Modified Racing Series coverage presented by GossCars.com
BARRE-- It was nearly as simple as copying and pasting last year’s Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic results at Barre’s Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl on Sunday: Steve Masse dominated the Modified Racing Series event, and Dave Pembroke dominated the Late Model race.
But it wasn’t that simple.
While he stole the headlines with his career-first MRS win last year, Masse was nearly an afterthought to the MRS portion of the event in 2010, after a controversial finish involving Les Hinckley and Rowan Pennink at Airborne Speedway on Saturday night centered the focus on those two drivers.
Hinckley would prove to be a non-factor at Thunder Road, but Pennink kept everyone’s attention with two frightful trips over the top of the first turn, one of which sent his car into a barrel roll.
But once Pennink’s dust settled and he eventually retired from the event, Masse assumed the lead role. Masse was unchallenged virtually the entire 100-lap distance, leading by as much as a half-lap.
“I like this track,” said the 20 year-old Bellingham, Mass., driver, whose two career Modified Racing Series victories have both come at the track known to chew up and spit out veterans three times his age. “For some reason I know how to drive it. I feel like I’ve got a good grip on it. I don’t know how to explain it.”
Masse wrecked his primary car at Airborne on Saturday night and rolled out his back-up car to win at Thunder Road.
“The car was awesome, that’s it,” said Masse, who started fifth on the 24-car field. “[The win] is a tremendous thing. We found something [wrong with the car] over the long break we just had, and I think we’re going to be a contender all year long from now on. We should be fast at every track.”
Rob Goodenough of Swanzey, N.H., drove from seventh at the start to finish as the runner-up, and Ken Barry of Preston, Conn., came from 12th to finish a season-best third. Three-time MRS champion Kirk Alexander of West Swanzey, N.H., was fourth and rookie Max Zachem of Preston, Conn., was fifth. Hinckley finished sixth with Ascutney rookie Joey Jarvis seventh. Charlie Pasteryak, Dwight Jarvis, and Eddy Spiers completed the unofficial top ten.
Pembroke’s drive wasn’t quite as easy initially during the 100-lap Late Model feature, coming from 14th at the start.
As Pembroke drove through the field, Graniteville’s John Donahue battled Jeffersonville driver Joe Becker at the front, banging doors and fenders several times. Nick Sweet, who had arguably the fastest car on the track, made his way by Becker on lap 37 and raced outside Donahue for the lead until they came together on lap 46.
Sweet spun to bring out the yellow flag, leaving Pembroke in fourth place for the restart. Donahue and Becker resumed their previous fight up front, with the final blow coming on lap 68. As Becker slid up the track, Pembroke dived under both drivers to take the lead, then cruised to a large lead. He withstood a lap-96 restart and beat Donahue by two car-lengths to the finish. Donahue nipped Hyde Park’s Eric Williams by a foot for second place; Becker faded to sixth.
“I don’t want to say that luck was why I won, but it helped that I didn’t have to pass Nick to win the race. He had the fastest car, I think,” Pembroke said. “When [Donahue] and Joe Becker kind of touched a little bit getting into [Turn 1], Becker had to chase his car up the track and I just was able to turn under him.”
Pembroke’s Memorial Day Classic victory was his third in four years in the event. His name now ranks among some of the all-time Thunder Road elite winners and champions, including multi-time Memorial Day winners Dave Dion, Jean-Paul Cabana, and Robbie Crouch.
“I used to come here as a kid [to watch them race], and now… I don’t even know,” Pembroke said of his accomplishment. “It’s crazy. Crazy.”
Joey Laquerre of East Montpelier was fourth behind Williams, with Charlotte’s Rich Lowrey fifth. Tracie Bellerose, Jamie Fisher, Sweet, and Brent Dragon followed Becker across the line to complete the top ten.
Brendan Moodie of North Wolcott held off a race-long challenge from Hinesburg’s Tom Therrien to win the 35-lap Tiger Sportsman feature. Ricky Roberts was third, with Lance Allen and David Finck rounding out the top five.
Travis Hull of Graniteville earned his first career Street Stock victory over Mike MacAskill, Dan Lathrop, Jamie Davis, and Dave LaFleche. Ken Christman of Cabot earned his second Junkyard Warrior win in as many starts, beating Josh Erwin and Brock Parrott. Amanda Habel of Roxbury earned her first win the Street Stock/Warrior reserve feature.
Showing posts with label Ken Christman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ken Christman. Show all posts
Sunday, May 30, 2010
RESULTS: Memorial Day Classic Twin 100s @ Thunder Road, 5/30/10
Modified Racing Series coverage presented by GossCars.com
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS – Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic 100
Modified Racing Series – Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl, Barre, Vt.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
(Pos.-Driver-Hometown)
# - denotes rookie
1. Steve Masse, Bellingham, Mass.
2. Rob Goodenough, Swanzey, N.H.
3. Ken Barry, Preston, Conn.
4. Kirk Alexander, West Swanzey, N.H.
5. #Max Zachem, Preston, Conn.
6. Les Hinckley, Windsor Locks, Conn.
7. #Joey Jarvis, Ascutney
8. Charlie Pasteryak, Lisbon, Conn.
9. Dwight Jarvis, Ascutney
10. Eddy Spiers, Beacon Falls, Conn.
11. Matt Hirschman, Northampton, Pa.
12. Todd Annarummo, Swansea, Mass.
13. #Norm Wrenn, Nashua, N.H.
14. John Cleary, Madison, Conn.
15. #Kurt Vigeant, Oxford, Mass.
16. Kenny White, Jr., Weare, N.H.
17. Jimmy Kuhn, Jr., Bridgewater, Mass.
18. Eric Goodale, Wading River, N.Y.
19. Andy Seuss, Hampstead, N.H.
20. Geoff Gernhard, Salem, Conn.
21. Jon McKennedy, Chelmsford, Mass.
22. Jacob Dore, Sanford, Me.
23. Jimmy Dolan, Bethel, Conn.
24. Rowan Pennink, Huntington Valley, Pa.
Late Model 100
1. Dave Pembroke, Middlesex
2. John Donahue, Graniteville
3. Eric Williams, Hyde Park
4. Joey Laquerre, East Montpelier
5. Rich Lowrey, Charlotte
6. Joey Becker, Jeffersonville
7. Tracie Bellerose, Gorham, N.H.
8. Jamie Fisher, Shelburne
9. Nick Sweet, Barre
10. Brent Dragon, Milton
11. Matt White, Northfield
12. Brooks Clark, Fayston
13. Eric Chase, Milton
14. Pete Potvin, III, Graniteville
15. #Cody Blake, Barre
16. Dave Whitcomb, Essex Junction
17. Mike Bailey, South Barre
18. D.J. Shaw, Center Conway, N.H.
19. Pete Fecteau, Morrisville
20. Doug Murphy, Tunbridge
21. Jerry Lesage, Winooski
22. Dylan Smith, Randolph
23. Grant Folsom, Waitsfield
24. Reno Gervais, Island Pond
25. Cris Michaud, Northfield
26. Chris Chambers, Brookfield
27. #Nate Brown, Craftsbury
28. Tony Andrews, Northfield
29. Phil Scott, Montpelier
Bond Auto Tiger Sportsman (35 laps)
1. Brendan Moodie, North Wolcott
2. Tom Therrien, Hinesburg
3. Ricky Roberts, Washington
4. Lance Allen, Barre
5. David Finck, Barre
6. Shawn Fleury, Middlesex
7. Bobby Therrien, Hinesburg
8. Derrick O’Donnell, Bradford
9. Joel Hodgdon, Craftsbury
10. Eric Badore, Milton
Allen Lumber Street Stock/Junkyard Warrior (25 laps)
1. Travis Hull, Graniteville (SS)
2. Mike MacAskill, Williamstown (SS)
3. Dan Lathrop, Hyde Park (SS)
4. Jamie Davis, Wolcott (SS)
5. Dave LaFleche, Williamstown (SS)
18. Ken Christman, Cabot (JW)
23. Josh Erwin, Waterbury (JW)
24. Brock Parrott, Williamstown (JW)
27. Fred Schroeder, Bristol (JW)
28. Kevin Dodge, Barre (JW)
Street Stock/Junkyard Warrior Reserve Feature (25 laps)
1. Amanda Habel, Roxbury (SS)
2. #Jayme Lee, Barre (SS)
3. Ron Gabaree, Barre (SS)
4. #Donny Yates, North Montpelier (SS)
5. Rick Utley, Jr., Wheelock (SS)
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS – Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic 100
Modified Racing Series – Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl, Barre, Vt.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
(Pos.-Driver-Hometown)
# - denotes rookie
1. Steve Masse, Bellingham, Mass.
2. Rob Goodenough, Swanzey, N.H.
3. Ken Barry, Preston, Conn.
4. Kirk Alexander, West Swanzey, N.H.
5. #Max Zachem, Preston, Conn.
