ACT Tiger Tour Opens At White Mountain Saturday

(From ACT press release)

NORTH WOODSTOCK, N.H. -- White Mountain Motorsports Park will open the Bond Auto/Wix Filters Tiger Tour on Saturday, June 5. The Tiger Sportsman cars from throughout the region will begin their championship run in the first of four events for the 2010 race season.

“White Mountain was a natural for us to begin the 2010 campaign,” said Tom Curley, President of the American-Canadian Tour which sanctions the division. “WMMP took a major step to bring the ACT rules for the Tiger Sportsman division to the track this season, and we want to do whatever we can to try and help get this division in a growth trend at WMMP. We have encouraged the Thunder Road Tiger teams to visit WMMP whenever they can in 2010.”

All tour events will be 100 laps. The other scheduled events that will be held during the season are Thunder Road in Barre on July 1, Canaan Fair (N.H.) Speedway on August 21, and Riverside Speedway in Groveton, N.H., on October 9.

Seven-time ACT Late Model Tour champion Jean-Paul Cyr has assembled a group that will oversee the Tiger Tour on behalf of ACT. “I asked Jean if he had any interest in helping out this summer as we also have many races with the ACT Late Model Tour, the Serie ACT-Castrol Edge, and Thunder Road,” continued Curley. “He certainly has plenty of racing experience and he has brought some of his Late Model team to help with long-time members Randy Ploof and Bruce King joining him.”

The opening ACT Tiger Tour event is expected to draw 30 teams to White Mountain. Leading the pack will be Brendan Moodie from North Wolcott, Vt., winner on Memorial Day weekend at Thunder Road. Tiger Tour champion Shawn Duquette of Morrisonville, N.Y., will make the long haul to the picturesque 1/4-mile oval in defense of his 2009 title. Former Thunder Road champions Shawn Fleury and Jimmy Hebert have both entered the White Mountain event, and Late Model drivers Chip Grenier and Dave Pembroke, both graduates of the Tiger division, will also be compete.

Pit gates open at noon, practice starts at 2:30 and post time is 5:00 on Saturday, June 5. For more information contact WMMP at http://www.whitemtnmotorsports.com/ or call (603) 745-6727.

Devil's Bowl Asphalt Gets Rave Reviews

WEST HAVEN -- Consider the Devil’s Bowl Speedway experiment a success, at least as far as the first practice session goes.

Champlain Valley Racing Association management paved the track this month after four decades of operating it as a dirt facility, invoking the ire of some race teams and fans. But to the surprise of the nearly 30 teams that tested the new asphalt surface on Saturday afternoon, the results of the change were impressive.

"It’s gonna be fast," said Tim LaDuc, a veteran Modified standout from nearby Orwell. "I think it’ll be competitive. There appears to be a couple of lanes for traffic, so hopefully it’ll be good." LaDuc has raced a handful of times on asphalt at Airborne Speedway in New York and Canaan Fair Speedway in New Hampshire.

Former American-Canadian Tour champion Dave Whitcomb of Essex Junction and Modified driver Mike Bruno of Bomoseen, a veteran of both dirt and asphalt surfaces, likened the new surface to the 5/8-mile Riverside Speedway in Ste-Croix, Que.

"I'm looking forward to it. I like the fast tracks and the long straightaways," said Bruno, who won at the CVRA’s other track, Albany-Saratoga Speedway -- also a newly transformed asphalt track -- on Friday night. "It kind of seperates the guys that can drive it down deep into the corner and keep the car straight."

Keeping it straight, though, is Bruno's biggest concern for his fellow competitors. "It’s gonna be pretty wild. It’s going to take a while with the [Modified] guys here because a lot of them haven't raced pavement. I think it’s going to be a lot of defensive driving in the beginning for the first few races, but I think the racing will get better as the guys get more acclimated to the race track."

Sportsman driver Hunter Bates of Middlebury said the difference between the asphalt and dirt surfaces is big. "It's a lot tighter and a lot less forgiving [than dirt]," Bates said. "We’ll help each other out a little bit, but it’s pretty tough to figure it out as a whole. Everybody’s going to have to try to learn."

A few small groups of fans watched the practice. Most were impressed at the increased speeds of the open-wheel divisions, especially the top-tier Modifieds. Bruno was clocked at a little more than 106-mph in the first practice session, less than one mile per hour off the existing dirt track record, and Bruno admitted he "wasn't pushing it" at the time.

Race fan Sharon Randazzo of Granville, N.Y., was eager to see how things would turn out with the new surface after watching dirt races at Devil's Bowl for more than 20 years. "This is the first time we've seen the cars on asphalt, so it should prove interesting for this year."

"I'm excited. I want to see it."

SCoNE 360 Sprint Car Results @ Canaan, May 14

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS -- Sprint Cars of New England
Canaan Dirt Speedway -- Canaan, N.H.
Friday, May 14, 2010

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

1. Shawn Lawler, Mason, N.H.
2. Mark Cole, Lebanon, N.H.
3. Clay Dow, Ossipee, N.H.
4. Anthony Cain, Fairfax
5. Dan Douville, Concord, N.H.
6. # Kevin Chaffee, Orange
7. # Chris Donnelly, Piermont, N.H.
8. Bruce Kimball, Lebanon, N.H.
9. Robby Bodwell, Sanbornton, N.H.
10. Lacey Hanson, Orwell
11. # Shawn Berry
12. # Chris Chalke, Jaffrey, N.H.
13. # Randy Wimert, Falmouth, Me.
14. Randy Howe, Lebanon, N.H.
15. Eli Deshaies, North Kingston, R.I.

Lawler Wins SCoNE Opener at Canaan

CANAAN, N.H. -- Former Sprint Cars of New England champion Shawn Lawler of Mason, N.H., opened the 2010 season with a victory at Canaan Dirt Speedway on Friday night. Former SCoNE champion Mark Cole of Lebanon, N.H., was second, with Ossipee, N.H., driver Clay Dow third. Anthony Cain of Fairfax, Vt., was fourth with Concord, N.H.'s Dan Douville fifth.

Rookies Kevin Chaffee of Orange, Vt., and Chris Donnelly of Piermont, N.H., finished sixth and seventh, respectively in their first SCoNE starts. Bruce Kimball, Robby Bodwell, and Lacey Hanson completed the top-ten finishers.

Increased interest in the SCoNE 360 Sprint Car series saw 15 teams compete in the Canaan opener including five rookies. The series' next event is at Big Daddy's Speedbowl in Rumney, N.H., on May 23.

The Juice: Ahhh, Racing Season!

-by Justin St. Louis
VMM Editor

One down, 70-ish to go. VMM took in its first race of the year at Waterford Speedbowl last weekend, and witnessed a decent show by the Modified Racing Series troops, the NEMA Midgets, and Waterford's Late Models, Mini Stocks, and Street Stocks.

The MRS race had 11 cautions, but we're willing to forgive that and chalk it up to first-race growing pains. That and the fact that one of those cautions was for a spectacular seven-car crash at the flagstand that sent Jimmy Dolan flying through the air. If you're gonna wreck, boys, make it big and do it in front of the grandstands so the paying fans can see. Job well done. (We wouldn't be applauding the crash, of course, if anyone got hurt. Thankfully there were no injuries reported.)

Doug Coby was clearly very strong and deserved to win the race, but it would have been interesting to see if Rowan Pennink could have beaten him. Pennink changed an engine Sunday morning and was forced to come from 25th starting spot to rap on Coby's back bumper with ten laps remaining. Under caution on lap 90, though, Pennink's car shut down. Initial reports were that the car's fuel cell ran dry, but that was later discounted by Pennink's team members, who instead cited an unknown mechanical failure.

