Aaron Bartemy tops Airborne Speedway Modifieds

Aaron Bartemy of Champlain bested a robust 28-car field of DIRTcar Modifieds and became the fourth different Modified feature winner in four weeks Saturday at Airborne Speedway.

Bartemy used the outside lane to move from sixth to second on a restart after a red flag incident on lap 7 of the 30-lap X-PLO/E-Z Store main event.

While the field was lining up after a caution flag three laps later, race leader Dan Brown pitted with engine trouble, putting Bartemy on the point. After a dozen laps of close pursuit from Patrick Dupree and Pat McGrail, Bartemy extended his lead to five car-lengths as the race remained under green.
(more…)

Brett Wheeler Thunder Road Driver Highlight

[nggallery id=14]

Story and photos by Leif Tillotson

It’s hard to imagine someone driving a race car in front of thousands of fans each week and going largely unnoticed, yet that is exactly where Waterbury Center, VT’s Brett Wheeler and his Hallstrom Motorsports team find themselves most of the time.

There are better-funded race teams with much flashier drivers at Thunder Road International Speedbowl in Barre. They grab headlines with wins and crashes, perhaps evening daring passes for position and maybe even an occasional bit of controversy. The driver of the #1 Late Model is not among this group.

With a solid ninth-place final points position in 2011, Brett Wheeler has proven that he belongs among “the big boys” at the track that bills itself as “The Nation’s Site of Excitement.” Rather than muscle his way in front of his competitors, Brett is content to earn his place at the top by being a courteous, methodical and smart racer.
(more…)

Hudson Speedway Race Report for May 20th 2012 racing

Jarod Soucy took the Roadrunner Division veterans to school by winning in his first ever Roadrunner feature on Hudson Speedways 65th opening day on May 20th. Soucy was co-champion with Chad Wendell last season in the Thunder Lights, Hudson’s youth division. Soucy didn’t miss a beat in stepping up and racing in the faster and tougher Roadrunner division. Soucy started seventh and had patience and waited for the right time to make passes. Hollywood Helliwell had the lead with two laps to go and by then Soucy was on his bumper. Soucy got under Helliwell coming off a corner and took the white flag in first place and hung on to win.

Erica Page also made the leap from Thunder Lights to the Roadrunners. Page led from the drop of the green until after the halfway mark when a caution flew. Page had a poor restart and got shuffled back in the pack and finished ninth. Page has always raced front wheel drive cars but this season is in a rear wheel drive. Once she gets a little more seat time in the car we will see her in victory lane with the checkers in hand.
(more…)

Pierson Steals First Bear Ridge Speedway Modified Win

Harrington wins wild Coupe race, Krawiec in USAC Midgets

Defending Bond Auto Parts DIRTcar Sportsman Modified stock car champion Adam Pierson returned to victory lane in the 30-lap R&M Automotive main event at Bear Ridge Speedway on Saturday night. The Fairlee, VT driver passed Justin Comes late in the race to score his first win of the season.

Comes, 18, of Middlebury, VT grabbed the lead from Josh Sunn on lap 19 and looked like a certain first-time winner, but Pierson was able to reel Comes in and take the lead late in the going. A final restart with just a handful of laps remaining gave Pierson the jump and solidified him in the top spot. Kevin Chaffee of Fairlee, VT snuck past Comes as the runner-up. Comes, Sunn, and Derek Graham completed the top five.

Troy Comeau of Rumney, NH scored his first-ever Bear Ridge victory in the Sportsman Modified Rookie feature, beating Eddie Patterson and Josh Currier.

Josh Harrington of Topsham, VT was the surprise winner in the Wells River Chevrolet Sportsman Coupe feature. Much like Comes in the Modifieds, sophomore driver Teddy Salomaa of Bradford, VT was out front and headed to an apparent first career win, but the driveline broke on his car in the final corner, stacking the field up behind him.

