Winchester, NH. – Defending Valenti Modified Racing Series Champion
Jon McKennedy of E. Chelmsford, MA., took the lead on lap 64 and went on to
win the 8th annual “Firecracker 100” Saturday night, July 2, at Monadnock
Speedway, Winchester, NH. The win was McKennedy’s first of the season,
his first at Monadnock, and his 12thcareer victory with the series.
McKennedy also becomes a guaranteed starter for the prestigious “Ricky’s Race
For Kids,” July 16, at Canaan Fair Speedway, Canaan, NH. That race carries a
$36,500 purse.
Pole-sitter Lou Mechalides, of Tyngsboro, MA.,took the early lead yielding the
top spot to three-time series champion Kirk Alexander, Swanzey, NH., on lap
eight. Alexander, a six-time winner of the race, set a torrid pace and appeared to
be enroute to his fifth consecutive win.
Starting seventh in a 23-car field, defending series champion McKennedy methodically worked his way to the front moving to fifth by lap five, third
on lap 40, second on lap 52, and the lead on lap 64.
“I owe a lot to the guys that work on this car. Three laps into our first practice we
blew the rear end, we had to replace the whole drive line, the guys did an awesome
job. I knew in the early stages of the race we had a good car,” told the large
holiday crowd.
McKennedy’s strategy of slowly progressing to the front worked according to plan.
“At lap 40 he (Alexander) was a few cars ahead of me and I thought he was just
riding around,” he said. “I did not use a lot of car to get to second. He looked like
he was tight in the corners, the restart helped me, my car seemed to get better, its
feels good to beat Kirk, he’s the King of this place.”
Alexander settled for second, Les Hinckley III, Windsor Locks, CT., made a late
race charge to finish third, with Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, PA., and Rob Goodenough, Swanzey, rounding out the top five.
Sixth through tenth were, Dwight Jarvis, Ascutney, VT., Mike Holdridge, Madison, CT.,
Chris Pasteryak, Lisbon, CT., Jim Boniface, Winchester, and Max Zachem, Preston, CT.
The race, slowed by three caution flags, was completed in 40 minutes.
23 race teams entered the event, 17 cars were running at the conclusion,
14 on the lead lap.
Russ Hersey, Swanzey, McKennedy, and Pasteryak won qualifying races.
Race Summary:
Race # Monadnock Speedway, Winchester, NH
Distance: 100 laps
Time of Race: 40:19:792
Margin of Victory: 1.995
Best Lap Time: 12.669 (Jim Boniface))
Best Speed: 71.040 (Boniface)
Lead Changes: 3
Lap Leaders: Mechalides; (1-7) Alexander (8 –63) McKennedy (64-100)
Cautions: Lap 17, 39,61
Order of Finish: (1) McKennedy (2) Alexander, (3) Hinckley (4) Pennink (5) Goodenough
(6) Jarvis (7) Holdridge (8) Pasteryak, (9) Boniface (10) Zachem (11) Patnode (12) Mechalides
(13) Wrenn (14) Perry (15) Dore (16) McClay (17) Hersey (18) Doucette (19) Masse (20)
Jordan (21) Norton (22) Annarummo (23) Bateman