(From team press release)
HUDSON, N.H. -- As far as Joey Polewarczyk, Jr., is concerned, his season starts now.
Less than two weeks after failing to qualify for an American-Canadian Tour race at Oxford Plains Speedway, Polewarczyk's No. 97 Pole's Automotive/NH Precision Ford will be back on track -- this time with a renewed effort and a reinvigorated engine -- this Friday night at Lee USA Speedway. He'll compete in the track's 30-lap NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model feature.
"I can't wait to go to Lee," he said. "It's sort of like my home track. It's where I watched my father race for a lot of years, and it's a place where I've always seemed to run well. To go there and get back at it will be really big for us."
Following his DNQ at Oxford, Polewarczyk had his new Ford crate engine pulled and shipped to Butler-MacMaster Automotive in Hallowell, Maine. Butler-MacMaster supplies all ACT teams with their engines, and the engine remained at their shop for more than a week.
Polewarczyk switched to Ford during the off-season, after the manufacturer debuted its crate engine program in 2009 with Thunder Road International Speedbowl driver Cris Michaud.
"They found some issues with (the engine)," said Polewarczyk, who reported that the engine spent the better part of an entire day running through tests on the dyno. "They are going to rectify those issues."
During the race at Oxford, where Polewarczyk has won twice in his career, he said that he noticed his car was not picking up speed off the corners. That led him to believe that there was something wrong that went beyond track position or handling issues with his car.
This week at Lee, Polewarczyk said he's ready to prove a point -- both to himself and to others.
"I know we have a really good team," he said. "Yeah, I started to doubt myself (after Oxford), but I know what we're capable of. You never want to miss a race, but the fact that we did -- I think -- got us to take a step back and look at things overall.
"I think we're going to be better for it. I really do."
If all goes well at Lee USA, Polewarczyk said the team plans to make the trip to either White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, N.H., or to Waterford (Conn.) Speedbowl on Saturday night.
The ACT Late Model Tour continues with the rescheduled New Hampshire Governor's Cup 150 at Lee USA on Friday night, June 11. Polewarczyk, 10th in the current ACT standings after two races, finished second in that event in 2009.
Showing posts with label Cris Michaud. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cris Michaud. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Thunder Road Late Models to Open New Era at Devil's Bowl
From Thunder Road press release
WEST HAVEN -- The American-Canadian Tour Late Models from Thunder Road will open the newly paved Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven on Sunday, May 23, 2010. Track promoter Jerry Richards said, “This is going to be a great way to bring the new asphalt to life at Devil’s Bowl. It has been over 30 years since the track was asphalt, but we think having Thunder Road’s Late Models on the ½-mile will certainly give our fans at 'The Bowl' a great opening event.”
Thunder Road Late Models will be joined by some of the regular ACT Late Model Tour teams for this grand opening of the original Champlain Valley Racing Association track, which was founded by legendary promoter C.J. Richards.
“When we learned that 'The Bowl' was being returned to asphalt we really wanted our teams to be a part of it," said Tom Curley, the President of ACT and managing partner of Thunder Road. "Most of the Thunder Road Late Models have raced various tracks on the ACT, and this just seemed like a great fit. We have no races scheduled at Thunder Road from May 2 until Memorial Day weekend, so I am sure there will be great support from the Late Model teams.
“I am sure there will be a number of teams from Chittenden County and central Vermont who will want to give Devil’s Bowl a try, and this change the CVRA is going through is something ACT wants to support.” The sister track of Devil’s Bowl, Albany-Saratoga Speedway in Malta, N.Y., will host an ACT Late Model Tour event on April 25th at the newly paved 4/10-mile speedplant.
Some of the expected entrants to the Devil's Bowl event include reigning Thunder Road champion Jean-Paul Cyr, a former champion at Devil’s Bowl, three-time Thunder Road champion Cris Michaud, and ACT star Brent Dragon.
“I think this is really great,” Dragon said. “My father and uncle were both a part of the five-track Northern NASCAR circuit back in the mid-‘70s, and I am really excited that we have a 'long track' back in Vermont."
WEST HAVEN -- The American-Canadian Tour Late Models from Thunder Road will open the newly paved Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven on Sunday, May 23, 2010. Track promoter Jerry Richards said, “This is going to be a great way to bring the new asphalt to life at Devil’s Bowl. It has been over 30 years since the track was asphalt, but we think having Thunder Road’s Late Models on the ½-mile will certainly give our fans at 'The Bowl' a great opening event.”
Thunder Road Late Models will be joined by some of the regular ACT Late Model Tour teams for this grand opening of the original Champlain Valley Racing Association track, which was founded by legendary promoter C.J. Richards.
“When we learned that 'The Bowl' was being returned to asphalt we really wanted our teams to be a part of it," said Tom Curley, the President of ACT and managing partner of Thunder Road. "Most of the Thunder Road Late Models have raced various tracks on the ACT, and this just seemed like a great fit. We have no races scheduled at Thunder Road from May 2 until Memorial Day weekend, so I am sure there will be great support from the Late Model teams.
“I am sure there will be a number of teams from Chittenden County and central Vermont who will want to give Devil’s Bowl a try, and this change the CVRA is going through is something ACT wants to support.” The sister track of Devil’s Bowl, Albany-Saratoga Speedway in Malta, N.Y., will host an ACT Late Model Tour event on April 25th at the newly paved 4/10-mile speedplant.
Some of the expected entrants to the Devil's Bowl event include reigning Thunder Road champion Jean-Paul Cyr, a former champion at Devil’s Bowl, three-time Thunder Road champion Cris Michaud, and ACT star Brent Dragon.
“I think this is really great,” Dragon said. “My father and uncle were both a part of the five-track Northern NASCAR circuit back in the mid-‘70s, and I am really excited that we have a 'long track' back in Vermont."
Thursday, October 1, 2009
The Juice -- Home of the Talented
-by Justin St. Louis
Bradford's Bear Ridge Speedway -- the "Home of the Coupes" -- is certainly the best-kept secret in Vermont racing. It also might be the home of some of the best drivers in Vermont. Look at these numbers: Chris Donnelly, despite running a partial schedule in the track's headline Sportsman Modified division, won six features in 2009, double the count of track champion Gary Siemons. Josh Harrington was an eight-time winner in the Sportsman Coupes, and Andy Johnson won a half-dozen Fast Four races.
