The 2023 Chase Race is
on!
4 Drivers -1 Race-1 Champions
The 2023 Evolve Challenge ProTruck Season will
conclude at the New London Waterford Speedbowl on Saturday October 28th.
A full field of ProTrucks is expected. 75 laps
will be the distance. Most will be afterr the $1000 first prize.
Fierce
competition is expected from the regular truck
competitors that race there weekly. Some of the
names you may see defending the home turf are
Chapman, Cassidy and Coates.
For the 8 playoff
contenders, there will be a race within a race.
Chris Taylor, Nicholas Frechette, Dennis Charette
and RJ Surdell will be awarded 5th thru 8th in the
Chase standings depending on how they finish is
relation to each other at this race.
The final four will also race against each other.
They qualified in the final four by their performance at
Thompson . Their Superbowl is the 75 lap
Challenge race Saturday.
there is a lot of money on the line. $10,000
dollars total. The winners share of the Chase payout is $5000 for the Champion.
$2000 dollars will go to
the runner up. $1000 dollars is awarded for
third. Fourth will pocket $750 dollars.
Fifth in the Chase pays $500 dollars. 6th
takes home
$400 dollars. 7th will receive $300 dollars and 8th will earn
$250 dollars.
The awards will be paid out at the banquet at
Foxwoods thanks to Evolve Bank and Trust Mortgage
and Hoosier Tires East.
Who are the final four?
The Number 1 seed is #15 Long Island's Gerard
Giordano Jr. aka G-Rod. The 15 team started
with a victory at the Ice Breaker but fell to 12th
into the point standings when they were unable to
attend the second race of the season. Giordano
won his next two events, and finished second at
Star. The top 8 make the playoff. The 15
team's performances after missing an event were
enough to make the cut. G-Rod has 152 laps
led, ( approximately 2/3s of the laps run)
this season. He has the most wins in the
series since he arrived on the tour in 2015. Last
year's battle to the line with Connor Souza was a
thriller.
The Number 2 seed for this season's Chase
Championship is the 2 of Duane Noll. Noll was
the 2020 Series Champion and has multiple track
Championships and wins at Waterford. From the
outset, he has been on a mission to repeat in the #1
spot. The team had a technical infraction that
buried him in the early season standings . As
veterans often do, he climbed his way back into the
top 8. He finished runner up at Thompson's World
Series. There is only one more task at hand.
The Number 3 seed is Todd Taylor. The 47
team is known to have the most fun at the race
track. There is not a better bunch to be around. Win
lose or draw, they come to enjoy racing. Don't
let that confuse you. They are dead serious about
winning. The team missed out on the regular
season points championship by a mere 1 point. For
most of Todd's racing career he has competed in the
weekly truck division at the SpeedBowl. This is his
first full season of ProTruck Touring
competition. Can he turn the home track
advantage into an Evolve ProTruck Championship in
his Rookie year. Maybe. The paint scheme is a
throw back to his dads. One thing is for sure.
The entire team would like to see that paint scheme
parked in Victory Lane when it is over Saturday at
the SpeedBowl.
The fourth seed is Randy Burr. Randy has raced
regularly at the Waterford SpeedBowl and is one of
the Veteran performers on the tour. His Orange
32 has become iconic. The truck he campaigns has
made it's way to Victory Lane before. He ran a
masterful race at Thompson. Early on he
dropped back and stayed out of trouble. Late
race he charged into the final playoff spot.
The payoff battle is a great one, but often the
Chase Race is won by a non-chase competitor. Shawn
Monahan won last year's event. Andrew Morin has won
the season's finale twice. Andy Lindeman grabbed the
season ending victory without being Champion.
Even Gerard Giordano Jr snagged a win in the finale
without being the Champ. One thing is for
sure. A great race is in store Saturday the 28th at
the Waterford SpeedBowl. It is a must see
event. Hope to see you there.
01
Nikolas Frechette
47 Todd
Taylor
Dennis Charette
2023
Playoff
Elite 8
32 Randy
Burr
2 Duane
Noll
R.J.
Surdell
G-Rod
5 Chris
Taylor
The Playoffs Kick Off at Thompson's
World Series!
The $10,000 Evolve ProTruck
Challenge gets underway at Thompson Speedway Sunday, October 8th.
