OXFORD, Me. -- Eddie MacDonald is considered the man to beat every time he races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and with four wins there since 2008 he’s earned that recognition. After his American-Canadian Tour victory on Sunday, the same could be said about him at Maine’s Oxford Plains Speedway.
MacDonald’s first ACT Late Model Tour win came at the 3/8-mile oval in 2007, and he won the TD Bank Oxford 250, one of the country’s most prestigious short track events, last year. Sunday, he led the final 96 laps of the WJAB 150 and held off regular Oxford competitor Tommy Ricker en route to another win.
“This is just awesome,” said MacDonald, of Rowley, Mass. “It’s our first run out with the car [since] we changed a bunch of things over from last year and upgraded a few things, and just everything paid off.”
MacDonald, a top driver on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, gave all the credit to his team and crew chief Rollie LaChance. “Rollie got the car just handling awesome. We were tweaking on little things all day long, but as soon as we unloaded the car it was pretty good. The crew did an awesome job.”
MacDonald took the lead from rookie Austin Theriault on lap 54 and held a comfortable lead until Ricker caught him with 30 circuits remaining. Ricker reeled MacDonald in as they sliced through lapped traffic, and made two attempts to take the lead during the closing laps. His car broke loose several times, though, the result of worn out tires.
For Ricker, who had yet to even finish an ACT event, it was a career day.
“This is terrific. I’ve never been more excited [except] getting into the 250 I think,” Ricker beamed. “I think I wore the tires out trying to get to Eddie. I should have been a little more patient. Eddie’s a close friend and I enjoy racing with him. It would have been a great thrill to beat him if I could have, I just worked too hard at it.”
“I am so happy for Tommy, he did an awesome job,” said MacDonald.
Defending ACT champion Brian Hoar of Williston finished in third place after leading the first 25 laps. Graniteville’s John Donahue drove from 31st at the start to finish fourth, with former Oxford Plains Speedway champion Tim Brackett fifth. Travis Adams, Scott Payea, Brent Dragon, Jeff White, and T.J. Brackett completed the unofficial top-ten.
Only one caution period slowed the event on lap 54, and all but four of the 33 starters were running at the finish. 53 cars attempted to qualify. The next ACT event is at Lee USA Speedway on June 11.
For the win, MacDonald earned an invitation to compete at the second annual ACT Invitational at New Hampshire in September – an event he won last year.
Showing posts with label Eddie MacDonald. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eddie MacDonald. Show all posts
Sunday, May 16, 2010
ACT Late Model Tour WJAB 150 Results @ Oxford 5/16
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS – WJAB 150
American-Canadian Tour – Oxford Plains Speedway, Oxford, Me.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
# - indicates rookie
1. (5) Eddie MacDonald, Rowley, Mass.
2. (12) Tommy Ricker, Poland, Me.
3. (2) Brian Hoar, Williston
4. (31) John Donahue, Graniteville
5. (4) Tim Brackett, Buckfield, Me.
6. (14) Travis Adams, Canton, Me.
7. (3) Scott Payea, Milton
8. (27) Brent Dragon, Milton
9. (21) Jeff White, Winthrop, Me.
10. (7) T.J. Brackett, Buckfield, Me.
11. (20) Eric Williams, Hyde Park
12. (26) # Bradley Babb, Windham, Me.
13. (10) Scott Luce, Strong, Me.
14. (17) Scott Dragon, Milton
15. (16) # Chris Riendeau, Ascutney
16. (6) # Austin Theriault, Fort Kent, Me.
17. (22) Corey Morgan, Lewiston, Me.
18. (9) Quinny Welch, Lancaster, N.H.
19. (25) Donald Theetge, Quebec, Que.
20. (13) Mark Lamberton, Mooers Forks, N.Y.
21. (1) Travis Stearns, Auburn, Me.
22. (15) Ricky Rolfe, Albany Twp., Me.
23. (19) T.J. Watson, Cundy’s Harbor, Me.
24. (18) Ben Ashline, Pittston, Me.
25. (29) Bryan Kruczek, Newmarket, N.H.
26. (23) Dennis Spencer, Jr., Oxford, Me.
27. (33) Shawn Martin, Turner, Me.
28. (32) # Dave Paya, Milton
29. (30) Gary Chaisson, Peru, Me.
30. (8) Jay Laquerre, East Montpelier
31. (28) Randy Potter, Groveton, N.H.
32. (24) Glen Luce, Turner, Me.
33. (11) Mark Hayward, Newport, N.H.
American-Canadian Tour – Oxford Plains Speedway, Oxford, Me.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
# - indicates rookie
1. (5) Eddie MacDonald, Rowley, Mass.
2. (12) Tommy Ricker, Poland, Me.
3. (2) Brian Hoar, Williston
4. (31) John Donahue, Graniteville
5. (4) Tim Brackett, Buckfield, Me.
6. (14) Travis Adams, Canton, Me.
7. (3) Scott Payea, Milton
8. (27) Brent Dragon, Milton
9. (21) Jeff White, Winthrop, Me.
10. (7) T.J. Brackett, Buckfield, Me.
11. (20) Eric Williams, Hyde Park
12. (26) # Bradley Babb, Windham, Me.
13. (10) Scott Luce, Strong, Me.
14. (17) Scott Dragon, Milton
15. (16) # Chris Riendeau, Ascutney
16. (6) # Austin Theriault, Fort Kent, Me.
17. (22) Corey Morgan, Lewiston, Me.
18. (9) Quinny Welch, Lancaster, N.H.
19. (25) Donald Theetge, Quebec, Que.
20. (13) Mark Lamberton, Mooers Forks, N.Y.
21. (1) Travis Stearns, Auburn, Me.
22. (15) Ricky Rolfe, Albany Twp., Me.
23. (19) T.J. Watson, Cundy’s Harbor, Me.
24. (18) Ben Ashline, Pittston, Me.
25. (29) Bryan Kruczek, Newmarket, N.H.
26. (23) Dennis Spencer, Jr., Oxford, Me.
27. (33) Shawn Martin, Turner, Me.
28. (32) # Dave Paya, Milton
29. (30) Gary Chaisson, Peru, Me.
30. (8) Jay Laquerre, East Montpelier
31. (28) Randy Potter, Groveton, N.H.
32. (24) Glen Luce, Turner, Me.
33. (11) Mark Hayward, Newport, N.H.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
The Juice: The Good, the Bad, and the Abhorrent
-by Justin St. Louis
It has been the craziest week in the history of auto racing. Ever. Okay, maybe not, but a lot went on. And thanks to my newfound love of the word "abhorrent" (it's one of those words you know exists, but don't realize it's missing from your life until you use it once, kinda like the way I feel about dirt racing after this year), we've got ourselves a column.
Here's a look at the week that was.
THE GOOD:
--The NASCAR Camping World Series East, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, and ACT Invitational events at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last weekend. I thought they were great. The two NASCAR events had a few too many cautions -- and for dumb stuff, like Jason Patison and Eric Curran wrecking each other for last place in the East race -- but the actual racing for the lead was very entertaining in all three events.
--Donny Lia was stellar in the Modifieds.
--Helping coach SPEED Channel's Bob Dillner on the iRacing Modified simulator in the infield media center on Saturday with driver Ryan Preece, not 15 minutes after Preece finished third in the WMT race. We ran Stafford Motor Speedway, the site of Preece's most recent WMT victory, and Dillner wasn't exactly, um, the smoothest guy. Not horrible, but not smooth. Preece got in the seat and beat Dillner's best lap by a half-second... on the first lap. And then it was my turn, and I felt pretty good about being only four tenths off Preece's best time. It's a helluva jump (or is it "Heluva Good!"?) from a four-cylinder Mustang five years ago to a, uh, digitally-created SK Modified at Stafford. But we got it done.
--The ACT Invitational was superlative, especially for a first effort. The 36 cars were all very classy-looking, the drivers were racy and ultra-respectful of each other on the track, and holy cow, the crowd got into it. ACT announcer Troy Germain is to be commended for his energetic introduction of each driver, and Tom Curley's idea to incorporate the presentation of the team battle flags onto the edge of the race track blew the crowd away. Many fans stood for the entire 50 laps.
--The tractor trailer shower setup things in the parking lots at NHMS were out-freaking-standing.
--The most interesting part of the huge crowd that stuck around after the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event on Saturday to see the ACT race was listening to where the cheers came from during introductions. Some estimates had as many as 40,000 fans there, but it was probably more like 18,000 to 25,000 for the ACT Invitational. Every fan applauded every driver, but for each one there were patches of localized families and fans losing their minds for their favorite drivers. When Randy Potter was introduced, one 50-person section of the stands, most likely centered around Groveton, N.H., went crazy on the frontstretch. When T.J. Watson was up, his Maine-based fans went nuts over in Turn 1, or wherever they were. And the Milton fans cheered for guys like Brent Dragon, Scott Payea, Jean-Paul Cyr, and Eric Chase. It was very cool, and it also sent a message loud and clear to NHMS officials that there were a lot people there specifically to watch the ACT Invitational.
--Three words: Juan Pablo Montoya.
--Five words: Eddie MacDonald and Rollie Lachance.
--You gotta love Travis Adams' attitude. Adams spent the year chasing a dream for his father, the late Donnie Adams, and won his fourth-straight Oxford Plains Speedway championship. But his goals were two-fold: Adams wanted the title for his dad, but he also wanted to win the title so he would be invited to Loudon, N.H. for the ACT Invitational, just for the chance to race at NHMS. He tested at the track in August, although not very well, and then was scored 32nd in the race after a poor showing on Saturday. I went over to ask Adams a couple of questions about his race as he loaded his car to head back home to Maine, and he was clearly busy, but in his typical fashion, he spoke as he worked. After getting the answers I was looking for, I shook his hand and said, "I'm sorry your Loudon wasn't what you wanted." And Travis Adams stopped what he was doing, looked me in the eye, and said, "Yes it was." That's how important that race was to him, and to 35 other drivers. That moment was by far my favorite part of the weekend.
--Fred Neergaard, the NHMS Director of Communications, is a good man, and bent over backwards -- even when he didn't have to -- to help me out last weekend.
--Tony Stewart and Joey Polewarczyk chatted after the CWSE race on Friday night. And Stewart's obviously been paying attention since the Governor's Cup in June, because he asked Polewarczyk if he was ready for next weekend. Polewarczyk replied, "I'm not running Dover, we don't have the money for that," and Stewart said, "No, I know. I meant the Milk Bowl. That's a big deal."
--The post-race ACT Invitational press conference was truly the epitome of small-time racers in front of a big-time audience. Runner-up Nick Sweet and third-place finisher Brandon Watson were way out of their element speaking to a brightly-lit room full of people with cameras and tape recorders, but they performed as well in there as they did on the track. If you're a regular reader here at VMM, you've probably figured out by now that Sweet is a great interview because of his honesty and natural goofiness, and it was more of the same at NHMS, although instead of just me asking him questions, it was 40 people at once. Watson, all of 16 years old, was clearly uncomfortable and stared at the back wall or at the ceiling while answering questions, but both drivers said all the right things. Seth Leavitt of WCAX-TV asked Sweet to compare racing the mile at NHMS against the quarter-mile at Thunder Road, and Sweet gave his answer. Leavitt then asked Sweet, "Were you nervous?" and Sweet replied, "Right now I am. This is the hardest part." As winner Eddie MacDonald made his way to the head table, Watson's very proud mother rushed up to the middle of the room, where she inadvertantly set off a two-minute photo session by getting a shot of her boy with MacDonald. It was a very endearing moment, and certainly one that took some folks by surprise. The Q&A session with Watson and Sweet ended with a round of applause initiated by Neergaard, who was obviously enjoying the show. And when Sweet got up from the table, his straight-faced question "Can I have this bottle of water?" was enough to set the crowd off into a roar of laughter. MacDonald, of course, is no stranger to those types of events, and accorded himself in the way most professional athletes do with the media. But the presser was as special a moment as the race itself, in my opinion, and to be honest I'm not sure I expected it to go any differently.
