by Jay | Sep 18, 2009 | NASCAR, New England, New Hampshire, NHMS
In the face of bitter disappointment, one might be able to take comfort in the old saying, “For every problem there is an opportunity.”
Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), is certainly disappointed since he now faces the next 10-race stretch of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule without being part of the 12-driver Chase for the Championship. Even tougher to take was that he and the M&M’s team missed the Chase by a mere eight points, despite a flawless night on-track and on pit road that led to a solid fifth-place run in last Saturday night’s 26th race of the season at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.
But, for his part, Busch has decided that despite facing the problem of not making the Chase, even with four wins to his credit, there are three key opportunities that lie ahead before the checkered flag waves at the season-ending race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It all starts with Sunday’s Sylvania 300 Sprint Cup event at the 1.058-mile New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon.
With the pressure of the Chase now off, Busch and crew chief Steve Addington will first focus on something former teammate Tony Stewart and current No. 20 team crew chief Greg Zipadelli accomplished after they just missed the Chase in 2006. Stewart and the No. 20 team brought home three wins to go along with five top-five finishes over the final 10 races.
Secondly, Busch and Company will do their part to provide as much information as possible to help teammate Denny Hamlin, crew chief Mike Ford, and the entire No. 11 team in their bid for the championship. That’s what good teammates do.
Finally, the Las Vegas native will hope to not only glean as much information as possible for his compatriots on the No. 11 squad, but also learn more about NASCAR’s current-generation car in order to refocus on their bid for a championship in 2010.
While his chance for a championship has ended for 2009, it doesn’t mean Busch won’t be focused on something he loves to do more than anything else: winning, and keeping the colors primary backer M&M’s in victory lane, where he feels they belong.
So it’s quite clear to everyone on the No. 18 team, this problem has certainly brought along opportunities that lie ahead, starting with this weekend in New Hampshire.
KYLE BUSCH, Driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing:
What is your plan for the final 10 races?
“To go out and win some more races. M&M’s and all the guys on this team deserve that kind of effort no matter what. We just need to work on the consistency. We picked up at some tracks that we needed to, and we faltered at some tracks that we thought we were good at. It just wasn’t our year and it wasn’t meant to be, for some reason. I was put in this predicament for a reason, and one of these days I’ll figure out why. You’ve just got to focus on learning from everything that happens and try to turn it into a positive.”
Do you think your teammate Denny Hamlin could be a threat to win the Chase, and what will you do to help?
“I hope so. Along with us hopefully winning some races, all of the focus is going on the 11, and I’ll do my best to help Denny out and bring Joe Gibbs Racing a championship. Hopefully, I can do my part on the racetrack, as well as on just giving the best advice from my car and helping those guys. So you know, I think Denny has got a lot going forward. He’s going to have a big momentum boost this week, where he goes and runs so well at Loudon, and next week at Dover, he does well, too. They have got it going on if they can keep the parts together but, unfortunately, we didn’t last year. But if they do, they will be fine.”
How frustrating is it to come just eight points from making the Chase?
“It’s very, very frustrating. I’m heartbroken, but we’ll take this and go the rest of the year and try to win some more races and get M&M’s and Interstate Batteries to victory lane. There were a lot of situations this year that I screwed up, that we got put into bad spots, had a couple days that we were bad on pit road, others where we just couldn’t hit the setup right. It’s just a conglomeration of things that put us in this predicament. It’s not just one thing. It’s not those last two weeks. It’s the previous 26 altogether. Unfortunately, some of those weeks were worse than others.”
How comfortable are you now on flat tracks?
“It’s the Cup side that I’ve had some issues with on the flat tracks. The Nationwide side of it, we are fine. In the past, with Hendrick, I was fine on the flat stuff, too. But, for some reason, it’s just with these Gibbs cars, I don’t have the feel for it. I’m not sure why or what it is. We kind of went to New Hampshire in June with my own setup and it seemed to pay off a little bit for us, rather than trying a Denny (Hamlin) setup. Denny always runs well on the flat tracks, but his driving style is so much different than mine. I can’t run the same. Denny ran really well there in the past, so I’m hoping we have a car that is as good as his. We tried something different at Phoenix earlier this year and again in New Hampshire during the summer and that seemed to fit my driving style better. I’m looking forward to New Hampshire because we ran well there in the spring – I think we finished in seventh. I’m looking forward to trying to change last year’s results there for both races and be better this year in both races.”
