Donnelly Doubles Up At Bear Ridge

BRADFORD – There wasn’t much left for Chris Donnelly to accomplish at Bear Ridge Speedway. The Orford, N.H., driver is a winner and champion many times over at the Bradford dirt track, but could never recall winning two feature events on the same night.

Until now. And he did it in a borrowed car, to boot.

A veteran of more than 25 years running on dirt tracks in Vermont and New Hampshire, Donnelly decided to shift some of his attention toward the Sprint Cars of New England series this year. He was approached with an offer earlier in the week to sell his Sportsman Modified to another racer and jumped at the chance, but had some business to take care of: Donnelly’s fabrication business, Wicked Racing Products, was serving as the presenting sponsor for Saturday’s event at Bear Ridge, and he felt he needed to have an on-track presence for the race. He borrowed a Modified from Tom Forward, and in doing so swept the previously rained-out opening night two-segment feature and the regularly scheduled 30-lap race.

“I had a good opportunity to sell my car, so I sold it and then I went out and borrowed the best car in the area. I figured I’d be okay,” Donnelly said. “The secret was this car, I guess. It handles real good and it felt a lot like my other one. It made me happy, and when I’m happy I go fast.”

Between last week’s first segment and the segment that was postponed by rain to this week, Donnelly grabbed two runner-up finishes for a low total score of four points, earning him the overall win. Ryan Avery of Thornton, N.H., and rookie Dan Eastman of Thetford Center won the segments. Avery ended up second overall with East Thetford’s Jason Gray third, Bryan King of Corinth fourth, and defending track champion Gary Siemons of Orford, N.H., fifth.

Brian Whittemore of Florence started on the pole of the regular 30-lap feature and led the first three laps before Groton, N.H.’s Travis Shinn took over. Donnelly drove form 11th starting position to take the lead from Shinn on lap 19, then cruised to the win. Shinn, of Groton, N.H., finished second. As Whittemore and Jack Cook slowed to avoid a spinning lapped car coming to the checkered flag, Fairlee driver Adam Pierson squeaked by for third place. Cook held on for fourth with Whittemore fifth.

Jason Horniak of Bradford took the overall victory over East Corinth’s Melvin Pierson and defending champion Josh Harrington in the Sportsman Coupe make-up feature. In the nightcap, Pierson held a comfortable lead late in the going until the lapped car of Dwight Burgoyne spun. With nowhere to go as the caution flag flew, Pierson slammed head-on into Burgoyne’s car. Neither car was severely damaged and Pierson continued on in the lead once the race resumed; he held off Chris Carbee and Shane Race for the win, despite suffering a flat left-front tire in the crash with Burgoyne.

“It was a little tough with the flat tire, I had to use the brakes a little more,” said Pierson, “but the car was a rocket ship tonight.”

Newbury’s Jeremy Hodge scored his first career victory in the lone Limited Late Model feature after a tight battle with East Montpelier’s Will Hull and Tyler Stygles of Bradford during the closing laps. T.C. Forward and Sean Greene completed the top-five finishers.

Josh Sunn of White River Junction swept both Fast Four features. Danny Doyle of Danville beat Wilder’s Andy Johnson for second place in the first race, while Johnson beat Doyle for the runner-up spot in the second event.

Bobby Bell of St. Johnsbury won the Hornet feature over Bradford’s Tom Placey and Mark Harran of Danville, and Dawn Woodward of Corinth beat Melissa King for the Hornet Queen checkers.

Bear Ridge Results 5/22/10

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS – Wicked Racing Products/Snap-On Tools Night
Bear Ridge Speedway, Bradford, Vt.
Saturday, May 22, 2010

(Pos.-Driver-Hometown)

Bond Auto Sportsman Modified – Feature #1
1. Chris Donnelly, Orford, N.H.
2. Ryan Avery, Thornton, N.H.
3. Jason Gray, East Thetford
4. Bryan King, Corinth
5. Gary Siemons, Orford, N.H.
6. Adam Pierson, Fairlee
7. Dan Eastman, Thetford Center
8. Jack Cook, Moultonboro, N.H.
9. Justin Comes, Middlebury
10. Blake Shepard, Newton, N.H.

