Dave O’Blenis claimed his second Best of the Best Pro Stock 150 in a row and his fourth over-all Saturday night at Speedway 660. The win earns O’Blenis a provisional starting position in the Pro Stock 250 on SpeedWeekend.
“This is a huge win for us because the pressure is off and we now know we have a guaranteed spot in the 250 on SpeedWeekend” said O’Blenis from the Riverview Ford Victory Lane. “We were happy with the car, but I don’t think we actually had the best car here tonight so we’ve got some work to do to get ready for the 250.”
O’Blenis, who led a lot of laps early in the Best of the Best 150, was sitting in third place with less than 20 laps remaining. He was watching Ben Rowe (#8) and Lonnie Sommerville (#23) battling for first and when they got into each other and spun out O’Blenis inherited the lead.
“I was watching Ben and Lonnie go at it and figured the only way we could win the race is if something like this happened” said O’Blenis. “They were really racing hard for the win and when they spun out we were there to take advantage of it, I kind of feel bad for them but it’s happened to us in the past so we’ll take the win.”
Kevin Moore drove to a second place finish, while Chris Duncan was third in the 22 car field. Brian Gillespie, Ben Rowe and Lonnie Sommerville won the Pro Stock heat races.
Dave O’Blenis (center) won the Best of the Best Pro Stock 150 on Saturday night. Kevin Moore (right) and Chris Duncan (left) finished second and third in the 22 car field.
Race fans were also treated to an intense battle in the DMR Auto Sales & Service Street Stock 50. Geoff Tugwell was able to hold off Roger Slocum for the win and Justin Cole made a late charge to take third place. Tugwell also won the dash, while Destiny Enkel and Heidi Cooper won the heat races.
“We had a good car tonight, but Roger was fast too and he raced us hard and clean” said Tugwell. “It’s a lot of fun running against guys like that and we’re pleased to take the win because we’ve been working so hard to get this car where we need it to be and tonight that hard work paid off.”
Geoff Tugwell won the DMR Auto Sales & Service Street Stock 50 on Saturday night. Roger Slocum (left) was second, while Justin Cole (right) claimed third.
Brent Roy won the Martin’s Home Heating Sportsman feature. Roy made a late pass on Alexandra O’Blenis, who ended up third. Andrew Rodgers finished second in the feature, while his brother Matt took the dash. Greg Fahey and O’Blenis won the Sportsman heat races.
“I am thrilled to get my first-ever podium finish in a Sportsman car here at Speedway 660” said Alexandra O’Blenis. “This is a tough division and to finish third behind Brent and Andrew is a big accomplishment, but now that we’ve done that we’ve got to work even harder to win one of these races.”
It was a great night for the O’Blenis family. Not only did Dave win the Best of the Best Pro Stock 150, his daughter Alexandra (4th from right) got her first Martin’s Home Heating Sportsman podium.
Speedway 660 race teams are off next Saturday night as they take their traditional August long holiday weekend break. Racing resumes on August 9th with the Sportsman Firecracker 150, followed by Fan Appreciation Night on August 16th and the Night of Champions on the 23rd. The racing season wraps up with SpeedWeekend on Labour Day weekend.
Speedway 660 Feature Results – July 26th, 2014
Best of the Best Pro Stock 150
1. Dave O’Blenis (Boundary Creek, NB), 2. Kevin Moore (Fredericton, NB), 3. Chris Duncan (Hampton, NB), 4. Ben Rowe (Beechridge, ME), 5. Kirk Thibeau (Presque Isle, ME), 6. Brian Gillespie (Nackawic, NB), 7. Sarah McKay (Quispamsis, ), 8. Brady Creamer (Miramichi, NB), 9. Paul Gahan (Lower St Mary’s, NB), 10. Derek Christie (Fredericton, NB), 11. Kevin Boyle (Hampton, NB), 12. Lonnie Sommerville (Saint John, NB), 13. Alicia Mowat (Hardwood Ridge, NB), 14. Cole Boudreau (Chipman, NB), 15. Dustin Tucker (Fredericton, NB), 16. John Rankin (St.Martins, NB), 17. Dana Hamm (Fredericton, NB), 18. Glyn Nott (Burton, NB), 19. Steve Halpin (Saint John, NB), 20. Calvin Rankin (Quispamsis, NB), 21. Brad Mann, 22. Matt Harris (Fredericton Jct., NB).
DMR Auto Sales & Service Street Stock 50
1.. Geoff Tugwell (Moncton, NB), 2. Roger Slocum (Chipman, NB), 3. Justin Cole (Harvey , NB), 4. Benji Ruff (Carlow, NB), 5. Peter Martin (Saint John, NB), 6. Rick Cashol (Saint John, NB), 7. Robert Raynes (Summerville, NB), 8. Martin Landry (Shediac, NB), 9. T.J. Madore (Geary, NB), 10. Destiny Enkel (Saint John, NB), 11. Tyler Seveck (Nackawic, NB), 12. Luc McLaughlin (Geary, NB), 13. Andre Chamberlain (Fredericton, ), 14. Adam Zalot, 15. Gary Wade (Hampton, ), 16. Heidi Cooper (Hanwell, NB), 17. Ryan Raynes, 18. Chuck Mercer, 19. Eric Matthew, 20. Mark Raynes,
Martin’s Home Heating Sportsman
Feature:1. Brent Roy (Hanwell, NB), 2. Andrew Rodgers (Smithtown, NB), 3. Alexandra O’Blenis (Boundary Creek, NB), 4. Drew Greenlaw (Eastport, ME), 5. Dawson McIntee (Moncton, NB), 6. Matt Rodgers (Smithtown, NB), 7. Greg Fahey (St. Stephen, NB), 8. Shawn Warren (Waasis, NB), 9. Steve Seveck (Temperance Vale, NB), 10. Geoff Armstrong, 11. George Jamieson (Fredericton, NB), 12. Daniel Clark (Fredericton, NB),
