October 12, 2026 — Thompson, CT — Jeffrey Battle continued making New England Supermodified Series (NESS) history at Connecticut’s Thompson Speedway this past Saturday, October 10. The Dunstable, Massachusetts driver took the lead on a lap 10 restart and rolled to his seventh NESS victory of the 2026 season.
The win broke Battle’s own record of six set in 2025. The triumph was also Battle’s second of the weekend after taking the NESS victory the night before.
Former champion Dan Bowes started on the pole for the 40-lap feature and led the first eight laps. Derek Griffth and Battle were on his tail, and a great race-long fight seemed to be shaping up.
However, in turn three on the ninth circuit, Bowes’s machine suddenly got squirrely and didn’t stop. Griffth got past to lead lap nine, then Bowes spun the next time through turn three. A flat right rear tire and cracked wheel were the culprits that ended his day early.
Battle got the jump on Griffth when the race restarted and tried to motor away from there. Griffith found himself under constant attack from Matt Swanson, the previous Saturday’s winner. The two chased each other and Battle through lapped traffic around the 5/8-mile oval, with Griffith holding on for lap after lap despite damage to his top wing.
Although Battle had a couple of close calls in traffic, he was up to the challenge and walked to the win by 2.486 seconds. Combined with his heat race victory, Battle put a hammerlock on the point lead. He now only needs to start the season finale at Lee USA Speedway to clinch his second straight NESS championship.
Swanson finally snuck past Griffith on the final lap to take second, continuing his impressive late-season charge. Griffith rounded out the podium, followed by P.J. Stergios in fourth. Despite missing his heat race with a bad shifter cable, Russ Wood charged from the final row to finish fifth, the last car on the lead lap in the 12-car field.
The New England Supermodified Series concludes its 2026 campaign with Oktoberfest at Lee USA Speedway on Saturday, October 17. Along with the 50-lap NESS feature, the action-packed Saturday card includes the PASS North Super Late Models, Kennebec Equipment Rental PASS Modifieds, Tri-City Lining Street Stock/Limited Challenge, Pro-4 Modifieds, Ridge Runners, MLM Diagnostic Services Crown Vics, and Senior Tour Auto Racers. Visit www.proallstarsseries.com or www.leespeedway.com for the full weekend schedule, pricing, and other information.
