by Jay | Sep 21, 2009 | ACT, Canada, NASCAR, New England, New Hampshire, NHMS
Waterbury, VT – As American Canadian Tour (ACT) competitors prepare for the 47th Annual Chittenden Milk Bowl, the grand finale of the 50th Anniversary Season at Barre’s Thunder Road International Speedbowl, all of New England is buzzing about their performance this past weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) in Loudon, NH. With some of the best racing of the meet, negotiations are already underway for a return in 2010.
ACT President Tom Curly stated, “There are several details to be worked out but the reaction from the speedway and the crowd made it an unqualified success.”
The Inaugural ACT Invitational saw Eddie MacDonald of Rowley, MA come from the 19th starting position to take the win. Other big movers were Barre’s Nick Sweet from eighth to second, fourth place Canadian Patrick Laperle started 18th and Graniteville’s John Donahue from 21st to finish fifth.
NHMS President Gerry Gappens said “With only two cautions in the entire race, one for a cut tire that sent Ben Rowe into the fence and the level of competition of ACT drivers coming through the field, it was as exciting as we’d hoped. ACT drivers showed a lot of respect, but never gave an inch. It was great racing.” The other caution was for a minor spin and 32 of the 36 cars that started the 50 lap event took the checkers.
Sixteen year old Brandon Watson from Stayner, Ontario battled hard with former NHMS track champion MacDonald for a good portion of the race. Watson started racing go-carts at the age of eight and only has two years of experience in the Late Model division at Kawartha Speedway in Fraserville, Ontario. Watson won two features and finished second in the point standings at Kawartha.
This weekend the action on the famed Barre highbanks will begin on Saturday, September 26 with Booth Bros./H.P. Hood time trials and 50 lap qualifiers as well as NAPA Tiger Sportsmen, Allen Lumber Street Stocks and Power Shift Junkyard Warriors qualifying beginning at 1:00 pm. Race pageantry for the 47th Annual Chittenden Milk Bowl will begin Sunday, September 27 after the Last Chance “B” Feature at 1:00pm.
by Jay | Sep 21, 2009 | New England, Thompson
THOMPSON, CT Five of the six NASCAR Whelen All-American series division championships will be decided this Thursday at the Thompson International Speedway. The tightest points races are in the track’s Sunoco Modified and Super Late Model divisions where only four points separate the top two contenders in both divisions.
Keith Rocco leads Woody Pitkat by four in the Sunoco Modified ranks while Derek Ramstrom holds the same edge over Mike O’Sullivan. Ramstrom, the high school senior, is the only one of these contenders seeking his first Thompson championship.
Close points races also involve the Thompson Modifieds, Limited Sportsman and Mini Stocks. However, the Late Model title was decided on Thursday, September 17th, when John Materas claimed the crown by a 68 point margin over Mark Oliveira.
Three drivers are in the running for the top spot in the Thompson Modified division. Brian Sullivan, winner of five feature events this year, leads Keith McDermott by 14 points with Brian Tagg only twenty eight points behind. Anyone of the three could emerge with the title following their 20-lap main this week.
The Limited Sportsman division also has three drivers with a chance to claim the championship. Larry Barnett leads the points chase by a margin of thirty two over Jay Sundeen with Joe Arena, forty two off the pace, in third place.
Scott Michalski is in the best position of any of the title contenders. He holds a forty eight point advantage over Brad Caddick in the extremely competitive Mini Stock division. But, with fifty points awarded to the winner, it is still mathematically possible that Caddick could emerge with the crown.
Qualifying races begin at 5:15 PM and the TNTT season-ending feature races follow about one hour later. Tension runs high in these five divisions as championships come down to the last event of the regular season. Each race team is expected to bring their best effort in hopes of ending their season-long effort on a high note.