The Mini Stocks at Waterford are among the best four-cylinder divisions I've ever seen anywhere, bar none, and the Street Stocks going three- and four-wide around a track that isn't really built for that kind of racing was a lot of fun to watch. The Late Models were a bit strung out at times, but there were a few good battles and some key wrecks that changed the complexion of the race. The NEMA race wasn't much to write home about, but it took only five minutes from green to checkers, and it was cool to have a first-time winner in Chris Leonard.

All in all, it was a great way to begin the 2010 season, and we're looking forward to the American-Canadian Tour opener at Lee USA Speedway on April 18.

***

What was not great was the 60-lap, hour-long-plus SK Modified feature, one that featured no less than four different spins by Frank Mucciacciaro, and a ton of restarts that -- to this unbiased non-regular to the track -- looked a bit fishy.

Leader Keith Rocco jumped the start half the time, played jackrabbit half the time, and brake-checked the field before rocketing to the green the other half of the time. (There were so many restarts that there were actually three halves of the race. I counted.) I won't suggest that Rocco gets special treatment at Waterford, but it seemed fairly obvious that he was going to get away with whatever he wanted to when it was time to take the green flag.

Maybe that's the way Waterford does things, I don't know. It would be easier to point fingers if another driver had been the polesitter for any of the restarts, but Rocco led every lap and was therefore the point man the entire race. We just hope it was a one-race thing and that it's not a regular occurence.

For safety's sake, Mucciacciaro needs to either get a spotter, a mirror, or a big rubber ball to live inside. Maybe all three. I saw him chop down on other cars, I saw him drive directly into other cars, I saw him spin completely on his own, and I saw him end up in a pileup across the finish line when he was running in last place. And again, the officials need to say something. Let him ride around and make some laps and get seat time, but when he starts to ruin the race, put him on the trailer. Come back next week and try it again.

At the races I've always enjoyed seeing, there would have been one warning for Rocco's mind games, and no more than three strikes for Mucciacciaro's disregard for the race. Hopefully Waterford Speedbowl will catch on before I go back there in October.

***

At 6-2-2, the Habs have the best record in the East over the last ten games. We should just let those silly Bruins scoot by us for seventh place so they can get schlacked in four games by the Penguins in the playoffs, ya know, since the B's obviously won't put up a fight against them when it matters anyway.

And then there's Atlanta and the Rangers lurking back there just outside the cutoff. In reality, I said at the beginning of the season that I'd be surprised if my boys from Montréal made the post-season, so I'm pretty tickled that we're in a position to be there.

Hmm? What? This is a racing blog? Wow, my bad. Anywho...

***

The new three-track alliance between Bear Ridge, Canaan, and the new Big Daddy's Speedbowl can only be a good thing for dirt racers and fans in the area. With the headline Sportsman Modifieds running under a common rulebook, the popular Twin State Series has been recreated, and underwriting has been found in Gravco Janitorial Services.

With the momentum Bear Ridge Speedway gained last year in the Modifieds -- going from an average of 6 cars in 2008 to 25 by the end of 2009 -- and the promotional creativity of Canaan's Dick Therrien and the enthusiasm of Mike "Big Daddy" Rivers, we're expecting big things this season.

***

It was sure nice to be at a race track in March. In fact, I'm not sure I've ever witnessed a race in person during that particular month. I'm also not sure I'll ever want to again, at least not in New England. #freakingcold

Yes, that was a Twitter reference. #getonthebandwagon

***

The call by Mike Ford to bring Denny Hamlin out of the lead and into the pits was probably the gutsiest move a crew chief has made in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in a long time, and Hamlin's drive from ninth to the win in four laps was the paydirt. Don't ever again tell me short tracks don't belong in NASCAR. If you weren't excited about Martinsville you need your pulse checked.

***

We had heard some rumblings last year of Mike Bruno possibly coming back to ACT a little bit in 2010, and Saturday's open practice at Albany-Saratoga Speedway in Malta, N.Y., confirmed that for us. The Bomoseen racer was behind the wheel of Jacob McGrath's #72 car, joining Jamie Fisher in his familiar S.D. Ireland #18. (Click here for a photo of the two in action on the Champlain Valley Racing Association website.)

Bruno told us that he, McGrath, and Barney McRae have put a team together to run a handful of events, beginning with ACT's first-ever trip to Malta in April, and the special 100-lap Late Model event at Devil's Bowl in West Haven on May 23. He also said he may run the car once or twice on Thursday nights at Thunder Road.

Bruno plans to race his dirt-style Modified full-time at both Albany-Saratoga and Devil's Bowl, and will bring the car to Airborne Speedway for the big events.

"I want to get back to racing ACT within the next two or three years," Bruno said. "I had been trying to get a ride for this season, but when the CVRA paved both Malta and the Bowl, I figured I'd race my Modified here in my own back yard at my two home tracks. The deal with Jacob is going to be good -- he's going to work for me this summer on the Modified, and I'm going to help him with the Late Model. He'll drive it a few times and I'll drive it a few times."

Bruno said the the thing he looks forward to most about the partnership with McGrath is having a crew chief in McRae.

"Barney's a funny guy and people joke about him sometimes, but the truth is he really knows everything about these cars," Bruno said. "Having him at Malta was great. It was really nice for me to be able to get in the seat and just be a driver, rather than have to think about what the chassis needs, or this or that. I'm happy we've got him to help us out."

***

THIS WEEKEND: Seventeen year-old Steven Legendre of Danville takes on Maine powerhouses Ben Rowe and Johnny Clark, NASCAR's David Ragan, and the stars of the PASS South Super Late Models for the Easter Bunny 150 at the legendary Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway on Saturday. The race is Round #2 of five in the PASS National Championship.

Legendre finished third in his last outing at Dillon (S.C.) Motor Speedway on March 13, and was 6th in the PASS National opener at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway in January. He sits fourth in National points. Brad Leighton of Center Harbor, N.H., won at New Smyrna and leads the National standings, followed by Clark, New Brunswick's Lonnie Sommerville, Legendre, and Preston Peltier of North Carolina. Strong, Me.'s Dale Brackett sits seventh with Rowe in eighth.

VMM's favorite sandwich man, "Subway Dave" Parker will be at Hickory, and we'll have periodic updates as they are available on our Twitter page. Yup, I said it again. Twitter. #justdoit

Closer to home, New Hampshire Motor Speedway is holding an open house on Saturday and offering fans a chance to drive their own cars around the 1.058-mile speedway in the FANtasy DRIVE. Many racing oragnizations will be taking part in displays and fan-friendly promotions including the American-Canadian Tour with drivers John Donahue and Brent Dragon (that oughta be fun... Milk Bowl memories anyone?), Thunder Road's Nick Sweet, and Lee USA Speedway's Wayne Helliwell, Jr. Legendary media men Ken Squier and Dr. Dick Berggren will also be on hand for a fan Q&A session. Visit www.nhms.com for more details.

(PHOTOS: 1. Waterford's Street Stocks were fantastic; 2. Keith Rocco (#57) got this much of a jump more than a couple times; 3. Mike Bruno's gonna be busy this year. All photos by Justin St. Louis/VMM)

Gravco Janitorial to Present Twin State Modified Series

Series reborn at Bear Ridge, Big Daddy's, Canaan

BRADFORD -- The Twin State Modified Series is back for 2010 at Bradford's Bear Ridge Speedway, Canaan Dirt Speedway in Canaan, N.H., and the new Big Daddy's Speedbowl in Rumney, N.H. Gravco Janitorial Services of Barre, Vt., will sponsor the series for the Sportsman Modified division, newly aligned at the three dirt tracks by an alliance between promoters C.V. Elms, Dick Therrien, and Mike Rivers.

