by Jay | Nov 13, 2009 | Hudson, New Hampshire
Hudson NH – The Hudson Speedway annual awards banquet was held this past Sunday at the Kings Court in Hudson N.H.
For the first time in speedway history a father and son were both crowned champions in the same year as Dean Wendell won the Rookie Stock title and his father Mitch Wendell won the Outlaw Sportsman title. Keith Caruso, third generation driver and grandson of Mario “Fats” Caruso, won the V-6 Modified crown. Thirteen year old Dylan Bilodeau won the Thunder Lite title. Louie Maher won the Roadrunner title and Eric Bacon went home with the Classic Lites championship hardware.
Most improved driver awards went to Dan Murphy Jr. in the Rookie Stocks, Eric Miller in the Roadrunners, Ron Lord Jr. in the Outlaw Sportsman and Jen Lord in the Thunder Lights.
Sportsmanship awards went to Sammy Gilman in the Thunder Lights, Jef James in the Roadrunners, Jerry Lepage in the Rookie Stocks and Bobby Allen in the Outlaw Sportsman.
Rookie of the year awards went to Derek Griffith in the Thunder Lights, John Morin the Rookie Stocks and Don Soucy in the Roadrunners.
Dedication to racing awards went to Dennis O’Brien and Jim Ryder Sr. and multi car owners Jim Daley and Lewis Fortin.
The 2010 season opener is April 25th. Please visit www.hudsonspeedway.info for more information.
by Jay | Oct 27, 2009 | Hudson, New Hampshire
Hudson NH – It was a fabulous fall afternoon for Pumpkinfest ’09 at Hudson Speedway this past Sunday. With five championships to be decided, the stands and pits were at capacity.
Eric Bacon and Billy Ryder were the top pointmen in the Classic Lights. Bacon held a slim nineteen point advantage over Ryder at the start of their feature so Ryder would have to finish in front of Bacon with at least one car between them to notch his second title in as many years. With both men starting in the last row of the twenty-two car main, all eyes were on those two. Bacon and Ryder both sliced through the field after the drop of the green, never more than a position or two apart. At the halfway point Ryder was running in front of Bacon but got crossed up trying to pass Ralph Cook and got all four wheels off the ground while driving over Cooks hood. Although Ryder drove off after the incident he made numerous pit stops and ended his day early giving the championship to Bacon.
After Ryders incident, Bacon battled side by side for a few laps with Jimmy Ryder Jr. for the lead before pulling away to victory. Finishing second through tenth were Jimmy Ryder Jr., Eddie Gilman, Dennis O’Brien, Matt Seavy, Jon Provost, Jeff Gilman, Paul Colson, Shane Reinhold and Danny Shields.
Dean Wendell held a fifty seven point lead over John Morin heading into the Rookie Stock main and needed almost all of them as he couldn’t get his car hooked up on the outside lane and struggled to finish eighth. Morin finished second in the feature but fell just three points shy of a championship behind Wendell. It was the second championship for the Wendell family at Hudson this year as Dean’s father Mitch won the Outlaw Sportsman championship a few weeks ago.
With his hood acting as rudder, Keith “Slika” Ennis kept his car going straight the entire race and led every lap of the Rookie main except the all important last lap. John Cianciulli passed Ennis in turn one of the last lap to get his third win of the year. Morin also slipped passed Ennis to finish second while Ennis had to settle for third. Fourth through tenth were Corrie Merritt, Larry Fortin, Brian Harron, John Swain, Wendell, Dan Murphy and Scotty Duval.
Dylan Bilodeau started the Thunder Lite feature needing to finish fourth or better to clinch the title and did so finishing second. Derek Griffith was second in points going into the race and did all he could by winning the feature but it wasn’t enough and finished second in points. Third through fifth in the race were Sammy Gilman, Jen Lord and Dan Fortin.
