NEW ENGLAND MOTORSPORTS NORTH FOR August 6th 2015
Lou Modestino
Bryan Kruczek of Newmarket, New Hampshire raced to his second AIM Recycling USA Super Late Model victory of the season in Sunday’s HP Hood PASS North 150 at Oxford Plains Speedway.
Kruczek started the race from 21st position and methodically worked his way into contention, taking the lead away from Mike Hopkins of Hermon, in what was Hopkins best run to date with the Pro All Stars Series premiere Northeastern class. Kruczek was on cruise control for the final one-quarter of the race, crossing the line almost four seconds ahead of the competition aboard his Ouellette Associates #00.
Jeremy Davis of Tamworth, New Hampshire led almost half of the race and crossed the finish line under the checkered flag in second position, continuing his breakout season in PASS Super Late Model competition.
Garrett Hall of Scarborough drove a tremendous race, claiming third position at the wire by 1/20-second after starting the race in 26th position. Hopkins, who led a healthy chunk of the race before yielding to Kruczek, ended up in fourth place. Scarborough veteran Kelly Moore rounded out the top five.
Travis Benjamin of Morrill was sixth, with reigning series champion DJ Shaw of Center Conway, NH seventh. Six-time PASS North king Johnny Clark of Farmingdale, Joey Doiron of Berwick and Dave Oliver of Standish rounded out the top ten.
Scott Mulkern of Falmouth, Davis, Mike Rowe of Turner and Moore won HP Hood Super Late Model heat races. Kruczek and Oliver won the consolation qualifiers.
Doug McClure of Buxton charged up the outside groove into the lead, then outran Buxton’s Ryan Phillips to the checkered flag in the 30-lap main event for PASS Mods. It was McClure’s second win in the class, but his first in the presence of his Maine Racing Hall of Fame father, Jim McClure. Matty Sanborn of Westbrook nailed down a tour-best third-place finish, with reigning champion Andy Shaw of Center Conway, New Hampshire fourth across the stripe. Newburgh’s Scott Alexander rounded out the top five.
Josh Childs of Oxford led wire-to-wire in a special 20-lap non-points race for the Allen’s Coffee Flavored Brandy Street Stock division. Dan Brown of Peru claimed runner-up honors, with Rick Spaulding of Lisbon earning third-place hardware. David Whittier of West Poland and Norway’s Jordan Russell were fourth and fifth under the checkered flag, respectively. Childs won the heat race.
The next PASS North AIM Recycling USA event is scheduled for Saturday, August 8 at Autodrome Montmigny in Montmigny, Quebec. The next PASS Super Late Model event in Maine is the 42nd Annual AIM Recycling USA Oxford 250, scheduled for Sunday afternoon, August 30. For more information please visit proallstarsseries.com or call (207) 539-8865.
Results from the HP Hood PASS North 150 AIM Recycling USA Pro All Stars Series North Super Late Model event; Sunday, August 2; Oxford Plains Speedway; Oxford, Maine (Finishing position, car number, driver’s name, home town).
AIM Recycling USA PASS North Super Late Model HP Hood 150 (150 laps) 1 00 Bryan Kruczek, Newmarket, NH; 2 09 Jeremy Davis, Tamworth, NH; 3 94x Garrett Hall, Scarborough; 4 15 Mike Hopkins, Hermon; 5 47 Kelly Moore, Scarborough; 6 17 Travis Benjamin, Morrill; 7 60 DJ Shaw, Center Conway, NH; 8 54 Johnny Clark, Farmingdale; 9 73 Joey Doiron, Berwick; 10 21 Dave Oliver, Standish; 11 7 Mike Rowe, Turner; 12 59 Reid Lanpher, Manchester; 13 22 Scott Farrington, Minot; 14 49 Tracy Gordon, Strong; 15 48 Bobby Timmons, Windham; 16 77 Trevor Sanborn, East Parsonsfield; 17 23 Dave Garrington, Jr., Jay; 18 7 Glen Luce, Turner; 19 27 Wayne Helliwell, Jr., Dover, NH; 20 94 Shawn Martin, Turner; 21 16 Travis Stearns, Auburn; 22 46 Dennis Spencer, Jr., Oxford; 23 4 Ben Rowe, Turner; 24 71 Raphael Lessard, St. Joseph Beauce, QC; 25 25 Shawn Knight, South Paris; 26 44 Kyle Treadwell, Buckfield; 27 14 Scott McDaniel, Livermore; 28 20 Mike Landry, Oakland; 29 2 Matt Matheson, Oromocto, NB; 30 33 Richie Dearborn, Hollis; 31 36 Scott Robbins, Dixfield; 32 55 Tony Ricci, Westbrook; 33 60 Timmy Brackett, Buckfield; 34 53 Alan Wilson, Hebron; 35 61 TJ Brackett, Buckfield; 36 84 Scott Mulkern, Falmouth.
Pass Mods (30 laps) 1 22 Doug McClure, Buxton; 2 89 Ryan Phillips, Buxton; 3 64 Matty Sanborn, Westbrook; 4 0 Andy Shaw, Center Conway, NH; 5 17a Scott Alexander, Newburgh; 6 27 Nick Lascuola, Brockton, MA; 8 21 Mike Carignan, Lebanon.
Street Stock (20 laps) 1 3 Josh Childs, Oxford; 2 83 Dan Brown, Peru; 3 36 Rick Spaulding, Lisbon; 4 58 David Whittier, West Poland; 5 4 Jordan Russell, Norway.
Thunder Road’s 56th season of racing hits the homestretch this Thursday, August 6 with Enpro Services/Safelite Auto Glass Night. With four Thursday nights remaining for the Thunder Road Late Models, Bond Auto Tiger Sportsmen, and Allen Lumber Stocks, every move on the ¼-mile oval counts as teams position themselves in the championship chase.
This Thursday has post time moved back half an hour to 7 pm, which is in effect for all remaining Thursday night events.
“We’ve had countless comments this summer from folks who live outside the greater Barre/Montpelier area asking if there’s any possibility of moving the start time back, because travel time from outside the immediate Washington/Orange County area limits their ability to get to the track and see a complete program,” Thunder Road President Ken Squier said. “Because of the manner in which promoter Tom Curley has assembled his program and the organization that he and race director Cris Michaud have put together, the effects of moving the race meet along have never been better. Hence we are making this trial run through the final four Thursday nights of the 2015 season.”
The Thunder Road Late Model “King of the Road” battle tightened up considerably last Thursday. Two-time defending Champion Derrick O’Donnell of N. Haverhill, NH remains atop the standings, but his margin over Barre’s Nick Sweet has shrunk to 19 points. Fellow Barre driver Cody Blake used a semi-feature berth to close to within 35 points of O’Donnell and make it a three-man dance for the title. Scott Dragon and John Donahue are fourth and remain mathematically alive.
The Late Models will also once again chase the “Triple Crown” presented by Maplewood Convenience Stores, which pays a cash bonus to a Late Model driver winning their heat, semi-feature, and the main event. Josh Demers’ bid last Thursday came up short with his third-place main event finish.
“We were thrilled with the reaction to the semi-feature’s return,” Squier said. “It has added new energy to Late Model championship stock car racing.”