--We weren't there to see it, but the efforts of Donald Theetge's team to literally rebuild the left-front corner of his wrecked car at Autodrome St-Eustache on Sunday. The knuckle-busting ultimately led to a Série ACT-Castrol championship for the group.
THE BAD:
--I arrived at New Hampshire Motor Speedway more unprepared to do my job than I have ever been at any race, ever, in nearly ten years of work. From my days on the ACT payroll when I forgot to bring a printer to a Canadian race, or from my days in high school freelancing for whatever newspaper would let me, or from my first "interview" with Matt Kenseth at the 2004 Oxford 250. I was simply a floundering idiot at NHMS as far as having my stuff together. You might not have noticed, but I sure did, and I know some VIPs did, too. I apologize to you all and to myself.
--Can anyone tell me who Richard Harriman, Chris Jones, Chris Lawson, and Nick Tucker are, or why I don't have a Truck ride?
--Speedway Motorsports Inc. should really consider contracting their long-time partner, Sylvania, into installing some lights around NHMS. The CWSE race was cut 26 laps short because of darkness on Friday night, and it was so bad that if there was a black car going down the frontstretch, well, I sure didn't see it.
--Polewarczyk's wreck in the CWSE race was an extremely hard hit, driver's door first into the Turn 1 wall. Polewarczyk admitted that he was dazed: "Everything went black."
--ACT teams running too much tire stagger, as much as three inches, and causing problems for themselves. There were a lot of cars affected, including Ben Rowe, who hit the wall in Turn 3 after his right-front tire blew out, Brian Hoar, who faded from second to eighth over the final five laps, early leader Joey Doiron, and winner Eddie MacDonald, who had a major blister on the right-rear tire of his car.
--The weather on Friday delayed everything at NHMS, which in turn cancelled our trip to White Mountain Motorsports Park for the Late Model championship event at the PASS North season finale.
THE ABHORRENT:
--Patrick Laperle's Castrol deal at St-Eustache. After listening to both Laperle and ACT's Tom Curley, it appears rather obvious to me that the Jacques Laperle car was used in the lap 273 yellow flag to aid the ailing Patrick Laperle car. It was totally wrong. But I'm also not sure I agree with Curley's decision to not open pit road, because that potentially could have had a negative effect on everyone else running the race, too. Luckily, it appears that it didn't. At the end of the day, I think Patrick Laperle took a chance he shouldn't have taken and he got burned for it.
--Because I was at NHMS, I again wasn't there to see it, but I'm hearing that Airborne Speedway top dogs Martin Roy and Patrick Dupree were disqualified from Sunday's non-points "Apple Bowl 100" at the track for illegal engine parts. Reportedly, Dupree was running unapproved titanium parts in his DIRTcar 'spec' engine, and Roy's issues went much farther than that. DIRTcar inspectors in fact traveled to Airborne on Monday to confirm the findings. That having been said, neither driver had any issues in technical inspection during the regular season, and they were both in the tech shed plenty of times.
--The cold weather at night at Loudon was atrocious. Go ahead and try to sleep in a pop-up camper when it's 74 below outside, I dare ya.
***
AROUND THE REGION:
Time to take a look at the top Vermonters from the past weekend...
ACT Late Model Tour: On Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., Eddie MacDonald of Rowley, Mass. beat Barre's Nick Sweet to win the inaugural ACT Invitational. Brandon Watson of Stayner, Ont. was third with Patrick Laperle of St-Denis, Qué. fourth and Graniteville's John Donahue fifth.
Airborne Speedway (Plattsburgh, N.Y.): Aaron Bartemy of Sheldon finished eighth in Sunday's Apple Bowl 100 for Modifieds. Milton's Bill Sawyer was the Sportsman runner-up, with Joey Roberts of Georgia sixth, Brad Bushey of Georgia ninth, and Joe Steffen of Essex Junction tenth. Lance Rabtoy of Fairfax was fourth in the Renegade feature with brother Dave Rabtoy of Swanton fifth.
Monadnock Speedway (Winchester, N.H.): Dwight Jarvis of Ascutney was eighth in Friday's Modified feature with Josh King of Vernon 12th. Dana Shepard of Putney was 13th in the Super Stock race, and Joe Rogers of Ludlow was 10th in the Mini Stocks. Vernon drivers Heath Renaud, Josh Houle, and Pat Houle finished second, fourth, and fifth in the four-cylinder Enduro, respectively.
NASCAR Camping World Series East: Barney McRae of Milton finished 33rd in Friday's Heluva Good! 125 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H.
PASS North Super Late Models: Richie Dearborn of Hollis, Me. won Friday's season finale at White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, N.H. over Ben Rowe of Turner, Me., Kelly Moore of Scarborough, Me., Travis Benjamin of Morrill, Me., and 2009 champion Johnny Clark of Farmingdale, Me. Danville rookie Steven Legendre finished seventh.
Riverside Speedway (Groveton, N.H.): Ben Bedor of Lyndonville was fifth in Saturday's Super Stock feature. Dean Switser, Jr. of Lyndonville was third in the Street Stocks with Andy Fecteau of Hardwick fifth. Toby Merchant of Concord was the Dwarf Car runner-up, and Johanna Christman of Cabot won the Angel feature.
White Mountain Motorsports Park (North Woodstock, N.H.): St. Johnsbury's Stacy Cahoon finished fifth in the Late Model feature on Friday to wrap up his second-straight track championship. Stevie Parker of Lyndonville was the Strictly Stock runner-up, taking that division's championship, and Concord's Rubin Call won the Strictly Stock Mini race, finishing second in the championship to Opie Thayer.
***
WEEKEND SCHEDULE:
Saturday, Sept. 26
Bear Ridge Speedway, Bradford -- 6:00pm (Final Event -- Championship Night, Enduro, Demolition Derby)
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre -- 1:00pm (Booth Bros./H.P. Hood Qualifying Day)
Airborne Speedway, Plattsburgh, N.Y. -- 5:00pm (Final Event -- Non-Winners Races)
Monadnock Speedway, Winchester, N.H. -- 2:00pm (Final Event -- School Bus Race, Demolition Derby)
Sunday, Sept. 27
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre -- 1:00pm (Final Event -- Chittenden Bank Milk Bowl)
It has been the craziest week in the history of auto racing. Ever. Okay, maybe not, but a lot went on. And thanks to my newfound love of the word "abhorrent" (it's one of those words you know exists, but don't realize it's missing from your life until you use it once, kinda like the way I feel about dirt racing after this year), we've got ourselves a column.
Here's a look at the week that was.
THE GOOD:
--The NASCAR Camping World Series East, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, and ACT Invitational events at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last weekend. I thought they were great. The two NASCAR events had a few too many cautions -- and for dumb stuff, like Jason Patison and Eric Curran wrecking each other for last place in the East race -- but the actual racing for the lead was very entertaining in all three events.
--Donny Lia was stellar in the Modifieds.
--Helping coach SPEED Channel's Bob Dillner on the iRacing Modified simulator in the infield media center on Saturday with driver Ryan Preece, not 15 minutes after Preece finished third in the WMT race. We ran Stafford Motor Speedway, the site of Preece's most recent WMT victory, and Dillner wasn't exactly, um, the smoothest guy. Not horrible, but not smooth. Preece got in the seat and beat Dillner's best lap by a half-second... on the first lap. And then it was my turn, and I felt pretty good about being only four tenths off Preece's best time. It's a helluva jump (or is it "Heluva Good!"?) from a four-cylinder Mustang five years ago to a, uh, digitally-created SK Modified at Stafford. But we got it done.
--The ACT Invitational was superlative, especially for a first effort. The 36 cars were all very classy-looking, the drivers were racy and ultra-respectful of each other on the track, and holy cow, the crowd got into it. ACT announcer Troy Germain is to be commended for his energetic introduction of each driver, and Tom Curley's idea to incorporate the presentation of the team battle flags onto the edge of the race track blew the crowd away. Many fans stood for the entire 50 laps.
--The tractor trailer shower setup things in the parking lots at NHMS were out-freaking-standing.
--The most interesting part of the huge crowd that stuck around after the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event on Saturday to see the ACT race was listening to where the cheers came from during introductions. Some estimates had as many as 40,000 fans there, but it was probably more like 18,000 to 25,000 for the ACT Invitational. Every fan applauded every driver, but for each one there were patches of localized families and fans losing their minds for their favorite drivers. When Randy Potter was introduced, one 50-person section of the stands, most likely centered around Groveton, N.H., went crazy on the frontstretch. When T.J. Watson was up, his Maine-based fans went nuts over in Turn 1, or wherever they were. And the Milton fans cheered for guys like Brent Dragon, Scott Payea, Jean-Paul Cyr, and Eric Chase. It was very cool, and it also sent a message loud and clear to NHMS officials that there were a lot people there specifically to watch the ACT Invitational.
--Three words: Juan Pablo Montoya.
--Five words: Eddie MacDonald and Rollie Lachance.
--You gotta love Travis Adams' attitude. Adams spent the year chasing a dream for his father, the late Donnie Adams, and won his fourth-straight Oxford Plains Speedway championship. But his goals were two-fold: Adams wanted the title for his dad, but he also wanted to win the title so he would be invited to Loudon, N.H. for the ACT Invitational, just for the chance to race at NHMS. He tested at the track in August, although not very well, and then was scored 32nd in the race after a poor showing on Saturday. I went over to ask Adams a couple of questions about his race as he loaded his car to head back home to Maine, and he was clearly busy, but in his typical fashion, he spoke as he worked. After getting the answers I was looking for, I shook his hand and said, "I'm sorry your Loudon wasn't what you wanted." And Travis Adams stopped what he was doing, looked me in the eye, and said, "Yes it was." That's how important that race was to him, and to 35 other drivers. That moment was by far my favorite part of the weekend.
--Fred Neergaard, the NHMS Director of Communications, is a good man, and bent over backwards -- even when he didn't have to -- to help me out last weekend.
--Tony Stewart and Joey Polewarczyk chatted after the CWSE race on Friday night. And Stewart's obviously been paying attention since the Governor's Cup in June, because he asked Polewarczyk if he was ready for next weekend. Polewarczyk replied, "I'm not running Dover, we don't have the money for that," and Stewart said, "No, I know. I meant the Milk Bowl. That's a big deal."
--The post-race ACT Invitational press conference was truly the epitome of small-time racers in front of a big-time audience. Runner-up Nick Sweet and third-place finisher Brandon Watson were way out of their element speaking to a brightly-lit room full of people with cameras and tape recorders, but they performed as well in there as they did on the track. If you're a regular reader here at VMM, you've probably figured out by now that Sweet is a great interview because of his honesty and natural goofiness, and it was more of the same at NHMS, although instead of just me asking him questions, it was 40 people at once. Watson, all of 16 years old, was clearly uncomfortable and stared at the back wall or at the ceiling while answering questions, but both drivers said all the right things. Seth Leavitt of WCAX-TV asked Sweet to compare racing the mile at NHMS against the quarter-mile at Thunder Road, and Sweet gave his answer. Leavitt then asked Sweet, "Were you nervous?" and Sweet replied, "Right now I am. This is the hardest part." As winner Eddie MacDonald made his way to the head table, Watson's very proud mother rushed up to the middle of the room, where she inadvertantly set off a two-minute photo session by getting a shot of her boy with MacDonald. It was a very endearing moment, and certainly one that took some folks by surprise. The Q&A session with Watson and Sweet ended with a round of applause initiated by Neergaard, who was obviously enjoying the show. And when Sweet got up from the table, his straight-faced question "Can I have this bottle of water?" was enough to set the crowd off into a roar of laughter. MacDonald, of course, is no stranger to those types of events, and accorded himself in the way most professional athletes do with the media. But the presser was as special a moment as the race itself, in my opinion, and to be honest I'm not sure I expected it to go any differently.