Louie Maher needed to finish fourth or better to clinch the Roadrunner championship and after second place pointsman Jef James slammed the front stretch wall while passing Erik Miller for the race lead and couldn’t race on, the championship was all Maher’s. With Miller sent to the pits for rough driving, Maher took over the race lead and cruised to the win. Second through fifth in the race were Patrick D’Alba, Don Soucy, Johnny Walker and Dean Santzer Jr.
Allan Reiser led the V-6 Modifieds from green to checker for his second win of the year. Keith Caruso finished second in the race and won the V-6 title. Third through fifth in the race were Dick Dubois, Chris Kuebler and Eric Vilandre.
Derek Beaudry won the Spectator Drags and Scotty Duval won both the Flagpole race and the Figure 8 race. Patrick D’Alba won the 4 Cyl. Enduro and Dave McCarthy won the Grand Enduro.
Hudson Speedway’s 62nd annual banquet is Sunday November 8th at King’s Court Banquet Hall in Hudson N.H. Tickets are available until Oct.31st. Please visit www.hudsonspeedway.info for more information.
by Jay | Oct 12, 2009 | Hudson, New Hampshire
Hudson NH – J.R. Baril returned to Hudson Speedway this past Sunday afternoon after fourteen years away and won the twenty eight car Outlaw Sportsman feature race.
Shawn Waites led the Outlaw field to the green and led most of the first half of the race while fighting off a tough Peter Fiandaca. Fiandaca and Waites battled side by side for many laps until a caution flew and Fiandaca restarted first. Waites and Lee Weldy made contact on the ensuing restart sending Waites spinning and championship points leader Mitch Wendell to the pits for repairs after hitting the back of Weldys car trying to avoid the spin. After Waites spin, Baril restarted second next to Fiandaca and contact with Fiandaca sent Fiandaca spinning off the backstretch. Sandy Lee had moved into second but wasn’t able to mount a challenge as Baril cruised under the checkers.
Mitch Wendell won the Outlaw Sportsman championship but it wasn’t easy as he had damage from the Waites spin, pitted, restarting last with ten laps to go and needed to make up nine positions to win. Wendell made a furious charge through the field and with his last pass of the race moved back into first place in points. It was Wendells second championship at Hudson, he was the 1995 Bud Light Champion.
Second through tenth were Lee, Bobby Allen, Tim Casey, John Lavoie, Geoff Rollins, Wendell, Eddie Brehio Jr., Weldy and Fiandaca.
Shane Reinhold led the Classic Lites to their green flag and held the top spot for half the race until Jimmy Ryder Jr. finally chased him down and took over. Ryder Jr’s lead only lasted a few laps until Eric Bacon took his usual top spot. Bacon took it home from there with Ryder Jr. second. Reinhold held on for his first podium finish in third, Danny Shields ran a fine race coming in fourth and Dennis O’Brien rounded out the top five.
Dylan Bilodeau extended his points lead in the Thunder Lights by winning the feature. Derek Griffith finished second getting within a few car lengths of Bilodeau but not able to mount a serious challenge. Bobby Stirk lll spun early and recovered to finish third. Jen Lord finished fourth and Dan Fortin fifth.
Louie Maher won his thirteenth Roadrunner feature of the year. Jef James was second for the thirteenth time and Eric Miller was third. Patrick D’Alba was fourth and Peter Raby fifth.
John Cianciulli won his third Rookie feature of the year. Second through tenth were Dean Wendell, John Morin, Heath Toutellotte, Andy Nichols, Dan Murphy, Larry Fortin, Scott Duval, Jerry Lepage and John Desilets.
Doug Simes won the Flagpole Race. Ron Lord Jr. won the Spectator Race and Gary Boutreau won the Spectator Drags.