Defending Bond Auto Tiger Sportsman Champion Jason Woodard of Waterbury Ctr. picked up his first career Tiger win last Thursday and extended his points lead over Wolcott’s Brendan Moodie to 24 points. Barre’s Christopher Pelkey remains third, followed by Dylan Payea and Mike Martin.
Hardwick’s Jaden Perry continues to pace the Allen Lumber Street Stocks, but Wolcott’s Jamie Davis cut the gap to 15 points with his win in Sunday’s 50-Lap Special. Marcel J. Gravel and Tyler Austin rank third and fourth, with Jamon Perry moving up to fifth on Sunday.
Enpro Services/Safelite Auto Glass Night at Barre’s Thunder Road is this Thursday, August 6. Post time is 7 pm, with the pit gates opening at 4 pm and the front gates at 5:30 pm.
Milton’s Richie Turner came out on top of a field of 103 cars to win the 31st M&M Beverage Enduro 200 at Thunder Road Speedbowl on Sunday, August 2.
The Airborne Park Speedway Renegade driver assumed the lead near the 2/3 mark of the event when then-top cars Terry Pearce Jr., Andrew Hill, and Jesse Switser all experienced problems and were forced to pit within a few laps of each other. Turner then steadily pulled away and finished the event two full laps ahead of the field.
Driver’s Ed instructor Paul Dudley of Waitsfield finished second with 198 laps completed. Former Thunder Road Late Model driver Joe Becker of Cambridge was another lap behind in third, followed by Louis Caldwell IV and Patrick Smith. Travis Hull, Joel Hodgdon, Brandon Lawrence, Casey O’Connell, and Andrew Botala completed the top-10.
The event was a typical rough-and-tumble affair, with five red flags stopping the event, including multiple flips. Aren Keene earned the honor as the night’s first flipper with a frontstretch slide, and Kyle Botala got airborne shortly after when he spun into Keene’s vacant automobile.
Wolcott’s Jamie Davis used an aggressive move in traffic to win the Allen Lumber Street Stock 50-Lap Special. Davis was running third to Jamon Perry and Will Hennequin when the leaders approached a pack of lapped cars battling for position in turns 3 and 4 with 10 laps remaining.
As Perry and Hennequin hesitated, Davis dove to the bottom, muscled through the pack to snatch the lead. Davis then held off Hennequin and point leader Jaden Perry on two subsequent restarts for his second win of the season.
Jaden Perry finished second with brother Jamon settling for third. Hennequin, rookie Matthew Smith, Richard Gravel, Kevin Streeter, Marcel J. Gravel, Alan Maynard, and Tyler Austin rounded out the top-10. Six cautions slowed the event.
Thunder Road resumes weekly racing action this Thursday, August 6 with Enpro Services/Safelite Auto Glass Night. The Thunder Road Late Models, Bond Auto Tiger Sportsmen, and Allen Lumber Street Stocks will all be in action. Post time is 6:30pm with the front gates opening at 5:00pm. Admission is $12 for adults, $3 for kids ages 6-12, and $25 for a family of four (2 adults, 2 kids).
For more information contact the Thunder Road offices at 802.244.6963, [email protected], or visit www.thunderroadspeedbowl.com.
M&M BEVERAGE ENDURO 200
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown, Laps Completed
Richie Turner (117), Milton, VT, 200 Laps
Paul Dudley (42), Waitsfield, VT, 198 Laps
Joe Becker (116), Cambridge, VT, 197 Laps
Louis Caldwell IV (81), E. Thetford, VT, 197 Laps
Patrick Smith (128), East Hardwick, VT, 196 Laps
Travis Hull (88), Graniteville, VT, 195 Laps
Joel Hodgdon (36), Craftsbury Common, VT, 195 Laps
Brandon Lawrence (195), Plainfield, VT, 194 Laps
Casey O’Connell (08), Burlington, VT, 194 Laps
Andrew Botala (666), Grand Isle, VT, 194 Laps
BRIAN PERRY & SON CONSTRUCTION
ALLEN LUMBER STREET STOCK 50-LAP SPECIAL
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown
Jamie Davis ( 43 ) Wolcott, VT
Jaden Perry ( 92 ) Hardwick, VT
Jamon Perry ( 62 ) Hardwick, VT
Will Hennequin ( 47 ) Morrisville, VT
#Matthew Smith ( 04 ) Essex Jct., VT
Richard Gravel ( 68 ) Wolcott, VT
Kevin Streeter ( 67 ) Waitsfield, VT
Marcel J. Gravel ( 86 ) Wolcott, VT
Alan Maynard ( 10 ) Fairfax, VT
Tyler Austin ( 5 ) E. Calais, VT
Jennifer Getty ( 25 ) Cambridge, VT
Nick Pilotte ( 99 ) Jeffersonville, VT
Kevin Dodge ( 8 ) Barre, VT
Bunker Hodgdon ( 83 ) Hardwick, VT
Kyle Gravel ( 98 ) Wolcott, VT
Scott Weston ( 40 ) Berlin, VT
Gary Mullen ( 29 ) Tunbridge, VT
Blakely Curran ( 54 ) Johnson, VT
#Chris LaForest ( 56 ) Barre, VT
Scott Maynard ( 59 ) Burlington, VT
Danny Brassard ( 32 ) E. Randolph, VT
Kyle Streeter ( 37 ) Waitsfield, VT
Jarred Ainsworth ( 41 ) Littleton, NH
#Chris Cardarelli ( 9 ) St. George, VT
Kelly Miller Jr. ( 0 ) Johnson, VT
Ken Stridsberg ( 6 ) Berlin, VT
Jacob Roy ( 11 ) Danville, VT
Brandon Gray ( 00 ) E. Thetford, VT
Thomas Merchant ( 38 ) Eden Mills, VT
Donny Yates ( 05 ) N. Montpelier, VT
The racing revved up once again and there was a rumble of thunder on the mountain last Saturday night at Monadnock Speedway for a night of double features. The STAR Antiques were also on hand to give everyone a good show. The features on June 20th were washed out by rain and last Saturday the Thunder Stocks, Super Stocks and Sportsman Mod features were made up as part of a double feature night.
Thunder Stocks led off the night with their first feature, June 20th make up, which saw defending champion and current points leader Marshall Usher take home the win followed by Paul Barnard in second. David Greenslit is looking to take a run at the points championship this season, he finished third in the first feature but we would see a lot more of the bright green #20 machine later in the evening. Chris Lawrence just missed out on the podium finish as he crossed the line 4th. Rookie Richard Vincent wheeled the #4 car around to a top 5 with a fifth place finish.
Super Stocks rolled out next for their June 20th make up feature. Unfortunately for the Super Stocks, a car from the field lost their rear end and put some slick substance on the track. The man who paid most dearly was the man who sits 2nd in the points standings now, Dave Striebel.
Striebel slid out of control coming out of turn 2 on lap 4 and violently slammed into the outside wall, ending his night prematurely.
Misfortune created opportunity for Tyler Leary in the #11x to close the gap in points on Striebel and Leary pounced on the chance, winning the first feature. Chris Curtis came across 2nd and point leader Dennis Stange took home the final spot on the podium with a third place finish. Cole Littlewood brought the #73 home 4th and Nancy Muni took the #96 to a top 5 coming in fifth.