6. Les Hinckley, Windsor Locks, Conn.
7. #Joey Jarvis, Ascutney
8. Charlie Pasteryak, Lisbon, Conn.
9. Dwight Jarvis, Ascutney
10. Eddy Spiers, Beacon Falls, Conn.
11. Matt Hirschman, Northampton, Pa.
12. Todd Annarummo, Swansea, Mass.
13. #Norm Wrenn, Nashua, N.H.
14. John Cleary, Madison, Conn.
15. #Kurt Vigeant, Oxford, Mass.
16. Kenny White, Jr., Weare, N.H.
17. Jimmy Kuhn, Jr., Bridgewater, Mass.
18. Eric Goodale, Wading River, N.Y.
19. Andy Seuss, Hampstead, N.H.
20. Geoff Gernhard, Salem, Conn.
21. Jon McKennedy, Chelmsford, Mass.
22. Jacob Dore, Sanford, Me.
23. Jimmy Dolan, Bethel, Conn.
24. Rowan Pennink, Huntington Valley, Pa.
Late Model 100
1. Dave Pembroke, Middlesex
2. John Donahue, Graniteville
3. Eric Williams, Hyde Park
4. Joey Laquerre, East Montpelier
5. Rich Lowrey, Charlotte
6. Joey Becker, Jeffersonville
7. Tracie Bellerose, Gorham, N.H.
8. Jamie Fisher, Shelburne
9. Nick Sweet, Barre
10. Brent Dragon, Milton
11. Matt White, Northfield
12. Brooks Clark, Fayston
13. Eric Chase, Milton
14. Pete Potvin, III, Graniteville
15. #Cody Blake, Barre
16. Dave Whitcomb, Essex Junction
17. Mike Bailey, South Barre
18. D.J. Shaw, Center Conway, N.H.
19. Pete Fecteau, Morrisville
20. Doug Murphy, Tunbridge
21. Jerry Lesage, Winooski
22. Dylan Smith, Randolph
23. Grant Folsom, Waitsfield
24. Reno Gervais, Island Pond
25. Cris Michaud, Northfield
26. Chris Chambers, Brookfield
27. #Nate Brown, Craftsbury
28. Tony Andrews, Northfield
29. Phil Scott, Montpelier
Bond Auto Tiger Sportsman (35 laps)
1. Brendan Moodie, North Wolcott
2. Tom Therrien, Hinesburg
3. Ricky Roberts, Washington
4. Lance Allen, Barre
5. David Finck, Barre
6. Shawn Fleury, Middlesex
7. Bobby Therrien, Hinesburg
8. Derrick O’Donnell, Bradford
9. Joel Hodgdon, Craftsbury
10. Eric Badore, Milton
Allen Lumber Street Stock/Junkyard Warrior (25 laps)
1. Travis Hull, Graniteville (SS)
2. Mike MacAskill, Williamstown (SS)
3. Dan Lathrop, Hyde Park (SS)
4. Jamie Davis, Wolcott (SS)
5. Dave LaFleche, Williamstown (SS)
18. Ken Christman, Cabot (JW)
23. Josh Erwin, Waterbury (JW)
24. Brock Parrott, Williamstown (JW)
27. Fred Schroeder, Bristol (JW)
28. Kevin Dodge, Barre (JW)
Street Stock/Junkyard Warrior Reserve Feature (25 laps)
1. Amanda Habel, Roxbury (SS)
2. #Jayme Lee, Barre (SS)
3. Ron Gabaree, Barre (SS)
4. #Donny Yates, North Montpelier (SS)
5. Rick Utley, Jr., Wheelock (SS)
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Sweet Takes First ACT Victory at Thunder Road
BARRE – The first 80 laps of Sunday’s Merchants Bank 150 at Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl appeared to be a continuation of Dave Pembroke’s dominance of American-Canadian Tour events at the Barre track. After starting from the outside pole, the Middlesex driver had a full straightaway lead by lap 12 and was pulling away. That all changed on a lap 80 restart, though, as Patrick Laperle of St-Denis, Que., and hometown driver Nick Sweet arrived on the scene.
Laperle rode the outside line to take the lead on lap 81, then the trio waged a 40-lap battle at the front. Pembroke reassumed the lead on lap 96 before Sweet took over 14 circuits later. Pembroke and Sweet swapped the point four more times between laps 112 and 121 before Sweet took control for good. Defending ACT champion Brian Hoar of Williston arrived late in the going for second place, with Laperle third and Pembroke fourth.
“These long races are all about patience,” said Sweet, who started 12th on the 30-car grid. “You have to set up for these kinds of races. You can’t burn the tires off too soon, and I saved it. I’ve learned a lot over these past couple years, and look at me now, I’m winning races.”
For Sweet, in his third season of racing the top-tier Late Model division, the Merchants Bank 150 was his first ACT victory. For his competitors, though, it felt like a long time coming.
“I closed in on Nick the last five laps and tried to nerve him up a little bit, but he did a great job,” said Hoar. “He didn’t nerve up much. He’s definitely a future champion.”
“This is the first race we’ve had to worry about Nick Sweet,” Pembroke said sarcastically; the two are weekly competitors at Thunder Road. “We knew last year that Nick was a great, great driver.”
Mark Lamberton of Mooers Forks, N.Y., had a strong return to full-time competition by finishing in fifth place. The unofficial top ten was completed by Craig Bushey, Joey Laquerre, Chip Grenier, polesitter Scott Payea, and Mark Hayward in a career-best tenth.
With the win, Sweet became the first driver to qualify for the ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September.
Veteran driver George May of Barre won the 35-lap Tiger Sportsman feature in a caution-free event. May’s last win at Thunder Road came in 1994. Mike Ziter of Williamstown was second, followed by Cody Blake, Joel Hodgdon, and Josh Demers.
Street Stock driver Mike MacAskill of Williamstown dominated the first of two Street Stock/Junkyard Warrior combined features, with Travis Hull second and Bunker Hodgdon third. Tim Campbell of West Topsham beat Greg Adams, Jr., by two feet to win the second feature, with Barre’s Ron Gabaree third. Cabot’s Ken Christman and Kevin Wheatley of Williamstown were the top-finishing Junkyard Warrior drivers in their respective features.
Laperle rode the outside line to take the lead on lap 81, then the trio waged a 40-lap battle at the front. Pembroke reassumed the lead on lap 96 before Sweet took over 14 circuits later. Pembroke and Sweet swapped the point four more times between laps 112 and 121 before Sweet took control for good. Defending ACT champion Brian Hoar of Williston arrived late in the going for second place, with Laperle third and Pembroke fourth.
“These long races are all about patience,” said Sweet, who started 12th on the 30-car grid. “You have to set up for these kinds of races. You can’t burn the tires off too soon, and I saved it. I’ve learned a lot over these past couple years, and look at me now, I’m winning races.”
For Sweet, in his third season of racing the top-tier Late Model division, the Merchants Bank 150 was his first ACT victory. For his competitors, though, it felt like a long time coming.
“I closed in on Nick the last five laps and tried to nerve him up a little bit, but he did a great job,” said Hoar. “He didn’t nerve up much. He’s definitely a future champion.”
“This is the first race we’ve had to worry about Nick Sweet,” Pembroke said sarcastically; the two are weekly competitors at Thunder Road. “We knew last year that Nick was a great, great driver.”
Mark Lamberton of Mooers Forks, N.Y., had a strong return to full-time competition by finishing in fifth place. The unofficial top ten was completed by Craig Bushey, Joey Laquerre, Chip Grenier, polesitter Scott Payea, and Mark Hayward in a career-best tenth.
With the win, Sweet became the first driver to qualify for the ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September.
Veteran driver George May of Barre won the 35-lap Tiger Sportsman feature in a caution-free event. May’s last win at Thunder Road came in 1994. Mike Ziter of Williamstown was second, followed by Cody Blake, Joel Hodgdon, and Josh Demers.
Street Stock driver Mike MacAskill of Williamstown dominated the first of two Street Stock/Junkyard Warrior combined features, with Travis Hull second and Bunker Hodgdon third. Tim Campbell of West Topsham beat Greg Adams, Jr., by two feet to win the second feature, with Barre’s Ron Gabaree third. Cabot’s Ken Christman and Kevin Wheatley of Williamstown were the top-finishing Junkyard Warrior drivers in their respective features.
