Douville, Pierson Wins Highlight Bear Ridge

BRADFORD -- Bear Ridge Speedway held off a spirited fight from Mother Nature on Saturday to record seven feature winners.

Danny Douville of Concord, N.H., notched his first career win in the Sprint Cars of New England series, with Robby Bodwell second. Bodwell, of Sanford, Me., was involved in a harrowing wreck at Big Daddy’s Speedbowl in New Hampshire last week and rebounded with his best career finish. Rookie Chris Donnelly of Orford, N.H., was third.

Adam Pierson of Fairlee earned his first Sportsman Modified win of the season after a final-lap pass of Brian Whittemore. Whittemore, of Florence, held on for second with Travis Shinn of Groton, N.H., third. Josh Harrington of Topsham earned his first Sportsman Coupe win of the season with Gene Pierson and Melvin Pierson rounding out the podium finishers.

Jeremy Hodge of Newbury followed up his first career Limited Late Model win last Saturday with a second-straight victory. Will Hull and T.C. Forward were next in line. Josh Sunn of White River Junction remained undefeated in the Fast Four feature and Tom Placey took his first Hornet win of the year.

Rain Cuts Bear Ridge Opener Short

Hull wins Late Models, Sheldon is top Hornet

BRADFORD – Mother Nature won the majority of Bear Ridge Speedway's opening night event on Saturday, but not before Will Hull and Karl Sheldon put their cars in the winner's circle.

East Montpelier driver Hull put together segment finishes of first and second for an overall low score of three points to win the Limited Late Model main event, while St. Johnsbury racer Sheldon took a third and a first in the Hornet segments to win his division's overall trophy before rains forced the postponement of the evening's final three races.

Jason Giguere of Lebanon, N.H., beat Hull to win the second Limited Late Model segment and finished second overall, with Bradford's Jeremy Hodge third. Tyler Stygles of Bradford and T.C. Forward of Lyme, N.H., completed the unofficial overall top-five.

Defending Hornet champion Tom Placey of Bradford was the overall runner-up in the Hornet class, with Corinth's Mike Pittman third, Mike Chapin of Chelsea fourth, and Jesse Smith fifth, unofficially.

Ryan Avery’s quick start continued as he took the first of two Sportsman Modified segments. The Thornton, N.H., driver also copped the opening night victory at the new Big Daddy’s Speedbowl in Rumney, N.H., last week. "I’ve got a lot of laps in this car, it’s my third year with this chassis," said Avery. "We turned about 130 laps already at Big Daddy’s, and I know what this car is going to do. We left 'em [behind] tonight. It felt really good." Chris Donnelly, Blake Shepard, Bryan King, and Jason Gray completed the top-five in the segment.

Chris Carbee of Topsham took a surprise victory in the first Sportsman Coupe segment after a pass of Jason Horniak at the halfway point. King finshed third with Mike McGinley and defending champion Josh Harrington in tow.

Josh Sunn of White River Junction took the first segment in the Fast Four division over Danny Doyle, Andy Johnson, Robert Tilden, and Kevin Harran.

The second segments for the Sportsman Modified, Sportsman Coupe, and Fast Four divisions will be completed at the May 22 program at Bear Ridge in addition to a full card of racing for all five divisions and the Granite State Mini Sprint Club.

A LOOK BACK: Bear Ridge Speedway 2009

Our newest feature, "A Look Back", showcases the 2009 season at Bear Ridge Speedway in Bradford, Vt., with highlights from throughout the year.



Video produced by Justin St. Louis/Vermont Motorsports Magazine. ©2009-2010

PHOTOS -- Bear Ridge Speedway Awards Banquet

Bond Auto Sportsman Modified Champion Gary Siemons was honored with his third-straight Bear Ridge Speedway title on Friday, Dec. 11 at the American Legion in White River Junction. Click here for a 23-photo gallery of the festivites. All photos and captions by Alan Ward.

