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.

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.

Avery Dominates Pre-Hangover 150 at Riverside

Bear Ridge regular wins on the snow

GROVETON, N.H. -- Ryan Avery put his dirt-track corner-sliding knowledge to use on Sunday at Riverside Speedway to win the postponed Pre-Hangover 150 enduro. Thirty-four drivers braved the snow and ice-covered quarter-mile oval as temperatures hovered around zero degrees Farenheit.

Avery, of Thornton, N.H., is a Sportsman Modified standout at Bear Ridge Speedway in Bradford and Canaan (N.H.) Dirt Speedway. He won the race by three laps over Oxford Plains Speedway regular Jamie Heath of Waterford, Me. Riverside regulars Jeff Ainsworth of Bethlehem, N.H., Jamie Swallow, Jr. of Stark, N.H., and hometown driver Pete Gilcris completed the top five.

Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl champion Donny Yates of North Montpelier finished sixth, eight laps off the pace. Colchester's Casey Houle was seventh, ten laps down.

OFFICIAL FINISH -- Pre-Hangover 150 Enduro
Riverside Speedway, Groveton, N.H.
Sunday, January 10, 2010

Pos.-Driver-Hometown-Laps

1. Ryan Avery, Thornton, N.H., 150
2. Jamie Heath, Waterford, Me., 147
3. Jeff Ainsworth, Bethlehem, N.H., 146
4. Jamie Swallow, Jr., Stark, N.H., 145
5. Pete Gilcris, Groveton, N.H., 142
6. Donny Yates, North Montpelier, 142
7. Casey Houle, Colchester, 140
8. Cameron Tyler, Groveton, N.H., 135
9. Ben Hodgkins, Exeter, N.H., 133
10. Gerard Cote, Oxford, Me., 130
11. Mitch Emery, Lancaster, N.H., 129
12. Jerrad Ainsworth, Bethlehem, N.H., 124
13. Todd Derrington, Bethlehem, N.H., 118
14. Shauna Randall, Stark, N.H., 116
15. Todd Baker, Enosburg, 103
16. Louis Maher, Spencer, Mass., 100
17. Dave LaFleche, Barre, 86
18. Jimbo Shurkus, Meredith, N.H., 67
19. Dan Benoit, Sr., Lancaster, N.H., 65
20. Arland Tyler, Groveton, N.H., 55
21. Kevin Whittum, Jr., Dalton, N.H., 52
22. Alan Derrington, Bethlehem, N.H., 52
23. Doug Bandy, Lyndonville, 49
24. Cody Leblanc, Gorham, N.H., 28
25. Paul Hodge, Orleans, 32
26. Troy Randall, Wheelock, 10
27. Jonah Delgenio, Keene, N.H., 10
28. Bronson Roy, Berlin, N.H., 5
29. Nick Gilcris, Groveton, N.H., 4
30. Jamie Davis, Wolcott, 4
31. David Hartshorn, Lancaster, N.H., 1
32. Kevin Harran, St. Johnsbury Ctr., 0
33. Bruce McKay, Campton, N.H., no score card
34. Danny Ehlers, St. Johnsbury, no score card

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

The Juice: Brushing the Snow Off

-by Justin St. Louis

You didn't think I was going to stay shut up the whole off-season, did you?

As you're probably aware, there's been a lot going on behind the scenes here at VMM HQ. I've been away from the website for a while, but definitely not away from racing. I've collected some loose ends that were sort of flapping in the breeze, many of which you've, again, probably heard about already. But the itch to ramble on at length in a column here has been too big to not scratch. So let's get the snow brush out and dust off the car for a couple laps.

***

First of all, a major (albeit a bit belated) congratulations goes out to Tom Placey, winner of the first-ever Vermont Motorsports Magazine Driver of the Year Award presented by Subway! The DOTY thing was a lot of fun for me to watch during November and early December, and we'll do something similar to it again in 2010, for sure.

Many congrats also to Tim LaDuc on his Devil's Bowl Speedway award, Tucker Williams on his Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl award, Eric Williams for his "On The Road" award, and to Placey for also winning the Bear Ridge Speedway award.

Thanks to all 6,350 of you that voted, and to Subway of Barre, Montpelier, Waterbury, and Northfield for supporting the Driver of the Year program.

***

The Tigers are catching on like wildfire. In less than two months' time, news has broken about the division coming to four new tracks in 2010. New Hampshire's White Mountain Motorsports Park announced in early November that it will drop its Super Street division in favor of a new "Super Sportsman" class using the American-Canadian Tour/Thunder Road/Airborne Speedway Tiger Sportsman rulebook.

Soon after, news came that the ACT Tiger Sportsman Series would return to another New Hampshire track, Riverside Speedway, for an event in October. Last week, Champlain Valley Racing Association president Bruce Richards announced on his organization's website that in the wake of a switch from dirt to asphalt at its two tracks, Devil's Bowl Speedway in West Haven and Albany-Saratoga Speedway in Malta, N.Y., the former Limited division has been replaced by the Tiger Sportsmen. (Thunder Road's Junkyard Warrior rulebook has also been phased in at both CVRA tracks, in favor of the former Mini Stock class.)

This all brings me to formulation of several theories, although none of them have been confirmed by, denied by, or discussed with any track or series officials. Okay, ready?

1. ACT will almost certainly add a Tiger Sportsman Series event at either Devil's Bowl, Albany-Saratoga, or both, or will at least stage a stand-alone event for the division at one of the two tracks in 2010, a la the May 23 Late Model event at Devil's Bowl.

2. With promoter Dick Therrien now at Canaan Fair (N.H.) Speedway and the Leblanc family taking over operations at Riverside, expect ACT to have a growing presence at Riverside in the coming years. It's no secret that ACT boss Tom Curley has a soft spot for the tiny, high-banked Riverside track and its tendency to throw off a good race, and it's also no secret that Therrien and Curley don't exchange Christmas cards. With Therrien out, you'll probably see Curley there more often.

2a. I say here and now that Riverside will probably bring the Tigers into its weekly program by 2011, and that the ACT-type Late Model rulebook now in place at nine tracks in New England and Canada will be in place at Riverside no later than 2012. And, um, Riverside has decided to close its gates on the weekend of Thunder Road's -- read: Curley's -- Milk Bowl, so as not to have competing events. In this day and age, that's pretty unheard of.

2b. I have no idea how well the Leblanc regime will or won't perform at Riverside, but Canaan needs a bull-in-a-china-shop personality like Therrien to get the ship righted. He'll be good for the place.

3. If the CVRA is using the Junkyard Warrior rulebook -- and this is a total off-the-wall guess -- then the Thunder Road Warriors are not dead. As the car counts shrink, the speculation grows that the entry-level class will be cut from the program at Thunder Road, possibly as soon as next season. The CVRA move suggests maybe a sliver of hope for the division to turn itself around. It's worth noting that the Bomber division -- a class very similar to the Warriors that runs at Airborne in Plattsburgh, N.Y. -- is very successful.

***

Speaking of promoters, I was a little bummed to hear that Arnie Malcolm is gone from Capital City Speedway in Ottawa. Arnie is a funny dude, and has an obvious passion for racing. He also has one hell of a temper if you mess up his show. Here's hoping that the powers that be at CCS can get the right person to replace him.

***

Hey, did you know VMM is on Facebook? It's true. And Twitter is a lot of fun, too. I'm constantly fooling around with my Blackberry while I'm at my real job, or when I'm driving, or at any other inappropriate time when I should be paying attention to something else, so that means there are usually a few updates a week away from the VMM main page. So go ahead and check 'em out.

***

Don't ever buy a 1997 Toyota Corolla, unless you plan to buy something else to replace it soon after. Same goes for 1999 Plymouth Neons. ---Cue NBC's "The More You Know" theme---

***

Ben Rowe is out of Richard Moody Racing's PASS #4 Super Late Model and Brad Leighton is in. Rowe and Moody teamed up to win three PASS championships and 11 main events, along with successful outings at races from the Canadian Maritimes to Florida and Alabama. The Rowe-Moody split breaks up one of the most potent and most marketable short track teams in the country.

Rowe told Speed51.com that if he is unable to find a full-time PASS ride, he believes he "could do the full [ACT] schedule" in David Avery's #10 car.

Leighton is expected to run the entire 2010 PASS North schedule with Moody, while still racing the Pete Duto-prepared #55 car in up to six events on the ACT Late Model Tour; he won events at Lee USA (N.H.) Speedway and Kawartha (Ont.) Speedway in 2009 in the Duto car.

Leighton has made a handful of PASS appearances over several seasons. His last full-time season in a Super Late Model/Pro Stock-type car was in 1995, when he won the final ACT-sanctioned championship for the division.

***

Finally, one quick, but very heartfelt "Thank You!" to the racing world. The outpouring of support my family received -- and continues to receive -- following my father's passing has been just... wow, unbelievable.

