The weekend didn’t start the way J.D. Stockwell would have liked, but it ended in much grander fashion.
A night after a disappointing 15th-place finish in the Pure Stocks division last Friday at Claremont (N.H.) Motorsports Park, the Turners Falls teen recovered — and then some — by winning Saturday at Monadnock Speedway and Sunday at Hudson (N.H.) Speedway.
On Saturday at the Winchester, N.H., quarter-mile, Stockwell started sixth and worked his way through the field to grab his third win of the season. Stockwell is now only eight points behind Chris Davis for the division’s points lead. Other Franklin County/North Quabbin drivers in the field were: Gill’s Zach Zilinski (5th), Northfield’s Mike Douglas (6th), Phillipston’s Ron Burgess Jr. (9th), Millers Falls’ Dominick Stafford (10th) and Greenfield’s Jimmy Zellmann (12th).
Orange’s Littlewood brothers, Cole and Justin, finished 1-2 in the Late Model Sportsmen division for the second time this season. With the win, Cole Littlewood took a two-point lead over his brother, with Ryan Currier another two markers back.
Gill’s Owen Zilinski, just two weeks past his 12th birthday, led the whole way in the Young Guns feature, which yielded a season-high nine cars. Winchendon’s Addison Brooks was third.
Deerfield’s Ben Byrne finished second in the NHSTRA Modified event, drawing him even with Hatfield’s Tyler Leary for the points lead. The victory went to Granby’s Nate Wenzel, his first of the season. Cole Littlewood did double duty, finishing seventh in the Mods after his Late Model win.
Winchendon’s Keith Johnson took the win in Street Stocks, followed closely by Belchertown’s Chris Buffone and Holyoke’s Tim Wenzel.
Gordon Farnum continued his winning ways in Mini Stocks, with Winchendon’s Kevin Clayton finishing second. Orange’s Kevin McKnight and Athol’s Tim Griffith were sixth and seventh, respectively.
Monadnock is back in business Saturday, led by a 50-lap Teddy Bear Pools Street Stock Triple Crown event, which will also carry points toward the NHSTRA Battle for the Belt standings. Also in action will be the Late Model Sportsmen, Mini Stocks, Six Shooters and Young Guns. Start time is set for 6 p.m.
Jason Remillard is a copy editor and page designer at the Recorder. He can be reached at jremillard@recorder.com and followed on Twitter @racinwithjason.