The official finish of Saturday’s $1000-to-win Bond Auto Parts Late Model Triple Crown Series at Riverside is still being sorted out. Mike Kenison of Groveton apparently will be named the winner. After that, time will tell. Even though the moon wasn’t officially full until Sunday, Riverside Late Model features have been known to get a little wild.
          The howling started when Jeff Marshall’s mount, already faltering, slowed considerably entering turn three on the final lap. That triggered a go-where-you-think-you-can-git reaction from the oncoming pack, which resulted in a lot of contact, a yellow flag and then a red flag.
          Dwayne Lanphear, Brian and Corey Mason and Bob Ailes, who have been unofficially posted as the 2nd-5th place finishers, were some of the cars involved. Regardless of who did what to whom and how Riverside’s scoring rules get applied, it’s no shocker to find out that Lanphear and the Masons are a part of the controversy. Lanphear, a former Milk Bowl winner, filled the role of bad boy at Thunder Road for years.
Meanwhile, Riverside’s Budweiser Super Stocks came up with a photo finish for first which resulted in Luke Shannon’s fourth consecutive win. Brian Middleton of Berlin just missed ending Shannon’s streak.
Two of the top Late Models at Lee USA never made the feature Friday night. Brian Kruczek of Newmarket and Bobby Baillargeon of Kingston got together and wound up in the wall in a their heat and weren’t able to continue. Reportedly bolt-on parts rather than the chassis took the brunt of it and both drivers are likely to return this week for the Boy Scouts Night card that includes the Small Block Supers, Classic Lites and the antique S.T.A.R. senior tour.
         JR Baril held off Wayne Helliwell Jr and won for the second time this season. Helliwell Jr. now leads Baril in the Ekeys4cars Late Model point standings by a single point. A.J. Begin of Merrimac, Mass sits third another point back. This year’s Lee USA Late Model title qualifies the champion for the ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.  
          After multiple wrecks and yellows in the early going the True Value Modifieds had a good race at Twin State. Good race as in multiple lead changes – and when the last one occurred Jon McKennedy was in front. Dwight Jarvis finished second with Ed Dachenhausen third, Kirk Alexander fourth and point leader Steve Masse fifth. Aaron Fellows handled black hat duties this week at the Claremont oval. Fellows got into leader Chris Riendeau on the final lap of the Late Model feature and Chris Bergeron wound up as the winner. Sources say the crowd let Fellows have it when he came out for the Modified feature. This Saturday the True Value Mods race at Seekonk Speedway.
          Sean Caisse of Pelham made his Richard Childress Racing debut at Nashville Motor Speedway in the Nationwide Series and was victimized by Ricky Stenhouse Jr’s spin that collected him and Jason Keller among others. Seemingly, Stenhouse Jr. lost the reins. “We all have to get experience, somewhere, sometime I guess,” Keller shrugged afterwards. Kyle Busch won the race.
          There was a major pile-up early on in the Late Model feature at White Mountain too.  The car next to race winner Jeremy Davis of Tamworth, who started on the outside pole, got sideways and stacked up the field. Oren Remick and Glenn Martel got the worst of it. Promoter Donnie Avery thought tire troubles might have been involved. At any rate White Mountain, ACT and others have been struggling with Goodyears all season. “There were issues with tires growing a while back now the trouble is tread pull,” Avery said. “In one scuff session guys have had tires break up.”
          “I had two tires come apart during practice,” Davis said. “We put on some old tires that had been a 100 laps and went with those.” Davis’ win was his first-ever Late Model victory. He’s sponsored by his mother’s business - Impact Graphics and his father’s garage - Whittier’s Service Center.
          Thunder Road begins its Thursday night schedule this week. The American Canadian Tour travels to Waterford Speedbowl Saturday. There’s still a pulse at All-Star Speedway. Mike Murphy won the Modified feature Saturday night.