Dad and I have made many good friends through motorsports, and have each supported a few of them during their own tough times. And while not everyone likes me, EVERYONE liked him. And it shows, big time. Thank you, thank you, thank you, to everyone that has left a comment, sent a card or an email or a text message, or called the house -- and that number is quite literally in the hundreds. Our family is so grateful for your compassion.

It's times like these that make me so proud to be part of the racing community. Happy holidays to you all.

The Juice: The Big Payoff

-by Justin St. Louis

It's here. Loudon. The big one. The race that Tom Curley has worked tirelessly toward. The race that hundreds of teams in the U.S. and Canada strived to get into for six months, a pool from which only 36 will compete. It's the big payoff.

Saturday's ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway will be the highlight of the year for certainly the majority, if not all of the drivers, regardless of their outcome.

"That's what I wanted, that's my baby," Brad Leighton said of the event after getting a qualifying berth at Lee USA Speedway in April. There are memories of Eric Pembroke screaming "We're going to Loudon!" into the microphone connected to his cousin David's headset after they won the Memorial Day Classic at Thunder Road. Eddie MacDonald said "the best part" of winning the Oxford 250 -- a career-defining achievement in itself -- was getting an invitation to NHMS. Joey Laquerre calls being asked to race in the ACT Invitational the "high point" of his 50-year career. And youngsters like Joey Polewarczyk, Brandon Watson, and Joey Doiron are undoubtedly hoping that some big-league team owners might take notice if they do well in the race.

There's a lot on the line on Saturday, but there's already so much for the competitors, officials, and fans to be proud of. There has been no shortage of effort by any one of those groups to turn the concept of local Late Models racing at New England's superspeedway into a reality. Fifteen years ago, the notion of such a thing happening was almost laughable. Saturday, it's a culmination of everything that everyone has worked so hard for. The 36 race teams, the officials from the American-Canadian Tour and New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the sponsors and fans, and everyone in between, are to be saluted.

The race may be the best one the northeast has ever seen, or it may be a total flop. We'll know at around 6:15 on Saturday evening. But the fact that we'll have the chance to know is what's special.

***

There's a race within a race for Loudon, and we'll be there to see how it plays out. Quinny Welch and Stacy Cahoon enter the White Mountain Motorsports Park championship finale on Friday only six points apart for the title, the winner of which will head down I-93 to race at Loudon about 15 or 16 hours later. Oh, and last weekend, Welch and Cahoon finished 1-2 in the feature. If you think there's no pressure there think again. Friday at White Mountain may be the best race to watch during the weekend.

Plus, there's a PASS North event that night, and the 1/4-mile bullring is historically one of the series' best tracks. We'll see you there.

***

Vermont Mototsports Magazine would like to welcome RPM Racing Engines of Georgia, Vt. as its first-ever advertiser. RPM will present coverage of the PASS and ACT events this weekend, as well as the Chittenden Bank Milk Bowl at Thunder Road on Sept. 26/27. We can't thank Rick Paya and the staff at RPM enough -- or you, the readers -- for believing in VMM this season. It's been an incredible first year for us, and it's all because of you.

***

I like Kayne West and his music, but he's a jerk for what he did at the VMAs to poor Taylor Swift. However, that doesn't excuse the world of "country music" for embracing Swift. Her songs are catchy, sure, and it's commendable that she writes and performs her own stuff, but come on, kids, that ain't country.

Alan Jackson is country. Garth Brooks is country. Alabama is country. I don't even like country music, but I know enough about it to know that Taylor Swift is -- gasp! -- a pop artist.

***

When only six cars are on the track in a headline-division feature, that's a bad thing. But when 19 cars start that event, that's even worse. And if that happens when it's only five laps past halfway, you've got a serious problem. That's what Riverside Speedway faced on Saturday night, and kudos to track management for pulling the plug at lap 55 of 100 after a wreckfest of a race like it sounds like they had over there.

***

Eddie MacDonald can't get enough. The "Outlaw" -- who just announced his intent to race the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Memphis Motorsports Park in October -- will be running the Camping World Series East race at NHMS on Friday as well as the Whelen Modified Tour and ACT Invitational events on Saturday. He's already on the short list of potential winners for the CWSE and ACT races, and who knows, maybe he could put his knowledge of the "Magic Mile" to use in the Modified race and rip off a victory in Andy Seuss's car. Keep your eyes peeled.

***

If you weren't entertained at Airborne Speedway's Fall Foliage 300, you'll never be entertained at a stock car race. Nineteen lead changes, Patrick Laperle's ridiculous luck, and side-by-side stuff all race long? It doesn't get better than that.

***

Speaking of Laperle, he is no fan of Donald Theetge. But you knew that.

On lap 15 of the Foliage, the two were racing for the lead after starting on the front row. Theetge came across Laperle's nose entering Turn 3 and spun. It was fourth time the two have come together while racing up front over the last three seasons.

And irony of ironies, Theetge was the last car Laperle had to race with during the closing laps of the Fall Foliage 300, as Laperle lapped the seventh-place Theetge coming to the checkers, which Laperle admitted caused some worry.

We can't print all of what Laperle said about Theetge, but he finished a 30-second rant with, "He's a pain in the ass." If you're keeping score at home, the other incidents (that we can remember, anyway, there may be more) were at Autodrome Montmagny and Airborne in 2007, Autodrome Chaudière last year, and now this.

Add in the long-standing dislike that Montréalers (Laperle's home crowd) and Québecers (Theetge supporters) have for each other, and it might be the best rivarly in northeastern Late Model racing right now. And by the way, they'll be racing for the Série ACT-Castrol championship the day after the ACT Invitational. Theetge leads Laperle by 33 points entering the St-Eustache 300, which, of course, is in Laperle's back yard.

***

Oh man, that reminds me that pre-season hockey starts this week! Whaddaya think, Habs go for Stanley Cup #25 this year? You Bruins got NUTHIN'! Olé, olé, olé, olé!

***

AROUND THE REGION:

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

ACT Late Model Tour: On Sunday at Airborne Speedway in Plattsburgh, N.Y., Patrick Laperle of St-Denis, Qué., beat Williston's Brian Hoar, Brent Dragon of Milton, John Donahue of Graniteville, and Milton's Scott Payea to win the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino Fall Foliage 300.

Airborne Speedway (Plattsburgh, N.Y.): Larry Underwood of Milton finished ninth in Sunday's Sportsman feature; hometown driver Robin Wood won the race while his uncle, Bucko Branham, was declared the champion. Dave Rabtoy of Swanton won the Renegade feature with Swanton's Kevin Boutin fourth, Lance Rabtoy of Fairfax sixth, and Mike Terry of Grand Isle tenth. Lonnie Rivers of Cadyville, N.Y. was the champion. Billy Jenkins of Milton was tenth in the Mini-Modified race, with Clintonville, N.Y.'s Billy Thwaits taking the championship. Josh LaPorte of Peru, N.Y. won the Bomber feature, and Jayson Blondo of Champlain, N.Y. was the champion.

Albany-Saratoga Speedway (Malta, N.Y.): Dave Camara of Fair Haven finished sixth in the 358 Modified feature on Friday night, with Ron Langevin of Londonderry matching that performance in the Sporsman feature. Frank Hoard, III of Manchester was eighth in the Budget Sportsman feature, and Fred Little of Salisbury was third in the Pro Street Stock feature. Bill Duprey of Hydeville translated his six-win season at Devil's Bowl Speedway into a win during a rare appearance in the Limited class at Albany-Saratoga, with Mike Clark of Benson fifth.

Bear Ridge Speedway (Bradford): Chris Donnelly of Piermont, N.H. posted his fifth Sportsman Modified win of the season on Saturday night over Jack Cook of Moultonboro, N.H., Bryan King of Corinth, Bob Shepard of West Topsham, and Gary Siemons of Orford, N.H. Topsham rivals Melvin Pierson and Josh Harrington continued their season-long battle in the Sportsman Coupe division by finishing 1-2 overall in a three-segment event, with King repeating his third-place finish over Bradford drivers Jason Horniak and Jeremy Stygles. Dan Eastman of Thetford Center took his 11th Limited Late Model win over East Montpelier's Will Hull, Shane Race of South Strafford, Jason Giguere of Enfield, N.H., and Jeremy Hodge of Bradford. Steve Bell of St. Johnsbury won a close Fast Four race over Chris McKinstry of Thetford, Andy Johnson of Wilder, Kevin Harran of St. Johnsbury, and Chelsea's Wayland Childs. Tom Placey of Bradford took his 10th Hornet win over St. Johnsbury's Bobby Bell, Mike Pittman of Corinth, Karl Sheldon of St. Johnsbury, and Mike Chapin of Chelsea. Matt Tanner of Stephenstown, N.Y. won the SCoNE 360 Sprint Car feature.

Monadnock Speedway (Winchester, N.H.): Saturday's races were rained out.

PASS North Super Late Models: Mike Rowe of Turner, Me. nipped D.J. Shaw of Center Conway, N.H. to win Sunday's PASS 300 at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, Me. Danville rookie Steven Legendre was 16th and Dave Davis of White River Junction was 25th.

