap 47, he then went to war with Beecher. Sonnhalter led lap 57 by a foot. Lap 58 went to Beecher by 12 inches. On lap 60, Sonnhalter took over, blasting into the top spot and then pulling away to score the impressive victory. Shane Gendron, up for second on lap 64, earned the runner-up hardware, with Beecher coming home third on the day.
There was plenty of door-to-door, bumper-to-bumper action in the afternoon’s Lavalley Building Supply Pure Stock feature. David Smith, though, wasn’t involved in much of it. The division’s senior statesman took the lead on lap three and soared off into another time zone as he duplicated his feature win of May 10.
Chris Bingham led the first three go-rounds, with Chris Conroy very much in the early mix too. But two-time winner Andrea St. Amour and Friday victor Keegan Tabor, she from row five and he from 11th on the grid, battled tooth and nail for second over the final laps.
Although finishing the 30-lapper far behind Smith, St.Amour prevailed for second, with Tabor staying atop the points parade with Sunday’s third-place finish. Kyle Kenny and Chris Chambers rounded out the top five.
Steve Miller Jr. and Erin Aiken entered Sunday’s Avery Insurance Six Shooter action deadlocked atop the points standing. At the end of the day, it was advantage Miller, but only by the thinnest of margins, as his Sunday victory moved the reigning champ into sole possession of the top spot.
Miller took the lead from his dad, former champ Steve Miller Sr., on lap 14. Aiken, who’s put together a monster month, got up to second on lap 19 but found herself a country mile behind. Wheeling the fastest car in the field, she reeled the younger Miller in but could advance no further.
With Miller pocketing Sunday’s $250 winner’s check, Aiken and Miller Sr. rounded out the top three. They’ll go at it again this Friday, when the Six Shooters are set for double features.
Claremont Motorsports Park returns to action Friday, May 31, with a full card of NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Racing competition when Judd’s Automotive presents a 50-lap, $1,000-to-win Tour Type Late Model main event.
The Super Streets, Mini Stocks, Pure Stocks, and Six Shooters will all be in action too, with the Six Shooters set to battle in twin feature races. The New England Antique Racers will be in town too on Friday. Post time at CMP is 7 p.m.
CLAREMONT MOTORSPORTS PARK MAY 26 FEATURE RESULTS
GSPSS 125-LAP MAIN EVENT: Joey Doiron, Cory Casagrande, Jeremy Sorel, Casey Call, Alex Quarterly, Evan Beaulieu, Ryan Green, Andy Shaw, Gary Smith, Jamie Wright.
R6R OPEN STREET STOCK 75-LAP: Matt Sonnhalter, Shane Gendron, Justin Beecher, George Baldwin, Jeff Albey Clark Brooks, Josh Gerard, Ray King, Jimmy Zullo.
PURE STOCK: David Smith, Andrea St. Amour, Keegan Tabor, Kyle Kenny, Chris Chambers, Gage Dillingham, Zach Riehardson, Chris Conroy, Chris Bingham, Chris Carver.
SIX SHOOTER: Steve Miller Jr., Erin Aiken, Steve Miller Sr., Michael Yeaton, David Bell, Paul Colburn, Garrett Barry, Rozwell Mason Jr., Tyler Debuck-Earl.
Submitted By: Mike Parks
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