But the most shocking numbers were posted by Limited Late Model champion Dan Eastman and Hornet champion Tom Placey. They each won 11 times -- yes, eleven -- in 17 weeks of competition at Bear Ridge. And Eastman missed two races, bringing his win average to a staggering 73 percent.
Now, are there flaws in making a statement that Bear Ridge has the most talent of Vermont's three tracks? Of course. First of all, there's no pure way to compare the high-banked, asphalt quarter-mile at Thunder Road to the flat, lightning-fast, clay half-mile at Devil's Bowl Speedway or the tiny, clay quarter-mile at Bear Ridge. The tracks are all extremely different from each other. Second, the car counts are vastly different at each track; Thunder Road will easily have 2:1 the numbers that Devil's Bowl has, and 3:1 the count at Bear Ridge on any given night. That's a fact. Third, opinions being what they are, well, anything is possible.
But as car counts grew on a weekly basis at Bear Ridge, the same guys kept winning. Example: On opening night at Bear Ridge, Eastman won a five-car feature. He also won one with 14 cars just past the middle point of the season. And for most of the year, he had Jeremy Hodge, Shane Race, and Will Hull chasing him down. Race won three of the features Eastman didn't, and Hull was strong enough to beat Eastman for the championship at Canaan Speedway this year.
Another example: In the first six weeks of racing at Bear Ridge, Modified car counts hovered between eight and twelve, and Donnelly was winning. At the season finale, 25 cars took to the track, and Donnelly was still the winner.
Siemons, who won his third-straight Bear Ridge Speedway title in the Modifieds, was also extremely consistent, reeling off an incredible amount of podium finishes. Were it not for a scary mid-season flip that left Siemons scrambling for a week or two, he might have had another win or two. Wayne Stearns, who challenged Siemons for the title all year despite missing several events, is a very talented racer, and took three victories. Two-time winner Ryan Avery has shown signs that, with equal equipment, he could run with the best of them.
And Placey never saw a field smaller than a dozen cars in the Hornet class, winning six-straight feature from June 29 to August 8.
Now, we very much realize that respect is due Kenny Tremont, Jr., who won six features and the 358-Modified championship at Devil's Bowl, and to Jean-Paul Cyr, who won the Thunder Road Late Model championship in his first try. There is also much to be said about racers like Todd Stone, Vince Quenneville, Jr., Frank Hoard, III, Bill Duprey, and Mike Clark at Devil's Bowl, and Cris Michaud, Dave Pembroke, Phil Scott, Jimmy Hebert, and Pete Ainsworth at Thunder Road. But for our money, Bear Ridge Speedway has a talent pool as rich as any track around.
***
Anyone who thinks Brooks Clark isn't going to win a race next season is daffy. The Fayston driver won the "most improved" award for Thunder Road's Late Model division last year, and, at least in the court of public opinion, he's on the short list of those to win this year's trophy, too. Clark finished in the top-ten five times in 2009, including a surprising fifth in the 100-lap regular season finale, and snuck his way into a ninth-place finish in the championship.
Clark is in a group of young local racers with a solid future in the sport, alongside Craig Bushey, Chip Grenier, Grant Folsom, and Milk Bowl polesitter Nick Sweet. He began a few years ago in a second-rate car at Riverside Speedway as a teammate to Owen Wimble, father of Clark's girlfriend and spotter, Lacey. He and his family team moved to the weekly Thunder Road trail in 2007 to gain more experience and become stronger. The move is starting to pay off.
"Just to see how much we've improved from when we started [racing at Thunder Road] to now, it's unbelievable," Clark says. "We're just having fun doing it now."
Clark has been strong enough on occasion to hold his own against the likes of champions Jean-Paul Cyr, Phil Scott, Cris Michaud, Dave Pembroke, and Jamie Fisher. In the 100-lap race on August 27th, he finished between Michaud and seven-time Late Model winner Rich Lowrey, and was moving forward as the race ended.
"Following them around every week gives me more experience and makes me better as a driver, I think," said Clark. "You watch what they do and try to follow in their footsteps. We just try to improve as we can. To be able to run up there with those guys, it's pretty cool."
***
Cris Michaud says that with a little rest and healing time, he'll be back to normal. In fact, he said he hopes to be at Thunder Road on Sunday to watch the races. Michaud fell off a ladder at work this week, fracturing a vertebra in his back as he landed. His doctors told him there shouldn't be any risk of complications or further injury, so long as he stays out of the race car and off the jobsite for about a month.
Chad Wheeler, who retired after becoming the 2006 "King of the Road", will race in place of Michaud at the Milk Bowl on Sunday.
***
It's freaking hockey season, dude, and Les Habitants are already les vainqueurs! The Montréal Canadiens opened the 2009-2010 NHL season Thursday night with a big OT win over the hated Toronto Maple Leafs.
Travis Moen scored in the second period and had two fighting majors, so what more do you need out of a guy? And Carey Price with 43 saves? Woo! Although I'm saddened that the racing season is pretty near done, at least I have the Habs to keep me fired up through the off-season. Olé, olé, olé, olé!
***
Speaking of the Canadiens, defenseman Patrice Brisebois has retired after 18 seasons and over 1,000 NHL games. He was a huge contributor to Montréal, but he gets a free pass from VMM for calling it quits. Why? Because he's becoming a stock car racer.
Brisebois ran a pair of NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races in 2009, finishing 17th and 12th on the road courses at Trois-Rivières and Montréal, respectively.
"I'm going to try and go as far as I can in auto racing," Brisebois told the Associated Press last week. "I'd love to be able to move on to the (NASCAR) Nationwide or Sprint [Cup] series, but it's going to be very tough. Another dream of mine would be to do the 24 Hours of Le Mans."
You go get 'em, Pat.
***
AROUND THE REGION:
Time to take a look at the top Vermonters from the past weekend...