Fans were then treated to a special early Sportsman Modified feature. It’s not every night you can come to Monadnock and see fast cars to start the program, but that’s what made last Saturday a little extra special. Point’s leader Kimball had to go hard from the drop, and he had some ground to make up as he worked through the field. The points leader had a strong car early on, but in the end had too much traffic to work through and wheeled his #43 machine to a sixth place finish. Yellow came out early as the #15 of Trevor Bleau made contact with the rear tire of Normandin. Bleau would recover after the spin to capture 7th place. At the front, Kim Rivet was out front early in the #99, but Brett Gonyaw in the #87 came and muscled his way into the lead Keith Carzello whipped the #8 car past Gonyaw for the lead to bring home the win for the 2nd time this season. Gonyaw captured second and Tyler Jarvenpaa came across in third. “I’m whooped!” was the message from Carzello after the race, and he still had one more to go later
Scott MacMichael is currently second in the points behind Bill Kimball. Last week he had a rough time as he blew an engine in practice and had to rush to go get and install his backup engine. Well, this week MacMichael’s spell of bad luck continued as he lost his backup engine in the opening feature on lap 10 this past Saturday.
After the early victory lane ceremony, the heat races commenced, lead off by two divisions of STAR antique racers, followed by Young Guns, Lightning Stocks and Mini Stocks. Young Guns had a few teams with tough nights. After having such a promising run to start his young racing career, Alex Pearl blew his engine in practice, Shelby Avery lost the handle and hit the backstretch wall head on leaving only 4 cars remaining to run Young Guns as both Hailey Guy and Chris Sontag also dropped out of the event.
In the feature for Young Guns it was Chase Curtis in the #88 out wheeling the #76 of Bow Smith for the win. Chris Buffone in the #29 passed the other Smith brother, Colton driving the #55. Things got exciting when the Lightning Stocks took the track and hit the gas in their feature. Pat Houle, a little too anxious, got into the #11 Richard Whipple causing him to get into the #4 of Eric Silvernale propping the left front tire up over the right front of Whipple’s car. With the cars interlocked the two headed towards the infield grass where the impact with the softer surface jarred the two cars loose, sending Silvernale for a roll, landing upright on all 4 tires. Both went into the pit area and with minor repairs made it back out before the green to complete the race.
After the red flag came out to clear up the debris, Kyle Boniface in the #27 went to work when they went back green. Boniface jumped out ahead and never looked back, bringing home the win. The #95 CJ Johnson and #52 Tim Leblanc battled it out for second and third with Leblanc edging Johnson for the position. Kris Kristolaitis in the #28 finished fourth and Tim Paquette finished fifth in the #93.
The Mini Stocks came out after and went green to checkers clean with no cautions. It was #13 Cameron Sontag out dueling wheel to wheel with #62 Julia Raymond for the win. Rookie Matt Gauffin in #68 passed #50 Matt Kimball for third place. Point leader Eric Pomasco rounded out the top five in the #71.
Next out was the Thunder Stocks for their second feature. The race was decided on lap 4 when David Greenslit took his #20 by then leader Paul Barnard in the #24 and never looked back. Barnard fell back to fourth where he would finish. In the meantime, Greenslit was busy trying to escape Marshall Usher’s #11 and Chris Lawrence in the #62. Usher looked to be running Greenslit down, but just as the points leader caught his closest competitor, Greenslit pulled away and brought home the win.
“I knew the track was going to come to me,” Greenslit said after the race, “We’re use to running at night.” “I don’t know how I held off Marshall,” Greenslit went on, “He was fast. We came out on top, that’s all the matters.”
The Super Stocks came out for their second feature, and put on a show for the ages, the young ages that is, as the podium was dominated by drivers younger than 18-years old. Youngest of them all, 14 year old Cole Littlewood had one of the most impressive displays of driving for a driver of his age all year at Monadnock.
On a day where so much oil and grease was laid down on the track, and on a track where there is limited space to run on the outside to begin with, Littlewood was able to not only make it stick on the outside, but make it work up there. The young driver made the pass on the outside on four cars to take the position. With leader Tyler Leary in his sights, everyone could tell Littlewood had it working, but would he have enough space to make the pass? The answer was a resounding yes, as Littlewood took the lead. With about half the race remaining, the question became, could he hold on?
Even after a late spin brought out the caution and brought the field level, Littlewood was able to get a good jump on the restart and hold on for the win. “We put the body together and we got this car hooked up,” Littlewood said, “We could run anywhere tonight.”
Tyler Leary came home with second place and #03 Joel Monahan came home third.
The final race of the evening was next, with Sportsman Mods back out on the track. Early on, #22 Tyler Jarvenpaa was out front, but he was bullied out of the lead by Brett Gonyaw in the #87. As the laps ticked away Bill Kimball’s #43 started to make his move towards the front. After last week’s win, Kimball said it was “Time for business.” Well Bill was all business as Kimball charged to the front of the pack and never looked back, taking home the win.The first place finish for Kimball vaulted him back up into the points lead to end the night. Gonyaw came across second and Keith Carzello’s #8 got around Jarvenpaa for 3 third.
The #25 Brian Robie didn’t run the second feature, as he did a noble thing and lent his car to Scott MacMichael so MacMichael wouldn’t lose too much ground on Kimball in the championship points race while MacMichael works out his engine issues.
Next week the Granite State Pro Stock Series comes to Monadnock to join with the weekly NASCR Whelan All-American series. Racing starts at 6 pm.
Top Ten Sportsman Modified First Feature: Keith Carzello, Brett Gonyaw, Tyler Jarvenpaa, Kim Rivet, Eric Leclair, Bill Kimball, Trevor Bleau, Dennis Charrette, Casey Ouellette, Chris Iganzio, Scott Nordman
Top Ten Sportsman Modified Second Feature: Bill Kimball, Brett Gonyaw, Keith Carzello, Tyler Jarvenpaa, Scott MacMichael, Ben Byrne, Trevor Bleau, Kim Rivet, Jason Barden, Dana Smith
Super Stock First Feature: Tyler Leary, Chris Curtis, Dennis Stange, Cole Littlewood, Nancy Muni, Tyler Lescord, Joel Monahan, Dave Striebel
Top Ten Super Stock Second Feature: Cole Littlewood, Tyler Leary, Joel Monahan, Dennis Stange, Tyler Lescord, Duane Noll, Ken Springer, nancy Muni, Scott Beck, Ian MacDonald
Top Ten Mini Stocks: Cameron Sontag, Julia Raymond, Matt Gauffin, Matt Kimball, Eric Pomasko, Kevin McKnight, Joel Monahan, Solomon Brow, Justin Faford, DJ lazelle
With just over a month left in the racing season, the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Supermodifieds, Late Model Sportsman, Hobby Stock, Ironman, and Pure Stock racers continued the chase for the 2015 championships at “New Hampshire‘s Center of Speed“ last weekend.
The North East Street Stock Tour also took part in Friday night’s event, with weekly Lee USA regular Geoff Rollins of Groton, MA closing out the night with a daily double, taking down the NESST win after outrunning four-time winner Jay Sands to post the Lee USA NWAAS Late Model Sportsman win earlier in the night.
