Danny Cates of Chaplin held off the challenges of Tyler Barry and Josh Carey through the final corner to win the 20-lap Sunoco 604 Modified feature Sunday at the Northeast Classic at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
“That was the most fun I’ve ever had racing a race car,” Cates said. “Tyler was awesome to me. He works for me so it would be awkward if we wrecked together on Monday morning. What a fun time.”
Barry, of Griswold, was second and Carey, of East Longmeadow, Mass., third.
Cates and Barry battle for the lead for much of the event. Cates got under Barry for the lead into turn three on the final lap. Through turn four Carey was able to get under Barry and nearly found a line under Cates before the two made contact coming onto the frontstretch.
“We had a bad fast race car all weekend,” Barry said. “Just right out of the trailer she was real fast. I was real happy with her. Only we were a little loose once. The whole weekend we had a real fast car. Fun racing with all these guys out there. We had a good time, barely touched each other except for the front bumpers.”
Said Carey: “That was crazy. Didn’t get a great start of the race. I fell back some. I was patient and listened to my spotter. … Just stayed patient. The outside worked off the corner. I got some good momentum. I was trying to help my teammate Tyler Barry. That last lap I knew they were going crazy in the top-two. I knew they were going to slide up so I let them do that and I tried crossing them over. [Cates] just came down a little bit off [turn] four and I got into his left rear. I feel like if I didn’t come down I had a good shot. I set him perfect for that and thought about it all weekend. I was so close to pulling that move off.”
6 of them. Joke
Probably would have been 4 sk’s.
It’s a brand new division and this isn’t even their real track. It wasn’t meant to be a feature. At least the race was competitive. Past years the Exit Trucks or mini stocks just made 15 parade laps.
N.H.S.T.R.A. has been around for some time up in that neck of the woods with rules that mandate GM crate engine only. Monadnock has separated from that group leaving Hudson, Lee, and Claremont. It does not appear that Monadnock has deviated from the crate only engine rule. Like most other asphalt racetracks in the world N.H.S.T.R.A. car counts have dwindled. Is it in spite of or because of crate only rules? There was a time that a little inclusiveness to allow for any engine shop/builder to build engines (kinda like Stafford’s SK) to compete against crates would have helped with interest and participation. I believe now that time has past and it don’t matter which route is taken in regard to crate vs. built engine. One unintended result of the cash for klunkers was that it decreased available affordable potential race cars and engine parts. Since the fire in late 2019 damaged the factory in Mexico that produced the 602 and 604 crates; availability has been sporadic (for well over a year, non existent), quality arguably diminished and pretty hefty price increases. Either way I would think that the promoters that added crate mods to the card for the Northeast Classic expected more than six. A previous post stated that the Magic Mile isn’t 604 mods track. That is true and would be true as well for the Exit Trucks or the Mini Stocks. To me the bravest racers at some of the previous Northeast Classics were in front wheel drive mini stocks turning 35 second laps.
Even if there had only been 2 cars in the crate modified race today I could not use the word joke due to respect for the 2 drivers and crews that put in the $ and sweat equity and the promoters for having the courage to try something new.
Believe they had 10 there for the heats but mechanical issues and 1 crash reduced the field. Those 6 put on the most competitive race all day.