Each track will host a pair of 40-lap events, with a $400 bonus for the Twin State Series champion. The runner-up will receive $250, third place $150, fourth place $125, and fifth place $100.

"This was a great series a few years ago, one that the race teams looked forward to," said Bear Ridge promoter Elms. "This new opportunity will allow teams to experience the excitement of racing at all three tracks for the series championship."

"This Series always provided top notch racing," said Brent Graves of Gravco Janitorial Services. "With this economy, the extra money in purses and the solid point fund will be very attractive to many race teams."

Dates for the six Gravco Janitorial Services Twin State Modified Series events will be announced soon.

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.

Dirt Track Promoters Unite in Vermont, New Hampshire

Bear Ridge, Canaan, Big Daddy's adopt universal Sportsman Modified rules

RUTLAND -- A Sunday meeting between the promoters of Northern New England's most prominent dirt tracks will be a boon for racers throughout the region in 2010. The summit bewteen C.V. Elms of Bradford's Bear Ridge Speedway, Canaan (N.H.) Dirt Speedway promoter Dick Therrien, and Mike Rivers of the new Big Daddy's Speedbowl in Rumney, N.H., produced a rulebook that will allow cars in the tracks' headline divisions -- the Sportsman Modifieds -- to compete under a rulebook that includes a universal tire, and common crate and non-crate engine packages.

"We all made concessions in best interest of the sport and especially the race teams," Therrien said in a press release on the Canaan Dirt Speedway website. "We have been working so hard to put this package together. I am proud of all of us that have been involved. We have really done something great for the sport, for our fans, and our racers." Therrien, a Lyndonville native who has worked at White Mountain Motorsports Park and Riverside Speedway, is in his first year operating both the dirt and asphalt tracks at the Canaan Fairgrounds.

"It took a lot of work, but I can proudly say that I walked away from the table feeling pretty good about what we accomplished," said Elms, a third-generation racer and promoter.

"My goal from the start was to have all three tracks working in unison," said first-time promoter Rivers, who renamed and redesigned the track recently known as Rattlesnake Motordrome and Legion Speedway following the 2009 season. "This rules package will certainly go a long way towards making this work. I’m very proud to be a part of this group. Now, we have to keep the communication lines open, and if that happens, it will be a great season."

The common rulebook gives teams the option to race Friday nights at Canaan, Saturdays at Bear Ridge, and Sundays at Big Daddy's.

The Juice: Where Were YOU?

-by Justin St. Louis

JFK. The first moon landing. The Miracle On Ice. The Challenger space shuttle. September 11.

And now, electronic scoring.

Where were you when these life-changing events took place? I'll never forget where I was yesterday, messing around at my "real" job, reading Twitter on my phone, when messages came across from ACT and Thunder Road that the organizations would be switching to electronic scoring systems for 2010. I'm telling you I almost dropped my Blackberry right there.

I had to read it again. And again. Then I read the actual press release itself. Could this really be happening?

Since the dawn of its existence, Thunder Road has been very steadfast and proud of its traditional tape-scoring procedures. Hand-written scoresheets scribbled hastily each and every lap by as many as five or six people for as many as 200 laps. The practice was perfected at the Barre track in 1963 by Dr. Gordon Nielsen, and techniques and systems were developed there and spread to the masses at race tracks across the country, from tiny Vermont bullrings to the wide-open spaces of Daytona. But tape scoring is becoming a forgotten art, and yesterday it lost another battle in its war of surivial.

In an age where everything is done by computers (and here I am), Thunder Road and ACT -- or, more specifically, front man Tom Curley -- have been deadset against implementing electronic scoring, citing its many faults. In person, I have heard Curley go on maybe a dozen times in as many years about the disadvantages of electronic scoring. I agree with many of his arguments, including the dreaded "glitch" that seems to happen only in the most important of moments.

Many fans may not know this, but the first Modified Racing Series event at Thunder Road in 2008 was a nightmare for the electronic scoring system used that day. I have also witnessed first-hand several scoring-related delays at places like Oxford Plains and Lee USA speedways, transponders either not registering or simply "missing" a random lap at many other tracks, and myriad other problems.

As I understand it, each race car's transponder is in the same pre-determined location, so many inches or feet from the front edge of the front bumper, with a scoring loop buried in the racing surface the same number of feet or inches in front of the start/finish line. This means a car's transponder crosses the scoring loop at the same time the front bumper crosses the start/finish line. (For the record, the NEKC go-kart series has used electronic scoring at Thunder Road for many years, and the scoring loop wires are clearly visible in the asphalt about four to five yards before the start/finish line at the track; MRS has used this same system in both of its appearances at the track, and NASCAR used the system with its Busch North Series events in the late 1990s and early 2000s.)

But at most tracks, the scoring loop travels only a couple of feet into the infield, if at all. What if a car has to go through the infield for some reason and misses the loop, but is able to continue? Is the car not scored that lap?

How about this scenario, and say for the sake of the argument that the transponders are located on the rear frame rail of each car (which is quite common): What if two cars are racing for position coming to the line, and Car A spins but Car B continues, yet Car A -- now facing backwards -- has its transponder cross the line before the Car B, which although its nose may have crossed the finish first, its transponder is scored behind Car A's. Yeah, I made a diagram. According to the transponder, Car A is the winner, but according to everything else logical, Car B is the winner. In theory, you would think such a decision could be easily overturned by a race director or anyone else that physically witnessed the incident.

In a situation where there are between three and six human scorers watching every single car with their own eyes and writing everything down as it happens, it'd be a moot point and Car B would win every time. In this case, where transponders have replaced humans (and the impression that the official press release gives is that there won't be as many people sitting in the scoring tower as there used to be, meaning less eyes watching), it's plausible that such a scenario could be missed if it was to happen somewhere in the middle of the pack rather than at the front.

Is that a likely thing to happen often? Probably not. Am I reaching a little bit to try and prove a point? Absolutely. But it's entirely possible. And a computer error could ultimately cost someone a championship.

Here's why I feel I have some ground to stand on: I was a tape scorer for ACT in 2008. I worked the position at each Série ACT-Castrol event that year as well as ACT Late Model Tour races at Waterford, Kawartha, and White Mountain, the Showdown at Chaudière, and a handful of weekly races at Thunder Road, probably 15 events in total. Am I an expert? Of course not, but I did take a crash course with a very steep learning curve, and I now feel like I could get the job done at any track anywhere.

Tape scoring is without question the toughest job in racing, and I don't care who you ask. This media stuff is easy, trust me. Tape scoring is the dumps. You need 100% focus and concentration every second of every lap. You have to change your techniques all the time, even once a lap. You have to be able to anticipate, react, and get it right in the blink of an eye. You don't even get to watch the race, but rather focus on a group of six or eight or fifteen cars. But you feel damn proud of yourself when the night is over and nothing got totally botched.

Try scoring a 30-lap Tiger Sportsman feature at Thunder Road, when the pack never breaks up from side-by-side racing. And under those horrendous 60-watt lights hanging over the track. I've done it. It's hard and it totally sucks. But when that happens this year and one of those guys twitches out of Turn 4 and someone goes through the infield -- and I know you can picture it in your head -- and he misses the scoring loop, he's gonna be real mad when he recovers to finish seventh only to discover he never crossed the "line" on lap 13 and really finished in 26th, one lap down. And when titles come down to 13 points over the top three drivers like the Tigers saw in 2009, it will make a HUGE difference.