Former champion and current points leader Tommy Tombarello, Jr. of Haverhill, MA continued his domination of the 2015 season in the Ekeys4cars Supermodified main event, charging up through the field after starting seventh on the grid to collect his fifth checkered flag of the year.
Opening night winner “Super Dave” Sanborn of Tilton brought the field to green, but he quickly yielded the top spot to sophomore driver Lance Barthelemy of Fremont, who is still searching for that elusive first win of the season after taking multiple checkers in his rookie campaign in 2014.
But Tombarello was having no part of that, motoring past Barthelemy to the lead on lucky lap 13, no coincidence with a full moon in full display in the sky over turn two. A couple of multi-car incidents slowed the pace of the main, but Tombarello was in charge the rest of the way, flashing under the checkers to score another impressive win.
Two-time winner Mike Ordway, Jr. of Fremont was next across the stripe to collect runner-up honors, with Barthelemy, Rochester’s Mike Spurling, Kyle Sawyer of Raymond, Sanborn, Leslie Keyser of Northfield, Jim Barker of Meredith, Artie Rousseau of Newmarket, and newcomer Jarrod Soucy completing the top ten.
There were lead changes aplenty in the R & R Public Wholesale Late Model Sportsman 30-lapper, with Waterboro, ME’s Ray Dinsmore first out to set the pace. Dinsmore was quickly knocked off the point by second generation racer George Helliwell of Pelham, who remained out front as the field reached the halfway mark. Rollins was on the move however, and he slipped past Helliwell to take over the top spot just after the crossed flags.
It was game on from there, with Hampton ace Jay Sands quickly moving in to challenge for the lead, but Rollins held tough until the checkers to post his second win of the season. Points leader Sands took runner-up honors, with Groton, MA ace Bobby Melvin scoring his first podium of the year in the third spot. Fourth went to Helliwell, followed by Brentwood’s Jimmy Russell, Nate Leavitt of Buxton, ME, Jimmy Ryder of Sandown, “Big Steve” Paquette of North Hampton, Dinsmore, and two-time 2015 winner Frankie Eldridge of Stratham.
Jay Avery of Berwick, ME broke out from the pole to lead the way when starter Bryon Callen let the David’s Race Cars and Components Hobby Stocks loose, and he remained at the head of the field for the first 11 laps before giving way to Paul Palen of Pelham, a winner the week before. Veteran Pete Evans of Berwick, ME followed Palen to the front, and the action got fast and furios from there, quite evident that there was a full moon over the night’s action. Points leader Dennis Dumas quickly joined the lead battle, and on lap 23, the tight action sent leader Palen into the turn three wall, ending his night short of feature win number three and bringing caution on the field.
On the restart, Dumas battled hard with Tewksbury, MA racer Brian DeStefano for the lead, but contact once again shuffled the order up front, as Newmarket’s Eric Hoffman slipped past the lead duo to take control. After losing a couple of features on the last lap earlier this year, Hoffman finally redeemed himself with a trip to victory lane when the checkers waved.
Avery scored his best finish of the season in the runner-up slot, with opening night winner Dave MacDonald of Tewksbury, MA third ahead of Kevin Bowman of Grafton, MA, Dumas, DeStefano, Evans, Palen, Zac Fraser of Nottingham, and rookie Trevor Randlett of Holderness.
Shane Horvath of Nottingham became the first three-time winner of the year in the Tri-City Line-X Ironman main event, taking over the lead from Epping’s Hannah Shaw on lap eight, and holding off a strong late-race challenge from former champion Jack Victoria of Northwood to post the win.
Horvath’s brother Evan collected his first podium of the season in the third spot, with defending champion Wayne Osborne of Kingston making it three Red Cup racers in the top four. Fifth went to Christin DeStefano of Tewksbury, MA.
Two-time 2015 winner Adam Knowles of Seabrook finished sixth ahead of points leader Troy Washburn of Farmington, Zac Washburn of Rochester, 2013 champ Travis Hollins of Milford, and Greg Brannan of Middleton, who rounded out the top ten.
Jamie Heath of Waterford, ME finally broke the stranglehold Pelham’s Jesse Tellier has had on Pure Stock victory lane since the start of the season, taking down the win in impressive fashion. Tellier checkered second, with Rob Carleton of Newbury, MA, Troy Smith of Bridgeton, ME, and Danielle Evans of Berwick, ME rounding out the top five.
With just over a month left in the racing season, the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Supermodifieds, Late Model Sportsman, Hobby Stock, Ironman, and Pure Stock racers continued the chase for the 2015 championships at “New Hampshire‘s Center of Speed“ last weekend.
The North East Street Stock Tour also took part in Friday night’s event, with weekly Lee USA regular Geoff Rollins of Groton, MA closing out the night with a daily double, taking down the NESST win after outrunning four-time winner Jay Sands to post the Lee USA NWAAS Late Model Sportsman win earlier in the night.
Former champion and current points leader Tommy Tombarello, Jr. of Haverhill, MA continued his domination of the 2015 season in the Ekeys4cars Supermodified main event, charging up through the field after starting seventh on the grid to collect his fifth checkered flag of the year.
Opening night winner “Super Dave” Sanborn of Tilton brought the field to green, but he quickly yielded the top spot to sophomore driver Lance Barthelemy of Fremont, who is still searching for that elusive first win of the season after taking multiple checkers in his rookie campaign in 2014.
But Tombarello was having no part of that, motoring past Barthelemy to the lead on lucky lap 13, no coincidence with a full moon in full display in the sky over turn two. A couple of multi-car incidents slowed the pace of the main, but Tombarello was in charge the rest of the way, flashing under the checkers to score another impressive win.
Two-time winner Mike Ordway, Jr. of Fremont was next across the stripe to collect runner-up honors, with Barthelemy, Rochester’s Mike Spurling, Kyle Sawyer of Raymond, Sanborn, Leslie Keyser of Northfield, Jim Barker of Meredith, Artie Rousseau of Newmarket, and newcomer Jarrod Soucy completing the top ten.
There were lead changes aplenty in the R & R Public Wholesale Late Model Sportsman 30-lapper, with Waterboro, ME’s Ray Dinsmore first out to set the pace. Dinsmore was quickly knocked off the point by second generation racer George Helliwell of Pelham, who remained out front as the field reached the halfway mark. Rollins was on the move however, and he slipped past Helliwell to take over the top spot just after the crossed flags.
It was game on from there, with Hampton ace Jay Sands quickly moving in to challenge for the lead, but Rollins held tough until the checkers to post his second win of the season. Points leader Sands took runner-up honors, with Groton, MA ace Bobby Melvin scoring his first podium of the year in the third spot. Fourth went to Helliwell, followed by Brentwood’s Jimmy Russell, Nate Leavitt of Buxton, ME, Jimmy Ryder of Sandown, “Big Steve” Paquette of North Hampton, Dinsmore, and two-time 2015 winner Frankie Eldridge of Stratham.