Tom Placey Voted Vermont Motorsports Magazine 2009 Driver of the Year

Vermont Motorsports Magazine Driver of the Year Awards presented by Subway

Stock car racing champion Tom Placey of Bradford has won the Vermont Motorsports Magazine 2009 Driver of the Year Award presented by Subway, as voted by readers of Vermont Motorsports Magazine, an online news website. Placey was previously voted the Bear Ridge Speedway Driver of the Year last month; the 25 year-old won the Hornet division championship at his hometown track with 11 feature race wins during the summer months.

Placey received more than 2,000 votes (51%) en route to winning the VMM/Subway 2009 Driver of the Year Award during a one-week open poll. Hyde Park teen Tucker Williams, the Street Stock Rookie of the Year at Barre's Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, finished second to Placey on the ballot with nearly 1,400 votes (34%); Williams was also voted the VMM/Subway Thunder Road Driver of the Year in November. Williams' father, Eric, a two-time American-Canadian Tour Late Model winner, was third in the voting, followed closely by Ascutney drivers Chris Riendeau and Joey Jarvis, who are top stars at Twin State and Canaan Fair speedways in New Hampshire.

The Vermont Motorsports Magazine 2009 Driver of the Year Award presented by Subway was decided by fan vote from a 20-driver ballot. Top-ranking drivers from VMM Driver of the Year polls held in November were qualified to be placed on the final, overall ballot. Joining Placey and Tucker Williams as previous award winners were Devil's Bowl Speedway Driver of the Year Tim LaDuc of Orwell, and Eric Williams, who won the "On The Road" Driver of the Year Award for Vermont drivers competing on a touring series or at tracks out of state.

Other drivers on the VMM/Subway 2009 Driver of the Year ballot included Bear Ridge Speedway racer Gary Siemons, Chris Donnelly, and Dan Eastman, Devil's Bowl Speedway stars Kenny Tremont, Jr. and Todd Stone, Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl racers Jean-Paul Cyr, Dave Pembroke, and Donny Yates, ACT Late Model Tour stars Brian Hoar, Brent Dragon, and John Donahue, Granite State Mini Sprint series champion Lacey Hanson, Modified Racing Series star Dwight Jarvis, and White Mountain Motorsports Park (N.H.) champion Stacy Cahoon.

For more information, visit the Vermont Motorsports Magazine website at http://vtmotormag.blogspot.com. The VMM Driver of the Year Awards are presented by Subway of Barre, Montpelier, Waterbury, and Northfield. For more information on Subway, visit www.subway.com.

(PHOTO: VMM/Subway 2009 Driver of the Year Tom Placey. Photo by Alan Ward)

Placey Voted Bear Ridge Speedway Driver of the Year

Vermont Motorsports Magazine Driver of the Year Awards presented by Subway

Stock car racer Tom Placey has won the Vermont Motorsports Magazine Bear Ridge Speedway Driver of the Year Award presented by Subway, as voted by readers of Vermont Motorsports Magazine, an online news website. The 25 year-old won the 2009 Hornet division championship at the 1/4-mile Bear Ridge Speedway dirt track in his hometown of Bradford on the strength of a whopping 11 feature event victories in 17 starts.

Placey won the VMM/Subway Bear Ridge Speedway Driver of the Year Award by earning an impressive 51% of the votes registered at Vermont Motorsports Magazine during a one-week open poll. Limited Late Model champion Dan Eastman of Thetford Center finished second in the balloting with 17% of the vote, while Piermont, N.H. driver Chris Donnelly, a six-time winner in the headline Sportsman Modified class, was third with 8% of the vote. Other high-ranking drivers among the 15 nominees on the poll included Sportsman Modified champion Gary Siemons, Sportsman Coupe champion Josh Harrington, and Hornet Queen champion Misty Bell.

Voting for the Vermont Motorsports Magazine Devil's Bowl Speedway Driver of the Year Award presented by Subway is now open through 11:59pm on Sunday, November 15. Drivers on the Devil's Bowl nomination roster include Modified track champion Kenny Tremont, Jr., Budget Sportsman star Frank Hoard, III, and Pro Street Stock champion Cale Kneer.