Bear Ridge Speedway (Bradford): Chris Donnelly of Piermont, N.H. won his sixth Sportsman Modified feature of the season in Saturday's season finale. Gary Siemons of Orford, N.H. clinched his third track championship with a runner-up finish. Kevin Chaffee of Orange was third with Middlebury's Justin Comes fourth and Jeremy Huntoon of Bradford fifth. Rookie Jason Horniak of Bradford took his third Sportsman Coupe win of the year, over Topsham's Melvin Pierson, Bryan King of Corinth, Ritchie Simmons of Bradford, and champion Josh Harrington of Topsham. Jason Giguere of Enfield, N.H. won the Limited Late Model feature over Bradford's Arnie Stygles, Shane Race of South Strafford, Robert Tucker of East Corinth, and Jason Blake of Waitsfield. Josh Sunn of White River Junction won the Fast Four feature over champion Andy Johnson of Wilder, Steve Bell and Kevin Harran of St. Johnsbury, and Tim Hodge of Vershire. Bradford's Tom Placey wrapped up the Hornet title with his 11th win of the year over Mike Ryan of Chelsea, Charlie Lakin of Groton, Bobby Bell of St. Johnsbury, and Mike Chapin of Chelsea.
Monadnock Speedway (Winchester, N.H.): Josh King of Vernon finished ninth in Saturday's Super Stock feature, with Dana Shepard of Putney tenth. Joe Rogers of Ludlow was 12th in the Mini Stocks with Brattleboro's Travis Grover 23rd. Vernon's Heath Renaud finished second in the four-cylinder Enduro with Ascutney's Tyler Lescord third, and Dick Houle of West Brattleboro was the division champion.
NASCAR Camping World Series East: Ryan Moffitt of Grimes, Ia. won Friday's Sunoco 150 at Dover Int'l Speedway in Dover, Del., with Barney McRae of Milton 18th. Rookie Ryan Truex of Mayetta, N.J. was named the champion.
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl (Barre): Nick Sweet of Barre won the Booth Bros./H.P. Hood Pole Position for the 47th Annual Chittenden Milk Bowl on Saturday, with Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. of Hudson, N.H. taking the outside of the front row. Dave Pembroke of Middlesex, John Donahue of Graniteville, and Joey Laquerre of East Montpelier won the "Triple 50" qualifying heats, and Quinny Welch of Lancaster, N.H. won the last-chance "B" feature. The Milk Bowl main event was postponed on Sunday by rain.
***
WEEKEND SCHEDULE:
Friday, Oct. 2
Twin State Speedway, Claremont, N.H. -- 7:00pm (Enduro)
Saturday, Oct. 3
Riverside Speedway, Groveton, N.H. -- 5:00pm (Championship Night)
Twin State Speedway -- CANCELLED
White Mountain Motorsports Park -- CANCELLED
Sunday, Oct. 4
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre -- 1:00pm (Final Event -- Chittenden Bank Milk Bowl)
Twin State Speedway, Claremont, N.H. -- 2:00pm (True Value Modified Racing Series)
White Mountain Motorsports Park -- CANCELLED
LOCAL TOURING SERIES:
True Value Modified Racing Series: Sun., Oct. 4 -- Twin State Speedway, Claremont, N.H. (2:00pm)
Bradford's Bear Ridge Speedway -- the "Home of the Coupes" -- is certainly the best-kept secret in Vermont racing. It also might be the home of some of the best drivers in Vermont. Look at these numbers: Chris Donnelly, despite running a partial schedule in the track's headline Sportsman Modified division, won six features in 2009, double the count of track champion Gary Siemons. Josh Harrington was an eight-time winner in the Sportsman Coupes, and Andy Johnson won a half-dozen Fast Four races.
But the most shocking numbers were posted by Limited Late Model champion Dan Eastman and Hornet champion Tom Placey. They each won 11 times -- yes, eleven -- in 17 weeks of competition at Bear Ridge. And Eastman missed two races, bringing his win average to a staggering 73 percent.
Now, are there flaws in making a statement that Bear Ridge has the most talent of Vermont's three tracks? Of course. First of all, there's no pure way to compare the high-banked, asphalt quarter-mile at Thunder Road to the flat, lightning-fast, clay half-mile at Devil's Bowl Speedway or the tiny, clay quarter-mile at Bear Ridge. The tracks are all extremely different from each other. Second, the car counts are vastly different at each track; Thunder Road will easily have 2:1 the numbers that Devil's Bowl has, and 3:1 the count at Bear Ridge on any given night. That's a fact. Third, opinions being what they are, well, anything is possible.
But as car counts grew on a weekly basis at Bear Ridge, the same guys kept winning. Example: On opening night at Bear Ridge, Eastman won a five-car feature. He also won one with 14 cars just past the middle point of the season. And for most of the year, he had Jeremy Hodge, Shane Race, and Will Hull chasing him down. Race won three of the features Eastman didn't, and Hull was strong enough to beat Eastman for the championship at Canaan Speedway this year.
Another example: In the first six weeks of racing at Bear Ridge, Modified car counts hovered between eight and twelve, and Donnelly was winning. At the season finale, 25 cars took to the track, and Donnelly was still the winner.
Siemons, who won his third-straight Bear Ridge Speedway title in the Modifieds, was also extremely consistent, reeling off an incredible amount of podium finishes. Were it not for a scary mid-season flip that left Siemons scrambling for a week or two, he might have had another win or two. Wayne Stearns, who challenged Siemons for the title all year despite missing several events, is a very talented racer, and took three victories. Two-time winner Ryan Avery has shown signs that, with equal equipment, he could run with the best of them.
And Placey never saw a field smaller than a dozen cars in the Hornet class, winning six-straight feature from June 29 to August 8.
Now, we very much realize that respect is due Kenny Tremont, Jr., who won six features and the 358-Modified championship at Devil's Bowl, and to Jean-Paul Cyr, who won the Thunder Road Late Model championship in his first try. There is also much to be said about racers like Todd Stone, Vince Quenneville, Jr., Frank Hoard, III, Bill Duprey, and Mike Clark at Devil's Bowl, and Cris Michaud, Dave Pembroke, Phil Scott, Jimmy Hebert, and Pete Ainsworth at Thunder Road. But for our money, Bear Ridge Speedway has a talent pool as rich as any track around.