--We weren't there to see it, but the efforts of Donald Theetge's team to literally rebuild the left-front corner of his wrecked car at Autodrome St-Eustache on Sunday. The knuckle-busting ultimately led to a Série ACT-Castrol championship for the group.
THE BAD:
--I arrived at New Hampshire Motor Speedway more unprepared to do my job than I have ever been at any race, ever, in nearly ten years of work. From my days on the ACT payroll when I forgot to bring a printer to a Canadian race, or from my days in high school freelancing for whatever newspaper would let me, or from my first "interview" with Matt Kenseth at the 2004 Oxford 250. I was simply a floundering idiot at NHMS as far as having my stuff together. You might not have noticed, but I sure did, and I know some VIPs did, too. I apologize to you all and to myself.
--Can anyone tell me who Richard Harriman, Chris Jones, Chris Lawson, and Nick Tucker are, or why I don't have a Truck ride?
--Speedway Motorsports Inc. should really consider contracting their long-time partner, Sylvania, into installing some lights around NHMS. The CWSE race was cut 26 laps short because of darkness on Friday night, and it was so bad that if there was a black car going down the frontstretch, well, I sure didn't see it.
--Polewarczyk's wreck in the CWSE race was an extremely hard hit, driver's door first into the Turn 1 wall. Polewarczyk admitted that he was dazed: "Everything went black."
--ACT teams running too much tire stagger, as much as three inches, and causing problems for themselves. There were a lot of cars affected, including Ben Rowe, who hit the wall in Turn 3 after his right-front tire blew out, Brian Hoar, who faded from second to eighth over the final five laps, early leader Joey Doiron, and winner Eddie MacDonald, who had a major blister on the right-rear tire of his car.
--The weather on Friday delayed everything at NHMS, which in turn cancelled our trip to White Mountain Motorsports Park for the Late Model championship event at the PASS North season finale.
THE ABHORRENT:
--Patrick Laperle's Castrol deal at St-Eustache. After listening to both Laperle and ACT's Tom Curley, it appears rather obvious to me that the Jacques Laperle car was used in the lap 273 yellow flag to aid the ailing Patrick Laperle car. It was totally wrong. But I'm also not sure I agree with Curley's decision to not open pit road, because that potentially could have had a negative effect on everyone else running the race, too. Luckily, it appears that it didn't. At the end of the day, I think Patrick Laperle took a chance he shouldn't have taken and he got burned for it.
--Because I was at NHMS, I again wasn't there to see it, but I'm hearing that Airborne Speedway top dogs Martin Roy and Patrick Dupree were disqualified from Sunday's non-points "Apple Bowl 100" at the track for illegal engine parts. Reportedly, Dupree was running unapproved titanium parts in his DIRTcar 'spec' engine, and Roy's issues went much farther than that. DIRTcar inspectors in fact traveled to Airborne on Monday to confirm the findings. That having been said, neither driver had any issues in technical inspection during the regular season, and they were both in the tech shed plenty of times.
--The cold weather at night at Loudon was atrocious. Go ahead and try to sleep in a pop-up camper when it's 74 below outside, I dare ya.
***
AROUND THE REGION:
Time to take a look at the top Vermonters from the past weekend...
ACT Late Model Tour: On Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., Eddie MacDonald of Rowley, Mass. beat Barre's Nick Sweet to win the inaugural ACT Invitational. Brandon Watson of Stayner, Ont. was third with Patrick Laperle of St-Denis, Qué. fourth and Graniteville's John Donahue fifth.
Airborne Speedway (Plattsburgh, N.Y.): Aaron Bartemy of Sheldon finished eighth in Sunday's Apple Bowl 100 for Modifieds. Milton's Bill Sawyer was the Sportsman runner-up, with Joey Roberts of Georgia sixth, Brad Bushey of Georgia ninth, and Joe Steffen of Essex Junction tenth. Lance Rabtoy of Fairfax was fourth in the Renegade feature with brother Dave Rabtoy of Swanton fifth.
Monadnock Speedway (Winchester, N.H.): Dwight Jarvis of Ascutney was eighth in Friday's Modified feature with Josh King of Vernon 12th. Dana Shepard of Putney was 13th in the Super Stock race, and Joe Rogers of Ludlow was 10th in the Mini Stocks. Vernon drivers Heath Renaud, Josh Houle, and Pat Houle finished second, fourth, and fifth in the four-cylinder Enduro, respectively.
NASCAR Camping World Series East: Barney McRae of Milton finished 33rd in Friday's Heluva Good! 125 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H.
PASS North Super Late Models: Richie Dearborn of Hollis, Me. won Friday's season finale at White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, N.H. over Ben Rowe of Turner, Me., Kelly Moore of Scarborough, Me., Travis Benjamin of Morrill, Me., and 2009 champion Johnny Clark of Farmingdale, Me. Danville rookie Steven Legendre finished seventh.
Riverside Speedway (Groveton, N.H.): Ben Bedor of Lyndonville was fifth in Saturday's Super Stock feature. Dean Switser, Jr. of Lyndonville was third in the Street Stocks with Andy Fecteau of Hardwick fifth. Toby Merchant of Concord was the Dwarf Car runner-up, and Johanna Christman of Cabot won the Angel feature.
White Mountain Motorsports Park (North Woodstock, N.H.): St. Johnsbury's Stacy Cahoon finished fifth in the Late Model feature on Friday to wrap up his second-straight track championship. Stevie Parker of Lyndonville was the Strictly Stock runner-up, taking that division's championship, and Concord's Rubin Call won the Strictly Stock Mini race, finishing second in the championship to Opie Thayer.
***
WEEKEND SCHEDULE:
Saturday, Sept. 26
Bear Ridge Speedway, Bradford -- 6:00pm (Final Event -- Championship Night, Enduro, Demolition Derby)
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre -- 1:00pm (Booth Bros./H.P. Hood Qualifying Day)
Airborne Speedway, Plattsburgh, N.Y. -- 5:00pm (Final Event -- Non-Winners Races)
Monadnock Speedway, Winchester, N.H. -- 2:00pm (Final Event -- School Bus Race, Demolition Derby)
Sunday, Sept. 27
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre -- 1:00pm (Final Event -- Chittenden Bank Milk Bowl)
Monday, September 21, 2009
While Thinking of the Past, Curley Can Look to the Future
New Hampshire Motor Speedway coverage presented by RPM Racing Engines
LOUDON, N.H. -- American-Canadian Tour President Tom Curley looked over a crowd of about 65 people on Saturday. It was just past noon on September 19, 2009 in Loudon, New Hampshire. ACT and the entire decade-long business model of northeastern Late Model racing was about to debut at the 1-mile track, in front of the most important personalities in stock car racing, and in front of certainly the largest spectator crowd to attend an ACT event. For most of the people in that crowd of 65, everything happening around them that day was happening for the first time.
But Curley was having a bit of déjà vu.
"I remember it like it was yesterday," Curley told the drivers, officials, team members, and media assembled before him. "We had [21 cars]. We had some big names like Beaver and Bobby Dragon, Dave Dion, and Robbie Crouch, but not much else. There were twenty-five thousand seats, and about twenty-five hundred people."
It was September 18, 1982, and Curley had just pulled into Dover Int'l Speedway with what was then known as the NASCAR North Tour. It was his series' first appearance on a superspeedway, running as the support show to the NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National Series. The track's promoter, Dennis McGlynn, had taken what Curley called "a wild gamble" by bringing in a group of New England and Canadian-based racers that had mostly never left the tiny, quarter- and half-mile bullrings of the northeast.
In addition to a thin field of cars and a short head count in the grandstand, the race itself was lackluster. Only ten cars were running at the finish, with just two of them completing the entire 200-lap distance. Randy LaJoie finished fourth, six laps off the pace. Gardiner Leavitt was eighth, 20 laps down. Bobby Dragon posted a ninth-place finish after crashing out 46 laps from the end. After Dion collected the trophy for his victory, McGlynn asked Curley what he wanted to do. Curley suggested McGlynn pay only half of the $43,000-plus purse and let him return home with his tail tucked between his legs. McGlynn wouldn't hear of it.
"It was not a promotional success," Curley says, "but it was a start. [McGlynn] told me after that first race that almost nothing works the first time, and to give it three years and then analyze things."
Sure enough, the NASCAR North Tour returned to Dover in 1983 with, as Curley recalled, 25 cars and 5,000 fans. In 1984, there were 37 cars and 17,000 ticket holders.
Fast forward 27 years and one day to New Hampshire Motor Speedway, where Curley was telling his ACT drivers the story. Like Dover so many years ago, it was the first time for Curley's present group of racers to be racing on a superspeedway. Like Dover, there were important people watching. And like Dover, the promoter, Bruton Smith, had taken a gamble.
Unlike Dover, though, there were 36 cars, most of the region's most recognizable full-fendered short track drivers, and, including those that attended the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and Whelen Modified Tour races earlier in the day, about 40,000 fans in the grandstands.
The ACT drivers ripped off a competitive 50-lap exhibition race, one that was promoted heavily on both sides of the border from last November until post time, with just two cautions in 38 minutes. ACT's traditional pre-race pomp played well into Curley's hands at NHMS; an energetic introduction, followed by the series' traditional wave-off lap with battle flags displayed on the track's edge, pushed the already excited crowd into a football stadium-style cheer. There were multiple passes for the lead, a solid mix of veterans and youngsters -- as in 66 year-old Joey Laquerre taking on 16 year-old Brandon Watson for third place with two laps to go -- an even representation of every part of the region's racers among the top finishers, and a host of track officials that were impressed by the event.
The official New Hampshire Motor Speedway press release following the finish appears to be a good omen for ACT; one of the two short quotes printed from winner Eddie MacDonald was "I'm sure there will be many more ACT Invitationals here," indicating that the series has a place at NHMS in the future. Another report from Green-White-Checker quoted NHMS General Manager Jerry Gappens saying that he was "very impressed" and that he wants to have ACT back at the track.
Tom Curley's mind may have been stuck in 1982 at Dover on Saturday. But it appears he might be better served now spending his time thinking about 2010 at New Hampshire.
(PHOTO: Tom Curley's rocky debut at Dover in 1982 was no match for his successful first event at New Hampshire on Saturday. Photo by Justin St. Louis/VMM)
LOUDON, N.H. -- American-Canadian Tour President Tom Curley looked over a crowd of about 65 people on Saturday. It was just past noon on September 19, 2009 in Loudon, New Hampshire. ACT and the entire decade-long business model of northeastern Late Model racing was about to debut at the 1-mile track, in front of the most important personalities in stock car racing, and in front of certainly the largest spectator crowd to attend an ACT event. For most of the people in that crowd of 65, everything happening around them that day was happening for the first time.But Curley was having a bit of déjà vu.
"I remember it like it was yesterday," Curley told the drivers, officials, team members, and media assembled before him. "We had [21 cars]. We had some big names like Beaver and Bobby Dragon, Dave Dion, and Robbie Crouch, but not much else. There were twenty-five thousand seats, and about twenty-five hundred people."It was September 18, 1982, and Curley had just pulled into Dover Int'l Speedway with what was then known as the NASCAR North Tour. It was his series' first appearance on a superspeedway, running as the support show to the NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National Series. The track's promoter, Dennis McGlynn, had taken what Curley called "a wild gamble" by bringing in a group of New England and Canadian-based racers that had mostly never left the tiny, quarter- and half-mile bullrings of the northeast.