Driver of the Year polls will be held at the Vermont Motorsports Magazine website throughout the month of November; to vote, visit http://vtmotormag.blogspot.com/. The VMM Driver of the Year Awards are presented by Subway of Barre, Montpelier, Waterbury, and Northfield. For more information on Subway, visit http://www.subway.com/.

(PHOTO: VMM/Subway Bear Ridge Speedway Driver of the Year Tom Placey. Photo by Justin St. Louis/VMM)

Donnelly Takes Fifth Win, Siemons Nears Third Bear Ridge Title

BRADFORD -- Chris Donnelly says winning isn't easy. That means he's either got consistently the best Sportsman Modified car at Bear Ridge Speedway or a great poker face. Maybe it's both.

Donnelly started sixth in the 18-car starting field on Saturday night and -- in typical Donnelly fashion -- moved to the upper lane to pick off cars one at a time and take the feature victory, his fifth of the year. The Piermont, N.H. racers insists that racing to the front is harder than he makes it look.

"It's not that easy," he laughed in victory lane. "Actually, I thought it might be easy [tonight], but the top wasn't as good as I had hoped and it took me a lot longer to get there."

Twenty-nine laps, to be exact, which, in fairness is a much longer span of time than the normal Donnelly march takes. In fact, at the race's first restart on lap 19, Donnelly was only in fourth place. He said that he didn't need the caution period to catch leaders Bryan King, Jack Cook, and Bob Shepard.

"That wasn't really a factor, I was getting [to the front] anyway," Donnelly said. "As the track wore down I knew my car was going to come in and I was hoping theirs would go away, and it worked out. It was coming around to me, so it was just a matter of time and just trying to be patient, not overdrive the car and keep it under me."

Donnelly made quick work of Shepard, taking third away from him two laps after the restart. Cook was next on lap 26, then King's lead fell on lap 29. From there, Donnelly was uncontested for the win, despite a final restart on lap 31 with four circuits remaining in the race.

Yet, with his fifth checkered flag of the season in hand, Donnelly insisted that winning in the style Bear Ridge fans have become accustomed to seeing him churn out isn't easy. Then he grinned, adding, "I'll bet it looks easy though."

Cook, of Moultonboro, N.H. finished a season-best second over Corinth driver King, and Shepard of West Topsham. Point leader Gary Siemons of Orford, N.H. finished a quiet fifth in the feature, nearly putting a lock on his third-straight Bear Ridge Speedway championship. Wayne Stearns, Siemons' closest title pursuer, suffered a mechanical failure that necessitated the lap 19 caution flag, finishing as the 18th and final car in the race. Unofficially, Siemons stretched his lead from 14 points to 35 over Stearns, with Donnelly third, 45 points behind. Only one championship event remains on September 26; Siemons will only need to start the feature race that day to clinch the title.

Matt Tanner of Stephenstown, N.Y. won the SCoNE 360 Sprint Car feature, a two-segment race, for his first Bear Ridge feature win. Tanner took advantage of a spin by leader Anthony Cain late in the second segment to take the lead and win the 15-lap dash. After a third-place showing in the first segment, Tanner was tied with Clay Dow, who finished second in each segment, at four points. Tanner was awarded the win based on his better final-segment finish. Shawn Lawler finished third overall, with Robby Bodwell fourth and Bruce Kimball fifth.

Melvin Pierson of Topsham earned his foruth Sportsman Coupe feature win in a three-segment race. Pierson and championship leader Josh Harrington, also of Topsham, battled for the third position in the final segment, which also ultimately proved to be the battle for the overall victory. Pierson finished third in the segment and held on for the overall win with seven points, with Harrington second overall at 10 points. King continued his strong night, matching his Modified finish in third place. Jason Horniak was fourth overall, with Jeremy Stygles fifth.

Dan Eastman of Thetford Center earned his 11th Limited Late Model win of the season in a three-segment race, posting finishes of first, first, and third. Will Hull of East Montpelier, the final segment winner, finished second overall. Shane Race, Jason Giguere, and Jeremy Hodge completed the unofficial top five, pending technical inspection.

