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| Budweiser Blastoff 100 |
Showing posts with label Fifty Years of Excitement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fifty Years of Excitement. Show all posts
Monday, March 29, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Coby Starts Short Season Off on Right Foot at Waterford
Budweiser Blastoff 100 coverage presented by "Fifty Years of Excitement"
WATERFORD, Conn. -- Doug Coby probably wishes the Modified Racing raced at Waterford Speedbowl every week. Coby, of Milford, Conn., is now a perfect two-for-two in MRS events at the track, winning Sunday's Budweiser Blastoff 100. Coby, who has only five races scheduled for 2010, held off another Waterford powerhouse in Rowan Pennink for the win.
Pennink came from 25th starting spot -- last -- to race on Coby's back bumper with ten laps remaining, but mysteriously went to the pits during a caution period on lap 90. Coby contends that although Pennink was strong, his own car was better.
"Rowan's got a good car, and we're the last two winners here (in MRS events)," said Coby. "I was just trying to hold the bottom. I figured there was so much junk on the track (from the race's many wrecks) that he couldn't really go up, and I figured if he went up top I would try to make my car a little wider. I know Rowan had a good car, but we had the car to beat."
Pennink, who had to change engines on Sunday morning, said he was unsure what the problem was that made his car shut down on lap 90, but his car had enough to get by Coby before then.
"We had an awesome car and got right up to the front pretty quick. The car was working awesome on the outside," said the Huntington Valley, Pa., driver. "I had him. I know I would have got him on the outside for the win."
Matt Hirschman of Northampton, Pa., inherited second place after Pennink pit, and held off defending MRS champion Jon McKennedy of Chelmsford, Mass., for the runner-up spot. Andy Seuss of Hampstead, N.H., was fourth with Sanford, Me., sophomore Jacob Dore fifth. The unofficial top ten was completed by Les Hinckley, Eric Goodale, Steve Masse, Dave Etheridge, and Pennink, who returned and finished as the last driver on the lead lap.
Ascutney rookie Joey Jarvis finished eleventh, one lap down.
WATERFORD, Conn. -- Doug Coby probably wishes the Modified Racing raced at Waterford Speedbowl every week. Coby, of Milford, Conn., is now a perfect two-for-two in MRS events at the track, winning Sunday's Budweiser Blastoff 100. Coby, who has only five races scheduled for 2010, held off another Waterford powerhouse in Rowan Pennink for the win.Pennink came from 25th starting spot -- last -- to race on Coby's back bumper with ten laps remaining, but mysteriously went to the pits during a caution period on lap 90. Coby contends that although Pennink was strong, his own car was better.
"Rowan's got a good car, and we're the last two winners here (in MRS events)," said Coby. "I was just trying to hold the bottom. I figured there was so much junk on the track (from the race's many wrecks) that he couldn't really go up, and I figured if he went up top I would try to make my car a little wider. I know Rowan had a good car, but we had the car to beat."
Pennink, who had to change engines on Sunday morning, said he was unsure what the problem was that made his car shut down on lap 90, but his car had enough to get by Coby before then.
"We had an awesome car and got right up to the front pretty quick. The car was working awesome on the outside," said the Huntington Valley, Pa., driver. "I had him. I know I would have got him on the outside for the win."
Matt Hirschman of Northampton, Pa., inherited second place after Pennink pit, and held off defending MRS champion Jon McKennedy of Chelmsford, Mass., for the runner-up spot. Andy Seuss of Hampstead, N.H., was fourth with Sanford, Me., sophomore Jacob Dore fifth. The unofficial top ten was completed by Les Hinckley, Eric Goodale, Steve Masse, Dave Etheridge, and Pennink, who returned and finished as the last driver on the lead lap.
Ascutney rookie Joey Jarvis finished eleventh, one lap down.
Modified Racing Series Welcomes a New Jarvis
Budweiser Blastoff 100 coverage presented by "Fifty Years of Excitement"
WATERFORD, Conn. -- The Modified Racing Series has seen plenty of stars in its six-year tenure, among them the Jarvis brothers of Ascutney. Dwight was the 2006 champion of the series, and is among the most successful Vermonters to ever wheel a stock car with another 18 track championships in his hip pocket. His brother, Peter, was the 2007 MRS Rookie of the Year, and has won races from New England to Florida.
But as the Jarvis brothers enter the twilight of their careers, the next generation is ready to step in. At just 18 years old, Joey Jarvis, Peter's son, enters his first full season in the Modified Racing Series.
"We just want to make it in to all the races," Joey says. But don't let him fool you into thinking he's not comfortable behind the wheel. In his first season of Modified racing at Twin State Speedway in Claremont, N.H., last year, he lost the championship by just a single point. The year before that, he took podium finishes in all 18 of his starts to stroll to the track's Strictly Stock championship. Before that, he dominated youth divisions at Twin State and Canaan.
And the car he's driving this year? It's the Wally Albro-owned #9NH formerly driven by -- who else? -- Peter Jarvis.
"It's a good car, and it's getting better and better," said Joey, a very accomplished saxophonist and guitarist. "I think we should be good this season, but I just want to learn." In his three starts with the Modified Racing Series last season, Jarvis showed that the learning curve may be a sort one; he registered a seventh-place finish at Lee USA Speedway to end the year, and was impressive to begin 2010 at Waterford Speedbowl on Sunday.
While running in sixth place on lap 76 and catching the leaders, Jarvis ran out of fuel under caution. He lost one lap while in the pits, but rallied to finish 11th.
"I think we proved the underdogs are here," he said after the race. "We didn't get much to show for how we ran, but if we hadn't run out of gas I think we would have been right up there with the leaders."
With the impressions he's made already, and the pedigree his racing family gave him, Joey Jarvis likely won't have long before he is the leader.
WATERFORD, Conn. -- The Modified Racing Series has seen plenty of stars in its six-year tenure, among them the Jarvis brothers of Ascutney. Dwight was the 2006 champion of the series, and is among the most successful Vermonters to ever wheel a stock car with another 18 track championships in his hip pocket. His brother, Peter, was the 2007 MRS Rookie of the Year, and has won races from New England to Florida.
But as the Jarvis brothers enter the twilight of their careers, the next generation is ready to step in. At just 18 years old, Joey Jarvis, Peter's son, enters his first full season in the Modified Racing Series.
"We just want to make it in to all the races," Joey says. But don't let him fool you into thinking he's not comfortable behind the wheel. In his first season of Modified racing at Twin State Speedway in Claremont, N.H., last year, he lost the championship by just a single point. The year before that, he took podium finishes in all 18 of his starts to stroll to the track's Strictly Stock championship. Before that, he dominated youth divisions at Twin State and Canaan.
And the car he's driving this year? It's the Wally Albro-owned #9NH formerly driven by -- who else? -- Peter Jarvis.
"It's a good car, and it's getting better and better," said Joey, a very accomplished saxophonist and guitarist. "I think we should be good this season, but I just want to learn." In his three starts with the Modified Racing Series last season, Jarvis showed that the learning curve may be a sort one; he registered a seventh-place finish at Lee USA Speedway to end the year, and was impressive to begin 2010 at Waterford Speedbowl on Sunday.
While running in sixth place on lap 76 and catching the leaders, Jarvis ran out of fuel under caution. He lost one lap while in the pits, but rallied to finish 11th.
"I think we proved the underdogs are here," he said after the race. "We didn't get much to show for how we ran, but if we hadn't run out of gas I think we would have been right up there with the leaders."
With the impressions he's made already, and the pedigree his racing family gave him, Joey Jarvis likely won't have long before he is the leader.
Hey, wanna win some stuff?
We're giving away a few copies of "Fifty Years of Excitement" today on our Twitter page! Answer some trivia questions and you could win! We're at http://twitter.com/VtMotorMag.
Not signed up? Go to www.twitter.com and follow the instructions. It's fast, easy, fun, and you can follow our live in-race updates from the Modified Racing Series Budweiser Blastoff 100 at Waterford Speedbowl!
Not signed up? Go to www.twitter.com and follow the instructions. It's fast, easy, fun, and you can follow our live in-race updates from the Modified Racing Series Budweiser Blastoff 100 at Waterford Speedbowl!
BLASTOFF: Follow us today on Twitter!
Vermont Motorsports Magazine is getting its 2010 racing season started today with the Modified Racing Series Budweiser Blastoff 100 at Waterford Speedbowl in Connecticut!
We will have live updates throughout the day here at the VMM main page, on our Facebook group, and on our Twitter page -- Follow us today (and every day!) at http://twitter.com/VtMotorMag, or go to Twitter and search "#BudBlastoff100".
VMM coverage of the Budweiser Blastoff 100 is presented by "Fifty Years of Excitement" -- Get your copy of the Thunder Road 50th Anniversary book for just $10! For more information, click here: http://vtmotormag.blogspot.com/2009/06/fifty-years-of-excitement-available.html.
We will have live updates throughout the day here at the VMM main page, on our Facebook group, and on our Twitter page -- Follow us today (and every day!) at http://twitter.com/VtMotorMag, or go to Twitter and search "#BudBlastoff100".