REVISED Merchants Bank 150 Results
OFFICIAL RESULTS – Merchants Bank 150 (revised 5/06)
American-Canadian Tour – Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl, Barre, Vt.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
(Pos.-Driver-Hometown)
ACT Late Model Tour (150 laps)
1. Nick Sweet, Barre
2. Brian Hoar, Williston
3. Patrick Laperle, St-Denis, Que.
4. Dave Pembroke, Middlesex
5. Mark Lamberton, Mooers Forks, N.Y.
6. Craig Bushey, Cambridge
7. Joey Laquerre, East Montpelier
8. Chip Grenier, Graniteville
9. Scott Payea, Milton
10. Mark Hayward, Newport, N.H.
Bond Auto Tiger Sportsman (35 laps)
1. George May, Barre
2. Mike Ziter, Williamstown
3. Cody Blake, Barre
4. Joel Hodgdon, Craftsbury
5. Josh Demers, Middlesex
Allen Lumber Street Stock/Junkyard Warrior #1 (30 laps)
1. Mike MacAskill, Williamstown (SS)
2. Travis Hull, Graniteville (SS)
3. Bunker Hodgdon, Hardwick (SS)
4. Jean LeBlanc, Gorham, N.H. (SS)
5. Billy Hennequin, Morrisville (SS)
14. Ken Christman, Cabot (JW)
17. Kevin Hebert, Williamstown (JW)
20. Tommy Elwood, Morrisville (JW)
Allen Lumber Street Stock/Junkyard Warrior #2 (30 laps)
1. Tim Campbell, West Topsham (SS)
2. Greg Adams, Jr., Hardwick (SS)
3. Ron Gabaree, Barre (SS)
4. Scott Weston, Berlin (SS)
5. Joe Fecteau, Hardwick (SS)
7. Shawn Swallow, Stark, N.H. (JW)
10. Kevin Wheatley, Williamstown (JW)
11. Kevin Dodge, Barre (JW)
American-Canadian Tour – Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl, Barre, Vt.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
(Pos.-Driver-Hometown)
ACT Late Model Tour (150 laps)
1. Nick Sweet, Barre
2. Brian Hoar, Williston
3. Patrick Laperle, St-Denis, Que.
4. Dave Pembroke, Middlesex
5. Mark Lamberton, Mooers Forks, N.Y.
6. Craig Bushey, Cambridge
7. Joey Laquerre, East Montpelier
8. Chip Grenier, Graniteville
9. Scott Payea, Milton
10. Mark Hayward, Newport, N.H.
Bond Auto Tiger Sportsman (35 laps)
1. George May, Barre
2. Mike Ziter, Williamstown
3. Cody Blake, Barre
4. Joel Hodgdon, Craftsbury
5. Josh Demers, Middlesex
Allen Lumber Street Stock/Junkyard Warrior #1 (30 laps)
1. Mike MacAskill, Williamstown (SS)
2. Travis Hull, Graniteville (SS)
3. Bunker Hodgdon, Hardwick (SS)
4. Jean LeBlanc, Gorham, N.H. (SS)
5. Billy Hennequin, Morrisville (SS)
14. Ken Christman, Cabot (JW)
17. Kevin Hebert, Williamstown (JW)
20. Tommy Elwood, Morrisville (JW)
Allen Lumber Street Stock/Junkyard Warrior #2 (30 laps)
1. Tim Campbell, West Topsham (SS)
2. Greg Adams, Jr., Hardwick (SS)
3. Ron Gabaree, Barre (SS)
4. Scott Weston, Berlin (SS)
5. Joe Fecteau, Hardwick (SS)
7. Shawn Swallow, Stark, N.H. (JW)
10. Kevin Wheatley, Williamstown (JW)
11. Kevin Dodge, Barre (JW)
Monday, October 5, 2009
Donahue in Good Company with Milk Bowl Win
Chittenden Bank Milk Bowl coverage presented by RPM Racing Engines
BARRE -- Three years ago, John Donahue's name was often little more than a footnote in American-Canadian Tour race finishes or year-end point standings. And three short years later, the Graniteville driver has firmly established himself as a driver that will be remembered long after his final lap.
With a win in the 47th running of the Chittenden Bank Milk Bowl at Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Donahue became just the tenth driver in history to win each of the track's "big three" events -- he won the Memorial Day Classic in 2008, the Labor Day Classic, the site of his first ACT Late Model Tour win, in 2007, and now Sunday's Milk Bowl. The victory means his name will be now etched in all three granite monuments at the Barre track honoring past winners of the events, alongside pioneers Larry Demar and Russell Ingerson, Hall of Famers Jean-Paul Cabana, Bobby Dragon, Dave Dion, and Robbie Crouch, and modern-day heroes Jean-Paul Cyr, Dave Pembroke, and Brent Dragon.
It's something Donahue spent a lot of time thinking about, too.
"This'll put the third one on there now," Donahue said after his Milk Bowl victory. "[It means] a lot. A month ago, Tom (Curley, ACT president) brought us all up there, the drivers, and I'm looking on down through and I'm on two of [the monuments], and I said, 'Boy, I'd really like to be on that Milk Bowl one, that way my name is on all three of them.' I've been thinking about it since then."
And perhaps appropriately, it was one of those names already carved into each piece of the rock -- Milton's Brent Dragon -- that Donahue had to outduel to win the Milk Bowl.
Dragon won the opening 50-lap round of the three-segment, cumulatively scored race, with Donahue third. Donahue finished ninth in the middle leg, one spot better than Dragon, and trailed Dragon by one point entering the final 50 laps. And that's when Donahue turned up the wick.
Both drivers raced three-wide through traffic, along with Scott Payea, Brian Hoar, and Brad Leighton, who each would be within striking distance under the right circumstances, near the one-third mark of the final segment. Dragon and Donahue traded jabs on the track, knowing their mid-pack battle was almost certainly for the overall victory.
Dragon pushed three-wide under Donahue and Glen Luce on lap 17, then swapped lanes on the next lap. Donahue seized the opportunity, returning the three-wide favor. In the intense action, Dragon's car was shoved momentarily off the backstretch, while Donahue was able to squeeze by. Two laps later, Payea spun off the track with Dave Whitcomb and Eric Chase to bring out the caution flag.
Donahue and Dragon realigned in 13th and 14th for the restart on lap 20, which proved to be the decisive moment of the race. Traffic in Donahue's inside lane moved faster than Dragon's high side group, and Donahue picked his way through the field to finish fifth in the segment. But Dragon, his car knocked out of alignment from the contact on lap 18, was only able to muster a tenth-place finish in segment. With the final tally added up, Donahue's 17 segment points secured him his first Milk Bowl win, four points better than Dragon's 21, and nine better than Eric Williams of Hyde Park.
Donahue began his career as a Flying Tiger/Sportsman racer at Thunder Road in the mid-nineties, winning more than his share of races and championships, but had little in the way of headline-grabbing success in the top-tier Late Model class -- and certainly with the touring ACT division -- until recently. His Milk Bowl victory and planting the traditional kiss on a "trophy queen" cow, he says, is the crowning achievement of his racing career.
"It's right at the top. I've had a lot of good races, I won a [Labor Day] 200 here, but this is different," he said. "You've got three different segments, you stop, you have to think about it, re-do your car. This is one I've been wanting for a long time. I'm just going to soak this one in and be happy."
Williams' third-place finish went virtually unnoticed, overshadowed by the Donahue-Dragon saga, but his segment finishes of seventh, fifteenth, and fourth were good enough for the podium spot. Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. of Hudson, N.H. (28 points) and Brian Hoar of Williston (29 points) finished fourth and fifth overall. The top-ten was completed by Dave Pembroke, Jamie Fisher, Nick Sweet, Joey Laquerre, and Chip Grenier. Track champion Jean-Paul Cyr, who won the third segment finished 11th overall, while second-segment winner Wayne Helliwell, Jr. finished 18th overall in his first start at Thunder Road.
***
Eighteen year-old Jimmy Hebert of Williamstown became the youngest driver in history to win a championship in Thunder Road's famed Tiger Sportsman division on Sunday, taking a four-point victory over Tony Rossi of Barre. Hebert overcame a tense moment on lap 17 of the 50-lap finale when hard contact with Mark Barnier cut Hebert's left-rear tire, sending him into a spin down the frontstretch. After pitting under the caution period, Hebert recovered for a 13th-place finish.
"It's ten times better that I ever thought it would be," said Hebert. "Ever since I was little, I dreamed of this. I never thought I would race at 16, say nothing about winning a championship at 18. The first year we really struggled and everybody seemed discouraged, but last year we put together some good runs. This year we worked on consistency and it really paid off for us."