What’s different about New Hampshire that you enjoy, as opposed to other flat tracks like Phoenix?
“New Hampshire is a fun track for me, as a driver, even though it was a tough year there last year. It’s flat like Phoenix and Milwaukee, but it’s a little bit tricky. In order to do well there, you need a car that works on all the different kinds of asphalt the tracks seem to be putting down. You need a car that has a lot of side bite in the rear and front grip to turn easier. At New Hampshire, it seems like I’ve always been loose into the corner and tight in the center, which is hard to fix sometimes. I think the team that can fix that the best will have the best car.”
by Jay | Sep 17, 2009 | NASCAR, New England, New Hampshire, NHMS
KURT BUSCH: “INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT” FOR GOOD CHASE START
-Miller Lite Dodge Driver Knows From Experience As He Has Experienced “The Good And The Bad”-
LOUDON, N.H. (Sept. 15, 2009) – Miller Lite Dodge driver Kurt Busch enters Sunday’s Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway hoping to get off to a good start in the 2009 “Chase” for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship. Busch could certainly be looked at as an “authority” when it comes to first-hand experience on that subject.
“I’ve definitely seen it from both ends and I know from experience how incredibly important it is to get off to a good start in the Chase,” said Busch, who finished second in the race at Richmond last Saturday night and earned his fourth Chase bid in the last six seasons. “You get out there the first week after the long haul – the 26 races just to make the cut for the Chase – and you come into Loudon (New Hampshire Motor Speedway) with the most adrenalin flowing and momentum going as you’ve had going for you during the entire year.
“So you feel like you’ve got the barrels loaded and the trigger cocked – you’re one of 12 teams that made the finals and it’s playoff time – and you can feel almost invincible,” Busch explained. “It’s like that kind of ‘hey we made it (the Chase) and we’re here to kick (rear end) and take names’ attitude just runs rampant within your team.
“But once that green flag falls at Loudon on Sunday to officially begin the Chase, the race really is on,” said Busch, who won the 2004 title in the inaugural year of the Chase format. “I’m here to tell you that it’s pretty hard to measure the importance of getting off to a good start.
“All I can say is that I know from experience that if you can get it going in the right direction at Loudon, you can keep the momentum growing and sort of build some insurance for something bad happening later on during the 10-race stretch. But, on the other end of the equation, with so much hype and such great expectations you have going into the first race of the Chase, I’ve definitely seen just how much of a blow it can be to get started on a bad note.
“When you look at my career, winning the first Chase in 2004 – and especially what happened in the years since then – mine is probably as good of example as any when it comes to
considering the importance of getting a good finish in that first race,” said Busch. “I guess it’d be really accurate to say that I’ve definitely seen the good and the bad.
“During our championship season back in 2004, we were strong from the drop of the green flag and it only got better from there,” said Busch. “We won the New Hampshire race and went on down the road on a big roll. We finished top-five at Dover and did the same at Talladega the next week.
“We went on a roll of nothing but top-fives and top-10s through the first six races and built up such a points lead that we were able to hang on and pull it out by eight points over Jimmie (Johnson) to win the battle for the title, even with the big setback with the blown engine at Atlanta.”
After six races had been completed during the 2004 Chase, Busch enjoyed a 96-point advantage over second-place Jeff Gordon. Johnson, who would turn out to be Busch’s chief nemesis was 207 points behind.
Busch blew an engine in the Atlanta race and finished 42nd, dropping his lead to only 41 points. He entered the Homestead finale with an 18-point advantage and in a “miracle run,” he finished fifth to claim an eight-point advantage over Johnson to take the first points title under the current Chase format.
“That was definitely the good end of thing that we enjoyed and the other years definitely didn’t turn out that way,” said Busch. “We made the Chase the next year in 2005 and had such high hopes of defending the title. In the opening Chase race at New Hampshire, we hadn’t even finished three laps before a guy who normally shouldn’t have been up there was just too loose, got out of shape and just wiped us out.
“We went on and struggled really bad the next week at Dover and just couldn’t get things straightened out,” said Busch. “We struggled and didn’t finish in the top-10 but three or four times during the rest of the season. Then we had the big parting of the ways with the previous car owner and that was the end of that season.