The Evolve ProTruck Challenge elimination race happens on the banked
half mile. The Elite Eight pictured above are your playoff
contenders. Let's review how they got there.
Let's review how each made their way:
The 5 of Chris Taylor scored a tenth place finish at Hudson. At
Monadnock the team improved to finish 9th. Star saw the 5 team
continue to improve by finishing 7th. The 3 top 10's resulted in a
playoff berth.
15jr. of Gerard Giordano made an improbable charge into the Elite
8. Entering Hudson he had missed an event. G-Rod would have to
gain 30 points per show to make the cut. Deshaies, Pelligrini,
Vanada, and Stringer all missed races or ended their season which
made the climb into the playoffs a bit easier. Still there was no
denying that the 15 Silverado was in Championship form. G-Rod
went back to back with wins at Hudson and Monadnock, and
managed a second at Star. Defending ProTruck Champion G-Rod is the
only competitor left from last year's Chase. He's planning on
adding another Championship trophy to his collection.
The #151 of RJ Surdell is another team that has
constantly improved. Clearly the 151 was not performing early
in the season. The Cindy Burdick Motorsports team simply went
to work. They managed 3 top 10's highlighted by RJ's
first top five at Star. The team may be getting into Championship
form at just the right time.
He's known as "Dirty Love". The Deuce, Duane Noll
is a former Championship and fan favorite. Despite a technical set
back at Thompson, Noll quietly moved his team into the 5th slot in
the Elite 8. The team is expected to be a contender at
Thompson, and there is no doubt, Noll is a force to reckoned with at
Waterford. The Championship has been all that is on Duane's
mind since the start of the season.
#32 Randy Burr is one of the steadiest performers on the
tour. He has worked all season on improving the bright orange
32 Ford F-150. This truck was a former Koenig 97. It was
rebuilt from the frame up. The truck is sorted well for the
playoff run. He finished 6th at Thompson's Ice Breaker in
April. A mechanical failure set the team back at Hudson. Take that
race away and Randy would be the #1 seed heading into Sunday's
elimination race.
The #1 of Dennis Charette has been a steady performer all
season. Owner Lucas Leone has had a plan since last fall. This
Sunday the team will be the first to debut a Claimer motor.
Claimer motors have simpler rules, however they can be purchased
from other competitors post race. The Claimer price is less than
half of what the Chevrolet economy motors known as 602's cost.
The question is can a $3500 motor actually be an advantage and pull
off a series championship. We will know Sunday.
Todd Taylor and his #47 Silverado team are know as the
team that has the most fun tour racing. That doesn't mean that they
don't take their chase for the championship seriously. They
just do it with a smile. The Elite 8 is made up of the top eight in
the regular season points. Todd finished second by a mere point.
The eye is on the title. The team finished second in the Ice
Breaker. This could be the year the 47 takes home it's first
ProTruck Championship. Maybe.
No one had the #01 of Nikolas Frechette penciled in as their
pick to win the ProTruck Championship. The IceBreaker marked his
first time driving a full size race vehicle of any type. It
also marked his first time racing the historic track. He managed a
podium finish. He then went on to perform well at all of the series
venues despite each one being the first time to compete there.
He is the 2023 regular season Champion. He's managed to be runner up
on a few but does not have his first series win yet. Could we
see a first win and his first Championship happen over the next two
weeks? It could happen.
There is no doubt
the 2023 Evolve ProTruck Challenge has the makings of being the most
exciting playoff ever but there is much more to Thompson's World
Series event. The race is dedicated to the memory of Harold
and Terri Churchill and of course Cindy Burdick. Harold and
Terri helped put on the events while Cindy often owned multiple
entries to help create the excitement these ProTruck provide over
the years.
There are also some very exiting entries expected that are
not Chase drivers. They include the 29 of Josh Vanada.
He is a favorite to win the Seekonk Truck Championship. He'll
have to do double duty to make the field at Thompson. He managed to
pull off the win at Star Speedway in the series last event.
Former Series Champion Dave Koenig is expected to return to
competition at Thompson. His 97 truck paint schemes are always
fan favorites. The 2023 version is no different. Jason
Paquette will make his series debut in the number 94 Silverado.