In addition to a thin field of cars and a short head count in the grandstand, the race itself was lackluster. Only ten cars were running at the finish, with just two of them completing the entire 200-lap distance. Randy LaJoie finished fourth, six laps off the pace. Gardiner Leavitt was eighth, 20 laps down. Bobby Dragon posted a ninth-place finish after crashing out 46 laps from the end. After Dion collected the trophy for his victory, McGlynn asked Curley what he wanted to do. Curley suggested McGlynn pay only half of the $43,000-plus purse and let him return home with his tail tucked between his legs. McGlynn wouldn't hear of it.
"It was not a promotional success," Curley says, "but it was a start. [McGlynn] told me after that first race that almost nothing works the first time, and to give it three years and then analyze things."
Sure enough, the NASCAR North Tour returned to Dover in 1983 with, as Curley recalled, 25 cars and 5,000 fans. In 1984, there were 37 cars and 17,000 ticket holders.
Fast forward 27 years and one day to New Hampshire Motor Speedway, where Curley was telling his ACT drivers the story. Like Dover so many years ago, it was the first time for Curley's present group of racers to be racing on a superspeedway. Like Dover, there were important people watching. And like Dover, the promoter, Bruton Smith, had taken a gamble.
Unlike Dover, though, there were 36 cars, most of the region's most recognizable full-fendered short track drivers, and, including those that attended the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and Whelen Modified Tour races earlier in the day, about 40,000 fans in the grandstands.
The ACT drivers ripped off a competitive 50-lap exhibition race, one that was promoted heavily on both sides of the border from last November until post time, with just two cautions in 38 minutes. ACT's traditional pre-race pomp played well into Curley's hands at NHMS; an energetic introduction, followed by the series' traditional wave-off lap with battle flags displayed on the track's edge, pushed the already excited crowd into a football stadium-style cheer. There were multiple passes for the lead, a solid mix of veterans and youngsters -- as in 66 year-old Joey Laquerre taking on 16 year-old Brandon Watson for third place with two laps to go -- an even representation of every part of the region's racers among the top finishers, and a host of track officials that were impressed by the event.
The official New Hampshire Motor Speedway press release following the finish appears to be a good omen for ACT; one of the two short quotes printed from winner Eddie MacDonald was "I'm sure there will be many more ACT Invitationals here," indicating that the series has a place at NHMS in the future. Another report from Green-White-Checker quoted NHMS General Manager Jerry Gappens saying that he was "very impressed" and that he wants to have ACT back at the track.
Tom Curley's mind may have been stuck in 1982 at Dover on Saturday. But it appears he might be better served now spending his time thinking about 2010 at New Hampshire.
(PHOTO: Tom Curley's rocky debut at Dover in 1982 was no match for his successful first event at New Hampshire on Saturday. Photo by Justin St. Louis/VMM)
MAGIC MAN: MacDonald Wins ACT Invitational
New Hampshire Motor Speedway coverage presented by RPM Racing Engines
LOUDON, N.H. -- He's been known for a while as "The Outlaw" for the way he barnstorms into whichever touring series suits him on any given weekend and winning races. But after the clinic Eddie MacDonald put on at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last weekend, maybe he should be known as the "Magic Man".
MacDonald won Friday's Heluva Good! 125 for the NASCAR Camping World Series East at the "Magic Mile" in Loudon, N.H., then won the inaugural American-Canadian Tour Invitational on Saturday evening. The victories back up a pair of Camping World wins at the track in 2008 and a runner-up finish there in the series' race in June of this year.
The Rowley, Mass. driver started 19th in the 36-car field -- comprised almost entirely of drivers that had never raced at the 1.058-mile superspeedway -- and came through the pack with seemingly relative ease. One of those rookie drivers, 16 year-old Brandon Watson from Stayner, Ont., proved to be the biggest challenge for MacDonald. Watson took the lead from Bruce Thomas, Jr. on lap 33, lost it to MacDonald two laps later, then took it back on a lap 41 restart when MacDonald faltered.
MacDonald briefly dropped back to third place behind Watson and Brian Hoar, then clawed his way back to Watson, taking the lead with four laps remaining in the 50-lap race. Nick Sweet of Barre got past Watson one lap later for second place and was catching MacDonald as the checkered flag flew. Patrick Laperle of St-Denis, Qué. finished fourth after starting in 18th place, with Graniteville's John Donahue in fifth. Joey Laquerre, Brad Leighton, Hoar, Thomas, and Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. completed the top ten finishers.
"The ACT race was just unbelievable, it was great competition. Everyone ran a real clean race and it was tough," said MacDonald. "The competition was really tough. I didn't know if I was going to be able to get by the 9 (Watson), he was really quick, especially when I lost him on the restart. I had a terrible restart there. But all in all, the crew did an awesome job. Rollie LaChance (MacDonald's crew chief) just really knows what we need here to win races, I'm just so lucky to have that."
MacDonald said he was pleasantly surprised by the way the ACT drivers and cars performed in race conditions on the unfamiliar track, at speeds that ACT-type Late Model cars, engines, and equipment had never seen.
"I was wondering if there was going to be a lot of cautions with that many cars and that many rookies to this track, but everyone did an excellent job," he said. "These guys really raced clean and they ran real hard. The cars drove really good and nothing was moving all around on the cars, the bodies were really rugged and everything, so I think a lot of guys did a good job bracing up their bodies. I'm just really impressed with how those cars handle here, and the speeds that you can go with a crate engine you can buy right from Chevrolet or Ford. It's just amazing that those cars can handle this kind of speed and turn really good lap times."
MacDonald says he was never nervous about running with the inexperienced field of drivers. He raced through the pack in close proximity to Brian Hoar, who, like MacDonald, is a former NHMS track champion in the Camping World division, but said it was no different than racing against Watson, Sweet, or anyone else. "I love racing with Brian, he's a great competitor, he always will run you clean, so I had no worries about him. After a few laps of racing with the two other guys, the 9 and the 88 (Sweet), it was great. Nobody rubbed me and pushed me up out of the way. They both ran me real clean. Everyone did, though, the whole field as we were coming up through. All those guys did an excellent job."
Winning the inaugural ACT Invitational at NHMS was a big accomplishment, said MacDonald, especially in front of a grandstand that NHMS officials said had possibly the largest Saturday crowd in the history of the track, estimated at some 40,000 during the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event that ran just prior to the ACT race. "It's just awesome to be able to win the first ACT race, I'm sure there'll be more. It looked like the stands were still pretty full after the truck race, it seemed like a lot of people stuck around, so that was great for the American-Canadian Tour. This is a huge race for them to be able to come here in front of all these people. I think they'll be here often, and it's just awesome to be able to win the first one."
MacDonald ranked the ACT victory as "right up there" with his July win in the TD Banknorth 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway in July. "It's too bad the purse [at NHMS] wasn't about the same, but being the first one just makes it that much more special. [They were] the two biggest races that I wanted to win this year in the Late Model and we were able to get them."
LOUDON, N.H. -- He's been known for a while as "The Outlaw" for the way he barnstorms into whichever touring series suits him on any given weekend and winning races. But after the clinic Eddie MacDonald put on at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last weekend, maybe he should be known as the "Magic Man". MacDonald won Friday's Heluva Good! 125 for the NASCAR Camping World Series East at the "Magic Mile" in Loudon, N.H., then won the inaugural American-Canadian Tour Invitational on Saturday evening. The victories back up a pair of Camping World wins at the track in 2008 and a runner-up finish there in the series' race in June of this year.
The Rowley, Mass. driver started 19th in the 36-car field -- comprised almost entirely of drivers that had never raced at the 1.058-mile superspeedway -- and came through the pack with seemingly relative ease. One of those rookie drivers, 16 year-old Brandon Watson from Stayner, Ont., proved to be the biggest challenge for MacDonald. Watson took the lead from Bruce Thomas, Jr. on lap 33, lost it to MacDonald two laps later, then took it back on a lap 41 restart when MacDonald faltered.
MacDonald briefly dropped back to third place behind Watson and Brian Hoar, then clawed his way back to Watson, taking the lead with four laps remaining in the 50-lap race. Nick Sweet of Barre got past Watson one lap later for second place and was catching MacDonald as the checkered flag flew. Patrick Laperle of St-Denis, Qué. finished fourth after starting in 18th place, with Graniteville's John Donahue in fifth. Joey Laquerre, Brad Leighton, Hoar, Thomas, and Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. completed the top ten finishers.
"The ACT race was just unbelievable, it was great competition. Everyone ran a real clean race and it was tough," said MacDonald. "The competition was really tough. I didn't know if I was going to be able to get by the 9 (Watson), he was really quick, especially when I lost him on the restart. I had a terrible restart there. But all in all, the crew did an awesome job. Rollie LaChance (MacDonald's crew chief) just really knows what we need here to win races, I'm just so lucky to have that." MacDonald said he was pleasantly surprised by the way the ACT drivers and cars performed in race conditions on the unfamiliar track, at speeds that ACT-type Late Model cars, engines, and equipment had never seen.
"I was wondering if there was going to be a lot of cautions with that many cars and that many rookies to this track, but everyone did an excellent job," he said. "These guys really raced clean and they ran real hard. The cars drove really good and nothing was moving all around on the cars, the bodies were really rugged and everything, so I think a lot of guys did a good job bracing up their bodies. I'm just really impressed with how those cars handle here, and the speeds that you can go with a crate engine you can buy right from Chevrolet or Ford. It's just amazing that those cars can handle this kind of speed and turn really good lap times."
MacDonald says he was never nervous about running with the inexperienced field of drivers. He raced through the pack in close proximity to Brian Hoar, who, like MacDonald, is a former NHMS track champion in the Camping World division, but said it was no different than racing against Watson, Sweet, or anyone else. "I love racing with Brian, he's a great competitor, he always will run you clean, so I had no worries about him. After a few laps of racing with the two other guys, the 9 and the 88 (Sweet), it was great. Nobody rubbed me and pushed me up out of the way. They both ran me real clean. Everyone did, though, the whole field as we were coming up through. All those guys did an excellent job."
Winning the inaugural ACT Invitational at NHMS was a big accomplishment, said MacDonald, especially in front of a grandstand that NHMS officials said had possibly the largest Saturday crowd in the history of the track, estimated at some 40,000 during the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event that ran just prior to the ACT race. "It's just awesome to be able to win the first ACT race, I'm sure there'll be more. It looked like the stands were still pretty full after the truck race, it seemed like a lot of people stuck around, so that was great for the American-Canadian Tour. This is a huge race for them to be able to come here in front of all these people. I think they'll be here often, and it's just awesome to be able to win the first one."
MacDonald ranked the ACT victory as "right up there" with his July win in the TD Banknorth 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway in July. "It's too bad the purse [at NHMS] wasn't about the same, but being the first one just makes it that much more special. [They were] the two biggest races that I wanted to win this year in the Late Model and we were able to get them."
(PHOTO: Eddie MacDonald (right) and crew chief Rollie LaChance went to victory lane twice at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last weekend, including after the ACT Invitational on Saturday. Photo by Justin St. Louis/VMM)
Friday, September 18, 2009
Polewarczyk Shaken After Wreck at NHMS
New Hampshire Motor Speedway coverage presented by RPM Racing Engines
LOUDON, N.H. -- Joey Polewarczyk was visibly shaken after a hard crash in the NASCAR Camping World Series East event on Friday evening at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The Hudson, N.H. driver was running just outside the top ten on a late restart when he came together with the slower car of David Mayhew, who had blown an engine.
As Polewarczyk moved to the high side to get around Mayhew, the two cars made incidental contact, sending Polewarczyk into a spin, followed by a vicious driver's door impact with the outside wall.
"Everything went black," Polewarczyk admitted. "That's the hardest hit I've had in my life."
Mayhew was a contender early in the Heluva Good! 125, which was shortened to 99 laps because of darkness. Eddie MacDonald of Rowley, Mass. was the winner after a green-white-checker finish.
