BRADFORD, VT – Dirt track stock cardrivers at Bradford, VT’s Bear Ridge Speedway are beginning to see the light atthe end of the tunnel, now that the 21-week season has passed the halfwaypoint. Several drivers from the 99ROCKWeekly Racing Series are beginning to make serious rallies toward the front oftheir divisions in hopes to play the roles of championship spoilers.
Entering Saturday’s Dennis PrestonBuilders-sponsored event, the best average finish in the headline Bond AutoParts DIRTcar Sportsman Modified division belongs to former three-time championGary Siemons of Orford, NH. With a 5.0average, Siemons is the only full-time driver to have posted a top-ten finishin all of his starts in 2012. He dug ahole for himself on opening night in May by not making the call for the event’sfeature race, and trails leaders Adam Pierson, Kevin Chaffee, and Derek Grahamas a result, but Siemons won on Jiffy Mart of Bradford Night in June, has threeadditional podium finishes, and remains the most consistent driver in theModified division.
Defending champion Pierson, ofFairlee, VT, leads after a seventh-place finish in last week’s double-pointsShirley & Mickey Bruleigh Memorial Mid-Season Championship race. Pierson won the Valley Floors Night event onMay 19 but has yet to return to victory lane in a division that has seenincredible parity this summer. He pacescrosstown Fairlee neighbor Chaffee by 38 points, 677-639. Graham, of Woodsville, NH, captured his firstcareer win last week and has 613 points for third. Siemons is fourth with 600 points, and JasonGray of East Thetford, VT is fifth at 588.
Hometown driver Jason Horniak is inthe middle of his most impressive season to date in the Wells River ChevroletSportsman Coupe division. Horniak hasfinished fifth or better in eight of the last nine races, and his win on BondAuto Parts Night on June 30 snapped a two-year dry spell. The top three Coupe racers – Harrington,Horniak, and Terry Williams – are just 19 points apart, with 570, 557, and 551points, respectively. Sophomore driverTim Hodge is fourth at 536 points, and 2010 champion Gene Pierson, Jr., isfifth at 507.
Jordan Fornwalt of Bradford, VT istrying to become the youngest champion in Bear Ridge Speedway history – the 15year-old has seven victories in ten races in the A Notch Above AutomotiveLimited Late Model division and leads veteran Mike Greene of North Haverhill,NH by 10 points, 621-611. Brian Chaffeeis third, only 15 points behind Greene.
Danny Doyle of Roxbury, VT has atrack-best nine podium finishes in ten starts in the Weglarz Property ServiceFast Four division and enjoys the largest lead of any driver, 52 points. Kevin Harran and Tim Martin, who are tied forsecond place at 579 points, trail Doyle’s total of 631. Chuck Simmons is just three points behind theHarran-Martin deadlock.
Five-time winner Eric Lang of Groton,VT is poised for a second title in the KDD NAPA Auto Parts Hornet division, butwill have to fend off top rookie Brandon Gray of East Thetford, VT along theway. Lang’s 670 points lead the class,but two-time winner Gray is only 26 markers back.
The five 99ROCK Weekly Racing Seriesdivisions will be joined on Saturday by the Granite State Mini Sprint 600cc and500cc divisions. Veteran Rich Crooker ofNashua, NH has a pair of 600cc wins, while young Jake Williams of CenterTuftonboro, NH won the last event on June 23. Josh Boissoneau of Bedford, NH has a pair of 500cc wins in 2012, andfour-time champion Lacey Hanson of Orwell, VT picked up her first win of theyear on June 23. Saturday’s DennisPreston Builders Night will also host the annual Limited Late Model “Madness”segment race.
Dennis Preston Builders Night at BearRidge Speedway starts at the famous “6:00-ish” post time on Saturday, July 14. Regular general admission is $10 for adults(age 18-61), $8 for teens (12-17) and seniors (62+), and $2 for children. Season passes are also available; Visa andMasterCard are accepted.