Gray, Williams, Seals-It Team Celebrate Wins at Bear Ridge Speedway’s 45th Anniversary
Gray steals Modified win; Matczak/Seals-it team takes USAC Midget podium sweep
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Bear Ridge Speedway celebrated its 45th anniversary dirt track stock car racing season in style on Sabil & Sons Towing Night on Saturday with hard-nosed racing, exciting finishes, and a major milestone for one of the country’s most well-respected short track race teams.
Lyndon State College student Jason Gray of East Thetford, VT ran to his second Bond Auto Parts DIRTcar Sportsman Modified win of the season with a spirited charge in the second half of the special 45-lap main event. Gray’s No. 00 C.W. Gray & Sons Auctioneers, Inc.-sponsored Bicknell car ran from eighth place on a lap 22 restart to take the lead from Fairlee, VT’s Adam Pierson with five laps remaining. Pierson and fellow Fairlee resident Kevin Chaffee, the top-two point leaders, engaged in a battle for the runner-up spot, which took Chaffee took on the outside lane.
Pierson finished third, followed by Bryan King, Blackmount Equipment semi-feature winner Justin Comes, Richie Simmons, and Robert Tucker. Rookie Eddie Patterson led the first 32 laps and finished a career-best eighth, unofficially, with Josh Sunn and fellow rookie Josh Currier next in line. Veteran driver Bob Shepard of Topsham, VT walked away uninjured from a scary-looking rollover at the starter’s stand on lap 22.
Terry Williams of Wells River, VT won the special 45-lap Wells River Chevrolet Sportsman Coupe feature for his second victory of the year. Underdog racer Buster Kathan, of Ludlow, VT, looked the part of an upset winner, leading the first 29 circuits before Williams took over after a restart and cruised to the victory. Defending champion and current point leader Josh Harrington of Topsham, VT finished second for the third consecutive event, and teammate Jason Horniak of Bradford, VT rebounded from early brake trouble that dragged him to the rear of the field to finish third.
Rookie Jesse Smith was fourth with veteran Steve Ellsworth fifth. The balance of the unofficial top ten was completed by Tom Placey, Gene Pierson, Jr., Jeremy Beckley, Teddy Salomaa, and Kathan, who was spun out of fourth place with four laps remaining.
Al Burbank of Thornton, NH was scored 18th in a restored No. 02 Gremlin-bodied Troyer chassis powered by an inline six-cylinder Chevrolet engine; Burbank saw success in the car in the late 1980s at Bear Ridge Speedway and was very competitive in the car during the first 15 laps of the Coupe feature.
Long-time open-wheel car owner Skip Matczak and his Seals-It racing team had what he deemed the best night of his career – which spans more than 50 years and includes drivers Tony Stewart, Richie Evans, and Bentley Warren among others – when his three USAC Dirt Midget Association powered by Ignite Racing Fuel entries swept the podium positions after a caution-free 25-lap feature. Young “Flat Foot” Joe Krawiec of Bristol, CT posted his third win of the season, followed by double-duty racer Chaffee and 73 year-old Denny Zimmerman of Glastonbury, CT, the 1971 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year.
Matczak and his drivers credited 79 year-old chief mechanic Warren Sentivany and former Chili Bowl event winner John Heydenreich with the success; Sentivany began turning wrenches with Zimmerman in 1958. Adam Whitney of Warren, VT posted his career-best effort in fourth, with Dana Shaw of Danielson, CT fifth.
Fifteen year-old Jordan Fornwalt of Bradford, VT reached double digits in the A Notch Above Automotive Limited Late Models, winning his tenth feature race of the season in a wild 20-lap affair. Brian Chaffee of West Topsham, VT held on in close-quarters action over the final two laps to take second ahead of Mike Greene, Jeremy Hodge, and rookie Travis King.
Steve Bell of St. Johnsbury, VT won his second 20-lap Weglarz Property Service Fast Four feature of the summer in convincing fashion. Bell easily outdistanced Bradford, VT brothers Billy and Chuck Simmons for the win; Billy Simmons was a season-best second, Chuck Simmons third, point leader Danny Doyle fourth, and defending champion Kevin Harran fifth.
Groton, VT’s Eric Lang won the 20-lap KDD NAPA Auto Parts Hornet feature; the victory was Lang’s ninth of the season and the 22nd of his short three-year career. Rookie James Fadden of Plainfield, NH finished a career-best second, while another rookie, Brandon Gray of East Thetford, VT, was third for his tenth consecutive podium finish. Andy Mooney and rookie Ethan Byrd completed the top five.
Michael Phelps of Woodsville, NH won the 12-lap event for the Hornet Stinger youth division; Phelps beat Springfield, VT’s Geoff Durphey and Leah McGinley of East Barre, VT for his fourth victory in as many starts in 2012.
A special ceremony was held at intermission honoring former competitors from the early years of Bear Ridge Speedway and featuring many restored Bear Ridge race cars. Among the highlights were 1959 and 1964 Vermont State Champion Johnny Gammell of St. Johnsbury, VT, who drove his restored No. 32 Fitzgerald Ford coupe around the track carrying the checkered flag.
Bear Ridge Speedway’s 45th season of stock car racing continues on Saturday, September 1 as Dead River Company presents the WYKR Sprint Cars of New England (SCoNE) for the middle round of the annual three-track, three-night SCoNE Triple Crown Series on Labor Day weekend, along with the 99ROCK Weekly Racing Series Modified, Coupe, Late Model, Fast Four, Hornet, and Hornet Queen divisions. Special general admission is $13 for adults (age 18-61), $10 for teens (12-17) and seniors (62+), and $2 for children; Visa and MasterCard are accepted. Racing begins at the famous “6:00-ish” start time.