Jay Avery of Berwick, ME broke out from the pole to lead the way when starter Bryon Callen let the David’s Race Cars and Components Hobby Stocks loose, and he remained at the head of the field for the first 11 laps before giving way to Paul Palen of Pelham, a winner the week before. Veteran Pete Evans of Berwick, ME followed Palen to the front, and the action got fast and furios from there, quite evident that there was a full moon over the night’s action. Points leader Dennis Dumas quickly joined the lead battle, and on lap 23, the tight action sent leader Palen into the turn three wall, ending his night short of feature win number three and bringing caution on the field.
On the restart, Dumas battled hard with Tewksbury, MA racer Brian DeStefano for the lead, but contact once again shuffled the order up front, as Newmarket’s Eric Hoffman slipped past the lead duo to take control. After losing a couple of features on the last lap earlier this year, Hoffman finally redeemed himself with a trip to victory lane when the checkers waved.
Avery scored his best finish of the season in the runner-up slot, with opening night winner Dave MacDonald of Tewksbury, MA third ahead of Kevin Bowman of Grafton, MA, Dumas, DeStefano, Evans, Palen, Zac Fraser of Nottingham, and rookie Trevor Randlett of Holderness.
Shane Horvath of Nottingham became the first three-time winner of the year in the Tri-City Line-X Ironman main event, taking over the lead from Epping’s Hannah Shaw on lap eight, and holding off a strong late-race challenge from former champion Jack Victoria of Northwood to post the win.
Horvath’s brother Evan collected his first podium of the season in the third spot, with defending champion Wayne Osborne of Kingston making it three Red Cup racers in the top four. Fifth went to Christin DeStefano of Tewksbury, MA.
Two-time 2015 winner Adam Knowles of Seabrook finished sixth ahead of points leader Troy Washburn of Farmington, Zac Washburn of Rochester, 2013 champ Travis Hollins of Milford, and Greg Brannan of Middleton, who rounded out the top ten.
Jamie Heath of Waterford, ME finally broke the stranglehold Pelham’s Jesse Tellier has had on Pure Stock victory lane since the start of the season, taking down the win in impressive fashion. Tellier checkered second, with Rob Carleton of Newbury, MA, Troy Smith of Bridgeton, ME, and Danielle Evans of Berwick, ME rounding out the top five.
The biggest race of the 2015 Lee USA Speedway season is on the schedule for next Friday night, August 7th, as the ground-pounding open-wheeled action of the International Supermodified Association (ISMA) comes to town for the annual Ollie Silva Memorial Classic at “New Hampshire‘s Center of Speed”.
Defending race winner Jon McKennedy of Chelmsford, MA has to be considered among the favorites again this year, he‘s coming off a big win in the Sandusky, Ohio Hy-Miler event two weeks ago, and currently sits second in the ISMA point standings behind second-generation racer Dave Shullick II of North Ridgefield, OH, who is also among those expected to contend.
McKennedy is a former regular and multi-time winner in the Lee USA Small Block Supermodifieds, and he’s already visited ISMA victory lane here twice, in both 2014 and 2012 aboard the legendary Dunigan Racing entry. Rain postponed the 2013 edition of the race, making McKennedy king of the hill for the past three years at the fast 3/8th‘s mile speedplant.
Jon has taken over the driving duties in the famed Clyde Booth machine for the 2015 season, and the combination has been potent since the drop of the season’s first green flag. Booth is no stranger to Lee’s victory lane either, as his machine topped the 2008 running of the race with current ISMA points leader “Shoe Two” at the wheel.
Other top ISMA contenders expected to appear for the event include current third place points man Jeff Locke of nearby Raymond, who sits just six points behind McKennedy in the 2015 standings, and has a long history of success at Lee dating back to his days aboard a Small Block. Locke already has a couple of top fives to his credit in the Ollie Silva driving his Locke Crane Services-sponsored big-block.
Fourth place points man Mark Sammut makes the haul down from London, Ontario, Canada each year for the event, and his name is on the short list of winners since the race’s inception, taking home the big trophy after the 2009 running of the Ollie Silva Memorial.
Although he’s only running a part-time schedule in 2015, ISMA’s all-time feature winner Chris Perley will be another fan favorite next weekend driving the legendary Vic Miller machine, and he’s got three Ollie Silva’s (2004, 2010, and 2011) to his credit, as well as a handful of other podium finishes including four seconds and a third at the Lee USA ISMA stop.
Second-generation wheelman Eddie Witkum, Jr. of Westford, MA should be another counted among those to watch, he dominated the Lee USA Small Block Supers for a couple of years, and has been nothing short of impressive in his time on the ISMA tour. Witkum’s resume includes runner-up here to McKennedy in 2014, and a third behind Jon and NASCAR veteran Johnny Benson in 2012.
Other notables on the entry list include Dan Bowes of Byfield, MA, another former Lee USA Small Block champ whose best career ISMA finish is a runner up to Perley here in 2011. Multi-time champ Tommy Tombarello is working on an ISMA deal for the Ollie Silva, and he will be battling brother-in-law Justin Belfiore, also of Haverhill, MA, who was a podium finisher in 2011.
Auburn’s Mike Netishen, Lyndell, PA driver Alison Cumens, Ben Seitz of Bourne, MA, Jamie Timmons of North Andover, MA, Tim Ice of Seville, OH, Timmy “J” Jedrzejek of Independence, OH, Lee USA Supermodified regular “Super Dave” Sanborn of Tilton, Rob Summers of Vernon, CT, and “Liquid Lou” Cicconi of Aston, PA are just a few of the drivers expected to compete.
As always, the race will be one of the highlights of the 2015 season, with lap times for the Supermodifieds expected to range somewhere between “did you see that?” and “holy cow!”. Be sure to get your ticket for the season’s most exciting event, the ISMA Ollie Silva Memorial Classic this Friday night, August 7th.
Anthony Nocella drove the family owned ‘Nocella Paving’ # 92 to victory Saturday night, August 1, in the Valenti Modified Racing Series sanctioned race at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, ME. The race format was Twin 50
lap features.
The victory was the second series win for the 22-year old driver from Woburn, Massachusetts’s. Nocella is the eighth different driver to win at Beech Ridge. Nocella started the first 50-lap feature 4th in a 24-car lineup and raced around the front of the field showing a strong car that landed in victory lane.Nocella had a good car all night. He spoke of the first feature, scored ‘monza-style’, a point system from the two races that determines the finish.
“Got the car going pretty good in that first feature. The car was good up top (outside) we ran hard late in that one. Ran in second until half-way or so. He (Jon McKennedy) ran me nice and clean. Ran him hard for five or six laps on the outside and once I cleared him I could do my own thing. I was able to set my own pace.” McKennedy, of East Chelmsford, MA, settled for second, followed by Manchester, CT, veteran Mike Holdridge, Todd Szegedy, of Ridgefield, CT, and Woody Pitkat, Stafford Springs, CT, fifth.
The second 50-lap race was hotly contested at the front of the field from the drop of the green flag. Once in front, Richard Savary set a torrid pace until a late race caution created a restart with Pitkat now in second place from his 16th starting position. Pitkat, on the restart, made a daring cross-over move exiting the second turn to take the lead but contact with Savary thwarted that effort with both drivers forced from the front of the field and Todd Patnode, of Richmond, NH, rolling into victory lane. Patnode was followed across the line by Dennis Perry, of Pawcatuck, CT, Norm Wrenn, of Nashua, NH, Todd Annarummo,
of Swansea, MA, and Chris Pasteryak, Jewett City, CT, rounding out the top five.