Steve Bell of St. Johnsbury won a thrilling Fast Four feature, holding off Andy Johnson throughout the entire race, despite repeated attempts by Johnson to get by for the lead. Chris McKinstry made a rare Bear Ridge appearance, and joined Bell and Johnson late in the race to create a tight three-car battle for the win. At the finish line, Bell had his second win of the year, while McKinstry slipped by Johnson for the runner-up spot, a half-car length behind Bell. Kevin Harran was fourth with Wayland Childs fifth.

Tom Placey of Bradford grabbed his tenth Hornet feature win of the season, beating runner-up Bobby Bell and Mike Pittman, who led late in the going before finishing a career-best third. Karl Sheldon and Mike Chapin were fourth and fifth, respectively.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS -- Upper Valley Stove Company Night
Bear Ridge Speedway, Bradford, Vt.
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009

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

Bond Auto Sportsman Modified (35 laps)
1. Chris Donnelly, Piermont, N.H.
2. Jack Cook, Moultonboro, N.H.
3. Bryan King, Corinth
4. Bob Shepard, West Topsham
5. Gary Siemons, Orford, N.H.
6. Travis Shinn, Groton, N.H.
7. #Mike Dunn, North Haverhill, N.H.
8. Kevin Chaffee, Orange
9. Jason Sanville, Grafton, N.H.
10. Jason Gray, East Thetford

Wells River Chevrolet Sportsman Coupe (Overall finish)
1. Melvin Pierson, Topsham
2. Josh Harrington, Topsham
3. Bryan King, Corinth
4. #Jason Horniak, Bradford
5. Jeremy Stygles, Bradford

A Notch Above Automotive Limited Late Model (Overall finish)
1. Dan Eastman, Thetford Center
2. Will Hull, East Montpelier
3. Shane Race, South Strafford
4. Jason Giguere, Enfield, N.H.
5. Jeremy Hodge, Bradford

Journal Opinion Fast Four (20 laps)
1. Steve Bell, St. Johnsbury
2. Chris McKinstry, Thetford
3. Andy Johnson, Wilder
4. Kevin Harran, St. Johnsbury
5. Wayland Childs, Chelsea

KDD NAPA Hornet (15 laps)
1. Tom Placey, Bradford
2. Bobby Bell, St. Johnsbury
3. Mike Pittman, Corinth
4. Karl Sheldon, St. Johnsbury
5. Mike Chapin, Chelsea

SCoNE 360 Sprint Car (Overall finish)
1. Matt Tanner, Stephenstown, N.Y.
2. Clay Dow, Ossipee, N.H.
3. Shawn Lawler, Mason, N.H.
4. Robby Bodwell
5. Bruce Kimball, Lebanon, N.H.

(PHOTOS: 1. Chris Donnelly in Sportsman Modified victory lane; 2. SCoNE winner Matt Tanner. Photos by Justin St. Louis/VMM)

Avery Wins Wild Modified Feature at Bear Ridge

Dow takes Sprint win, Horniak first-time Coupe winner


BRADFORD -- Bear Ridge Speedway had a bit of everything on Perry's Oil Service night on Saturday -- winged Sprint Cars, antique Midgets, its largest field of Modifieds all season, exciting battles for the lead, and an unforgettable crash.

Ryan Avery was the winner of arguably the season's most exciting Sportsman Modified race, one that featured a season-high 16 starters, countless position changes inside the top five, and an altitude record-setting flip by Gary Siemons.

Siemons, the two-time defending track champion at Bear Ridge, was running near the top-five when close racing turned into contact with Jack Cook. As the field stacked up in Turn 3, Siemons' car jumped a wheel, dug into the clay track surface nose-first, and turned a terrifying somersault about ten feet in the air. The pileup that followed involved Siemons, Cook, Todd Petschke, Blake Shepard, and Nick Berry. No injuries were reported, and in fact, Siemons said he plans to repair his car in time to return to Bear Ridge next week.