Damian Surdell will make his first Thompson start in the 14
Silverado of Roger Hunt. Shawn Passero and Andy Pelligrini are
expected. Could we see Tyler Chapman at Thompson? He was super
fast in last year's World Series event. Will a Monahan compete?
Shawn won last fall's event. Emma has moved on to the ProStocks.
Brody has dominated at Waterford.
The Evolve ProTruck Challenge is a $10,000 purse offered by
Evolve and Hoosier Tire . Each of the Elite 8 will get a
Hoosier Tire Jacket for qualifying. In relation to how they finish
competing against the other Elite 8 qualifiers, the top 8 will be
divided. The top half of these drivers will be grouped into the
final 4. The "Final 4" will compete at Waterford.
They are the only ones eligible for the Championship. Their finish
position in relation to each other in the Finale' will be used to
determine the the Champion. The same is true for 5th
thru 8th. Although they are not eligible to be Champion, they will
be racing for points money banners too.
There is no doubt the elimination race Sunday at Thompson is
packed with excitement. Be there if you can for we have an exciting
event plan at Thompson Speedway's World Series Sunday October 8th.
Hudson International
is up next for the
Evolve Pro Truck Challenge
The ProTrucks get back underway at Hudson Speedway August 13th.
Rain resulted in a cancellation at Lee USA. The event lost to
mother nature has created more pressure on teams to make the
playoffs. Only three races remain to get into the top 8 in points.
To win the championship, teams need to make that cut. So who are the
favorites to make the Elite 8?
Devin Deshaies seemed to be a serious threat. especially after winning the
last event at Monadnock however the team has opted
to move on to ACT type late models and legends cars.
Devin is currently 5th in points. Obviously a
driver with Devin's talents is an attractive option
for many truck owners however no ride has been
rumored. It is doubtful Deshaies will pick up a ride this late in the season to
continue his shot at the Championship.
Defending Challenge Champion and 2023 Thompson Speedway
winner Gerard Giordano Jr. was expected
to cruise his way into the playoffs. Long Island's
top ProTruck driver missed Monadnock dropping him
from 1st to 12th in the points standings. G-Rod
will have to gain approximately 30 points per show
on his competitors to fight his way back in.
Odds are the 15 jr team is up to the task however
there is very little room for error.
Andy Pellegrini in the 6, Chris Taylor in the 5, RJ Surdell
in the 151 and Duane Noll in the 2 all are within 11
points of each other. All had rough starts at
Thompson. Noll is currently 8th in the point
standings. It would be against all odds but mathematically all
four can make the playoffs
The sentimental favorite for most is Josh Stringer.
He has steadily done what is needed as he drives in
honor of the memory of Jim Boyle, his father in law
that was lost during the off season. 3 more
solid performances could propel Stinger in to the
Elite 8.
Dennis Charette is in the famed 1ne Silverado. The team
seems to be gaining momentum. Crew chief and
owner Mike Leone leaves no stone unturned.
Although there is not a lot of room for error, this
team is expected to get stronger with every week and
should make the Elite 8.
The surprise of the year is Nikolas Frechette.
This rookie performed flawlessly in his first truck
race at Thompson. Monadnock the 01 team fought
through some mechanical issues but still managed to
lead a lap and finish 7th. He sits 4th in
points with a 50 point cushion. Despite being
the youngest driver in the field, he is a favorite
to make the Elite 8.
The top 3 in points are separated by a mere 6 points. All three
should make the elite 8. Todd Taylor's 47
Silverado has been on rails. He has ventured
to Waterford for a few races and ended up on the podium.
The finale is at Waterford which makes him a
favorite to win it all. Randy Burr is
simply overdue. The 32 team has sorted out his new
truck. Again we have a driver that wins at
Waterford and has to be considered a favorite to be
Champion. Finally there is Jake Vanada.
The #29 F-150 is strong everywhere it runs. This is
another team that is expected to make the Elite 8
easily.
The heat is on for every
race and every performance carries more weight.
They all want that $5000 check from Lance Adie and
Evolve Mortgage at the banquet. They want the
Championship Trophy even more than that.
Expect great racing at Hudson International Speedway
Sunday August 13th during round III of the
Evolve ProTruck Challenge .
Deshaies Dominates the Duel at the
Dog
Perfect weather and an awesome crowd greeted the ProTruck
competitors Sunday May 6th as they squared off for race two of the
2023 season. The 2nd Annual Duel at the Dog has become a premier
short track event in New England. Monadnock Speedway was
packed with competitors and fans.