VMM coverage of the Budweiser Blastoff 100 is presented by "Fifty Years of Excitement" -- Get your copy of the Thunder Road 50th Anniversary book for just $10! For more information, click here: http://vtmotormag.blogspot.com/2009/06/fifty-years-of-excitement-available.html.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
The Juice: Nick Sweet is the Real Deal
-by Justin St. Louis
There's a neat little success story that's been brewing for a few years around here, and it's beginning to seem strange that it's one of Vermont racing's best kept secrets: The rise of Nick Sweet.
It's likely just a matter of weeks -- days? -- until Sweet takes his first Late Model victory at Thunder Road, or at any track he happens to show up at, and although he's begun to grab some attention, his name is still not usually mentioned in the same breath as Michaud, Williams, Pembroke, Dragon, Cyr, etc. His popularity at Thunder Road has never been in question -- a young, fast racer with success in front of a hometown crowd is an instant recipe for gathering fans -- but the media have largely ignored Sweet.
The question is, why? How can a driver that has won races and championships from the very beginning of his career be so unknown? We think we have an answer.
Sweet started in the four-cylinder Street Stock class at Thunder Road in 2003. He won Rookie of the Year honors, finished second in points two years in a row, and won some races. In 2005, he stepped up to the Tiger Sportsman division, again winning the freshman title and finishing second in points. He won at Thunder Road, Canaan Fair, Lee USA, Airborne Speedway, and at the Sanair mile in Canada, then finally took his first championship at his home track in 2007 with three wins. For a minute it seemed, the local press started to really take notice and give the youngster a few more lines of ink in the papers. But then Sweet purchased a Late Model... and went on the road. There was a buzz surrounding his climb to the region's top levels, but that buzz seemed to disappear as soon as the season began.
Here's why: Sweet had the attention of the local media, and had he stayed at Thunder Road in 2008 running strictly that track's schedule, he likely would have kept that attention. But he and his family team chose to make their next step a big one, joining the ACT Late Model Tour. They struggled, like all rookie teams are supposed to, and consequently, the media lost interest. By the middle of the season, Sweet's car was up front consistently in Tour races, but the local news had already forgotten, as bizarre as that sounds.
All told, he was a top-ten finisher in more than half of the season's ACT events last year, and added impressive runs at the Thunder Road Governor's Cup and Oxford 250 for good measure. He was the ACT Rookie of the Year and finished ninth in points. The regional media took only glancing interest in Sweet's performances, as they usually do with a rookie, and the local media mentioned him only as a footnote in their year-end write-ups.
Now, in 2009, Sweet is back at Thunder Road, running up front, and the people that wrote of his successes just two short years ago are beginning to remember who he is. And on the biggest weekend of the season, one that included regional and even a bit of national press, Nick Sweet proved that everyone should be paying attention.
His 40-lap battle for the win at Thursday's Governor's Cup 150 at Thunder Road with fellow youngster Joey Polewarczyk was the
stuff of a future legend. His third-place finish in a surprise ACT Late Model Tour start at White Mountain Motorsports Park on Saturday night -- in front of some of the same media folks -- only backed up what they'd seen two days before.
Nick Sweet is for real. There is no reason why he shouldn't be able to break through and win a few regular events at Thunder Road this summer, why he shouldn't be able to contend for the "King of the Road" crown, or why he shouldn't be considered a threat at next month's TD Banknorth 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway, a race in which he ran as high as third place during the closing stages last year. He's very well spoken, and rarely accepts praise for himself. In a world where too many interviews are cut-and-paste thank-yous to sponsors and crew with very little substance or opinion, Sweet honestly answers the questions he's asked and then gives genuine thanks to his supporters at the end of the interview, rather than begin by saying, "The Saint J Auto Pontiac was great today..." His team and equipment are smartly outfitted, the crew is a friendly, outgoing bunch, and the competitors seem to enjoy having the Sweet group around.
Our unsolicited advice is this: For every lap you watch a kid like Joey Polewarczyk or Scott Payea, try to sneak in at least a corner's worth of Nick Sweet. Although he's unlikely to move beyond the level he's at right now -- and that's a personal choice he's made for himself -- Sweet has the potential to be one of the great drivers this region has seen in many years. Pay attention.
***
Remember the Shark Energy Drink scandal. That's all I'm saying.
***
Man, all I want to do is turn on a Star Search and Charlie's Angels marathon, and do the Moonwalk as I Oxi-Clean the hell out of something. What a terrible week to be a celebrity. Rest in peace, you late, great stalwarts of entertainment.
***
This'll be the last shamless plug about "Fifty Years of Excitement" for a while, I promise. The book, honoring 50 years of racing at Barre's Thunder Road, will be available for sale at the track beginning this Thursday, on Pepsi Fireworks Night, for just $10. Here's another piece of the book:
"Day to Remember: August 30, 2003
If there was a Top 10 list of the most significant dates in Thunder Road history, Saturday, August 30, 2003 would almost certainly be in the running for the #1 spot. It was the date of the annual Labor Day weekend event for what was then known as the NASCAR Busch North Series, the date of the final event in the race for the Late Model "King of the Road" battle, and, it turns out, the date of one of New England's most memorable stock car crashes.
First things first: like the Senate race he was a part of, incumbent Thunder Road Champion Phil Scott was feeling the pressure. In nine days' time, Scott had seen Jamie Fisher come from behind to post his first victory of the year on the previous Thursday, August 21, and finish third behind Pete Fecteau and Trampas Demers a week later. Now just two days later, Scott entered with a 33-point lead. In most cases, 33 points is a pretty comfortable margin. In most cases.
Secondly: with the Busch North Series in town, the buzz around Central Vermont was all Thunder Road. Home-track names like Dave Dion, Bobby Dragon, Brian Hoar, Mike Olsen, Dennis Demers, Kip Stockwell, and - for the final time in his Busch North career - Stub Fadden were back in town, with superstar outsiders like Andy Santerre, Mike Stefanik, Kelly and Ryan Moore, and Matt Kobyluck trying their hands on the highbanks again. Add to it the fact that Thunder Road's own Phil Scott, in addition to trying to clinch his second-straight track title, was making his Busch North Series debut.
Third: Still mathematically in the hunt, 2000 "Queen of the Road" Tracie Bellerose had had a fantastic revival season at Thunder Road, winning three features and staying at or near the top all season long. Entering the race, Bellerose was - although not very likely given her point margin behind Scott and Fisher - a candidate for her second Thunder Road title.
As the Late Models completed their qualifying heats to begin the evening just before the advertised post time, Bellerose was hanging it all out. After picking off cars from her back-of-the-pack starting position, Bellerose got a run outside rookie Joey Becker coming off Turn 2. As she drew to Becker's right-side door on the backstretch, Bellerose clearly had enough momentum to complete the pass by the start-finish line just a half-lap away. Entering Turn 3, Bellerose kept her foot buried in the floorboard, using up every bit of her outside-lane run to try and nose ahead of Becker.
She drew nearly even with Becker's red-and-white #16 Chevrolet, adorned in its familiar Richard Green Trucking signage. But Bellerose's orange-and-green #2 Chevrolet, instantly recognizable as the Merchants Bank-sponsored entry, suddenly took a scary right-turn in the beginning of the corner; Becker's left-front suspension broke just as the two entered Turn 3. As
Becker shot up the track at full song into Bellerose, her car immediately hopped into the air and pointed toward the Turn 3 fence. Given their speed and the fact that she was still on the gas, Bellerose and her car became a science experiment, testing the laws of inertia and gravity. As the height of the back end of her car increased, the nose dug into the earth, tipping the car over onto its left side while continuing in a cartwheel-like motion. As the airborne car twisted on two axes, it headed toward the wall, the fence, a tree line, and - God forbid - a jam-packed parking lot full of pedestrians most likely not expecting a sailing 2,800-lb race car to come hurtling at them.
Already stripped of most of its body panels, Bellerose's car became simply a black chassis and roll cage, almost totally exposed, and was catapulted over the catch fence out of sight from the race track. Judging by eye-witness accounts and the very limited photography and video that accurately illustrated the incident, Bellerose flipped at least once more end-over-end and side-over-side before coming to rest upside down on a short asphalt access route near the ticket booth. Becker, meanwhile, skidded to a safe stop at the top of Turn 3 as cars stopped for the red flag.
Silence.
Less than five seconds before, Tracie Bellerose looked like she might give the boys a run for the championship. Now, a few thousand fans, competitors, officials, and media wondered if she was still alive, or if others had been injured in the parking lot. As the rescue crew rushed to the emergency gate in Turn 3 near the spot where Bellerose crested the catch fence, everyone held their breath. Announcer Troy Germain was left speechless. The only sounds heard - as even the race cars on the track had shut their engines off almost immediately - were of the ambulance and wrecker vehicles racing to the crash site, and of race director Tom Curley calling to the safety team. For what must have seemed like hours, the Speedway Safety Services and Golden Cross rescue crew tended to Bellerose, who was not only alive, but awake and uninjured, as were the unsuspecting fans nearby, before the call came that everyone was okay. Bellerose was taken to the Central Vermont Medical Center in nearby Berlin for observation, but demanded to be released so she could return to the race track and get her car ready for last-chance qualifying. Once she signed her waiver and returned to Thunder Road, however, she discovered that the car was a total loss."