Avery, of Thornton, N.H., was ahead of the wreck, in the midst of a spirited battle for the lead with Corinth driver Bryan King. Following the restart for Siemons crash, Avery made a move under King to take the lead, bringing point leader Wayne Stearns with him. Stearns tried an inside bid on Avery on the backstretch, but was unsuccessful. Two additional restarts, including one on lap 18 for a fronstretch crash that eliminated Shepard, Jason Gray, and Jeremy Huntoon, allowed King to retake second from Stearns and also brought Chris Donnelly into the mix. Donnelly, who started 14th, was able to get under Stearns momentarily on lap 24, and the two traded lanes and positions for the remainder of the 30-lap event. Both drivers caught King, with Donnelly making a final-lap pass to take second place.

Avery said he knew that track position meant everything in the action-filled race. "It was challenging," he said. "The last few weeks I've been here I've had to start in the back and I've been able to come up through. I knew if I got a pretty good starting spot I'd have a pretty good chance at winning it tonight. At the front was the place to be tonight as far as I can tell. I mean, we came around and one car was upside down. I'm just glad those guys are doing okay and no one got hurt."

Donnelly, the runner-up, agreed, and pointed to some over-anxious driving by many in the field as the cause of the carnage. "That [wreck with Siemons and Cook] was right in front of me, the two of them. That was unbelievable," Donnelly said. "Everybody was pretty crazy tonight. I don't know, the whole place was going nuts. Too many cautions, or whatever, but it was tough going there, especially early on, and once it got sorted out a little bit it was even tougher because they were all over each other."

In a rough race, Avery appreciated the clean battle he had with King. "Me and Bryan ran Sportsman Coupes together for at least four of five years," said Avery. "So you give a little, take a little, and when it comes back around, you know, I expect the same thing from him."

Bob Shepard of West Topsham crossed the finish line in fifth place behind Avery, Donnelly, King, and Stearns. Travis Shinn finished sixth over Mike Dunn, the final car running on the lead lap. The balance of the top ten was completed by Blake Shepard, Gray, and Huntoon. Only eight of the 16 starters were running at the finish, including 11th-place finisher Jason Sanville. Avery was the seventh different Sportsman Modified winner in the last seven races.

Clay Dow of Ossipee, N.H. earned the Sprint Cars of New England (SCoNE) feature victory in a car borrowed from competitor Mike Kondrat. Dow destroyed his car in a flip at Rattlesnake Motordrome in New Hampshire last month, and used the Kondrat car to slice through the field, holding off Shawn Lawler for the win. Tunk Berry was involved in the first three caution periods before getting up to speed, and eventually made some impressive moves in traffic to finish in third place. Point leader Si Allen and Mark Cole completed the top five.

Freshman Sportsman Coupe racer Jason Horniak of Bradford made a big rookie mistake in his division's 25-lap feature by taking out leader Mike McGinley, but then put on the passing clinic of a veteran in coming from the rear of the field to score his first career victory. McGinley led the first seven laps from the outside pole before Horniak turned him around. McGinley was given his spot back during the caution period (one of eight in the first 15 laps), but surrendered the lead to Melvin Pierson of Topsham on lap 12. Richie Simmons gave Pierson a run one lap later, but was unsuccessful. Horniak came from the back to move under Pierson on lap 20, then cruised to his first win. Pierson finished second with Simmons third, point leader Josh Harrington fourth, and Billy Simmons fifth.

Dan Eastman of Thetford Center posted his seventh Limited Late Model win in ten events this season, passing leader Jeremy Hodge of Bradford with five laps remaining. Will Hull finished third over Shane Race and T.C. Forward.

Kevin Harran of St. Johnsbury led every lap of the Fast Four feature to collect his first victory of the year. Mitch Durke finished second over Andy Johnson, Nathan Potter, and Steve Bell.

Bradford's Tom Placey won his fourth-straight Hornet feature after a three-wide pass on the last lap to take the lead. Bobby Bell finished second with Karl Sheldon third, Amanda Gray fourth, and Mike Chapin fifth.