Shawn Fleury of Middlesex took the lead from upstart Jason Corliss on lap 28, then cruised to his second win of the season. Mike Ziter followed Fleury past Corliss, but was penalized with under ten laps remaining for spinning a lapped car off the backstretch. Ziter was placed last in the 28-car field. Danville driver Corliss, the 2008 Street Stock champion making only his fourth appearance in the Tiger Sportsman division, finished second officially, with Bradford's Derrick O'Donnell third, Rossi fourth, and Bobby Therrien of Hinesburg in fifth.
Pete Ainsworth, who entered the final weekend with an eight-point lead in the division, failed to qualify for the main event. He slumped to a fourth-place championship finish behind Hebert, Rossi, and Brendan Moodie.
Tommy "Thunder" Smith of Williamstown moved into sole possession of first-place all-time in the Street Stock division with his 20th career win, his third of the season. Mike Martin of Craftsbury Common was the runner-up, with rookie Danny Doyle of Hancock third, Garry Bashaw of Lincoln fourth, and Randolph's Markus Farnham fifth. Veteran driver Gary Mullen of Tunbridge captured his first championship with a ninth-place finish, beating Martin for the title by 26 points.
Like Ainsworth, Junkyard Warrior point leader Donny Yates of North Montpelier failed to qualify for the Milk Bowl finale, but was still able to clinch his division's championship on the strength of six wins during the season. Ken Christman of Cabot took his third victory, over Keith Fortier of Hinesburg, Kevin Streeter of Waitsfield, Northfield's John Prentice, and Tommy Elwood of Morrisville.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS -- 47th Annual Chittenden Bank Milk Bowl
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre, Vt.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Pos.-Driver-Hometown-(Segment Finishes/Total Score)
1. John Donahue, Graniteville (3+9+5=17)
2. Brent Dragon, Milton (1+10+10=21)
3. Eric Williams, Hyde Park (7+15+4=26)
4. Joey Polewarczyk, Jr., Hudson, N.H. (4+22+2=28)
5. Brian Hoar, Williston (16+4+9=29)
6. Dave Pembroke, Middlesex (5+19+7=31)
7. Jamie Fisher, Shelburne (10+13+8=31)
8. Nick Sweet, Barre (2+17+12=31)
9. Joey Laquerre, East Montpelier (11+8+15=34)
10. Chip Grenier, Graniteville (9+25+3=37)
11. Jean-Paul Cyr, Milton (8+29+1=38)
12. Phil Scott, Montpelier (6+27+6=39)
13. Scott Payea, Milton (12+5+23=40)
14. Brad Leighton, Center Harbor, N.H. (13+6+22=41)
15. Tyler Cahoon, St. Johnsbury (22+2+20=44)
16. Glen Luce, Turner, Me. (18+16+11=45)
17. Tony Andrews, Northfield (24+3+18=45)
18. Wayne Helliwell, Jr., Dracut, Mass. (27+1+19=47)
19. Joey Doiron, Berwick, Me. (14+7+26=47)
20. Quinny Welch, Lancaster, N.H. (21+12+17=50)
21. Matt White, Northfield (15+28+16=59)
22. Chad Wheeler, Waterbury Center (19+30+13=62)
23. Mark Hayward, Unity, N.H. (25+11+27=63)
24. Mike Olsen, North Haverhill, N.H. (17+18+28=63)
25. Eric Chase, Milton (20+14+29=63)
26. Joey Becker, Jeffersonville (23+21+21=65)
27. Pete Potvin, III, Graniteville (28+24+14=66)
28. Rich Lowrey, Charlotte (26+20+25=71)
29. Mike Bailey, South Barre (30+23+24=77)
30. Dave Whitcomb, Essex Junction (29+26+30=85)
NAPA Tiger Sportsman (# - denotes rookie)
1. Shawn Fleury, Middlesex
2. #Jason Corliss, Danville
3. Derrick O'Donnell, Bradford
4. Tony Rossi, Barre
5. Bobby Therrien, Hinesburg
6. Ray Stearns, East Corinth
7. Brendan Moodie, North Wolcott
8. Tommy Therrien, Hinesburg
9. Josh Demers, Middlesex
10. Lance Allen, Barre
Allen Lumber Street Stock/Power Shift Online Junkyard Warrior (# - denotes rookie)
Pos.-Driver-Hometown (# - denotes rookie)
1. Tommy Smith, Williamstown (SS)
2. Mike Martin, Craftsbury Common (SS)
3. #Danny Doyle, Hancock (SS)
4. Garry Bashaw, Lincoln (SS)
5. Markus Farnham, Randolph (SS)
20. Ken Christman, Cabot (JW)
21. Keith Fortier, Hinesburg (JW)
22. Kevin Streeter, Waitsfield (JW)
23. John Prentice, Northfield (JW)
24. Tommy Elwood, Morrisville (JW)
BARRE -- Three years ago, John Donahue's name was often little more than a footnote in American-Canadian Tour race finishes or year-end point standings. And three short years later, the Graniteville driver has firmly established himself as a driver that will be remembered long after his final lap. With a win in the 47th running of the Chittenden Bank Milk Bowl at Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Donahue became just the tenth driver in history to win each of the track's "big three" events -- he won the Memorial Day Classic in 2008, the Labor Day Classic, the site of his first ACT Late Model Tour win, in 2007, and now Sunday's Milk Bowl. The victory means his name will be now etched in all three granite monuments at the Barre track honoring past winners of the events, alongside pioneers Larry Demar and Russell Ingerson, Hall of Famers Jean-Paul Cabana, Bobby Dragon, Dave Dion, and Robbie Crouch, and modern-day heroes Jean-Paul Cyr, Dave Pembroke, and Brent Dragon.
It's something Donahue spent a lot of time thinking about, too.
"This'll put the third one on there now," Donahue said after his Milk Bowl victory. "[It means] a lot. A month ago, Tom (Curley, ACT president) brought us all up there, the drivers, and I'm looking on down through and I'm on two of [the monuments], and I said, 'Boy, I'd really like to be on that Milk Bowl one, that way my name is on all three of them.' I've been thinking about it since then." And perhaps appropriately, it was one of those names already carved into each piece of the rock -- Milton's Brent Dragon -- that Donahue had to outduel to win the Milk Bowl.
Dragon won the opening 50-lap round of the three-segment, cumulatively scored race, with Donahue third. Donahue finished ninth in the middle leg, one spot better than Dragon, and trailed Dragon by one point entering the final 50 laps. And that's when Donahue turned up the wick.
Both drivers raced three-wide through traffic, along with Scott Payea, Brian Hoar, and Brad Leighton, who each would be within striking distance under the right circumstances, near the one-third mark of the final segment. Dragon and Donahue traded jabs on the track, knowing their mid-pack battle was almost certainly for the overall victory.
Dragon pushed three-wide under Donahue and Glen Luce on lap 17, then swapped lanes on the next lap. Donahue seized the opportunity, returning the three-wide favor. In the intense action, Dragon's car was shoved momentarily off the backstretch, while Donahue was able to squeeze by. Two laps later, Payea spun off the track with Dave Whitcomb and Eric Chase to bring out the caution flag.
Donahue and Dragon realigned in 13th and 14th for the restart on lap 20, which proved to be the decisive moment of the race. Traffic in Donahue's inside lane moved faster than Dragon's high side group, and Donahue picked his way through the field to finish fifth in the segment. But Dragon, his car knocked out of alignment from the contact on lap 18, was only able to muster a tenth-place finish in segment. With the final tally added up, Donahue's 17 segment points secured him his first Milk Bowl win, four points better than Dragon's 21, and nine better than Eric Williams of Hyde Park.
Donahue began his career as a Flying Tiger/Sportsman racer at Thunder Road in the mid-nineties, winning more than his share of races and championships, but had little in the way of headline-grabbing success in the top-tier Late Model class -- and certainly with the touring ACT division -- until recently. His Milk Bowl victory and planting the traditional kiss on a "trophy queen" cow, he says, is the crowning achievement of his racing career. "It's right at the top. I've had a lot of good races, I won a [Labor Day] 200 here, but this is different," he said. "You've got three different segments, you stop, you have to think about it, re-do your car. This is one I've been wanting for a long time. I'm just going to soak this one in and be happy."
Williams' third-place finish went virtually unnoticed, overshadowed by the Donahue-Dragon saga, but his segment finishes of seventh, fifteenth, and fourth were good enough for the podium spot. Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. of Hudson, N.H. (28 points) and Brian Hoar of Williston (29 points) finished fourth and fifth overall. The top-ten was completed by Dave Pembroke, Jamie Fisher, Nick Sweet, Joey Laquerre, and Chip Grenier. Track champion Jean-Paul Cyr, who won the third segment finished 11th overall, while second-segment winner Wayne Helliwell, Jr. finished 18th overall in his first start at Thunder Road.