The chapter 'Day to Remember' continues, chronicling Jamie Fisher's unlikely run to the championship, Phil Scott's unending struggles, and Brian Hoar's hometown victory in the Busch North Series. For more information about "Fifty Years of Excitement", click here.
***
AROUND THE REGION:
Time to take a look at the top Vermonters from the past weekend...
ACT Late Model Tour: John Donahue of Graniteville dominated the White Mountain 150 at New Hampshire's White Mountain Motorsports Park on Saturday night, leading every lap en route to his first win of the season. Brent Dragon of Milton finished second, followed by Nick Sweet of Barre, Eric Williams of Hyde Park, and Maine's Ben Rowe.
Airborne Speedway (Plattsburgh, N.Y.): Mike Bruno of Castleton finished third in the Modifeid feature on Saturday night with Sheldon's Aaron Bartemy fourth. Robin Wood of Plattsburgh, N.Y. scored his fourth-straight Sportsman, with Richie Turner of Fairfax third and Milton's Bill Sawyer eighth. Kevin Boutin of Swanton was the runner-up in the Renegades, with Lance Rabtoy of Fairfax eighth and Milton's Rob Gordon ninth.
Albany-Saratoga Speedway (Malta, N.Y.): Friday's race program was rained out.
Bear Ridge Speedway (Bradford): Wayne Stearns of Thetford Center finished third in the Sportsman Modified feature behind Gary Siemons and Chris Donnelly on Saturday night, with Bradford's Jeremy Huntoon a season-best fourth. Josh Harrington of Topsham took Sportsman Coupe win #5, with Bryan King of Corinth a season-best second, followed by Bradford rookie Jason Horniak, Richie Simmons of Bradford, and Mike McGinley of East Barre. Thetford Center's Dan Eastman won his sixth Limited Late Model feature of the season over Will Hull of East Montpelier and Shane Race of South Strafford. Josh Sunn of White River Junction made the most of a rare appearance by winning the Fast Four feature over Steve Bell and Kevin Harran, both of St. Johnsbury. Bradford's Tom Placey took his third Hornet win of the year over St. Johnsbury's Bobby Lee Bell and Steve Sheldon of St. Johnsbury Center.
Canaan Dirt Speedway (Canaan, N.H.): Dave Lacasse of Thetford Center finished fourth in the Sportsman Modified event on Friday night, with Hartland's Ed Tobin ninth. Will Hull of East Montpelier beat Dan Eastman of Thetford Center for Street Stock checkers, while Josh Sunn of White River Junction won the Mini Stock race. James Hanson of Orwell won the SCONE 360 Sprint Car feature, with cousin Lacey Hanson, also of Orwell, in fourth. Point leader Si Allen of West Windsor was seventh.
Canaan Fair Speedway (Canaan, N.H.): Saturday night's race card was rained out.
Devil's Bowl Speedway (West Haven): Don Mattison of Wells earned his first 358 Modified top-ten finish of the season by winning the 30-lap feature on Sunday night. Frank Hoard, Sr. of Manchester finished second ahead of Orwell's Tim LaDuc. Todd Stone of Middlebury was fifth, Rob Langevin of Londonderry was seventh, and Gardiner Stone of Middlebury was tenth. Fred Little of Salisbury beat Londonderry's Lori Langevin by 0.026 second for the Pro Street Stock win. Brandon's Mike Clark finished third in the Limited feature. Kayla Bryant of Rutland won the 6-cylinder Mini Stock race, Nathan Woodworth of Essex Junction won the 4-cylinder Minis, and with Poultney's Chris Murray was second in the Duke Stocks.
Monadnock Speedway (Winchester, N.H.): Saturday's race event was rained out for the second week in a row.
NASCAR Camping World Series East: Eric Chase of Milton finished 28th in his series debut in the Heluva Good! Summer 125 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H. on Friday.
NASCAR Nationwide Series: Kevin Lepage of Shelburne finished 39th in the Camping World RV Sales 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H. on Saturday.
Pro All Stars Series: Adam Bates of Warner, N.H. won Friday's event at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, Me. Rookie Steven Legendre of Danville was 21st.
Riverside Speedway (Groveton, N.H.): Friday's races were rained out.
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl (Barre): Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. of Hudson, N.H. scored his long-awaited first Thunder Road on Thursday night in the Vermont Governor's Cup 150. Cris Michaud of Northfield was second, followed by Barre's Nick Sweet, Jamie Fisher of Shelburne, and John Donahue of Graniteville. Dave Pembroke of Middlesex, Trampas Demers of South Burlington, Phil Scott of Montpelier, Joey Laquerre of East Montpelier, and Eric Williams of Hyde Park completed the top ten. NASCAR's Tony Stewart was 16th. Pete Ainsworth of Middlesex and Jimmy Hebert of Williamstown split twin Tiger Sportsman features; it was the 10th career win for Ainsworth and the first for 18 year-old Hebert. In twin Street Stock/Junkyard Warrior features, Tommy "Thunder" Smith of Williamstown and David Whitcomb of Elmore were the winners in the Street Stock division, while Kevin Streeter of Waitsfield and Donny Yates of North Montpelier were the top Warriors.
Twin State Speedway (Claremont, N.H.): The weekly racing program at Twin State was rained out on Friday for the second week in a row.
White Mountain Motorsports Park (North Woodstock, N.H.): In support action for the ACT Late Model Tour event, Stevie Parker of Lyndonville was third in the Strictly Stocks with Milton's Gordie Stone seventh. Rubin Call of Concord was second in the Strictly Stock Mini division, with Brendan Hunt of Derby Line fourth and M.C. Ingram of Essex Junction fifth.
***
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl in Barre is in action on Thursday night. On Friday, regular events will be held at Albany-Saratoga, Canaan Dirt, and Twin State. Saturday has the Série ACT-Castrol in action with the annual Montmagny 250 at Autodrome Montmagny near Québec City and the True Value Modified Racing Series is at Monadnock Speedway, while regular events are on tap for Bear Ridge Speedway in Bradford, Airborne, Canaan Fair, and Riverside, as well as a special show at Devil's Bowl Speedway in West Haven for the CRSA and ELS Sprint Car series and DIRTcar and Budget Sportsman divisions. A regular event is scheduled for Sunday at Devil's Bowl as well as Utica-Rome Speedway.
(PHOTOS: 1. Nick Sweet has risen from Thunder Road's entry levels to become a top contender in the Late Models; 2. Sweet (#88) battles with Joey Polewarczyk (#97) and Eric Williams (#7VT) at White Mountain; 3. R.I.P. Billy Mays; 4. Tracie Bellerose (#2) takes a flyer in 2003. Photos 1 and 2 by Justin St. Louis/VMM; Photo 4 by Gene Gagne.)
There's a neat little success story that's been brewing for a few years around here, and it's beginning to seem strange that it's one of Vermont racing's best kept secrets: The rise of Nick Sweet.It's likely just a matter of weeks -- days? -- until Sweet takes his first Late Model victory at Thunder Road, or at any track he happens to show up at, and although he's begun to grab some attention, his name is still not usually mentioned in the same breath as Michaud, Williams, Pembroke, Dragon, Cyr, etc. His popularity at Thunder Road has never been in question -- a young, fast racer with success in front of a hometown crowd is an instant recipe for gathering fans -- but the media have largely ignored Sweet.
The question is, why? How can a driver that has won races and championships from the very beginning of his career be so unknown? We think we have an answer.
Sweet started in the four-cylinder Street Stock class at Thunder Road in 2003. He won Rookie of the Year honors, finished second in points two years in a row, and won some races. In 2005, he stepped up to the Tiger Sportsman division, again winning the freshman title and finishing second in points. He won at Thunder Road, Canaan Fair, Lee USA, Airborne Speedway, and at the Sanair mile in Canada, then finally took his first championship at his home track in 2007 with three wins. For a minute it seemed, the local press started to really take notice and give the youngster a few more lines of ink in the papers. But then Sweet purchased a Late Model... and went on the road. There was a buzz surrounding his climb to the region's top levels, but that buzz seemed to disappear as soon as the season began.
Here's why: Sweet had the attention of the local media, and had he stayed at Thunder Road in 2008 running strictly that track's schedule, he likely would have kept that attention. But he and his family team chose to make their next step a big one, joining the ACT Late Model Tour. They struggled, like all rookie teams are supposed to, and consequently, the media lost interest. By the middle of the season, Sweet's car was up front consistently in Tour races, but the local news had already forgotten, as bizarre as that sounds.