Next Sunday, October 18th is Pumpkinfest ’09 at Hudson Speedway with championships for the Classic Lites, V-6 Modifieds, Rookie Stocks, Roadrunners, Thunder Lights plus Enduros, Spectator Race, Spectator Drags and Flagpole Race. The kids bike races start at 1130am. Gates open at 11am and the first race at 1pm. For more info please visit www.hudsonspeedway.info.
by Jay | Oct 6, 2009 | Hudson, New Hampshire
Hudson NH – George Baldwin won the Inaugural race for the Independent Modified Racing Series this past Sunday at Hudson Speedway. It was fitting that the race named the Gate City Classic, a race name revived after many years dormant, was won by Baldwin who drove to many victories and the 1992 Thunder Car Championship at Hudson Speedway in the 80’s and 90’s. Baldwin led from green to checker and was never challenged while running a flawless race. Joining Baldwin in victory lane was his father Choppy and brother, Johnny, both of them former feature winners at Hudson Speedway.
Dave Flammia Jr. drove a steady race and finished second. Gregg Hurley struggled with handling issues, spun a few times, and finished third. Tony Carroll also had handling issues and after contact with Hurley put him into the backstretch tire barrier and had to call it a day and finished fourth. Len Johnson retired early with mechanical woes and finished fifth.
Heath Tourtellotte took the win in the Rookie Stocks, also leading from green to checker, for his first career win. The win wasn’t as easy for Tourtellotte as John Cianciulli made his way from his fourteenth starting spot to second by the halfway mark and set his sights on Tourtellotte. Cianciulli made up ground on Tourtellotte but fell short when the checkers fell by a few car lengths and had to settle for second. Third through tenth were Corrie Merritt, John Swain, John Morin Jr., Dean Wendell, Jerry Lepage, Scotty Duval, Brian Harron and Larry Fortin.
Dan Fortin returned to victory lane in the Thunder Light division. Bobby Stirk lll was second. Third through fifth were Derek Griffith, Tyler Hatch and Jen Lord.
Louie Maher continued his dominance in the Roadrunners with his twelfth win of the year. Jef James, Don Soucy, Darren Jacobs, Patrick D’Alba, Peter Raby, Eric Miller, Ron Lord Jr. and Nick Gilman all finished in the top ten.
Bob Murphy won the Grand Enduro followed by John Swain and Scotty Duval.
Patrick D’Alba won the 4 Cyl. Enduro followed by Tom Hamilton and Johnny Reefer.
Ricky Marrocco won the Spectator Drags, Danny Angrove won the Flagplole Race and Jay Beaudoin won the spectator Race.
Next Sunday October 11th it’s a doubleheader at Hudson Speedway with the Outlaw Sportman and the Classic Lites plus Rookie Stocks, Roadrunners, Thunder Lites, Spectator Race, Spectator Drags and Flagpole Race. Gates open at 11am and the first race at 1pm. For more info please visit www.hudsonspeedway.info.
by Jay | Sep 14, 2009 | Hudson, New Hampshire
Hudson NH – Louis Maher’s seven race winning streak in the Roadrunners was snapped this past Sunday afternoon by Shawn Ordway at Hudson Speedway.
Eric Miller led the opening laps of the Roadrunner main until getting into trouble getting around lap traffic allowing Ordway to take the lead. Second place pointsman Jef James was running in second place all race and in position to gain a bit on Points leader Maher but with two laps to go, Maher slipped past James into second and James had to settle for third. Maher crossed the finish just a car length behind Orday. Fourth and fifth were Miller and Patrick D’Alba.
Polesitter Josh Provost took the twenty car Classic Lite field to the green flag. Eddie Gilman took the top spot from Josh Provost a few laps later and held on to the lead until two laps to go when Jon Provost got to the inside of Gilman and passing him in turn two bringing Billy Ryder and Eric Bacon along with him past Gilman. Jon Provost crossed the finish line first followed by Ryder, Bacon, Gilman, Ralph Cook, Josh Provost, Paul Colson, Jeff Gilman, Danny Shields and Tom McGowen.