What about the practice of going back to the last complete green-flag lap when there's a wreck? Will that change? Will partial laps be deleted or not scored?

There are many, many advantages to electronic scoring, including better accuracy, instant results, lap-by-lap breakdowns, and more. Transponders take the inevitable and cruicial guesswork out of photo finishes or tight-quarters racing, and are usually able to handle an entire race without issue.

But when things are running smooth, it's no big deal. It's those freak incidents that get people up in arms.

I hope for everyone's sake that the transition to electronic scoring goes well. Because I'll certainly rememeber where I am if it doesn't.

***

We've heard encouraging news that the region's three dirt tracks are thinking about working together this season toward a common, successful goal. We've learned of an upcoming meeting between promoters Butch Elms of Bear Ridge Speedway in Bradford, Dick Therrien, new boss at New Hampshire's Canaan Dirt and Canaan Fair Speedways, and first-time track operator Mike Rivers, who has completely rebuilt the track in Rumney, N.H., now known as Big Daddy's Speedbowl.

Wouldn't a Friday-Saturday-Sunday circuit be just awesome for the dirt racers around here? Cross your fingers, kids.

***

Joey Doiron is making a big mistake. At just 18 years old, he has decided to move from ACT to PASS in an attempt to win back-to-back Rookie of the Year titles. In a press release earlier this week, Doiron said he is looking forward to "going against guys like Richard Moody Racing, Scott Mulkern's team and Johnny Clark on all those different tracks with PASS this year," and eventually maybe moving up the NASCAR ladder.

Doiron is a likeable kid with some obvious talent. His parents have poured their hearts and souls into building a small-but-solid race team around their son. They have a huge behind-the-scenes ally in chassis man Dale Shaw, and could really turn some heads this year if they stuck with ACT. Moving to PASS is certainly not a bad thing, but the timing simply isn't right. Last year Doiron ran well in his first PASS start at his home track, Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Maine, and started to get his ACT legs under him late in the season with impressive runs at Waterford, Twin State, and the ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, but that's only four races. Out of 15. He also failed to qualify at Lee, Thunder Road, and the Oxford 250, and struggled in races at Airborne, White Mountain, and Beech Ridge.

Doiron's late-season progress showed that he'd have certainly been ready to be in the top-five consistently in 2010, up a bunch from his 14th-to-24th-place runs earlier. Instead, he'll have to start over in a different series with a different car, and the learning curve goes instantly back to where it was at the beginning of last year.

What Doiron needs to do is focus on staying consistent, becoming a threat week in and week out in ACT, get some seat time out front, maybe win a race or two, and then make the jump. And running four or five PASS events on ACT off-weekends would be a great idea in the mean time.

While he is generally easy on equipment, he still has an average of only two crew members -- his parents -- at each race. He needs to establish himself, recruit some more help, and get comfortable racing against the likes of RPM Motorsports, Brent Dragon, John Donahue, the Pete Duto #55NH team, Joey Pole Racing, and the powerhouse ACT teams that are pound-for-pound every bit as good as the PASS-based Moody, Mulkern, and Clark organizations.

We just think Doiron would be better off running in fourth place in ACT than running 12th in PASS. If he had one year of solid consistency in ACT and then went to PASS, the momentum alone would give him a better shot at doing well in PASS right off the bat.

***

We're watching our TVs a bit more this year than we did last year, with eyes on Shelburne's Kevin Lepage in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and Boris Said in the Sprint Cup ranks.

You might recall a sharp-tongued column from last summer about Lepage's recent disappointments, but maybe he's found something better this year in Jack McNelly's #56 Start Energy Drink Chevrolets. Last weekend at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., Lepage practiced and qualified at around 25th place before falling out with a bad wheel bearing on lap 40.

Is this a start-and-park operation? It's hard to tell, but we don't think it will be. McNelly didn't run any races last year, and ran just four times in 2008 with drivers Danny O'Quinn and Travis Kittleson. We're going to wait and see on this, but the car has what appears to be decent sponsorship, and past results with McNelly's cars don't indicate a start-and-parker. Lepage may not win any races in the car, but it seems like a much better deal for Lepage than what he had with Derrike Cope and Jimmy Means last year.

Said, of course, is the pilot of Latitude 43 Motorsports, owned by new guy Bill Jenkins of West Wardsboro. Said finished 25th in the Daytona 500 on the lead lap despite two crashes, but fell out of Fontana in 38th place with a broken rear gear after chasing ignition problems all weekend.

Jenkins has made it clear that he fully intends to run the #26 Ford at every event on the Sprint Cup schedule this season, and is still locked into the lineup (based on last year's top-35 in owner points; the #26 points were purchased from Roush-Fenway Racing) for Las Vegas this weekend, Atlanta next weekend, and Bristol on March 21 before the team will have to worry about qualifying. With little in the way of sponsorship, but a talented team in Said and crew chief Frankie Stoddard, Jenkins remains confident that his team will succeed.

Said ranks 32nd in driver points with Jenkins 33rd in owner standings, 20 points ahead of 36th-place Bob Germain's #13 car and driver Max Papis.

Hickory Test a Success for Laquerre, Goodyear

(From ACT press release)

AKRON, Oh. -- Officials of the Goodyear Engineering and Racing Division and the American-Canadian Tour have announced that the final test of their new Limited Late Model tire was very successful.

East Montpelier's Joey Laquerre traveled to Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway last week to assist with the test of Goodyear's new 7-1/2” treaded tire (#D2637), designed for a +/- 3,000 lb Limited Late Model-type race car, using his ACT-legal Tiger Sportsman car. Laquerre originally tested the 7" first-generation #D2635 tire in 2008, and was instrumental in developing the tire, which is now used throughout the country. Laquerre also did extensive testing on the ACT Late Model tire in 2004, which led to use by a dozen tracks and both ACT Touring divisions in the US and Canada.

“The test went really well, and working with Joel (Reichert, a development engineer for Goodyear racing) is always interesting," said Laquerre. "He listens to what we as racers think might help the product. Goodyear really improved the tire with the added half-inch creating a better contact patch, and I was very pleased that after 150 laps of testing the tire was still performing within a tenth (of a second per lap) or two of where we had been 100 laps earlier."

ACT has been involved with development of short track tires in conjunction with Goodyear for over 20 years.

“It is great to have the world’s highest profile racing tire company work with us for the betterment of short track racing,” said ACT president Tom Curley. “We started out working on a treaded tire back around 1990. A few years ago we saw a need for an upgrade on the 8” Late Model slick, and Goodyear allowed us to work with them to produce the state of the art 8” slick which has become very popular nationwide and is used by our affiliate tracks and both our US ACT and Canadian Castrol tours. Now with the development of the 7-1/2” #D2637 treaded tire, we have come full circle.”

ACT is also working with Goodyear on a cost-effective tire for four-cylinder divisions. Additionally, Goodyear will be providing ACT competitors with a special tire for their second ACT Invitational to be held at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 18.

“Working with the competitors at ACT is always a very positive and rewarding experience for Goodyear," said Goodyear Short Track Racing Sales Manager Scott Junod. "We have done a lot of testing with them over the past few years, and all of us in Engineering and Sales have really enjoyed the relationship. We are especially grateful to Joey and appreciate all the help and input he has given us in development of this new tire for the Limited Late Model-type car.”

The ACT Tiger Sportsman division has been popular since 1966 at the flagship track, Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl in Barre, as over 40 teams compete there weekly. Airborne Speedway in Plattsburgh, N.Y., has seen continued success with the division for twenty years, and in 2010, White Mountain Motorsport Park in North Woodstock, N.H., and Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Fair Haven will adopt the ACT Tiger Sportsman division rulebook.

