Sonnhalter Takes North East Mini Stock Clash at White Mountain

Renfrew Earns Triple Crown in Late Models

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N. Woodstock, NH — East Thetford, VT’s Matt Sonnhalter stood firm through everything the North East Mini Stock Tour (NEMST) field could hurl at him on his way to victory at North Woodstock, NH’s White Mountain Motorsports Park on Saturday, June 9. Sonnhalter took the lead on lap 8 of the 50-lap feature and held off a huge pack in the final dash for the win.

The NEMST veteran started seventh in his familiar #33VT truck and did not need long to get the lead. Passing nearly a car a lap, Sonnhalter flew past Seekonk, MA’s Mike Viens to grab the top spot with just eight laps complete.

However, that was just the beginning of Sonnhalter’s battle. After a caution on lap 12 for a tangle involving Emerson Cayer and Cody LeBlanc, things got serious for the crown. As Sonhalter fended off Robert Anderson, Viens, reigning NEMST champion Desmond Skillings, and others at the front, LeBlanc and Cayer were flying out of the back.

The thrill-fest took a brief pause when LeBlanc spun to bring out the second caution with 15 laps remaining. When the green flag came back out, Anderson, Cayer, and Matt LeBlanc got into a fierce fight for the number two position. That allowed Sonnhalter to drive away right up until Anderson and LeBlanc got together off turn four with two laps to go.

The resulting crash put Cayer alongside Sonnhalter for the final restart with Cody LeBlanc right behind. LeBlanc ducked below Cayer at the green flag, giving Sonnhalter the break he needed to grab the win.

Cody LeBlanc crossed the finish line second but was put to the rear of the finishing order following post-race technical inspection for a suspension infraction. That gave the runner-up trophy to Cayer with Nick Skillings third. Desmond Skillings, Erin Aiken, Anderson, Matt LeBlanc, Viens, Pat Houle, and Justin Faford rounded out the top-10.

Candia, NH’s Jimmy Renfrew Jr. was perfect in the Foley Oil & Propane Late Models, capping a Triple Crown night with a victory in the 50-lap feature. Renfrew started sixth and remained hot to trot after winning his heat and the semi-feature earlier in the night. The youngster grabbed the lead on lap 9 from veteran Joey Laquerre and was on cruise control until lap 27 when Jeff Marshall and Mike Jurkowski slid into the turn-three tire barrier.

Raymond, NH’s Alby Ovitt swiped second from Laquerre on the restart, and after Jurkowski spun again in turn two with 18 laps to go, it was Ovitt getting the break over Renfrew on the outside. One more caution flew on lap 38, though, when Laci Potter ground to a halt with a suspension failure. Renfrew returned the favor to Ovitt on the final restart and pulled away in the closing circuits.

It was the second of three feature wins in three days for Renfrew. He also won the Street Stock feature at Lee USA Speedway on Friday and went on to dominate Sunday’s ACT Late Model Tour event at Hudson International Speedway.

Ovitt took his fourth podium finish of the season with eight-time track champion Quinny Welch in third. Mike Bailey, rookie Kasey Beattie, Matt Morrill, Christian Laflamme, Stacy Cahoon, Jurkowski, and Oren Remick completed the top-10.

Waterbury Center, VT’s Jason Woodard captured his second straight Wells River Chevrolet Flying Tiger victory and fourth of the season at White Mountain. The former J.P. Sicard Triple Crown Champion came from sixth on the starting green to win the first 25-lap segment, passing Matthew Potter at the halfway mark. After Cooper French spun to bring out the caution with four laps to go, Woodard held off Potter, his son Tanner, and Shane Sicard over the final mile.

In the second 25-lap dash, Littleton, NH’s Ryan Ware went wire-to-wire at the front to take the segment victory. Sicard dogged him for the entire caution-free segment but could not find a way past. Behind the duo, Woodard busted his way through the pack to take a third-place finish. His total score of four points gave Woodard the overall win.