***
Eighteen year-old Jimmy Hebert of Williamstown became the youngest driver in history to win a championship in Thunder Road's famed Tiger Sportsman division on Sunday, taking a four-point victory over Tony Rossi of Barre. Hebert overcame a tense moment on lap 17 of the 50-lap finale when hard contact with Mark Barnier cut Hebert's left-rear tire, sending him into a spin down the frontstretch. After pitting under the caution period, Hebert recovered for a 13th-place finish. "It's ten times better that I ever thought it would be," said Hebert. "Ever since I was little, I dreamed of this. I never thought I would race at 16, say nothing about winning a championship at 18. The first year we really struggled and everybody seemed discouraged, but last year we put together some good runs. This year we worked on consistency and it really paid off for us."
Shawn Fleury of Middlesex took the lead from upstart Jason Corliss on lap 28, then cruised to his second win of the season. Mike Ziter followed Fleury past Corliss, but was penalized with under ten laps remaining for spinning a lapped car off the backstretch. Ziter was placed last in the 28-car field. Danville driver Corliss, the 2008 Street Stock champion making only his fourth appearance in the Tiger Sportsman division, finished second officially, with Bradford's Derrick O'Donnell third, Rossi fourth, and Bobby Therrien of Hinesburg in fifth.
Pete Ainsworth, who entered the final weekend with an eight-point lead in the division, failed to qualify for the main event. He slumped to a fourth-place championship finish behind Hebert, Rossi, and Brendan Moodie.
Tommy "Thunder" Smith of Williamstown moved into sole possession of first-place all-time in the Street Stock division with his 20th career win, his third of the season. Mike Martin of Craftsbury Common was the runner-up, with rookie Danny Doyle of Hancock third, Garry Bashaw of Lincoln fourth, and Randolph's Markus Farnham fifth. Veteran driver Gary Mullen of Tunbridge captured his first championship with a ninth-place finish, beating Martin for the title by 26 points. Like Ainsworth, Junkyard Warrior point leader Donny Yates of North Montpelier failed to qualify for the Milk Bowl finale, but was still able to clinch his division's championship on the strength of six wins during the season. Ken Christman of Cabot took his third victory, over Keith Fortier of Hinesburg, Kevin Streeter of Waitsfield, Northfield's John Prentice, and Tommy Elwood of Morrisville.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS -- 47th Annual Chittenden Bank Milk Bowl
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre, Vt.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Pos.-Driver-Hometown-(Segment Finishes/Total Score)
1. John Donahue, Graniteville (3+9+5=17)
2. Brent Dragon, Milton (1+10+10=21)
3. Eric Williams, Hyde Park (7+15+4=26)
4. Joey Polewarczyk, Jr., Hudson, N.H. (4+22+2=28)
5. Brian Hoar, Williston (16+4+9=29)
6. Dave Pembroke, Middlesex (5+19+7=31)
7. Jamie Fisher, Shelburne (10+13+8=31)
8. Nick Sweet, Barre (2+17+12=31)
9. Joey Laquerre, East Montpelier (11+8+15=34)
10. Chip Grenier, Graniteville (9+25+3=37)
11. Jean-Paul Cyr, Milton (8+29+1=38)
12. Phil Scott, Montpelier (6+27+6=39)
13. Scott Payea, Milton (12+5+23=40)
14. Brad Leighton, Center Harbor, N.H. (13+6+22=41)
15. Tyler Cahoon, St. Johnsbury (22+2+20=44)
16. Glen Luce, Turner, Me. (18+16+11=45)
17. Tony Andrews, Northfield (24+3+18=45)
18. Wayne Helliwell, Jr., Dracut, Mass. (27+1+19=47)
19. Joey Doiron, Berwick, Me. (14+7+26=47)
20. Quinny Welch, Lancaster, N.H. (21+12+17=50)
21. Matt White, Northfield (15+28+16=59)
22. Chad Wheeler, Waterbury Center (19+30+13=62)
23. Mark Hayward, Unity, N.H. (25+11+27=63)
24. Mike Olsen, North Haverhill, N.H. (17+18+28=63)
25. Eric Chase, Milton (20+14+29=63)
26. Joey Becker, Jeffersonville (23+21+21=65)
27. Pete Potvin, III, Graniteville (28+24+14=66)
28. Rich Lowrey, Charlotte (26+20+25=71)
29. Mike Bailey, South Barre (30+23+24=77)
30. Dave Whitcomb, Essex Junction (29+26+30=85)
NAPA Tiger Sportsman (# - denotes rookie)
1. Shawn Fleury, Middlesex
2. #Jason Corliss, Danville
3. Derrick O'Donnell, Bradford
4. Tony Rossi, Barre
5. Bobby Therrien, Hinesburg
6. Ray Stearns, East Corinth
7. Brendan Moodie, North Wolcott
8. Tommy Therrien, Hinesburg
9. Josh Demers, Middlesex
10. Lance Allen, Barre
Allen Lumber Street Stock/Power Shift Online Junkyard Warrior (# - denotes rookie)
Pos.-Driver-Hometown (# - denotes rookie)
1. Tommy Smith, Williamstown (SS)
2. Mike Martin, Craftsbury Common (SS)
3. #Danny Doyle, Hancock (SS)
4. Garry Bashaw, Lincoln (SS)
5. Markus Farnham, Randolph (SS)
20. Ken Christman, Cabot (JW)
21. Keith Fortier, Hinesburg (JW)
22. Kevin Streeter, Waitsfield (JW)
23. John Prentice, Northfield (JW)
24. Tommy Elwood, Morrisville (JW)
(PHOTOS: 1. John Donahue hoists the Milk Bowl trophy after his first win in the classic event; 2. Donahue smooches Larolupine, the Milk Bowl trophy queen, as Governor Jim Douglas looks on; 3. Tiger Sportsman champion Jimmy Hebert; 4. Street Stock champion Gary Mullen. Photos by Justin St. Louis/VMM)
Friday, August 21, 2009
Fisher Wins on Wild Night at Thunder Road
Six restarts, seven lead changes in Late Model 50
BARRE -- Maybe they're frustrated, or maybe they're not. Maybe it's the fact that the racing season is winding down, and they're hungry to pass that one extra car. Maybe it was the humidity. Whatever it was, something affected the drivers at Barre's Thunder Road on Thursday night, and the result was arguably the most competitive -- and roughest -- night of racing in the track's 50th season. Fans were treated to multiple lead changes, multiple crashes, a photo finish, a rollover, a payback, and championship point battle shifts. It was an event with a bit of everything in it.
Jamie Fisher of Shelburne came out on top of an exciting 50-lap Late Model feature, one day shy of a year since his most recent win. Fisher began his drive from 13th starting position and narrowly avoided disaster on lap 24 while running with John Donahue and Craig Bushey. Fisher dove low to make a three-wide pass on the backstretch, just as Donahue and Bushey began making contact. Bushey spun in Turn 3 to bring out the caution flag, leaving Fisher to restart the race in sixth place.
Fisher passed Donahue on the outside quickly, then blew by Mike Bailey and Joey Becker into third place on lap 31. He took second from Doug Murphy on the inside on lap 37, then the lead from Tony Andrews on the outside on lap 43, just as Bushey caught and dumped Donahue in retaliation for their earlier incident. Andrews bumped into Fisher on the restart, then Murphy hit Andrews before the race's sixth and final caution two laps later for, yet again, a spinning Craig Bushey.
Fisher was never challenged over the final five laps and cruised to the win, his fourth consecutive podium finish. Andrews, of Northfield, finished second, while Jeffersonville driver Becker got by Murphy late in the going for third place.
"The car was running good," Fisher said. "We were good on the outside, good on the bottom. It's really fun to race here when people actually give you some room and you can really do a nice job and advance."
Fisher, the 2003 Thunder Road champion, said that the frequent caution periods helped him in the beginning of the race, and respect from his competitors helped at the end. "At first (the cautions) played in our favor and then at the end we didn't need them, but we were still fast enough where we could keep it ahead of Tony. And Tony ran us clean, that's the biggest thing. In the first part of the year I don't think we got run clean enough (by competitors) and we kept wrecking. Now we're getting run clean and we can come home in one piece and just keep working on the car and make it go faster."
