Sanborn, Case & Pyy Among Those Continuing Dominance At Beech Ridge

Story By: AMY HARROP / RPW – SCARBOROUGH, ME – With the end of the season drawing closer, drivers returned to Beech Ridge on Thursday Night for another night of Thursday Night Thunder competition. Before the carss rolled out on track, all drivers were required to attend a mandatory drivers meeting to discuss some matters with track officials. After the meeting was complete, drivers returned to their cars to get ready for a full night of competition.

In usual fashion, the Legends division were the first to take to the track. Ed Getty led the field to green, followed by Parker Varney, Tylar Braunschweig, Ryan Doucette and Chris Burgess. Both Kevin Girard and Trevor Sanborn, the two weekly frontrunners at Beech Ridge, started from the back of the pack. The two leaders stayed side-by-side after the green until the #18 of Parker Varney cleared Ed Getty in turn 2 on lap 1. Trevor Sanborn was quickly moving through the field, moving into the top 5 after passing the #78 on lap 6 in turn 3. He continued his drive to the front, clearing Chris Burgess for P4 on lap 16 in turn 4. Charlie Buxton put on an impressive performance alongside his teammate, making his way into the fourth spot by lap 19. On lap 20, Sanborn was driving hard alongside Braunschweig, pushing him up the track in turn 3. This ended the night for the #70 early. But, Sanborn set his eyes on the top spot, charging toward the front. He was at Parker Varney’s door coming into the final lap, later edging him out for the victory as they crossed the start/finish line. Charlie Buxton and Chris Burgess and the #78 followed, rounding out the top five.

The Mad Bombers JV Division was up next, with the #92 of Richard Bourgeois-Lang and the #53 of Seth Leeman starting on the front row. They were followed by Justin Gailloux, Bob Wilson and John McConologue. Richard Bourgeois-Lang quickly pulled to the front while the #88 of Chad Moreside began to fall to the back of the pack. The #56 of McConologue went around in turn 1 on lap 2, followed by the #53 of Seth Leeman going around in turn 3. This brought out the first caution of the night. The #56 was sent to the rear of the pack for causing the caution, but Seth Leeman was able to hold onto his spot. Leeman got shuffled to the outside on the restart, causing him to fall to the back of the pack. Meanwhile, the #20 of Danny Wear was making moves, fighting his way up to third place on lap 5. The #11 of Cam Jones was also on the move, finding his way to the lead on lap 5 in turn 2. The #00 of Wade Kennedy wasn’t letting him go without a fight, stealing the lead from Jones on lap 6 in turn 1. The #38 of Garrett Lamb went around in turn 4 on lap 9, drawing out another caution. The #00 of Wade Kennedy pulled ahead on the restart, but Cam Jones was all over his back bumper. John McConologue had more problems on the restart, going around again in turn 2. Due to the lengthy caution, the lap count was moved up to lap 19. Wade Kennedy gained momentum on the restart, pulling away from the field once again. The #11 of Cam Jones had a RF tire issue on the restart, causing him to retire for the night. Wade Kennedy went on to win the feature, followed by Danny Wear, Scott Eck, Devon McConologue and Steve Holbrook.

The #69 of John Curtis led the field to green in the JV Mighty Trucks feature, followed by Will Potter, Jared Kimball, Robert Ferguson and Nick Calvert. Curtis managed to hold onto the lead through lap 1, but Jared Kimball was hungry for the top spot. He eventually cleared Curtis for the lead on lap 2 in turn 1. Tanner McDougal went into Richard Ferguson on lap 3 in turn 2, with Ferguson repaying him the favor later on in turn 4. No caution was brought out and both drivers continued around the track. Nick Calvert was charging through the field, finding his way into the runner-up spot by lap 5. He tried the inside of Jared Kimball on lap 8, but he wasn’t able to clear him for the lead until lap 9 in turn 3. The #69 of John Curtis went around on lap 11 in turn 3, drawing out the caution. Nick Calvert got a good jump on the restart, pulling away from the field. The #22 of McDougal was navigating through the field, finding his way into the top 4 on the restart. He later cleared Robert Ferguson for third place on lap 14 in turn 3. On lap 16, the leaders (Calvert and Kimball) were approaching the slower #48 of Will Potter at the tail end of the pack. The two drivers split the car, with Jared Kimball propelling himself into the lead. The #33 of Calvert caught up to him once again, clearing him for the top spot on lap 18 in turn 2. The #4 wasn’t giving up, passing Calvert for the lead once again on lap 19 in turn 2. The #4 of Jared Kimball ran away with the victory, followed by Nick Calvert, Tanner McDougal, Robert Ferguson and John Curts.

