by | Jul 19, 2012 | Bear Ridge, Vermont
BRADFORD, VT – Dirt track stock cardrivers at Bradford, VT’s Bear Ridge Speedway are beginning to see the light atthe end of the tunnel, now that the 21-week season has passed the halfwaypoint. Several drivers from the 99ROCKWeekly Racing Series are beginning to make serious rallies toward the front oftheir divisions in hopes to play the roles of championship spoilers.
Entering Saturday’s Dennis PrestonBuilders-sponsored event, the best average finish in the headline Bond AutoParts DIRTcar Sportsman Modified division belongs to former three-time championGary Siemons of Orford, NH. With a 5.0average, Siemons is the only full-time driver to have posted a top-ten finishin all of his starts in 2012. He dug ahole for himself on opening night in May by not making the call for the event’sfeature race, and trails leaders Adam Pierson, Kevin Chaffee, and Derek Grahamas a result, but Siemons won on Jiffy Mart of Bradford Night in June, has threeadditional podium finishes, and remains the most consistent driver in theModified 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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by Jay | Jun 25, 2012 | Bear Ridge, Dirt Track, New England, Vermont
Harrington grabs Coupe checkers
Chris Donnelly returned to victory lane in a big way at Bear Ridge Speedway on Wells River Savings Bank Night on Saturday, driving from last place on the 21-car starting grid to win the 35-lap Bond Auto Parts DIRTcar Sportsman Modified feature. The Piermont, NH veteran put on a show, passing cars in both low and high grooves for his first 99ROCK Weekly Racing Series win of the year.
Donnelly piloted the No. 91 Tuck’s Repair-sponsored Bicknell chassis owned by Tim Tucker to the win after avoiding a six-car wreck on the opening lap, then slicing through the pack as the laps clicked away.
“It doesn’t get any better than that, 21st to the win,” Donnelly said after catching his breath in victory lane. “It’s been a long time since I had a car that good. Thanks to Tim Tucker for letting me drive it tonight.”
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by Jay | Jun 19, 2012 | Bear Ridge, Dirt Track, Modified, New England, Vermont
Jesse Smith, Brian Chaffee grab first career victories
Veteran stock car and sprint car driver Dan Douville wowed the crowd at Bear Ridge Speedway in Bradford, VT on Saturday night with a back-to-front performance in the 25-lap WYKR Sprint Cars of New England (SCoNE) feature on Jiffy Mart of Bradford/P&H Truck Stop Night as part of the 99ROCK Weekly Racing Series. A jammed pit area saw a total of 110 race teams from seven states competing on the seven-division card.
Douville’s team made wholesale changes to the setup of its No. 7x Kondrat Kustoms/Coastal181.com-sponsored Eagle chassis after qualifying, and they paid off. The Bridgewater, NH veteran started 15th on the 19-car SCoNE field and sliced his way through traffic with relative ease, taking the lead from outside polesitter Brandon Valley at lap 10 and never looking back. By the time the checkered flag fell, Douville had lapped nearly half of the field.
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by Jay | Jun 17, 2012 | Bear Ridge, Dirt Track, New England
BY MARK McKEON
Defending Champion Joe Krawiec of Bristol, CT earned his second USAC DMA Powered by Ignite Racing Fuel feature of the year with a determined drive from the 12th starting spot. His teammate Kevin Chaffee of Fairlee, VT, who started 13th and led briefly, finished second while mid race leader and former Sprint Car pilot Scott Holcomb of Granby, CT came home third.
“My car owner Skip Matczak gave me an amazing car’, Krawiec said. “Kevin and Scott raced me hard, but they raced e clean, which was really great. It’s been an amazing year so far, we had a little shortcoming at the beginning, but we’re trying to earn as many points as we can, but with Kevin hot on our trail it’s going to be tough.”
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