Noticeably absent in the pit area was the
15 of points leader Gerard Giordano Jr. Devin
Deshaies put everyone on notice early that his
Silverado had plenty of speed by leading both
practices. Qualifying was soon to follow.
Deshaies set fast time with a blistering fast time
of 14.213. Time trials set the field from 7th
back. The top 6 redraw for final starting
position. Randy Burr drew the pole position.
Devin would have to start 4th.
A field of 13 ProTrucks line up to take the green.
Outside of pole sitter Randy Burr was the 01
Silverado of Nikolas Frechette. Duane Noll had
his #2 Silverado lined up third. Deshaies was
outside in forth. Dennis Charette and #29 Jake
Vanada rounded out the fast 6.
Early season races often end up with early cautions.
Immediately the yellow was out as #6 Andy Pellegrini
got into turn one a bit too hard and ran in to the
back of Charett's #1. Pellegrini spun. The 02 of
Josh Stringer, and the 87 of Jim Thompson were also
involved.
The field was gathered up quickly. The 01
of Frechette got a great start and was able to hang
on the outside of Burr's #32 F-150.
Frechette's Silverado nosed ahead on lap 4.
Burr fought back and the low lane eventually
prevailed. Duane Noll, Jake Vanada and Devin
Deshaies freight trained the 01 of Frechette.
Before the 01 could get back in line he was all of
the way back to fifth.
The 14 of Roger Hunt was off the pace. On lap
10, Frechette pulled outside only to have Hunt
switch lanes unexpectedly. Frechette stood on
the binders as the mid pack cars scrambled and
bounced off of each other. Amazingly all of the
trucks were able to continue.
Deshaies made his charge
to the front early. By lap 12 he had moved by
the 29 of Vanada. On lap 14 he was able to
squeeze the nose of his truck under the 32 of Burr.
Deshaies had the lead as the two made their to the
front stretch. The field was slowed again as the 6
of Pelligrini spun in turn 1 for a second time.
The lap 20 restart sorted out quickly.
Deshaies pulled out to a 5 truck length lead in just
a few laps. Duane Noll was applying pressure
to Randy Burr. After a few laps of hounding,
he burrowed under Burr's 32 into on the back
stretch, and wrestled second place away. Entering
turn three Jake Vanada tried to follow underneath.
His #29 Silverado turned completely sideways.
He was able to gather the truck up without spinning
and hold onto forth. Certainly it was the save
of the day.
By lap 38 Deshaies was
cruising with a comfortable lead when the 02 of Josh
Stringer spun in turn 4. The yellow closed the field
once again.
It was a quick caution that only lasted for 2 laps The field was lined
up quickly and the ProTrucks were ready to rumble.
Coming to the restart
line it was the 64 of Deshaies with veteran and
former series Champ Duane Noll on his outside.
Randy Burr tucked in behind Deshaies. Vanada,
in the 29 was to his outside. The 87 of Jim Thompson
lined up next. Dennis Charette, in the 1ne,
lined outside of Thompson. Deshaies handled
the restart with ease. Noll in the 2, Burr in the
32, Vanada in the 29, and Charette in the 1 rounded
out the top five.
The final caution flew
with 10 to go as RJ Surdell spun his #151 F-150 in
between turns three and four. Deshaies would have to
survive one more restart. Noll lined up outside
again, Burr and Vanada made up row 2. Charette
was now in fifth with Todd Taylor to his outside.
Starter Kyle Souza showed the field the green with 6 to
go. Deshaies had the lead to himself by turn one.
Burr was able to hold the low groove. He positioned his
nose inside of Duane Noll to battle for second.
Noll could not get clear as the two battled side
by side for the next two laps. Noll tried to squeeze
into line between Burr and Vanada. Vanada was having
none of that and held his line. Noll had
contact and fought to keep his Silverado straight.
The 2 truck bounced off of the front
stretch wall but was able to continue. Charette
snuck by low. Noll would have to settle in at
fifth.
Coming to the white flag
Pelligrini's 6 spun into the infield again. Devin
was able to cruise by high and take the win.
Following Deshaies was Randy Burr and Jake Vanada.
