NHMS high on 2nd Full Throttle Fall Weekend

When NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports Inc. decided to move the second NASCAR race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to Las Vegas Motor Speedway two years ago, the question for motorsports fans in the region was, “Now what?”

New Hampshire Motor Speedway responded last year with the inaugural Full Throttle Fall Weekend, headlined by the NASCAR Whelen Modified Touring Series Musket 250 — the longest race on the series’ schedule and the richest payday in its history. The weekend also featured the NASCAR K&N Series and the NASCAR Pinty’s series, which prior to last September had competed exclusively north of the Canadian border.

Last year’s event earned great reviews from fans and competitors, setting the expectations even higher for this weekend's second annual Full Throttle Fall Weekend.

“Full Throttle Fall Weekend exceeded our expectations last year,” said David McGrath, Executive Vice President and General Manager of New Hampshire Motor Speedway. “This unforgettable weekend for short track racers and fans from all over New England is full of unprecedented access for our fans, and we’re looking forward to the drivers taking on ‘The Magic Mile’ once again for the newest fall family tradition.”

During July’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series weekend, the K&N and Modified racers get their moment. But they are the undercards of the weekend, despite the fact that the Modified race is a fan favorite. This weekend  the two series are joined by the Pinty’s series as the main attractions for the weekend.

“A weekend like this, where we’re the priority, is cool,” said K&N East Series points leader Sam Mayer. “It would be great to get a win for this GMS racing team and take a step closer to winning the championship.”

Saturday’s Apple Barrell 125 is the penultimate season in the K&N East points chase, and Mayer said a win would put him in great position to win the 2019 championship. The man who is chasing Mayer, Chase Cabre, won the July race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in dominating fashion, so Saturday’s race could go a long way for Cabre as well, if he is able to duplicate that feat.

The K&N Series features the up-and-coming young drivers aspiring to reach the NASCAR ranks, and in July many of those drivers struggled to wrap their heads around the challenging track. But Mayer said he feels ready to go for this weekend, and that he and his crew chief Mardy Lindley are both at the top of their game.

“Mardy said he feels like we have the best car we’ve had all year right now, and his confidence makes me confident,” Mayer said. “I also feel like I am driving the best I have all year, so hopefully we can go up there and get closer to wrapping up this championship.”

Hampstead, native Andy Seuss’ last trip to New Hampshire Motor Speedway was a memorable one, as he competed in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series for the first time. That same weekend, however, he competed in both modified races, with mixed results. He ran up front in the All-Star race and was competitive in the bigger race on Saturday before mechanical issues ended his day.

Those races were in his family owned No. 70 race car, which he rarely brings out to the track. On Saturday, Seuss will be back again for the Whelen Modified Tour Musket 250, and this time he will be driving in the No. 82 car owned by Danny Watts; it's a newer car that competes full time on the Whelen Modified Tour Series circuit.

“Danny’s got really good equipment and hopefully we can take my experience (at New Hampshire Motor Speedway) and add on it,” Seuss told Speedsport.com. “I don’t see why we can’t come out with a top-5 and compete for a win.”

Results are in

Saturday night at Star Speedway champions for the 2019 season were crowned. Josh Plourde picked up his first career win in the Street Stock feature, while Alby Ovitt picked up his second track championship of the season. In the Late Model feature Erick Sands picked up the win, while Josh Hedges came home in second place, securing the track championship. In the Super Modified race, Jeffrey Battle backed up his second place finish in last week’s Randy Witkum Memorial race with a win, but Battle came up short in the points battle, finishing second to teammate Dave Helliwell.

In the Mini Stock division, Andrew Harmon put an exclamation point on his season championship by winning the final race of the regular season. JT Cashman’s dominant season in the Six Shooter Division concluded with a championship, despite finishing second to Brandon Mailhot in the final race.

A look ahead

New England Dragway will host street night on Friday night to kick off the weekend with racing starting at 6 pm, while Saturday will see the Steve Reis Memorial Shootout, Outlaw 10.5, Top Bike, and Test and Tune sessions. Sunday at New England Dragway will host the Buddy Scurto Memorial King of the Hill race, along with other racing and test and tune sessions.

Star Speedway and Lee USA Speedway will be quiet this weekend, but Star will be back in action for the second annual Northeast Nationals next Saturday, September 28. Lee USA Speedway will return to action October 4-6 for Oktoberfest.

Terrill Covey is a Seacoast Media Group correspondent and longtime observer of auto racing. He can be reached at tmjcovey@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter at tcovey11.