LOUDON, N.H. -- Joey Polewarczyk was visibly shaken after a hard crash in the NASCAR Camping World Series East event on Friday evening at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The Hudson, N.H. driver was running just outside the top ten on a late restart when he came together with the slower car of David Mayhew, who had blown an engine.As Polewarczyk moved to the high side to get around Mayhew, the two cars made incidental contact, sending Polewarczyk into a spin, followed by a vicious driver's door impact with the outside wall.
"Everything went black," Polewarczyk admitted. "That's the hardest hit I've had in my life."
Mayhew was a contender early in the Heluva Good! 125, which was shortened to 99 laps because of darkness. Eddie MacDonald of Rowley, Mass. was the winner after a green-white-checker finish.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Oxford 250 Set For July 18
OXFORD, Me. -- Oxford Plains (Me.) Speedway announced on Wednesday that the 37th Annual TD Bank 250 will be run on Sunday, July 18, 2010. The event is the richest one-day Late Model event in the region, and is consistently ranked as one of the nation's top short track events.The date coincides with a mid-summer break in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule for the seventh consecutive year. In recent seasons, NASCAR drivers Matt Kenseth, Kurt and Kyle Busch, Terry Labonte, Kevin Lepage, Denny Hamlin, J.J. Yeley, and Maine native and former Oxford 250 winner Ricky Craven have competed in the event.
NASCAR Nationwide Series drivers Kenny and Steven Wallace raced in the event in July, and former Daytona 500 winner Kevin Harvick was victorious in the TD Bank 250 in 2008.
Eddie MacDonald of Rowley, Mass. won the event in July, pocketing $35,300 for his efforts; 71 drivers attempted to qualify for the race.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
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)
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)
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
The Juice: Nobody Asked Me, But...
-by Justin St. Louis
Well, we've already stolen a column idea from Shawn Courchesne once this year, why not steal one from our boyhood hero, Bones Bourcier? You might remember the "Nobody Asked Me, But..." theme from the old Stock Car Racing Magazine (when it was good, like '80s and '90s) and Speedway Illustrated, when Bones used to write a monthly column. He might still, but honestly, it's been forever since we picked up a copy of Speedway Illustrated and we really have no clue. So, paying tribute to Bones Bourcier, here we go.
The Late Model division at Thunder Road has left me scratching my head this year more than it ever has. And that's a good thing.
There may not be any more exciting weekly racing going on right now in this area than the Sportsman Modifieds at Bear Ridge. Strange to say it, but sixteen cars in that division is almost too many for that track, and the resulting three-wide action is just outstanding.
That said, give the Sportsman Coupes six or eight more cars, and you'd have two fantastic features every week at Bear Ridge.
The Junkyard Warriors racing backwards at Thunder Road last week was unbelievably entertaining. That type of stuff is what the Warrior division should be doing every week. I say ramp races next. Then office furniture obstacle courses. Then a "ring of fire". And barrel racing. Oooh, and a pie-eating contest! Tell me you wouldn't be proud to win that championship.
I'd still rather see the Warriors racing with the Street Stocks as one big, combined, rolling pile of mayhem.
I tried watching "America's Got Talent" last night. I tried. It failed.
What ever happened to Joey Porciello? Wasn't he winning PASS races, like, two years ago? And for that matter, is Sammy Sessions just totally gone now?
I'm a big fan of the Mustang and the Challenger being in the Nationwide Series next year. Now, if only we could get Toyota to build a muscle car.
Keep your eyes peeled over the next couple of years for the following youngsters: Shawn Knight, Travis Stearns, Brandon Watson, and Aaron Bartemy.
There are only 33 entries for the Camping World Truck Series event at Nashville Superspeedway this weekend. Among them are superstars including Jason Young, Jason White, Ryan Mathews, Brandon Knupp, Tayler Malsam, Timothy Peters, Nick Tucker, Tommy Joe Martins, Wayne Edwards, Norm Benneig, and John Jackson. So enjoy paying $58 for a granstand ticket to watch that. Or, $111 for the "All Access Pass", whatever that is.
Congrats to Jim Rice. Now please go remind those Red Sox boys how to win games.
Didn't I just meet Richard Petty at Thunder Road 17 years ago?
Brian Hoar's ACT Late Model Tour win at Beech Ridge last weekend is significant for a lot of reasons. First, it ends Hoar's winless streak that dates back to a Busch North Series win six years ago, and finishes his nine-year ACT drought. Second, it solidifies Rick Paya's RPM Motorsports team with its new identity as a group that can win with someone other than Jean-Paul Cyr behind the wheel. Third, the win -- along with his performance at the Oxford 250 -- reminds people that Brian Hoar is, in fact, still one of the top talents in the northeast.
I think of Pete Hartt almost every day, and I find that I still don't want to sit in the spotter's section without him. Pete would tell me to grow up and get over it.
Gary Siemons flipping end over end at Bear Ridge -- think somersault, not cartwheel -- was one of the most terrifying and also one of the coolest things I've ever seen at a race track. Terrifying because the crash was so fast, so violent, so high in the air, and because there were cars racing underneath Siemons as he approached orbit. Cool for all of the same reasons, and for the fact that he plans to have the same car back this week.
Surprise of the year: Shawn Fleury is only 15th in Thunder Road Tiger Sportsman points. A close second is Tony Andrews being 20th in the Late Models.
I like the fact that the True Value Modified Racing Series is confident enough in itself to boast in its most recent press release that it is New England’s "premier" Modified racing series. I'm not agreeing or disagreeing by any means, I just like that the TVMRS has arrived at that point.
Who would have expected The Tragically Hip to sell out at an outdoor show in Shelburne, Vermont? Not me. Dude, the show at Memorial Auditorium in Burlington in October '07 was barely half-full. I won't miss the show in Albany, N.Y. this fall, you can count on that.
Hey, has anyone heard from Dan McKeage? Wasn't he supposed to race ten ACT events this year? He wasn't even at Beech Ridge, his home track, for crying out loud. And where did Jeff Zuidema go?
I miss watching Robbie Thompson on the track, and I think anyone that really paid any attention would agree with me.
The last time I went to Twin State Speedway, Joey Laquerre wrecked three times and still got a top-ten finish. The last time I went to Canaan Fair Speedway, I saw two drivers collapse because of the heat. And the last time I raced at either place, um, it didn't, uh, go all that well. Let's hope it's cleaner at Claremont and cooler at Canaan this weekend, and someone let the officials know that I should be kept off the track at all costs.
***
In 'The Juice' on June 10, we did this little thing called 'The Top Ten Through Ten', evaluating the ten best drivers we've seen with any degree of regularity after our tenth race of the year. We just hit race #20 last Saturday, so it mush be time for the 'Top Ten Through Twenty'. The criteria are: 1. Overall performance; 2. Comparison against other teams with superior or inferior equipment; 3. If you haven't raced at an event we've attended, you're out of luck, sorry. Here we go...
1. Dan Eastman, Thetford Center, Vt., Bear Ridge Speedway -- The first time around, we left Eastman off the list because he was winning races with five cars in them, which, really, isn't that hard to do. But the car counts and the competitiveness of those cars at both Bear Ridge and Canaan have increased, and Eastman is still winning. Ten times this year, to be exact. That's pretty stout.
2. Eddie MacDonald, Rowley, Mass., Late Model -- You find a driver that has any more raw talent behind the wheel, combined with the guts it takes to run 100, 150, or 250 laps three-wide, and... well, you probably can't.
3. Jon McKennedy, Chelmsford, Mass., True Value Modified Racing Series -- We're continually impressed with Jon McKennedy's ability to win and his ability to use his head and save his car until it's time to pull the trigger. And at 22 years old, he's got all kinds of time to get even better.
4. John Donahue, Graniteville, Vt., ACT Late Model Tour -- For years, he was one of the very best Flying Tiger/Sportsman drivers on the track, and although it took a bit longer than expected, Donahue's beginning to reach the same level in the Late Model class. His victory at White Mountain was utterly dominant, and his Oxford 250 performance was outstanding.
5. Tom Placey, Bradford, Vt., Bear Ridge Speedway -- We understand that having a four-cylinder driver this far up the list might be unpopular, but just once, go and watch this kid race. He can be patient, he can be rough, he gives what he gets. And he's won four-straight features as of this writing.
6. Jean-Paul Cyr, Milton, Vt., Thunder Road -- A new car, a new crew, and a new challenge... and it's all clicking right now.
7. Reno Gervais, Island Pond, Vt., Thunder Road -- An old car, an old crew, and a new challenge... and that's clicking, too.
8. Brendan Moodie, North Wolcott, Vt., Thunder Road -- We remarked during a Sportsman feature at Thunder Road several weeks ago that our money is on Moodie for the season title, and there's been little indication that we should believe he isn't a threat.
9. Wayne Stearns, Thetford Center, Vt., Bear Ridge Speedway -- Maybe one of Vermont racing's best-kept secrets, Stearns has been running well everywhere he goes, and leads the Bear Ridge Modified title chase.
10. Tucker Williams, Hyde Park, Vt., Thunder Road -- Our comment the last time around was that we figured 18 year-old Williams' story would change. It has -- instead of one win, he now has five this season, including a 100-lap score. At this rate, Bobby Therrien's 2007 rookie records won't stand long.
Making this list the second time around was actually quite a bit harder, so here's an Honorable Mention list, too: Thunder Road drivers Craig Bushey, Jason Corliss, Cris Michaud, and Dave Pembroke; Bear Ridge Speedway drivers Chris Donnelly and Josh Harrington; ACT Late Model Tour drivers Brian Hoar, Brad Leighton, Scott Payea, Joey Polewarczyk, Jr., and Randy Potter; True Value Modified Racing Series driver Dwight Jarvis; and Oxford Plains Speedway drivers Mike Short and Justin Karkos, who each took three podium finishes in two days on Oxford 250 weekend.
***
AROUND THE REGION:
Time to take a look at the top Vermonters from the past weekend...
ACT Late Model Tour: Brian Hoar of Williston snapped a nine-year winless streak at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, Me. on Saturday night, beating Eric Williams of Hyde Park, Cris Michaud of Northfield, Randy Potter of Groveton, N.H., and Ricky Rolfe of Albany, Me.
Airborne Speedway (Plattsburgh, N.Y.): Mike Bruno of Castleton finished fourth in the Modified feature on Saturday night, with Sheldon's Aaron Bartemy eighth and Milton teenager Cody Benoit, by way of Fort Myers, Fla., ninth in his debut at Airborne; Benoit is the son of the late Dan Benoit, and grandson of Sportsman driver Bill Sawyer, each of whom is a past Airborne champion. Milton's Larry Underwood finished ninth in the Tiger Sportsman feature. Swanton drivers Kevin Boutin and Dave Rabtoy finished 1-2 in the Renegade feature, with Rob Gordon of Milton third and Mike Terry of Grand Isle sixth. Billy Jenkins of Milton was fourth in the Mini-Modifieds.
Albany-Saratoga Speedway (Malta, N.Y.): Friday's races were rained out for the second week in a row.
Bear Ridge Speedway (Bradford): Ryan Avery of Thornton, N.H. won Saturday's Sportsman Modified feature over Chris Donnelly of Piermont, N.H., Bryan King of Corinth, Thetford Center's Wayne Stearns, and Bob Shepard of West Topsham. Avery is the seventh different winner in the last seven Modified races at Bear Ridge. Bradford rookie Jason Horniak earned his first career Sportsman Coupe victory over Melvin Pierson of Topsham, Richie Simmons of Bradford, point leader Josh Harrington of Topsham, and rookie Billy Simmons of Bradford. Dan Eastman of Thetford Center won his seventh Limited Late Model feature of the season over Bradford's Jeremy Hodge, Will Hull of East Montpelier, Shane Race of South Strafford, and T.C. Forward of Lyme, N.H. Kevin Harran of St. Johnsbury earned his first Fast Four victory of the year over Sharon's Mitch Durkee and Andy Johnson of Wilder. Bradford Hornet driver Tom Placey won his fourth consecutive feature over Bobby Bell and Karl Sheldon, both of St. Johnsbury. Melissa King of Corinth won the Hornet Queen feature.
