by Jay | Jul 24, 2009 | New Hampshire
Waterbury, VT – In a continuing celebration of the 50th anniversary of Thunder Road International Speedbowl, the greatest stock car driver of all time will be coming to Thunder Road Thursday, July 30, 2009. Seven-time NASCAR Champion and seven-time Daytona 500 winner, Richard Petty will sign autographs for fans, conduct a question and answer session with fans, and will be the Grand Marshall for the annual WDEV-Calkins Porta-Pottie Grand Prix!
A lot has changed since Petty last made his appearance at Thunder Road in 1990. Petty is now a car owner on the NASCAR Sprint Cup; Thunder Road has gone through major renovations; and many of the drivers at Thunder Road were not even born the first time Petty made his appearance.
“The Petty name is synonymous with the foundation of stock car racing. It is a great pleasure to have this pioneer of racing stop by to help Thunder Road celebrate its 50th anniversary. Our fans have a wonderful appreciation of the history of the sport and Richard certainly was a major contributor to that history”, said Ken Squier, President of Thunder Road.
Petty will conduct a press conference at 5:00pm, followed up by an autograph session from 5:45 until 6:30. Fans will be asked to submit questions for Petty to answer during an intermission interview with Squier. Perhaps the highlight of the evening will be dropping the green flag on the annual “Porta-Pottie Grand Prix”. This unique event is presented courtesy of the evening’s co-sponsor…Calkins Portable Toilets … whose slogan is “# 1 in the # 2 business”! Richard Petty has seen about everything there is to see in racing, but it is assumed that this will be his first experience in an official capacity as Grand Marshall of this unique intermission event. The divisional leading teams following the Times Argus Mid-Season Championships are required to bring the most colorful and unique ‘racing port-a-lets’ or something that passes inspection, in the one of a kind race for the ‘golden plunger’ award.
Gates will open at 5pm and racing starts at 6:30. Admission is only $9.50 for adults and a family pass is available for two adults and two kids (6-12) for only $20. All four divisions of racing will be presented where over 120 teams will compete at the ‘Nation’s Site of Excitement’.
by Jay | Jul 24, 2009 | ACT, New England
Barre, VT- Cris Michaud of Northfield, VT captured the first ever victory for a Ford Crate Engine in American Canadian Tour history at Thunder Road International Speedbowl on Casella Waste Management Night. Michaud drives the lone Ford engine in ACT competition since its inception this season. Countless hours of testing and tuning by Michaud and his crew have made the Ford Crate Engine competitive both at Thunder Road and on various tracks visited by the ACT Tour.
Michaud got by Doug Murphy with five laps remaining in the 50 lap main event. Murphy would hold on to second and his second straight podium finish. Reno Gervais worked his way from the seventh starting position to finish third followed by Trampas Demers and Jerry Lesage rounding out the top five. Phil Scott came all the way from 15th to finish sixth, Nick Sweet seventh, Jamie Fisher eighth, Joey Becker ninth and Dave Pembroke took tenth.
The NAPA Tiger Sportsmen Casella Waste Management Feature saw a three car breakaway for the win. Eric Badore of Milton won his second feature event of the 2009 season and his NAPA Tiger Sportsmen career. Badore held off runner-up finisher Ray Stearns and third place Shawn Fleury as they broke away from the rest of the field. Pete Ainsworth and Brian Delphia finished fourth and fifth respectively while David Finck, Ricky Roberts, Neal Foster, Mike Billado and Joey Laquerre filled the sixth through tenth positions.
Tucker Williams of Hyde Park, VT captured his third Allen Lumber Street Stock Feature win of his rookie career in the Casella Waste Management feature. Jason Allen inherited the second place after Jeff Martin had issues in the tech line due to too much left side weight. That also allowed Martin Ingram to move into third followed by Troy Gray and William Hennequin finishing in the top five. Sixth through tenth was Greg Adams, David Allen, Scott Weston, Mike Martin and Tim Campbell.
Northfield’s John Prentice took home the Power Shift Junkyard Warriors Monza style feature. The first eight laps the Warriors drove in reverse before turning around for the final 25 laps. Prentice was given the win for finishing third in both segments. Kevin Streeter came home second after losing the tie-breaker to Prentice. Apparent third place finisher Mark LaFleche was disqualified in the tech line for too much camber, handing third place to Ken Christman. Kevin Wheatley and Kevin Dodge rounded out the top five.