***
Anyone who thinks Brooks Clark isn't going to win a race next season is daffy. The Fayston driver won the "most improved" award for Thunder Road's Late Model division last year, and, at least in the court of public opinion, he's on the short list of those to win this year's trophy, too. Clark finished in the top-ten five times in 2009, including a surprising fifth in the 100-lap regular season finale, and snuck his way into a ninth-place finish in the championship.
Clark is in a group of young local racers with a solid future in the sport, alongside Craig Bushey, Chip Grenier, Grant Folsom, and Milk Bowl polesitter Nick Sweet. He began a few years ago in a second-rate car at Riverside Speedway as a teammate to Owen Wimble, father of Clark's girlfriend and spotter, Lacey. He and his family team moved to the weekly Thunder Road trail in 2007 to gain more experience and become stronger. The move is starting to pay off.
"Just to see how much we've improved from when we started [racing at Thunder Road] to now, it's unbelievable," Clark says. "We're just having fun doing it now."
Clark has been strong enough on occasion to hold his own against the likes of champions Jean-Paul Cyr, Phil Scott, Cris Michaud, Dave Pembroke, and Jamie Fisher. In the 100-lap race on August 27th, he finished between Michaud and seven-time Late Model winner Rich Lowrey, and was moving forward as the race ended.
"Following them around every week gives me more experience and makes me better as a driver, I think," said Clark. "You watch what they do and try to follow in their footsteps. We just try to improve as we can. To be able to run up there with those guys, it's pretty cool."
***
Cris Michaud says that with a little rest and healing time, he'll be back to normal. In fact, he said he hopes to be at Thunder Road on Sunday to watch the races. Michaud fell off a ladder at work this week, fracturing a vertebra in his back as he landed. His doctors told him there shouldn't be any risk of complications or further injury, so long as he stays out of the race car and off the jobsite for about a month.
Chad Wheeler, who retired after becoming the 2006 "King of the Road", will race in place of Michaud at the Milk Bowl on Sunday.
***
It's freaking hockey season, dude, and Les Habitants are already les vainqueurs! The Montréal Canadiens opened the 2009-2010 NHL season Thursday night with a big OT win over the hated Toronto Maple Leafs.
Travis Moen scored in the second period and had two fighting majors, so what more do you need out of a guy? And Carey Price with 43 saves? Woo! Although I'm saddened that the racing season is pretty near done, at least I have the Habs to keep me fired up through the off-season. Olé, olé, olé, olé!
***
Speaking of the Canadiens, defenseman Patrice Brisebois has retired after 18 seasons and over 1,000 NHL games. He was a huge contributor to Montréal, but he gets a free pass from VMM for calling it quits. Why? Because he's becoming a stock car racer.
Brisebois ran a pair of NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races in 2009, finishing 17th and 12th on the road courses at Trois-Rivières and Montréal, respectively.
"I'm going to try and go as far as I can in auto racing," Brisebois told the Associated Press last week. "I'd love to be able to move on to the (NASCAR) Nationwide or Sprint [Cup] series, but it's going to be very tough. Another dream of mine would be to do the 24 Hours of Le Mans."
You go get 'em, Pat.
***
AROUND THE REGION:
Time to take a look at the top Vermonters from the past weekend...
Bear Ridge Speedway (Bradford): Chris Donnelly of Piermont, N.H. won his sixth Sportsman Modified feature of the season in Saturday's season finale. Gary Siemons of Orford, N.H. clinched his third track championship with a runner-up finish. Kevin Chaffee of Orange was third with Middlebury's Justin Comes fourth and Jeremy Huntoon of Bradford fifth. Rookie Jason Horniak of Bradford took his third Sportsman Coupe win of the year, over Topsham's Melvin Pierson, Bryan King of Corinth, Ritchie Simmons of Bradford, and champion Josh Harrington of Topsham. Jason Giguere of Enfield, N.H. won the Limited Late Model feature over Bradford's Arnie Stygles, Shane Race of South Strafford, Robert Tucker of East Corinth, and Jason Blake of Waitsfield. Josh Sunn of White River Junction won the Fast Four feature over champion Andy Johnson of Wilder, Steve Bell and Kevin Harran of St. Johnsbury, and Tim Hodge of Vershire. Bradford's Tom Placey wrapped up the Hornet title with his 11th win of the year over Mike Ryan of Chelsea, Charlie Lakin of Groton, Bobby Bell of St. Johnsbury, and Mike Chapin of Chelsea.
Monadnock Speedway (Winchester, N.H.): Josh King of Vernon finished ninth in Saturday's Super Stock feature, with Dana Shepard of Putney tenth. Joe Rogers of Ludlow was 12th in the Mini Stocks with Brattleboro's Travis Grover 23rd. Vernon's Heath Renaud finished second in the four-cylinder Enduro with Ascutney's Tyler Lescord third, and Dick Houle of West Brattleboro was the division champion.
NASCAR Camping World Series East: Ryan Moffitt of Grimes, Ia. won Friday's Sunoco 150 at Dover Int'l Speedway in Dover, Del., with Barney McRae of Milton 18th. Rookie Ryan Truex of Mayetta, N.J. was named the champion.
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl (Barre): Nick Sweet of Barre won the Booth Bros./H.P. Hood Pole Position for the 47th Annual Chittenden Milk Bowl on Saturday, with Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. of Hudson, N.H. taking the outside of the front row. Dave Pembroke of Middlesex, John Donahue of Graniteville, and Joey Laquerre of East Montpelier won the "Triple 50" qualifying heats, and Quinny Welch of Lancaster, N.H. won the last-chance "B" feature. The Milk Bowl main event was postponed on Sunday by rain.