The final point standings between the two races showed Nocella coming out on top of the final tabulations. Said Nocella, “we started 20th and some of the slower cars made it tough. You had to keep changing lanes. I think we had a little better car the second half but it was tough getting back up through. The twin 50’s you definitely run the car hard in both segments I think. But it makes it exciting for the fans and that’s good.”
Race Summaries:
Race #1
Margin of Victory: 1.392
Average Speed: 57.013
Best Speed: 78.440 (Mike Holdridge)
Best Lap Time: 15.283
Race # 2
Margin of Victory: 1.104
Average Speed: 40.953
Best Speed : 76.960
Best Lap By: Richard Savary
Best Lap Time: 15.577
Unofficial Order of Finish
1. Anthony Nocella
2. Todd Szegedy
3. Todd Annarummo
4. Jon McKennedy
5. Chris Pasteryak
6. Mike Holdridge
7. Norm Wrenn
8. Todd Patnode
9. Russ Hersey
10. Dennis Perry
11. Donnie Lashua
12. Brandon Dion
13. Richard Savary
14. Woody Pitkat
15. Mike Willis
16. Dan Meservey Jr
17. George Sherman
18. Colbey Fournier
19. Kevin Ianarelli
20. Jean Paul Cyr
21. Rob Richardi
22. Dave Schneider
23. Carl Medeiros
Derek Griffith becomes the only driver to win four races in one season, after the Hudson, NH driver picked up the victory at White Mountain Motorsports Park.
Dillon Moltz jumped ahead of the field on the drop of the green flag until lap 11, when Mike Parks caught the berm of the new pavement, screeching to a halt before touching the front stretch wall. Moltz would see Griffith alongside his door on the restart, but won the battle, retaining the lead. Griffith stayed within striking distance, and took the lead on lap 44.
After an incident involving Barry Gray and Nick Sweet on lap 57, Griffith would engage in battle with Moltz on the restart once more. Griffith would win the battle, and put on a blistering pace to capture the win.
When asked about this season’s success, Griffith pointed to the support from the Mechalides family, saying “It’s huge. I stress on it every time we do well. The Mechalides family, they aren’t just friends, they are family. We go over to their house, we eat dinner there, and hang out, it’s just huge.”
Louie Mechalides, who has enjoyed so much success in his storied racing career, has not only been turning the wrenches on Griffith’s FEP Insurance/Motorcycles of Manchester Toyota, but guiding the youngster as well. “Louie [Mechalides] has been tutoring me, and dialing me in, it’s huge. That’s the biggest thing I could focus on.”
Moltz was in line to finish in the runner-up spot, but suffered a blistered right-front tire with less than five laps to go, and had to pit. D.J. Shaw would inherit the spot, and finish the job. Shaw had a good car, but not enough to run down Griffith.
“[Griffith] was good. He was just in a league of his own tonight,” complimented Shaw. “He’s been really impressive how far he’s come, and how far their program has come. He’s definitely a top-tier driver. The track threw us off a little bit with the new pavement, and we just missed it.”
Jeremy Davis failed in his attempt to three-peat, but still earned a podium spot, finishing third. The Jeremy Davis Motorsports team has been firing on all cylinders this year, as well, and Davis pointed that out, saying “If it wasn’t for them, I probably wouldn’t be doing nearly as good. We have a good time, and everybody comes up with something to do.”
Barry Gray earned a hard-fought fourth, and Derek Ming recovered from an incident during qualifying, and finished fifth. Nick Sweet finished in the sixth spot in his second-straight Granite State Pro Stock Series start, with Cory Casagrande tying his best career finish in the series of seventh. Jeremy Harclerode, Josh King, and Mike Parks completed the top ten. Parks and Moltz picked up the win their respective qualifying heats.
The Granite State Pro Stock Series travels to Monadnock Speedway for the JBH Memorial 100, on August 8. The race will have an extra $5000 added to the purse, thanks to efforts from Josh King and Barry Gray, amongst others, giving the winner a solid $3000 payday. For more information on the Granite State Pro Stock Series, visit www.gspss.net.
WMMP 100
OFFICIAL FINISH
White Mountain Motorsports Park (NH)
8/1/15
Pos (Start) Driver Hometown
1. (3) Derek Griffith Hudson, NH
2. (4) D.J. Shaw Center Conway, NH
3. (5) Jeremy Davis Tamworth, NH
4. (9) Barry Gray Belchertown, MA
5. (13) Derek Ming West Burke, VT
6. (6) Nick Sweet Barre, VT
7. (11) Cory Casagrande Stafford Springs, CT
8. (7) Jeremy Harclerode Newmarket, NH
9. (8) Josh King Vernon, VT
10. (2) Mike Parks Walpole, NH
11. (10) John-Michael Shenette Thompson, CT
12. (1) Dillon Moltz Waterford, CT
13. (12) Tyler Fiscus Pembroke, NH
CONTINGENCY AWARDS
AR BODIES (Hard Luck) 5 – Dillon Moltz
BOND AUTO PARTS (Last Car on Lead Lap) 5NH – Derek Ming
BOND AUTO PARTS (Halfway Leader) 12 – Derek Griffith
DRACO SPRINGS (Most Positions Gained) 5NH – Derek Ming
FIVE STAR AUTO BODIES (5th Place) 5NH – Derek Ming
MACLELLAN METAL FINISHING (Heat 1 Winner) 66 – Mike Parks
MACLELLAN METAL FINISHING (Heat 2 Winner) 5 – Dillon Moltz
SEYMOUR PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS (Random) 66 – Mike Parks
RB PERFORMANCE (3rd Place) 09 – Jeremy Davis
RB PERFORMANCE (7th Place) 1 – Cory Casagrande
SHERWOOD WHEELS (Most Laps Led) 12 – Derek Griffith
SUNOCO RACE FUELS (Heat 1 Winner) 66 – Mike Parks
SUNOCO RACE FUELS (Heat 2 Winner) 5 – Dillon Moltz
VDL FUEL SYSTEMS (5th Place) 5NH – Derek Ming
POWERTRAIN TECHNOLOGY (4th Place) 29 – Barry Gray
COIL-OVER COMMANDER (Feature Winner) 12 – Derek Griffith
Devil’s Bowl Speedway played host to a some wild stock car racing action under a full moon on Friday, July 31, and saw two first-time winners on Allen Pools & Spas Night. The event kicked off the second half of the season for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series presented by Yandow Sales & Service and John Deere.
Veteran drivers Leon Gonyo of Chazy, NY and Greg Atkins of Clintonville, NY split a pair of 20-lap “shootout” feature races for the Bond Auto Parts Modified division. In the opening race Billy Lussier held the early lead and began to stretch out before a caution period with five laps complete bunched the field for a restart. Gonyo pounced to seize the lead and then drove away for his second victory of the season. Vince Quenneville Jr. finished second. Joey Roberts survived an early scrape with Codie Aubin to finish third, followed by Jimmy Ryan and Ron Proctor.
