NORTH STONINGTON, CT – Chris “Moose” Douton is used to winning. The Waterford, CT driver has been successful behind the wheel wherever he drives, which includes New London-Waterford Speedbowl and Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park. Now, Douton is setting his sights on the North East Street Stock Tour Championship.
Douton is like most people involved in the racing industry; as a 10-year old, Douton saw race cars in his neighborhood, and asked to visit the track to watch them. At 16, Douton was behind the wheel of his first race car, and another driver was born.
While his racing career started like many others, his results have been extraordinary. With experience behind the wheel in the Pure Stock, Strictly Stock, and Late Model divisions, Douton picked up championships at New London-Waterford Speedbowl in 1997 and 1999, as well as being one of, if not the only, driver to win a 100-lap Late Model and 50-lap Strictly Stock race in the same day, doing so twice in the same season. Most recently, Douton has called Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park home, winning the Strictly Stock Championship in 2011, and started out the 2015 season with a win and third place finishes at the Icebreaker.
Now, Douton sets his sights on the North East Street Stock Tour (NESST), and brings a high-level of confidence. “I’m proud to say that I’ve won over 100 heat races, and somewhere in the neighborhood of 60 features in my career. I plan on winning the inaugural NESST Championship.”
Owner of A-1 Auto Center in Niantic, CT, Douton is proud of his family, as well. His daughters (Hollie and Caroline) are avidly involved in sports, which keep Chris and his wife (Shawn) active outside the race track. This season, Caroline will add to her father’s passion, jumping behind the wheel of a Super X Car at New London-Waterford Speedbowl.
“If she wins, I’ll be extremely emotional and proud,” says Douton. When asked how he’ll react if his daughter is involved in an incident, “We all have bad races. I’ll be there for her, bad or good.”
There is one thing that slows Douton down. Douton is a victim of celiac disease. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder where the ingestion of gluten leads to damage in the small intestine. When people with celiac disease eat gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye and barley), their body mounts an immune response that attacks the small intestine. For Douton, his diet could affect his everyday life, including his driving, so it is important to keep the disease at bay.