All told, he was a top-ten finisher in more than half of the season's ACT events last year, and added impressive runs at the Thunder Road Governor's Cup and Oxford 250 for good measure. He was the ACT Rookie of the Year and finished ninth in points. The regional media took only glancing interest in Sweet's performances, as they usually do with a rookie, and the local media mentioned him only as a footnote in their year-end write-ups.
Now, in 2009, Sweet is back at Thunder Road, running up front, and the people that wrote of his successes just two short years ago are beginning to remember who he is. And on the biggest weekend of the season, one that included regional and even a bit of national press, Nick Sweet proved that everyone should be paying attention.
His 40-lap battle for the win at Thursday's Governor's Cup 150 at Thunder Road with fellow youngster Joey Polewarczyk was the
stuff of a future legend. His third-place finish in a surprise ACT Late Model Tour start at White Mountain Motorsports Park on Saturday night -- in front of some of the same media folks -- only backed up what they'd seen two days before.Nick Sweet is for real. There is no reason why he shouldn't be able to break through and win a few regular events at Thunder Road this summer, why he shouldn't be able to contend for the "King of the Road" crown, or why he shouldn't be considered a threat at next month's TD Banknorth 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway, a race in which he ran as high as third place during the closing stages last year. He's very well spoken, and rarely accepts praise for himself. In a world where too many interviews are cut-and-paste thank-yous to sponsors and crew with very little substance or opinion, Sweet honestly answers the questions he's asked and then gives genuine thanks to his supporters at the end of the interview, rather than begin by saying, "The Saint J Auto Pontiac was great today..." His team and equipment are smartly outfitted, the crew is a friendly, outgoing bunch, and the competitors seem to enjoy having the Sweet group around.
Our unsolicited advice is this: For every lap you watch a kid like Joey Polewarczyk or Scott Payea, try to sneak in at least a corner's worth of Nick Sweet. Although he's unlikely to move beyond the level he's at right now -- and that's a personal choice he's made for himself -- Sweet has the potential to be one of the great drivers this region has seen in many years. Pay attention.
***
Remember the Shark Energy Drink scandal. That's all I'm saying.
***
Man, all I want to do is turn on a Star Search and Charlie's Angels marathon, and do the Moonwalk as I Oxi-Clean the hell out of something. What a terrible week to be a celebrity. Rest in peace, you late, great stalwarts of entertainment.***
This'll be the last shamless plug about "Fifty Years of Excitement" for a while, I promise. The book, honoring 50 years of racing at Barre's Thunder Road, will be available for sale at the track beginning this Thursday, on Pepsi Fireworks Night, for just $10. Here's another piece of the book:
"Day to Remember: August 30, 2003
If there was a Top 10 list of the most significant dates in Thunder Road history, Saturday, August 30, 2003 would almost certainly be in the running for the #1 spot. It was the date of the annual Labor Day weekend event for what was then known as the NASCAR Busch North Series, the date of the final event in the race for the Late Model "King of the Road" battle, and, it turns out, the date of one of New England's most memorable stock car crashes.
First things first: like the Senate race he was a part of, incumbent Thunder Road Champion Phil Scott was feeling the pressure. In nine days' time, Scott had seen Jamie Fisher come from behind to post his first victory of the year on the previous Thursday, August 21, and finish third behind Pete Fecteau and Trampas Demers a week later. Now just two days later, Scott entered with a 33-point lead. In most cases, 33 points is a pretty comfortable margin. In most cases.
Secondly: with the Busch North Series in town, the buzz around Central Vermont was all Thunder Road. Home-track names like Dave Dion, Bobby Dragon, Brian Hoar, Mike Olsen, Dennis Demers, Kip Stockwell, and - for the final time in his Busch North career - Stub Fadden were back in town, with superstar outsiders like Andy Santerre, Mike Stefanik, Kelly and Ryan Moore, and Matt Kobyluck trying their hands on the highbanks again. Add to it the fact that Thunder Road's own Phil Scott, in addition to trying to clinch his second-straight track title, was making his Busch North Series debut.
Third: Still mathematically in the hunt, 2000 "Queen of the Road" Tracie Bellerose had had a fantastic revival season at Thunder Road, winning three features and staying at or near the top all season long. Entering the race, Bellerose was - although not very likely given her point margin behind Scott and Fisher - a candidate for her second Thunder Road title.
As the Late Models completed their qualifying heats to begin the evening just before the advertised post time, Bellerose was hanging it all out. After picking off cars from her back-of-the-pack starting position, Bellerose got a run outside rookie Joey Becker coming off Turn 2. As she drew to Becker's right-side door on the backstretch, Bellerose clearly had enough momentum to complete the pass by the start-finish line just a half-lap away. Entering Turn 3, Bellerose kept her foot buried in the floorboard, using up every bit of her outside-lane run to try and nose ahead of Becker.
She drew nearly even with Becker's red-and-white #16 Chevrolet, adorned in its familiar Richard Green Trucking signage. But Bellerose's orange-and-green #2 Chevrolet, instantly recognizable as the Merchants Bank-sponsored entry, suddenly took a scary right-turn in the beginning of the corner; Becker's left-front suspension broke just as the two entered Turn 3. As
Becker shot up the track at full song into Bellerose, her car immediately hopped into the air and pointed toward the Turn 3 fence. Given their speed and the fact that she was still on the gas, Bellerose and her car became a science experiment, testing the laws of inertia and gravity. As the height of the back end of her car increased, the nose dug into the earth, tipping the car over onto its left side while continuing in a cartwheel-like motion. As the airborne car twisted on two axes, it headed toward the wall, the fence, a tree line, and - God forbid - a jam-packed parking lot full of pedestrians most likely not expecting a sailing 2,800-lb race car to come hurtling at them. Already stripped of most of its body panels, Bellerose's car became simply a black chassis and roll cage, almost totally exposed, and was catapulted over the catch fence out of sight from the race track. Judging by eye-witness accounts and the very limited photography and video that accurately illustrated the incident, Bellerose flipped at least once more end-over-end and side-over-side before coming to rest upside down on a short asphalt access route near the ticket booth. Becker, meanwhile, skidded to a safe stop at the top of Turn 3 as cars stopped for the red flag.
Silence.
Less than five seconds before, Tracie Bellerose looked like she might give the boys a run for the championship. Now, a few thousand fans, competitors, officials, and media wondered if she was still alive, or if others had been injured in the parking lot. As the rescue crew rushed to the emergency gate in Turn 3 near the spot where Bellerose crested the catch fence, everyone held their breath. Announcer Troy Germain was left speechless. The only sounds heard - as even the race cars on the track had shut their engines off almost immediately - were of the ambulance and wrecker vehicles racing to the crash site, and of race director Tom Curley calling to the safety team. For what must have seemed like hours, the Speedway Safety Services and Golden Cross rescue crew tended to Bellerose, who was not only alive, but awake and uninjured, as were the unsuspecting fans nearby, before the call came that everyone was okay. Bellerose was taken to the Central Vermont Medical Center in nearby Berlin for observation, but demanded to be released so she could return to the race track and get her car ready for last-chance qualifying. Once she signed her waiver and returned to Thunder Road, however, she discovered that the car was a total loss."
The chapter 'Day to Remember' continues, chronicling Jamie Fisher's unlikely run to the championship, Phil Scott's unending struggles, and Brian Hoar's hometown victory in the Busch North Series. For more information about "Fifty Years of Excitement", click here.
***
AROUND THE REGION:
Time to take a look at the top Vermonters from the past weekend...
ACT Late Model Tour: John Donahue of Graniteville dominated the White Mountain 150 at New Hampshire's White Mountain Motorsports Park on Saturday night, leading every lap en route to his first win of the season. Brent Dragon of Milton finished second, followed by Nick Sweet of Barre, Eric Williams of Hyde Park, and Maine's Ben Rowe.
Airborne Speedway (Plattsburgh, N.Y.): Mike Bruno of Castleton finished third in the Modifeid feature on Saturday night with Sheldon's Aaron Bartemy fourth. Robin Wood of Plattsburgh, N.Y. scored his fourth-straight Sportsman, with Richie Turner of Fairfax third and Milton's Bill Sawyer eighth. Kevin Boutin of Swanton was the runner-up in the Renegades, with Lance Rabtoy of Fairfax eighth and Milton's Rob Gordon ninth.
Albany-Saratoga Speedway (Malta, N.Y.): Friday's race program was rained out.
Bear Ridge Speedway (Bradford): Wayne Stearns of Thetford Center finished third in the Sportsman Modified feature behind Gary Siemons and Chris Donnelly on Saturday night, with Bradford's Jeremy Huntoon a season-best fourth. Josh Harrington of Topsham took Sportsman Coupe win #5, with Bryan King of Corinth a season-best second, followed by Bradford rookie Jason Horniak, Richie Simmons of Bradford, and Mike McGinley of East Barre. Thetford Center's Dan Eastman won his sixth Limited Late Model feature of the season over Will Hull of East Montpelier and Shane Race of South Strafford. Josh Sunn of White River Junction made the most of a rare appearance by winning the Fast Four feature over Steve Bell and Kevin Harran, both of St. Johnsbury. Bradford's Tom Placey took his third Hornet win of the year over St. Johnsbury's Bobby Lee Bell and Steve Sheldon of St. Johnsbury Center.