***
WEEKEND SCHEDULE:
Friday, Oct. 2
Twin State Speedway, Claremont, N.H. -- 7:00pm (Enduro)
Saturday, Oct. 3
Riverside Speedway, Groveton, N.H. -- 5:00pm (Championship Night)
Twin State Speedway -- CANCELLED
White Mountain Motorsports Park -- CANCELLED
Sunday, Oct. 4
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre -- 1:00pm (Final Event -- Chittenden Bank Milk Bowl)
Twin State Speedway, Claremont, N.H. -- 2:00pm (True Value Modified Racing Series)
White Mountain Motorsports Park -- CANCELLED
LOCAL TOURING SERIES:
True Value Modified Racing Series: Sun., Oct. 4 -- Twin State Speedway, Claremont, N.H. (2:00pm)
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Michaud out, Wheeler in at Milk Bowl
Chittenden Bank Milk Bowl coverage presented by RPM Racing Engines
BARRE -- Former Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl champion Chad Wheeler of Waterbury Center will return to the track on Sunday at the second attempt at running the 47th Annual Chittenden Bank Milk Bowl.
BARRE -- Former Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl champion Chad Wheeler of Waterbury Center will return to the track on Sunday at the second attempt at running the 47th Annual Chittenden Bank Milk Bowl.Northfield's Cris Michaud, who qualified 14th for the race last Saturday before rains postponed the main event the next day, was injured in a work accident this week and has asked Wheeler to compete in his place.
Wheeler ended Michaud's bid for three consecutive Thunder Road track championships in 2006, taking the title despite going winless on the season; after wrapping up the "King of the Road" crown, Wheeler retired on the spot and has not driven a race since.
"I had a great time racing against Cris for a lot of years and beating him for the title in 2006 got me to thinking that there really wasn’t much more for me in the sport at this time in my life," said Wheeler in a Thunder Road press release. "I wanted to spend a lot of time with my young boys, but now maybe there is one more thing I could accomplish with racing. It sure will be fun to try. I am looking forward to it, and I appreciate the confidence Cris has in putting me in his car.”
"What better guy to take over my ride in the Milk Bowl than Chad?" said Michaud.
Michaud won the 2004 Milk Bowl en route to his second of three Thunder Road championships. Wheeler won the second leg of the three-segment event in 1999; his best overall efforts in the race were fifth-place finishes in 1999 and 2005.
Nick Sweet and Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. will start from the front row of the Milk Bowl on Sunday at 1:00pm.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Sweet Breaks Through in Late Models
Pembroke's crash hurts title chances
BARRE -- A long list of first-time feature winners at Thunder Road in 2009 got one name longer on Thursday night. Hometown sophomore Nick Sweet drove from 12th starting position to knock off his first career Late Model victory, becoming the fourth first-time winner in the division this season and the tenth consecutive non-repeat winner at the track.
Mike Bailey of South Barre led the majority of the first 30 laps, only letting Eric Chase nose ahead on three circuits after a lap 8 restart. Bailey was drilled in the right-side door on lap 29 by the lapped car of Matt White, however, and gave way to Sweet's Saint J Auto Pontiac one lap later. Sweet led the final 20 laps virtually uncontested, but was forced to outrace former track champions Jamie Fisher, Phil Scott, Cris Michaud, Reno Gervais, and point leader Jean-Paul Cyr to take the win, as a final restart of lap 40 bunched the field.
Fisher held on for his second runner-up finish in a row, with Michaud third, Scott fourth, and Cyr fifth. Bailey limped home in 20th place.
Sweet suffered engine problems last week and his team was still trying to solve the issue as of Thursday afternoon. "I can't say enough about the guys, they worked their butts off this week," said Sweet. "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.
"We lose as a team, we win as a team, and you really find out who your real friends are when you're down. I mean, look at us, we were down tonight. This is what happens in racing. You're at your lowest point in the season, you don't think it can get any worse, all of sudden you're like, 'I'm so sick of it, I can't wait for it to be over,' and then you win a race. And look at us now, I've got a grin on my face, I'm on the ninth cloud, and we're going to come back tomorrow."
The caution flag that flew on lap 40 was for championship contender Dave Pembroke of Middlesex, who was shoved off the track by White in Turn 2 and slid down the embankment before slamming into a dirt retaining wall. Pembroke's crew attempted to make repairs and sent their driver back to the track, but after driving down pit road, Pembroke parked the Vt. State Employees Credit Union Chevrolet before with heavy suspension damage. Pembroke entered the event second in points, just 11 markers behind Cyr. To make matters infinitely worse for Pembroke, top-five race finishers Scott, Michaud, Sweet, and Fisher are also tightly grouped in order behind Pembroke in the point standings, and the next green flag is set to fly at 6:00pm on Friday -- approximately 20 hours after Pembroke's crash, therefore severely limiting time for repairs.
Pembroke offered no comment on the incident, but his team plans to work throughout the day on Friday in order to race.
Shawn Duquette of Morrisonville, N.Y. clinched the ACT Tiger Sportsman Tri-State Series championship in a tie-breaker with Jason Bonnett despite crashing in the division's ACE Hardware 100. Shawn Fleury of Middlesex won the race after a late pass of Bradford's Derrick O'Donnell. Click here for the Tiger Sportsman event story.