Riverside Speedway (Groveton, N.H.): Paul Scharter, III of Lyndonville was declared the winner of Saturday's Bond Auto Late Model Triplw Crown 100 after only 55 laps were completed, due to many cautions and wrecks. Stephen Hodgdon on Danville finished fourth with Brett Gervais of Island Pond seventh. Derek Ming of Island Pond won the Outlaw Sportsman feature with Davey Ofsuryk of Newport Center third and Dan Sidney of St. Johnsbury fourth. Cody Hodge of Orleans won the Super Stock feature with Dilyn Switser of West Burke eighth and Ben Bedor of Lyndonville ninth. Brett Rowell of Concord won the Street Stock race over Hardwick's Andy Fecteau and Jesse Switser of West Burke. Toby Merchant of Concord was fourth in the Dwarf Car feature. Cabot sisters Lyndsay and Johanna Christman traded spots in the Angel feature to finish 1-2, in a reversal of their finish the week before, and Andy Simpson of Lyndon Center was third in the Cyclone race.

Twin State Speedway (Claremont, N.H.): Dallas Trombley of Rutland won the Late Model race on Sunday, while Guy Caron of Lempster, N.H. was crowned the champion. Nate Kehoe of Windham finished third in the Modified race with Ascutney's Joey Jarvis fourth, Windsor's Robert Hagar fifth, Joe Olmstead of Hartland seventh, Zach Jewett of Perkinsville eighth, and Leo Martin, Jr. or Windsor ninth. Jarvis, a rookie, was overtaken in the final event for the championship by Aaron Fellows of Croydon, N.H. Chris Curtis of Baltimore finished fifth in the Siper Street feature with Rick Lamotte of Ascutney seventh, Colby Hodgdon of Ascutney ninth, and Bruce Jaycox of Hartland tenth. Michael Burke of Bellows Falls was the Strictly Stock runner-up with Tara Tarbell of Springfield fifth, David Greenslit of Waitsfield seventh, Kyle Davis of Pittsford ninth, and West Hartford's Jeremy Blood tenth. Kyle Small of Quechee wonthe Wildcat feature over Cody Small of Hartland and Jeremiah Losee of North Springfield.

White Mountain Motorsports Park (North Woodstock, N.H.): St. Johnsbury's Stacy Cahoon was the Late Model runner-up in Saturday's feature with Morrisville's Dwayne Lanphear seventh. Point leader Stevie Parker of Lyndonville was the Strictly Stock runner-up, and Concord's Rubin Call finished second in the Strictly Stock Mini race.

***

WEEKEND SCHEDULE:

Friday, Sept. 18
Monadnock Speedway, Winchester, N.H. -- 7:00pm (Championship Night)
New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, N.H. -- 5:10pm (NASCAR Camping World Series East/Heluva Good! 125)
White Mountain Motorsports Park, North Woodstock, N.H. -- 6:00pm (Championship Night plus PASS North)

Saturday, Sept. 19
New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, N.H. -- 12:45pm (NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour/New Hampshire 100)
New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, N.H. -- 3:00pm (NASCAR Camping World Truck Series/Heluva Good! 200)
New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, N.H. -- 5:30pm (American-Canadian Tour/ACT Invitational)
Riverside Speedway, Groveton, N.H. -- 6:00pm (Regular Event)

Sunday, Sept. 20
Airborne Speedway, Plattsburgh, N.Y. -- 2:00pm (Modified Apple Bowl 100)
New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, N.H. -- 2:00pm (NASCAR Sprint Cup Series/Sylvania 300)

LOCAL TOURING SERIES:

ACT Late Model Tour: Sat., Sept. 19 -- New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, N.H. (5:30pm)
PASS North Super Late Models: Fri., Sept. 18 -- White Mountain Motorsports Park, North Woodstock, N.H. (6:00pm)

The Juice: Not Another Nick Sweet Column

-by Justin St. Louis

"That guy has got stone hands," Nick Sweet laughs after being congratulated by Tony Andrews on Thursday night.

A couple of minutes later, Eric Chase offers a handshake, and Phil Scott walks over to pat Sweet on the shoulder. A member of the wrecker crew gives him a nudge on his way past. Crew members, fans, even a couple of admiring young girls -- 14 or 15 years old, at most -- give some sort of congratulatory praise to Thunder Road's newest Late Model winner.

"I'm gonna crack a cold one I think," he says. "You want one? We've probably got some in the cooler."

"No, thanks, I'm working," I'm forced to reply. But I do appreciate the offer, and even more so, the fact that it came in the middle of an interview following the biggest moment in this young racer's career.

Nick Sweet seems genuinely happy just to be racing, and winning is merely a bonus. And although he's just 24 years old, the husband and father is mature enough to keep things in perspective. Go ahead and stick a microphone in his face and try to ask him a serious question, I dare you. Invariably, he'll pause at some point during the interview to say hello to somebody, or in the middle of praising his team, he'll giggle at his own goofy, self-deprecating one-liners and speak of how he forces his crew to work harder because he's not that good behind the wheel.

Here's an example, as Sweet speaks about the dedication of his crew while picking on himself about scuffing the decals on his car every race: "We were at the shop, heck, I was going home before them and I usually don't do that. I'm usually one of the last guys there, and I was like, 'Guys, I gotta go to work in the morning,' and they would just stay down there. And my dad, especially, without him this wouldn't be happening the way it is. He is just amazing. He does stuff that we shouldn't even be doing, he's so particular. He'll make sure it's right. That's what makes us so good, though, it's that kind of aspect. I'm very fortunate. I work hard on it, but he just puts that extra effort in, it makes it so much more. I go down, and I'm good at doing vinyl. I'm getting fantastic at that. I'm great at fixing the body panels, but when it comes to suspension, my dad is just right on it."

Another example, speaking about how his team is a tight-knit group: "We're a family-run team and that's what makes it fun. We stay close as a family, and it's even fun sometimes when you're fighting. It's like a woman, you've got to fight 'em every once in a while. It wouldn't be real if you weren't fighting, right? Wait, is Kristin (Sweet's wife) going to read this? You're like a family basically, that's how we are. We lose as a team, we win as a team, and you really find out who your real friends are when you're down."

Or this one, speaking about his chances for the 2009 Thunder Road championship after clinching his first career win: "All I care about is finishing. I'd like to come back and get a top five, that'd really be something, but we'll see. It's fun to think you're racing for it, but I just want to keep winning races now. I've been hungry for them, and maybe sometimes too hungry. Sometimes I get a little impatient and I run out of talent, it just happens."

It's refreshing to have a racer as fast as Nick Sweet understand that there's more to this game than just showing up, driving fast, saying the right things, and getting home in time for supper. His car is usually one of the last Late Models loaded up after the races. He sticks around and signs autographs and talks to fans until the lights are shut off. He encourages kids to sit in his race car. He's still a fan. In fact, his paint schemes have recently been designed in tribute to his childhood heroes. ("I'm hoping they'll think I'm Jeff Taylor and they'll cheer for me," Sweet joked at Oxford Plains Speedway last month, referencing the numbers he designed for his car in the same style of the multi-time OPS champion.)

I mused in this column space about six weeks ago that it was just a matter of time before Sweet broke into victory lane. Truth is, he was already a winner.

***

I got a rather pointed email from a friend and colleague of mine following last week's editorial on Vermont native Kevin Lepage struggling mercilessly in NASCAR's upper levels. "Unbelievably harsh treatment," it was called.

Folks, let's get one thing straight: I don't dislike Kevin Lepage at all. At my "real" job, we've got 52 television sets, and I make sure that at least one of them is tuned into Nationwide Series practice and qualifying every week. I hope for a miraculous run at the top of the speed charts every time, and it simply never comes. In fact, last week he didn't make the show at Michigan.

Look, I grew up cheering for the guy. When Lepage moved south, my parents bought me the die-cast cars and we followed his every move. When he came back home to Thunder Road to race the Milk Bowl in 1994 and a Thursday show in 1998, I foamed at the mouth to get inside the gates and watch him race. I served his mother lunch one time when I was working at Friendly's as a teenager, and I told people about it for years. As a Vermonter, I'm proud of what Kevin Lepage has achieved.

That doesn't mean I can't be disappointed with what he's doing now.

I have a friend that has been a big Atlanta Braves fan since we were kids. Huge John Smoltz fan. Do you think he doesn't have the right to be disappointed in what Smoltz is going through this year?

I want nothing but the best for Kevin Lepage, and I do understand that he has bills to pay. In this day and age, a driver past his prime "marketing years" (which start to end at age 22 these days), needs to take advantage of every opportunity he or she can get to stay in the racing business, and that's what Lepage is doing. I get that.