The Bond Auto/Wix ACT Tiger Sportsman Series will be expanding in 2010 to include events at both Thunder Road and White Mountain, as well as Riverside Speedway in Groveton, N.H., and Canaan Fair (N.H.) Speedway. Tracks from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York and Ontario have indicated they will run the new Goodyear #D2637 tire in 2010 following the testing results from Hickory.

Granite State Mini Sprints Announces 2010 Schedule

Open-wheel club to race five times at Bear Ridge

BEDFORD, N.H. -- The Granite State Mini Sprints Racing Club has released its 2010 schedule, with 16 events held at three tracks, including Vermont's Bear Ridge Speedway.

Bear Ridge, a 1/4-mile clay oval, will host the series five times -- on May 22, June 19, July 17, August 14, and September 11. Canaan Dirt Speedway in Canaan, N.H. will host the series five times, and the redesigned and renamed Big Daddy's Speedbowl in Rumney, N.H. (formerly Nor-Way Pines Speedway, Legion Speedway, and Rattlesnake Motordrome), will hold six events.

The GSMSRC is a two-division touring group feature scaled-down Sprint Cars, using 500cc and 600cc engines. Lacey Hanson, 21, of Orwell will aim for her third consecutive 500cc championship in 2010, while three-time 600cc champion Matt Robie will jump up to the SCoNE 360cid Sprint Cars. Terry Reil of Montpelier finished second in 600cc points in 2010.

GRANITE STATE MINI SPRINTS 2010 SCHEDULE (as of Jan. 7, 2010)

#-Day-Date-Track-Location

1. Sat., May 1 -- Canaan Dirt Speedway, Canaan, N.H. (Car show/practice)
2. Sun., May 2 -- Big Daddy's Speedbowl, Rumney, N.H. (Car show/practice)
3. Fri., May 21 -- Canaan Dirt Speedway, Canaan, N.H.
4. Sat., May 22 -- Bear Ridge Speedway, Bradford
5. Sun., May 30 -- Big Daddy's Speedbowl, Rumney, N.H.
6. Fri., June 11 -- Canaan Dirt Speedway, Canaan, N.H.
7. Sat., June 19 -- Bear Ridge Speedway, Bradford
8. Sun., June 27 -- Big Daddy's Speedbowl, Rumney, N.H.
9. Fri., July 9 -- Canaan Dirt Speedway, Canaan, N.H.
10. Sat., July 17 -- Bear Ridge Speedway, Bradford
11. Sun., July 25 -- Big Daddy's Speedbowl, Rumney, N.H.
12. Sat., Aug. 14 -- Bear Ridge Speedway, Bradford
13. Sun., Aug. 22 -- Big Daddy's Speedbowl, Rumney, N.H.
14. Fri., Aug. 27 -- Canaan Dirt Speedway, Canaan, N.H.
15. Sat., Sept. 11 -- Bear Ridge Speedway, Bradford (Rain date)
16. Sun., Sept 19 -- Big Daddy's Speedbowl, Rumney, N.H. (Rain date)

ACT Releases 2010 Tiger Sportsman Series Schedule

Four 100-lap events make up mini-tour

WATERBURY -- The American-Canadian Tour has released a four-race schedule for the 2010 Tiger Sportsman Series. The second-tier division has held its own short-schedule touring series 14 times in the last 20 years; Shawn Duquette of Morrisonville, N.Y. was the 2009 champion.

The first of the four 100-lap races will be held at White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, N.H. on June 5. White Mountain has adopted the ACT Tiger Sportsman rulebook for its new weekly "Super Sportsman" division in 2010. Barre's Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, which has operated the class in some form since the mid-1960s, hosts the series on July 1. Canaan Fair Speedway in Canaan, N.H. will hold an event on August 21, and the series ends a seven-year absence at Riverside Speedway in Groveton, N.H. on October 9. White Mountain, Thunder Road, and Riverside are all high-banked, 1/4-mile ovals, while Canaan Fair is a low-banked 1/3-mile.

Notably absent from the 2010 schedule are Airborne Speedway, Devil's Bowl Speedway, and Albany-Saratoga Speedway. Airborne, a 4/10-mile, progressively banked track in Plattsburgh, N.Y., has had the Tiger Sportsman division as a weekly fixture since 1990, and held a 100-lap ACT event in July. The newly-paved, CVRA-sanctioned Devil's Bowl, in West Haven, and Albany-Saratoga, in Malta, N.Y., have recently upgraded their Limited divisions to the Tiger Sportsman rulebook for 2010.

ACT TIGER SPORTSMAN SERIES 2010 SCHEDULE (as of Dec. 24, 2009)

#-Day-Date-Track-Location-Laps

1. Sat., June 5 -- White Mountain Motorsports Park, North Woodstock, N.H. -- 100
2. Thu., July 1 -- Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre -- 100
3. Sat., Aug. 21 -- Canaan Fair Speedway, Canaan, N.H. -- 100
4. Sat., Oct. 9 -- Riverside Speedway, Groveton, N.H. -- 100

Against All Odds, Duquette Wins Tri-State Title

Fleury wins 100, New Yorker wins tie-breaker over Bonnett for championship


BARRE -- Sometimes all you need is a little luck, and Shawn Duquette got it. That, and a lot of help from some friends.

Duquette came to Barre's Thunder Road for the ACT Tiger Sportsman Tri-State Series championship finale on Thursday night. The Morrisonville, N.Y. driver won the opening round of the series at his Airborne Speedway home base in July, copped the second round at Canaan Fair Speedway two weeks ago, and held a 22-point lead over fellow New Yorker Toby Ebersole, with St. Albans driver Jason Bonnett 32 points back.

At Thunder Road, a track he'd seen for the first time just seven days earlier, Duquette moved forward in his qualifying heat, enough to earn him a '+2' handicap rating and give him the seventh starting spot in the ACE Hardware 100 finale. Ebersole quickly went a lap down, effectively eliminating him from title contention. While running in the top-ten two laps before halfway, Duquette looked strong against hometown stars Shawn Fleury, Brendan Moodie, and Jimmy Hebert. Bonnett, who needed to finish 15 positions ahead of Duquette to take the championship away, was on his rival's front bumper. Things looked to be under control for Duquette.

But as soon as it looked like he would be celebrating a championship, it was just as soon gone. Contact from rookie Erik Steel on lap 48 sent Duquette hard into the frontstretch wall. The sliver, black, and green #18 Toyota sat on the track motionless, its driver an emotional mess.

"I was almost in tears," admitted Duquette. "I said, 'There it goes.' I knew it was going to happen here."

During a caution period ten laps later, it was announced that, given the misfortunes of Duquette and Ebersole, Bonnett would need to finish ninth or better to win the championship. A pretty easy task, all things considered, for the two-time Airborne champion and past feature winner at Thunder Road, who in June had an outstanding Late Model debut at the track.

In the pits, however, a swarm of bodies surrounded the battered car. Crew members representing no less than nine Airborne-based teams -- and even Airborne Speedway promoter Mike Perrotte, who attended the race to cheer on his drivers -- repaired the car's broken suspension in just 19 laps' time. Duquette returned on lap 67, and soldiered on to finish 20th.

And in a magical twist of fate for Duquette, Bonnett finished sixth, only 14 positions better. The result left them tied with 204 points each, and Duquette's pair of victories earned him the tie-breaker, sending the championship trophy to the western side of Lake Champlain for only the second time in history.

"I can't thank everybody enough," said Duquette. "There were a lot of people helping. My crew, Jamy Begor (an Airborne driver not in competition at Thunder Road) was there, I don't really know who else was over there because there were so many people. It's awesome. They got me back out on the track.