Harrington, who was running in second place, was the first driver to mash the gas pedal and crossed the line as the winner. Jason Horniak of Bradford, VT slipped past for second place, and Gene Pierson limped his badly damaged car home in third. Salomaa coasted across the line in fourth place – still a career-best effort – with Terry Williams fifth.

“Flat Foot” Joe Krawiec of Bristol, CT earned his first USAC Dirt Midget Association win of the season in convincing fashion. Double-duty racer Chaffee drove from deep in the field to finish second, with Tim Gallant of Wales, MA a career-best third. Scott Holcomb and Chase Dowling ran fourth and fifth, respectively.

Mike Greene of Pike, NH squeaked out his first A Notch Above Automotive Limited Late Model win in a thrilling, razor-close battle with youngster Jordan Fornwalt of Bradford, VT. Greene nipped his 15 year-old rival by less than three feet for the victory. Rookie Sam Comeau was third ahead of Brian Chaffee and Travis King.

Chuck Simmons of Bradford, VT scored an emotional win in the Weglarz Property Service Fast Four feature, avenging a loss from the previous week after suffering a flat tire while leading. Tim Martin of White River Junction, VT was second with Rochester, VT’s Danny Doyle third.

Charlie Lakin of Groton, VT took down his first KDD NAPA of Bradford Hornet win in several years, leading every step of the way. Rookie driver Brandon Gray of East Thetford, VT was second with Andy Mooney of Danville, VT third; each scored the best finishes of their Bear Ridge careers.

In Granite State Mini Sprint action, Rich Crooker of Nashua, NH ran to his first Bear Ridge win of the year in the 600cc division after early leader Dave Morgan had a mechanical failure. Troy Boissoneau and Jake Williams completed the podium. Josh Boissoneau of Bedford, NH won the crash-marred 500cc feature ahead of Mike Bubnis and Kyle Belliveau.

Bear Ridge Speedway’s 45th season of stock car racing continues with the Remembrance of Lost Friends event presented by Dad’s 4 By Tool & Supply. A full card of the 99ROCK Weekly Racing Series Modifieds, Coupes, Late Models, Fast Fours, and Hornets is on tap, along with the WYKR Sprint Cars of New England and the Hornet Queens. Special general admission is $13 for adults (age 18-61), $10 for teens (12-17) and seniors (62+), and $2 for children; Visa and MasterCard are accepted. Racing begins at the famous “6:00-ish” start time.

Bear Ridge Speedway is located on Kidder Road in Bradford, VT, just off Exit 16 on Interstate 91. For more information, call (802) 222-4052 or visit www.bearridgespeedway.com.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS – R&M Automotive Night
Bear Ridge Speedway — Bradford, VT
Saturday, May 19, 2012

Pos.-Driver-Hometown
(# – denotes rookie)

Bond Auto DIRTcar Sportsman Modified
1. Adam Pierson, Fairlee, VT
2. Kevin Chaffee, Fairlee, VT
3. Justin Comes, Middlebury, VT
4. Josh Sunn, White River Junction, VT
5. Derek Graham, Woodsville, NH
6. Jeff Elliott, Benton, NH
7. Bryan King, Corinth, VT
8. Gary Siemons, Orford, NH
9. Dan Eastman, Thetford Center, VT
10. Robert Tucker, East Topsham, VT
11. Richie Simmons, Bradford, VT
12. Jack Cook, Moultonboro, NH
13. # Eddie Patterson, Websterville, VT
14. # Troy Comeau, Rumney, NH
15. Bob Shepard, West Topsham, VT
16. Billy Lussier, Fair Haven, VT
17. Mike Dunn, North Haverhill, NH
18. # Josh Currier, Newport, NH
19. Evan Kingsbury, Bradford, VT
Did Not Start: Jason Gray, East Thetford, VT

Bond Auto DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Rookie Feature
1. Troy Comeau, Rumney, NH
2. Eddie Patterson, Websterville, VT
3. Josh Currier, Newport, NH

