by Jay | Jul 25, 2012 | Thunder Road, Vermont
Tigers Tighten Points Race for Heritage 100
Thunder Road Point Leaders Survive Double Points Night
Championship battles are turning the corner at Barre’s Thunder Road as point battles tighten heading into the second half of the season. Point leaders Nick Sweet, Jason Allen, and Nick Pilotte survived a double points battle last Thursday, but title hunts remain unsettled.
Late Model point leader Nick Sweet has taken no prisoners in 2012, jumping out to a 78-point lead on the wings of four feature victories. Defending Champion Dave Pembroke, looking for his third Thunder Road track title, rides second and leads the effort to break Sweet’s stranglehold. Trampas Demers has risen to third, multi-time Champion Phil Scott rides fourth, and young Cody Blake sits in fifth.
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by | Jul 24, 2012 | Bear Ridge, Photos, Vermont
BRADFORD, VT – Up-and-coming Bond AutoParts DIRTcar Sportsman Modified stock car driver Justin Comes earned hissecond career victory in a dominant romp during 99ROCK Weekly Racing Seriesaction on Dennis Preston Builders Night at Bear Ridge Speedway on Saturday. The 20 year-old Middlebury, VT racer had beenexcruciatingly close to the checkered flag on numerous occasions in 2012, leadingseveral races and posting a string of three-straight third-place finishesearlier in the year.
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photo credit Alan Ward
From the sixth starting position, Comesrode the far outside lane in his No. 51 Flyin’ Ryan Auto Body-sponsoredModified to cut through the field and grab the lead from polesitter RichieSimmons with relative ease early in the 40-lap race. Top drivers Adam Pierson of Fairlee, VT andJason Gray of East Thetford, VT made late charges through traffic to finish secondand third, respectively. Kevin Chaffeeand Robert Tucker completed the top five, followed by Chris Donnelly, GarySiemons, Mike Dunn, Bob Shepard, and Simmons.
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by Jay | Jul 21, 2012 | Devils Bowl, New England, Vermont
Bates Wins C.J. Richards Memorial in Storybook Fashion at Devil’s Bowl Speedway
Teen drives car purchased by late speedway founder for biggest win of career
Seventeen year-old NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Bond Auto Parts Modified stock car driver Hunter Bates authored a Hollywood-style script at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Friday night, earning the biggest victory of his young career in the C.J. Richards Memorial 67 presented by Carrara Masonry & Concrete. The Middlebury, VT racer piloted a car purchased for him by Devil’s Bowl Speedway founder Richards shortly before Richards’ passing in February, winning in dominant fashion.
Bates started seventh on the 16-car field and quickly rocketed to the front, taking the lead from Jamie Proctor after a restart on lap 8. Bates led the balance of the race, stretching out to as much as a half-lap advantage at times. Another 17 year-old, Jessey Mueller of Olmstedville, NY, finished second after an exciting late-race duel with former track champion Todd Stone of Middlebury, VT.
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by Jay | Jul 20, 2012 | Bear Ridge, Dirt Track, New England, Vermont
Second-Half Push Begins at Bear Ridge Speedway on Saturday
Title fights heating up after last week’s Mid-Season Championships
Dirt track stock car drivers at Bradford, VT’s Bear Ridge Speedway are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel, now that the 21-week season has passed the halfway point. Several drivers from the 99ROCK Weekly Racing Series are beginning to make serious rallies toward the front of their divisions in hopes to play the roles of championship spoilers.
Entering Saturday’s Dennis Preston Builders-sponsored event, the best average finish in the headline Bond Auto Parts DIRTcar Sportsman Modified division belongs to former three-time champion Gary Siemons of Orford, NH. With a 5.0 average, Siemons is the only full-time driver to have posted a top-ten finish in all of his starts in 2012. He dug a hole for himself on opening night in May by not making the call for the event’s feature race, and trails leaders Adam Pierson, Kevin Chaffee, and Derek Graham as a result, but Siemons won on Jiffy Mart of Bradford Night in June, has three additional podium finishes, and remains the most consistent driver in the Modified division.
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by Jay | Jul 19, 2012 | New England, Thunder Road, Vermont
Barre, VT – Former Thunder Road Champion Jamie Fisher, and two-time Serie ACT Castrol Champion Donald Theetge were the first to file entries for the 50th Annual People’s United Bank Milk Bowl on Sunday, September 30 at Barre’s Thunder Road.
Fisher filed within 30 minutes of receiving his entry form last Thursday. “This may be the biggest Milk Bowl we ever run for, so I didn’t want to waste any time,” said Fisher. “We’ve finally got the car going great again this year, I think we’ve got a real shot,” he finished.
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by Jay | Jul 19, 2012 | Devils Bowl, New England, Vermont
Jelley, LaDuc, Ryan among showdown entries; RRMC Marrow Donor Program auction on tap
Some of Devil’s Bowl Speedway’s most accomplished stock car racing champions will climb behind the wheel again at Friday’s C.J. Richards Memorial event presented by Carrara Masonry & Concrete. All-star drivers from the West Haven, VT half-mile will strap into cars from the track’s Daredevil class for a special showdown as part of the event that features a 67-lap race for the headline NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Bond Auto Parts Modified division.
Among the entrants in the Daredevil event is Butch Jelley of Andover, VT. Jelley raced at Devil’s Bowl Speedway when Richards opened the track in 1967. Jelley’s highlights include six consecutive Modified wins in 1969 and the 1975 track championship. He’ll be joined by past Modified and Late Model standouts Tim LaDuc, Jimmy Ryan, Ray Hoard, Lee Nutting, Fred Little, Charlie Brown, Ralph Bruno, and Don Mattison. Together, the group accounts for over 150 feature victories and 10 track championships. The drivers will compete in track-owned Daredevil cars – virtually street-legal race cars with only safety modifications – which offer fans, sponsors, and members of the community the opportunity to race.
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