In the nightcap, Ryan took the lead after Roberts and Aubin came together again on lap 3 and held off a spirited drive by Atkins in the first half of the race. Atkins finally completed his pass for the lead at lap 12, then sped away to take the first Devil’s Bowl win of his long career. Proctor was the runner-up, followed by Quenneville, Ryan, and Lussier.
Proctor continues to lead the track championship standings, though Quenneville was able to trim his deficit from 14 points down to just nine (548-539). Atkins moved into third place, 29 points behind Proctor. Atkins’ win will also help him stay near the top of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national standings; he ranks ninth out of more than 1,000 drivers at nearly 60 short tracks across North America.
Seventeen year-old rookie Richard Lowrey III of Charlotte, VT became the seventh different winner in as many races in the Central Vermont Motorcycles Late Model division after an intense finish. Seth Bridge led the first 23 laps uncontested and looked like a first-time winner before the action heated up behind him, when point leader Josh Masterson got turned around to bring out the caution flag. Bridge held the lead for four laps after the restart but faced heavy pressure from Lowrey, Todd Stone, Steve Miller, and others. Bridge then got turned around himself and nailed the inside retaining wall to set up a green-white-checkered finish.
Lowrey and Miller produced hard, clean racing over the final two laps before Lowrey scooted ahead to take the popular victory. Miller finished second, and Masterson rebounded in impressive fashion in the final seven laps to finish third. Former champion Chris Bergeron finished fourth with Robert Bryant Jr. fifth. Masterson leads Bryant by 46 points (422-376) for the championship, with Miller another 19 back in third.
Robert Gordon of Milton, VT won an ever-changing two-segment race for the Brileya’s Chrysler-Jeep Renegade division. The defending champion finished second in each of the two 15-lap, cumulatively scored runs to earn a low total of four segment points. He battled the entire distance in tight quarters with segment winners Scott FitzGerald and Jimmy Bushey, and rookies Matt Monaghan and Shawn Franklin. FitzGerald scored five segment points (first, fourth) to take the overall runner-up position. Bushey and Monaghan each earned six points, and Bushey earned the tiebreaker by winning the second leg to take third place overall.
Chuck Bradford of Addison, VT was a popular winner in the 15-lap Portland Glass Mini Stock feature. Bradford snapped a five-race win streak by Chris LaVair and earned a $100 “bounty” bonus in the process. The action was non-stop as Bradford, LaVair, John McCarron, and Harold LaVair ran in a tight group up front. Bradford passed Chris LaVair on the outside to take the lead on lap 12, then LaVair’s car shut down on the final lap. Harold LaVair took the runner-up spot with McCarron third. Kyle Sorensen was a career-best fourth, with rookie Tanner Crary fifth.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway is back in action on Friday, August 7 at 7:30 p.m. with the fourth annual Carrara Masonry & Concrete “C.J. Richards Memorial” event. The Modified division will race 67 laps in honor of the track’s late founder, Richards, who opened the facility in 1967. Late Models, Renegades, and Mini Stocks will be on the card, along with the MFT Sauce & Rub Co. Enduro Series. Special general admission is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors, and free for kids age 12 and under. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. with racing at 7:30 p.m.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS – Allen Pools & Spas Night
Devil’s Bowl Speedway, West Haven, VT
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series presented by Yandow Sales & Service and John Deere
Friday, July 31, 2015
Bond Auto Parts Modified Feature #1 (20 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
(# – denotes rookie)
1. (7) Leon Gonyo, Chazy, NY
2. (10) Vince Quenneville Jr., Brandon, VT
3. (8) Joey Roberts, Fletcher, VT
4. (3) Jimmy Ryan, Whiting, VT
5. (9) Ron Proctor, Charlton, NY
6. (4) Greg Atkins, Clintonville, NY
7. (2) Billy Lussier, Fair Haven, VT
8. (5) # Bob Kilburn, Fair Haven, VT
9. (1) Dave Snow, Brandon, VT
10. (6) Codie Aubin, Plattsburgh, NY
Heat Winners: Greg Atkins; Leon Gonyo
Shiley Fabrication Hard Charger Award: Vince Quenneville Jr.
Shiley Fabrication Hard Luck Award: Codie Aubin
Bond Auto Parts Modified Feature #2 (20 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
(# – denotes rookie)
1. (4) Greg Atkins, Clintonville, NY
2. (8) Ron Proctor, Charlton, NY
3. (9) Vince Quenneville Jr., Brandon, VT
4. (3) Jimmy Ryan, Whiting, VT
5. (2) Billy Lussier, Fair Haven, VT
6. (1) # Bob Kilburn, Fair Haven, VT
7. (10) Leon Gonyo, Chazy, NY
8. (6) Dave Snow, Brandon, VT
9. (5) Codie Aubin, Plattsburgh, NY
10. (7) Joey Roberts, Fletcher, VT
Shiley Fabrication Hard Charger Award: Ron Proctor
Shiley Fabrication Hard Luck Award: Joey Roberts
Central Vermont Motorcycles Late Model Feature (30 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
(# – denotes rookie)
1. (1) # Richard Lowrey III, Charlotte, VT
2. (3) Steve Miller, Vergennes, VT
3. (8) Josh Masterson, Bristol, VT
4. (10) Chris Bergeron, Claremont, NH
5. (12) Robert Bryant Jr., Brooklyn, CT
6. (11) Rich Lowrey Jr., Charlotte, VT
7. (4) Chad White, Fort Ann, NY
8. (9) Bobby Therrien, Hinesburg, VT
9. (6) Mark Norris, Benson, VT
10. (7) Todd Stone, Middlebury, VT
11. (2) Seth Bridge, Mendon, VT
12. (5) Robert Hagar, Windsor, VT
Heat Winners: Todd Stone; Steve Miller
Semi-Feature Winner: Bobby Therrien
Crazy Horse Racing Winners Circle Challenge: Richard Lowrey III
Brileya’s Chrysler-Jeep Renegade Feature (15 laps x 2)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown-Segment Points
(# – denotes rookie)
1. (6) Robert Gordon, Milton, VT – 4 points
2. (2) Scott FitzGerald, West Rutland, VT – 5 points
3. (7) Jimmy Bushey, Mooers Forks, NY – 6 points
4. (3) # Matt Monaghan, Colchester, VT – 6 points
5. (1) # Shawn Franklin, Waitsfield, VT – 10 points
6. (4) Jared Blake, North Hero, VT – 12 points
7. (5) Don Franklin, Milton, VT – 13 points
Segment Winners: Scott FitzGerald; Jimmy Bushey
Bond Auto Parts Hard Charger Award: Robert Gordon
Portland Glass Mini Stock Feature (15 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
(# – denotes rookie)
1. (9) Chuck Bradford, Addison, VT
2. (3) Harold LaVair Jr., Gabriels, NY
3. (5) John McCarron, Rensselaer, NY
4. (1) Kyle Sorensen, Ballston Spa, NY
5. (7) # Tanner Crary, Saranac Lake, NY
6. (6) Dan Collins, Rensselaer, NY
7. (8) # Bradley Bertrand, Ferrisburgh, VT
8. (10) Chris LaVair, Gabriels, NY
9. (2) Andrew FitzGerald, West Rutland, VT
10. (4) Kyle Watrous, Bomoseen, VT
Heat Winners: Harold LaVair Jr.; Chuck Bradford
Bond Auto Parts Hard Charger Award: Chuck Bradford
Hometown racer Jason Allen captured his first career Thunder Road Late Model win in the WDEV/Calkins Portable Toilets Trophy Dash on Thursday, July 30.