Devin Deshaies proved once again that he is
a force to be reckoned any time his 64 Silverado
pulls into the pit area. He won the Taylor
Landscaping, Karns Automotive fast time award.
He also pocketed $1000 for the win. Devin led 41
laps enroute to his win. A mechanical failure
took Deshaies out of the season opener. The
rebound win moved him into 5th in points. The
top 8 in points compete for the Championship in this
year's Chase.
Runner up Randy Burr also made a big
point improvement. The finish moved him to
second in the standings where he trails by a mere 3
points. Jake Vanada and his 29 team now hold
the top spot in points heading into the spring
break. The next series race is at Lee
USA where the Independence Celebration will get
underway with a 55 lap event. It was an awesome
weekend at JDV Production's 2nd Annual Dual at the
Dog. The series returns to Monadnock September 9th.
Congrats to Devin Deshaies and the entire 64 team.
As the pressure builds to make the playoffs, so does
the excitement. Round 3 gets underway at Lee
July 2nd.
Complete point standings can be found by clicking
the "2023 Results and Standings" button. For
compete race results , once on the standings page,
click the race date at the top of the column.
With Thompson's Ice Breaker under their belt, the Evolve
ProTruck teams head to the Duel at the Dog with the expectation of
positioning themselves to qualify for this year's Chase.
The new points structure makes missing an event tough to recover
from. The shorter schedule means each event has heightened
importance.
At the Ice Breaker a few teams simply ran out of
racing luck. Shawn Passero suffered a mechanical failure
resulting in crash damage during practice. The 151 of RJ
Surdell lost a motor as did the 5 of Chris Taylor. Despite the
mishaps, 23 trucks took the green. Unfortunately, early
on Andy Pellegrini also lost a brand new motor. Most of those
competitors are ready for the Duel.
The race was a one man show. Duane Noll was fast in every
session including the feature event. Reigning Chase Champion
Gerard Giordano Jr's number 15 Silverado couldn't find his way
to mount a challenge. Todd Taylor's 47 was fast. He ran
fast throughout the day. Devin Deshaies was also fast but a
mechanical failure took out the 64 early.
Two racers new to the series, Nicholas Frechette in the
01, and Jake Vanada in the 29 had their own private duel lap after
lap. Frechette won this round. Number 78, Emma Monahan
was quick as always. All of these teams had outstanding
performances.
When it was over Noll parked in Victory Lane.
The celebration was to be short lived. Pro Trucks have a unique
motor rule. All trucks must pass a dyno test on Mondays.
Noll had changed carburetors. The new carb was a great one.
It was a bit to good and produced way more horsepower than the team
expected. The 2 failed the dyno and was moved to the rear of
the field. The win was awarded to the 15 team. Giordano is no
stranger to victory lane at Thompson. He also set fast time
for the weekend.
The race was dedicated to the memory of Jim Boyle, a driver that was
lost over the off season.. Giordano and Boyle had many
on-track battles over the years, but had earned a mutual respect and
friendship. The Jim Boyle Memorial Trophy will have a special
place in Giordano's trophy room. Giordano scored 192 points
for the win, along with a check for $1100.00.
As we head into Monadnock, Gerard Giordano holds the point
lead. Due to other commitments the 15 is not expected at the next
event. We will definitely have a new points leader without
Long Islands top ProTruck team there. Who will it be?
Will Todd Taylor grab his first tour win? Can Duane Noll
rebound and find his way to victory lane? How good is Nikolas
Frechette? He turned heads at Thompson.
Without Giordano, or Souza, or Lucas Leone, is this the week
we see Randy Burr's 32 head back to the winner's circle. Will Jake
Vanada prevail and get the trophy from his brother Josh.
It is a must see event. Every truck in the
field is capable of winning. The Evolve Pro Truck
Challenge 55 is Saturday May 6th. Be
there if you can.
2023 Ice Breaker
The 2023 Season gets underway at Thompson Speedway Friday
night, and with it comes the first race of the new Evolve Mortgage
ProTruck Challenge Chase format. Teams will have more emphasis
on points. To get in the Chase, the team will have to be in
the top 8 in points by the next to last race of the season.
Drivers will no longer have to win a race to be a Chase participant.
Pos.
Points
1
175
Points are earned first by attempting to
qualify for any event. Connecticut
races will award 10 appearance points
per event, while races outside of
Connecticut will award 35 appearance
points. Positional points
earned from racing have also changed.