Canaan Dirt Speedway (Canaan, N.H.): Dave Lacasse of Thetford Center finished fourth in the Sportsman Modified event on Friday night, with Hartland's Ed Tobin ninth. Will Hull of East Montpelier beat Dan Eastman of Thetford Center for Street Stock checkers, while Josh Sunn of White River Junction won the Mini Stock race. James Hanson of Orwell won the SCONE 360 Sprint Car feature, with cousin Lacey Hanson, also of Orwell, in fourth. Point leader Si Allen of West Windsor was seventh.
Canaan Fair Speedway (Canaan, N.H.): Saturday night's race card was rained out.
Devil's Bowl Speedway (West Haven): Don Mattison of Wells earned his first 358 Modified top-ten finish of the season by winning the 30-lap feature on Sunday night. Frank Hoard, Sr. of Manchester finished second ahead of Orwell's Tim LaDuc. Todd Stone of Middlebury was fifth, Rob Langevin of Londonderry was seventh, and Gardiner Stone of Middlebury was tenth. Fred Little of Salisbury beat Londonderry's Lori Langevin by 0.026 second for the Pro Street Stock win. Brandon's Mike Clark finished third in the Limited feature. Kayla Bryant of Rutland won the 6-cylinder Mini Stock race, Nathan Woodworth of Essex Junction won the 4-cylinder Minis, and with Poultney's Chris Murray was second in the Duke Stocks.
Monadnock Speedway (Winchester, N.H.): Saturday's race event was rained out for the second week in a row.
NASCAR Camping World Series East: Eric Chase of Milton finished 28th in his series debut in the Heluva Good! Summer 125 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H. on Friday.
NASCAR Nationwide Series: Kevin Lepage of Shelburne finished 39th in the Camping World RV Sales 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H. on Saturday.
Pro All Stars Series: Adam Bates of Warner, N.H. won Friday's event at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, Me. Rookie Steven Legendre of Danville was 21st.
Riverside Speedway (Groveton, N.H.): Friday's races were rained out.
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl (Barre): Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. of Hudson, N.H. scored his long-awaited first Thunder Road on Thursday night in the Vermont Governor's Cup 150. Cris Michaud of Northfield was second, followed by Barre's Nick Sweet, Jamie Fisher of Shelburne, and John Donahue of Graniteville. Dave Pembroke of Middlesex, Trampas Demers of South Burlington, Phil Scott of Montpelier, Joey Laquerre of East Montpelier, and Eric Williams of Hyde Park completed the top ten. NASCAR's Tony Stewart was 16th. Pete Ainsworth of Middlesex and Jimmy Hebert of Williamstown split twin Tiger Sportsman features; it was the 10th career win for Ainsworth and the first for 18 year-old Hebert. In twin Street Stock/Junkyard Warrior features, Tommy "Thunder" Smith of Williamstown and David Whitcomb of Elmore were the winners in the Street Stock division, while Kevin Streeter of Waitsfield and Donny Yates of North Montpelier were the top Warriors.
Twin State Speedway (Claremont, N.H.): The weekly racing program at Twin State was rained out on Friday for the second week in a row.
White Mountain Motorsports Park (North Woodstock, N.H.): In support action for the ACT Late Model Tour event, Stevie Parker of Lyndonville was third in the Strictly Stocks with Milton's Gordie Stone seventh. Rubin Call of Concord was second in the Strictly Stock Mini division, with Brendan Hunt of Derby Line fourth and M.C. Ingram of Essex Junction fifth.
***
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl in Barre is in action on Thursday night. On Friday, regular events will be held at Albany-Saratoga, Canaan Dirt, and Twin State. Saturday has the Série ACT-Castrol in action with the annual Montmagny 250 at Autodrome Montmagny near Québec City and the True Value Modified Racing Series is at Monadnock Speedway, while regular events are on tap for Bear Ridge Speedway in Bradford, Airborne, Canaan Fair, and Riverside, as well as a special show at Devil's Bowl Speedway in West Haven for the CRSA and ELS Sprint Car series and DIRTcar and Budget Sportsman divisions. A regular event is scheduled for Sunday at Devil's Bowl as well as Utica-Rome Speedway.
(PHOTOS: 1. Nick Sweet has risen from Thunder Road's entry levels to become a top contender in the Late Models; 2. Sweet (#88) battles with Joey Polewarczyk (#97) and Eric Williams (#7VT) at White Mountain; 3. R.I.P. Billy Mays; 4. Tracie Bellerose (#2) takes a flyer in 2003. Photos 1 and 2 by Justin St. Louis/VMM; Photo 4 by Gene Gagne.)
Monday, June 29, 2009
Times Argus: '50 Years of Excitement ... and counting'
Many thanks to the Barre-Montpelier (VT) Times Argus and Editor Sue Allen and photographer Kyle Martel for the front-page story (above the fold, too!) in Monday's paper about "Fifty Years of Excitement", the upcoming book celebrating the half-century of racing at Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl. Click here to read the story on TimesArgus.com.The book will be available for sale ($10) at Thunder Road beginning on Pepsi Holiday Fireworks Night, this Thursday, July 2.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
The Juice: Not Another Joey Pole Column
-by Justin St. Louis
With all eyes on Tony Stewart on Thursday, Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. and his team have a job to do. Yup, Stewart is driving a Polewarczyk team car, and that car needs to perform. But Polewarczyk is there to win. For himself.
He says he's not thinking about Memorial Day, when he spun out of the lead 18 laps from the finish, or the Milk Bowl victories that he's seen slip away.
"I want to get that monkey off my back at Thunder Road and win. The past is the past and I don't let it bother me, but I do want to win pretty badly," he said.
But Polewarczyk potentially finds himself in the precarious situation of racing against his own car for the victory. Would it upset him to lose to Tony Stewart?
"Um, a little bit... maybe... not really... kinda, yeah," Polewarczyk mused. "I mean, it's my old car that I decided I didn't want to race at Thunder Road any more, so that would make me a little upset if he won with it there. It's a good car with a lot of history for me, we got our first win with it [at Seekonk Speedway in 2007], and it still holds the Thunder Road track record. I haven't raced it since Chaudière last year, and it'd be cool if Tony won in it, but in a way I hope he doesn't.
"I'd rather win anyway and have him finish second."
***
Here's another excerpt from "Fifty Years of Excitement," the new Thunder Road 50th Anniversary book penned by yours truly and Dave Moody. This chapter recounts the night Dave Dion came to Thunder Road for the first time... and won the feature. What followed in the next 35 years was one of the greatest driving careers New England ever saw:
In 1972, a young Vietnam vet from Hudson, N.H. was tearing up the track at Norwood Arena near Boston, and began looking around for something new. After hearing that the regional Goodyear supplier was selling tires at a little track in Vermont, his brothers sent him up to buy a set and bring them home for their race car. But the shopping trip turned into a life-changing experience for this man Dave Dion and his family, not to mention thousands of racing fans across the northeast over the next four decades.
"I had never been to Thunder Road, I think I had only been to Vermont once, just driving through, and I sat up on Bud Hill all by myself," Dion remembers. "That track was unbelievable! There were guys bouncing off the wall, bouncing off each other, and the racing was great. I'm glad there wasn't a camera on me, I must have looked like a fool hooting and hollering at all those guys. When I got home, I told my brothers 'You gotta see this place,' and we went back a few weeks later.
"What a difference it was from the spectator-to-driver sandpoint! My brothers asked me how the car handled, and I said 'I don't know if it handles or not, you can't believe that track! The wall comes straight at you, there's no room!' I didn't like it at all, and I tried to convince my brothers to load the car up and leave because I was scared. I didn't think people should race at a track like that."
Dion stuck around, though, and the story written that night proved to be one of the most important chapters in New England auto racing history. Better to let Dion tell it himself:
"The handicappers had heard a little about us at Norwood and figured I might be a ringer, so they put us in the back of the third (high handicap) heat. Long story short, we didn't qualify. We went to the consi and were fortunate enough to make it into the feature; they started us last, and that was fine with me. There was a crash in Turn 3, and I had no idea what to do. I ended up over the bank, came back and kept going. They lined us up again and put me in front of guys like Bobby Dragon, Jean-Paul Cabana, and all the top dogs because they had wrecked, but since I kept moving they said I wasn't part of the wreck, I guess.
"So we went from 22nd to around 12th, and now I was really scared. I wanted to get the heck out of there, so I ran in fear, and somehow I got to the lead. Eventually the big guys came through the pack, and there was Cabana on my bumper, and I'd read and heard a lot about how tough Cabana was. All I know is the race wore down, there were some restarts, and I was probably all over the track, I'm sure I was, but I held him off and won the race.