Once the regular weekly season concludes, Thompson Speedway management will turn their attention to the three-day XTRA MART World Series of Speedway Racing scheduled for the weekend of October 16th-18th. Track officials are expecting in excess of four hundred racers representing fourteen different and distinct divisions. Tickets for this racing extravaganza are now available by calling the track office at 860-923-2280. The entire World Series schedule along with race rules and driver registration forms for “outlaw” divisions are available on the Thompson web site. www.thompsonspeedway.com
by Jay | Sep 21, 2009 | Monadnock Speedway, New Hampshire
Winchester, NH: This past Friday, Monadnock Speedway hosted their Friday Night Championship race for the Modifieds and Outlaw Pros. Todd Patnode of Richmond, NH took the Modified title as Russ Hersey of W. Swanzey, NH captured the Outlaw Pro Championship on a wild night of racing. Winners of the Friday Night Special included Joey Kendall (Mini Stocks), Ed Brehio III (Super Stocks), Brandon Ovitt (Outlaw Pros) and Kirk Alexander (Modifieds). The enduro winners were Joe Ethier in the Full Size and Matt Gauffin in the 4-Cylinder.
Dennis Wallace led the Mini Stock to the green. On lap three, a caution came out for rookie Jamey King. On the restart, Wallace held on as Ron Normandin and Derek Bergquist followed closely for the top three. On lap seven, Bergquist took over the top spot as Joe Kendall worked his way into second. By lap nine, a a battle for the lead developed between Bergquist and Kendall as they ran bumper to bumper. Tim Jackson attempted to make the pass on Beth Adams for fourth but was denied. At half way, Bergquist and Kendall continued to battle as Jackson took the inside of Normandin for third. Less than ten to go, the leaders approach heavy lap traffic as Kendall took advantage of the lap traffic and moved into the lead. Five laps to go, Kendall and Bergquist pulled away from the field followed by Jackson, Adams and Danny Fields. On the final lap, Kendall was shown the white flag as Adams worked to hold off Fields for fourth. At the checkers, it was Kendall followed by Bergquist, Jackson, Adams and Field.
Super Stock field rolled onto the track with Andy Brooks Jr on the pole. On the start, Brooks quickly took the lead as Nancy Muni took away second from Dave Striebel. Lap ten, Brooks remained the leader as Ed Brehio III moved into the top five and attempts the inside of Kevin Ouellette for fourth. On lap twelve, the yellow flag waved as Ouellette attempted to pass a lap car as Scott Zilinski went to the high side causing it to be three wide. Contact was made between the lap car and Ouellette causing Ouellette to spin. On the restart, Brooks was scored as the leader for one lap as another caution came out as Austin Brehio made contact with Jeff Wright. One lap was completed and another caution came out as contact on the front stretch was made between Bill Johnston and Nick Gravel ending the night for Gravel and Zilinski. The field settled down and on lap sixteen the new leader was Ed Brehio III as Brooks settled in the second spot. Lap twenty, Rookie Brehio III began to feel the pressure from Matt Mead who worked his way into the second spot. Brooks felt the heat from Jeremy Sorel for third. Two laps to go, the leaders approach lap traffic as both Brehio III and Mead worked through it. Sorel made one last effort to the inside of Brooks for third. At the checkers, it was Brehio III followed by Mead, Brooks, Sorel and Muni.
Steve Gauthier was the early leader in the Outlaw pro feature event followed by Aric Blanchette and Barry Gray. By lap two, Mike Parks moved into the top three and worked on Gray for second. Lap five, Hersey moved into the fourth position and looked to the inside of Parks for third. Lap ten, Hersey was on the move as challenged Gauthier for the lead on the high side. In two laps, Hersey became the new leader as Parks continued to run third. On lap eighteen, a caution came out for Matt Zenisky, Kevin Bolduc and Emerson Cayer. Bolduc took the most damage and to retire from the event. On the restart, Hersey felt the new challenge from Bryan Baker for the top spot as Gauthier held third. On lap twenty-two, the leaders approach a car entering onto the track from the infield. Both Hersey and Baker tried to avoid the car causing both to go high. Hersey took a hard hit into the front stretch wall. On lap twenty five, Brandon Ovitt showed the way as the leader followed by Blanchette and Gray. Five laps to go, Gray made the pass on Blanchette as Baker followed for third. On the final lap, it was Ovitt followed by Gray, Baker, Cayer and Blanchette.
