by Jay | Aug 20, 2012 | Bear Ridge, Dirt Track, Media, Photos, Vermont
Rich, Beckley Highlight Bear Ridge Speedway Winners
Donnelly wins against record-tying 25-car Modified field
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BRADFORD, VT – Tyler Rich and Jeremy Beckley highlighted a jam-packed list of dirt track stock car winners on Swenson Insurance Night in the 99ROCK Weekly Racing Series at Bear Ridge Speedway on Saturday. Rich won the 25-lap WYKR Sprint Cars of New England (SCoNE) feature for his first win of 2012, and Beckley’s long-awaited Wells River Chevrolet Sportsman Coupe win was the first of his career. More than 120 race teams filled the pit area.
Rich started sixth on the 17-car SCoNE and wasted little time in getting to the front. The Pike, NH racer, who was the series’ Rookie of the Year last season, moved past former series champion Mark Cole into the lead on lap 8, then survived a restart with eight laps remaining for his second career win. Clay Dow of Barnstead, NH – the 2011 SCoNE Triple Crown series champion – finished second, with defending SCoNE overall champion Dan Douville of Bridgewater, NH third. Chris Donnelly, pulling double duty in Sprint Cars and Modifieds, drove from 15th starting position to finish fourth, and Jake Williams fifth.
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by Jay | Aug 20, 2012 | New England, Thunder Road, Vermont
Roberts, Smith Pick Up Feature Wins
Barre, VT – After a tough season, Winooski’s Jerry Lesage vindicated himself in style with a convincing victory in the 50-lap Late Model main event at Barre’s Thunder Road on Sunday, August 19. Lesage had to fend off rising star Cody Blake, as well as three-time “King of the Road” Phil Scott to take his first checkered flag in over seven years.
Pole-sitter Ricky Roberts ran with the lead early, but by lap 23 the familiar #74 of Lesage had pulled to his rear bumper. Lesage flew high to the outside and snatched the lead from Roberts by the halfway mark, and ran from the pack. Roberts was then swarmed by Blake, who took over the second position, as well as Scott, and point-leader Nick Sweet who stacked up two wide behind him. Blake distanced himself from the battle, while Scott methodically worked by Roberts with Sweet taking away fourth in the closing laps. Scott Payea, defending Champion Dave Pembroke, Jamie Aube, last week’s winner Cris Michaud, and Brett Wheeler completed the top ten finishers.
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by Jay | Aug 17, 2012 | Thunder Road, Vermont
Steffen, Christman Fly to Feature Wins
Barre, VT – On a night where tough seasons were avenged, East Montpelier’s Cris Michaud took his second victory of the 2012 season, fending second-place point man David Pembroke, and current point leader Nick Sweet off for the feel-good win. Three-time Thunder Road Champion Phil Scott took the fourth position, and Winooski’s Jerry Lesage rounded out the top five.
Lesage, who drove to the early lead, was quickly eaten up by hungry defending Champion Dave Pembroke, who stretched out to a massive lead just before the halfway point. High point drivers Nick Sweet and Phil Scott worked their way through the field, but a lap 33 caution for the spinning car of Trampas Demers bunched the field back together. Pembroke stole the restart, but multi-time Champion Cris Michaud clung to his bumper before swinging high and wide with 10 laps to go. Michaud stole the lead from dominant Pembroke, and survived a late race restart to claim his second win of 2012. Pembroke fought off Sweet for second, while Scott slipped past Lesage in the closing laps for fourth. 2011 Tiger Champion Derrick O’Donnell, Scott Payea, Brooks Clark, Ricky Roberts, and first-time driver Emily Packard rounded out the top ten.
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by Jay | Aug 16, 2012 | Thunder Road, Vermont
Late Model Championship Coming to a Close
As drivers prepare for weekly championship action this Thursday night (August 16), division titles are nearing the homestretch at the “Nation’s Site of Excitement” Barre’s Thunder Road. Only a handful of events remain for the Bond Auto Tiger Sportsmen, who are currently locked in one of the closest point battles in recent memory, as well as the Allen Lumber Street Stocks. For Late Models, the championship is just around the corner.
Thursday will mark the beginning of the end for championship hopes in the Late Model division, as in a stretch of seven days they will run their final three point counting events. A rainout event last Thursday has moved the Make-A-Wish/Bond night to Sunday, August 19th, creating a weeklong dash to crown the Late Model “King of the Road.”
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by Jay | Aug 16, 2012 | Thunder Road, Vermont
Packard Set For Thunder Road Late Model Debut
With an eye on the future, Emily Packard will attempt to make her Late Model debut at Thunder Road International Speedbowl in Barre, Vt., on Thursday night.
The teenager from East Montpelier, Vt., has been a regular in both Thunder Road’s Street Stock division and Canaan Fair Speedway’s Late Model ranks in 2012. As she prepares for a season on the ACT Late Model Tour as early as next year, Packard sees this as the next step in her development.
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by Jay | Aug 15, 2012 | Devils Bowl, New England, Vermont
Action-Packed August Events Coming to Devil’s Bowl Speedway
Fans will have several opportunities to experience on-track excitement
Devil’s Bowl Speedway is inviting its stock car racing fans to be a part of the excitement in an action-packed month of August. In addition to the high-drama racing of the weekly NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, race fans can get in on the fun in a variety of ways.
Enduro racing returns to Devil’s Bowl on Friday, August 17, with novice racers running nearly street-legal 4- and 6-cylinder race cars in a survival-of-the-fittest event. Enduros do not have caution flags, with stoppages only for emergency situations. Hinesburg, VT’s Eric “Mongo” Messier won the season’s first Enduro on June 29 in a 1995 Ford Probe. The event begins at 7:30pm; general admission is $10 for adults, $9 for seniors (62+), and free for children 12 and under.
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