Allen got around the outside of polesitter Matt White to take the lead on lap 28 of the 50-lap event and drove away for the victory. It was the first top-10 finish of 2015 for the sophomore driver after a tough first half of the season.
“We had to make it work,” Allen said of the winning pass. “I knew we had a decent car from the semi-feature; I just overdrove it. So I put that in the back of my mind. The car kept getting better as the run went on, and when (Josh Demers) jumped to the outside behind us and was making it work, it was the point where we had to go or not.
“This means the world,” he added. “This feels like Daytona to me. It’s for the team and the guys who’ve put it all the work. We’re old school; we work on the car at night after our full-time jobs, and that’s what makes it so special.”
Allen was running third when the race’s only caution came out on lap 11 for point leader Derrick O’Donnell’s slide off of turn 1. He got underneath Josh Demers on the restart and began to pressure White for the top spot. Demers – who was going for the Triple Crown after winning his heat and the semi-feature – slid back as far as fifth in the outside line, but began to move back up near the halfway point, prompting Allen’s winning move.
Fellow Barre driver Jason Corliss made a late charge on the outside groove to finish second, while Demers nipped White at the line for third. Brett Gervais, Trampas Demers, Cody Blake, Kyle Pembroke, Nick Sweet, and Eric Badore rounded out the top-10. O’Donnell finished 14th but unofficially maintains a 19-point edge over Sweet.
Defending Bond Auto Tiger Sportsman Champion and current point leader Jason Woodard earned his first career win in the two-segment feature. Waterbury Ctr.’s Woodard finished fourth in the first 20-lap segment, then sliced through the field for another fourth-place result in segment 2. His eight-point total then won a tiebreaker with Dylan Payea.
Rookie Stephen Donahue rounded out the podium. Segment 1 winner Mike Billado and Cameron Ouellette completed the top-five. Christopher Pelkey, Mike Martin, Segment 2 winner Brendan Moodie, Derek Barker, and Joe Steffen finished sixth through 10th.
Montpelier’s Donny Yates grabbed his second win of the season in the 25-lap Allen Lumber Street Stock feature. Yates took the lead on the restart following the race’s only caution on lap 1, then held off a fast-closing Will Hennequin for the victory.
Tyler Austin finished third, followed by Jamie Davis and Bunker Hodgdon. Chris LaForest, Marcel J. Gravel, Matthew Smith, Alan Maynard, and Jaden Perry also earned top-10 finishes.
Derrick O’Donnell and his Mascitti Bros. Racing team won the Port-A-Potty Grand Prix, with Jaden Perry winning the Golden Plunger for best-appearing entry.
One of the most popular Thunder Road events of the year is up next with the 31st M&M Beverage Enduro 200 on Sunday, August 2 along with the Perry & Son Allen Lumber Street Stock 50-Lap Special. Post time is 6:00pm with the front gates opening at 3:00pm. Admission is $15 for adults and free for kids 12 and under.
For more information contact the Thunder Road offices at 802.244.6963, [email protected], or visit www.thunderroadspeedbowl.com.
WDEV/CALKINS NIGHT
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
THUNDER ROAD LATE MODELS
Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown
Jason Allen ( 29VT ) Barre, VT
Jason Corliss ( 66VT ) Barre, VT
Josh Demers ( 10VT ) Montpelier, VT
Matt White ( 42VT ) Northfield, VT
Brett Gervais ( 11NH ) Island Pond, VT
Trampas Demers ( 85VT ) S. Burlington, VT
Cody Blake ( 99VT ) Barre, VT
Kyle Pembroke ( 27VT ) Montpelier, VT
Nick Sweet ( 88VT ) Barre, VT
Eric Badore ( 4VT ) Milton, VT
Shawn Fleury ( 1VT ) Middlesex, VT
Mike Bailey ( 00VT ) S. Barre, VT
John Donahue ( 26VT ) Graniteville, VT
Derrick O’Donnell ( 60VT ) N. Haverhill, NH
Scott Dragon ( 16VT ) Milton, VT
Boomer Morris ( 13VT ) Barre, VT
Phil Scott ( 14VT ) Middlesex, VT
#Scott Coburn ( 72VT ) Barre, VT
David Whitcomb ( 25VT ) Essex Jct., VT
Eric Chase ( 40VT ) Milton, VT
Ricky Roberts ( 3VT ) E. Barre, VT
Arthur Heino Jr. ( 07ME ) Newport, NH
Mark Norris ( 22ME ) Benson, VT
Mike Foster ( 18NY ) Barre, VT
#Darrell Morin ( 17VT ) Westford, VT
BOND AUTO TIGER SPORTSMEN
Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown, Score
Jason Woodard ( 68 ) Waterbury Ctr., VT, 8 points
Dylan Payea ( 7 ) Milton, VT, 8 points
Stephen Donahue ( 26 ) Graniteville, VT, 9 points
Mike Billado ( 8 ) Essex, VT, 9 points
Cameron Ouellette ( 90 ) Barre, VT, 10 points
Christopher Pelkey ( 64 ) S. Barre, VT, 10 points
Mike Martin ( 01 ) Craftsbury, VT, 10 points
Brendan Moodie ( 94 ) Wolcott, VT, 11 points
#Derek Barker ( 15 ) Post Mills, VT, 16 points
Joe Steffen ( 00 ) Grand Isle, VT, 19 points
Doug Crowningshield ( 14 ) Barre, VT, 22 points
Brian Delphia ( 27 ) Duxbury, VT, 24 points
Tommy Smith ( 50 ) Williamstown, VT, 26 points
ALLEN LUMBER STREET STOCKS
Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown
Donny Yates ( 05 ) N. Montpelier, VT
Will Hennequin ( 47 ) Morrisville, VT
Tyler Austin ( 5 ) E. Calais, VT
Jamie Davis ( 43 ) Wolcott, VT
Bunker Hodgdon ( 83 ) Hardwick, VT
#Chris LaForest ( 56 ) Barre, VT
Marcel J. Gravel ( 86 ) Wolcott, VT
#Matthew Smith ( 04 ) Essex Jct., VT
Alan Maynard ( 10 ) Fairfax, VT
Jaden Perry ( 92 ) Hardwick, VT
Gary Mullen ( 29 ) Tunbridge, VT
Kyle Streeter ( 37 ) Waitsfield, VT
Jamon Perry ( 62 ) Hardwick, VT
Richard Gravel ( 68 ) Wolcott, VT
Ken Stridsberg ( 6 ) Berlin, VT
Patrick Tibbetts ( 48 ) Barre, VT
Thomas Merchant ( 38 ) Eden Mills, VT
Kelly Miller Jr. ( 0 ) Johnson, VT
Kyle Gravel ( 98 ) Wolcott, VT
#Reilly Lanphear ( 21 ) Duxbury, VT
Jennifer Getty ( 25 ) Cambridge, VT
DNS Kevin Streeter ( 67 ) Waitsfield, VT