Canaan Dirt Speedway (Canaan, N.H.): Friday's program was rained out.
Canaan Fair Speedway (Canaan, N.H.): Kris Lyman of West Hartford finished second in the Pro Stock feature on Saturday with Mendon's Chris Wilk tenth. Bradford's Arnie Stygles was fourth in the Super Street race with Colby Hodgdon of Windsor ninth. Chris Riendeau of Ascutney won the Pure Stock feature. Chris McKinstry of Thetford won the Outlaw Mini race over Chris Lyman of Hartland, and Josh Sunn and Bobby Prior, both of White River Junction. Mike Parker of Bradford won the Bandit feature with Ascutney's Tyler Lescord second, Bruce Jaycox of Hartland third, and Quechee's Kyle Small fourth.
Devil's Bowl Speedway (West Haven): Kenny Tremont, Jr. of West Sand Lake, N.Y. won his fifth 358 Modified feature on Sunday, but was trailed across the line by Brandon's Vince Quenneville, Jr., Todd Stone of Middlebury, Jimmy Ryan of Whiting, Tim LaDuc of Orwell, and Rob Langevin of Londonderry, with Middlebury's Gardner Stone ninth. New Yorkers Derrick McGrew and Jack Swinton were 1-2 in the Budget Sportsman race over Seth Howe of South Londonderry, Hunter Bates of Middlebury, and Jon Bates of Mendon. Cale Kneer of Troy, N.Y. won his second-straight Pro Street Stock feature, with Fred Little of Salisbury second, Jeff Washburn of Benson third, and Chuck Towslee of Manchester fourth. Justin Perry of Hampton, N.Y. was fifth. Bill Duprey of Hydeville won the Limited feature over Dave Emigh, Lou Gancarz, Paul Braymer, and Garret Given. Justin Lilly of Castleton won the Mini Stock/Duke Stock race, and Mike Kiser won the Empire Lightning Sprint feature.
Monadnock Speedway (Winchester, N.H.): Peter Jarvis of Ascutney finished ninth in the Modified feature on Saturday night in his first start of the season at Monadnock. Putney driver Dana Shepard finished 12th in the Super Stock race. Joe Rogers of Ludlow was eighth in the Mini Stock feature, with Ricky Bernard of Whitingham tenth. Dick Houle of West Brattleboro was second in the 4-cylinder Enduro.
PASS North Super Late Models: Cassius Clark of Farmington, Me. won the Summerfest 150 at Riverside (N.H.) Speedway on Saturday night over Kelly Moore of Scarborough, Me. and Donnie Whitten of Biddeford, Me. Teenaged Danville rookie Steven Legendre finished eighth.
Riverside Speedway (Groveton, N.H.): Tucker Williams of Hyde Park won the Jake McDowell Memorial Street Stock 100 on Friday night over West Burke's Jesse Switser, Danny Doyle of Hancock, Dean Switser of Lyndonville, and Rick Utley of Wheelock. Steven Hodgdon of Danville finished fifth in the Late Model feature with Bob Ailes, Sr. of St. Johnsbury sixth, and Paul Schartner, III of Lyndonville eighth. On Saturday, Dilyn Switser of West Burke finished seventh in the Super Stock feature with Michael Smith of St. Johnsbury tenth. Andy Simpson of Lyndon Center won the Cyclone feature.
SCoNE 360 Sprint Cars: Clay Dow of Ossipee, N.H. won Saturday's feature at Bear Ridge Speedway in Bradford over Shawn Lawler of Mason, N.H., Tunk Berry of Center Ossipee, N.H., Si Allen of West Windsor, and Mark Cole of Lebanon, N.H.
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl (Barre): Cris Michaud of Northfield won Thursday's Late Model feature over Tunbridge racer Doug Murphy, Reno Gervais of Island Pond, Trampas Demers of South Burlington, and Jerry Lesage of Winooski. Milton's Eric Badore took his second Tiger Sportsman win of the season, with Ray Stearns of East Corinth second, Middlesex drivers Shawn Fleury third and Pete Ainsworth fourth, and Brian Delphia of Waterbury fifth. Tucker Williams of Hyde Park earned his third Street Stock win of the year over Northfield's Jason Allen, M.C. Ingram of Essex Junction, Troy Gray of Fairlee, and Billy "Weiner" Hennequin of Morrisville. John Prentice of Northfield took his first career Junkyard Warrior win over Kevin Streeter of Waitsfield, Ken Christman of Cabot, Kevin Wheatley of Williamstown, and Kevin Dodge of Barre.
True Value Modified Racing Series: Thursday's event at Thompson Int'l Speedway in Connecticut was rained out for the second time this season.
Twin State Speedway (Claremont, N.H.): Rutland's Dallas Trombley won the Late Model feature on Friday night over Dola Holland of Ludlow; Chris Riendeau of Ascutney was fourth. Ascutney rookie Joey Jarvis scored his second-straight Modified win with Riendeau second, Nate Kehoe of Windham third, Peter Jarvis of Ascutney (Joey's father) eighth, and Leo Martin, Jr. of Windsor ninth. Mendon's Chris Wilk was third in the Super Street race with Russ Davis of Cavendish fifth, Dave Davis of White River Junction sixth, and Bruce Jaycox of Hartland ninth. Josh Lovely of Barre won the Strictly Stock feature with Tara Tarbell of Springfield third and Jeremy Blood of West Hartford fifth. Jeremiah Losee of North Springfield won the Wildcat race over Cody Small of Hartland, Rob Leitch of Cavendish, and Rob Olney, III of Ludlow.
White Mountain Motorsports Park (North Woodstock, N.H.): Norm Andrews of Northfield won the make-up Late Model feature from July 11 on Saturday night, while Stacy Cahoon of St. Johnsbury finished fourth in the Late Model nightcap. Stevie Parker of Lyndonville won the Strictly Stock feature with Milton's Gordie Stone seventh, and Concord driver Rubin Call won the Strictly Stock Mini race.
***
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl in Barre welcomes NASCAR legend "King" Richard Petty on Thursday night. The ACT Late Model Tour and NEMA Midgets are at Twin State Speedway on Friday night, with regular events at Albany-Saratoga, and Canaan Dirt. Saturday has the Série ACT-Castrol at Autodrome Montmagny for the previously postponed Montmagny 250, while the ACT Tiger Sportsman Series is at Canaan Fair Speedway, the All-Star Race Trucks and the Canadian Super Trucks are at Airborne, and regular events are held at Bradford's Bear Ridge Speedway, Monadnock, and White Mountain. The PASS North Super Late Models are at Unity Raceway on Sunday, while Devil's Bowl Speedway in West Haven will have a regular program along with a 50-lap Enduro, and Thunder Road has the 25th Annual M&M Beverage Enduro 250 with $5,000 to win. Sunday also has the Bond Auto Parts 4-Wheel Jamboree at the Champlain Valley Fairgroudns in Essex Junction.
(PHOTOS: 1. Yeah, that's me in the blue #3, destroying myself at Canaan in 2002; 2. Danny Eastman getting it done.)
Well, we've already stolen a column idea from Shawn Courchesne once this year, why not steal one from our boyhood hero, Bones Bourcier? You might remember the "Nobody Asked Me, But..." theme from the old Stock Car Racing Magazine (when it was good, like '80s and '90s) and Speedway Illustrated, when Bones used to write a monthly column. He might still, but honestly, it's been forever since we picked up a copy of Speedway Illustrated and we really have no clue. So, paying tribute to Bones Bourcier, here we go.
The Late Model division at Thunder Road has left me scratching my head this year more than it ever has. And that's a good thing.
There may not be any more exciting weekly racing going on right now in this area than the Sportsman Modifieds at Bear Ridge. Strange to say it, but sixteen cars in that division is almost too many for that track, and the resulting three-wide action is just outstanding.
That said, give the Sportsman Coupes six or eight more cars, and you'd have two fantastic features every week at Bear Ridge.
The Junkyard Warriors racing backwards at Thunder Road last week was unbelievably entertaining. That type of stuff is what the Warrior division should be doing every week. I say ramp races next. Then office furniture obstacle courses. Then a "ring of fire". And barrel racing. Oooh, and a pie-eating contest! Tell me you wouldn't be proud to win that championship.
I'd still rather see the Warriors racing with the Street Stocks as one big, combined, rolling pile of mayhem.
I tried watching "America's Got Talent" last night. I tried. It failed.
What ever happened to Joey Porciello? Wasn't he winning PASS races, like, two years ago? And for that matter, is Sammy Sessions just totally gone now?
I'm a big fan of the Mustang and the Challenger being in the Nationwide Series next year. Now, if only we could get Toyota to build a muscle car.
Keep your eyes peeled over the next couple of years for the following youngsters: Shawn Knight, Travis Stearns, Brandon Watson, and Aaron Bartemy.
There are only 33 entries for the Camping World Truck Series event at Nashville Superspeedway this weekend. Among them are superstars including Jason Young, Jason White, Ryan Mathews, Brandon Knupp, Tayler Malsam, Timothy Peters, Nick Tucker, Tommy Joe Martins, Wayne Edwards, Norm Benneig, and John Jackson. So enjoy paying $58 for a granstand ticket to watch that. Or, $111 for the "All Access Pass", whatever that is.
Congrats to Jim Rice. Now please go remind those Red Sox boys how to win games.
Didn't I just meet Richard Petty at Thunder Road 17 years ago?
Brian Hoar's ACT Late Model Tour win at Beech Ridge last weekend is significant for a lot of reasons. First, it ends Hoar's winless streak that dates back to a Busch North Series win six years ago, and finishes his nine-year ACT drought. Second, it solidifies Rick Paya's RPM Motorsports team with its new identity as a group that can win with someone other than Jean-Paul Cyr behind the wheel. Third, the win -- along with his performance at the Oxford 250 -- reminds people that Brian Hoar is, in fact, still one of the top talents in the northeast.
I think of Pete Hartt almost every day, and I find that I still don't want to sit in the spotter's section without him. Pete would tell me to grow up and get over it.
Gary Siemons flipping end over end at Bear Ridge -- think somersault, not cartwheel -- was one of the most terrifying and also one of the coolest things I've ever seen at a race track. Terrifying because the crash was so fast, so violent, so high in the air, and because there were cars racing underneath Siemons as he approached orbit. Cool for all of the same reasons, and for the fact that he plans to have the same car back this week.
Surprise of the year: Shawn Fleury is only 15th in Thunder Road Tiger Sportsman points. A close second is Tony Andrews being 20th in the Late Models.
I like the fact that the True Value Modified Racing Series is confident enough in itself to boast in its most recent press release that it is New England’s "premier" Modified racing series. I'm not agreeing or disagreeing by any means, I just like that the TVMRS has arrived at that point.
Who would have expected The Tragically Hip to sell out at an outdoor show in Shelburne, Vermont? Not me. Dude, the show at Memorial Auditorium in Burlington in October '07 was barely half-full. I won't miss the show in Albany, N.Y. this fall, you can count on that.
Hey, has anyone heard from Dan McKeage? Wasn't he supposed to race ten ACT events this year? He wasn't even at Beech Ridge, his home track, for crying out loud. And where did Jeff Zuidema go?
I miss watching Robbie Thompson on the track, and I think anyone that really paid any attention would agree with me.
The last time I went to Twin State Speedway, Joey Laquerre wrecked three times and still got a top-ten finish. The last time I went to Canaan Fair Speedway, I saw two drivers collapse because of the heat. And the last time I raced at either place, um, it didn't, uh, go all that well. Let's hope it's cleaner at Claremont and cooler at Canaan this weekend, and someone let the officials know that I should be kept off the track at all costs.***
In 'The Juice' on June 10, we did this little thing called 'The Top Ten Through Ten', evaluating the ten best drivers we've seen with any degree of regularity after our tenth race of the year. We just hit race #20 last Saturday, so it mush be time for the 'Top Ten Through Twenty'. The criteria are: 1. Overall performance; 2. Comparison against other teams with superior or inferior equipment; 3. If you haven't raced at an event we've attended, you're out of luck, sorry. Here we go...