But I have a hunch that if he found something else to do to make ends meet -- Crew chief? Team manager? Official? Sponsor representative? Television analyst? -- and came back to moonlight as a driver in his short track roots, he'd be celebrated as a winner again. Sure, it's not the Sprint Cup Series, but who cares? It's racing, it's winning, and it's what he should be doing. He deserves to win. He's worked too hard for too long to run 37th or 42nd or not qualify.

That's all I was saying.

***

If you like wild crashes, you owe it to yourself to look at this Modified wreck produced by Cody Sargent at Albany-Saratoga. That's levitation, homes.

***

I don't care a hoot about football or Brett Favre, but this right here is awesome. You go get 'em, Rockford.

***

I had never had a good experience at Riverside Speedway. Ever.

The first time I went as a kid, it rained, it was cold, and my dad's friend crashed in the race. The second time I went, as a racer about eight years later, I got disqualified for a stupid bent wheel. The third time (the only other time I competed there), I did well in a race, but I got walled by every single Riverside regular that I raced against, and I got pulled over on the way home for doing six miles per hour over the speed limit while towing a trailer on a downhill slope. The next four or five times, it either rained, or there were fights or wrecks or just plain bad races. The last time I went in 2007, the program moved along so slowly that I got up and left before the show ended, despite paying $30 to get in.

The stretch of Route 2 from East Montpelier to Lancaster, N.H. isn't bad during the daylight, but that same stretch headed home in the opposite direction at night is THE WORST drive in America, and I feel that way when I'm on it coming home from Oxford, too, every time. And by the way, that's kinda the only way to get to Riverside and back for me.

I hadn't been there in two years, and I wasn't necessarily looking forward to going back. But Sunday, for the first time in my life, I was glad I went. I saw one helluva race, and Wayne Helliwell's story that day was as dramatic, compelling, and super-human as any I've seen in short track racing. The fact that it was so ungodly hot that the asphalt fell apart, I had to remind myself, was not the fault of Riverside itself, that's just the way it was. That could have happened anywhere.

I probably won't be back to Riverside this year, just because that's the way the schedule works out. But Sunday went a long way for me. Kudos to the staff and competitors.

***

I'll be honest, I reported Sunday's event at Devil's Bowl exactly as it was prepared in the track's official press release. And then I got a message from a guy that's been there all season, letting me know that, um, said press release might be a bit misleading.

This is the opening line from the release: "Ken Tremont Jr. hasn't officially won the track championship at Devil's Bowl Speedway yet, but the fat lady is definitely warming up backstage."

Well, that's foreshadowing, no? Continue reading...

"Tremont held off Todd Stone Sunday night to register his sixth win of the season in the 30-lap 358-modified feature on Judith L. Richards Memorial Night at Devil's Bowl. ... Frank Hoard Sr. set the pace for the first 11 laps of the modified feature, but Tremont had the Rifenburgh Construction small block humming and only needed seven laps to get from his eighth starting position to second.

Tremont used a restart on lap 11 to get the lead, and the rest of the field could do nothing more than watch his rear bumper for the rest of the feature. Stone, who started just behind Tremont, moved into second on lap 14, but had to be content with the No. 2 spot, and knows his reign as track champion is just about over."

Kinda paints the picture that it's all but over, right? Not so.

Turns out Todd Stone is, in fact, third in points at Devil's Bowl this year and his reign may be over soon. But it's not likely that he'll go away quietly. And neither will Tim LaDuc.

Depsite six wins, Tremont has only an 11-point edge over LaDuc and just 13 points on Stone with three events remaining, including the double-points season finale. With each position offering just two points more than the next (read: If Stone wins this Sunday, LaDuc is second, and Tremont is eighth, Stone and LaDuc would be tied for the lead with Tremont one point back in third, it's THAT close), it's far from over. If Tremont had a 70-point lead, then it might be time to warm up the bus, but that's not the case.

And I'll tell you right now that if I was a media guy working for a track, I'd hype the living crap out of a point battle like that -- a la Airborne Speedway with Martin Roy and Patrick Dupree, or the now-finished ACT Tiger Sportsman Series, which ended in a tie -- not calling it a day like Devil's Bowl.

***

Speaking of Airborne, Kenny Schrader is the one professional racer I have really wanted to see all season long on a short track, and Saturday's Modified race ought to be a good show.

***

AROUND THE REGION:

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

ACT Tiger Sportsman Series: Shawn Duquette of Morrisonville, N.Y. won his first ACT championship on Thursday at Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl in Barre after winning a tie-breaker with St. Albans driver Jason Bonnett. Bonnett finished sixth in the ACE Hardware 100 with Duquette 20th after a mid-race crash, but due to his victories at Airborne and Canaan Fair earlier in the season, Duquette was awarded the tie-breaker over the winless Bonnett. Shawn Fleury of Middlesex won the ACE Hardware 100 over Bradford's Derrick O'Donnell, Jimmy Hebert of Williamstown, North Wolcott's Brendan Moodie, Scott Coburn of Barre, and Bonnett.

Airborne Speedway (Plattsburgh, N.Y.): Aaron Bartemy of Sheldon took his second Modified win of the season on Saturday night, while Milton's Bill Sawyer was fifth in the Sportsman feature. Milton's Rob Gordon was the runner-up in the Renegade feature for the second week in a row, with Swanton's Kevin Boutin fourth, Mike Terry of Grand Isle fifth, Lance Rabtoy of Fairfax eighth, and Swanton's Dave Rabtoy tenth. Billy Jenkins of Milton was sixth in the Mini-Modified feature.

Albany-Saratoga Speedway (Malta, N.Y.): Dave Camara of Fair Haven took his first win of the season in the 358 Modified class on Friday night, while Todd Stone of Middlebury finished sixth. Rob Langevin of Londonderry was fourth in the Sportsman division. Fred Little of Salisbury finished foruth in the Pro Street Stock feature with Benson's Jeff Washburn seventh and Ed Thompson of Fair Haven eighth.

Bear Ridge Speedway (Bradford): Chris Donnelly of Piermont, N.H. took his fourth Sportsman Modified win of the season on Saturday night, with Thetford Center's Wayne Stearns second, Gary Siemons of Orford, N.H. third, Ryan Avery of Thornton, N.H. fourth, and Mike Dunn fifth. Kevin Chaffee of East Orange was sixth with East Thetford's Jason Gray ninth. Rookie Jason Horniak of Bradford held off Topsham's Josh Harrington to win the Sportsman Coupe feature over Billy Simmons of Bradford, Melvin Pierson of Topsham, and Bryan King of Corinth. Dan Eastman of Thetford Center won his ninth Limited Late Model feature of the year over Bradford's Jeremy Hodge, Shane Race of South Strafford, Will Hull of East Montpelier, and T.C. Forward of Lyme, N.H. St. Johnsbury's Steve Bell notched his first Fast Four win over Wilder's Andy Johnson, Ryan Dutton of Bradford, Kevin Harran of St. Johnsbury, and John Dunham of West Lebanon, N.H. First-time Hornet winner Mike Chapin of Chelsea snapped a six-race win streak for Bradford's Tom Placey, who finished second. Bobby Bell of St. Johnsbury was third over Chelsea's Mike Ryan and Mike Santaw of Lyme, N.H.

Canaan Dirt Speedway (Canaan, N.H.): Thetford Center's Dave Lacasse was the Modified runner-up with Hartland's Ed Tobin sixth. Will Hull of East Montpelier was the Street Stock runner-up, with Dan Eastman of Thetford Center third. Josh Sunn of White River Junction was the Fast Four winner with Ryan Dutton of Bradford third and Wilder's Andy Johnson seventh. Lacey Hanson of Orwell finished second in the Granite State Mini Sprint 500cc race.

Canaan Fair Speedway (Canaan, N.H.): Kris Lyman of West Hartford was eighth in the Pro Stock feature Saturday with South Royalton's Kevin Menard tenth, while Bradford's Arnie Stylges finished third in the Super Street race. Jamie Hodgdon of Ascutney won the Pure Stock feature with Rory Merritt of North Springfield tenth. Chris Lyman of Hartland won the Outlaw Mini Stock race over White River Junction drivers Bobby Prior and Josh Sunn and Chris McKinstry of Thetford. Ascutney's Tyler Lescord won the Bandit race over Mike Parker of Bradford.

Devil's Bowl Speedway (West Haven): Kenny Tremont, Jr. of West Sand Lake, N.Y. took his sixth 358 Modified win of 2009 on Sunday over Middlebury's Todd Stone, Vince Quenneville, Jr. of Brandon, Tim LaDuc of Orwell, and Ron Proctor of Charlton, N.Y. Brian Whittemore of Florence was sixth with Whiting's Jimmy Ryan eighth and Gardner Stone of Middlebury ninth. Seth Howe of South Londonderry won the 50-lap Budget Sportsman race over Indian Lake, N.Y.'s Paul Dunham, Jr., Jack Swinton of Hudson Falls, N.Y., Manchester's Frank Hoard, III, and Derrick McGrew of Ballston Spa, N.Y. Fred Little of Salisbury won the Pro Street Stock feature over Carl Vladyka of Fair Haven, Cale Kneer of Troy, N.Y., Hampton, N.Y.'s Justin Perry, and Pat McLaughlin of Johnsonville, N.Y. Brandon's Mike Clark won his third Limited feature of the season with Hydeville's Bill Duprey fourth, and Nathan Woodworth of Essex Junction beat Rutland's Kayla Bryant in the Mini Stock/Duke Stock race.