Larry Fortin led the first sixteen laps of the Rookie Stock feature until losing the top spot to Dean Wendell on a restart with four laps to go. Wendell drove on to victory. Scott Duval came home second while Jerry Lepage ran a good race and notched his first podium finish in the Rookie Stocks by finishing third. Fourth through tenth were Dan Murphy, Brian Harron, Fortin, Corrie Merritt, Mark Nevers, Brian Destefano and John Morin.
Dylan Bilodeau won the Thunder Lite feature. Second though fifth were Derek Griffith, Jen Lord, Nick Fisette and Tyler Hatch.
Eric Vilandre and Chris Kuebler both took turns at the lead of the V-6 Modified feature before eventual winner Keith Caruso passed Kuebler. Kuebler ran second most of the race until two laps to go when Dick Dubois and Allan Reiser Jr. both snuck by Kuebler. At the stripe it was Caruso, Dubois, Reiser Jr., Kuebler and Rod Lyons finishing in the top five.
Dave Heliwell won the Mini-cup cars and Fred Ducharme won the Spectator Drags.
After a week off, racing resumes at Hudson Speedway on Sept. 27 with the Outlaw Sportman and the Classic Lites plus Rookie Stocks, Roadrunners, Thunder Lites, Spectator Race, Spectator Drags and Flagpole Race. Gates open at 11am and the first race at 1pm. For more info please visit www.hudsonspeedway.info.
by Jay | Sep 7, 2009 | Hudson, New Hampshire
Hudson NH – Dylan Bilodeau, Louie Maher, John Morin Jr., Sandy Lee, and Dick Dubois all drove to victory lane in their respective divisions this past Sunday afternoon at Hudson Speedway.
Jean Desilets led the opening laps of the Rookie Stock main before Andy Nichols took over to lead the middle portion of the race. Scotty Duval took over with 8 laps to go and John Morin Jr. slipped past Nichols a few laps later. Duval had the race in hand until a caution with two to go bunched the field for a single file restart. Morin Jr. restarted on Duvals bumper and stayed with him until making his move in the final corner getting inside of Duval to set up a drag race to the finish line and beat Duval by inches. Third through tenth were Nichols, Brian Harron, Dean Wendell, Dan Murphy, Jerry Lepage, Desilets, Larry Fortin and Mark Nevers.
Sandy Lee won his first feature of the 2009 season in the Outlaw sportsman. Lee took the lead on lap 3 from polesitter Rick Woodside and never looked back. John Meany had his best finish of the season by taking second. Lee’s teammate, Lee Weldy finished third. Fourth through tenth were Bobby Allen, Tim Casey, Chris Lee, Mitch Wendell, Peter Fiandaca, Woodside and Shawn Waites.
It was all Wayne Brooks front row in the V-6 Modified feature with Wayne Brooks Jr. and Sr. starting first and second. Brooks Jr. got a better start and led the opening laps before Dick Dubois took over the top spot. Keith Caruso took over second and chased Dubois but couldn’t get close enough to make a run and had to settle for second behind Dubois. Third through fifth were Allen Reiser Jr., Chris Kuebler and Brooks Jr.
Louie Maher won his tenth Roadrunner main of the year followed by Jef James, Jesse Tellier, Eric Miller and Patrick D’Alba in the top five.
Points leader Dylan Bilodeau won the Thunder Lite feature followed by Derek Griffith, Sammy Gilman, Bobby Stirk lll and Dan Fortin in the top five.
Chris Igo won the Mini-cup main. Ron Lord Jr. won the Flagpole Race. Ricky Morrocco won the Spectator Race and Darren Poutre won the Spectator Drags.
Next Sunday, September 13th at Hudson Speedway it’s the return of the Classic Lites plus the V-6 Modifieds, Mini-cup cars, Rookie Stocks, Roadrunners, Thunder Lites, Spectator Race, Spectator Drags and Flagpole Race. Gates open at 11am and the first race at 1pm. For more info please visit www.hudsonspeedway.info.