1. Dan Eastman, Thetford Center, Vt., Bear Ridge Speedway -- The first time around, we left Eastman off the list because he was winning races with five cars in them, which, really, isn't that hard to do. But the car counts and the competitiveness of those cars at both Bear Ridge and Canaan have increased, and Eastman is still winning. Ten times this year, to be exact. That's pretty stout.2. Eddie MacDonald, Rowley, Mass., Late Model -- You find a driver that has any more raw talent behind the wheel, combined with the guts it takes to run 100, 150, or 250 laps three-wide, and... well, you probably can't.
3. Jon McKennedy, Chelmsford, Mass., True Value Modified Racing Series -- We're continually impressed with Jon McKennedy's ability to win and his ability to use his head and save his car until it's time to pull the trigger. And at 22 years old, he's got all kinds of time to get even better.
4. John Donahue, Graniteville, Vt., ACT Late Model Tour -- For years, he was one of the very best Flying Tiger/Sportsman drivers on the track, and although it took a bit longer than expected, Donahue's beginning to reach the same level in the Late Model class. His victory at White Mountain was utterly dominant, and his Oxford 250 performance was outstanding.
5. Tom Placey, Bradford, Vt., Bear Ridge Speedway -- We understand that having a four-cylinder driver this far up the list might be unpopular, but just once, go and watch this kid race. He can be patient, he can be rough, he gives what he gets. And he's won four-straight features as of this writing.
6. Jean-Paul Cyr, Milton, Vt., Thunder Road -- A new car, a new crew, and a new challenge... and it's all clicking right now.
7. Reno Gervais, Island Pond, Vt., Thunder Road -- An old car, an old crew, and a new challenge... and that's clicking, too.
8. Brendan Moodie, North Wolcott, Vt., Thunder Road -- We remarked during a Sportsman feature at Thunder Road several weeks ago that our money is on Moodie for the season title, and there's been little indication that we should believe he isn't a threat.
9. Wayne Stearns, Thetford Center, Vt., Bear Ridge Speedway -- Maybe one of Vermont racing's best-kept secrets, Stearns has been running well everywhere he goes, and leads the Bear Ridge Modified title chase.
10. Tucker Williams, Hyde Park, Vt., Thunder Road -- Our comment the last time around was that we figured 18 year-old Williams' story would change. It has -- instead of one win, he now has five this season, including a 100-lap score. At this rate, Bobby Therrien's 2007 rookie records won't stand long.
Making this list the second time around was actually quite a bit harder, so here's an Honorable Mention list, too: Thunder Road drivers Craig Bushey, Jason Corliss, Cris Michaud, and Dave Pembroke; Bear Ridge Speedway drivers Chris Donnelly and Josh Harrington; ACT Late Model Tour drivers Brian Hoar, Brad Leighton, Scott Payea, Joey Polewarczyk, Jr., and Randy Potter; True Value Modified Racing Series driver Dwight Jarvis; and Oxford Plains Speedway drivers Mike Short and Justin Karkos, who each took three podium finishes in two days on Oxford 250 weekend.
***
AROUND THE REGION:
Time to take a look at the top Vermonters from the past weekend...
ACT Late Model Tour: Brian Hoar of Williston snapped a nine-year winless streak at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, Me. on Saturday night, beating Eric Williams of Hyde Park, Cris Michaud of Northfield, Randy Potter of Groveton, N.H., and Ricky Rolfe of Albany, Me.
Airborne Speedway (Plattsburgh, N.Y.): Mike Bruno of Castleton finished fourth in the Modified feature on Saturday night, with Sheldon's Aaron Bartemy eighth and Milton teenager Cody Benoit, by way of Fort Myers, Fla., ninth in his debut at Airborne; Benoit is the son of the late Dan Benoit, and grandson of Sportsman driver Bill Sawyer, each of whom is a past Airborne champion. Milton's Larry Underwood finished ninth in the Tiger Sportsman feature. Swanton drivers Kevin Boutin and Dave Rabtoy finished 1-2 in the Renegade feature, with Rob Gordon of Milton third and Mike Terry of Grand Isle sixth. Billy Jenkins of Milton was fourth in the Mini-Modifieds.
Albany-Saratoga Speedway (Malta, N.Y.): Friday's races were rained out for the second week in a row.
Bear Ridge Speedway (Bradford): Ryan Avery of Thornton, N.H. won Saturday's Sportsman Modified feature over Chris Donnelly of Piermont, N.H., Bryan King of Corinth, Thetford Center's Wayne Stearns, and Bob Shepard of West Topsham. Avery is the seventh different winner in the last seven Modified races at Bear Ridge. Bradford rookie Jason Horniak earned his first career Sportsman Coupe victory over Melvin Pierson of Topsham, Richie Simmons of Bradford, point leader Josh Harrington of Topsham, and rookie Billy Simmons of Bradford. Dan Eastman of Thetford Center won his seventh Limited Late Model feature of the season over Bradford's Jeremy Hodge, Will Hull of East Montpelier, Shane Race of South Strafford, and T.C. Forward of Lyme, N.H. Kevin Harran of St. Johnsbury earned his first Fast Four victory of the year over Sharon's Mitch Durkee and Andy Johnson of Wilder. Bradford Hornet driver Tom Placey won his fourth consecutive feature over Bobby Bell and Karl Sheldon, both of St. Johnsbury. Melissa King of Corinth won the Hornet Queen feature.
Canaan Dirt Speedway (Canaan, N.H.): Friday's program was rained out.
Canaan Fair Speedway (Canaan, N.H.): Kris Lyman of West Hartford finished second in the Pro Stock feature on Saturday with Mendon's Chris Wilk tenth. Bradford's Arnie Stygles was fourth in the Super Street race with Colby Hodgdon of Windsor ninth. Chris Riendeau of Ascutney won the Pure Stock feature. Chris McKinstry of Thetford won the Outlaw Mini race over Chris Lyman of Hartland, and Josh Sunn and Bobby Prior, both of White River Junction. Mike Parker of Bradford won the Bandit feature with Ascutney's Tyler Lescord second, Bruce Jaycox of Hartland third, and Quechee's Kyle Small fourth.
Devil's Bowl Speedway (West Haven): Kenny Tremont, Jr. of West Sand Lake, N.Y. won his fifth 358 Modified feature on Sunday, but was trailed across the line by Brandon's Vince Quenneville, Jr., Todd Stone of Middlebury, Jimmy Ryan of Whiting, Tim LaDuc of Orwell, and Rob Langevin of Londonderry, with Middlebury's Gardner Stone ninth. New Yorkers Derrick McGrew and Jack Swinton were 1-2 in the Budget Sportsman race over Seth Howe of South Londonderry, Hunter Bates of Middlebury, and Jon Bates of Mendon. Cale Kneer of Troy, N.Y. won his second-straight Pro Street Stock feature, with Fred Little of Salisbury second, Jeff Washburn of Benson third, and Chuck Towslee of Manchester fourth. Justin Perry of Hampton, N.Y. was fifth. Bill Duprey of Hydeville won the Limited feature over Dave Emigh, Lou Gancarz, Paul Braymer, and Garret Given. Justin Lilly of Castleton won the Mini Stock/Duke Stock race, and Mike Kiser won the Empire Lightning Sprint feature.
Monadnock Speedway (Winchester, N.H.): Peter Jarvis of Ascutney finished ninth in the Modified feature on Saturday night in his first start of the season at Monadnock. Putney driver Dana Shepard finished 12th in the Super Stock race. Joe Rogers of Ludlow was eighth in the Mini Stock feature, with Ricky Bernard of Whitingham tenth. Dick Houle of West Brattleboro was second in the 4-cylinder Enduro.
PASS North Super Late Models: Cassius Clark of Farmington, Me. won the Summerfest 150 at Riverside (N.H.) Speedway on Saturday night over Kelly Moore of Scarborough, Me. and Donnie Whitten of Biddeford, Me. Teenaged Danville rookie Steven Legendre finished eighth.
Riverside Speedway (Groveton, N.H.): Tucker Williams of Hyde Park won the Jake McDowell Memorial Street Stock 100 on Friday night over West Burke's Jesse Switser, Danny Doyle of Hancock, Dean Switser of Lyndonville, and Rick Utley of Wheelock. Steven Hodgdon of Danville finished fifth in the Late Model feature with Bob Ailes, Sr. of St. Johnsbury sixth, and Paul Schartner, III of Lyndonville eighth. On Saturday, Dilyn Switser of West Burke finished seventh in the Super Stock feature with Michael Smith of St. Johnsbury tenth. Andy Simpson of Lyndon Center won the Cyclone feature.
SCoNE 360 Sprint Cars: Clay Dow of Ossipee, N.H. won Saturday's feature at Bear Ridge Speedway in Bradford over Shawn Lawler of Mason, N.H., Tunk Berry of Center Ossipee, N.H., Si Allen of West Windsor, and Mark Cole of Lebanon, N.H.
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl (Barre): Cris Michaud of Northfield won Thursday's Late Model feature over Tunbridge racer Doug Murphy, Reno Gervais of Island Pond, Trampas Demers of South Burlington, and Jerry Lesage of Winooski. Milton's Eric Badore took his second Tiger Sportsman win of the season, with Ray Stearns of East Corinth second, Middlesex drivers Shawn Fleury third and Pete Ainsworth fourth, and Brian Delphia of Waterbury fifth. Tucker Williams of Hyde Park earned his third Street Stock win of the year over Northfield's Jason Allen, M.C. Ingram of Essex Junction, Troy Gray of Fairlee, and Billy "Weiner" Hennequin of Morrisville. John Prentice of Northfield took his first career Junkyard Warrior win over Kevin Streeter of Waitsfield, Ken Christman of Cabot, Kevin Wheatley of Williamstown, and Kevin Dodge of Barre.
True Value Modified Racing Series: Thursday's event at Thompson Int'l Speedway in Connecticut was rained out for the second time this season.
Twin State Speedway (Claremont, N.H.): Rutland's Dallas Trombley won the Late Model feature on Friday night over Dola Holland of Ludlow; Chris Riendeau of Ascutney was fourth. Ascutney rookie Joey Jarvis scored his second-straight Modified win with Riendeau second, Nate Kehoe of Windham third, Peter Jarvis of Ascutney (Joey's father) eighth, and Leo Martin, Jr. of Windsor ninth. Mendon's Chris Wilk was third in the Super Street race with Russ Davis of Cavendish fifth, Dave Davis of White River Junction sixth, and Bruce Jaycox of Hartland ninth. Josh Lovely of Barre won the Strictly Stock feature with Tara Tarbell of Springfield third and Jeremy Blood of West Hartford fifth. Jeremiah Losee of North Springfield won the Wildcat race over Cody Small of Hartland, Rob Leitch of Cavendish, and Rob Olney, III of Ludlow.
White Mountain Motorsports Park (North Woodstock, N.H.): Norm Andrews of Northfield won the make-up Late Model feature from July 11 on Saturday night, while Stacy Cahoon of St. Johnsbury finished fourth in the Late Model nightcap. Stevie Parker of Lyndonville won the Strictly Stock feature with Milton's Gordie Stone seventh, and Concord driver Rubin Call won the Strictly Stock Mini race.
