Story By: MIKE PARKS / CLAREMONT MOTORSPORTS PARK – CLAREMONT, NH – Brian Robie survived a mid-race tangle to earn $3,000, Brandon Gray cruised to a cool grand of his own, and Andrea St. Amour completed a weekend sweep, as each scored victories Sunday at Claremont Motorsports Park.
Jimmy Renfrew Sr., in his first outing ever at the Thrasher Road speedplant, Cody Hodgdon, and Brandon Emerson each earned a victory lap too on Sunday as the third-mile hosted day two of its huge Spring Fling 2024 season-opening event.
Modified ace Brian Robie sat on the pole as Sunday’s main event, the 77-lap Asetex Tire and Auto Sportsman Modified feature went green. Open-wheel rookie Andrew Brousseau rode beside him.
Robie, fully focused on the $3,000 payday awaiting the race winner, jumped all over the opening lead. Tyler Leary sat in second the first seven laps, then giving way to Cory Plummer and, while Robie would open a monstrous lead, Plummer held strong in second until spinning unassisted on lap 26, collecting Leary with him.
Bay State bomber Nate Wenzel, the reigning CMP and series Modified champ, then moved up to second, but his ride there would be brief, as a quick second caution waved when Robie and Wenzel jingled in turn three.
Jeremy Zullo then took charge holding strong for 19 laps until Robie had completed his furious charge back through the field. With the Sunapee star then blasting off into another time zone to earn the big bucks, Zullo impressed in second, joined by Wenzel in trophy row. Brousseau’s strong afternoon netted him fourth, and Brad Zahensky was fifth.
Chris Riendeau and Brandon Gray won Sunday’s RE Hinkley Fuels Super Street heats, with Gray then starting the day’s 50-lap, $1,000-to-win main event from the pole. The Thetford, VT star never looked back.
Robbie Streeter, starting alongside Gray, held second for all 50 go-rounds, as a fevered six-car battle raged behind him. Justin Beecher got up for third on lap 26 but could advance no further. Joe Tetreault, charging from row six, was fourth on the day, and Riendeau held on for fifth.
Andrea St.Amour passed Keegan Tabor to score the win in Saturday’s LaValley Building Supply Pure Stock feature. Sunday, she passed him again, as the two Green Mountain State racers again raced under a blanket. Sunday, her pass moved her up to fourth.
Chris Bingham was in charge Sunday, as a half dozen racers battled behind him. When he was unceremoniously dumped on lap nine, Dave Smith – not involved in Bingham’s demise – took charge. St. Amour sat second, and Tabor third.
The potent pair moved into the top two spots on lap 20, with St. Amour then holding strong to complete her weekend sweep of the Pure Stock main events. Tabor was second, and Smith solid in third, followed by Gage Dillingham and Kyle Kenny.
New England Dwarf Car strongman Cody Hodgdon romped to victory over a strong field Sunday. Tom Harwood was second, Jason Hodgdon, Cody’s dad, third, with Ryan Carman and Chris Sullivan rounding out the top five.
Jimmy Renfrew Sr. dominated the Pro V8 Sportsman main event. Former CMP regular Kyle Buck was second, and Scott Riggelman, hauling in all the way from the Garden State, made the long ride worthwhile by coming in third.
The 603 Mini Cup feature was won by Brandon Emerson. Kendall Whitehill was second, and Jason Rompy completed the top three.
The weekend’s last scheduled event, Sunday’s Avery Insurance Six Shooter feature, was canceled when showers suddenly swept into the region as the field was circling behind the pace car. That event will be completed at a later date.
Claremont Motorsports Park now begins its 2024 Advance Auto Parts Weekly Racing Series next Friday, May 3, with a full card of Modified, Super Street, Outlaw Late Model, Pure Stock, Six Shooter, and Ridge Runner racing. Post time each Friday is 7 p.m.