"It's wonderful. I didn't think it was going to happen there, I was sweating bullets. We got lucky, it was just a tie rod and a couple of rims, and we got back out and finished the race. It's the best feeling I've had so far in racing."

Ironically, one of the volunteers helping make repairs was Bonnett's father, Ron, a former racer. "I guess it's sort of my fault that Jason lost the title," laughed Ron Bonnett. "[Duquette] would have helped us out. We've lost titles before, and we've won them, too. It would have been nice to win, but it's no big deal. Stuff like [tonight] is why we race."

Two-time Thunder Road champion Fleury, of Middlesex, turned his dismal season around with the second 100-lap Sportsman victory of his career; his first came in 2005.

"I definitely had to get up on the wheel tonight," said Fleury, who started 21st in the 27-car field. "We just had a bad start to the night and I really wanted to win it for the guys. They busted their butts tonight putting that thing together. We were overheating earlier and they changed the radiator, changed the water pump, we had a bad start but it all worked out for us. We've had a terrible year, and if I was going to win one, this is the one I wanted to win. I'm glad we got it, and whatever happens happens from here on out."

Fleury's National Guard Chevrolet stalked young Derrick O'Donnell of Bradford for the lead from lap 80 until making his move on the outside; Fleury took the lead on lap 91, then held O'Donnell and teenager Hebert off for the victory.

"[O'Donnell] had a real good car, he ran me clean, and it was just an awesome race," said Fleury. "They're pretty tough, no doubt. We've been doing this a long time and there's a lot of good drivers. The division has really evened out. Any car can win on any given night. [The young drivers] are tough to beat. Honestly, I didn't think I was gonna get him, and luckily we did."

O'Donnell inherited the lead on lap 45 after top runners Mark Barnier and Eric Badore crashed as Barnier blew a tire on a restart. After surrendering the point to Fleury with nine laps to go, O'Donnell held on to second over Hebert, Moodie, Scott Coburn, and Bonnett. David Finck, Joey Laquerre, Ray Stearns, and Josh Demers completed the unofficial top ten.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS -- ACE Hardware 100
ACT Tiger Sportsman Tri-State Series -- Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre, Vt.
Thursday, August 13, 2009

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

1. Shawn Fleury, Middlesex
2. Derrick O'Donnell, Bradford
3. Jimmy Hebert, Williamstown
4. Brendan Moodie, North Wolcott
5. Scott Coburn, Barre
6. Jason Bonnett, St. Albans
7. David Finck, Barre
8. Joey Laquerre, East Montpelier
9. Ray Stearns, East Corinth
10. Josh Demers, Middlesex
11. Eric Badore, Milton
12. #Erik Steel, Barre
13. Joel Hodgdon, Craftsbury
14. #Mike Billado, Essex Junction
15. #Neal Foster, Waterbury
16. Howard Stoner, Altona, N.Y.
17. Toby Ebersole, Peru, N.Y.
18. Joey Becker, Jeffersonville
19. #Kevin Godfrey, Wentworth, N.H.
20. Shawn Duquette, Morrisonville, N.Y.
21. Mark Barnier, Essex Junction
22. Joe Steffen, Essex Junction
23. George May, Barre
24. Lance Allen, Barre
25. Skip Liberty, Peru, N.Y.
26. Brian Delphia, Waterbury
27. Richie LaFond, Colchester


(PHOTOS: 1. Shawn Duquette (2nd from right) and a small representation of the team that repaired his car on Thursday night celebrate their Tri-State Series championship. 2. Shawn Fleury won the ACE Hardware 100. Photos by Justin St. Louis/VMM)

PHOTOS: Weekend of August 6-9

Jason Durgan (#17), Martin Roy (#90), and other Modifieds lined up for final practice at Airborne Speedway on Saturday night. Click here for a 70-photo gallery of the weekend's events. Photos by Alan Ward, Leif Tillotson, Eric LaFleche/VLFPhotos.com, and Justin St. Louis/VMM.

Tiger Sportsman Series: Roberts Disqualified, Suspended Indefinitely

WATERBURY -- Joey Roberts drove arguably the best race of his career on Saturday night. It will be his last race for a while, at least under the ACT banner.

Roberts, of Georgia, Vt., has been disqualified from his second-place finish in the ACT Tiger Sportsman Tri-State Series at Canaan Fair (N.H.) Speedway on Saturday, and has been suspended indefinitely from ACT competition.

Following the Canaan Fair 100 on Saturday, the engines of the top three finishers -- including Roberts, winner Shawn Duquette, and third-place finisher Joey Becker -- were pulled for inspection by ACT. According to an ACT press release, Roberts' engine, built by Island Racing Service in South Hero, was deemed illegal and the finish was disallowed, with Roberts forfeiting all championship points and purse money associated with the race.

The suspension, however, stems from "subsequent behavior not in keeping with the rules of ACT racing." Roberts was fined $1,000 and indefinitely suspended from all ACT-sanctioned competition -- which includes weekly events at Barre's Thunder Road, where Roberts ranks 14th in the Tiger Sportsman class -- and has also been "banned from entering any pit area conducting an ACT event until further notice."

With the disqualification, Becker will inherit the second-place position and Jason Bonnett will move up to third place. The final round of the Tri-State Series is at Thunder Road on Thursday, August 13.

PHOTOS: ACT Tiger Sportsman Tri-State Series Canaan Fair 100

Richie LaFond and Neal Foster on the starting grid for the ACT Tiger Sportsman Tri-State Series' Canaan Fair 100 on Saturday night. Click here for a 54-photo gallery of the event. All photos by Justin St. Louis/VMM.

Duquette Perfect on Tiger Sportsman Series

CANAAN, N.H. -- Shawn Duquette may not have been the odds-on favorite for the ACT Tiger Sportsman Tri-State Series championship at the beginning of the year, but it's hard to ignore him now.

The Morrisonville, N.Y. driver dominated the second round of the three-race series at Canaan Fair Speedway on Saturday night en route to maintaining a perfect two-for-two record in ACT events this year; Duquette also won the season opener at his home track, Airborne Speedway, on July 11.

Duquette started third on the 23-car grid after earning a "+3" handicap in plus/minus heat race qualifying.  Polesitter Mark Barnier led the opening 13 laps before Duquette nosed ahead on the outside to lead lap 14, then settled in behind Barnier until a lap 29 restart brought them side-by-side.  Duquette took the lead again on lap 30 and was never challenged again, at one point leading by nearly half of a lap.

Joey Roberts of Georgia finished a career-best second after a battling with Barnier, Joey Becker, and Toby Ebersole at different points in the event.  ACT Late Model driver Becker, moonlighting in Rich Watson's Tiger Sportsman car, finished third over Jason Bonnett and Ebersole.  The top-ten was completed by Jimmy Hebert, Lance Allen, Brendan Moodie, Skip Liberty, and Eric Badore.  Barnier cut a left-front tire while running in fourth place on lap 74 and finished 17th.

Duquette represented a strong contingent of Airborne teams; all five that raced at Canaan on Saturday finished in the top-ten, including Ebersole, Bonnett, Liberty, and the Becker/Watson pairing.

"I ran the same setup as Airborne, and the car just turned," said Duquette.  "It was a little loose, but loose is fast.  It just took off."

Duquette won in his first visit to Canaan Fair Speedway.  He'll try to wrap up the Tri-State Series championship at another track he's never been to, Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl in Barre, on August 13.

"I've heard a lot of bad stories about there," he said, "but I'm going to head over Thursday (Aug. 6) to see if I can try to practice."

At the rate Duquette is going, though, he may not even need it.