Melissa King of Corinth won the Hornet Queen feature over Misty Bell.

The Atlantic Coast Old Timers club ran an exhibition event featuring cars from the World War II era; the race was won by Carl Fink of Albany, N.Y.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS -- Perry's Oil Service Night
Bear Ridge Speedway, Bradford, Vt.
Saturday, July 25, 2009

Pos.-Driver-Hometown

Bond Auto Parts Sportsman Modified
1. Ryan Avery, Thornton, N.H.
2. Chris Donnelly, Piermont, N.H.
3. Bryan King, Corinth
4. Wayne Stearns, Thetford Center
5. Bob Shepard, West Topsham
6. Travis Shinn, Groton, N.H.
7. Mike Dunn
8. Blake Shepard, Newton, N.H.
9. Jason Gray, East Thetford
10. Jeremy Huntoon, Bradford

SCoNE 360 Sprint Cars
1. Clay Dow, Ossipee, N.H.
2. Shawn Lawler, Mason, N.H.
3. Tunk Berry, Center Ossipee, N.H.
4. Si Allen, West Windsor
5. Mark Cole, Lebanon, N.H.

Wells River Chevrolet Sportsman Coupe
1. Jason Horniak, Bradford
2. Melvin Pierson, Topsham
3. Richie Simmons, Bradford
4. Josh Harrington, Topsham
5. Billy Simmons, Bradford

A Notch Above Automotive Limited Late Model
1. Dan Eastman, Thetford Center
2. Jeremy Hodge, Bradford
3. Will Hull, East Montpelier
4. Shane Race, South Strafford
5. T.C. Forward, Lyme, N.H.

Journal Opinion Fast Four
1. Kevin Harran, St. Johnsbury
2. Mitch Durkee, Sharon
3. Andy Johnson, Wilder
4. Nathan Potter, Sharon
5. Steve Bell, St. Johnsbury

KDD NAPA Hornet
1. Tom Placey, Bradford
2. Bobby Bell, St. Johnsbury
3. Karl Sheldon, St. Johnsbury
4. Amanda Gray, East Thetford
5. Mike Chapin

P&C Foods Hornet Queen
1. Melissa King, Corinth
2. Misty Bell, St. Johnsbury
3. Dawn Woodward

(PHOTO: Sportsman Modified winner Ryan Avery (left) in victory lane. Photo by Justin St. Louis/VMM)

Siemons Takes First Win of '09 at Bear Ridge

From Bear Ridge Speedway press release

BRADFORD -- Gary Siemons earned his first feature win of the season at Bear Ridge Speedway in Bradford on Saturday night. The two-time defending Sportsman Modified track champion from Orford, N.H. shrugged off a tough first month of racing when he started on the pole and led the entire Wells River Savings Bank feature. Chris Donnelly of Piermont, N.H. continued his strong season by finishing second, with Wayne Stearns of Thetford Center third. Jeremy Huntoon of Bradford posted his best finish of the season in third place, and Jack Cook of Moultonboro, N.H. was fifth.

Josh Harrington of Topsham took his fifth Sportsman Coupe victory of the year with Corinth's Bryan King coming home a season-best second. Jason Horniak, Richie Simmons, and Mike McGinley completed the top-five in order.

Thetford Center's Dan Eastman raised his batting average to .857 in the Limited Late Models, winning his sixth race in seven starts on the year. Will Hull of East Montpelier was second, with Shane Race, T.C. Forward, and Jeremy Hodge rounding out the top-five.

Josh Sunn of White River Junction is still perfect at Bear Ridge, having won both of his starts in the Fast Four division this season. Steve Bell of St. Johnsbury took a season-best runner-up finish. Kevin Harran, Andy Johnson, and Mitch Durkee went 3-4-5.

Tom Placey of Bradford was back in Hornet victory lane for his third win of the year. Bobby Lee Bell, Steve Sheldon, Mike Ryan, and Carl Sweet trailed Placey across the finish line; Karl Sheldon was uninjured after flipping his car in the race.