“We were lucky enough to make the Chase again in 2007, but we never had anything really going for us once the Chase started,” said Busch. “It was the transitional year for the new breed of car and we just didn’t have our program where it needed to be. We finished outside the top 20 in the New Hampshire race and it just seemed to get worse from there on. I think we only had one top-five finish the rest of the year.”
With all his experience behind him, Busch certainly knows which direction he hopes his Pat Tryson-led team is headed.
“Hey, give me a replay of that ’04 start to the Chase,” said Busch. “That’d be really cool and exactly what we need to get rolling again here this year.”
This weekend’s action at New Hampshire Motor Speedway gets under way with Sprint Cup practice on Friday from 12:00 noon till 1:30 p.m. Sunday’s 43-car starting field will be determined in Friday’s 3:10 p.m. single round of Cup qualifying. Saturday’s action includes practice sessions from 9:00 a.m. till 9:50 a.m. and from 11:30 a.m. till 12:30 p.m. Sunday’s SYLVANIA 300 (300 Laps, 317.4 Miles) has a 2:00 p.m. EDT starting time. Live coverage of the race will be provided by ABC-TV and MRN Radio.
by Jay | Sep 17, 2009 | Beech Ridge, Maine, PASS
Martin and Mcdaniel both winners on PASS 300 Sunday
The PASS Sportsman and Mod series each play a big role in PASS 400 weekend, and Sundays’ extra distance features showed why both divisions have grown to be fan favorites.
First up was 100 laps for the PASS Sportsman Series and with $2,000.00 to the winner it was guaranteed to be a wild one. Dan Mckeage and Richie Morse led the car field to the green. The pair ran side by side for the first five stanzas with Morse taking the advantage at the start/finish line and Mckeage filling the hole on the bottom. Carey Martin held the third spot but he was under siege from Nate Leavitt. Martin took second away from Mckeage shortly after and left Mckeage and Leavitt to battle for third. The caution first flew on lap 16 for a minor incursion, just as Martin powered around Morse for the lead. The caution flew one lap later, turning the tables on Martin, but when the field went green Martin managed to hold the lead on the bottom; Morse dropped into second and Lyman Mckeage came up to challenge Morse. Lyman had the better car at lap 25, taking second from Morse who was now feeling the heat from both Scott Dorr and Nate Leavitt. Dorr took over the third spot on lap 29 and went looking for McKeage and Martin.
Kyle Hart spun on lap 33 to bring the field back together once again. Martin was a match for Mckeage on the outside but Mckeage battled back to a dead heat on lap 36 and the lead when the pair crossed the stripe on lap 37. The race continued clean and green at the half-way mark with Mckeage by less than a car length over Martin, Dorr, Dan Mckeage, Mike Landry and Morse. The caution finally flew once again on lap fifty eight, and it was Mckeage’s turn to try from the bottom. Martin led lap 58 on the outside but the lead was far from decided. Mckeage retook the top spot one lap later but Martin continued to challenge with Scott Dorr waiting patiently in third. Martin made the outside move stick on lap 65 and Door took second away from Mckeage with Landry fourth and Dan Mckeage fifth. The front four had a healthy margin over the field. But Nate Leavitt and Bobby Nadeau went for a spinner on lap 75, setting up another restart. Martin powered up the inside to keep Dorr in second, but Mike Landry took the second spot away from Dorr five laps later. Dan Mckeage and Frank Ware came together on the back stretch, and the pair got into the back stretch wall.
Now it was Landry’s turn to take on Martin, and despite Martin’s efforts to move the 40 up the race track, Landry battled back on the outside to lead lap 87. Landry cleared Martin but he was never far away, and Donnie Morse had worked his way past Dorr for third. The final caution flew on lap 93, giving Martin another shot at the top spot. He took advantage and took back the point on the races’ final restart. Landry never had an opportunity to try the top and Martin crossed the line first, scoring his first Beech Ridge victory in many years. Donnie Morse came home third with Scott Dorr fourth and Nate Leavitt fifth.