Bear Ridge Speedway is located on Kidder Road in Bradford, VT, just off Exit 16 on Interstate 91. For more information, call (802) 222-4052 or visit www.bearridgespeedway.com.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS – Sabil & Sons Towing Night
99ROCK Weekly Racing Series
Bear Ridge Speedway — Bradford, VT
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Pos.-Driver-Hometown
(# – denotes rookie)
Bond Auto DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Feature (45 laps)
1. Jason Gray, East Thetford, VT
2. Kevin Chaffee, Fairlee, VT
3. Adam Pierson, Fairlee, VT
4. Bryan King, Corinth, VT
5. Justin Comes, Middlebury, VT
6. Richie Simmons, Bradford, VT
7. Robert Tucker, East Topsham, VT
8. # Eddie Patterson, Websterville, VT
9. Josh Sunn, White River Junction, VT
10. # Josh Currier, Newport, NH
11. # Troy Comeau, Rumney, NH
12. Chris Donnelly, Piermont, NH
13. Gary Siemons, Orford, NH
14. Derek Graham, Woodsville, NH
15. Billy Lussier, Fair Haven, VT
16. Jeff Elliott, Benton, NH
17. Mike Dunn, North Haverhill, NH
18. Jack Cook, Moultonboro, NH
19. # Travis Barker, Thetford, VT
20. Bob Shepard, West Topsham, VT
21. Dan Eastman, Thetford Center, VT
Heat Winners: Eddie Patterson, Bryan King, Derek Graham
Blackmount Equipment Semi-Feature Winner: Justin Comes
Wells River Chevrolet Sportsman Coupe Feature (45 laps)
1. Terry Williams, Wells River, VT
2. Josh Harrington, Topsham, VT
3. Jason Horniak, Bradford, VT
4. # Jesse Smith, Topsham, VT
5. Steve Ellsworth, Corinth, VT
6. # Tom Placey, Bradford, VT
7. Gene Pierson, Jr., East Corinth, VT
8. Jeremy Beckley, Woodsville, NH
9. Teddy Salomaa, Bradford, VT
10. Buster Kathan, Ludlow, VT
11. # Jerry Catterall, Piermont, NH
12. Martin Mastic, Bradford, VT
13. # Josh Constantine, East Corinth, VT
14. # Rick Fletcher, East Corinth, VT
15. Tim Hodge, Vershire, VT
16. Jason Colbeth, Newbury, VT
17. Bert Gallison, Washington, VT
18. Al Burbank, Thornton, NH
Heat Winners: Terry Williams, Jeremy Beckley
Blackmount Equipment Semi-Feature Winner: Jesse Smith
USAC Dirt Midget Association powered by Ignite Racing Fuel Feature (25 laps)
1. Joe Krawiec, Bristol, CT
2. Kevin Chaffee, Fairlee, VT
3. Denny Zimmerman, Glastonbury, CT
4. Adam Whitney, Warren, VT
5. Dana Shaw, Danielson, CT
6. Scott Holcomb, Granby, CT
7. # Jeff Champagne, Westfield, MA
8. Ray Miller, East Granby, CT
9. Dean Christensen, Granby, CT
10. Jeff Horn, Ashland, MA
11. Scott Viets, East Granby, CT
12. Josh Sunn, White River Junction, VT
13. Tim Gallant, Wales, MA
14. Jamie Spalding, Chaplin, CT
15. # Dave Hotchkiss, East Granby, CT
16. Tyler Rivard, Woonsocket, RI
Did Not Start: Connor Leighton, Castleton, NY; Frank Mallack, Foster, RI
Heat Winners: Joe Krawiec, Kevin Chaffee
A Notch Above Automotive Limited Late Model Feature (20 laps)
1. Jordan Fornwalt, Bradford, VT
2. Brian Chaffee, West Topsham, VT
3. Mike Greene, Jr., Pike, NH
4. Jeremy Hodge, Newbury, VT
5. # Travis King, Corinth, VT
6. # Sam Comeau, Hebron, NH
7. Bob Langevin, Conway, MA
Heat Winner: Jordan Fornwalt
Weglarz Property Service Fast Four Feature (20 laps)
1. Steve Bell, St. Johnsbury, VT
2. Billy Simmons, Bradford, VT
3. Chuck Simmons, Bradford, VT
4. Danny Doyle, Roxbury, VT
5. Kevin Harran, St. Johnsbury, VT
6. Dave Durkee, White River Junction, VT
7. Tim Martin, White River Junction, VT
8. Bobby Bell, St. Johnsbury, VT
9. Steve Sheldon, St. Johnsbury, VT
10. Jim Durkee, Sharon, VT
11. Dennis Perry, East Corinth, VT
Heat Winners: Steve Bell, Chuck Simmons
KDD NAPA Auto Parts Hornet Feature (20 laps)
1. Eric Lang, Groton, VT
2. # James Fadden, Plainfield, NH
3. # Brandon Gray, East Thetford, VT
4. Andy Mooney, Danville, VT
5. # Ethan Byrd, Barre, VT
6. Charlie Lakin, Groton, VT
7. # Eric Post, Royalton, VT
8. Joe Malzac, East Middlebury, VT
9. Mike Lique, West Lebanon, NH
10. Mike Ryan, Chelsea, VT
11. # Ryan Farnham, Fairlee, VT
12. Donna Racine, St. Johnsbury, VT
13. Kelly Mayer, Johnson, VT
14. Don Reynolds, Springfield, VT
Heat Winners: James Fadden, Ethan Byrd
Hornet Stinger Feature (12 laps)
1. Michael Phelps, Woodsville, NH
2. Geoff Durphey, Springfield, VT
3. Leah McGinley, East Barre, VT