Garry Bashaw of Lincoln earned his first career Street Stock win in the nightcap feature. Bashaw began racing in 2000 and had never won a main event. The win came in the first Street Stock/Junkyard Warrior combined 'A' feature run at Thunder Road since July 5. David Whitcomb of Elmore finished second over Tucker Williams, Michael Moore, and Mike MacAskill. Donny Yates of North Montpelier was the top-finishing Warrior driver in 21st place, taking his fourth win of the season in the division. Kevin Dodge of Barre was second, with Waitsfield's Kevin Streeter third. Street Stock driver Scott Maynard of South Burlington walked away from a multi-time rollover off Turn 2 that destroyed his car. MacAskill won the 'reserve' feature to qualify for the main event.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS -- ACE Hardware Night
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre, Vt.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Pos.-Driver-Hometown (# - denotes rookie)
ACT Late Model (50 laps)
1. Nick Sweet, Barre
2. Jamie Fisher, Shelburne
3. Cris Michaud, Northfield
4. Phil Scott, Montpelier
5. Jean-Paul Cyr, Milton
6. Craig Bushey, Cambridge
7. Eric Chase, Milton
8. Pete Fecteau, Morrisville
9. Reno Gervais, Island Pond
10. Jerry Lesage, Winooski
NAPA Tiger Sportsman (100 laps)
1. Shawn Fleury, Middlesex
2. Derrick O'Donnell, Bradford
3. Jimmy Hebert, Williamstown
4. Brendan Moodie, North Wolcott
5. Scott Coburn, Barre
6. Jason Bonnett, St. Albans
7. David Finck, Barre
8. Joey Laquerre, East Montpelier
9. Ray Stearns, East Corinth
10. Josh Demers, Middlesex
Allen Lumber Street Stock/Power Shift Online Junkyard Warrior 'A' Feature (25 laps)
1. Garry Bashaw, Lincoln (SS winner)
2. David Whitcomb, Elmore (SS)
3. #Tucker Williams, Hyde Park (SS)
4. Michael Moore, East Haven (SS)
5. Mike MacAskill, Williamstown (SS)
21. Donny Yates, North Montpelier (JW winner)
Street Stock/Warrior 'Reserve' Feature (25 laps)
1. Mike MacAskill, Williamstown (SS)
2. Tommy Smith, Williamstown (SS)
3. Gary Mullen, Tunbridge (SS)
4. Mike Martin, Craftsbury Common (SS)
5. #Danny Doyle, Hancock (SS)
BARRE -- A long list of first-time feature winners at Thunder Road in 2009 got one name longer on Thursday night. Hometown sophomore Nick Sweet drove from 12th starting position to knock off his first career Late Model victory, becoming the fourth first-time winner in the division this season and the tenth consecutive non-repeat winner at the track.Mike Bailey of South Barre led the majority of the first 30 laps, only letting Eric Chase nose ahead on three circuits after a lap 8 restart. Bailey was drilled in the right-side door on lap 29 by the lapped car of Matt White, however, and gave way to Sweet's Saint J Auto Pontiac one lap later. Sweet led the final 20 laps virtually uncontested, but was forced to outrace former track champions Jamie Fisher, Phil Scott, Cris Michaud, Reno Gervais, and point leader Jean-Paul Cyr to take the win, as a final restart of lap 40 bunched the field.
Fisher held on for his second runner-up finish in a row, with Michaud third, Scott fourth, and Cyr fifth. Bailey limped home in 20th place.
Sweet suffered engine problems last week and his team was still trying to solve the issue as of Thursday afternoon. "I can't say enough about the guys, they worked their butts off this week," said Sweet. "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.
"We lose as a team, we win as a team, and you really find out who your real friends are when you're down. I mean, look at us, we were down tonight. This is what happens in racing. You're at your lowest point in the season, you don't think it can get any worse, all of sudden you're like, 'I'm so sick of it, I can't wait for it to be over,' and then you win a race. And look at us now, I've got a grin on my face, I'm on the ninth cloud, and we're going to come back tomorrow."
The caution flag that flew on lap 40 was for championship contender Dave Pembroke of Middlesex, who was shoved off the track by White in Turn 2 and slid down the embankment before slamming into a dirt retaining wall. Pembroke's crew attempted to make repairs and sent their driver back to the track, but after driving down pit road, Pembroke parked the Vt. State Employees Credit Union Chevrolet before with heavy suspension damage. Pembroke entered the event second in points, just 11 markers behind Cyr. To make matters infinitely worse for Pembroke, top-five race finishers Scott, Michaud, Sweet, and Fisher are also tightly grouped in order behind Pembroke in the point standings, and the next green flag is set to fly at 6:00pm on Friday -- approximately 20 hours after Pembroke's crash, therefore severely limiting time for repairs.
Pembroke offered no comment on the incident, but his team plans to work throughout the day on Friday in order to race.
Shawn Duquette of Morrisonville, N.Y. clinched the ACT Tiger Sportsman Tri-State Series championship in a tie-breaker with Jason Bonnett despite crashing in the division's ACE Hardware 100. Shawn Fleury of Middlesex won the race after a late pass of Bradford's Derrick O'Donnell. Click here for the Tiger Sportsman event story.
Garry Bashaw of Lincoln earned his first career Street Stock win in the nightcap feature. Bashaw began racing in 2000 and had never won a main event. The win came in the first Street Stock/Junkyard Warrior combined 'A' feature run at Thunder Road since July 5. David Whitcomb of Elmore finished second over Tucker Williams, Michael Moore, and Mike MacAskill. Donny Yates of North Montpelier was the top-finishing Warrior driver in 21st place, taking his fourth win of the season in the division. Kevin Dodge of Barre was second, with Waitsfield's Kevin Streeter third. Street Stock driver Scott Maynard of South Burlington walked away from a multi-time rollover off Turn 2 that destroyed his car. MacAskill won the 'reserve' feature to qualify for the main event.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS -- ACE Hardware Night
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre, Vt.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Pos.-Driver-Hometown (# - denotes rookie)
ACT Late Model (50 laps)
1. Nick Sweet, Barre
2. Jamie Fisher, Shelburne
3. Cris Michaud, Northfield
4. Phil Scott, Montpelier
5. Jean-Paul Cyr, Milton
6. Craig Bushey, Cambridge
7. Eric Chase, Milton
8. Pete Fecteau, Morrisville
9. Reno Gervais, Island Pond
10. Jerry Lesage, Winooski
NAPA Tiger Sportsman (100 laps)
1. Shawn Fleury, Middlesex
2. Derrick O'Donnell, Bradford
3. Jimmy Hebert, Williamstown
4. Brendan Moodie, North Wolcott
5. Scott Coburn, Barre
6. Jason Bonnett, St. Albans
7. David Finck, Barre
8. Joey Laquerre, East Montpelier
9. Ray Stearns, East Corinth
10. Josh Demers, Middlesex
Allen Lumber Street Stock/Power Shift Online Junkyard Warrior 'A' Feature (25 laps)
1. Garry Bashaw, Lincoln (SS winner)
2. David Whitcomb, Elmore (SS)
3. #Tucker Williams, Hyde Park (SS)
4. Michael Moore, East Haven (SS)
5. Mike MacAskill, Williamstown (SS)
21. Donny Yates, North Montpelier (JW winner)
Street Stock/Warrior 'Reserve' Feature (25 laps)
1. Mike MacAskill, Williamstown (SS)
2. Tommy Smith, Williamstown (SS)
3. Gary Mullen, Tunbridge (SS)
4. Mike Martin, Craftsbury Common (SS)
5. #Danny Doyle, Hancock (SS)
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
ACT Drivers Headed to Devil's Bowl
WEST HAVEN -- Four ACT Late Model drivers are going to race dirty on Sunday. For real.Devil's Bowl Speedway in West Haven has announced that asphalt racers Jean-Paul Cyr, Brent Dragon, Cris Michaud, and Dave Whitcomb will take part in a special race using CVRA Brudget Sportsman cars on Sunday, Aug. 2.
