What was intended to be a month-in-advance prelude to the biggest race of the season for the Granite State Pro Stock Series presented by Hudson International Speedway turned into something resembling a residency at one of the more distant tracks on the series schedule.
But while precious few actually would set up camp in Hermon, Me., D.J. Shaw is living in his competitors’ heads for a week.
The GSPSS’ all-time win leader added another trophy to his case last Saturday, taking the checkers in the Stan Meserve Classic at Speedway Presented by Bar Harbor Bank & Trust.
Shaw dominated the 128-lap tribute to the mentor of Speedway owner Ricky Craven, affirming his status as the odds-on favorite to repeat in this Sunday’s Bar Harbor Bank & Trust 200.
Since 2020, the Center Conway, N.H. veteran has shared his time between Super Late Model racing, primarily with the Maine-based Pro All Stars Series, and the Vermont-based American-Canadian Tour.
But with changes to his family team in the offseason, plus sponsor Bar Harbor Bank & Trust’s new relationship with the former Speedway 95, Shaw has instead focused on his straight rail program. Shaw leads the PASS North standings while running the bulk of the GSPSS schedule and the entire six-race Darling’s Pro Stock Series at Speedway.
Shaw set the fast time for the Stan Meserve Classic, lining up fourth for the feature after a redraw. But the veteran wasted little time getting out in front of the field. And as several of his challengers found trouble, Shaw stayed steady out front.
Rising star Sylas Ripley, in search of his first GSPSS win, pursued Shaw in the closing laps. But while he could get within a quarter of a second, he could not get past Shaw for the victory.
Instead, Shaw held steady out front to win his third GSPSS event of the year and his third feature at Speedway in 2026.
Reigning champion Cole Robie finished third after starting back in 18th. Garrett Hall, the first-ever GSPSS winner at Speedway, was fourth, while Casey Call overcame his own trouble to finish fifth, placing four Dale Shaw Race Cars chassis in the top five.
Ryan Deane finished sixth ahead of Ryan Messer, who made his American Pro Stock debut with a solid seventh-place run despite a mid-race spin. Joey Polewarczyk drove to eighth ahead of June GSPSS winner Austin Teras, who struggled with steering issues. Points leader Jeremy Sorel finished tenth, giving only a little ground to Polewarczyk with two races to go.
Shaw’s 15th career victory ended a home-state streak of success for Maine racers, who had dominated series events hosted in the Pine Tree State. Not since Shaw’s 2016 win at Wiscasset Speedway had a GSPSS race in Maine been won by an out-of-state driver.
Twenty-five cars started the Stan Meserve Classic, with more expected for this weekend’s Bar Harbor Bank & Trust 200, the season finale for Speedway as well as the penultimate GSPSS race of 2026. Despite its distance from the competitor base – Speedway is at least a six-hour drive for points leader Sorel – the track has welcomed some of the deepest fields of the season.
But despite the car counts and despite the number of heavy hitters in the field, Shaw stands out as a clear favorite, if only because of his experience in the long-distance races that are not generally part of the GSPSS’ repertoire.
Not that Shaw is the only one in the field with that background.
Last Saturday’s win, though, certainly adds to it.
Unofficial Results
Granite State Pro Stock Series | Stan Meserve Classic
Speedway presented by Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, Hermon, Me.
1. (60) D.J. Shaw
2. (09) Sylas Ripley
3. (29) Cole Robie
4. (94) Garrett Hall
5. (90NH) Casey Call
6. (22) Ryan Deane
7. (1) Ryan Messer
8. (97) Joey Polewarczyk
9. (39) Austin Teras
10. (7MA) Jeremy Sorel
11. (56) Evan Beaulieu
12. (5M) Dillon Moltz
13. (78) Tiger Colby
14. (24) Mike Rowe
15. (27B) Bryson Parritt
16. (14) Josh St. Clair
17. (83) Matt Bourgoine
18. (8) Angelo Belsito
19. (18) Cassius Clark
20. (32) Nick Jenkins
21. (20) Joe Pastore, Jr.
22. (84) Jamie Wright
23. (72H) Mike Hopkins
24. (27) Brenton Parritt
25. (11B) Matt Beers
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