Before Fisher arrived at the front, Murphy, Andrews, and for a brief time, polesitter Steve Fisher -- the winner's brother -- had a fierce battle for the lead. Murphy led from the outside of the front row before Steve Fisher nosed ahead for three laps. Murphy was back in the lead on lap 5, but was beaten by Andrews on the race's first restart on lap 10. Murphy repaid the favor on the outside to take the lead back on lap 18, then Andrews did it again on lap 25 before Jamie Fisher took over on lap 43. Dave Pembroke finished fifth behind Murphy. Phil Scott took sixth, and point leader Jean-Paul Cyr rebounded after his car briefly shut down to finish in seventh place.
While battling Becker for fourth place on lap 39, Cyr's ignition switch turned off. He fell back to tenth place, but regained some of his lost ground. Unofficially, Cyr maintained his comfortable 52-point lead on Scott entering the final Late Model championship event next Thursday, a 100-lap race that will feature NASCAR driver David Ragan.
Craftsbury youngster Joel Hodgdon turned a frustrating season around with a photo-finish victory over Eric Badore in the 35-lap Tiger Sportsman event. Hodgdon, who entered the night 16th in points, ran from the tenth starting position to second place on lap 16, but was unable to pass Badore. The caution flag flew with two laps remaining, setting up one final sprint to the checkers. Hodgdon ran side-by-side with Badore, then, while sliding sideways in a last-ditch effort on the outside lane in the final corner, beat Badore to the finish by a bumper.
"I wanted that last yellow," said Hodgdon. "I knew the way that the restarts were going I would be able to get (past Badore) if I had one more shot." Badore, of Milton, finished second with East Corinth driver Ray Stearns third, Derick O'Donnell of Bradford fourth, and Barre's David Finck fifth.
Pete Ainsworth, Jr. entered the night with a 20-point lead over Tony Rossi, but was involved in two wrecks in the feature and retired the race in 27th place. Rossi, who finished seventh, now unofficially holds a 23-point edge over Ainsworth with three point-counting events left for the Tiger Sportsman class.
Street Stock driver Tim Campbell of West Topsham took his second win of the year in the 20-lap Street Stock/Junkyard Warrior main event. Campbell was challenged by Friday night winner M.C. Ingram with three laps remaining before Ingram spun, allowing Campbell to easily take the win. Joe Blais of East Barre finished second over Barre's Ron Gabaree. Ken Christman of Cabot was the top Warrior driver in 18th place, good enough for his second win of the season in that division. Lance Donald of Williamstown, 20th overall, was second in the Warrior division, with Kevin Streeter of Waitsfield driving a car borrowed from Cheryl Kingsbury to finish third in the Warrior class, 21st overall.
Bunker Hodgdon of Hardwick flipped his car on the frontstretch on lap 8 in a pileup that also included Michael Moore, Tommy Smith, and Kevin Wheatley; no injuries were reported. Rookie Tucker Williams, the Street Stock point leader, finished eighth, while Warrior point leader Donny Yates failed to qualify for the main event. Street Stock driver Greg Adams, Jr. of Hardwick won the 'reserve' feature but opted to transfer to the main event, where he finished ninth.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS -- Weekly Championship Series Event
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre, Vt.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Pos.-Driver-Hometown (# - denotes rookie)
ACT Late Model (50 laps)
1. Jamie Fisher, Shelburne
2. Tony Andrews, Northfield
3. Joey Becker, Jeffersonville
4. Doug Murphy, Tunbridge
5. Dave Pembroke, Middlesex
6. Phil Scott, Montpelier
7. Jean-Paul Cyr, Milton
8. Cris Michaud, Northfield
9. John Donahue, Graniteville
10. Matt White, Northfield
NAPA Tiger Sportsman (35 laps)
1. Joel Hodgdon, Craftsbury
2. Eric Badore, Milton
3. Ray Stearns, East Corinth
4. Derrick O'Donnell, Bradford
5. David Finck, Barre
6. Jimmy Hebert, Williamstown
7. Tony Rossi, Barre
8. #Erik Steel, Barre
9. Jeff French, Northfield
10. Brendan Moodie, North Wolcott
Allen Lumber Street Stock/Power Shift Online Junkyard Warrior (20 laps)
1. Tim Campbell, West Topsham (SS)
2. Joe Blais, East Barre (SS)
3. Ron Gabaree, Barre (SS)
4. #Scott Weston, Berlin (SS)
5. #Danny Doyle, Hancock (SS)
18. Ken Christman, Cabot (JW)
20. Lance Donald, Williamstown (JW)
21. Kevin Streeter, Waitsfield (JW)
22. Alex Whitcomb, Montpelier (JW)
25. Keith Fortier, Hinesburg (JW)
(PHOTO: Jamie Fisher of Shelburne pumps his fist in celebration of his Late Model victory at Thunder Road on Thursday night. Photo by Justin St. Louis/VMM)
BARRE -- Maybe they're frustrated, or maybe they're not. Maybe it's the fact that the racing season is winding down, and they're hungry to pass that one extra car. Maybe it was the humidity. Whatever it was, something affected the drivers at Barre's Thunder Road on Thursday night, and the result was arguably the most competitive -- and roughest -- night of racing in the track's 50th season. Fans were treated to multiple lead changes, multiple crashes, a photo finish, a rollover, a payback, and championship point battle shifts. It was an event with a bit of everything in it.Jamie Fisher of Shelburne came out on top of an exciting 50-lap Late Model feature, one day shy of a year since his most recent win. Fisher began his drive from 13th starting position and narrowly avoided disaster on lap 24 while running with John Donahue and Craig Bushey. Fisher dove low to make a three-wide pass on the backstretch, just as Donahue and Bushey began making contact. Bushey spun in Turn 3 to bring out the caution flag, leaving Fisher to restart the race in sixth place.
Fisher passed Donahue on the outside quickly, then blew by Mike Bailey and Joey Becker into third place on lap 31. He took second from Doug Murphy on the inside on lap 37, then the lead from Tony Andrews on the outside on lap 43, just as Bushey caught and dumped Donahue in retaliation for their earlier incident. Andrews bumped into Fisher on the restart, then Murphy hit Andrews before the race's sixth and final caution two laps later for, yet again, a spinning Craig Bushey.
Fisher was never challenged over the final five laps and cruised to the win, his fourth consecutive podium finish. Andrews, of Northfield, finished second, while Jeffersonville driver Becker got by Murphy late in the going for third place.
"The car was running good," Fisher said. "We were good on the outside, good on the bottom. It's really fun to race here when people actually give you some room and you can really do a nice job and advance."
Fisher, the 2003 Thunder Road champion, said that the frequent caution periods helped him in the beginning of the race, and respect from his competitors helped at the end. "At first (the cautions) played in our favor and then at the end we didn't need them, but we were still fast enough where we could keep it ahead of Tony. And Tony ran us clean, that's the biggest thing. In the first part of the year I don't think we got run clean enough (by competitors) and we kept wrecking. Now we're getting run clean and we can come home in one piece and just keep working on the car and make it go faster."
Before Fisher arrived at the front, Murphy, Andrews, and for a brief time, polesitter Steve Fisher -- the winner's brother -- had a fierce battle for the lead. Murphy led from the outside of the front row before Steve Fisher nosed ahead for three laps. Murphy was back in the lead on lap 5, but was beaten by Andrews on the race's first restart on lap 10. Murphy repaid the favor on the outside to take the lead back on lap 18, then Andrews did it again on lap 25 before Jamie Fisher took over on lap 43. Dave Pembroke finished fifth behind Murphy. Phil Scott took sixth, and point leader Jean-Paul Cyr rebounded after his car briefly shut down to finish in seventh place.
While battling Becker for fourth place on lap 39, Cyr's ignition switch turned off. He fell back to tenth place, but regained some of his lost ground. Unofficially, Cyr maintained his comfortable 52-point lead on Scott entering the final Late Model championship event next Thursday, a 100-lap race that will feature NASCAR driver David Ragan.
Craftsbury youngster Joel Hodgdon turned a frustrating season around with a photo-finish victory over Eric Badore in the 35-lap Tiger Sportsman event. Hodgdon, who entered the night 16th in points, ran from the tenth starting position to second place on lap 16, but was unable to pass Badore. The caution flag flew with two laps remaining, setting up one final sprint to the checkers. Hodgdon ran side-by-side with Badore, then, while sliding sideways in a last-ditch effort on the outside lane in the final corner, beat Badore to the finish by a bumper.
"I wanted that last yellow," said Hodgdon. "I knew the way that the restarts were going I would be able to get (past Badore) if I had one more shot." Badore, of Milton, finished second with East Corinth driver Ray Stearns third, Derick O'Donnell of Bradford fourth, and Barre's David Finck fifth.