Monadnock Speedway (Winchester, N.H.): Dana Shepard of Putney finished 11th in the Super Stock race on Saturday, with Joe Rogers of Ludlow tenth in the Mini Stocks. Vernon's Heath Renaud beat Dick Houle of West Brattleboro to win the 4-cylinder Enduro.

PASS North Super Late Models: Seekonk (Mass.) Speedway ace Tom Scully, Jr. beat the PASS stars at his home track on Saturday night for his first win on the series. Maine racers Ben Rowe and Johnny Clark completed the podium, with Danville rookie Steven Legendre 17th.

Riverside Speedway (Groveton, N.H.): Howard Switser of West Burke finished fourth in Sunday's "Clash of the Titans 150" Late Model event, behind Wayne Helliwell, Jr., Quinny Welch, and Randy Potter. Rick Utley, Jr. of Wheelock won Saturday's Street Stock feature over Concord's Brett Rowell. Johanna Christman of Cabot won the Angel event on Saturday.

Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl (Barre): Nick Sweet of Barre posted his first career Late Model win on Thursday over Shelburne's Jamie Fisher, Cris Michaud of Northfield, Phil Scott of Montpelier, and point leader Jean-Paul Cyr of Milton. Shawn Fleury of Middlesex won the ACE Hardware 100 for the ACT Tiger Sportsman Tri-State Series. Garry Bashaw of Lincoln was a first-time Street Stock winner over Elmore's David Whitcomb, rookie Tucker Williams of Hyde Park, Michael Moore of East Haven, and Williamstown's Mike MacAskill, while Donny Yates of North Montpelier was the Junkyard Warrior winner over Barre's Kevin Dodge, Kevin Streeter of Waitsfield, Lance Donald of Williamstown, and Bryan Nykiel of Berlin. On Friday, Rich Lowrey of Charlotte won his second Late Model event of the season over Dave Whitcomb of Essex Junction, Fisher, Waitsfield's Grant Folsom, and Michaud. Bobby Therrien of Hinesburg took his first Tiger Sportsman win of the year over Marshfield's Matt Potter, Derrick O'Donnell of Bradford, Cody Blake of Barre, and Joe Steffen of Essex Junction. M.C. Ingram of Essex Junction won the Street Stock race over Williams, Moore, Greg Adams, Jr. of Hardwick, and Hancock's Danny Doyle, while Yates took his second Warrior win in 24 hours over Cabot's Ken Christman, Kevin Wheatley of Williamstown, Streeter, and Donald.

True Value Modified Racing Series: Rowan Pennink of Huntington Valley, Penn. notched his first career win at Waterford (Conn.) Speedbowl on Saturday, followed by Connecticut driver Chris Pasteryak and Kenny Horton. Dwight Jarvis of Ascutney was 21st.

Twin State Speedway (Claremont, N.H.): Guy Caron of Lempster, N.H. won the three-segment Late Model feature on Friday over Chris Bergerson and Marc Palmisano. Joey Jarvis of Ascutney was the Modified runner-up. Chris Wilk of Mendon beat Russ Davis of Cavendish to win the Super Street feature. Josh Lovely of Barre was third in the Strictly Stocks. Rob Leitch of Cavendish won the Wildcat feature, which was run in counter-clockwise direction, over Ludlow's Rob Olney, III and James Brow of Brattleboro.

White Mountain Motorsports Park (North Woodstock, N.H.): Bernie Lantagne of McIndoe Falls finished sixth Saturday's Late Model feature, with Stacy Cahoon and son Tyler Cahoon of St. Johnsbury ninth and tenth, respectively. Stevie Parker of Lyndonville was the Strictly Stock runner-up with Milton's Gordie Stone seventh, and Concord driver Rubin Call was third in the Strictly Stock Mini feature.

***

WEEKEND SCHEDULE:

Thursday, Aug. 20
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre -- 6:30pm (Kids Poster Contest)

Friday, Aug. 21
Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Malta, N.Y. -- 6:45pm (Empire Lightning Sprints)
Canaan Dirt Speedway, Canaan, N.H. -- 7:00pm (SCoNE 360 Sprint Cars)
Twin State Speedway, Claremont, N.H. -- 7:30pm (All-Star Race Trucks, Demolition Derby)

Saturday, Aug. 22
Bear Ridge Speedway, Bradford -- 6:00pm (Hornet Queens)
Airborne Speedway, Plattsburgh, N.Y. -- 6:00pm (Special guest NASCAR driver Ken Schrader, plus SpeedSTR Midgets)
Canaan Fair Speedway, Canaan, N.H. -- 6:00pm (New England Champ Kart Series)
Monadnock Speedway, Winchester, N.H. -- 6:00pm (All-Star Race Trucks)
Riverside Speedway, Groveton, N.H. -- 6:00pm (Late Model Triple Crown 100)
White Mountain Motorsports Park, North Woodstock, N.H. -- 6:00pm (Regular Event)

Sunday, Aug. 23
Devil's Bowl Speedway, West Haven -- 6:45pm (Veterans Night)
Canaan Fair Speedway, Canaan, N.H. -- 2:00pm (PASS North Super Late Models)


TOURING SERIES:

PASS North Super Late Models: Sun., Aug. 23 -- Canaan Fair Speedway, Canaan, N.H. (2:00pm)
SCoNE 360 Sprint Cars: Fri., Aug. 21 -- Canaan Dirt Speedway, Canaan, N.H. (7:00pm)
Série ACT-Castrol: Sat., Aug. 22 -- Riverside Speedway, Ste-Croix, Qué. (5:00pm)
True Value Modified Racing Series: Sat.. Aug. 22 -- Seekonk Speedway, Seekonk, Mass. (6:00pm)

PHOTOS: Weekend of August 13-16, 2009

Randy Potter's #02 Late Model sits in the foreground as Late Models sit idle in the pit area at Riverside Speedway on Sunday. Click here for a 150-photo gallery of events at Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Bear Ridge Speedway, White Mountain Motorsports Park, and Riverside Speedway from the weekend of Aug. 13-16, 2009. All photos by Justin St. Louis/VMM unless otherwise noted.

Helliwell Takes Dramatic Win at Riverside

Lee regular beats Welch, Potter, and heat

GROVETON, N.H. -- There was no question that there were three specific drivers that would be in the hunt at Riverside Speedway.

From practice and qualifying at the start of the sunny, 95-degree day, the class of the field for the Mason Tractor & Equipment 'Clash of the Titans 150' was clearly the trio of former White Mountain Motorsports Park champion Quinny Welch, defending Lee USA Speedway king Wayne Helliwell, Jr., and Riverside's favorite son, Randy Potter.

Potter, a multi-time Riverside champion who lives quite literally at the edge of the speedway's property line in Groveton, N.H., is an established ACT Late Model Tour championship contender. Welch, from nearby Lancaster, N.H., currently leads the championship standings at White Mountain and races successfully on a part-time basis with ACT, but has a checkered past at Riverside. Helliwell, from Dracut, Mass. and a veteran of many disciplines of short track racing, made a lasting first impression at Riverside last week, and is poised to win another title at Lee USA this fall.

Each driver has top-notch equipment and a stout team behind him. Each driver is regarded highly enough to have been invited to participate in the upcoming ACT test session at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Each driver won his qualifying heat on Sunday, and each started the 'Clash' from one of the top-three positions on the 26-car grid.

There was no question they would be at the top of the finishing order. Instead, the question was how that order would be decided.

Potter led the first 28 laps from the pole, then Welch took over but was not more than two car lengths ahead of Potter until around lap 60. With a restart 20 circuits later, Potter was again within striking distance. Helliwell, who had been conserving his tires for later in the race, suddenly became a player, as did ACT and Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl regular John Donahue. A restart on lap 96 allowed Helliwell to sweep under Potter and take control of second place. Donahue, meanwhile, had pitted for fresh right side tires during the caution period and, while back in tenth place, was expected to quickly return to the front.

Helliwell sniffed his first move under Welch on lap 106, but backed out, opting to run behind the leader. Potter ran a close third. Donahue, by lap 111, was up to fifth place. A lap later, however, he retired with a broken right-rear hub. After the restart for Donahue's spun car bunched the leaders again, giving Potter the opportunity to briefly take second back from Helliwell. Potter's tires began to give up, though, and Helliwell moved back ahead on lap 115, then set to work on Welch.

