|
Epping, NH - The 47th
running of the annual Star
Classic attracted ISMA
Supermodified competitors from
all over the United States and
Canada to compete in Saturday
night’s big event at Star
Speedway, but bad weather
postponed the completion of the
main event until Sunday.
Despite yeoman efforts by the
Star track crew to dry the track
and return to racing after a
pair of rain delays during the
original schedule on Saturday
night, the rains returned with
just 35 laps of the 2012 Star
Classic in the record books,
leaving the balance of the event
to be completed on Sunday
afternoon.
The biggest story of the weekend
was Pelham, NH racer Russ Wood’s
quest for a record-setting
seventh Classic win, and the
crowd favorite didn’t
disappoint, taking the lead from
Eric Lewis before the midpoint,
and leading the rest of the way
to score the history-making win.
Another local favorite,
second-generation Massachusetts
racer Eddie Witkum, Jr., made an
impressive late-race charge to
come home with runner-up honors,
followed by another driver who
is very popular among the Star
fans, former Classic winner
“Liquid Lou” Cicconi of Aston,
Pennsylvania.
The Allen’s Coffee Brandy Outlaw
Late Models lost their feature
event to the weatherman, and
joined the ISMA Supers in the
Sunday portion of the program,
with Joey “The Jet” Ventrillo
leading from flag to flag in the
John Rogers machine to collect
his first career Star Speedway
victory.
Ron Bolduc, a winner the week
before in the John DiBurro
Memorial 59, had to settle for
second place honors behind the
first-time feature winner, with
Barry Raymond, Jr. rounding out
the podium in the third position
with another solid run.
Young Dylan Bilodeau was another
driver who picked Classic
weekend to score a career first
win, leading the always-tough
Strictly Stocks under the
checkers to make his first trip
to victory lane. Longtime
supporter Steve Krupski greeted
Dylan in the post-race victory
lane ceremony.
For the second straight week,
Seth Stickney spent the better
part of the Roadrunner feature
event locked in a side-by-side
battle for the win.
Unfortunately, for the second
straight week, he came up short
when the checkers waved.
Jarrod Soucy inched ahead in the
late going to score another
crowd-pleasing win, with
Stickney once again denied a
trip to victory lane. Shaun
Waites, a winner the week
before, rounded out the podium
with another solid run which
left him third at the checkers.
|
