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 | 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 | 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.
by Jay | Sep 21, 2009 | NASCAR, NASCAR K&N Pro Series, New England, New Hampshire, NHMS
Loudon, NH (September 20, 2009): Brett Moffitt was quiet and unassuming following the Heluva Good! Fall 125 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway Friday evening, but his smile said it all.
Moffitt drove the No. 44 Brettmoffitt.com Chevrolet to a convincing runner-up finish in the second to last NASCAR Camping World Series East race of the 2009 season, and heads into the finale at Dover International Speedway fifth in the point standings.
“The 71 had a good car. We were a little bit better, and I think if that last caution hadn’t come out we would have won,” Moffitt said. “We had a really good car today so I have to thank all the guys on the crew and at ASM for that. We came in (to pit) before most people so that put us pretty far back in the field. We just had to stay out of trouble coming up through. Those last few laps were pretty wild from my vantage point so I’m sure it was a good show for the fans.”
Rain delayed the start of the race, and forced NASCAR to cut back on its scheduled distance due to time constraints, but Moffitt was strong right out of the box. Moffitt moved up from his third starting position to second and remained there until lap 15 when he pitted for fuel.
Moffitt lined up tenth for the restart at lap 18 and quickly moved through the field. He reached eighth by lap 22 and was challenging Derek Ramstrom for fourth by the 29th circuit. A caution slowed his pace and gave him an opportunity to come back down pit road for an adjustment.
Moffitt lined up ninth for the restart at lap 35, but the Grimes, Iowa-native didn’t have any chance to advance when caution slowed the pace of the event once again. He lined up ninth for the restart at lap 46. Moffitt had the chance to advance once again and moved up to sixth by lap 63, and was back in the top-five by lap 70.
The racing got intense around lap 85 when the leaders were three wide heading into the corners – fighting for every bit of real estate. On lap 86, Moffitt used the battles to his advantage and moved up to third just before the caution came out.
The drivers paced one more caution period when NASCAR announced that the final restart would be the only chance at a green-white-checker finish. They would have to shorten the race again to 99 laps because of the darkness that was descending over the track. Moffitt could not stop eventual race-winner Eddie MacDonald from taking the lead and settled for a second place finish at the checkers.
“We’re definitely happy with this finish,” said Moffitt. “We would have liked to win tonight, but Eddie (MacDonald) has been running really well lately so we can’t be too down about finishing second to him.”
Moffitt heads to Dover International Speedway for the Sunoco 150, the series season-ending finale, on Friday, September 25th.
by Jay | Sep 21, 2009 | NASCAR, NASCAR K&N Pro Series, New England, New Hampshire, NHMS
Loudon, NH (September 20, 2009): It seemed that Matt Kobyluck would author another successful chapter in his career Friday night at New Hampshire Motor Speedway after leading the most laps in the Heluva Good Fall 125, but late-race cautions rewrote the story and left the Uncasville, Connecticut-native with an alternate ending. Kobyluck lost the lead to Kevin Swindell on a late-race caution and was relegated to a fourth place finish when the race was shortened to 99 laps for darkness.
“If we would have had some green flag racing there I would have gotten the positions back,” said Kobyluck, driver of the No. 40 Mohegan Sun Casino Chevrolet. “We had the best car we’ve ever had here and we had the best car out of everybody so to not come home with the win was very disappointing. I can’t take away that we led a whole bunch of laps and I’m very proud of the guys and what we brought here this weekend. We’ve been working hard all season, and we finally figured some things out.”
The Mohegan Sun race team set the fastest practice times on Thursday afternoon and backed it up with a qualifying effort of 125.587 mph to earn a fifth place starting position. He jumped up to fourth at the drop of the green and remained there until pitting at lap 15 for fuel.
Kobyluck re-entered the race in the eighth position for the restart at lap 18 and was pressuring Derek Ramstrom for the third spot by the 22nd circuit. Kobyluck took the position at lap 24, but the leaders had pulled away by nearly four seconds.
An accident at lap 30 tightened the field up with Kobyluck on the outside of David Mayhew for the restart at lap 35. At the drop of the green, the duo battled it out side-by-side through turns one and two. Mayhew got the advantage going down the straightaway, but Kobyluck would reel him in again heading into the corners. A caution slowed the pace at 43.
Mayhew came down on pit road during the caution to fuel up while Kobyluck took over the lead. Kevin Swindell would take the green on the outside of the Mohegan Sun Casino Chevrolet at lap 46, but it was all Kobyluck when the green dropped.
A long green flag run developed, which was optimal conditions for Kobyluck’s set-up. Despite only a carlength separating each of the top-three cars, the Mohegan Sun Casino Chevrolet was never in danger of losing the lead.
At lap 71 NASCAR threw the caution once again. It was not what the team wanted to see.
“On the restarts I needed a half-a-lap or three-quarters of a lap to get heat back in the tires so that I had good grip. My car was much free’r than everybody else’s and they were much tighter. They were able to get going much better on the restarts and as soon as I could drive a lap, I could drive away from everybody,” explained Kobyluck. “The cautions were the last thing I wanted to see.”
Kobyluck and Swindell were side-by-side through turns one and two on the restart, but an accident right behind them brought the caution out again. On the second attempt, Swindell was able to get by the Mohegan Sun Casino Chevrolet as Kobyluck fell back to fifth. Because of the darkness that fell upon the track, NASCAR decided to shorten the race to 99 laps after they had already shortened it to 100 laps earlier for rain.
“We played the cards we were dealt and made the best of it,” said Kobyluck.
And that meant gaining one more position on the final two-lap run before taking the checkers. The top-five finish was enough to solidify the fourth place point position as the series heads into the season-ending race at Dover International Speedway next week.
by Jay | Sep 20, 2009 | NASCAR, New England, New Hampshire, NHMS
LOUDON, N.H. – Ron Silk passed Reggie Ruggiero on the backstretch of the last lap and held on through Turns 3 and 4 to earn the victory in the New Hampshire 100 Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Photos from Race
It was Silk’s fourth career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour win and his first at the ‘Magic Mile’ – traditionally one of the most prestigious events on the schedule.
Silk, of Norwalk, Conn., swapped the lead with Ruggiero three times and ran bumper-to-bumper in the last 10 laps, with Silk surviving the battle. Ruggiero settled for a fourth-place finish after getting shuffled three spots on the last lap. Donny Lia crossed the line second followed by pole winner Ryan Preece and Mike Stefanik finished fifth.
Lia entered the race third in points but his car caught fire during practice on Thursday and he was not able to qualify. After starting at the rear on Saturday with a provisional, Lia was involved in an early accident and went down three laps. He was the beneficiary during three subsequent cautions, and rocketed toward the front for a runner-up finish.
Lia’s effort moved him up to second, 48 points behind Ted Christopher with three races remaining. Christopher finished seventh.
Rowan Pennink, Christopher, Ryan Newman, Erick Rudolph and Chuck Hossfeld rounded out the top 10. It was the best NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour finish for Newman, who is a full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competitor, in his fourth start.
Todd Szegedy was involved in an accident on Lap 84 and settled for 29th, which ended his streak of top-10 finishes at 13 and dropped him from second to fourth in the championship standings.
The race featured 17 lead changes among eight drivers, and was slowed by 11 cautions.
The 11th race of the 2009 season will take place Sunday, Sept. 27 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.