Cyr is a seven-time ACT Late Model Tour champion, and is the current point leader at Thunder Road in Barre. Dragon currently ranks sixth in ACT points with a win in ACT Castrol Series competition this season, while Northfield racer Michaud won at Thunder Road last Thursday. Whitcomb, of Essex Junction, is a former Thunder Road, Airborne Speedway, and ACT champion.
Cyr and Dragon, both of Milton, might have a bit of an unfair advantage over Michaud and Whitcomb, however; Cyr was the 1990 Pro Stock champion on the Devil's Bowl dirt, and Dragon got his first taste of dirt racing at Bradford's Bear Ridge Speedway earlier this year behind the wheel of a car that C.V. Elms has won twice at Devil's Bowl with in 2009.
"They just want to come in and have some fun," said CVRA/Devil's Bowl Speedway promoter Bruce Richards. "Devil's Bowl has an asphalt history, and Cyr even raced here for a while, so it should be fun to see how they do."
Friday, July 24, 2009
Murphy Making Something Out Of Nothing
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Doug Murphy never dreamed he would be out front.The ultimate low-buck underdog of the Thunder Road Late Model division is the only full-time racer in the class that tows his car -- a well-used, ex-Jamie Fisher chassis -- behind a pickup truck on an open trailer. The members of his crew that aren't his father, Adrian, or mother, Gloria, are strictly at the track on a volunteer basis. The Yipes! Auto Accessories sponsorship on the #4 car is well-displayed, but the monetary value of the partnership, or that of Diversified Landscape Maintenance or Majestic Auto Body, is minimal at best.
But the combination works, and the Tunbridge driver is now officially a contender. At last week's double-points Times Argus Mid-Season Championship, Murphy shocked the Thunder Road crowd by leading twice for 34 laps and scoring a career-best third-place finish behind champions Jean-Paul Cyr and Dave Pembroke. On Thursday night, Murphy one-upped himself by leading the first 45 laps of the Casella Waste Management feature and finishing second to three-time track champion Cris Michaud after getting pinned behind a lapped car late in the race. The back-to-back performances have vaulted Murphy into the top-15 in points, just 51 points out of the top-ten.
"We're just running good. All of a sudden we're just clicking," Murphy said Thursday. "Unfortunately, the right-rear tire gave up at about lap 35. It really loosened up on me and I backed up to Cris. I kept looking up in my mirror when the car was good, and he was there but he wasn't gaining leaps and bounds on me."
That feeling alone must have been gratifying for Murphy. Eric Williams, the 2008 Thunder Road champion, has long been heralded as the low-buck racer making it big against the well-funded teams of the northeast. Murphy's budget, though, makes Williams' small potatoes look like a five-course dinner."ACT called [asking] me to run Beech Ridge, and I called them back [Wednesday] and I said, 'You know something, I have a hard time pulling a dime out of my pocket to race on Thursday nights.' explained Murphy.
"And that's where we're at. We have one spare shock in the race car trailer, and that's the only spare part we have with us other than our wheels and tires. We have no spare springs, the setup in the car is what we run every week. When I watch these guys beside us that are just throwing shocks and springs at their cars to make them go better, it's like, man, why do they do all that? We can do it with just what we have."
Murphy began racing twenty years ago in an eight-cylinder Street Stock at Thunder Road in Barre. After a few so-so seasons, he moved up to the Flying Tiger/Sportsman class. The first win came in 1994, followed over the years by victories at Thunder Road, Riverside Speedway in New Hampshire, and Airborne Speedway in New York, and several championship-contending runs. Murphy purchased the Late Model in 2007, running 11 times and finishing inside the top-15 just twice. He earned a single top-ten finish last year, but was limited by his budget to just eight races and often ran near the back. It's different this season.
"It was just a matter of time," says Michaud. "Doug's a good driver. He was good in the Tigers and stuff, and I think it was just a matter of time with him. He's underfunded and he doesn't have the help that other people do, but his dad is smart, and Doug is smart. He had a good car tonight, and quite honestly, if there wasn't that lapped car I don't know if I would have gotten by him. I think we could have gotten to the outside of him, but I don't know if we could have gotten by him."
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Murphy knows that if he had pushed the issue, he likely could have held Michaud off with a three-wide move around Kyle Caron's lapped car on lap 46 of the Casella race, and might have carried his first Late Model checkered flag."Looking back on it, should I have tried it? Yeah, probably," he said. "My spotter didn't say anything to me and I said, 'Well, maybe he just wants me to hold my ground.' He didn't say 'go high' or whatever. You know, I was looking for a little coaching at the same time and I didn't get it, so I said, 'Well, I'm gonna sit here and hopefully the 22 (Caron) will either move down and get out of the way that way, or..."
Murphy suddenly interrupts himself, perhaps realizing his accomplishment. "I'm very happy with second," he said. "You know, two weeks ago I would never have dreamed that I'd be in this position and get one top-three, let alone back-to-back top-threes. It's rewarding to get top-threes against the competition with all the money they have. We have nothing, I can't emphasize that enough. I mean, we really shouldn't be here. And we're here and we're running good.
"Being a Tiger driver for a long as I was, I always dreamed of running a Late Model, and I'm getting to live my dream. I've been running good to boot, and that just ups that a little bit further."
