ONLY ONE REPEAT WINNER IN NINE YEARS HAS ENJOYED ISLIP 300 SUCCESS TWICE AT RIVERHEAD RACEWAY
The annual Islip 300 at Riverhead Raceway over its nine-year history has proven to be very competitive as only one driver, Ryan Preece of Berlin, Ct. has won the lucrative race twice. As the 9th annual Islip 300 on Saturday November 15th nears, defending race winner Chase Grennan of Glen Cove not only hopes to join Preece as a multi-time winner of the 300, but the 18-year-old also seeks to become the first back-to-back winner of the $12,000 to win spectacular.
After surviving multiple late race restarts over the final 21-laps of the 2024 Islip 300, then 17-year-old Chase Grennan mastered them all to score the upset but popular win. In 2025 during the Riverhead regular season, Grennan would be dubbed "Big Time" by announcer Stephen Halpin with Chase thriving during the track's extra distance events in the Crown Jewel Series championship for the Ted Christopher Cup. Grennan would score his first of three 2025 victories in the 75th Anniversary celebration Flying Dutchman 75 in late June, then went onto win The Bubba 150 in July and the Cecil Palm Tree 66 in September. Only Dylan Slepian scoring the victory in the mid-August Baldwin, Evans & Jarzombek 77 broke Grennan's stranglehold on Crown Jewel Series races in 2025. Grennan leads 2025 NASCAR Modified champion John Beatty Jr. of Merrick by 6-points for the Ted Christopher Cup, while Slepian and Kyle Ellwood of Riverhead are tied for third, 12 back of Chase heading into the 300.
Right from the inaugural Islip 300 during the summer of 2017 the race came out of the gate with an upset winner, and the youngest driver to date to win the 300 in then 15-year-old Dillon Steuer of Bohemia. Over the nine Islip 300's contested to date, just two drivers were 30 or older at the time of their wins. Ryan Preece scored the first of his two Islip 300 wins at 27 in 2018 and was 29 when he won his second in 2020. Kyle Soper of Manorville, the 2019 victor was 23 at the time while JB Fortin won the 2021 Islip 300 at 27. The tested tough veterans took over 300 victory lane in 202 and 2023 when Anthony Nocella of Woburn, Ma won at 30-years old, with Matt Hirschman of Northampton, Pa, becoming the elder statesman of Islip 300 winners at 40 years young in 2023. Paulie Hartwig III of Galloway, NJ could rewrite Islip 300 history on November 15th as the youngest to ever win the Islip 300 if the 14-year-old can find his way to victory lane.
Complementing the Islip 300 are the Eagle Chevrolet Crate Modifieds, INEX Legend Race Cars, Street Stocks and Eddie Partridge Vintage All Stars. General admission gates open at 10:00 AM, qualifying commences at 12:30 PM with opening ceremonies to start at the conclusion of qualifying. General admission is $40 for adults, $20 for kids 6-12, 5 & under are free, Pit admission is $55 with no licensing requirements.
For a comprehensive race day itinerary please visit http://www.riverheadraceway.com, emails reach us at [email protected], the phone number is 631-842-RACE.