Next Thursday, July 30th is WDEV/Calkins Night with special guest Richard Petty. “The King” will be on hand for a Meet and Greet session for fans from 5:45 to 6:30. Petty will also be the Grand Marshall for the annual Porta-Potty Grand Prix. This year’s contestants are Jean-Paul Cyr representing the Late Model division, James Hebert for the NAPA Tiger Sportsman, Gary Mullen in the Allen Lumber Street Stocks and Donnie Yates from the Power Shift Junkyard Warriors. Also next week is the $5,000 to win M&M Beverage Enduro on Sunday, August 2nd.
Unofficial Late Model Feature Results – 1. Cris Michaud (6) Northfield, VT, 2. Doug Murphy (4) Tunbridge, VT, 3. Reno Gervais (12vt) Island Pond, VT, 4. Trampas Demers (85) South Burlington, VT, 5. Jerry Lesage (74) Winooski, VT, 6. Phil Scott (14) Montpelier, VT, 7. Nicholas Sweet (88) Barre, VT, 8. Jamie Fisher (18) Shelburne, VT, 9. Joe Becker (16) Jeffersonville, VT, 10. Dave Pembroke (44) Montpelier, VT, 11. Craig Bushey (05) Cambridge, VT, 12. Mike Bailey (00) Barre, VT, 13. Jean-Paul Cyr (11vt) Milton, VT, 14. Brooks Clark (68) Fayston, VT, 15. Eric Chase (40vt) Milton, VT, 16. Matt White (42vt) Northfield, VT, 17. John Donahue (26vt) Graniteville, VT, 18. Dylan Smith (34) Randolph, VT, 19. Grant Folsom (81) Waitsfield, VT, 20. Rich Lowrey (8vt) Charlotte, VT, 21. David Whitcomb (25) Essex Jct., VT, 22. Kyle Caron (22) Colchester, VT, 23. Steve Fisher (24) Shelburne, VT, 24. Tony Andrews (1) Northfield, VT.
Unofficial NAPA Tiger Sportsmen Feature Results – 1. Eric Badore (04) Milton, VT, 2. Ray Stearns (89) E. Corinth, VT, 3. Shawn Fleury (31) Middlesex, VT, 4. Pete Ainsworth Jr. (80) Middlesex, VT, 5. Brian Delphia (55) Waterbury, VT, 6. David Finck (37) Barre, VT, 7. Ricky Roberts (9) Washington, VT, 8. #Neal Foster (19) Waterbury, VT, 9. #Mike Billado (8) Essex, VT, 10. Joey Laquerre (15) E. Montpelier, VT, 11. Joe Steffen (00) Essex Jct., VT, 12. Jeff French (06) Northfield, VT, 13. Joey Roberts (50) Georgia, VT, 14. Mike Ziter (26) Williamstown, VT, 15. Cody Blake (99) Barre, VT, 16. Bobby Therrien (4) Hinesburg, VT, 17. Matt Potter (23) Marshfield, VT, 18. Kris Grout (49) Waterbury, VT, 19. Mark Barnier (0) Essex Jct., VT, 20. Joel Hodgdon (36) Craftsbury, VT, 21. Lance Allen (18) Barre, VT, 22. Tony Rossi (90) Barre, VT, 23. Brendan Moodie (94) Wolcott, VT, 24. James Hebert (58) Williamstown, VT, 25. Derrick O’Donnell (68) Bradford, VT, 26. Tom Therrien (48) Hinesburg, VT, 27. Richard LaFond (84) Colchester, VT, 28. John Drinkwine (98) Barre, VT.
Unofficial Allen Lumber Street Stock Feature Results – 1. #Tucker Williams (99) Hyde Park, VT, 2. Jason Allen (88) Northfield, VT, 3. Martin Ingram (7) Essex Jct., VT, 4. Troy Gray (00) Fairlee, VT, 5. William Hennequin (47) Morrisville, VT, 6. Greg Adams Jr. (38) Hardwick, VT, 7. David Allen (11) North Troy, VT, 8. Scott Weston (04) Berlin, VT, 9. Mike Martin (01) Craftbury Comn,VT, 10. Timmy Campbell (34) W. Topsham, VT.