The Modifieds came roaring onto the track as Rusty Ball took the field to the green. The battle for the lead developed early side by side as Eric LeClair fought Ball for the top spot. Rob Williams, Dave Brube and Jim Boniface follwed close behind. Lap ten, the top five ran close as Berube took over second as Boniface moved into third. On lap fifteen, berube took over the top spot as Kirk Alexander ran close behind in second. On lap sixteen a caution was displayed as Williams and Ball made contact causing a multiple car pile up involving nine cars. On the restart, Berube continued to lead as Alexander looked high for the pass. On lap twenty three, the Alexander won the battle and took the lead as Berube settled into second. Todd Patnode, Bryan Shumway and Vic Johnson followed for the top five. Lap three thirty five, Alexander continued to lead as Berube held off Patnode. On lap thirtynine, fifth place runner Vic Johnson went to the pit area giving the spot to Ed Reed. Five to go, Alexander remained the leader with Berube and Patnode battling for second. At the checkers, it was Alexander fir his fifth victory this season followed by Berube, Patnode, Shumway and Ed Reed.
This Saturday, Monadnock Speedway will host the final event of the season. The Coca Cola Super Saturday will include the championship race for the Super Stocks, Mini Stocks, 4-cylinder and Full Size Enduros along with the visiting tours of Pro 4 Modifieds, Allison Legacy and All Star Race Trucks. The special event will also have spectator races, big wheel races, the great school bus race and a demolition derby. Race time is at 2pm.
For more information, call the speedway’s office at 603-239-4067 or log onto www.monadnockspeedway.com.
by Jay | Sep 21, 2009 | Maine, Unity
Unity, ME – Dale Swoboda of Hermon returned and conquered the top weekly class at Unity Raceway Friday night, charging from the rear of the starting lineup to win the Late Model main event.
Kris Watson of Hermon, Steve Rackliff of Starks, Dustin Hubbard of Unity, Kyle Gallant of Veazie, Zach Audet of New Sharon, Ryan Ripley of Waldoboro, Chelsea Young of Winterport and Kayla Allen of Bucksport all posted feature race victories on a busy racing card, while Cornville’s Shelby Kimball wrapped up the Ladies division’s Triple Crown Series title.
Behind Dale Swoboda’s back-to-front performance in the Late Model main event, a near race-long battle for runner-up honors was displayed by Winterport racers Joey Doyon and Fred ‘Pee Wee’ Brown, with Doyon prevailing as the checkered flag was unfurled. Freedom’s Dylan Turner finished in fourth position, followed by Wiscasset racer Nick Hinckley.
Super Street winner Kris Watson dominated his main event, adding to his lead in the division’s championship standings. Holden’s Steve Moulton raced to a runner-up finish, remaining one of the hottest drivers in the class, while John Kalel II of Orrington claimed third-place honors. Steve Rackliff of Starks and ‘Hurricane’ Hal Stratton of Belgrade moved into top-five finishing positions after another frontrunner, Donnie York, suffered mechanical woes late in the event.
Steve Rackliff led wire-to-wire to claim top honors in the Late Model Pro Four main event. Clinton’s Ben Clark drove from the rear of the field twice to earn runner-up honors. Jim Dennis recovered from a first-lap spin to pick up the third-place trophy. Greg Cummings of China finished fourth, followed by Jamie Foster of Benton.
Reigning Wildcat division champion Dustin Hubbard took over the lead and pulled away from the pack to earn his trip to victory lane. Winslow’s Andy Turbovsky quickly got to second position, but couldn’t catch Hubbard. Point leader Carl McAlpine of Burnham prevailed in a thrilling, racelong battle with fellow Burham racer Brent ‘Poochie’ Chase for the final podium finishing position. Another Burnham racer, Chris King, crossed the finish line in fifth position.
Kyle Gallant and Zach Audet were both feature winners in Monsta Mini division competition, with one main event held over from a wet night several weekends ago. Gallant bested Audet at the front of the make-up race in the official order of finish, after apparent winner Mike Mason of Skowhegan didn’t get through post-race technical inspection. Dylan Lancaster of Skowhegan ended up with the third-place trophy after Mason was joined at the whipping post by Augusta’s Paul Jackson. Rick Grant and Lewis Batchelder rounded out the official top five.
Audet and Gallant finished 1-2 in the regularly-scheduled Monsta Mini feature, with Mason third under the checkered flag. Reigning Monsta Mini champion and current point leader Mike Wilson of Chelsea crossed the line in fourth position, followed by Oakland’s Chris Williams.
Ryan Ripley swapped the lead with Wiscasset’s Thomas True as the two youngsters from the coast outran point leader Mike Mason of Skowhegan in the Flyin’ 4 race. Chelsea’s Mike Wilson battled with the three frontrunners for most of the race, settling for fourth position under the checkered flag. Oakland’s Chris Williams rounded out the top five..