PASS Mods were up next and Sumner Sessions jumped out front early but Scott McDaniel took over the top spot on lap 3. Greg Ellis chased the front pair in third and Steve Bennett Jr. was a ways back in fourth. McDaniel was in another zip code by lap 11, leaving Sessions and Ellis almost a straightaway behind. Point leader Andy Shaw was up to fourth by lap 14, Then third on lap 15 and setting his sights on the front two. Shaw was by Sessions on lap 20 but he had a long way to go to chase down the leader. The race stayed caution free from Green to checker and McDaniel never looked back, beating Shaw to the flag by over a straightaway with Scott Grant third, John Brill fourth and Sumner Sessions fifth.
Unofficial Finish – PASS Sportsman 100 – Beech Ridge Motor Speedway – 9/13/09
1) 18 Carey Martin Brownfield ME 2) 40 Mike Landry Oakland ME 3) 10 Donnie Morse Portland ME 4) 160 Scott Dorr Portland ME 5) 36L Nate Leavitt 6) 34 Richie Morse Waterford ME 7) 63 Ross Morse Buxton ME 8) 11 Marcel Chauvette Waterboro ME 9) 09 Frankie Eldridge Stratham NH 10) 61 R.J. Austin Norridgewock ME 11) 60 Kyle Hart Ctr. Conway NH 12) 2 Robert Emery Limington ME 13) 4 Allan Moeller Dresden ME 14) 22 Steve Bennett Sr. Buckfield ME 15) 8 Clyde Hennessey Windham ME 16) 3 Dalton Gagnon Lyman ME 17) 38 Dan Mckeage Gorham ME 18) 58 Lyman Mckeage Gorham ME 19) 80 Dana Reed Shapleigh ME 20) 02F David Fowler Jr. 21) 20 Frank Wear Scarborough ME 22) 7 Shane Tatro Levant ME 23) 35 Bobby Nadeau Hollis ME 24) 5 David Vaughn Naples ME 25) 7 Dave Chares t Westbrook ME 26) 78 J.T. Thurlow Scarborough ME 27) 19S Duane Seekins Stockton Springs ME 28) 55 Chris Smith Scarborough ME
Unofficial Finish – PASS Mod 50 – Beech Ridge Motor Speedway – 9/13/09
1) 14 Scott McDaniel Livermore ME 2) 66 Andy Shaw Ctr Conway NH 3) 27 Scott Grant Waterboro ME 4) 77 Jon Brill Bridgton ME 5) 50 Sumner Sessions Norway ME 6) 33 Bill Dixon N Waterboro ME 7) 56 Dan Somes Belgrade ME 8) 4 Wayne Whitten JR Arundel ME 9) 12 Steve Bennett Jr. Buckfield ME 10) 53 Leo Oliviera Raynham MA 11) 56x Rich Ferreira Raynham MA 12) 29 Greg Ellis Hermon ME 13) 03 Gary Norris W Gardiner ME 14) 85 Glen Bradbury Hollis Ctr ME 15) 2 Bub Bilodeau Standish ME
by Jay | Sep 15, 2009 | ACT, Canada, NASCAR, New England, New Hampshire, NHMS
Waterbury, VT – The field is set for the inaugural American Canadian Tour (ACT) Invitational to be held this weekend at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) in Loudon, NH. The 36-car field for the historic first-ever Late Model stock car race is filled with the best short track drivers in the Northeastern US and provinces of Quebec and Ontario, Canada. The $65,000 event is slated to take green at 5:30 Saturday afternoon, following the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series ‘Heluva Good! 200’.
ACT teams from throughout the Northeast have spent the past six months battling each other for a coveted spot in what will be the most unique racing opportunity most have had in their careers.
Veteran racer from Barre, VT, Joey Laquerre said, “This has to be the highpoint of my 50-plus years of racing. I had so much fun at the ‘test and tune’ (over 50 ACT teams were invited to a test session at NHMS in August) and I really wanted to get an invitation to this race. I hope this will be good for the future of Late Model racing. I think it is just great for the young kids like Joey ‘Pole’ (Polewarczyk), those two 16- and 17-year olds, (Brandon Watson from Stayner, ON and Joey Doiron from Berwick, ME). They are the future, but I wish I could be starting all over again with them. They are going to have a lot of fun racing in the next ten years or so”. Laquerre was a former Thunder Road Track Champion and has raced at just about every track in New England for over 5 decades, in just about every kind of stock car.