Bond Auto Sportsman Modified – Feature #2
1. Chris Donnelly, Orford, N.H.
2. Travis Shinn, Groton, N.H.
3. Adam Pierson, Fairlee
4. Jack Cook, Moultonboro, N.H.
5. Brian Whittemore, Florence
6. Gary Siemons, Orford, N.H.
7. Justin Comes, Middlebury
8. Kevin Chaffee, Orange
9. Jason Gray, East Thetford
10. Ryan Avery, Thornton, N.H.

Wells River Chevrolet Sportsman Coupe – Feature #1
1. Jason Horniak, Bradford
2. Melvin Pierson, East Corinth
3. Josh Harrington, Topsham
4. Gene Pierson, East Corinth
5. Chris Carbee, South Ryegate

Wells River Chevrolet Sportsman Coupe – Feature #2
1. Melvin Pierson, East Corinth
2. Chris Carbee, South Ryegate
3. Shane Race, South Strafford
4. Jason Horniak, Bradford
5. Steve Ellsworth, Corinth

A Notch Above Auto Limited Late Model
1. Jeremy Hodge, Newbury
2. Will Hull, East Montpelier
3. Tyler Stygles, Bradford
4. T.C. Forward, Lyme, N.H.
5. Sean Greene, Haverhill, N.H.

Journal Opinion Fast Four – Feature #1
1. Josh Sunn, White River Junction
2. Danny Doyle, Danville
3. Andy Johnson, Wilder
4. Tim Hodge
5. Kevin Harran, St. Johnsbury Center

Journal Opinion Fast Four – Feature #2
1. Josh Sunn, White River Junction
2. Andy Johnson, Wilder
3. Danny Doyle, Danville
4. Robert Tilden, East Thetford
5. Josh Connor

KDD NAPA Hornet
1. Bobby Bell, St. Johnsbury
2. Tom Placey, Bradford
3. Mark Harran, Danville
4. Brad Martin
5. Karl Sheldon, St. Johnsbury

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

Stearns Wins on Wild Night at Bear Ridge

From Bear Ridge Speedway Press Release

BRADFORD -- Sportsman Modified driver Wayne Stearns of Thetford Center earned his second win of the season on a wild Saturday night that saw no less than three competitors get upside down. Stearns paced the field through several yellow- and red-flag periods, as drivers Mike Capra and Travis Shinn each found themselves flipping during the Bradford Mini Mart/Jiffy Mart feature, for the win; neither driver was injured. Chris Donnelly of Orford, N.H. was the runner-up, while East Corinth driver Gene Pierson, Jr. finished third in his first start of the year; Bob Shepard won last week's feature driving Pierson's car. Bryan King of Corinth finished fourth on Saturday with Blake Shepard of Newton, N.H. a season-best fifth.

Josh Harrington of Topsham posted his fourth win of the year in the Sportsman Coupe race, with brothers Billy and Richie Simmons of Bradford coming home second and third, respectively. Like Gene Pierson in the Modifieds, Richie Simmons finished on the podium in his first start of the season. King, who races in both the Modified and Coupe divisions, finished fourth for the second time of the night, with Topsham's Melvin Pierson fifth.

Danny Eastman of Thetford Center continued his domination of the Limited Late Model class, posting his fifth win in six feature events in 2009; in the race he didn't win on May 30, he finished second to Will Hull. Jeremy Hodge of Bradford finished second to Eastman on Saturday night for the third week in a row, with East Montpelier's Hull third.

Nathan Potter of Sharon earned his first win of the season in the regularly scheduled race for the Fast Four class, while Ryan Dutton of Bradford won the division's Bond Auto Parts Night make-up feature that was rained out one week ago.

Kyle Ashford of West Topsham earned his first win in the make-up race for the Hornet class, while St. Johnsbury's Bobby Lee Bell won the regularly scheduled three-segment, cumulatively scored "Hornet Madness" feature. Charlie Lakin of Groton walked away from a five-time rollover in the first segment of the Madness event to later post a pair of top-three finishes in the remaining segments aboard a back-up car. Brenda Atherton of Fairlee took her second win of the year in the Horent Queen race, which had also been rained out last week.