Chelsea Young won the final race in the Ladies Triple Crown Series, while a runner-up finish in the race helped Cornville’s Shelby Kimball wrap up the three-race title. Mika Wilson of Chelsea grabbed the final trophy in the race, with the top five filled out by Alica Goodwin of Clinton and Bucksport’s Kayla Allen.
Kayla Allen wrapped up the night’s action with a win in the Enduro trophy dash. Young Matt Kimball of Cornville was second across the line, with Dan Quilla of Winterport following.
Friday night (September 25) is the final, scheduled night race of the season, with the 2009 championship standings finalized in all weekly divisions, other than the Teen Thunder class, which has already crowned Pittsfield’s Brooke Getchell as Queen of the class. A special ‘Fernald Frenzy’ racing program is scheduled for Sunday, October 4 with the annual Longjohn weekend set for October 10-11. Unity Raceway is located on Route 139 in Unity, Maine. For more information visit unityraceway.info or call (207) 453-2021.
Late Model: 1. 0 Dale Swoboda, Hermon; 2. 51 Joey Doyon, Winterport; 3. 48 Fred Brown, Winterport; 4. 9 Dylan Turner, Freedom; 5. 15X Nick Hinckley, Wiscasset; 6. 24 Deane Smart, Bradley; 7. 15 Frank Moulto, Burnham; 8. 22 AJ Picard, Palmyra; 9. 28 Rowland Robinson, Steuben; 10. 16 Chris Doucette, Casco.
Super Street: 1. 35 Kris Watson, Hermon; 2. 80 Steve Moulton, Holden; 3. 5 John Kalel II, Orrington; 4. 94 Steve Rackliff, Starks; 5. 49 Hal Stratton, Belgrade; 6. 54 Donnie York, Thorndike; 7. 11 Mike Fortier, Winslow; 8. 62 Sonny Robinson, Clinton.
Late Model Pro Four: 1. 94 Steve Rackliff, Starks; 2. 21 Ben Clark, Clinton; 3. 38 Jim Dennis, Benton; 4. 2 Greg Cummings, China; 5. 22 Jamie Foster, Benton; 6. 82 Shane Smith, Augusta; 7. 81 Bryan Lancaster, Skowhegan; 8. 6 Jonathan Smith, Sidney; 9. 26 Norm Cummings, Jr., Augusta; 10.. 22X Craig Dunn; 11. 20 Corey Walker, Augusta 12. 41 Dixon Smith, Sidney.
Wildcat: 1. 21 Dustin Hubbard, Unity; 2. 14 Andy Turbovsky, Winslow; 3. 18 Carl McAlpine, Burnham; 4. 31 Brent Chase, Burnham; 5. 29 Chris King, Burnham; 6. 8 Brad Norris, Ellsworth; 7. 22 Ed Sleeper, Vassalboro; 8. 15 Bo Ivey, Winslow; 9. 16 Mike Shaw, Troy; 10. 80 Roger Smith, Jr.
Monsta Mini (make-up): 1. 9 Kyle Gallant, Veazie; 2. 19 Zach Audet, New Sharon; 3. 1 Dylan Lacaster, Skowhegan; 4. 41 Rick Grant, LaGrange; 5. 23 Lewis Batchelder, Dixmont; 6. 92 Mike Wilson, Chelsea; 7. 00 Alica Goodwin, Clinton; 8. 82 Chris Williams, Oakland; 9. 77 Dominic Bailey, Benton; 10. 26 (name unknown); DQ 51 Mike Mason, Skowhegan; 56 Paul Jackson, Augusta.
Monsta Mini: 1. 19 Zach Audet, New Sharon; 2. 9 Kyle Gallant, Veazie; 3. 51 Mike Mason, Skowhegan; 4. 92 Mike Wilson, Chelsea; 5. 82 Chris Williams, Oakland; 6. 41 Rick Grant, LaGrange; 7. 44 Travis Dunbar, Lisbon; 8. 26 (name unknown); 9. 1 Dylan Lancaster, Skowhegan; 10. 00 Alica Goodwin, Clinton; DQ 56 Paul Jackson, Augusta.