***
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl in Barre welcomes NASCAR legend "King" Richard Petty on Thursday night. The ACT Late Model Tour and NEMA Midgets are at Twin State Speedway on Friday night, with regular events at Albany-Saratoga, and Canaan Dirt. Saturday has the Série ACT-Castrol at Autodrome Montmagny for the previously postponed Montmagny 250, while the ACT Tiger Sportsman Series is at Canaan Fair Speedway, the All-Star Race Trucks and the Canadian Super Trucks are at Airborne, and regular events are held at Bradford's Bear Ridge Speedway, Monadnock, and White Mountain. The PASS North Super Late Models are at Unity Raceway on Sunday, while Devil's Bowl Speedway in West Haven will have a regular program along with a 50-lap Enduro, and Thunder Road has the 25th Annual M&M Beverage Enduro 250 with $5,000 to win. Sunday also has the Bond Auto Parts 4-Wheel Jamboree at the Champlain Valley Fairgroudns in Essex Junction.
(PHOTOS: 1. Yeah, that's me in the blue #3, destroying myself at Canaan in 2002; 2. Danny Eastman getting it done.)
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
TD BANKNORTH 250: Outlaw MacDonald Now Among Elite
OXFORD, Me. -- Eddie MacDonald lived the northeastern short track driver's dream on Sunday night, winning the TD Banknorth 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway. In doing so, he collected the $25,000 winner's purse, another $10,200 in lap leader bonuses, an invitation to compete at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and a place in the annals of national short track racing lore.The 29 year-old Rowley, Mass. racer, a regular on the NASCAR Camping World Series East and nicknamed "Outlaw" for his penchant to invade the occasional ACT or PASS event, was one of nearly a dozen drivers that played major -- and very entertaining -- roles in the 36th running of the classic event. The battle for the lead was almost exclusively two- or three-wide for the first two-thirds of the race, and the duels between MacDonald, Brent Dragon, John Donahue, Patrick Laperle, Brian Hoar, Ben Rowe, Joey Polewarczyk, Cris Michaud, Brad Leighton, and Nick Sweet -- all of them -- will likely remain etched in the memories of the thousands of race fans that watched them perform brilliantly on the biggest stage in asphalt Late Model racing for years to come.
MacDonald struggled in practice sessions throughout the weekend, but came alive during his qualifying heat race, running three-wide on the top to take the win and earn the third starting position for the Oxford 250. At the beginning of the main event, MacDonald and polesitter Dragon swapped the lead twice in the first 14 laps. MacDonald then raced with Laperle, Donahue, Michaud, and Leighton through lapped traffic inside the top-five before taking the lead from Donahue on lap 119.He pitted for four tires on lap 129, but his resulting drive to the front was a quick one -- three-wide, of course -- as he retook the lead from Hoar just 38 laps later with what was ultimately the winning pass. Laperle, ot St-Denis-sur-Richelieu, Qué., caught MacDonald late in the going, but was only able to run in the low groove over the race's final laps and proved to be no match for MacDonald as his tires went away.
For MacDonald and his team, the appreciation for the victory was felt on several levels: Crew chief Rollie LaChance began working on race cars many years ago at Oxford Plains Speedway. The pair have teamed to win a pair of Camping World events at New Hampshire, and set winning the Oxford 250 as their next major goal. And, after the struggles in practice, the win was a big turnaround. The win adds MacDonald's name to a list of previous winners that reads like a who's who of stock car racing; past champions of the Oxford 250 include Butch Lindley, Geoff Bodine, Junior Hanley, Dave Dion, Mike and Ben Rowe, and last year's winner, former Daytona 500 champion Kevin Harvick.
"This is just unbelievable. It's huge for our team," MacDonald said. "My crew chief, Rollie LaChance, he's from 15 minutes away from here, and he just does an awesome job, he does everything to 100 percent, and each and every one of the guys on the crew just works so hard."I've been coming up here for a while now. I came here probably 15 or 18 years ago with my father to watch the 250 and just watch these guys. I never thought I'd be able to come here and win the thing."
MacDonald said he owed the win to his team. "I was actually pretty discouraged in practice," he said. "We practiced for six hours straight [Saturday and Sunday], and we tried everything we could possibly think of to make the car faster. We weren't the fastest car all weekend long in practice, and Rollie, the crew chief, is just unbelievable to be able to turn the car around and get it to be this fast. I felt so bad for my guys today working in the heat. They were running around, I had them changing tires -- every five laps we'd come in and change something [during practice]. It's just an awesome group of guys and I'm so thankful to win this one."
Laperle had mixed feelings about his runner-up finish -- the best effort by a Canadian driver since Dave Whitlock's 1995 victory.
"The car was tight, I mean, I was not about to go on the outside," said an emotionally drained Laperle, who finished 35th last year and had just one top-ten effort (ninth in 2004) to his credit. "When Eddie saw my line on the bottom, he went on the bottom groove. I mean, he beat me. At first I was a little sad. I think I led, like, one lap, and I finished second, that's 12 grand, so it's 12 grand and 100 dollars. So it's okay. Right now I'm sad, but at the RV, we're going to have a party. I'm happy about the guys, they did a great job, they [made] a good call during the pit stop, so I'm happy for them. I'm glad it's over."
Graniteville driver Donahue, who led for a total 27 laps, including a stretch of 22 laps after a breathtaking three-wide move under Dragon and Laperle on the 91st circuit, seemed to have had the time of his life in finishing third.
"At the beginning I was going to go chase down Brent [for the lead]," said Donahue. "We got into the top three there, Patrick was in there, running three, four, five-wide when I took the lead, that was fun. Man was that fun. We're just happy. We've had a couple of bad races, this will pick up the whole team, we needed this."
Hoar, of Williston, led 39 laps before finishing fourth. Oxford regular Shawn Martin of Turner, Me. finished fifth for his second consecutive top-five run in the Oxford 250. Dragon, Rowe, Michaud, Leighton, and Travis Stearns completed the top ten in order. Donahue's teammate for the day, NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Steve Wallace, finished 21st, three laps down. Wallace's uncle, fellow Nationwide driver Kenny Wallace, retired in 33rd place with a souring engine.
With the victory, MacDonald now has the chance to return to familiar territory -- victory lane at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He and LaChance swept the Camping World Series East races at the 1-mile superspeedway in 2008, and now they'll try for the win in the inaugural ACT Invitational at the track in September; as the winner of the Oxford 250, MacDonald automatically qualifies for the race.
"It's unbelievable," he said. "With the New Hampshire wins last year and [the Oxford 250] this year, it's huge. [Winning the NHMS qualifier] is the best part, I wanted to be able to run there with this car and I didn't know how we were going to get an invitation, but finally we were able to get one." The winners of all ACT Late Model Tour, ACT Castrol Series, and a handful of 'open' events around the northeast will earn a starting berth for the ACT Invitational; as MacDonald's full-time commitment to Camping World Series dictates, his schedule did not allow him to run many ACT races in 2009. The Oxford 250 was only his third start in the Late Model car this season."I figured there'd be a caution with, you know, 20 laps to go, or ten to go, or even at one to go," MacDonald said. "I was thinking, 'The caution's gotta come out.' I was praying it didn't come and luckily it didn't and everything worked just the way we needed it to."
And with things just the way "Outlaw" Eddie MacDonald needed them, he cemented his place among the elite winners at the top of the short track stock car racing world.
OFFICIAL RESULTS -- TD Banknorth 250
Oxford Plains Speedway, Oxford, Me.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Pos.-(Start)-Car No.-Driver-Hometown-Laps Completed-Money Won
1. (3) 17x Eddie MacDonald, Rowley, Mass., 326, $35,300
2. (10) 91 Patrick Laperle, St-Denis-sur-Richelieu, Qué., 326, $12,600
3. (6) 26VT John Donahue, Graniteville, 326, $10,200
4. (7) 37x Brian Hoar, Williston, 326, $9,800
5. (29) 94 Shawn Martin, Turner, Me., 326, $5,000
6. (1) 55VT Brent Dragon, Milton, 326, $12,100
7. (32) 10NH Ben Rowe, Turner, Me., 326, $3,500
8. (4) 6x Cris Michaud, Northfield, 326, $3,000
9. (8) 55NH Brad Leighton, Center Harbor, N.H., 326, $2,500
10. (2) 85 Travis Stearns, Auburn, Me., 326, $2,400
11. (5) 03e Travis Adams, Canton, Me., 326, $2,300
12. (11) 25 Shawn Knight, South Paris, Me., 326, $2,200
13. (15) 15VT Joey Laquerre, East Montpelier, 326, $2,100
14. (21) 71 Scott Dragon, Milton, 326, $2,050
15. (12) 97 Joey Polewarczyk, Jr., Hudson, N.H., 325, $2,000
16. (9) 88 Nick Sweet, Barre, 325, $1,850
17. (37) 48q Karl Allard, St-Félicien, Qué., 324, $1,750
18. (31) 7ME Glen Luce, Turner, Me., 324, $1,700
19. (24) 51ME Ricky Rolfe, Albany Twp., Me., 324, $1,650
20. (39) 7VT Eric Williams, Hyde Park, 324, $1,600
21. (42) 66 Steve Wallace, Charlotte, N.C., 323, $1,550
22. (30) 02 Randy Potter, Groveton, N.H., 323, $1,520
23. (41) 72 Scott Robbins, Dixfield, Me., 322, $1,500
24. (38) 57 Doug Coombs, Livermore, Me., 318, $1,450
25. (40) 15 Ben Ashline, Pittston, Me., 318, $1,425
26. (26) 26ME Corey Morgan, Lewiston, Me., 318, $1,400
27. (34) 16 Joey Becker, Jeffersonville, 316, $1,375
28. (36) 63 Don Wentworth, Otisfield, Me., 315, $1,350
29. (33) 10ME Jimmy Childs, Leeds, Me., 312, $1,325
30. (23) 41 Pete Potvin, III, Graniteville, 309, $1,300
31. (13) 50 Jeff White, Winthrop, Me., 303, $1,275
32. (19) 48 Kenny Harrison, Pownal, Me., 274, $1,250
33. (43) 51MO Kenny Wallace, St. Louis, Mo., 269, $1,225
34. (35) 18 Carey Martin, Denmark, Me., 245, $1,200
35. (28) 36 Brad Hammond, Turner, Me., 227, $1,150
36. (27) 17ON Pete Sheppard, Brampton, Ont., 211, $1,125
37. (16) 80 Donald Theetge, Boischatel, Qué., 209, $1,125
38. (22) 6 Tommy Ricker, Poland, Me., 187, $1,125
39. (25) 37 Larry Gelinas, Scarborough, Me., 175, $1,125
40. (17) 1c Billy Childs Jr., Leeds, Me., 154, $1,125
41. (20) 1 Al Hammond, Paris, Me., 149, $1,125
42. (18) 78 Quinny Welch, Lancaster, N.H., 101, $1,125
43. (14) 60 Tim Brackett, Buckfield, Me., 97, $1,125
Green flag lap leaders: B. Dragon 1-4, MacDonald 5-13, B. Dragon 14-90, Donahue 91-112, Laperle 113, Donahue 114-118, MacDonald 119-129, Hoar 130-167, MacDonald 168-250
Cautions: 10 (laps 32, 32, 91, 129, 134, 135, 165, 167, 183, 212)
Time of race: 2 hours, 10 minutes, 48.591 seconds
Margin of victory: 0.969 seconds
(PHOTOS: 1. A jubilant Eddie MacDonald prepares to exit his winning car at the TD Banknorth 250; 2. MacDonald (#17x) runs the high groove around Scott Dragon (#71) and Joey Laquerre (#15VT) on his way to winning Heat 3; 3. MacDonald credited his crew with the win; 4. The spoils of winning at Oxford. Photos by Justin St. Louis/VMM)
Monday, July 20, 2009
Congratulations to Eddie MacDonald and team!
"Outlaw" Eddie MacDonald captured the TD Banknorth 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway on Sunday night, taking $35,200 and a piece of short track racing history home with him in the process. Our congratulations to MacDonald, crew chief Rollie LaChance, and the entire #17x team. VMM will have a recap of the weekend soon.
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