“King of the Mountains” Welch Leads Honorees at 2019 WMMP Banquet
N. Woodstock, NH – Groveton’s Quinny Welch was officially bestowed the title of 2019 “King of the Mountains” at the 2019 White Mountain Motorsports Park Banquet of Champions on Saturday, November 2. Welch was just one of dozens of drivers recognized as part of the end-of-season celebration held at the Days Inn of Lincoln, NH.
Welch had one of the most dominating seasons in Foley Oil & Propane Late Model history en route to his fifth straight track championship and eighth overall. The veteran won five races and finished in the top-five of all 14 point-counting events to easily beat out veterans Stacy Cahoon, Mike Bailey, and Oren Remick. In fact, Welch never trailed in the standings all season, posting an average finish of 2.36.
“It was a good year – a strong, consistent year,” Welch said in his acceptance speech. “It all comes by having a great team. Everybody at my table helped make this possible…without a good race car and team, I’m not going to do much.”
Welch went on to thank all of his crew members, Crazy Horse Racing for their work on his cars, his family members for their support, and track co-owner Cris Michaud for his work the past season. He also acknowledged Late Model runner-up and longtime friend Stacy Cahoon as well as the entire Late Model class for their efforts.
“The whole Late Model division this year was super,” Welch noted. “The drivers were respectful. There weren’t very many times you had to replace body panels. It’s a great group of guys.”
Barton, VT’s Shane Sicard was honored as the champion of the Wells River Chevrolet Flying Tigers. Sicard won his second straight title with a performance even more impressive than Welch’s. He won eight of the 15 Flying Tiger features with a pair of four-race winning streaks. Sicard had an average finish of 2.27 with no result lower than sixth.
Bethlehem’s Dustin Jackson received the top award as champion of the Woodsville Guaranty Savings Bank Strictly Stock Mini’s. Jackson dueled with Ryan Ware and defending champion Adam Sicard atop the standings for most of the season. He trailed Ware by 18 points with two races remaining. But Jackson won both of those races – his third and fourth wins of the season – to come from behind for the championship. He then added a fifth win in a non-point season-ending special.
Waterford, VT’s Andy Hill accepted the championship trophy for the 7-Eleven Dwarf Cars. Hill won six of the nine Dwarf Car features and only finished off the podium one time. It was enough to convincingly win the title over Dave Gyger and Jason Wyman.
Waterbury Center, VT’s Jason Woodard was in attendance as the Flying Tiger Triple Crown Series Champion. Woodard, who won the season-long Flying Tiger Championship at Vermont’s Thunder Road, posted a win and two second-place finishes in the three-race series. Shane Sicard and Hinesburg, VT’s Cooper Bouchard were also recognized for finishing second and third in the standings.
The entire Dads 4 By Tool & Supply Kids Truck division was also recognized at the banquet. The youth racing class had another great season with six different winners and exciting action at every event, including multiple last-lap passes for the win.
A trio of special awards were also presented as part of the festivities. Strictly Stock Mini racer Dave Driscoll of Lincoln was given the inaugural Avery Award for his contributions to racing at WMMP. Driscoll has involved in WMMP as a driver, car owner, and crew member for more than 20 years. He’s raced in almost every division and has also been a crew member for multiple championship teams. His Strictly Stock Mini team currently fields multiple cars so family and friends can also experience the thrill of the high banks.
Lyndonville, VT’s Scott Corey received the WMMP Most Improved Driver Award. Corey had far and away the best season of his Late Model career in 2019. He posted his first career win in a make-up feature on July 13 to cap a Triple Crown with heat and semi-feature wins. Corey finish fifth in the final Late Model standings with nine top-10 finishes.
Brett Jackson, the father of Strictly Stock Mini Champion Dustin, was honored with the WMMP Sportsmanship Award. Jackson and his team displayed great character both on and off the track. He raced hard but clean and treated other competitors respectfully while also helping them out in the pit area. He also never let his son’s championship battle affect how he drove against him or others.
The Banquet of Champions puts an official wrap on the 2019 White Mountain Motorsports Park season. The track office is working on the 2020 WMMP schedule of events and division rules with hopes to release both by early December.