Unofficial Power Shift Junkyard Warriors Feature Results – 1. John Prentice (87) Northfield, VT, 2. Kevin Streeter (61) Waitsfield, VT, 3. Ken Christman (4) Cabot, VT, 4. Kevin Wheatley (31) Williamstown, VT, 5. Kevin Dodge (8) Barre, VT, 6. Troy Kingsbury (7) Waitsfield, VT, 7. Alex Whitcomb (78) Montpelier, VT, 8. Lance Donald (52) Williamstown, VT, 9. Donny Yates (05) N. Montpelier, VT, 10. Keith Fortier (35) Hinesburg, VT.
by Jay | Jul 24, 2009 | New England
WATERFORD, Vermont (July 23, 2009) – Despite a fierce effort by a few neighbors to prevent it from happening, the 50-year reunion celebration at Northeastern Speedway went off as scheduled last Saturday, July 18.
The event was heralded as a huge success by the promoter and race fans alike.
Speedway owner Paul Bellefeuille had worked for 15 months to ensure the event took place, cutting down trees, smoothing the soil, planting acres of grass and meeting with town officials. And although weather forecasts called for heavy rains lasting well into Saturday morning, they moved out earlier than predicted – giving all those in attendance a bright, sunny day to enjoy the variety of cars and large number of former drivers gathered.
“This turned out better than I had ever dreamed,” Bellefeuille said. “I did the best I could to prepare and hoped for the best. What I got was larger than life; the drivers all came, we drew cars from all over New England and everyone had a great time. We wanted to recognize and draw attention to those who made this such a famous track from 1959 to 1966.”
Former drivers and officials on hand for the celebration included 1959 track champion Johnny Gammell; 1960 champion Glenn Andrews; 1964 title holder Denny Dearborn; Charlie Ely, the man who built Northeastern back in ’59; Skip Easter; Pete Racine, Russ Ingerson, Junior Coffin, Ken Robinson, Buddy Bardwell, Paul Belknap, Ronnie ‘Satch’ Hunt, Glen Gadapee, former race director Reg Garand, Alden Aiken, editor of the original Racing News; Charlotte and Alvin Fadden, wife and son of legendary driver Stanley ‘Stub’ Fadden; Pete Blackadar, widow of original flagman Archie Blackadar; and Ricky Marvin, son of former track champion Ronnie Marvin. This group represented the very finest of early short track drivers and race officials ever assembled in northern New England.
“Our driver recognition ceremony brought tears to the faces of many, including my own,” Bellefeuille added. “It was an emotional day I’ll never forget, and I hope we’ll be able to do this annually and help keep those great racing memories alive.”
What fans discovered as they entered the grounds was a pristine old racetrack in amazing shape after over 40 years of neglect. As those fans poured in, restored Coupes from around the northeast rolled in to help reproduce the magic this historic oval once produced.
With nice weather conditions and plenty to look at, fans roamed the speedway grounds all day enjoying stories, getting autographs and taking lots of pictures. The Bob Doyle Museum was in the pit area, staffed by Vermont auto racing historian Cho Lee, who knows more than anybody else on the planet about the old Coupes. Lloyd Hutchins was on hand with his beautiful restored cars, drawing attention throughout the day.
They came from northern New Hampshire, Central Maine and even the west coast, all to celebrate the rich history if this 1/5-mile paved oval in the Northeast Kingdom. Ely flew in from California to attend the event, as did Aiken.
For Paul and Lise Bellefeuille, it was the ultimate reward for tons of hard work. But for those old drivers, car owners and their families, it was a show of appreciation and respect they’ll never forget. And neither should any good self-respecting race fan. Without the efforts of the men recognized last Saturday at that tiny little bullring in northern Vermont, short track stock car racing would have never evolved into the true giant it is today here in the northeast. We all owe them a tremendous debt for laying the foundation for the sport we know and love today.
by Jay | Jul 24, 2009 | ACT, Beech Ridge, New England
Waterbury, VT – Eddie MacDonald from Rowley, MA has entered the American Canadian Tour (ACT) championship at the Beech Ridge Motor Speedway (BRMS) this Saturday night. The winner of the TD Bank 250 at the Oxford Plains Speedway last Sunday will take his Rollie Lachance-led team to BRMS to compete in the ACT point-counting event.
Red MacDonald, the owner of Lee USA Speedway and father of one of New England’s brightest stock car stars said, “Eddie wanted to work on his NASCAR Camping World East car this weekend to get ready for a race at Adirondack Speedway in a couple of weeks. I told him it was just a one-day race at Beech Ridge and we needed to go race this Saturday. I told him I would put the ACT Late Model back together after the tear down last Sunday night if he was willing to head up the road about an hour this Saturday.”
