150

Gordon Takes the American Car Care Centers 150
at Lee USA Speedway - Fri. 5/21

Gordon made the winning move on Johnny Clark with six laps to go and raced away for his second career PASS victory. Clark crossed the stripe in second and GeGe Gravel earned third after leading the most laps. Gary Smith put on a late race charge to come home in fourth and 2002-2003 series champ Ben Rowe raced back to fifth after being caught up in several of the night’s caution flags.

Scott Mulkern, Wayne Helliwell Jr., Rick Martin, Mike Rowe and Eddie MacDonald completed the top ten.

Forty of the Northeast’s top Pro Stocks were on hand for practice and thirty eight answered the call for Sunoco Race Fuel time trials. Ben Rowe turned the only sub-fifteen second lap to earn the fast time award with a 14.979 clocking.

Gordon was hot on his heels at 15.014; Cassius Clark, Larry Gelinas, Johnny Clark, Wayne Helliwell Jr., GeGe Gravel, Scott Mulkern, Joe Squelia and Sam Sessions completed the top ten, with a spread of less than two tenths separating Sessions’ 15.171 lap from Rowe’s fast time.

Gravel pulled the number one spot for the Dash race to set the top ten and came home on top to earn the pole for the American Car Care Centers 150, closely followed by Gordon, Ben Rowe, Cassius Clark, and Larry Gelinas. Mulkern, Helliwell, Johnny Clark Sessions and Squelia rounded out the field and would start the feature in the sixth through tenth positions.

Gravel and Gordon brought the thirty-two car field down to the green and Gravel prevailed with Gordon, Ben Rowe, Cassius Clark, Helliwell and Gelinas in tow.

The nights’ first caution changed the complexion of the whole race. As the leaders started to run down the back of the pack, Peter Oakes and Travis Benjamin got together on the backstretch and both Gordon and Rowe were caught up in the wreck, both with enough damage to send them to the pit area and to the rear of the field. Gravel managed to avoid the melee and continued on the point.

The restart brought problems for two more of the front runners when Cassius Clark slipped up in turn one with a deflating right front tire and sent Larry Gelinas hard into the turn one concrete. Gelinas’ night was over and Clark headed for the pits for repairs.

At the half-way mark it was still Gravel battling Johnny Clark and Mulkern with Eddie MacDonald up to fourth and Helliwell fifth. Sessions, Travis Kheil, Donnie Whitten, Gary Smith and Dale Shaw raced in sixth through tenth. Gravel maintained the lead for an extended green as Mulkern and Clark staging a see-saw battle for second Both Ben Rowe and Gordon had cracked the top ten once again. Rowe got caught up in a lap 113 yellow that didn’t eliminate any of the racers but sent them all to the back of the lineup.

Helliwell was the next to challenge Gravel, up to second but losing the battle for the lead into turn one on the restart. Clark got back by Helliwell and took away Gravel’s race long lead on lap 118, pulling away and looking like a winner.

But Tracy Gordon was coming. What looked like two roils of duct tape and a missing fender didn’t seem to slow the veteran from Strong at all. At lap 120 he stood third and on lap 130 he snatched second away from Gravel.

Clark had built up a substantial lead but when Gordon cleared Gravel he quickly ate away at Clark’s margin. Gordon made his trip from back to front complete on lap 144, making the pass on Clark and setting sail for an eight car length margin of victory.

PASS heat race wins went to Travis Kheil, Donnie Whitten and Gary Smith; Peter Oakes won the consolation round. Chris Ross earned the Northern Race Tires Rookie of the race award for his sixteenth place finish.

New England Allison Legacy Series

Kyle Coolidge was the winner in the New England Allison Legacy feature at Lee 
over Dave Sullivan and Ron Bryant.