1 bonus point is awarded for a win,
leading a lap, leading the most laps and
setting fast time. Positional
points are going to revert to a break
down similar to the Classic NASCAR
method. The change is to reward
consistency. The winner of the
race will receive 75 points. Points will
decline by 5 for the remaining top 5
positions. Positions 6-10 will decline
by 4 points each. 11th thru 15th
will decline by 3 points each. 16
thru the remainder of the field will
decline by 2 points each.
Evolve Bank & Mortgage, Real Brokers LLC, and
Hoosier Tires have all teamed up to put
up a $10,000 points fund and still
maintain the $1000 to win purses.
Entering the next to last race of the
year, the teams in the "Elite 8",
will compete to get into the final 4
based on their performance in that next
to last race. The top 4 in
relation to each other at the finish
will move on to the final 4. Those that
did not qualify in the final 4 will be
awarded 5th thru 8th position in points.
They all will receive a Hoosier Jacket.
The final 4 will decide their point standings in
the final race of the season. They also
will receive a Hoosier Jacket .
The winner will also pocket $5000.00.
The 2023 Minimum Points Payout is as
follows:
The Pro Truck Challenge is not
possible without the support of
Lance Adie of-Evolve Mortgage Bank &
Trust, Derek Beatrice - Real
Brokers and Rob Summers - Hoosier
Tires East.
The 2023 season's first race is Friday evening at the Ice Breaker. It's a
must see event. Hope to see all our
fans there.
2
170
3
165
4
160
5
155
6
151
7
147
8
143
9
139
10
135
11
132
12
129
13
126
14
123
15
120
16
118
17
116
18
114
19
112
20
110
2022 EXIT Realty New England
Pro Truck Challenge Championship
The 2022 EXIT Realty ProTruck Challenge concluded with a
Chase race at the Waterford Speedbowl in October. Smacktoberfest was
headlined with the series 2022 Championship event.
Within the race 5
Chase teams competed for 75 laps to decide who would be
the Chase Champion.
It was a must see event.
Practice seemed routine until Devin Deshaies #64 crashed
in turn one. A mechanical failure caused the
incident. Deshaies was the #1 seed in the playoff.
Immediately rumors circulated that the team's ProTruck
was done for the day. Devin
seemed
un-phased. If he had a truck, he wanted to race.
Otherwise he wanted to head where he could race. Tyler
Chapman generously made his ride available for the 64
Silverado was not going to be race-ready in time.
The year's winningest team would at least her a shot at
the Championship.
This year's Chase competitors were slated to start in
the front five spots of the Chase event . With no
practice in the new ride, Devin opted to start last .
This placed the 38 of Connor Souza on the pole.
Gerard Giordano shared the front row. Lined up in
row two were two very successful Waterford competitors.
Jim Boyle is always fast and has multiple wins over many
years. Andrew Morin has found his way to Victory
Lane at Waterford too. With Deshaies in the last row
in a borrowed truck, the
chances of the Chase Champion coming form the front
two rows increased dramatically.
The yellow flew on lap 1 for a mishap in the back of the
pack between the 47 of Todd Taylor and the 90 of
multi-time series champion Allen Coates. The teams
quickly reorganized for the restart and the race was
back on.
Souza charged out to an early lead. During
time trials Diego, Brody and Shawn Monahan had plenty of
pace. Shawn was in third by lap 7. He moved
by Jim Boyle into second on lap 12. The 38 had a
healthy lead at this point. Monahan patiently set on the
task of catching the leader.
Giordano moved by Boyle's 02 on lap 24.
He seemed to be pacing himself for 75 laps is a long way
at Waterford. The race always comes down to a late
race caution at the end.
Up front Souza was making it look easy. He
had no interest in letting Monahan get too close and
maintained a healthy advantage. By lap 35 the 55 had
worked his way into striking distance.
Eventually , on lap 47, as the leader worked his way by
a lapped truck, Monahan attacked. He leaned on the
38 with his front bumper just enough to make room and
take over the lead. Shawn had control of the race and it
was doubtful anyone had enough truck to challenge for
the win.
The Chase was still on, and two of the top
performers were now second and third. The 38 of Souza
found no comfort as the 15jr sat one truck length
behind, and the 55 had a truck length lead in front.