Wells River Chevrolet Sportsman Coupe
1. Josh Harrington, Topsham, VT
2. Jason Horniak, Bradford, VT
3. Gene Pierson, Jr., East Corinth, VT
4. Teddy Salomaa, Bradford, VT
5. Terry Williams, Wells River, VT
6. Jason Colbeth, Newbury, VT
7. Mike McGinley, East Barre, VT
8. # Josh Constantine, East Corinth, VT
9. Tim Hodge, Vershire, VT
10. Jeremy Beckley, Woodsville, NH
11. Buster Kathan, Ludlow, VT
12. Steve Ellsworth, Corinth, VT
13. # Jesse Smith, Topsham, VT
14. Rick Fletcher
15. # Jerry Catterall, Piermont, NH
16. Martin Mastic, Bradford, VT
17. # Tom Placey, Bradford, VT
18. Jeff Robbins, Woodsville, NH

USAC Dirt Midget Association
1. Joe Krawiec, Bristol, CT
2. Kevin Chaffee, Fairlee, VT
3. Tim Gallant, Wales, MA
4. Scott Holcomb, Granby, CT
5. # Chase Dowling, Roxbury, CT
6. Ray Miller, East Granby, CT
7. Denny Zimmerman, Glastonbury, CT
8. # Matt Covey, Corinth, VT
9. Dean Christenson, Granby, CT
10. Adam Whitney, Warren, VT
11. Greg Olson, East Providence, RI
12. Kevin Tefft, Wakefield, RI
13. Jamie Spalding, Chaplin, CT
14. Dave Hotchkiss, East Granby, CT
15. # Jeff Champagne, Westfield, MA
16. David Rose, Jr., Keene, NH
17. Jim Close, Ellington, CT
18. Dana Shaw, Plainfield, CT

A Notch Above Automotive Limited Late Model
1. Mike Greene, Jr., Pike, NH
2. Jordan Fornwalt, Bradford, VT
3. # Sam Comeau, Rumney, NH
4. Brian Chaffee, West Topsham, VT
5. # Travis King, Corinth, VT
6. # Val Lund, Vershire, VT
7. Matt Ellsworth, Corinth, VT

Weglarz Property Service Fast Four
1. Chuck Simmons, Bradford, VT
2. Tim Martin, White River Junction, VT
3. Danny Doyle, Barre, VT
4. Steve Bell, St. Johnsbury, VT
5. Kevin Harran, St. Johnsbury, VT
6. Dave Durkee, Sr., White River Junction, VT
7. Bobby Bell, St. Johnsbury, VT
8. Jim Durkee, Sharon, VT
9. Rob Gioia, East Thetford, VT
10. Derrick Durkee, Sharon, VT

KDD NAPA Auto Parts Hornet
1. Charlie Lakin, Groton, VT
2. # Brandon Gray, East Thetford, VT
3. Andy Mooney, Danville, VT
4. Brent Warren, Salisbury, VT
5. Joe Kemp, Leicester, VT
6. Mike Ryan, Chelsea, VT
7. Mike Lique, West Lebanon, NH
8. Mike Stender, South Strafford, VT
9. Don Reynolds, Springfield, VT
10. # Ryan Farnham, Fairlee, VT
11. Eric Lang, Groton, VT
12. # Donna Racine, Danville, VT
13. # Jacob Blake, Waterbury, VT
14. Rob Isham, St. Johnsbury, VT
15. # James Fadden, North Haverhill, NH
16. # Travis Tattersall, Bradford, VT
17. Lisa Austin

Granite State Mini Sprint 600cc
1. Rich Crooker, Nashua, NH
2. Troy Boissoneau, Bedford, NH
3. Jake Williams, Center Tuftonboro, NH
4. Tim Beard
5. Spencer Allen, Plainfield, NH
6. Josh Boissoneau, Bedford, NH
7. Jim DeCombra
8. Jackie Nocella, Woburn, MA
9. # Frankie Sweeney
10. # Lyman Bryden
11. Greg Smith
12. Lacey Hanson, Orwell, VT
13. Dave Morgan, Woburn, MA
14. Brian Gray
15. Scott Preston, Monkton, VT