Pete Ainsworth, Jr. entered the night with a 20-point lead over Tony Rossi, but was involved in two wrecks in the feature and retired the race in 27th place. Rossi, who finished seventh, now unofficially holds a 23-point edge over Ainsworth with three point-counting events left for the Tiger Sportsman class.
Street Stock driver Tim Campbell of West Topsham took his second win of the year in the 20-lap Street Stock/Junkyard Warrior main event. Campbell was challenged by Friday night winner M.C. Ingram with three laps remaining before Ingram spun, allowing Campbell to easily take the win. Joe Blais of East Barre finished second over Barre's Ron Gabaree. Ken Christman of Cabot was the top Warrior driver in 18th place, good enough for his second win of the season in that division. Lance Donald of Williamstown, 20th overall, was second in the Warrior division, with Kevin Streeter of Waitsfield driving a car borrowed from Cheryl Kingsbury to finish third in the Warrior class, 21st overall.
Bunker Hodgdon of Hardwick flipped his car on the frontstretch on lap 8 in a pileup that also included Michael Moore, Tommy Smith, and Kevin Wheatley; no injuries were reported. Rookie Tucker Williams, the Street Stock point leader, finished eighth, while Warrior point leader Donny Yates failed to qualify for the main event. Street Stock driver Greg Adams, Jr. of Hardwick won the 'reserve' feature but opted to transfer to the main event, where he finished ninth.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS -- Weekly Championship Series Event
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre, Vt.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Pos.-Driver-Hometown (# - denotes rookie)
ACT Late Model (50 laps)
1. Jamie Fisher, Shelburne
2. Tony Andrews, Northfield
3. Joey Becker, Jeffersonville
4. Doug Murphy, Tunbridge
5. Dave Pembroke, Middlesex
6. Phil Scott, Montpelier
7. Jean-Paul Cyr, Milton
8. Cris Michaud, Northfield
9. John Donahue, Graniteville
10. Matt White, Northfield
NAPA Tiger Sportsman (35 laps)
1. Joel Hodgdon, Craftsbury
2. Eric Badore, Milton
3. Ray Stearns, East Corinth
4. Derrick O'Donnell, Bradford
5. David Finck, Barre
6. Jimmy Hebert, Williamstown
7. Tony Rossi, Barre
8. #Erik Steel, Barre
9. Jeff French, Northfield
10. Brendan Moodie, North Wolcott
Allen Lumber Street Stock/Power Shift Online Junkyard Warrior (20 laps)
1. Tim Campbell, West Topsham (SS)
2. Joe Blais, East Barre (SS)
3. Ron Gabaree, Barre (SS)
4. #Scott Weston, Berlin (SS)
5. #Danny Doyle, Hancock (SS)
18. Ken Christman, Cabot (JW)
20. Lance Donald, Williamstown (JW)
21. Kevin Streeter, Waitsfield (JW)
22. Alex Whitcomb, Montpelier (JW)
25. Keith Fortier, Hinesburg (JW)
(PHOTO: Jamie Fisher of Shelburne pumps his fist in celebration of his Late Model victory at Thunder Road on Thursday night. Photo by Justin St. Louis/VMM)
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Curley "Not Sure" About Future of T-Road Streets, Warriors
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BARRE -- Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl has had, by all accounts, a great season. With the Mid-Season Championship slated for Thursday evening, fans have already enjoyed some outstanding competition, especially in the headline Late Model division, some surprise feature winners, packed-house crowds on Memorial Day and at the Governor's Cup, and the season-long 50th anniversary celebration has been a memorable one.
Yet, promoter Tom Curley isn't having much fun.
The track's four-cylinder divisions, the Street Stocks and Junkyard Warriors, have been a constant thorn in Curley's side, and the Hall of Fame promoter has had enough.
"I guess I have run out of energy to carry on the constant fight with those that just don't get it," he said.
Citing declining car counts in the Warrior class and a lack of edge-of-your-seat action in both entry-level divisions over the past couple of seasons, Curley merged the two groups for 2009 running both on the track at the same time while keeping seperate championship point systems for each. The intent, he says, "would give us an opportunity to keep the (Warrior) division alive for a couple years while we figured out a new rules and format system for four-cylinder racing at Thunder Road."
Curley announced the merger at a rules meeting in Feburary, saying that the intent was to provide more excitement for race fans and drivers, while also beginning the integration of foreign-made cars into the domestic-only Street Stocks in order to help future growth in the division. He also noted that the Warrior class has begun to move away from its roots, which began in 2003 as a $500 claimer division with emphasis on using very little actual racing technology.
"It has been clear for a couple of years that the [Warrior] division is 'broken' as there is no place for the Buster Porters of the world, which is what made it fun back then," Curley said, using low-buck racer Porter, one of the original Warrior drivers, as an example. "It is also why there is no growth and why the division is on life support at this time."
CONSTANT NEGATIVITY
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The merger has been exciting for race fans to watch, with three- and four-wide action, wild crashes, and obvious disparity between the 'haves' and the 'have nots' of the two classes, all things that resembled shades of years gone by in the Street Stock and Warrior divisions. But as popular as the combination was in the grandstands, it had been repeatedly met with some resistance on the other side of the pit fence; after weeks of complaints and, in Curley's words, "constant negativity," the decision was made last Thursday to split the divisions apart and run seperate events as in years past. The major gripes by Street Stock drivers were that the Warrior cars were too slow, their drivers too inexperienced, and that the combination caused major wrecks, while the Warrior racers complained that they were being run over by impatient Street Stockers, and that on average, only one or two Warriors have been able to qualify for the 'A' main feature each week.
With the split last Thursday, however, the results were in many estimations boring in the Warriors and disastrous in the Street Stocks. Using last year's format of shorter-distance 20-lap Street Stock features and 15-lap Warrior features, and 2008's comparatively smaller purse payouts, the still-impatient Street Stocks summarily teed-off on each other, destroying a half-dozen cars in a race that took nearly a half-hour to complete, and a caution-free Warrior race with just 16 cars lacked any real excitement. The 'reserve' feature, which was implemented with the merger as a non-qualifiers race and had become unquestionably the most action-filled event on any given race night, was deleted from the program. Qualifying heats had reduced numbers due to the split, and therefore less excitement. The Street Stock last-chance qualifier -- the closest thing to the 'reserve' race -- went flag-to-flag without incident.
"It certainly was not as much fun as when there were 16 or 17 cars in heats trying to qualify, or for that matter, the 'reserve' feature had become one of my favorite events of the night," said Curley. "Without question, generally, the Warriors learned a lot about how to race in that event over the past month. They were lifting, taking a look in the mirror for advancing Street Stocks and got to the inside, etc. This was evidenced by the green to checkers effort [Thursday night], although not what the division was originally intended to be at Thunder Road, you have to be proud of the way they actually conducted themselves as far as racing goes, if you are a purist.
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"As far as the Street Stocks, after qualifying, they were supposedly the 'cream of the crop' from the 42 who entered that were in the main event. It was the worst slugfest we have had this year. Sort of hard to blame the Warriors who [the Street Stocks] wanted exiled from the merger and were granted their wish."
POINT OF VIEW
Tommy "Thunder" Smith, the Street Stock division's all-time victory leader, has been one of the few outspoken drivers in favor of the merger. The
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Williamstown driver said he was reminded of the late 1990s and early 2000s, before the dawn of the Junkyard Warrior class, when fields of 50-plus Street Stocks would show up each week and the action was intense.
"I've never had a problem with the Warrior drivers," Smith said. "It shouldn't matter if they're slow, it's just racing, and I'm used to that. Some of us have been trying to help them out in the pits -- guys like me, Dave Allen, and David Greenslit -- and trying to help them drive better. For the most part they've done a good job, and I enjoy racing with them. And if they are slow, it's fun to use them as a 'pick' on the track."
Warrior driver Ken Christman agrees, sort of. "Racing-wise the merger has been pretty good, it definitely has made me a better racer," he said. "I learn a lot more about picking lines and set-ups of cars and tires." Christman, of Cabot, earned his first career win in last week's Warriors-only feature.
"But I have to say that I liked it split and not just because I won, but because I was able to keep the car in one piece and race against people I am actually competing in the points for," said Christman, who sits second in the standings behind Donny Yates. "It's tough when we are merged because the Street Stocks are a little faster and some get a little impatient and run us over. I have had to do a lot of fixing this year, more than last year. It's also [less fun] when you are the only car to make the 'A' feature and are guaranteed the win with no one to race against."
Christman and Smith both agree that there have been a lot of complaints from both divisions about the merger.
"[Warrior driver] Mark LaFleche is pretty adamant about not liking it, and I have had my gripes about it," said Christman. "I think I have heard a complaint from just about everyone about it."