The starting grid for the ACT Invitational will have twenty-four former and present Track Champions and Series Champions. Three of the hottest drivers in ACT racing represent each of the Touring Series which the sanctioning body manages.
Montreal’s Patrick Laperle has the most wins entering the Invitational, with four (4). Laperle is contending to win his second Série ACT Castrol Championship on Sunday, following the NHMS event. He is chasing two-time Castrol Série Champion Donald Theetge from Quebec City, who leads the Series by 33 points going into the 300 lap finale at Autodrome Ste. Eustache outside of Montreal. Laperle will receive a $2,000 bonus for his 4 Invitational wins.
Veteran driver Brent Dragon from Milton, VT enters the Invitational with three qualifier wins and is coming off an impressive third place finish after starting twelfth at the Fall Foliage 300 at the Airborne Speedway in Plattsburgh last Sunday afternoon. Dragon battled eventual winner Laperle for over 100 laps in the final half of the event, swapping the official lead a half dozen times. Laperle won the 300-lap event, but only after running out of fuel while pitting during the final caution, on lap 255.
Former NHMS Track Champion, and now full-time ACT competitor, Brian Hoar of Williston, VT took over the ACT Tour point lead following the Fall Foliage 300. Hoar leads Scott Payea, of Milton, VT by 28 points going into the final event of the campaign at Oxford Plains Speedway on October 11th. “I really am not thinking about the ACT title with the Invitational in front of us. When I was racing on the old NASCAR Busch East Series, this was a place I just loved to come to. Being named as the NHMS Track Champion ranks right up there with my five ACT titles. I can’t wait until 5:30 on Saturday, and I think fans are going to have some fun also. During the testing we found out that these cars can draft, carry big speed through the corners, and that the outside lane is the place to be. That should provide a good combination for putting on a great show. MY RPM team is pumped up and ready”, said Hoar.
Nine tracks from throughout the Northeast and Canada will be sending their 2009 champions to the ACT Invitational, along with 6 other past track champions from throughout the region. There are 5 ACT TOUR Champions entered, 3 Serie Castrol Champions and a multi-time PASS Super Late Model Champion.
“The starting field for this event will be the very best 36-car field in the 25-year history of ACT racing. These teams all deserve to be here based on what they have accomplished either in the Qualifiers or in their racing careers, and we are proud to have them represent ACT and Late Model racing. We are grateful to Jerry (Gappens, Vice President and Executive Manager of NHMS), Bob Bahre (founder and former owner of NHMS and lifelong supporter of short track racing) and the entire NHMS staff for their support and confidence in short track racing in our region”, said Tom Curley, President of the American Canadian Tour. “I am especially happy to have such a great mix of veteran teams and new young stars who will get the chance to have this experience. I guess it is now time to ‘start the engines’ and let them get after each other”, concluded Curley.
The ACT Invitational will take place at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway as part of the weekend-long NASCAR ‘Chase for the Sprint Cup’ activities. The Invitational will post at 5:30 on Saturday, September 19, 2009 and will be run over a distance of 50 miles. Information for tickets can be obtained by contacting the ticket office at NHMS or their web site at www.nhms.com
by Jay | Sep 15, 2009 | ACT, Canada, NASCAR, New England, NHMS
Waterbury, VT – Noted racing columnist ‘Big’ Bigelow from the Caledonia Record, a daily paper from St. Johnsbury, VT, has won the first round of the ACT Invitational Media Contest. Ironically, Bigelow picked Canadian Patrick Laperle in the final bonus race this past weekend, the Fall Foliage 300, to beat out Toronto, Ontario’s Evan Towle from the CanadianRacingOnLine.com. The five bonus points were the margin of victory for the winner. “People pretty much know me as a ‘stats freak’. I guess this time my fun with facts and figures paid off for me. It has been fun to watch each week to see if I could climb the ladder to the top, and now, I guess my next job will be to pick the winner of the Invitational”, said Bigelow.
Bigelow competed against nearly three dozen members of the media who entered the ACT Invitational last April, just prior to the start of the season. Media members had to pick 36 teams from across all of New England and the Quebec and Ontario provinces of Canada. In addition, they were required to pick from 12 ‘bonus’ point events held on the ACT Tour, the Série ACT Castrol, and special events including the Oxford Plains’ TD Bank 250, the Governor’s Cup 150 at Thunder Road, and the Wiscasset Speedway Center of Speed 300. By picking Laperle in the Fall Foliage 300, he broke the tie to sit on top of a crowded score sheet among over two dozen Northeast racing media members.
