CLAREMONT, N.H. — The Granite State Pro Stock Series season opened a lot like the 2021 season closed – with an exuberant Gabe Brown in victory lane at Claremont Motorsports Park.
The reigning GSPSS champion made the most of a last-minute trip to the series’ home track, dominating Sunday’s fendered half of the Key Chevrolet Buick GMC of Newport Presents the Twin 100s to kick off the 75th year of racing at the third-mile New Hampshire oval.
Brown’s victory capped off a long and busy week for the nineteen-year-old. A crash at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last Sunday left the nineteen-year-old scrambling to rebuild a heavily-damaged race car. Brown and his team got the car together just in time to head south to Connecticut for a race Saturday. A third-place finish with a clean car not only justified Brown’s team’s hard work, but opened the door for the trip to Claremont.
Brown swept both GSPSS races at the track in 2021. His three straight wins at Claremont not only tie DJ Shaw and Ray Christian III for the most GSPSS wins there, but also match Christian’s own threepeat in 2019 and 2020.
Luke Hinkley, the local favorite, was a bridesmaid once again, finishing second at his home track for the fifth time in GSPSS competition. Fast qualifier Joey Doiron, the 2019 GSPSS champion, finished third in his first race of the season.
The finish: 1. (50) Gabe Brown, 2. (31NH) Luke Hinkley, 3. (73) Joey Doiron, 4. (00) Jimmy Renfrew, Jr., 5. (90NH) Casey Call, 6. (46) Dylan Estrella, 7. (09) Ryan Ripley, 8. (21) Josh King, 9. (2) Nick Cusack, 10. (N40) Dan McKeage, Jr., 11. (01) Sammy Gooden, Jr., 12. (77) Jeremy Sorel