At lap 126, Helliwell tried the outside to no avail. Due to the intense heat, a recently-applied strip of asphalt in the low groove of Turn 3 began coming apart early in the day. During the PASS Modified event prior to the 'Clash', the combination of heat and bad asphalt badly blistered the right-rear tire of winner Dan Somes' car. Using an old home remedy, track crews laid down dry concrete powder mix over the broken-up surface following the Modified race and during many of the caution periods in the subsequent PASS Sportsman and 'Clash' races to slow the decay of the track. While the intense heat of the day made passing a bit tougher on the outside, the inside lane in Turn 3 also suffered somewhat as a result of the bad asphalt.

Helliwell made two inside-lane bids on laps 129 and 136, then made another try on the top at lap 140. That time, with a thrilling, all-guts move, Helliwell made his car stick, taking the lead on lap 142. Backmarker Cody LeBlanc spun one lap later, setting up one final seven-lap dash to the win.
But during that lap 143 caution period, something was going on inside Helliwell's car. Dehydrated and exhausted, he was suffering badly.

"At lap 80, I was getting dizzy," he said. "I kept pulling my gloves down and hanging my hands out the window trying to cool my wrists. I was good on that last [long green flag] run, and then that caution came out with seven to go.

"And it just hit, everything started spinning."

Helliwell lined up for the final sprint with Welch on his outside and Potter on his rear bumper. Potter immediately jumped in front of Welch and into second place, but washed up the track three laps later. Welch returned to second place, but by then was too far behind Helliwell to make a charge before the checkered flag on lap 150.

Luckily for Helliwell, the race was not 151 laps long. With his left hand out the window looking for air, a dazed Helliwell came out of Turn 4 at half-speed as the checkers waved. He slowly made his way around the track before stopping in victory lane, not taking the traditional victory lap.

Helliwell was in trouble.

As Welch and Potter, who had been drinking fluids throughout the race, climbed out of their cars hot and sweaty but relatively spry, Helliwell sat in pain and heat-induced confusion. It was not until rescue workers, equipped with frozen cold-compacts and bottles of cold water, arrived on the scene and helped pull the winner out of his car before Helliwell was able to realize his victory. Even then, a full five minutes of recuperation time passed before Helliwell was able to make his way -- half-carried -- to the podium for the interview and trophy presentation.

"When we took the [lap 143] restart I looked up and I thought I'd seen, like, five or six car lenghts," said Helliwell. "[My spotter] said 'You're by yourself, just run.' I just backed off. I just idled around the speedway on the last lap. If there was another lap I would have drove right off the [track]."

All three drivers were complimentary of each other and of the race, and Welch and Potter -- who have plenty of laps racing each other, but very limited experience against Helliwell -- appreciated the winner's effort.

"I had a feeling it would come down to us three," said Potter. "We raced pretty good together and had a lot of fun. Wayne is a class act. I'll tell you, he could have uprooted me after a couple of them restarts when I couldn't go, and he let me go and his car would come in, and it paid off in the end. I want to congratulate him. This is a great race to have at my home track, and even though I haven't been here in a while it's still home."

"Lapped traffic played a big factor today, and Wayne ran a helluva race," said runner-up Welch. "He's a good driver with an awesome car and a good bunch of guys, and Randy, we battled with him all day and it was fun. It just came down to the end and I ran out of tires. It was a heck of a job, anyway, and it was probably the best race I've been in, I don't know, probably my whole career. I had a great time."

"Honest to God, if I could run with those guys every week, I'd come up here and run every single week," said Helliwell, who earned a track record $5,000 purse for his victory. "Down where we run, we don't have guys that you can run like that. I pride myself on being able to run bumper-to-bumper with people and not hitting, and it was really awesome to be able to come up here and run like that for 150 laps."

Howard Switser of West Burke was the top Vermonter in fourth place, and also the top finisher on American Racer tires; the top-three drivers all used Goodyear tires. Switser pitted twice during early caution periods to make adjustements on his car, and also survived an early chain-reaction incident that ultimately left his car without a hood for most of the race. Switser passed Bryan Mason of Stark, N.H. on lap 147 for fourth. Mason beat his brother, Corey, for fifth place. The balance of the unofficial top ten was completed by Steve Patnaude, Sammy Gooden, Mike Kenison, and Mike Paquette.

Ten caution periods slowed the event, including the first on lap 21 for a wild, multi-time flip by Pat Corbett of Williamstown. He was uninjured. Twenty-seven cars attempted to qualify, with only Dean Weber, who demolished his car in his heat race, failing to start the race.

Mike Landry of Oakland, Me. won the PASS Sportsman race, which was shortened from 75 laps to 50 due to the heat and track conditions. Landry beat point leader Dan McKeage of Gorham, Me. and Clyde Hennessey of Windham, Me. for the win. Somes, of Belgrade, Me., was followed in the PASS Modified race -- which was shortened from 40 laps to 30 -- by point leader Andy Shaw of Center Conway, N.H. and Sumner Sessions of Norway, Me. Jeff Ainsworth of Bethlehem, N.H. won the 50-lap Cyclone Enduro race.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS -- Mason Tractor & Equipment 'Clash of the Titans 150'
Riverside Speedway, Groveton, N.H.
Sunday, August 16, 2009

Pos.-Driver-Hometown

1. Wayne Helliwell, Jr., Dracut, Mass.
2. Quinny Welch, Lancaster, N.H.
3. Randy Potter, Groveton, N.H.
4. Howard Switser, West Burke
5. Bryan Mason, Stark, N.H.
6. Corey Mason, Stark, N.H.
7. Steve Patnaude, Pittsburg, N.H.
8. Sammy Gooden, Whitefield, N.H.
9. Mike Kenison, Groveton, N.H.
10. Mike Paquette, Pittsburg, N.H.
11. Cody LeBlanc, Gorham, N.H.
12. Kenny Marier, Littleton, N.H.
13. Paul Schartner, III, Lyndonville
14. Bob Ailes, Sr., St. Johnsbury
15. John Donahue, Graniteville
16. Matt Pepin, Concord, N.H.
17. Jamie Swallow, Jr., Stark, N.H.
18. Matt Sanborn, West Baldwin, Me.
19. Zig Geno, Gilmanton Iron Works, N.H.
20. Haywood Herriott, Gorham, N.H.
21. Stephen Hodgdon, Danville
22. Marc Palmisano, Hadley, Mass.
23. Jeff Marshall, Groveton, N.H.
24. Jeremy Davis, Tamworth, N.H.
25. Pat Corbett, Williamstown
26. Bill McCarthy, Medford, Mass.
DNS - Dean Weber, Weare, N.H.

(PHOTOS: 1. Wayne Helliwell is assisted in victory lane by his crew members and Groveton Rescue after winning the Clash of the Titans 150 in 90+ degree heat; 2. Helliwell's #27 Unique Ford entry at speed; 3. Third-place finisher Randy Potter (left) and runner-up Quinny Welch (2nd from right) hold an exhausted Wayne Helliwell up on the podium at Riverside Speedway. Photos by Justin St. Louis/VMM)

PHOTOS: A Busy Weekend

Thanks in no small part to the region's photographers, we've got a nice little 60-photo album recapping the weekend's racing action at Twin State Speedway, Bear Ridge Speedway, Autodrome Granby, White Mountain Motorsports Park, Riverside Speedway, and Airborne Speedway.

Here, Leif Tillotson captures the Empire Super Sprint field as it races down the frontstretch at Granby on Saturday night.

Album photos by Alan Ward, Leif Tillotson, Eric LaFleche/VLFPhotos.com, and Justin St. Louis/VMM. Click here to see the album.

The Juice: Ben Rowe a has-been? Come on...

-by Justin St. Louis

There's a debate on one of the message boards that has me in stitches. Ben Rowe hasn't amounted to much in his first two appearances this season with the ACT Late Model Tour, and the argument by that one poster started is that Rowe has lost his touch and shouldn't waste everyone's time by attempting to qualify for the TD Banknorth 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway next month.

Dude, really? Really?

All Rowe has done so far this year is win twice in the PASS South Super Late Models, once in PASS North competition, and lead the point standings for both the South and National championships. Yeah, he should hang it up.

Rowe's regular gig is driving for Richard Moody Racing on the PASS circuit, a team that has full-time help in the garage with money to spare. The team builds and massages and feels every facet of its operation every day of the week, and the combination is one of the most potent of any short track team in the country. Their plans call for chasing all three PASS championships with a full effort, and so far it looks like those plans might work out.

Rowe's ACT gig is strictly a fun, part-time deal with Donald and David Avery's team, which has volunteer help, and again, races strictly on a part-time schedule. To top it off, they're figuring out a new chassis this season.

The Moody team has raced nine times so far this year, often running against teams that have raced only half that number of events. The Avery team has raced just twice, against teams that have been on the track between five and seven times already. So which team is at an advantage here? Shouldn't that be pretty obvious?

Rowe won the PASS North race at White Mountain Motorsports Park on May 23, then failed to qualify for the ACT race at Thunder Road the next day. He joked, "I go from hero to zero in a one-hour drive over the mountain," making reference to his nine career PASS victories at White Mountain and 0-fer record at Thunder Road.