Bigelow has won a week’s family vacation to the Steele Hill Resort in Sanbornton, NH during the next 12 months. Part two of the Invitational becomes a little more difficult. Pick the Winner of the Invitational and win a fully paid trip for two to the Sprint Cup Chase event at the Lowe’s Motor Speedway being held this October. Bigelow and other media members who finished in the top 12 standings now have to pick this Saturday’s inaugural winner of the ACT Invitational. Bigelow will have an ace up his sleeve as any tie breaker will be broken by ‘first round’ standings.
The final field of twelve has been expanded as there was a tie in the standings from 12th through 16th. Entry forms will be sent to eligible media members on Wednesday, September 16, 2009. The winner of the Grand Prize trip to Charlotte, NC will be announced immediately following the ACT Invitational Saturday evening at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
ACT INVITATIONAL MEDIA STANDINGS (Round I)
(eligible to ‘Pick the Winner’ for Grand Prize)
1. Big Bigelow Caledonia Record 240
2. Evan Towle CanadianRacingOnLine 235
3. Norm Cote Late Model Digest 230
4. Gene Gagne Outside Groove 230
5. Kevin Provencher NH Union Leader 230
6. Jim Carson Late Model Digest 225
7. Lee Elder Goodyear Public Relations 225
8. Steve Poulin Newport Daily Express 225
9. Mickey Smith Morrisville New & Citizen 225
10. Mark Thomas Racin’ Paper 225
11. Alan Ward News & Citizen/Racin’ Paper 225
12. Melissa, Betty St Albans Messenger 220
13. Grearson, Anna Times Argus 220
14. Kaufman, Josh St Albans Messenger 220
15. Michaels, TJ WORK – FM 220
16. Lou Modestino The Enterprise 220
The ACT Invitational invited roster:
Car# State Name Hometown Track/Series
6 VT Cris Michaud Williamstown, VT ACT/TR
7 ME Glen Luce Turner, ME ACT
8 NH Guy Caron Goshen, NH Twin State
9 ON Brandon Watson Stayner, ON Kawartha Downs
10 NH Ben Rowe Turner, ME ACT
11 VT Jean Paul Cyr Milton, VT Thunder Road
11 RI Ryan Vanasse Warwick, RI Seekonk
14 VT Phil Scott Middlesex, VT Thunder Road
14 ON Sean Kennedy Dunrobin, On Capital City
15 VT Joey Laquerre Barre, VT ACT/TR
17 MA Eddie MacDonald Rowley, MA ACT
18 VT Jamie Fisher Shelburne, VT ACT/TR
21 QC Jean Francois Déry Quebec City, QC ACT Castrol
26 VT John Donahue Graniteville, VT ACT/TR
27 MA Wayne Helliwell, Jr Dracut, MA Lee USA
35 CT Bruce Thomas Groton, CT Waterford
37 VT Brian Hoar Williston, VT ACT
40 VT Eric Chase Milton, VT ACT/TR
44 VT Dave Pembroke Montpelier, VT Thunder Road
47 CT Tim Jordan Plainfield, CT Waterford
48 QC Karl Allard Ste Felicien, QC ACT Castrol
51 ME Ricky Rolfe Albany Twnshp, ME ACT
55 VT Brent Dragon Milton, VT ACT
55 NH Brad Leighton Center Harbor, NH ACT
71 ON Dan McHattie Cavan, On Kawartha Downs
73 ME Joey Doiron Berwick, ME ACT
80 QC Donald Theetge Quebec, City, QC ACT Castrol
88 VT Nick Sweet Barre, VT ACT/TR
89 VT Scott Payea Milton, VT ACT
91 QC Patrick Laperle Montreal, QC ACT Castrol
94 ME Shawn Martin Turner, ME Oxford Plains
97 NH Joey Polewarczyk Hudson, NH ACT
03 ME Travis Adams Canton, ME Oxford Plains
02 NH Randy Potter Groveton, NH ACT
04 ME TJ Watson Cundy’s Harbor, ME Wiscasset
The ACT Invitational will take place at 5:30 on Saturday, September 19, 2009. Tickets for NASCAR ‘Chase’ weekend, including the ACT Invitational, can be obtained by logging on to www.nhms.com. For additional information on the ACT Invitational check the American Canadian Tour website at www.acttour.com
by Jay | Sep 15, 2009 | Beech Ridge, Maine, New England, PASS
Scarborough ME – (9/14/09) Mike Rowe took advantage of leader Trevor Sanborn’s misfortune just 10 laps from the checker to assume the top spot and hold off DJ Shaw for his third PASS 300 victory at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway Sunday afternoon. It was a triumphant return to the series for the Maine racing legend who earned the immaculate Scarborough Maine Speed Plant’s Pro Series Championship title one week earlier.