MacDonald headlined a stellar field of cars last Sunday at the 36th annual summer classic at Oxford Plains where he captured over $35,000.00 in prize money, and put his name in the storied history books of winners of the prestigious “Oxford 250”. “We really have fun racing with these Late Models and when we see the mix of veteran drivers like Brad Leighton, Mike Rowe, Brian Hoar, Brent Dragon along with the new stars like Joey Polewarczyk, Nick Sweet and Scott Payea, we know we are going to have to battle all day. It is a lot of fun,” said MacDonald.
Post time for the Beech Ridge ACT 150 is 6:00 pm this Saturday, July 25, 2009.
by Jay | Jul 24, 2009 | Maine, Speedway 95
Seventeen year old Shelby Kimball of Cornville used points leader Rhonda Lyford as an extra set of wheels as she rubbed her way past on lap 12 and went on to win the Ladies Division Series race at Speedway 95 on Wacky Wednesday night. Lyford chased Kimball to the line, challenging strongly through lapped traffic on the last two laps, but was unable to pass and settled for a runner up finish. Last week’s winner Nicole Smith of Clifton was third, followed by Carmel’s Becky Elston and Hampden’s Danielle Deluck, who recovered from an early race spin to finish fifth. Each of the top three took a turn leading during the course of the event. Danielle DeLuck won the qualifier and started the pole, but a skirmish with Rhonda Lyford on the front stretch on lap 9 sent her for a spin, from which she recovered to post her fifth place finish.
In the pick up trucks, it took Jim Carr of Clifton 19 laps to work his way to the lead, but he was there at the end of the caution free event on lap 20 to post his sixth straight win of the season. Peter Drake of Clifton held the lead for the other 19 laps, but Carr watched traffic and used Andrew Crosby for a pick to make the winning pass in turn four on the 19th lap. Drake finished second, followed by Bucksport’s Dana Harlow. Andrew Crosby of Hermon and Matt Morin of Orrington battled for fourth and fifth for the last half of the race and finished in that order.
In Little Enduro action, the red flag was the equalizer as it came out 6 times in 20 laps, to keep the cars close for the entire race. Donnie Blanchard of Orrington took the lead from Adam Russell on lap 11, with Russell battling back, taking the lead on lap 12, but Blanchard wrestled it away from him for good on lap 14 and went on to post the win. Kyle Gallant started on the pole, fell back as far as sixth during the race, then recovered to finish a close second. Newburgh’s Paul Higgins ran in the top five all night, finishing in third, ahead of Andrew Crosby of Hermon and Robert Mushero of Scarborough in fourth and fifth. The first two red flags came out when Darren Durrell was hit and spun, first on lap 2 by Ken Ogden, who was black flagged for his efforts, then on lap 6 by Timothy Moon, who was allowed to continue. The third red flag appeared on lap 7, when Chris Carroll of Greenbush took a header into the turn 4 tire wall. On lap 10, the red flew again for a melee in turn four, which caused Howland’s Mike Houde to be transported to the hospital with neck and back pain. The next red was on lap 14 for Chris Burbelo’s trip off turn one, and the final red came out on lap 16, when Burbelo and Winterport’s Wayne Shibles tangled on the frontstretch, also involving Dennis Burns of Carmel. 22 cars started the 20 lap event. Kyle Gallant was the winner of the qualifier.
Ricky Palmer of Winterport led the Big Enduro feature from green to checker in a red flag free 20 lap event. Alan Cookson Jr. of Old Town brought his Monte Carlo home in second, ahead of the Oldsmobile of Roger Smith of Clifton. Hudson’s Shawn McNevin finished in fourth, with fifth spot going to Bangor’s Eddie Cobb. Carmel’s Duane Walton was the only casualty of the race, when he spun is Thunderbird in turn one on lap 6, and spent the race watching through his windshield as the red never flew to stop the action so he could be retrieved.
Ryan Modery of Hermon picked up his second win in three races in the Stars of tomorrow, a division started for 11-14 year olds to learn the basics of racing stock cars. Cornville’s Matt Kimball chased Modery around for the 10 lap distance, but was unable to make the pass for the win. Third went to Brett McCullough of Kenduskeag, with Carmel’s D.C. Alexander getting fourth place.