Murphy looks over at his open trailer and smiles. It's not hard to figure out what he's thinking.
"Now I've just got one more trophy to add to the case and it'll be complete."
(PHOTOS: 1. Doug Murphy (#4) leads Heat 3 on Thursday night over Tony Andrews (#1), 2009 feature winner Grant Folsom (#81), and former Thunder Road champions Jamie Fisher (#18) and Dave Whitcomb (#25); 2. Murphy (left) on the podium a week ago with Jean-Paul Cyr (center) and Dave Pembroke; 3. Cris Michaud (#6) said Murphy successes were "just a matter of time." Photos 1 and 3 by Leif Tillotson; Photo 2 by Dave Heath/courtesy Thunder Road)
Michaud Puts First Ford in Victory Lane at Thunder Road
BARRE -- Maybe being a test pilot isn't always a bad thing.Ten years ago, Northfield racer Cris Michaud became the first competitor to use the original American-Canadian Tour 'spec' General Motors crate engine. Since then, the engine has widely been credited as the savior of the Late Model division in the northeast, with more than 400 sold since 1999. Four years ago, and again in 2008, Michaud helped to develop and diagnose problems with Goodyear's 8-inch slick tire, the tire that is run by nine weekly tracks and two touring series in the northeast.
So it seemed only natural for Michaud to be the pioneer when Ford Racing came calling with its new Late Model 'spec' engine this year. And, of course, the three-time Thunder Road track champion has delivered, taking the first victory with the new Ford powerplant in the Casella Waste Management 50 on Thursday night.
Michaud has worked closely with engineers from Ford Racing in Dearborn, Mich. this season to test and develop the engine.
"Mike (Delahanty, Sportsman Circle Track Racing Program Manager for Ford Racing), actually calls us just about every week," said Michaud. "Yeah, we expect a call from him, and finally we can tell him we won. I'm happy that we got the Ford motor and we got the first win."
Michaud, who started ninth on the 24-car grid, took over second place on lap 20, caught leader Doug Murphy by lap 37, and passed Murphy in lapped traffic with four laps remaining before driving to the win. Murphy's Chevrolet was faster coming out of the corners, but Michaud's Ford was able to cut in half any defecit Murphy applied by the end of each straightaway.
Michaud says that being sluggish out of the corners has plagued his car's performance all season at Thunder Road, but oddly nowhere else.
"It runs great at other tracks, we just have had a hard time figuring it out here," he said. "We haven't been running like we're used to. That's what our problem has been, is getting beat bad off the corners. That's the way it is at Thunder Road, but take me to Oxford (Plains Speedway in Maine) like last weekend, I mean, we were beating them off the corners or dead even, it was an equal thing, I don't know. For some reason at Thunder Road, I can't seem to get it turn right to get off the corner fast enough. I think it's a setup thing. We'll figure it out."
Tunbridge driver Murphy one-upped his performance of last Thursday with a runner-up finish; he had taken a career-best third-place effort a week ago. After starting in third place in the Casella 50, Murphy took the lead from Jerry Lesage on lap 13, a position he held until Michaud's winning move on lap 46. Reno Gervais of Island Pond finished third with South Burlington's Trampas Demers fourth and Lesage, of Winooski, fifth. Phil Scott, Nick Sweet, Jamie Fisher, Joey Becker, and Dave Pembroke rounded out the unofficial top ten.
Eric Badore of Milton took his second win of the season in the 35-lap Tiger Sportsman feature. The former Street Stock champion earned his first career Sportsman victory two weeks ago. Badore, from the fifth-place starting position, moved around rookie Neal Foster into the lead on lap 7, then held off charging drivers Ray Stearns and Shawn Fleury for the win. Pete Ainsworth finished fourth over Brian Delphia.
Rookie Tucker Williams of Hyde Park earned his third Street Stock win of the year. Jeff Martin, Jr. crossed the finish line in second place, but was disqualified for a weight violation. With Martin's disqualification, Jason Allen and M.C. Ingram each inherited career-best finishes in second- and third-place, respectively. Troy Gray finished fourth with Billy "Weiner" Hennequin fifth.
John Prentice of Northfield earned his first career Junkyard Warrior victory in peculiar fashion, finishing third in each of two segments of a monza-style event and earning a total low score of six points. The first segment was an eight-lap race with all cars running in reverse gear, while the second segment was a traditional 25-lap race in a forward, counter-clockwise direction. Kevin Streeter won the backwards race and finished fifth in the regular race for a total of six points; the tie-breaker was given to Prentice based on his better final-segment finish. Ken Christman inherited third place overall after Mark LaFleche was disqualified for illegal wheel camber.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS -- Casella Waste Management Night
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre, Vt.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Pos.-Driver-Hometown (# - indicates rookie)
ACT Late Model (50 laps)
1. Cris Michaud, Northfield
2. Doug Muprhy, Tunbridge
3. Reno Gervais, Island Pond
4. Trampas Demers, South Burlington
5. Jerry Lesage, Winooski
6. Phil Scott, Montpelier
7. Nick Sweet, Barre
8. Jamie Fisher, Shelburne
9. Joey Becker, Jeffersonville
10. Dave Pembroke, Middlesex
NAPA Tiger Sportsman (35 laps)
1. Eric Badore, Milton
2. Ray Stearns, East Corinth
3. Shawn Fleury, Middlesex
4. Pete Ainsworth, Jr., Middlesex
5. Brian Delphia, Waterbury
6. David Finck, Barre
7. Ricky Roberts, Washington
8. #Neal Foster, Waterbury
9. #Mike Billado, Essex
10. Joey Laquerre, East Montpelier
Allen Lumber Street Stock (20 laps)
1. #Tucker Williams, Hyde Park
2. Jason Allen, Northfield
3. M.C. Ingram, Essex Jct.
4. Troy Gray, Fairlee
5. Billy Hennequin, Morrisville
Power Shift Online Junkyard Warrior (two segments)
1. John Prentice, Northfield
2. Kevin Streeter, Waitsfield
3. Ken Christman, Cabot
4. Kevin Wheatley, Williamstown
5. Kevin Dodge, Barre
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