CLAREMONT, N.H. – For the first time in his Pro Stock career, Gabe Brown was celebrating in a big way on Sunday at Claremont Motorsports Park.
The New Hampshire native collected his first Granite State Pro Stock Series victory in the biggest race of the season, the 150-lap, $10,000 to win main event sponsored by Key Chevrolet Buick GMC of Newport. Brown put the No. 61 Pro Stock into the winner’s circle for the first time following a grueling race, holding off one of the best in the business, Joey Polewarczyk Jr., over the final laps.
The win also allowed Brown to extend his championship points lead in the series with five scheduled events remaining in the 2021 schedule.
“This is crazy, I don’t even know what to say,” Brown said. “We lost power steering on lap 15, and I’m beat. I just can’t thank everyone who helps me enough — we have worked so hard for this.”
Brown took the lead from Pole on lap 24, and never looked back over the course of the 150 laps. In the final few circuits, Pole was almost close enough to make a run at the cash, but couldn’t get the job done.
“That was a lot of fun, I gave Gabe all I had,” Pole said. “I was trying to keep the pressure on him. Gabe had a great night tonight, they worked really hard, he’s really earned this. I would have liked to get $10,000, but he ran a great race. This is a big race for us Super Late Model drivers, thank you to Granite State for putting it on.”
Former series winner Luke Hinkley was third, only 1.412 seconds back at the checkered flag, while Eddie MacDonald and 2020 Granite State Nationals winner Derek Griffith finished the top-five.
“After about three or four laps it lost all of the turn,” Hinkley said. “These guys that we are out there racing against are great people. We are happy with it. I have to thank all of my guys.”
The finish:
Gabe Brown, Joey Polewarczyk Jr., Luke Hinkley, Eddie MacDonald, Derek Griffith, Josh King, Joey Kendall, Ryan Green, Evan Beaulieu, Aaron Fellows, Devin O’Connell, Casey Call, Cory Casagrande, Bryan Kruczek.