Granite State Mini Sprint 500cc
1. Josh Boissoneauu, Bedford, NH
2. Mike Bubnis, Walpole, NH
3. Kyle Belliveau, Hopkinton, NH
4. Peter Belliveau
5. Patrick Smith, East Andover, NH
6. Robyn Boisvert, East Andover, NH
7. # Eva LeClair
8. Kevin Ellis, Fair Haven, VT
9. # Shena Covey
10. # Lauren Boisvert, East Andover, NH
11. Don Collins, Laconia, NH
12. Stephen Hutchinson, Manchester, NH
13. Lacey Hanson, Orwell, VT
14. Dylan Rock, Enfield, NH
15. # Brandon Berry, Center Ossipee, NH
16. # Derrick Barker
17. Chad Southworth, Fairlee, VT

Visit NERacingForum.Com for latest New England Racing community News and updates.

[adrotate block=”3″]

RYAN PREECE LOOKS TO CONTINUE 2012 HOT STREAK IN TSI HARLEY-DAVIDSON 125 AT STAFFORD SPEEDWAY

Stafford

(Stafford Springs, CT)—For Ryan Preece and the #16 Diversified Metals
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour team, the 2012 season couldn’t have gotten off
to a much better start than it has. In the first three races of the 2012
season, Preece and his team have won the pole position for all three events,
giving them four consecutive pole positions dating back to the final race of
2011, and they have led 361 of the 534 laps that have been completed thus
far. With Preece securing his first victory since joining the #16 team for
the last race of the 2011 season last week at Monadnock, he is looking to
continue his hot streak when the Whelen Modified Tour returns to Stafford
next Friday night for the 22nd Annual TSI Harley-Davidson 125.
(more…)

VALENTI MODIFIED SERIES – Thompson Speedway race story – Monday, May 21, 2012

THOMPSON, CT. – Even though he had what he described as an, “ill-handling car,” Rowan Pennick of Huntington Valley, Pa., was able to withstand several challenges from Richard Savary to go on and win the 75-lap Valenti Modified Racing Series on Sunday night at Thompson International Speedway.

It was the fifth win over-all and second on the series at Thompson for Pennick who became the race’s third and final leader when he passed Ted Christopher in turns three and four on the 30th lap.

Christopher, who led from lap 16 when he passed Todd Owen, driving for series organizer Jack Bateman, dropped out shortly thereafter.
(more…)

Eddie MacDonald scored 10th place finish in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series at Iowa Speedway

NASCAR K&N SeriesEddie MacDonald scored a tenth place finish in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East/West combination race in the Graham Tire 150 at Iowa Speedway. Two West cars finished ahead of the Grimm Construction Chevy giving MacDonald eighth place East Series points. He currently sits in eighth place in the point’s race after four events.

“The car was really fast in the first practice running sixth and we were very happy with it,” said MacDonald. “We went out on old tires so we expected to be faster with new tires, but we were not. The car was very loose in qualifying and I didn’t know what happened. All of a sudden it didn’t handle anything like it did in practice. We lost some positions in the second practice but that was because all the other teams ran stickers. So qualifying the way we did was a real surprise.”
(more…)

Austin Theriault Finishes 5th In ACT Armed Forces Day 150 At Oxford Plains Speedway

ACT American Canadian TourAustin Theriault: ACT Late Model Tour
Oxford Plains Speedway Race Report

Austin Theriault of Fort Kent, Maine, finished fifth in the ACT Late Model Tour Armed Forces Day 150 at Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford, Maine, on Sunday, May 20. Theriault started third in the 33-car field, but a tire issue that plagued many of the ACT teams in qualifying threw a curveball at the No. 57 Pelletier Ford Ford Fusion team. Teams were allowed to use new tires for the Armed Forces Day 150, but with the change in rubber, the car never handled as well as it had earlier in the day. Still, Theriault posted his third Top-5 finish in four starts this season and closed on the ACT Late Model Tour points leaders.
(more…)