Helliwell Takes Thompson Pole in GSPSS Season Finale
Posted By Tj Ingerson On October 18, 2014
Categories: Granite State Pro Stock
PHOTO: Wayne Helliwell Jr., seen earlier in the season at Star Speedway, will start on the pole position for Sunday's Granite State Pro Stock Series event at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park. (Eric LaFleche/VLFPhotos.com photo)
Hard incidents mar Saturday's qualifying events
--by Michael Stridsberg (@OntheMike43)
VMM Correspondent
THOMPSON, Conn. -- Wayne Helliwell Jr. survived both the rain and on-track carnage and will start on the pole for Sunday’s Granite State Pro Stock Series season finale at the Thomspon Speedway Motorsports Park in Thompson, Conn.
The Dover, N.H. driver finished second in the first of three 10-lap qualifying heat races after starting eighth. Helliwell then won the post-qualifying redraw to secure the pole position for Sunday’s 50-lap feature being held as part of the 52nd Sunoco World Series of Speedway Racing.
The two-time ACT Late Model Tour champion will be joined on the front row by Dillon Moltz. The Granite State Pro Stock Series point leader ran away with the win in the third heat to add to his series point lead.
Moltz entered the event 16 points ahead of Larry Gelinas and 17 ahead of Matt Frahm. Gelinas and Frahm both finished third in their respective heat races and will start seventh and eighth on Sunday, respectively.
Recent PASS 300 winner Derek Ramstrom won heat one, while Maine’s Reid Lanpher took the checkered flag in heat two. They will start fourth and third, respectively.
The qualifying events were marred by multiple hard crashes.
The first one occurred on lap three of heat two, when Helliwell dove three-wide to the inside of former series champion Mike O’Sullivan and Billy Brady in turn two. The three cars came together as they went down the backstretch, which turned O’Sullivan and Brady into the outside wall. Brady was able to continue in the race and finished sixth. O’Sullivan suffered heavy damage and hauled the car back to his shop to try and repair it overnight for Sunday’s race.
On the ensuing restart, Helliwell, Adam Norton, and Mike Parks jockeyed for position on the backstretch when Parks got squeezed into the wall. Park’s car broke the Panhard bar on his car and retired from the event, but expects to be ready to race tomorrow.
The racing calmed down until the opening lap of heat three, when Jarrod Hayes lost control in turn two and overcorrected head-on into the outside wall, bringing out the red flag. Hayes escaped injury, but the team has already withdrawn from the rest of the weekend’s activities due to extensive damage.
The Granite State Pro Stock Series 50-lap season finale is slated to go green at 1:00pm as the first race on Sunday’s racing card.
STARTING LINE-UP -- Sunoco World Series of Speedway Racing
Granite State Pro Stock Series – Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, Thompson, Conn.
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Pos.-Driver-Hometown
1. Wayne Helliwell Jr., Dover, N.H.
2. Dillon Moltz, Waterford, Conn.
3. Reid Lanpher, Manchester, Maine
4. Derek Ramstrom, West Bolyston, Mass.
5. Tommy O’Sullivan, Wilbrahm, Mass.
6. George Bessette, Danbury, Conn.
7. Larry Gelinas, Buxton, Maine
8. Matt Frahm, Hampstead, N.H.
9. Jake Vanada, Berkley, Mass.
10. Jeff Connors, Rockville, Conn.
11. Brad Babb, Windham, Maine
12. John Salemi, Nashua, N.H.
13. Adam Norton, Ludlow, Mass.
14. Jason Boyd, Edgewater, Fla.
15. Ron Smith, Oakham, Mass.
16. Billy Brady, Marston Mills, Mass.
17. Mike Brightman, Acushnet, Mass.
18. Mike Mitchell, Cumberland, R.I.
19. Mike Parks, Walpole, N.H.
20. Ray Parent, Tiverton, R.I.
21. Chris Lescenski, Riverhead, N.Y.
22. Mike O’Sullivan, Springfield, Mass.
23. Derek Griffith, Hudson, N.H.
24. Greg Nanigian, Braintree, Mass.
25. Josh King, Vernon, Vt.