Sure, Thunder Road is a tough track, but it's not like Rowe hasn't figured it out: he finished second in the Milk Bowl there in 2007, and has top-five finishes in each of the last two Labor Day Classic 200s at the track. And to be fair, he hasn't even raced there more than eight or nine times in his career. By the same token, look at all the wins Phil Scott has at Thunder Road, but only once has he conquered White Mountain, and that was nine years ago. And by the way, Rowe won four ACT races driving for the Avery team in 2006, so there's that.

If anyone thinks for a second that Ben Rowe hasn't got what it takes to be a competitive ACT driver, they're off their rocker. Ben Rowe will be at the TD Banknorth 250, and if you think the Avery team won't have figured its new car out by then, then, again, you're a crazy person. Rowe will be racing to win his third 250, and if he's not in contention (barring some sort of freak thing like a wreck or a mechanical failure), I'll come on here and tell you I was totally wrong.

Don't bet on me telling you I was wrong.

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I'm not even going to comment on Bobby MacArthur anymore, unless there's a story involving his complete removal from control at All-Star Speedway.

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Among the highlights of the Dragon family match race at Bear Ridge Speedway last Saturday:

-Referencing Brent Dragon's previous seat time in the 30-lap Sportsman Modified feature prior to the match race, announcer Dave Moody calls the lineup: "Beaver in the 26, Bobby in the 5, and Stroker Ace in the 6."

-Harmon "Beaver" Dragon, age 68, doing absolutely everything he can to find the fast way around, including hitting the tire barriers along the inside edge of the track, driving through mud puddles in the infield at full speed, cutting off his brother, Bobby, and ramming into his son, Brent, on the final lap. Priceless.

-Upon Beaver driving to the pit area between the first and second segments, Moody makes the comment: "Beaver's out of gas. The car is running, Beaver himself is out of gas. A little prune juice and Geritol and we'll be good to go."

-Brent Dragon: "I'll never complain about Ste-Croix being a rough track ever again."
Gary Siemons, #5 car owner: "What? That ain't even rough. That wasn't bad at all."
Brent Dragon: (Expletive deleted)

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Chris Osgood. Marc-Andre Fleury. Awesome.

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Good for Monadnock Speedway! Eighteen Modifieds competed on Saturday night, which is a great sign for the future of the division. Even better (and no offense is meant by this), Jim Boniface won the feature, meaning division dominator Kirk Alexander didn't.

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Jean-François Déry's win in the Série ACT-Castrol race at Autodrome Montmagny last Saturday was one for the underdogs, and the fact that he's now headed to Loudon, N.H. in August for the approval test at New Hampshire Motor Speedway is what dreams are made of for a team like his. Yes, Déry is lightning-quick and has top-notch equipment and has contended for titles, but he's still not yet at the caliber of an established champion racer like a Sylvain Lacombe or a Donald Theetge or a Patrick Laperle. He's a racer that more often than not seems to race totally for the moment, and he's one of the most aggressive-but-not-quite-over-the-line racers there is right now. And the fact that he was heard on radio scanners during the race at Montmagny saying he was pushing Theetge's back bumper "for the show" is fantastic.

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Hey, whaddaya think of the new logo?

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Not gonna lie, we're kinda looking forward to Sunday's "Battle of Plattsburgh" at Airborne Speedway with the Super DIRTcar Series. Big guns like like Brett Hearn, Frank Cozze, Billy Decker, Kenny Tremont, and Timmy Fuller versus Airborne homeboys like Martin Roy, Mike Bruno, the Bartemy brothers, George Foley, and Pat Dupree... good stuff.

Our advice: get there a bit before the 6:00 post time.

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We're only a week out from the first Thursday night race at Thunder Road, which means... (deep breath)... everything. Simply cannot wait.

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AROUND THE REGION:

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

Airborne Speedway (Plattsburgh, N.Y.): Sheldon racer Aaron Bartemy notched his best finish of the season as the runner-up in the Modified race on Saturday night. Brandon's Don Scarborough finished fifth. Milton's Larry Underwood was the top Vermonter in the Tiger Sportsman race, finishing seventh, while Swanton's Kevin Boutin was sixth in the Renegade feature. Billy Jenkins of Milton finished 11th in the Mini-Modifieds.

Albany-Saratoga Speedway (Malta, N.Y.): As Brett Hearn lost for only the second time this season in the Modifieds, Middlebury's Todd Stone finished second behind winner Jeff Trombley on Friday night. South Londonderry's Cullen Howe finished eighth in the Budget Sportsman feature, while Fair Haven's Ed Thompson was fifth in the Pro Street Stock event.

Bear Ridge Speedway (Bradford): Wayne Stearns of Thetford Center finished third in the Sportsman Modified feature on Saturday night, with Bob Shepard of Corinth sixth. Bryan King of Corinth, Jason Gray of East Thetford, and Milton's Brent Dragon finished eighth through tenth. Josh Harrington of Topsham remains undefeated through three Sportsman Coupe events, while East Corinth's Melvin Pierson finished second and Bradford rookie Jason Horniak was third. Will Hull of East Montpelier was able to knock Thetford Center's Dan Eastman off the top in the Limited Late Models. Sharon's Mitch Durkee picked up his first Fast Four win of the season over St. Johnsbury's Kevin Harran, while Bradford's Tom Placey beat Bobby Lee Bell of St. Johnsbury in the Hornet class. Brenda Atherton of Fairlee won the Hornet Queen race.

Canaan Dirt Speedway (Canaan, N.H.): Friday's race card was rained out.

Devil's Bowl Speedway (Fair Haven): Middlebury's Todd Stone capped off a strong weekend by finishing second in the Modified race on Sunday. Tim LaDuc of Orwell finished third, followed by Londonderry's Rob Langevin and Vince Quenneville, Jr. of Brandon. Veteran Don Ackner of Castleton, N.Y. was the winner. Cullen Howe of South Londonderry finished 10th in the Budget Sportsman feature. Jeff Washburn of Benson won the Pro Street Stock feature with Salisbury's Fred Little third and Carl Vladyka of Fair Haven fifth. Don Williams of Ripton won the Limited feature, while Mike Clark of Brandon was third.

Monadnock Speedway (Winchester, N.H.): Dana Shepard of Putney finished 10th in the Super Stock race on Saturday night, and Whitingham's Ricky Bernard was 14th in the Mini Stock feature. It was a 1-2-3 family sweep in the four-cylinder Enduro class, as West Brattleboro's Dick Houle beat Vernon racers Adam and Josh Houle for the win.

Riverside Speedway (Groveton, N.H.): Derek Ming of Island Pond won his second-straight Outlaw Sportsman feature on Saturday with Newport Center's David Ofsuryk sixth. Denny Degreenia of Concord finished third in the Super Stock feature. Andrew Fecteau of Hardwick won the Street Stock race, with Derby Line's Brendan Hunt second. Andy Simpson of Lyndon Center won the Cyclone race.

Série ACT-Castrol: Trampas Demers of South Burlington finished second in the Red Bear 100 at Autodrome Montmagny near Québec City on Saturday night, while Graniteville's John Donahue finished 15th.

Utica-Rome Speedway (Vernon, N.Y.): John Scarborough of Bomoseen took his first win of the season in the Sportsman feature on Sunday.

Twin State Speedway (Claremont, N.H.): Rookie Dola Holland of Ludlow finished ninth in the Late Model feature on Friday with Ascutney's Chris Riendeau 11th. Ascutney rookie Joey Jarvis finished fourth in the Modified feature with Windsor's Robert Hagar sixth. Russ Davis of Cavendish finished second in the Super Street feature with West Hartford's Kris Lyman third. Tara Tarbell of Springfield took her second-straight Strictly Stock win. Kyle Small of Quechee beat Hartland's Cody Small to win the Wildcat feature, with North Springfield's Jeremiah Losee third.

White Mountain Motorsports Park (North Woodstock, N.H.): Veteran racer Norm Andrews of Northfield earned a Triple Crown in the Late Model division Saturday night, winning his heat, the semi-feature, and the 50-lap main event. Stevie Parker of Lyndonville was third in the Strictly Stock feature, while Concord's Rubin Call won the Strictly Mini race.

Twin State Speedway sees the return of the True Value Modified Racing Series on Friday night, while Albany-Saratoga Speedway and Canaan Dirt Speedway also return to action. Saturday will see regular events at Bear Ridge, Canaan Fair, Mondanock, and White Mountain, while the Série ACT-Castrol at Québec's Autodrome Chaudière and Riverside Speedway holds the first leg of its $1,000-to-win Bond Auto Triple Crown Series. Devil's Bowl and Utica-Rome return to action on Sunday, while Airborne Speedway has a special 100-lap Super DIRTcar Series event.