OFFICIAL RESULTS -- Canaan Fair 100

ACT Tiger Sportsman Tri-State Series -- Canaan Fair Speedway, Canaan, N.H.

Saturday, August 1, 2009

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

1. Shawn Duquette, Morrisonville, N.Y.

2. Joey Roberts, Georgia

3. Joey Becker, Jeffersonville

4. Jason Bonnett, St. Albans

5. Toby Ebersole, Peru, N.Y.

6. Jimmy Hebert, Williamstown

7. Lance Allen, Barre

8. Brendan Moodie, North Wolcott

9. Skip Liberty, Peru, N.Y.

10. Eric Badore, Milton

11. #Erik Steel, Barre

12. Ray Stearns, East Corinth

13. Derrick O'Donnell, Bradford

14. Joey Laquerre, East Montpelier

15. Joel Hodgdon, Craftsbury

16. Josh Demers, Middlesex

17. Mark Barnier, Essex Junction

18. Scott Coburn, Barre

19. #Neal Foster, Waterbury

20. Richie LaFond, Colchester

21. #Kevin Godfrey, Wentworth, N.H.

22. Shawn Fleury, Middlesex

23. George May, Barre

ACT Saturday Recap: Laperle, Duquette Win

Patrick Laperle and Shawn Duquette each scored their second ACT victories of the season on Saturday night.

Laperle, of St-Denis-sur-Richelieu, Que., won the ACT Castrol Series' Montmagny 250 at Autodrome Montmagny (Que.), while Morrisonville, N.Y. driver Duquette won the ACT Tiger Sportsman Tri-State Series' Canaan Fair 100 at Canaan Fair (N.H.) Speedway.

Laperle was followed across the line by Karl Allard, Donald Theetge, Patrick Hamel, and Justin Holtom.

Duquette beat Joey Roberts, Joey Becker, Jason Bonnett, and Toby Ebersole for his victory. Vermont Motorsports Magazine was at Canaan and will have a full recap of the event soon.

Note to Race Promoters: Please Build Domes

It surely wasn't for a lack of effort, but we didn't get to see a single lap of racing on Saturday, other than the last-lap wreck at Daytona. In spite of the fact that the weather forecasts said there was a 10-percent chance of rain, it was raining. All day.

After playing the waiting game in Burlington all day, we went against our gut and hooked and hauled to Bradford's Bear Ridge Speedway, just in time to get in the gate, attend the drivers meeting, and find out that the plug was being pulled on the racing program for the night.

The sun was out at the time, and there were good car counts in the pits, but an earlier rain storm destroyed the racing surface; promoter Butch Elms said that after hasty grading and packing, the earliest the track would be ready for a green flag would be "nine or nine thirty, and she'd be one rough son of a bitch."

So, after meeting up with photographer Alan Ward, we crossed into New Hampshire to see if the Enduro at Rattlesnake Motordrome (formerly Legion Speedway, formerly The Pines, formerly Norway Pines) was running. Nope, closed, rain. So we pointed in the direction of White Mountain Motorsports Park, but it the more we drove the harder it rained, and the clouds in that direction were some ugly, mister. Then a sign said "Canaan, 15" so we headed there.

And, of course, we soon learned that Canaan Fair Speedway had rained out, too.

Today, Sunday, the sun is out, the weather is perfect, and it'll be a great night of racing, fireworks, and celebrating 50 years at Thunder Road in Barre. But we've got some Lake Monsters baseball to watch with a crazy three year-old kid, and we can't think of anywhere we'd rather be than there. Have fun, and make sure to tell us all about it tonight. We'll try again on Thursday.



(PHOTOS: 1. The sun is out, but Bryan King is headed home from Bear Ridge; 2. The track was definitely "one rough SOB". Photo 1 by Justin St. Louis/VMM, Photo 2 by Alan Ward)

The Juice: I Hope There's a Driver Roster

-by Justin St. Louis

This weekend, Vermont Motorsports Magazine heads to waters unfamiliar to this asphalt junkie. Like the guppie in a pool of sharks. Like the lone Junkyard Warrior in a Street Stock feature. Yep, I'm going dirt racing.

It's off to beautiful Bradford and the rustic Bear Ridge Speedway dirt on Saturday night for the track's season opener. Now, I feel like The Ridge might be a good way for me to ease into this whole dirt racing thing, because I've been there as recently as five years ago, and I feel like I've done a fair-to-middlin' job of keeping up with the weekly happenings there over the last few seasons. What's particularly odd to me, though, is that I spent a huge amount of my childhood and early teens growing up in West Newbury, maybe five or ten miles from the track, and I've been there maybe -- maybe -- five times in my life.

I can think of going once or twice as a kid, including the night my father "raced" his pickup in a three-lap Run-What-You-Brung fiasco that bounced that poor sack of bolts around so bad that the battery literally fell out of the thing. I'm talking about the truck, of course. I went one night on a whim in 2001 with a Street Stock buddy from Thunder Road, Kerry Henry, when we brought his car over just for fun. I pretended to be the crew chief, and we earned ourselves a Top 10 that night, thank you very much. My last trek over there was for the opener in 2004, and other than the 35-degree temperatures, I remember thoroughly enjoying my evening there. Good pizza, as I recall. I'm looking forward to returning on a regular basis this season and getting to know one of Vermont's best-kept secrets a little better.

Sunday, it's down Route 7 for what feels like an eternity from the Burlington area, to Fair Haven and the glitz and glam of the 1/2-mile Devil's Bowl Speedway. This is where I get totally lost. I went to Devil's Bowl once. I was five years old. It was 19-eighty-freakin'-eight. Other than driving by it on the way to Albany, N.Y. for the NCAA American East basketball tourney in March, I haven't seen the place in a decade. And I haven't been nearly as diligent, until the last year or so, at keeping up with Devil's Bowl and the CVRA. So this'll be fun.

Luckily, I've been extended an invite into the Todd Stone pit for, as it was put to me, the "nickel tour." But see, I know Todd Stone and a couple of his crew guys from their ACT days, so that should help. Plus, I hear they won the Devil's Bowl title last year, so who better to help me get familiar with the place than them?

I'll be relying heavily on instinct, help, and driver rosters this weekend, so bear with me. And please keep in mind that if the word "cushion" is used 162 times too many, it's just because, really, I've never had the chance to use the word before and I just want to sound like I know what I'm talking about.

Rest assured, I don't.

***

For the first time on Sunday, maybe in his career, Scott Payea showed an absolute killer instinct. Since his debut in a Late Model in 2005, and especially for the last two years, it seems like more often than not, Payea has had the best car on the track for the first 50 or 75 or 100 laps and spends a lot of time out front leading the race, only to finish second or third or sixth. Sunday at Airborne Speedway's ACT Spring Green 100, it was completely different.

Payea started ninth and easily worked his way up through the field, then waited like a spider in the web for Randy Potter and Brad Leighton to dispose of themselves. For 90 laps, the show was entirely Leighton-Potter, Potter-Leighton.

But then with ten laps to go, the fly begins to buzz around the web: Leighton fades... Payea moves up.

At lap 92, a slight breeze begins to blow, and the fly is off course: Randy Potter begins to show signs that he'd used his car up... the eight-legged Payea inches closer.

At lap 94, that's it! The fly is in the web! Potter washes up the track in Turn 2 and Payea pounces!

By lap 95, it's over. Potter's back to second, and there was Scott Payea, wrapping up that juicy fly in a coccoon, ready to have some Spring Green dinner.