Then the caution flew on lap 66 and the battle for the
Championship was on.
The restart had the 55 of Monahan on the pole
with the 38 outside. Giordano was line up third.
Dennis Charrette in the Leone Racing number 1 was forth.
Burr held down fifth. Chase competitors Boyle and
Morin were back in striking distance restarting sixth
and seventh. Shawn's 55 Silverado jumped to a 2 truck
length lead at the drop of the green flag.
Giordano and Souza battled side by side. It was a
full lap before the 38 could secure second. Suddenly,
entering turn three smoke erupted from the pack.
Charrette got crossed up and pivoted off the 32's nose.
Burr continued as many of the front runners piled into
the melee. The 02 of Boyle was in it. His Championship
hopes were over. The field had to be stopped and
held under red as turn 3 was going to take some time to
make race ready.
For the final restart there were just two laps remained to decide a
race and a Championship. The top spot was
still held by Monahan. The 38 of Souza was in
second. G-rod lined up third. Outside G-Rod was
Devin Deshaies in the borrowed Chapman ride.
Somehow he had made is way from the back of the field to
have a shot.
Monahan had a great restart and set sail heading for
the checkers. All eyes were on the Championship
Battle between the 38 and 15 in second and third.
Whomever finished ahead was going to be the season
Champion. G-Rod moved to second. The
38 was not done. He caught the 15 and muscled his
way back by in between turns 3 and 4. Both trucks were
side by side coming to the white flag. G-Rod
sailed the 15 low to reestablish inside position in turn
one. There was contact between the two entering turn 3.
The 38 still held a slight edge exiting turn 4. Heading
to the front stretch it was a dead heat. G-Rod won the
drag race to the line and bested Souza by approximately
a foot to take the Championship. There was contact
after the start finish line as G-Rod fought for control.
As the two trucks entered turn two Souza retaliated by
hooking the 15. G-Rod was able to stay out
of the wall.
Monahan won the battle by making it two wins in a row in
the series. Diego prepped the 55. It was truly a
great ending to a Monahan family affair. Shawn won.
Brody placed 6th in his first ProTruck event.
Track Champion Emma Monahan finished right behind Brody.
Diego even finished after finding himself in the infield
during one of the late race cautions.
The Champion was G-Rod. Giordano won the war.
The 15jr had a trying year with a serious crash at
Monadnock causing them to miss races. They were
able to piece their truck back together and race at
Thompson. The team managed to regain their speed and run
up front all day. Being in position and saving their
truck went a long way in securing the top spot in the
Chase.
Souza had a spectacular year despite some disagreements
with the series. The team served a 1 race
suspension at Thompson. Waterford was their first
race back. Due to the driver's actions after
the checkers, they were removed from this year's Chase
moving Andrew Morin into the runner up Chase spot.
Devin Deshaies and company gave a heroic effort and
finished 3rd in the Chase. Jim Boyle took 4th in
this year's standings. The overall points Champion was
Devin Deshaies. The Rookie of the Year was Andrew
Pellegrini.
The series will celebrate Giordano's Championship and a
great 2022 which was also the last season with EXIT
Realty. EXIT has sponsored the series since 2018
when they took over for Mr. Rooter. It was
expected that the EXIT name would stay through 2023
however recent developments in the real estate industry
ended the pairing.
February 18th we will celebrate 2022 which saw the
emergence of some young stars. The series, sponsored by
EXIT persevered through COVID and tire shortages.
An announcement will come soon concerning the new title
sponsorship, however EXIT is certainly going to be
missed. We still have one more event. Let's
celebrate one more time with EXIT , Evolve and the Stars
of the EXIT Realty Challenge.
The 2022 EXIT Realty New England
ProTruck season has been packed with excitement from the drop of the
green flag in April through last week's World Series. As we roll
into Smacktoberfest at the
Waterford Speedbowl, the stage is set to crown a new Champion.
Five teams have qualified for this year's Chase race.
Remarkably , the excitement happening Saturday October 22nd
at the Speedbowl includes much much more than just the
Championship Chase. Here is who to watch.