(Photos: 1. Ben Rowe a has-been? Give me a freaking break; 2. Beaver Dragon (#26) slides his car around Bear Ridge; 3. J.F. Déry does the best burnouts!; 4. Something new, something blue; 5. Joey Jarvis (#04) races with Arthur Heino (#27) and Aaron Fellows (#1) at Twin State Speedway. Photos 1, 4 by Justin St. Louis/VMM; Photos 2, 5 by Alan Ward; Photo 3 by Stephane Lazare)

VIDEO: Bear Ridge Speedway

Most of Saturday's racing action was washed out by rains, but Bear Ridge Speedway in Bradford was able to complete a portion of its opening night program. Here, Topsham driver Josh Harrington (#71) dominates the first round of Sportsman Coupe racing.



In the three other events completed at Bear Ridge before rains moved in, winners were Dan Eastman of Thetford Center (Limited Late Model), Andy Johnson of Wilder (Fast Four), and Bradford's Tom Placey (Hornet). A bit further away, Johnny Clark of Hallowell, Me. won an exciting PASS North event Unity Raceway. Scott Chubbuck finished second with Randy Turner third; Danville's Steven Legendre finished 13th, unofficially.

Included among the weather-related casualties were the season openers for Riverside Speedway in Groveton, N.H. and the Série ACT-Castrol at Autodrome St-Eustache near Montréal, as well as Airborne Speedway's weekly program in Plattsburgh, N.Y.

The ACT cars will be in action on both sides of the border Sunday, as the Série ACT-Castrol will run at 12:00 noon and the ACT Late Model Tour will race as scheduled at Oxford Plains Speedway in Maine at 2:00pm. Riverside has moved its program to Sunday at 2:00pm, while Airborne will not make up its event; Bear Ridge management made no announcement at the time the race card was stopped.

Devil's Bowl Speedway in Fair Haven opens its 2009 campaign on Sunday at 6:45pm.

Corbett Family to Riverside Late Models

The father-son team of Pat and Shaun Corbett have joined the Late Model division ranks of Groveton, N.H.'s Riverside Speedway for 2009. Pat Corbett has been in retirement from racing since his 2002 track championship at White Mountain Motorsports Park, but will race the Bond Auto Triple Crown Series and the inaugural $5,000-to-win Clash of the Titans 150 in August. His son, Shaun, will drive in the remaining Late Model events held at the high-banked 1/4-mile during the summer.

"The racing bug has been there, but the timing just wasn’t right to get back into the sport," Pat Corbett said in a Riverside Speedway release. "Then Riverside announced the Triple Crown Series, plus the giant $5,000 to win event, and I said to the family, 'This series of events would be perfect for me.' We have always been a family operation, as my wife and sons will be an integral part of the team, and on the non-series events Shaun will be behind the wheel. Our good friends at Jet Service Envelope and Vermont Shifter Karts are back on board as sponsors and we are ready to shake down the cobwebs!"

Pat Corbett, 50, of Williamstown, was a top Late Model and Flying Tiger driver from the mid-1980s until his 2002 retirement, winning over a dozen events at White Mountain, Barre's Thunder Road, New York's Airborne Speedway and Malone Int'l Raceway, and Maine's Beech Ridge Motor Speedway. His biggest win was the final of his three American-Canadian Tour victories - the 2000 Memorial Day Classic at Thunder Road. Shaun Corbett raced two seasons in Thunder Road's NAPA Tiger Sportsman class and a partial schedule in the Allen Lumber Street Stock division earlier in the decade.

Riverside Speedway's season get underway on Saturday, May 16.

(Photo: Pat Corbett carries the checkers at White Mountain Motorsports Park in 2002. Photo courtesy WMMP)

The Juice: Snow, Smoke, and Mid-Summer Race Selection

This is the first attempt at a weekly column on Vermont Motorsports Magazine, so bear with us. Racing season is almost here!

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The idea of a race track being open on the first weekend of April is a very attractive thing for those of us living in the northeast. For that matter, it'd be nice if some of the mountain roads around here would open back up, but that's neither here nor there. Some are headed to the races in New York, others are going to Connecticut, but most importantly, winter's grasp on us loosens just a bit more.

With snow remaining in only a few places - that I've seen, anyway - the 2009 season kind-of-officially opens this weekend (after Waterford Speedbowl rained out its Budweiser Modified Nationals last Sunday), as Albany-Saratoga Speedway and Thompson Int'l Speedway kick off the racing action. Thompson's traditional "Ice Breaker" event features a 150-lap season opener for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, while Albany-Saratoga holds an improptu $5,000-to-win open-comp event for Big Block and Small Block Modifieds.

With this little adventure we've created here at Vermont Motorsports Magazine, we're going to try to experience new things, like, um, dirt racing. As many races and tracks as I've been to, I could probably count the number of dirt races I've attended on seven fingers, something that will certainly change this year. If all goes according to plan, the MotorMag will be at Albany-Saratoga on Saturday for the first time, watching the locals slug it out against the veterans. One of my eyes will be on Vermont guys like Todd Stone (photo, left) and Dave Camara (if Camara shows), while the other chases around Brett Hearn, Kenny Tremont, Matt DeLorezno, and Jack and Ronnie Johnson. Plus, people are talking about the possibility of invaders like Frank Cozze and Billy Decker. I may not have seen these guys race very much, if ever, but I know enough about them to understand that this event could be pretty special. It'll be a learning experience for me, and from what the dirt regulars tell me, Albany-Saratoga puts on a good show no matter what. Let's go racing!

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Ah, Tony Stewart. In case you've been under a rock the last 24 hours and hadn't heard, one of NASCAR's biggest stars is headed to Thunder Road for the CARQUEST Vermont Governor's Cup 150 in June to try and get done what Ken Schrader and Kenny Wallace couldn't - win at the Nation's Site of Excitement. Rumors about Stewart (and for some reason, Kasey Kahne) began popping up at the track early last season, and after months of negotiations Stewart has agreed to strap into a Late Model on the Barre highbanks for 150 laps. The race is one of four special events around the region that will award the winner a qualifying berth for September's American-Canadian Tour Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

This begs the question: Whose car will "Smoke" drive? The first thing we could come up with was one of the Phil Scott/Brad Leighton/Pete Duto cars, but that idea was immediately shot down by Duto himself. "If he is in one of our cars, I haven't heard about it yet," laughed Duto.

Hmm.... Other options for Stewart could include a ride with multi-car operations like the Shelburne Limestone/Demers #85/#86 team, the National Guard/Kendall Roberts/John Donahue #26 team (or would that be a conflict of interest with Stewart-Haas Racing's U.S. Army sponsorship?), a Joey Laquerre car, one of Richard Green's #16 cars, or maybe the currently-driverless Rick Paya #32 car. Time will tell.

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While Pete Duto couldn't help us with Tony Stewart, we did get some good information out of him: look for Brad Leighton to race in as many as eight American-Canadian Tour events this year, with Phil Scott in the car for at least the first two Tour races at Thunder Road, and veteran Bobby Dragon behind the wheel at Oxford Plains Speedway in May. Leighton and Scott combined their Tour efforts in 2008 to place Duto 10th in the ACT Owner's Championship, with Leighton winning the Bond Auto Labor Day Classic 200 at Thunder Road in August.

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Riverside Speedway in Groveton, N.H. has announced a 150-lap, $5,000-to-win "Clash of the Titans" Late Model event for August 16. The announcement comes just days after Maine's Wiscasset Raceway and ACT announced that the 150-lap Late Model portion of Wiscasset's "Center of Speed 300" event will join Thunder Road's Governor's Cup 150, Oxford Plains Speedway's TD Banknorth 250, and Autodrome Chaudière's Coors Light 200 Showdown as an NHMS qualifying race.

But there's one little issue: Wiscasset's event is the same day as Riverside's, Saturday, August 16.

It seems a little more than coincidental that Riverside would book what they are advertising on their website as "probably the biggest event in the forty-five year history" of the track against Wiscasset Raceway, not long after Wiscasset owner Doug White terminated a relationship with the Maine-based Pro All Star Series (PASS), the organization that sanctions Riverside Speedway.

PASS President Tom Mayberry has a history of playing hardball with tracks and promoters that don't see things his way; in 2007, for example, he booked a 250-lap Super Late Model event at a different Riverside Speedway (in Antigonish, Nova Scotia) directly against Oxford's TD Banknorth 250 in its first year as an ACT-type Late Model event. (Mayberry's PASS North and South series utilize the Super Late Model cars that ran in the TD Banknorth 250 prior to 2007.)

Dick Therrien, general manager of the Riverside Speedway in New Hampshire, has publicly noted the obvious scheduling conflict between his track and Wiscasset, but we've got a feeling that even Therrien may have his hands tied on this one.

While the hope is that both events are independently successful, we also hope that racers and fans don't suffer too much by having to choose between two events that have the potential to be very positive things for Late Model racing in the northeast.

But then again, variety is the spice of life.

(Ronnie Johnson photo courtesy CVRA, Todd Stone photo by VMM, Tony Stewart photo courtesy NASCAR)