After a meet and greet for the fans and driver introductions, Scott Chubbuck and home track hero Aaron Ricker led the thirty-two car field down to Chief Starter Rick Shepherd’s green flag and a mid pack melee involving TJ Brackett, Bub Bilodeau , Richie Dearborn and a host of others brought out an immediate yellow.A multi-time Beech Ridge champion, Bilodeau’s day was done just a half lap after it began. Chubbuck took over from the outside on the restart with Jay Fogleman in tow and Ricker and Kelly Moore battling for third. Ricker raced back under Fogleman for second and DJ Shaw was on the move.. He passed Moore on lap six, Fogleman on seven and set sail after the front two. Ricker was racey on the outside and took the lead back from Chubbuck on lap 14, while Kelly Moore worked his way by Shaw for third and went after Chubbuck for second. Second was his on lap 18, and the veteran was ready to challenge the kid for the top spot. The lead was Moore’s on lap 23, with Ricker, Chubbuck, DJ Shaw and Mike Rowe the top five on lap twenty five.
Adam Bates and Derek Ramstrom brought out caution number two; Ramstrom ‘s day ended on the turn one rumble strips and Adam Bates retired after a run in the front stretch wall. Ryan Blaney, Cassius Clark, Johnny Clark and a host of others pitted; Cassius Clark was the only one in the bunch to take on tires. Ricker jumped out in front from the outside while Moore battled back on the bottom and DJ Shaw took over third from Chubbuck. The caution flew for a stray wheel from Ryan Blaney’s racer, bringing an early end to the North Carolina high school sophomores’ day. Meanwhile Moore was on the point for the restart and he kept Ricker behind him as the field began to string out. At the fifty lap mark it was Moore, Ricker, Shaw, Chubbuck, Mike Rowe, Trevor Sanborn, Ben Rowe, Fogleman, Steve Knowlton and David Oliver the top ten. Scott Alexander spun in turn four, bringing out a fourth caution. Cassius Clark, Johnny Clark, Seekonk Speedway regular Tom Scully Jr. and Travis Benjamin were among the cars on pit road at lap 55. Cassius Clark remounted his original set of rubber during the stop.
Moore remained in control until lap seventy when Ricker shot by on the bottom for the lead. But Moore came back to dog Ricker, taking back the spot on lap 87. Lap 100 came and went with no changes in the front five other than Shaw and Chubbuck swapping spots, and the fast guys working lap traffic. In fact the front group was less than a straight away from putting Johnny Clark back a lap at this point in the race. The caution at lap 111 took care of that issue; Mike Rowe, Cassius Clark and Alan Tardiff were some of the notables in the pits. Chubbuck took the top spot away from Moore on a lap 129 restart and DJ Shaw took third from Ricker with Trevor Sanborn riding in fifth. When the crossed flags were shown at lap 150 it was Chubbuck, Moore, Shaw, Ricker, Sanborn, Oliver, Johnny Clark, Donnie Whitten, Travis Benjamin and Mike Rowe in the top ten spots Seventeen cars remained on the lead lap at the half way mark.