Barton, VT’s Sicard was second overall with six points. Potter got the third-place trophy followed by Ware and Kaleb Rogers.

Groveton, NH’s Luke Shannon went step-for-step with Woodard by picking up his fourth Woodsville Guaranty Savings Bank Strictly Stock Mini victory of the season. Shannon, who turned 15 the day before the event, started ninth in the 25-lap feature. After two early yellows, he began his march through the pack. At the front, rookie Chris Moulton, Mike Smith, and reigning champion Brett Jackson all took turns at the point.

None of them could stop Shannon, though, as he went past Jackson to take the lead with seven laps to go. Only a lap-21 yellow for Donnie Baumgardner’s blown tire could slow Shannon down from there as he once again stood in Victory Lane.

Jefferson, NH’s Nick Pilotte passed Jackson on the last restart for second. Smith, Tim Corey, Moulton, Todd Derrington, Jillian Baumgardner, Jack Hayes, and Les Washburn finished fourth through 10th.

Rookie Jamie Ball of Barnet, VT eked out his first career victory in the Arnold’s Wayside Diner Dwarf Cars. Ball started on the pole for the 25-lap feature, and after an opening-lap jam-up involving Howie Switser and Bobby Brown, Ball began his quest for the trophy.

Reigning champion Jason Wyman, two-time 2021 winner Tommy Smithers, and Brown all kept the heat on Ball turned to high throughout the race. Smither got around Wyman for second with 11 laps to go and had several chances at Ball. But the rookie could not be headed as Ball nipped Smithers by 0.061 seconds.

Brown recovered from his early spin to take third. Jason Wyman and Kevin Wyman completed the top-five.

White Mountain Motorsports Park is back this Saturday, June 26 at 6:00pm with a five-division card. The GoMotorsportsShop.com NELCAR Legends Tour makes its second visit of the year to North Woodstock, joining the Foley Oil & Propane Late Models, Wells River Chevrolet Flying Tigers, Woodsville Guaranty Savings Bank Strictly Stock Mini’s, and Dads 4 By Tool & Supply Kids Trucks. Admission is $12 for adults, $3 for kids ages 6-12, and $25 for a family of four (2 adults, 2 kids).

For more information, contact the White Mountain Motorsports Park offices at (802) 244-6963, media@acttour.com, or visit www.whitemountainmotorsports.com. You can also follow us on Facebook at @WhiteMtnMotorsports.

WHITE MOUNTAIN MOTORSPORTS PARK — N. Woodstock, NH

SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 2021

OFFICIAL RESULTS

NORTH EAST MINI STOCK TOUR

Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown

1. Matt Sonnhalter ( 33vt ) East Thetford, VT

2. Emerson Cayer ( 88 ) Contoocook, NH

3. Nick Skillings ( 11 )

4. Desmond Skillings ( 90 ) Antrim, NH

5. Erin Aiken ( 33 )

6. Robert Anderson ( 55 ) Oxford, MA

7. Matt Leblanc ( 7lt )

8. Mike Viens ( 85 ) Seekonk, MA

9. Pat Houle ( 57 ) Vernon, VT

10. Justin Faford ( 04 ) Westminster, MA

11. Mitch Bombard ( 54 )

12. Travis Dickenson ( 60 )

13. Jesse Copp ( 37 ) Rochester, NH

14. Cale Skillings ( 95 ) Antrim, NH

15. Cody Leblanc ( 7nh ) Berlin, NH

Note: The 7nh was penalized post-race for a technical infraction.