The JV Beetle Bugs were next, with the #1 of Derek McKeen and the #5 of Jim Emmons starting on the front row. They were followed by Darryl Quinlan, Alex Parechanian and Chris Case. McKeen was off & running early, running away with the top spot. Meanwhile, the #5 of Emmons had trouble on the restart, which resulted in Darryl Quinlan moving up to P3 and Chris Case moving up to the fourth spot. Chris Case was charging to the front, finding his way to Quinlan’s back bumper on lap 2. He eventually cleared the #12 in turn 3 on lap 2, setting his sights on the #1 of Derek McKeen. By lap 6, he was at McKeen’s back bumper, challenging for the top spot. He successfully captured the lead from McKeen on the outside, clearing him on lap 7 in turn 4. The competition caution came out on lap 14 to bring the field back together and make for a more exciting ending. Case proved strong, pulling away from the field once again on the restart. Brandon Lizotte was also on the move, finding his way up to the runner-up spot on lap 19. That didn’t last long, with McKeen sending Lizotte into the sand in turn 2 on the final lap. Chris Case went on to secure his third victory of the season continuing his dominance. He was followed by Derek McKeen, Alex Parechanian, Darryl Quinlan and Jim Emmons. It was revealed later that McKeen was DQ’d, resulting in Alex Parechanian and Darryl Quinlan being awarded podium finishes.

Kiyah Gammon started on the pole for the Ladies League feature. She was followed by Sara Libby, Shelby Brannon, Betty Nelson and Courtney Cameron. Kiyah Gammon pulled away into the early lead, but points leaders Betty Nelson and Kaitlynn Leavitt were both fighting their way to the front. Leavitt had found her way into the top 5 by lap 2, but Betty Nelson was also on the move, finding her way into the top 3 on lap 2. Nelson continued her fight to the front, clearing Gammon for the lead on lap 5 in turn 3. By lap 9, her lead was nearly ½ of a straightaway over the rest of the pack. Kaitlynn Leavitt continued to fight, clearing Gammon for the runner-up spot on lap 12 in turn 2. A competitive caution was brought out on lap 14, bringing the field back together. Leavitt was at Betty Nelson’s door on lap 18, ready to strike. Betty Nelson was able to hold her off, taking home the victory. She was followed by Kaitlynn Leavitt, Kiyah Gammon, Shelby Brannon and Courtney Cameron.

Andre Gailloux and Mike Dearden led the field to green in the Mad Bombers Varsity feature. They were followed by Stephen Taylor, Ed McConologue and Kirk Bean. Andre Gailloux drove away with the early lead, but Mike Dearden was hot on his heels. Dearden captured the lead on lap 3 in turn 2, pulling away from the pack. The #18 of Brian Picard went around in turn 1 on lap 4, with the #5 of Jason Gammon going around later in turn 3, bringing out the first caution of the feature. Both drivers were able to drive away and the field went back to green. Brian Picard and Jason Kennedy went around on lap 5 in turn 1, drawing out another caution. Race control moved the race up to lap 10 in efforts to keep the night rolling on. Dearden, John Wolfe and Kaitlynn Leavitt all went around in turn 1 on lap 10, drawing out another caution. The #80 of Scott Libby powered to the front on the restart, pulling away from the rest of the pack. The #27 of Chris Burgess was also on the move, navigating his way up to the runner-up spot by lap 13. Betty Nelson had troubles on lap 13, falling to the back of the pack. The #70 of Kirk Bean went hard into the wall on lap 15 in turn 4, resulting in the red flag. The race was moved up to lap 20 after the track was clear, with Scott Libby pulling into the lead once again. Tom Lovejoy showed strength, finding his way up to P3 on lap 22. Todd Libby went on to win the feature, followed by Chris Burgess, Jason Kennedy and Tom Lovejoy.

David Lamson and Mark Grantham started on the front row for the Mighty Trucks Varsity feature, followed by Matt Curtis, Brian Darling and Keith Petrin. Keith Petrin came into the night with a 2 point lead over Jeff Gillette in the standings. The #1 of Matt Curtis immediately fell to the back on the restart, with the #5 of Brian Darling leading the first lap. Keith Petrin was charging through the field, going from fifth to second in just two short laps. The #44 of Jeff Gillette powered past Petrin on lap 5 in turn 4, clearing him for the runner-up spot. By lap 7, Jeff Gillette was at Brian Darling’s door, challenging him for the top spot. He captured the lead in turn 4, pulling away from the field. By lap 18, he continued his dominance, keeping up with a 5+ truck length lead over the second place truck of Keith Petrin. Jeff Gillette went on to win the feature, followed by Keith Petrin, Brian Darling, Matt Curtis and Mark Grantham.

The Beetle Bug Varsity drivers were the final feature of the night. Randy Pimpare led the way, followed by Dave Moreau, Gerard Cote, Todd Hubbard, Craig Pyy and Dave Stone, Jr. Pimpare pulled ahead with the early lead, leading the first lap. The #39 of Craig Pyy was on the move, finding his way up to P3 by lap 5. By lap 6, Dave Stone was all over his back bumper, challenging him for the spot. Stone was unable to capture the position, falling to the back of the field. He later took a spin on lap 10 in turn 2, drawing out the caution and ultimately ending his night. On the restart, Pimpare pulled away from the field once again, diving down into the speedbumps in turn 1. By lap 12, the #39 of Craig Pyy was at his door. Pyy cleared Pimpare for the top spot on lap 13 in turn 1. He went on to win the feature, followed by Randy Pimpare, Dave Moreau, Todd Hubbard, Gerard Cote and Dave Stone. This was Pyy’s third consecutive win in the Beetle Bugs Varsity division, proving that he’s the one to beat in the division.

As the days to championship week count down, the competition is heating up every Thursday night at Beech Ridge. Catch all 8 divisions of racing next Thursday, August 3rd, for more Thursday Night Thunder action! Racing always begins at 7:00 pm.