"The fans were shocked. Nobody comes into Thunder Road like that and wins. Cabana was mad, he was totally insulted. We were in victory lane and he was waving his arms, speaking in French, and pointing at me.
"Some of the people there convinced us to race at Plattsburgh the next night, and we went over and everyone blew us away. We went home to Norwood and raced, and came back to Thunder Road again the next week, you know, we had to go. Well, I got outside Ronnie Barcomb thinking I knew a little more about the track now, and my right-front tire touched the wall. The next thing you know, it was one of those classic Thunder Road photos from the infield where all you could see is Barcomb's car driving by, and my roof number. The car finally rolled over and back onto its wheels by the end of the front stretch, and we decided to stay home for a while after that.
"It took a long time for me to like that track and feel comfortable. But that first night, that crowd just energized me. Thunder Road's crowd can make you do things you don't think you're capable of, you just don't want to give up when you're racing for them. I've never considered any track too tough to tame since those first nights at Thunder Road. We've run everywhere: Hickory, North Carolina; Langley Field and South Boston, Virgina; Beltsville, Maryland; all over Canada, and they were all easy to race at compared to Thunder Road."
Although the fans may have been "shocked" at his win on July 13, 1972, Dion would quickly build a die-hard following at the track unparalleled by any other driver, one that would help make him one of the most popular racers of all-time in the northeast. And over the next five seasons, Dion would win 22 more times at Thunder Road alone, many of them after instantly-legendary battles with Bobby Dragon -- during that same 1972-77 stretch, Dragon won 20 times and each driver was twice crowned "King of the Road".
After much success at Thunder Road and practically everywhere else -- they were also champions at Catamount Stadium and had an Oxford 250 title under their belts, for example -- Dion and his brothers tried their hand at a limited NASCAR Winston Cup Series schedule from 1978-83, with a top finish of ninth place at Richmond, Va.
"Fifty Years of Excitement" will be available beginning Thursday, July 2 at Thunder Road's Pepsi Holiday Fireworks event. Click here for more information.
***
If my Yahoo! Fantasy NASCAR team was any worse, I'd be arrested for public indecency. I'm sure of that.
My team for the race at Infineon: Kyle Busch, Juan Pablo Montoya, Ryan Newman, and Robby Gordon. Safe bets, right? Busch won that race last year, Montoya the year before, Newman's on a hot streak, and Robby Gordon can just flat drive anything he wants to, especially road courses.
Busch led, then wrecked. Newman ran up front all day, then wrecked. Gordon looked like a hero, then finished 36th. Montoya, thank God, got a top-ten. Out of the 14 people in my league, I'm ranked 159th. And national standings? Forget it.
On to Loudon. I hear Ted Christopher is racing...
***
Gonna be nice to have a little northern rep at Loudon this weekend, as Shelburne's Kevin Lepage, Sean Caisse of Pelham, N.H., and Joey Logano of Middletown, Conn. are entered in Saturday's Nationwide Series event, plus, like we just said, Ted Christopher of Plainville, Conn. will be joining Logano and Patrick Carpentier of Joliette, Qué. in the Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday.
And from the "It's A Stretch, But We'll Take It" Department, A.J. Allmendinger will run with a Dave Dion-like orange paint scheme and sponsorship from Berlin City Auto Group in the Sprint Cup Series event on his #44 Richard Petty Motorsports Dodge. Or Toyota.
***
AROUND THE REGION:
Time to take a look at the top Vermonters from the past weekend...
ACT Late Model Tour: The Nutmeg State 100 at Waterford Speedbowl in Connecticut was re-rained out on Saturday. The race has been re-re-scheduled for Saturday, August 8, according to the Waterford Speedbowl website.
Airborne Speedway (Plattsburgh, N.Y.): Jason Durgan of Morrisonville, N.Y. took a well-deserved first career win in the Modifieds on Saturday night, beating defending track champion Patrick Dupree. Mike Bruno of Castleton finished fifth, with Sheldon's Aaron Bartemy sixth. Robin Wood of Plattsburgh, N.Y. scored his third-straight Sportsman win over Milton's Larry Underwood and Richie Turner of Fairfax. Dave Rabtoy of Swanton finished fourth in the Renegades, with Milton's Rob Gordon seventh and Lance Rabtoy of Fairfax tenth.
Albany-Saratoga Speedway (Malta, N.Y.): A week after Kenny Tremont, Jr. took his 60th win at Devil's Bowl Speedway, he earned his 50th win at Albany-Saratoga on Friday night in the 358 Modified class. Fair Haven's Dave Camara finished fifth, with Vince Quenneville, Jr. of Brandon seventh. Frank Hoard, III of Manchester was the Budget Sportsman runner-up, and South Londonderry's Cullen Howe was eighth. Lori Langevin of Londonderry finished second in the Pro Street Stock feature after Cale Kneer stole the lead on the final lap. Jeff Washburn of Benson was sixth and Chuck Towslee of Manchester Center was ninth.
Bear Ridge Speedway (Bradford): Wayne Stearns of Thetford Center took his second Sportsman Modified win on Saturday night, while Gene Pierson, Jr. of East Corinth finished third in his first start of the year. Bryan King of Corinth was fourth. Josh Harrington of Topsham returned to Sportsman Coupe victory lane with his fourth win of the year, over brothers Billy and Richie Simmons of Bradford. King repeated his Modified finish with a fourth in the Coupe race; Melvin Pierson of Topsham was fifth. Thetford Center's Dan Eastman won his fifth Limited Late Model feature of the season over Bradford's Jeremy Hodge and Will Hull of East Montpelier. Ryan Dutton of Bradford and Nathan Potter of Sharon each took their first Fast Four checkers of the season in twin features, while West Topsham's Kyle Ashford and Bobby Lee Bell of St. Johnsbury split Hornet features. Brenda Atherton of Fairlee won the Hornet Queen race.
Canaan Dirt Speedway (Canaan, N.H.): Friday night's race card was rained out. A new clay surface has been laid down on the track and is being worked in for the June 26 program.
Devil's Bowl Speedway (Fair Haven): Bear Ridge Speedway promoter C.V. Elms, III of North Haverhill, N.H. posted his first Budget Sportsman win of the year in the 50-lap Ridge Runner Series event, with Willy Knight of Dorset and Jared McMahon of Hydeville completing the underdog sweep of the podium positions. Wayne Stearns of Thetford Center was fifth. Carl Vladyka of Fair Haven finished second to Cale Kneer in the Pro Street Stocks, with Jeff Washburn of Benson, Fred Little of Salisbury, and Lori Langevin of Londonderry in tow. Bill Duprey of Hydeville picked up his second Limited win of the year over Brandon's Mike Clark. Kayla Bryant of Rutland won the Mini Stock feature with Fair Haven's Chris Murray taking top Duke Stock honors. The 358 Modifieds were not in action.
Monadnock Speedway (Winchester, N.H.): Saturday's race event was rained out.
Pro All Stars Series: Sunday's event at Unity (Me.) Raceway was rained out.
Riverside Speedway (Groveton, N.H.): Bob Ailes, Sr. of St. Johnsbury finished fourth in the Late Model feature on Saturday night, with Lyndonville's Paul Schartner, III sixth, Steve Hodgdon of Danville seventh, and Brett Gervais of Island Pond ninth. Dilyn Swister of West Burke won the Super Stock feature over St. Johnsbury's Michael Smith. Andrew Fecteau of Hardwick was second in the Street Stocks with West Burke's Jesse Switser fourth. Ernie LaPlant of Lyndonville was second in the Dwarf Car race with Anthony Young of Beecher Falls third.
Série ACT-Castrol: Brent Dragon of Milton made a surprise visit to Riverside Speedway in Ste-Croix, Québec on Saturday night and walked away with his first career Série ACT-Castrol victory. Trampas Demers of South Burlington finished sixth.
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl (Barre): Dennis Demers of Shelburne dominated the Late Model feature on Friday night, with Robbie Crouch second. Phil Scott of Montpelier finished third over Jeffersonville's Joey Becker and Trampas Demers of South Burlington. Mike Ziter of Williamstown earned his first Tiger Sportsman win of the season over Bobby Therrien of Hinesburg, Barre's Tony Rossi, Derrick O'Donnell of Bradford, and David Finck of Barre. Street Stocker Michael Moore of East Haven won the Street Stock/Junkyard Warrior 'A' feature over Topsham's Tim Campbell. Joe Blais of East Barre finished third over Lincoln's Garry Bashaw and Bunker Hodgdon of Hardwick. Donny Yates of North Montpelier was the Junkyard Warrior winner. Greg Adams, Jr. of Hardwick on the Street Stock/Warrior 'reserve' feature for the second week in a row.
True Value Modified Racing Series: Thursday's race at Thompson Int'l Speedway in Connecticut was postponed by rain to Thursday, July 23.
Twin State Speedway (Claremont, N.H.): The weekly racing program at Twin State was rained out on Friday and again on Sunday.