Listen, Payea is as good as it gets, but for him, that exhibition on Sunday was a totally different kind of good. He's won races, but until Sunday it's always been in the Cale Yarborough style -- drive hard every lap and bury them all. Here is a breakdown of his ACT career win tally:

1. Thunder Road, May 2007: Payea leads the final 59 laps going away for his first win.
2. White Mountain, August 2007: Payea battles Ben Rowe throughout the race and leads 27 laps early, but inherits the lead as Rowe loses a tire with 18 laps to go.
3. Thunder Road, May 2008: Payea leads three times for a total of 84 laps, including the final 41, save for three tours after a lap-127 restart when Dave Pembroke noses ahead.
4. Waterford, June 2008: After a five-lap duel at halfway with Bruce Thomas, Payea leads the final 46 circuits and cruises to an easy win.

And now, after being up front at Lee and Thunder Road this year, only to finish third in both races...

5. Airborne, May 2009: Payea waits, and waits, and waits for the leaders to make a mistake. When they do, he steals the win with five laps remaining.

Prediction: If Payea can find a solid mix between the two styles of dominance and patience, it'll be a long, long year for everyone else on the ACT Late Model Tour.

***

As a kid in the granstands, you always choose your favorites. Putting my integrity as an unbiased writer on the line here, I'll admit that at Airborne, Bucko Branham was always one of mine. When I began racing there weekly in the early 2000s, I also helped out on Jerry Winch's Tiger Sportsman team. Jerry and Bucko raced together and knew each other pretty well, and although I had never met Bucko, I still marveled at his skills behind the wheel.

One day in September 2002, Jerry loaded up his Tiger car on one trailer, his new Late Model on another, and along with Mike Wells, Brian McGinley, their cars, and a total of just four additional crew members to work on the whole fleet, myself included, we made the long haul down to Adirondack Speedway. Bucko happened to be there with his car, too.

Jerry decided that as a reward for our help during the year, the four of us crew guys -- Jeremy, Chris Cayea, me, and this kid Junior -- each got a turn in the Tiger car. Junior had never been in a race car, so he only got a few laps of practice before he brought it in. Jeremy had driven a handful of Street Stock races, so he got a few more practice laps. I had been racing for three years, so I got to drive in the heat race. Chris had wrapped up the Rookie of the Year title in the Tigers at Airborne that year, so he got to race the feature. I did shockingly well, racing from 14th on the outside in eight laps to just miss the win by a bumper to Andy Heywood. Cayea was runing third in the feature when he was spun by someone and ended up, I don't know, seventh or something.

Well, on opening day at Airborne in 2004, almost two years later, I was working as an official at Airborne doing some announcing and whatever else was needed of me. And as I walk by Bucko Branham's pit, he waves me over. By now, we'd met a few times and had a friendly relationship, though we still didn't know each other that well outside of me interviewing him in victory lane.

"You drove Jerry's car at Adirondack, right?" he asks.
"Yeah, why?" I say.
"You did a good job that day. Would you want to try my car out?"

Now, I was still a way-too-excitable 20 year-old kid, still racing a Street Stock at Thunder Road while working the events at Airborne. Of course I wanted to try Bucko's car out. So, shirking my official's duties for about 15 minutes during practice, I climb in through the window of the fastest race car at the track, owned by a guy I grew up cheering for. And a dozen or so laps later, after burning the right-rear tire off the car through the corners, I see the black flag waving at me.

My car owner, Bucko Branham, had me black flagged for driving like an idiot.

"I thought you were good!" he laughs, but only half-kidding. "What the hell happened? I almost had a heart attack! Get out of my car!"

We still laugh about it to this day, but that's just another example of the kind of guy Branham is. That day was one of the highlights of my racing career, right up there with winning on Memorial Day at Thunder Road. I owed him that article from the other day, and then some. So, as a retired racer, as a fan, and as a guy that likes to tell stories, thank you, Bucko Branham.

***

AROUND THE REGION:

Time to take a look at the top Vermonters from the past weekend...

ACT Late Model Tour: Scott Payea of Milton earned his first ACT win of the season and the fifth of his career at the Furniture World of Vermont Spring Green 100 at Airborne Speedway in Plattsburgh, N.Y. on Sunday. Brent Dragon, also of Milton, finished fifth, with Williston's Brian Hoar sixth, Ryan Nolin of Georgia eighth, and Shelburne's Jamie Fisher tenth.

Airborne Speedway (Plattsburgh, N.Y.): Adam Bartemy of Sheldon finished fourth in the 30-lap Modified feature on Sunday, with Castleton's Mike Bruno in sixth. Aaron Bartemy, Adam's older brother, finished eighth. St. Albans racer Jason Bonnett earned his first Sportsman win of the season, with Swanton's Kevin Boutin taking down the Renegade main event. Mike Terry of Grand Isle, Lance Rabtoy of Fairfax, and Milton's Rob Gordon finished in positions three through five.

Albany-Saratoga Speedway (Malta, N.Y.): Todd Stone of Middlebury finished seventh in the all-star invitational Modified Clash. Brett Hearn remains undefeated at the track through three events. In the Sportsman feature, lone Vermonter Rob Langevin of Londonderry finished third.

Canaan Dirt Speedway (Canaan, N.H.): Thetford Center drivers Wayne Stearns and David Lacasse finished 1-2 in the Modified feature at the track's season opener on Friday night. Only two Sportsman Coupe drivers showed, and the cars were grouped into the Modified feature. Melvin Pierson of East Corinth beat Topsham's Josh Harrington to get credit for the Coupe win. East Montpelier's Will Hull finished second in the Street Stock event to Ryan Christian. Josh Sunn of White River Junction won the Mini Stock feature.

Canaan Fair Speedway (Canaan, N.H.): Rain pushed back Saturday's season opener on the "Awesome Asphalt" to this Saturday, May 16.

Monadnock Speedway (Winchester, N.H.): Rains washed out the racing program on Saturday night following Mini Stock qualifying. A full card of Modified, Outlaw Pro Stocks, Super Stocks, Mini Stocks, 4- & 8-cylinder Enduros, and the All Star Race Trucks Series is on tap for this week.

True Value Modified Racing Series: Ascutney brothers Dwight and Peter Jarvis slumped home 20th and 21st, respectively, at Connecticut's Waterford Speedway on Saturday night. Dwight Jarvis completed just 60 laps, while Peter Jarvis made only 52 laps. Doug Coby of Milford, Conn. won the race in his first TVMRS start.

Twin State Speedway (Claremont, N.H.): Guy Caron made it three-for-three in the Late Models, while Ascutney's Chris Riendeau finished second. Rookie Dola Holland of Ludlow was third after leading several laps. Joey Jarvis of Ascutney finished third in the Modified event with Windsor's Robert Hagar sixth. Tara Tarbell of Springfield finished third in the Strictly Stock feature with West Hartford's Jeremy Blood fifth.

The Série ACT-Castrol opens its season at Autodrome St-Eustache near Montréal on Saturday, while the PASS North Series is at Unity Raceway in Maine. The ACT Late Model Tour is at Maine's Oxford Plains Speedway on Sunday. In Vermont, Bear Ridge Speedway opens its gates for the first time on Saturday evening at 6:00pm with double features and fireworks, while Devil's Bowl Speedway in Fair Haven kicks off its 2009 season on Sunday at 6:45pm with a regular card for all divisions.


(Photos: 1. Canaan Fair Speedway's Modified field ready for green - Alan Ward photo; 2. Scott Payea takes ACT checkers at Airborne - Leif Tillotson photo; 3. Yours truly in Bucko Branham's car, 2004 - Dave Brown photo; 4. Todd Stone at speed at Albany-Saratoga Speedway on Friday night - CVRA photo)