As the field approached lap 200 Chubbuck was in front of Moore by half the front stretch, with the same distance back to Ricker in third. The Tamworth NH youngster reeled in Moore for second shortly thereafter. Mike Rowe had worked his way back into the front pack and Travis Benjamin sat fifth. With the top three still on track without a pit stop, Mike Rowe was looking like yet another PASS 300 was in his reach. Dave Oliver spun on top of turn three at lap 201, and the seventh caution provided the front runners the opportunity to pit that they all so desperately needed. Wholesale changes at the front resulted; Jay Fogleman assumed the lead with Steve Legendre second and Travis Benjamin third. Benjamin wasted no time getting by Legendre, and Mike Rowe wasted even less taking over second from Benjamin. DJ Shaw ran fourth with Trevor Sanborn fifth. Mike Rowe took over the lead on lap 210, and he and Fogleman pulled away from the rest of the field. Sanborn decided it was time to drop the hammer and the two-time PASS South winner gave chase. At lap 225 he had plenty of time to run down the front two; but did he have the car to do it? He was under Fogleman for second at lap 230, and only a lapped car and half the front stretch stood between him and Rowe. In five laps Sanborn was under Rowe looking for the lead; the veteran wasn’t pressing too hard, and Sanborn rode in second and waited for his opportunity. With fifty to go it was Rowe, Sanborn, Fogleman, Shaw and Johnny Clark with Ben Rowe right behind and Travis Benjamin seventh.
Adam Ricker and Dave Oliver brought out caution number eight with a little dust up off turn one, setting up a side by side restart for Rowe and Sanborn. Shaw was now third with Jay Fogleman fourth and Johnny Clark fifth. Sanborn had the opportunity he waited so long for and he took advantage, taking over the lead from Rowe on lap 272. Ben Rowe was now by Johnny Clark for third.
With 20 to go Sanborn was opening up a slight advantage on Rowe. The pair worked lap traffic and the tables were turned with Rowe now looking for his shot at Sanborn. It wasn’t necessary, as the 29 slowed with 10 to go, coasting into the pits with an expired motor. For the second straight year Sanborn’s bid for the PASS 300 victory fell short. Rowe was back out front and Shaw had the bit in his teeth, hoping to catch the 24. He made it right to Rowes’ bumper with three to go, and had a fender under the leader when the furled white and checker were shown. The pair split around a lapped car as the checkers flew and Rowe beat Shaw across the line by .142 seconds.
Ben Rowe gained a few points on PASS North point leader Johnny Clark as the series heads for its’ 2009 series finale at North Woodstock New Hampshire’s White Mountain Motorsports Park on Friday September 18th. Racing goes green at 6:00 PM. Rowe also strengthened his lead in the PASS National Championship standings, where he has one win and Sunday’s third place run at the half-way point in the four race series.
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Unofficial Finish – Pro All Stars Series Super Late Model PASS 300 – Beech Ridge Motor Speedway –Scarborough Maine 9/13/09 – (with position, car #, driver, home town)
1) 24 Mike Rowe Turner ME 2) 60 DJ Shaw Ctr. Conway NH 3) 4N Ben Rowe, Turner ME 4) 54 Johnny Clark Hallowell ME 5)4S Jay Fogleman, Durham NC 6) 47 Kelly Moore, Scarborough ME 7) 85 Nick Ribbe , MA 8) 14 Matt Frahm, Salem NH 9) 17 Travis Benjamin, Morrill ME 10) 62 Mark Gibson, Winston-Salem NC 11) 33 Richie Dearborn, Hollis NH 12) 22 Aaron Ricker Tamworth NH 13) 21 David Oliver, Standish 14) 4X Rich Eaton, Seabrook NH 15) 10 Steve Knowlton, Dover NH 16) 20 Steve Legendre, St. Johnsbury VT 17) 8 Cassius Clark, Farmington ME 18) 53 Alan Wilson Hebron ME 19) 0 Bill Whorff Jr., Bath ME 20) 77 Scott Chubbuck, Brunswick ME 21) 2X Tom Scully Jr., Westport MA 22) 12 John Dabrowski , W. Bridgewater MA 23) 29 Trevor Sanborn, Parsonsfield ME 24) 7 Donnie Whitten, Biddeford ME 25) 28 Dave Davis, VT 26) 88 Alan Tradiff Lyman ME 27) 17A Scott Alexander, Orrington ME 28) 51 TJ Brackett Buckfield ME 29) 10S Ryan Blaney, High Point NC 30) 98 Adam Bates, Warner NH 31) Derek Ramstrom, Worcester MA 32 9 Bub Bilodeau, Standish NH
