by Jay | Aug 12, 2012 | Bear Ridge, Dirt Track, New England, Vermont
Simmons with First DIRTcar Win in Bear Ridge Nailbiter; Horniak in John Poor Memorial
Holcomb with 2nd USAC win; Ellsworth, Bell turn bad seasons around with victories
Hometown dirt track stock car driver Richie Simmons waited through a two-hour rain delay to etch his name in the record books as a 99ROCK Weekly Racing Series Bond Auto Parts DIRTcar Sportsman Modified winner for the first time at Bear Ridge Speedway in Bradford, VT on Saturday night, winning the 40-lap Walker Motor Sales feature event in a thrilling finish.
Simmons, in his first full year in a Modified, jumped into the lead at the second lap after passing rookie Troy Comeau of Rumney, NH. Simmons held through a spate of early caution periods and held an extensive advantage in the middle stages of the race, but Comeau reeled the leader in as Simmons negotiated lapped traffic late in the going. Comeau nosed ahead to lead with five laps remaining, but Simmons fought back to lead lap 36.
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by Jay | Aug 9, 2012 | Bear Ridge, Dirt Track, Vermont
John Poor Memorial Offers Over $6,000 for Coupes at Bear Ridge Speedway
“Madness” event draws huge purse, USAC Midgets back in town
Bear Ridge Speedway – “The Home of the Coupes” – has posted a mammoth prize purse for its iconic Wells River Chevrolet Sportsman Coupe division at the John Poor Memorial presented by Walker Motor Sales of Woodsville, NH on Saturday. Between the finish payout and bonus lap money raised by race teams through various sponsors, more than $6,000 is up for grabs. The race, named in honor of late Bear Ridge official John Poor, will be run in the popular “Madness” segmented format with full-field inversions and cumulative scoring, with bonus money paid to each of the top-five runners on every lap.
Sophomore driver Jason Colbeth of Newbury, VT became the latest first-time winner in the division at last week’s Interstate Batteries of New-Mont/JTB Towing & Recovery event. Colbeth, Teddy Salomaa, and rookies Jesse Smith and Tom Placey have each broken through to carry their first checkered flags this season, joining veterans Gene Pierson, Jr., Mike McGinley, Terry Williams, Jason Horniak, Steve Ellsworth, and point leader Josh Harrington as feature winners in 2012.
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by Jay | Aug 5, 2012 | Bear Ridge, Dirt Track, Photos, Vermont
Sunn nips Pierson in Modifieds, Colbeth dominates Coupes; Fornwalt in Late Model photo finish
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The youth movement continued its ascent to the top of the 99ROCK Weekly Racing Series stock car program at Bear Ridge Speedway on Interstate Batteries of New-Mont/JTB Towing & Recovery Night on Saturday. New stars Josh Sunn, Jason Colbeth, and Jordan Fornwalt took center stage in three electrifying finishes to light up the night.
Sophomore campaigner Sunn, of White River Junction, VT, posted his third Bond Auto Parts DIRTcar Sportsman Modified win of the year in a narrow finish with defending champion Adam Pierson. After rookie Josh Currier of Newport, NH lead the opening 12 circuits of the 40-lap event, fellow first-year driver Robert Tucker of Topsham, VT took command. Tucker was under fire from Sunn, who raced from ninth place at the start, just as the second and final caution flag flew with only six laps remaining.
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by Jay | Jul 20, 2012 | Bear Ridge, Dirt Track, New England, Vermont
Second-Half Push Begins at Bear Ridge Speedway on Saturday
Title fights heating up after last week’s Mid-Season Championships
Dirt track stock car drivers at Bradford, VT’s Bear Ridge Speedway are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel, now that the 21-week season has passed the halfway point. Several drivers from the 99ROCK Weekly Racing Series are beginning to make serious rallies toward the front of their divisions in hopes to play the roles of championship spoilers.
Entering Saturday’s Dennis Preston Builders-sponsored event, the best average finish in the headline Bond Auto Parts DIRTcar Sportsman Modified division belongs to former three-time champion Gary Siemons of Orford, NH. With a 5.0 average, Siemons is the only full-time driver to have posted a top-ten finish in all of his starts in 2012. He dug a hole for himself on opening night in May by not making the call for the event’s feature race, and trails leaders Adam Pierson, Kevin Chaffee, and Derek Graham as a result, but Siemons won on Jiffy Mart of Bradford Night in June, has three additional podium finishes, and remains the most consistent driver in the Modified division.
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by Jay | Jul 12, 2012 | Bear Ridge, Dirt Track, Vermont
Pierson takes Modified lead just before halfway point
Double championship points will be up for grabs for the 99ROCK Weekly Racing Series at Bear Ridge Speedway on Saturday, as Freihofer’s and the Harrington family present the annual Mid-Season Championships. Seven-time and defending track champion Adam Pierson of Fairlee, VT leads the Bond Auto Parts DIRTcar Sportsman Modified division for the first time after a strong showing one week ago.
Pierson finished third in the 40-lap main event on J&A Lawn Care/Boudreault Septic Night last Saturday as chief title rival Kevin Chaffee encountered problems and finished 19th. Pierson was able to vault past Chaffee and holds the lead by 22 points, 575-553. Three-time champion Gary Siemons of Orford, NH sits third at 516 points, followed by youngsters Derek Graham and Justin Comes.
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by Jay | Jul 7, 2012 | Bear Ridge, Dirt Track, New England, Vermont
Horniak ends Coupe skid; Holcomb hangs on for USAC Midget win
Stock car racing champion Chris Donnelly became the first repeat winner of the season in the Bond Auto Parts DIRTcar Sportsman Modified division in the 99ROCK Weekly Racing Series on Bond Auto Parts Night at Bear Ridge Speedway on Saturday. Donnelly slipped into the annual Modified “Madness” event win with a strong car and a little luck in the race’s three 40-lap segments.
The Piermont, NH driver posted finishes of sixth and second in the first two rounds of the cumulatively-scored race, entering the final 40-lap leg with eight points and trailing Kevin Chaffee and Jason Gray. Fairlee, VT racer Chaffee won the first segment in a wildly competitive and caution-free run that saw five lead changes in heavy lapped traffic, then finished fourth in the second leg for five total points. Gray, of East Thetford, VT, was fifth in the first round, then dominated the second segment from the 14th starting position to win by nearly half a lap, totaling six points.
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