Flyin’ 4: 1. 09 Ryan Ripley, Waldoboro; 2. 12 Thomas True, Wiscasset; 3. 51 Mike Mason, Skowhegan; 4. 82 Chris Williams, Oakland; 5. 02 Jason Trundy, Old Town; 6. 18X Chelsea Young, Winterport; 7. 19 Zach Audet, New Sharon; 8. 2 Jordan Hawes, Skowhegan; 9. 32 Tasha Dyer, Arrowsic; 10. 12 Darrin Durell, Newburgh; 11. 4 Nick Lizotte, Sidney; 12. 83 Mike Odgen 12. 09X Keith Odgen, Dedham; 12. 21 Matt Shaw, Troy; 13. 18 Russell Blenkhorn, Ellsworth; 14. 40 Chris Burbelo, Frankfort; 15. 16X Daymon Dodge, Troy; 16. 35 Ken Odgen, Seal Cove; 17. 26 (name unknown); 18. 97 Merv Green, Clinton.
Ladies: 1. 18X Chelsea Young, Winterport; 2. 08 Shelby Kimball, Cornville; 3. 11 Mika Wilson, Chelsea; 4. 00 Alica Goodwin, Clinton; 5. 91 Kayla Allen, Bucksport; 6. 97X Becky Elston, Carmel; 7. 97 Sandy Green, Clinton.
Enduro: 1. 91 Kayla Allen, Bucksport; 2. 09 Matt Kimball, Cornville; 3. 1 Dan Quilla, Winterport; 4. 57 Freddie Landry; 5. 99 Chad Michaud, Fairfield; 6. 72 William Bedard, Burnham; 7. 10X James Corson, Benton; 8. 01 Nicholas Landry, Anson.
by Jay | Sep 21, 2009 | NASCAR, NASCAR K&N Pro Series, New England, New Hampshire, NHMS
Loudon, NH (September 20, 2009): Despite a vibration in the No. 38 Bestway Disposal/Renton Coil Spring Chevrolet, Alan Tardiff was able to rally to a seventh place finish in Friday night’s Heluva Good Fall 125 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, a NASCAR Camping World Series East event, and put together a lucky seven combination that tightened up his point race heading into the series’ finale at Dover next weekend.
Tardiff’s finish marked his seventh top-10 finish of the season and moved him up to seventh in the point standings, just seven points out of sixth place.
“It’s a mirror finish of June: we had a seventh place in both races. We’re pretty happy with it,” said Tardiff.
Tardiff started nineteenth after posting a qualifying speed of 122.762 mph Thursday afternoon, and moved up to 15th at the drop of the green where he remained until pitting at lap 15. He returned to the track to take the green at lap 18 in the top-20.
Tardiff picked up a vibration early in the race, but worked through it and continued to soldier on.
“The car had a lot of grip up on top and it was really comfortable. We picked off quite a few cars pretty quick. The car picked up a major vibration – again. We had one the last time we were here and the brake pads crystallized on us. This time, I don’t know what happened, but I breathed on the brake pedal and it was just shaking the whole car around going around the corners,” he said.
A caution flew at lap 30 with Tardiff in the 14th position for the restart. In less than 10 laps, Tardiff had wheeled the No. 38 Bestway Disposal/Renton Coil Spring Chevrolet up to ninth before the caution slowed the pace once again. Pit stops allowed Tardiff to gain two spots under the yellow and the team would restart the race from the seventh position.
The Lyman, Maine native maintained the seventh place position despite developing a throttle-loose condition in the latter stages of the race. He dropped back to tenth by lap 70. When the race went green at lap 92, Tardiff had dropped all the way back to 12th. He gained two more spots before caution came out yet again.
NASCAR shortened the race to 100 laps after rain delayed the start by 40 minutes, and decided to shorten it up to 99 laps because of darkness. The final restart came at lap 97 where Tardiff rallied in a two-lap dash to the checkers to cross the line in seventh place.
“I just held on to it. It got wild at the end, but I was able to gain a few spots,” said Tardiff. “It was hard to make a run going down the straightaway with the car getting throttle loose, but we just held on to it. It was a good points day for us and good effort by everybody on this team. We’ll take it and move on to Dover.”
The Bestway Disposal/Renton Coil Spring Chevrolet and driver Alan Tardiff will return to action on Friday, September 25th for the Sunoco 150 at Dover International Speedway. The event marks the season finale for the NASCAR Camping World Series East 2009 season.