FOLEY OIL & PROPANE LATE MODELS

Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown

1. Jimmy Renfrew Jr. ( 00nh ) Candia, NH

2. Alby Ovitt ( 35nh ) Raymond, NH

3. Quinten Welch ( 78nh ) Groveton, NH

4. Mike Bailey ( 1me ) S. Barre, VT

5. #Kasey Beattie ( 45nh ) St. Johnsbury, VT

6. Matthew Morrill ( 9nh ) Moultonborough, NH

7. Christian Laflamme ( 10me ) Whitefield, NH

8. Stacy Cahoon ( 83vt ) St. Johnsbury, VT

9. Mike Jurkowski ( 42nh ) Claremont, NH

10. Oren Remick ( 21nh ) Monroe, NH

11. Mark Patten ( 07nh ) Belmont, NH

12. #Dennis L. Dumas ( 15nh ) Raymond, NH

13. #Zachary Fraser ( 02nh ) Dorchester, NH

14. Joey Laquerre ( 15vt ) E. Montpelier, VT

15. Will Avery ( 92nh ) Campton, NH

16. David LaBrecque ( 57nh ) Thornton, NH

17. John Donahue ( 26vt ) Graniteville, VT

18. #Laci Potter ( 55nh ) West Danville, VT

19. Jeff Marshall ( 32nh ) Gilman, VT

WELLS RIVER CHERROLET FLYING TIGERS

Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown

1. Jason Woodard ( 68vt ) Waterbury Ctr., VT

2. Shane Sicard ( 4nh ) Barton, VT

3. Matthew Potter ( 23vt ) Marshfield, VT

4. Ryan Ware ( 32vt ) East Burke, VT

5. Kaleb Rogers ( 37nh ) Glover, VT

6. #Tanner Woodard ( 68nh ) Waterbury Ctr., VT

7. David Ofsuryk ( 73ct ) Holland, VT

8. Cooper French ( 4me ) Northfield, VT

9. Michael Clark ( 2vt ) Littleton, NH

WOODSVILLE GUARANTY SAVINGS BANK STRICKLY MINIS

Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown

1. #Luke Shannon ( 13 ) Groveton, NH

2. Nick Pillotte ( 52 ) Jefferson, NH

3. Brett Jackson ( 31 ) Bethlehem, NH

4. Michael M. Smith Jr. ( 22x ) West Burke, VT

5. Tim Corey ( 10x ) Whitefield, NH

6. #Chris Moulton ( 15 ) Pepperell, MA

7. Todd Derrington ( 57 ) Bethlehem, NH

8. Jillian Baumgardner ( 14 ) N. Woodstock, NH

9. Jack Hayes ( 09 ) Littleton, NH

10. Les Washburn ( 17 ) Bethlehem, NH

11. Jadin Weed ( 00 )

12. Cody Smith ( 18 ) St. Johnsbury, VT

13. Dustin Jackson ( 41 ) Bethlehem, NH

14. #James Knights ( 02 ) Littleton, NH

15. Tyler Thompson ( 51 ) Littleton, NH

16. #Riley Taylor ( 43 ) St. Johnsbury, VT

17. Scott Senecal ( 1 ) Lisbon, NH

18. #Donnie Baumgardner ( 4 ) N. Woodstock, NH

19. Dave Driscoll ( 19 ) N. Woodstock, NH

20. Gavin McGinnis ( 10 ) St. Johnsbury, VT

DNS Kelley Baker ( 9 )

ARNOLDS WAYSIDE DINER DWARF CARS

Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown

1. #Jamie Ball ( 99 ) Barnet, VT

2. Tommy Smithers ( 60 ) Gilmanton, NH

3. Bobby Brown ( 27 ) Lincoln, NH

4. Jason Wyman ( 88 ) Easton, NH

5. Kevin Wyman ( 02 ) Bath, NH

6. Dave Gyger ( 93 ) Campton, NH

7. Colby Bourgeois ( 82 ) St. Johnsbury, VT

8. Andy Hill ( 8 ) Waterford, VT

9. Jeff Ainsworth ( 41 ) Bethlehem, NH

10. Howie Switser ( 11 ) West Burke, VT

DNS Chad Dufour ( 52 ) Littletown, NH