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Robie, Riendeau Top Monadnock Features at April 20 Opener

ROBIE, RIENDEAU TOP MONADNOCK FEATURES AT APRIL 20 OPENER
By Gary Dutton

WINCHESTER, N.H. – Monadnock Speedway entered its JDV racing era with a
flourish Saturday, April 20, as six divisions of competitors battled on the newly paved high-banked oval in the first event of the season.
Mad Dog Modified ace Brian Robie and second-year up-and-comer Owen
Zilinski of the Mad Pups each duplicated his opening day win of a year ago, while veteran Super Street ace Chris Riendeau celebrated his first career victory on the storied high banks.
John Fultz topped the opening day Mini Stocks. Jimmy Zellman won a thriller in the Pure Stocks, and 2023 track king Michael Yeaton was victorious in the Six Shooters.
By virtue of his fast time lap of 12.396 seconds, Robie sat on the pole of
Saturday’s Mad Dog Modified 40-lapper. Kimmy Rivet, third here a year ago on opening day, rode alongside Robie as the 17-car field took the green. Only two quick cautions slowed the opening day event, and nothing slowed Robie, as the Sunapee, N.H. speedster dominated en route to wiring the race to win his 14 th Monadnock main event. He, along with Nate Wenzel and Tyler Leary, are all former track champions, with Wenzel earning his crown just a summer ago.
Rivet held strong in second the first ten go-rounds Saturday, before giving way to Leary, charging from row three. Wenzel, charging from deep in row five, got up for second on lap 30 but, on this sunny Saturday, had nothing left for Robie.
Dan Petrowicz and Chris Curtis set on row one as the Super Street feature went green. Super soph JD Stockwell, from row two, took charge on lap four but quickly found his mirror filled with Green Mountain ace Chris Riendeau, who blasted to the front on lap ten and then survived the all-out assault of 2023 division king Tim Wenzel to score his first-ever Monadnock victory.
Stockwell, the 15-year-old Bay State phenom, held strong in third, just holding
off charging Jake Vanada. Hillary Renaud, strong and steady all afternoon, came home fifth.
Bob Williams may have had the fastest car in Saturday’s Mini Stock field, firing
from the pole and quickly opening a huge lead, but John Fultz wasn’t buying it. Closing on Williams as lap eight went into the books, Fultz blasted to the point when Williams suddenly ducked pitside on lap ten. Erin Aiken, who’d earlier, won her heat race, closed on Fultz over the last five laps to score a strong runner-up finish, and Chris Sontag was solid in third. Last summer’s champ Louie Maher came home sixth on opening day.
Andrea St. Amour led every lap but the one that counted most in the Pure Stock 25-lapper. The Chelsea, VT star started up front and then held off row four powerhouse Jimmy Zellman the first 23 laps. Zellman, up to second on lap five, finally rubbed his way to the point and held St. Amour in his shadow to earn the opening day win. Sophomore speedster Dominick Stafford ran strong all day to pick up the third-place hardware, while five-time Monadnock champ Chris Davis struggled in both his heat and the feature..
Michael Yeaton started up front in the Six Shooter feature and quickly sped away into a different time zone. Trystin Bodwell, while badly outmatched by Yeaton on this day, was solid in second, and David Bell used a late-race pass score the third-place podium finish.
Mad Pup racer Owen Zilinski, a multi-race winner here last season, led all the
way in Saturday’s 15-lapper. Markus O’Neil, up for second on lap eight, finished at his bumper, and Hunter Duquette joined them on trophy row with his third-place outing.
Monadnock Speedway will return to action on Saturday, 4, when JDV Productions brings the 600-plus horsepower missiles of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour to the high banks to battle in the Third Annual Granite State Derby, the potent series’ first event of the season and their first outing on the new pavement at the storied quarter-mile oval.
The speedway’s Super Streets and Pure Stocks will also be in action on the
Granite State Derby card, along with the inaugural JDV Open Mini Stocks, the visiting NEMA Lite and Pro-4 Modifieds series, and the Nelcar Legends and Bandeleros. Post time for this very special event is 2:20 p.m.

MONADNOCK SPEEDWAY 2024 OPENING DAY TOP PERFORMERS
JDV OPEN APRIL 20, 2024 EVENT
MAD DOG MODIFIEDS: Brian Robie, Nate Wenzel, Tyler Leary, Colton Martin,
Kimmy Rivet, Scott Zilinsky, Brad Zahensky, Trevor Bleau, Cole Littlewood, Kevin
Pittsinger.
SUPER STREETS: Chris Riendeau, Tim Wenzel, JD Stockwell, Jake Vanada, Hillary
Renaud, Isabella Minchella, Erik Smith, Dan Petrowicz, Zach Zilinski, Andrew
Brousseau.
MINI STOCKS: John Fultz, Erin Aiken, Chris Sontag, Nick Anderson, Cameron Sontag,
Louie Maher, Kevin Clayton, Reagan Buffum, Desmond Skillings, Bob Williams.
PURE STOCKS: Jimmy Zellman, Andrea St. Amour, Dominick Stafford, Chris
Chambers, Billy Graham, Mike Douglas, Teagan Edson, Carlos Grenier, David Smith,
Zach Phillips.
SIX SHOOTERS: Michael Yeaton, Trystin Bodwell, David Bell, Garrett Barry.
MAD PUPS: Owen Zilinski, Markus O’Neil, Hunter Duquette, Carter Conroy, Sofia
Rego, Ella Grabowski.

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