Andy Pellegrini was running well in the Ice Breaker until he
spun exiting turn four. The number 6 Silverado slid
through the infield and on to the top of the infield pit lane
wall. A twentieth place finish is a rough start for any
team. Andy was able to make six more starts and wrap up the 2022
Rookie of the Year title on the strength of five top ten
finishes.
Emma Monahan raced only a few times on the tour in 2022.
She competed at the SpeedBowl and became the first female
Champion of a Saturday evening division. You'll know her by the
crowd noise. Cousin Brody won the Legends
Championship. Uncle Shawn teamed up with Emma's father
Diego for the World Series where Shawn wheeled his #55 ProTruck
to a win. Saturday at Waterford you will see Emma, Diego,
Brody and Shawn Monahan all competing in the 75 lap ERC event.
There are not many racing families that get four members racing
in one event. This will surely be exciting to see.
Another ProTruck to keep an eye on is the 81 of Tyler Chapman.
In the last two events Chapman's 81 Silverado has been
lightening fast. In the last tour event at Waterford, Chapman's
fastest lap was bested by eventual winner Deshaies by a mere 7
hundredths. Both Waterford and Thompson events saw Chapman
taken out of contention through no fault of his own. He is a
past winner on the tour, and a frequent winner at the Speedbowl.
Saturday night could be his night.
The main story is the Championship. Five drivers. All
think they should be the Champion. We'll start with Andrew
Morin. At 18 he is a veteran EXIT Realty Challenge racer. He has
two touring series wins, one of which was this event last year.
He is only second to Devin Deshaies in season points. He has
scored 10 top tens, six top fives, and led 24 laps. He finished
second in the last event at the SpeedBowl. Due to getting into
the playoff race as the wild card, he must win to be the
Champion. If the race falls his way, Andrew Morin is a
good pick to win.
Unlike the Wild Card entry, the remaining 4 will finish in
points in the top 5 based on how they finish in relation to each
other. If Morin does not put his number 10 in Victory
Lane, the battle is on to finish ahead of the others. The
2021 Champion, Dave Koenig, made his pass in the final lap to
grab the top spot. It is a race within a race. All of
these trucks will carry special markings on their rear spoiler
so fans can watch the battle rage on:
Taking on our youngest Chase field ever at 52 years old is Jim
Boyle in the 02. He was last season's wild card. He
earned his way into the Chase race with a victory at Monadnock.
Jim missed a few events this year, and has chased a few
gremlins that have kept him from scoring more victories however
make no mistake, Jim Boyle knows how to win at the Waterford
Speedbowl and remains a threat to come home with the
Championship Saturday.
Long Island's Gerard Giordano Jr. is always a threat to win.
The 15 team was on fire early in the season. G-Rod is the
all-time winningest driver with 12 EXIT Realty Challenge wins.
The team suffered a huge set back when they were taken out early
in a crash at Monadnock in August. The incident resulted
in missing three events. G-Rod has won both points and Chase
Championships and knows his way to Victory Lane at the
SpeedBowl. Never count the series' favorite New Yorker
out.
The number 38 of Connor Souza owns second place in the
standings. Some say you have to lose a Championship to know how
to win one. Last year's Championship race was a heart
breaker for the 38 team. Souza was clearly the fastest
ProTruck out there but a rash of tire failures took Connor out
of contention. This season he has been a threat to win at every
track. The team is solid. Many feel this is his year.
The number one seed in this year's Chase is the youngest driver,
15 year old Devin Deshaies.
He has won on the Magic Mile and also found victory lane on the
quarter miles. In 11 starts the 64 found victory lane 5 times.
Devin has 8 top fives and has led 153 laps. He won the
last race at Waterford. It wasn't easy though. He
had to be very aggressive using the bumper to get by the 10 of
Morin late.
Devin will start the weekend with a coin toss.
The toss will determine if all 5 Chase contenders will be
starting at the rear of the field, or in the top 5 spots.
If all five contenders have to start in the final five spots,
Morin's work will be much harder for he will be starting last.
Starting in the rear also makes all of the teams navigate some
heavy traffic. Of course the flip could go the other way placing
the Chase teams up front. Start in the front gives all five a
clear shot to be Champion. Wherever they start, the race
within the race is surely going to come down to the wire.
The 2022 EXIT Realty New England Chase Race for the Championship
has plenty of drama for all to enjoy. It is a must see in person
event. Get tickets by visiting
www.speedbowlct.com.