Goodyear Tire Gets Positive Reviews From Waterford Late Models

Budweiser Blastoff 100 coverage presented by "Fifty Years of Excitement"

WATERFORD, Conn. -- The Waterford Speedbowl Late Model division underwent a big change at the 2010 season opener on Sunday -- not in Tim Jordan winning the 50-lap feature, but rather in the tires that carried him to victory lane. For the first time in a weekly NASCAR Whelen All American Series Late Model race at the Connecticut track, the winner's car sported Goodyear tires.

Waterford Speedbowl changed from a Hoosier tires to the Goodyear D2672 and D2882 tires developed and used by the American-Canadian Tour. The Goodyear tire is built from a harder compound than the Hoosier and is therefore a bit more of a challenge to make handle, but should be a more predictable tire and will likely last longer.

Sunday's weather was nothing short of deplorable -- overcast and windy with temperatures in the low 40s to high 30s -- making the tire even harder to control. The race was marred by many spins and accidents, but still Jordan says the change was the right one to make.

"I think they're going to work, I just think it's a little cold. It's 39 degrees out, but guys have never really raced on [the Goodyears]," said the Plainfield, Conn., driver. "I have some experience with Tour racing with them so I kind of knew what to expect. I knew the car would probably get free on exit. Overall I think it's a great deal."

Jordan has been successful racing against the ACT Late Model Tour at his home track, finishing fifth last year at Waterford as well as testing and racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on the Goodyear tire. He won the 2006 Waterford championship and a total of 18 features on the Hoosier.

Hope Valley, R.I., driver Rich Staskowski was the Waterford championship runner-up last year, and had only raced once on the Goodyear tire in an ACT event in 2008. He finished fourth on Sunday and says he favors the Goodyear.

"I like the Goodyears a lot better than the Hoosiers," he said. In this cold weather they're really tough to get some heat and keep the heat into them, on the restarts they're really slick, but I like them. I think they're going to be a better tire for us and they're going to last longer. The Hoosiers really had a lot of weak sidewalls. I think they're going to be good."

Staskowski said he may attempt some ACT events in 2010 and that running the Goodyear tire every week will help Waterford teams prepare better for ACT events.

"I'd love to do some Tour racing this year. My finances might stop me, but I'm going to try to hit a couple races," he said. "[Running the Goodyear is] definitely going to help me prepare better against the Tour because that's what they run. We have to run what they run to be able to compete with them guys. When we put them on [in the past] we were behind the eight-ball from that moment until we actually got these things dialed in. I think it's a good move for Waterford Speedbowl to switch over to these Goodyears so all of these ACT guys can't have an unfair advantage when they come here."

Jordan is confident that his competitors will catch up to him soon.

"Really, I'm happy with the tire. I'm happy with their performance, they're consistent, they're great, but just a little slick," he said. "They're harder than the Hoosiers we ran on and it's going to take a couple of weeks for everybody to get used to it. I think you saw a lot of accidents that you would not have normally seen because people aren't used to them. That's racing I guess, when they change something on you, you've just got to adapt, and I guess we adapted the best.

"We've got experience on them. Whoever has the most experience usually gets it done, so we got lucky that we have experience on the Goodyear."

(PHOTOS: 1. Tim Jordan won the first Waterford Speedbowl Late Model race run on Goodyear tires; 2. A crew member for Rich Staskowski takes a measurement of the new Goodyear tires. Photos by Justin St. Louis/VMM)

PHOTOS: Budweiser Blastoff 100

Presented by "Fifty Years of Excitement"

Budweiser Blastoff 100

Coby Starts Short Season Off on Right Foot at Waterford

Budweiser Blastoff 100 coverage presented by "Fifty Years of Excitement"

WATERFORD, Conn. -- Doug Coby probably wishes the Modified Racing raced at Waterford Speedbowl every week. Coby, of Milford, Conn., is now a perfect two-for-two in MRS events at the track, winning Sunday's Budweiser Blastoff 100. Coby, who has only five races scheduled for 2010, held off another Waterford powerhouse in Rowan Pennink for the win.

Pennink came from 25th starting spot -- last -- to race on Coby's back bumper with ten laps remaining, but mysteriously went to the pits during a caution period on lap 90. Coby contends that although Pennink was strong, his own car was better.

"Rowan's got a good car, and we're the last two winners here (in MRS events)," said Coby. "I was just trying to hold the bottom. I figured there was so much junk on the track (from the race's many wrecks) that he couldn't really go up, and I figured if he went up top I would try to make my car a little wider. I know Rowan had a good car, but we had the car to beat."

Pennink, who had to change engines on Sunday morning, said he was unsure what the problem was that made his car shut down on lap 90, but his car had enough to get by Coby before then.

"We had an awesome car and got right up to the front pretty quick. The car was working awesome on the outside," said the Huntington Valley, Pa., driver. "I had him. I know I would have got him on the outside for the win."

Matt Hirschman of Northampton, Pa., inherited second place after Pennink pit, and held off defending MRS champion Jon McKennedy of Chelmsford, Mass., for the runner-up spot. Andy Seuss of Hampstead, N.H., was fourth with Sanford, Me., sophomore Jacob Dore fifth. The unofficial top ten was completed by Les Hinckley, Eric Goodale, Steve Masse, Dave Etheridge, and Pennink, who returned and finished as the last driver on the lead lap.

Ascutney rookie Joey Jarvis finished eleventh, one lap down.

Modified Racing Series Welcomes a New Jarvis

Budweiser Blastoff 100 coverage presented by "Fifty Years of Excitement"

WATERFORD, Conn. -- The Modified Racing Series has seen plenty of stars in its six-year tenure, among them the Jarvis brothers of Ascutney. Dwight was the 2006 champion of the series, and is among the most successful Vermonters to ever wheel a stock car with another 18 track championships in his hip pocket. His brother, Peter, was the 2007 MRS Rookie of the Year, and has won races from New England to Florida.

But as the Jarvis brothers enter the twilight of their careers, the next generation is ready to step in. At just 18 years old, Joey Jarvis, Peter's son, enters his first full season in the Modified Racing Series.

"We just want to make it in to all the races," Joey says. But don't let him fool you into thinking he's not comfortable behind the wheel. In his first season of Modified racing at Twin State Speedway in Claremont, N.H., last year, he lost the championship by just a single point. The year before that, he took podium finishes in all 18 of his starts to stroll to the track's Strictly Stock championship. Before that, he dominated youth divisions at Twin State and Canaan.

And the car he's driving this year? It's the Wally Albro-owned #9NH formerly driven by -- who else? -- Peter Jarvis.

"It's a good car, and it's getting better and better," said Joey, a very accomplished saxophonist and guitarist. "I think we should be good this season, but I just want to learn." In his three starts with the Modified Racing Series last season, Jarvis showed that the learning curve may be a sort one; he registered a seventh-place finish at Lee USA Speedway to end the year, and was impressive to begin 2010 at Waterford Speedbowl on Sunday.

While running in sixth place on lap 76 and catching the leaders, Jarvis ran out of fuel under caution. He lost one lap while in the pits, but rallied to finish 11th.

"I think we proved the underdogs are here," he said after the race. "We didn't get much to show for how we ran, but if we hadn't run out of gas I think we would have been right up there with the leaders."

With the impressions he's made already, and the pedigree his racing family gave him, Joey Jarvis likely won't have long before he is the leader.

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Vermont Motorsports Magazine is getting its 2010 racing season started today with the Modified Racing Series Budweiser Blastoff 100 at Waterford Speedbowl in Connecticut!

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