White Mountain Motorsports Park (North Woodstock, N.H.): Stacy Cahoon of St. Johnsbury finished third in the Late Model feature on Saturday night, with Morrisville's Dwayne Lanphear fifth. Stevie Parker of Lyndonville won the Strictly Stock feature, and Concord's Rubin Call was the Strictly Stock Mini runner-up.
***
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl in Barre welcomes NASCAR's Tony Stewart on Thursday for the CARQUEST Vermont Governor's Cup 150, an ACT Invitational qualifying event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. On Friday, the PASS North Super Late Models are at Maine's Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, the NASCAR Camping World Series East is at NHMS, and regular events will be held at Albany-Saratoga, Canaan Dirt, and Twin State. The ACT Late Model Tour is at White Mountain Motorsports Park on Saturday, NASCAR's Nationwide Series and Whelen Modified Tour are at NHMS, and regular events are on tap for Airborne, Bear Ridge, Canaan Fair, Mondanock, and Riverside (N.H.). Devil's Bowl and Utica-Rome speedways return to action on Sunday, while the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' Lenox Industrial Tools 301 is at NHMS.
With all eyes on Tony Stewart on Thursday, Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. and his team have a job to do. Yup, Stewart is driving a Polewarczyk team car, and that car needs to perform. But Polewarczyk is there to win. For himself.
He says he's not thinking about Memorial Day, when he spun out of the lead 18 laps from the finish, or the Milk Bowl victories that he's seen slip away.
"I want to get that monkey off my back at Thunder Road and win. The past is the past and I don't let it bother me, but I do want to win pretty badly," he said.
But Polewarczyk potentially finds himself in the precarious situation of racing against his own car for the victory. Would it upset him to lose to Tony Stewart?
"Um, a little bit... maybe... not really... kinda, yeah," Polewarczyk mused. "I mean, it's my old car that I decided I didn't want to race at Thunder Road any more, so that would make me a little upset if he won with it there. It's a good car with a lot of history for me, we got our first win with it [at Seekonk Speedway in 2007], and it still holds the Thunder Road track record. I haven't raced it since Chaudière last year, and it'd be cool if Tony won in it, but in a way I hope he doesn't.
"I'd rather win anyway and have him finish second."
***
Here's another excerpt from "Fifty Years of Excitement," the new Thunder Road 50th Anniversary book penned by yours truly and Dave Moody. This chapter recounts the night Dave Dion came to Thunder Road for the first time... and won the feature. What followed in the next 35 years was one of the greatest driving careers New England ever saw:
In 1972, a young Vietnam vet from Hudson, N.H. was tearing up the track at Norwood Arena near Boston, and began looking around for something new. After hearing that the regional Goodyear supplier was selling tires at a little track in Vermont, his brothers sent him up to buy a set and bring them home for their race car. But the shopping trip turned into a life-changing experience for this man Dave Dion and his family, not to mention thousands of racing fans across the northeast over the next four decades.
"I had never been to Thunder Road, I think I had only been to Vermont once, just driving through, and I sat up on Bud Hill all by myself," Dion remembers. "That track was unbelievable! There were guys bouncing off the wall, bouncing off each other, and the racing was great. I'm glad there wasn't a camera on me, I must have looked like a fool hooting and hollering at all those guys. When I got home, I told my brothers 'You gotta see this place,' and we went back a few weeks later.
"What a difference it was from the spectator-to-driver sandpoint! My brothers asked me how the car handled, and I said 'I don't know if it handles or not, you can't believe that track! The wall comes straight at you, there's no room!' I didn't like it at all, and I tried to convince my brothers to load the car up and leave because I was scared. I didn't think people should race at a track like that."
Dion stuck around, though, and the story written that night proved to be one of the most important chapters in New England auto racing history. Better to let Dion tell it himself:
"The handicappers had heard a little about us at Norwood and figured I might be a ringer, so they put us in the back of the third (high handicap) heat. Long story short, we didn't qualify. We went to the consi and were fortunate enough to make it into the feature; they started us last, and that was fine with me. There was a crash in Turn 3, and I had no idea what to do. I ended up over the bank, came back and kept going. They lined us up again and put me in front of guys like Bobby Dragon, Jean-Paul Cabana, and all the top dogs because they had wrecked, but since I kept moving they said I wasn't part of the wreck, I guess.
"So we went from 22nd to around 12th, and now I was really scared. I wanted to get the heck out of there, so I ran in fear, and somehow I got to the lead. Eventually the big guys came through the pack, and there was Cabana on my bumper, and I'd read and heard a lot about how tough Cabana was. All I know is the race wore down, there were some restarts, and I was probably all over the track, I'm sure I was, but I held him off and won the race.
"The fans were shocked. Nobody comes into Thunder Road like that and wins. Cabana was mad, he was totally insulted. We were in victory lane and he was waving his arms, speaking in French, and pointing at me.
"Some of the people there convinced us to race at Plattsburgh the next night, and we went over and everyone blew us away. We went home to Norwood and raced, and came back to Thunder Road again the next week, you know, we had to go. Well, I got outside Ronnie Barcomb thinking I knew a little more about the track now, and my right-front tire touched the wall. The next thing you know, it was one of those classic Thunder Road photos from the infield where all you could see is Barcomb's car driving by, and my roof number. The car finally rolled over and back onto its wheels by the end of the front stretch, and we decided to stay home for a while after that.
"It took a long time for me to like that track and feel comfortable. But that first night, that crowd just energized me. Thunder Road's crowd can make you do things you don't think you're capable of, you just don't want to give up when you're racing for them. I've never considered any track too tough to tame since those first nights at Thunder Road. We've run everywhere: Hickory, North Carolina; Langley Field and South Boston, Virgina; Beltsville, Maryland; all over Canada, and they were all easy to race at compared to Thunder Road."
Although the fans may have been "shocked" at his win on July 13, 1972, Dion would quickly build a die-hard following at the track unparalleled by any other driver, one that would help make him one of the most popular racers of all-time in the northeast. And over the next five seasons, Dion would win 22 more times at Thunder Road alone, many of them after instantly-legendary battles with Bobby Dragon -- during that same 1972-77 stretch, Dragon won 20 times and each driver was twice crowned "King of the Road".
After much success at Thunder Road and practically everywhere else -- they were also champions at Catamount Stadium and had an Oxford 250 title under their belts, for example -- Dion and his brothers tried their hand at a limited NASCAR Winston Cup Series schedule from 1978-83, with a top finish of ninth place at Richmond, Va.
"Fifty Years of Excitement" will be available beginning Thursday, July 2 at Thunder Road's Pepsi Holiday Fireworks event. Click here for more information.
***
If my Yahoo! Fantasy NASCAR team was any worse, I'd be arrested for public indecency. I'm sure of that.
My team for the race at Infineon: Kyle Busch, Juan Pablo Montoya, Ryan Newman, and Robby Gordon. Safe bets, right? Busch won that race last year, Montoya the year before, Newman's on a hot streak, and Robby Gordon can just flat drive anything he wants to, especially road courses.
Busch led, then wrecked. Newman ran up front all day, then wrecked. Gordon looked like a hero, then finished 36th. Montoya, thank God, got a top-ten. Out of the 14 people in my league, I'm ranked 159th. And national standings? Forget it.
On to Loudon. I hear Ted Christopher is racing...
***
Gonna be nice to have a little northern rep at Loudon this weekend, as Shelburne's Kevin Lepage, Sean Caisse of Pelham, N.H., and Joey Logano of Middletown, Conn. are entered in Saturday's Nationwide Series event, plus, like we just said, Ted Christopher of Plainville, Conn. will be joining Logano and Patrick Carpentier of Joliette, Qué. in the Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday.
And from the "It's A Stretch, But We'll Take It" Department, A.J. Allmendinger will run with a Dave Dion-like orange paint scheme and sponsorship from Berlin City Auto Group in the Sprint Cup Series event on his #44 Richard Petty Motorsports Dodge. Or Toyota.
***
AROUND THE REGION:
Time to take a look at the top Vermonters from the past weekend...
ACT Late Model Tour: The Nutmeg State 100 at Waterford Speedbowl in Connecticut was re-rained out on Saturday. The race has been re-re-scheduled for Saturday, August 8, according to the Waterford Speedbowl website.
Airborne Speedway (Plattsburgh, N.Y.): Jason Durgan of Morrisonville, N.Y. took a well-deserved first career win in the Modifieds on Saturday night, beating defending track champion Patrick Dupree. Mike Bruno of Castleton finished fifth, with Sheldon's Aaron Bartemy sixth. Robin Wood of Plattsburgh, N.Y. scored his third-straight Sportsman win over Milton's Larry Underwood and Richie Turner of Fairfax. Dave Rabtoy of Swanton finished fourth in the Renegades, with Milton's Rob Gordon seventh and Lance Rabtoy of Fairfax tenth.
Albany-Saratoga Speedway (Malta, N.Y.): A week after Kenny Tremont, Jr. took his 60th win at Devil's Bowl Speedway, he earned his 50th win at Albany-Saratoga on Friday night in the 358 Modified class. Fair Haven's Dave Camara finished fifth, with Vince Quenneville, Jr. of Brandon seventh. Frank Hoard, III of Manchester was the Budget Sportsman runner-up, and South Londonderry's Cullen Howe was eighth. Lori Langevin of Londonderry finished second in the Pro Street Stock feature after Cale Kneer stole the lead on the final lap. Jeff Washburn of Benson was sixth and Chuck Towslee of Manchester Center was ninth.
Bear Ridge Speedway (Bradford): Wayne Stearns of Thetford Center took his second Sportsman Modified win on Saturday night, while Gene Pierson, Jr. of East Corinth finished third in his first start of the year. Bryan King of Corinth was fourth. Josh Harrington of Topsham returned to Sportsman Coupe victory lane with his fourth win of the year, over brothers Billy and Richie Simmons of Bradford. King repeated his Modified finish with a fourth in the Coupe race; Melvin Pierson of Topsham was fifth. Thetford Center's Dan Eastman won his fifth Limited Late Model feature of the season over Bradford's Jeremy Hodge and Will Hull of East Montpelier. Ryan Dutton of Bradford and Nathan Potter of Sharon each took their first Fast Four checkers of the season in twin features, while West Topsham's Kyle Ashford and Bobby Lee Bell of St. Johnsbury split Hornet features. Brenda Atherton of Fairlee won the Hornet Queen race.
Canaan Dirt Speedway (Canaan, N.H.): Friday night's race card was rained out. A new clay surface has been laid down on the track and is being worked in for the June 26 program.
Devil's Bowl Speedway (Fair Haven): Bear Ridge Speedway promoter C.V. Elms, III of North Haverhill, N.H. posted his first Budget Sportsman win of the year in the 50-lap Ridge Runner Series event, with Willy Knight of Dorset and Jared McMahon of Hydeville completing the underdog sweep of the podium positions. Wayne Stearns of Thetford Center was fifth. Carl Vladyka of Fair Haven finished second to Cale Kneer in the Pro Street Stocks, with Jeff Washburn of Benson, Fred Little of Salisbury, and Lori Langevin of Londonderry in tow. Bill Duprey of Hydeville picked up his second Limited win of the year over Brandon's Mike Clark. Kayla Bryant of Rutland won the Mini Stock feature with Fair Haven's Chris Murray taking top Duke Stock honors. The 358 Modifieds were not in action.
Monadnock Speedway (Winchester, N.H.): Saturday's race event was rained out.
Pro All Stars Series: Sunday's event at Unity (Me.) Raceway was rained out.
Riverside Speedway (Groveton, N.H.): Bob Ailes, Sr. of St. Johnsbury finished fourth in the Late Model feature on Saturday night, with Lyndonville's Paul Schartner, III sixth, Steve Hodgdon of Danville seventh, and Brett Gervais of Island Pond ninth. Dilyn Swister of West Burke won the Super Stock feature over St. Johnsbury's Michael Smith. Andrew Fecteau of Hardwick was second in the Street Stocks with West Burke's Jesse Switser fourth. Ernie LaPlant of Lyndonville was second in the Dwarf Car race with Anthony Young of Beecher Falls third.
Série ACT-Castrol: Brent Dragon of Milton made a surprise visit to Riverside Speedway in Ste-Croix, Québec on Saturday night and walked away with his first career Série ACT-Castrol victory. Trampas Demers of South Burlington finished sixth.
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl (Barre): Dennis Demers of Shelburne dominated the Late Model feature on Friday night, with Robbie Crouch second. Phil Scott of Montpelier finished third over Jeffersonville's Joey Becker and Trampas Demers of South Burlington. Mike Ziter of Williamstown earned his first Tiger Sportsman win of the season over Bobby Therrien of Hinesburg, Barre's Tony Rossi, Derrick O'Donnell of Bradford, and David Finck of Barre. Street Stocker Michael Moore of East Haven won the Street Stock/Junkyard Warrior 'A' feature over Topsham's Tim Campbell. Joe Blais of East Barre finished third over Lincoln's Garry Bashaw and Bunker Hodgdon of Hardwick. Donny Yates of North Montpelier was the Junkyard Warrior winner. Greg Adams, Jr. of Hardwick on the Street Stock/Warrior 'reserve' feature for the second week in a row.
True Value Modified Racing Series: Thursday's race at Thompson Int'l Speedway in Connecticut was postponed by rain to Thursday, July 23.
Twin State Speedway (Claremont, N.H.): The weekly racing program at Twin State was rained out on Friday and again on Sunday.
White Mountain Motorsports Park (North Woodstock, N.H.): Stacy Cahoon of St. Johnsbury finished third in the Late Model feature on Saturday night, with Morrisville's Dwayne Lanphear fifth. Stevie Parker of Lyndonville won the Strictly Stock feature, and Concord's Rubin Call was the Strictly Stock Mini runner-up.
***
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl in Barre welcomes NASCAR's Tony Stewart on Thursday for the CARQUEST Vermont Governor's Cup 150, an ACT Invitational qualifying event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. On Friday, the PASS North Super Late Models are at Maine's Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, the NASCAR Camping World Series East is at NHMS, and regular events will be held at Albany-Saratoga, Canaan Dirt, and Twin State. The ACT Late Model Tour is at White Mountain Motorsports Park on Saturday, NASCAR's Nationwide Series and Whelen Modified Tour are at NHMS, and regular events are on tap for Airborne, Bear Ridge, Canaan Fair, Mondanock, and Riverside (N.H.). Devil's Bowl and Utica-Rome speedways return to action on Sunday, while the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' Lenox Industrial Tools 301 is at NHMS.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
"Fifty Years of Excitement" Now Available
Book Chronicles 50 Years at Vermont's Thunder Road
BARRE, VT -- A book celebrating the 50th season of Thunder Road International Speedbowl, a quarter-mile stock car short track in Barre, VT, will be available for sale starting Thursday, July 2, 2009. The release of "Fifty Years of Excitement" coincides with the track's Pepsi Holiday Fireworks event on July 2, and leads up to the track's official 50th Anniversary Celebration event on Sunday, July 5.
"Fifty Years of Excitement" is an 88-page history of Thunder Road -- nicknamed the "Nation's Site of Excitement" -- and the colorful personalities that have made a half-century of memories at a track recognized nationwide for its success and longevity. Over 250 black-and-white and full-color photographs illustrate important moments since the track's opening in 1960.
Included are stories of legendary Thunder Road racers Ronnie Marvin, Johnny Gammell, Chester T. Wood, Dave Dion, Robbie Crouch, the Dragon family, and more, and recaps of every division of racing from the rag-tag 1960s Sportsman Coupes to the sleek Late Models of the 2000s. Highlights also include a letter from Vermont Governor James Douglas, memories from Thunder Road co-owners Ken Squier and Tom Curley, and an up-to-date list of the track's all-time race winners.
"Fifty Years of Excitement", co-written by former Thunder Road announcers Justin St. Louis and Dave Moody, will be available for just $10 at all Thunder Road events beginning Thursday, July 2. To order by mail, send a $12.95 check or money order (includes $2.95 S&H -- U.S. funds) to "Fifty Years of Excitement" c/o John O. Casey, 6134 The Terraces, Shelburne, VT 05482, or call (802) 985-1541 or email johnocasey@comcast.net.
For information on Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, visit www.thunderroadspeedbowl.com or call (802) 244-6963.
BARRE, VT -- A book celebrating the 50th season of Thunder Road International Speedbowl, a quarter-mile stock car short track in Barre, VT, will be available for sale starting Thursday, July 2, 2009. The release of "Fifty Years of Excitement" coincides with the track's Pepsi Holiday Fireworks event on July 2, and leads up to the track's official 50th Anniversary Celebration event on Sunday, July 5. "Fifty Years of Excitement" is an 88-page history of Thunder Road -- nicknamed the "Nation's Site of Excitement" -- and the colorful personalities that have made a half-century of memories at a track recognized nationwide for its success and longevity. Over 250 black-and-white and full-color photographs illustrate important moments since the track's opening in 1960.
Included are stories of legendary Thunder Road racers Ronnie Marvin, Johnny Gammell, Chester T. Wood, Dave Dion, Robbie Crouch, the Dragon family, and more, and recaps of every division of racing from the rag-tag 1960s Sportsman Coupes to the sleek Late Models of the 2000s. Highlights also include a letter from Vermont Governor James Douglas, memories from Thunder Road co-owners Ken Squier and Tom Curley, and an up-to-date list of the track's all-time race winners.
"Fifty Years of Excitement", co-written by former Thunder Road announcers Justin St. Louis and Dave Moody, will be available for just $10 at all Thunder Road events beginning Thursday, July 2. To order by mail, send a $12.95 check or money order (includes $2.95 S&H -- U.S. funds) to "Fifty Years of Excitement" c/o John O. Casey, 6134 The Terraces, Shelburne, VT 05482, or call (802) 985-1541 or email johnocasey@comcast.net.
For information on Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, visit www.thunderroadspeedbowl.com or call (802) 244-6963.
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