"I don't mind it, but I know there are a lot of guys that don't like it," said Smith. "But last week when we ran seperate, it was a wreckfest, no fun at all. I wouldn't mind going back to the merger if it's going to be like that, and I'll bet they wouldn't either."
THE FUTURE
The problems that have arisen for Curley due to the merger and the following split are many, and at the moment, he's uncertain about what will take place. Smith and Christman offered a few suggestions in case of a potential reuniting of the divisions.
"My only complaint is that I think the Warrior drivers should have the opportunity to get more trophies," said Smith. "If they brought back the 'reserve' race, where there's more Warriors, give the top-three in both divisions trophies, rather just the top-three cars at the finish, which are usually always us Street Stocks. That might make it a bit more fun for them."
Christman thinks everyone would be having more fun if more Warriors had the opportunity to make the main events. "Right now when things are merged, it's the top nine cars qualify [in heat races]," he said. "It might be interesting to make it the top seven Street Stocks and top two Junkyard Warriors qualify to the 'A' feature, that way there would be more then one or two in the feature."
Obviously, Curley would like to see the divisions remain together throughout the year, but feels that no matter what, things have been tainted already.
"What is stupid is that both divisions now get to race far less laps than previously [while they're seperate]," he said. "We have gone back to the old purses which are about 25% less than the merger purses, and there will be nothing pure about he point title races, as we have changed formats in mid-stream."
"I'm not sure what is going to happen in the future," he said. "I guess we will just have to wait and see."
(PHOTOS: 1. The Street Stock/Junkyard Warrior division merger has produced some excitment in 2009; 2. Street Stocker Dan Lathrop (#6) gets upside down; 3. Jamie Davis (#43) got wrecked in the Street Stock-only feature last Thursday; 4. A trio of Warriors run each other clean up front during a heat race; 5. Warrior Ken Christman sees both positive and negative aspects of the merger. Photos 1-4 by Leif Tillotson, Photo 5 by Alan Ward)
Friday, July 10, 2009
First-Time Winners Aplenty at Thunder Road
Folsom Takes Late Model Thriller For First Win
BARRE -- It was a night of firsts at Barre's Thunder Road on Thursday, as in first-time feature winners. Three out of four main events saw a driver take his first career victory on Charter Communications Night, and even the other winner took just the second win of his career.
Grant Folsom of Waitsfield looked like he was ready to settle for his best-ever Thunder Road finish in second place behind would-be first-time winner Brooks Clark, who led the first 38 of 50 circuits from the outside pole. Clark, of Fayston, had as much as a quarter-track lead over Folsom, polesitter Cal Poulin, and Mike Bailey before caution periods on laps 21 and 26 bunched the field for restarts.
Clark was able to fend Bailey and Folsom off after the green flag on lap 26, but once Folsom cleared Bailey he set to work on taking the lead. After a daring lane change from the outside to the inside on lap 34, Folsom was finally able to sneak under Clark and wrestle the point away five tours later. One final restart on lap 44 saw Folsom, Bailey, Phil Scott (who started 14th), Clark, Jean-Paul Cyr, and Sunday's winner, Reno Gervais, make up the first three double-file rows. Scott and Cyr used the inside line to their advantage, as Scott took second place from Bailey coming to the final lap and Cyr nipped Bailey for third at the finish line. Dave Pembroke snuck in for fifth place.
As the checkered flag waved, the fading Clark was tapped from behind, spun across the finish line in eighth place, and nailed head-on by point leader Nick Sweet. Both cars sustained heavy damage, although both drivers were uninjured.
Folsom was elated to have his first career win in hand.
"My God, I've been waiting for that," he said. "My car's always junk, you know what I mean? This thing went so good tonight. I can't thank the crew enough." Prior to his win, Folsom's best finish of the season was an eighth-place effort last month; he had only one other top-five finish at Thunder Road, which came in 2006.
Folsom knew the mid-race cautions are what made the race go his way. "[I was] hoping [Clark] made a mistake. I knew the yellows would give us a shot at him again. Just following him I knew he was pretty free in [the corners], I'd see him drift up. I was just waiting for him to drift up enough where I could get a run under him. If it got down to five or ten to go or whatever, I'd probably have tried him on the outside, but I could see how his car was and I knew I wanted to be on the bottom.
"I've been waiting for this for so long. I never dreamed of it."
Former Street Stock champion Eric Badore of Milton earned his first career Tiger Sportsman win after holding off some wild challenges by another former Street Stock champion in Jeff French. Badore led every step of the 35-lap feature, but had to hold off charges on both the inside and outside from second-place runner French, and was drilled in the rear bumper by French on lap 20. Following the hit to Badore, French then drove down the track and into the side of third-place driver Cody Blake. All three were able to continue without further incident, finishing in that order. Ray Stearns and Mark Barnier completed the unofficial top-five finishers after turning in several laps of their own close-quarters racing.
Hyde Park rookie Tucker Williams earned his second career Street Stock feature, on a night when the Street Stock and Junkyard Warrior classes ran their own seperate events for the first time this season. Williams took the lead from Jason Allen on lap 4 of the 20-lap race and was never seriously challenged for the lead, despite several caution periods. Mike MacAskill drove from the back to finish in second place over Gary Mullen, point leader Jason Corliss, and Tommy Smith, unofficially.
Ken Christman of Cabot became the first Warrior driver other than Kevin Streeter or Donny Yates to take a victory in that division in 2009, earning his first career win over first-year racers Alex Whitcomb and Troy Kingsbury. Streeter made some breathtaking moves to finish in fourth place, with Mark LaFleche fifth.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS -- Charter Communications Night
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl -- Barre, Vt.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Pos.-Driver-Hometown (# - denotes rookie)
ACT Late Model (50 laps)
1. Grant Folsom, Waitsfield
2. Phil Scott, Montpelier
3. Jean-Paul Cyr, Milton
4. Mike Bailey, South Barre
5. Dave Pembroke, Middlesex
6. Reno Gervais, Island Pond
7. Rich Lowrey, Charlotte
8. Brooks Clark, Fayston
9. Craig Bushey, Cambridge
10. Tony Andrews, Northfield
NAPA Tiger Sportsman (35 laps)
1. Eric Badore, Milton
2. Jeff French, Northfield
3. Cody Blake, Barre
4. Ray Stearns, East Corinth
5. Mark Barnier, Essex Jct.
6. Scott Coburn, Barre
7. Joel Hodgdon, Crafstbury
8. David Finck, Barre
9. Brendan Moodie, North Wolcott
10. Jimmy Hebert, Williamstown
Allen Lumber Street Stock (20 laps)
1. #Tucker Williams, Hyde Park
2. Mike MacAskill, Williamstown
3. Gary Mullen, Tunbridge
4. Jason Corliss, Danville
5. Tommy Smith, Williamstown
Power Shift Online Junkyard Warrior (15 laps)
1. Ken Christman, Cabot
2. Alex Whitcomb, Montpelier
3. Troy Kingsbury, Waitsfield
4. Kevin Streeter, Waitsfield
5. Mark LaFleche, Williamstown
(PHOTO: Still shocked by his first Thunder Road win, Late Model driver Grant Folsom prepares to sign an autograph on Thursday night. Justin St. Louis/VMM photo)
BARRE -- It was a night of firsts at Barre's Thunder Road on Thursday, as in first-time feature winners. Three out of four main events saw a driver take his first career victory on Charter Communications Night, and even the other winner took just the second win of his career.Grant Folsom of Waitsfield looked like he was ready to settle for his best-ever Thunder Road finish in second place behind would-be first-time winner Brooks Clark, who led the first 38 of 50 circuits from the outside pole. Clark, of Fayston, had as much as a quarter-track lead over Folsom, polesitter Cal Poulin, and Mike Bailey before caution periods on laps 21 and 26 bunched the field for restarts.
Clark was able to fend Bailey and Folsom off after the green flag on lap 26, but once Folsom cleared Bailey he set to work on taking the lead. After a daring lane change from the outside to the inside on lap 34, Folsom was finally able to sneak under Clark and wrestle the point away five tours later. One final restart on lap 44 saw Folsom, Bailey, Phil Scott (who started 14th), Clark, Jean-Paul Cyr, and Sunday's winner, Reno Gervais, make up the first three double-file rows. Scott and Cyr used the inside line to their advantage, as Scott took second place from Bailey coming to the final lap and Cyr nipped Bailey for third at the finish line. Dave Pembroke snuck in for fifth place.
As the checkered flag waved, the fading Clark was tapped from behind, spun across the finish line in eighth place, and nailed head-on by point leader Nick Sweet. Both cars sustained heavy damage, although both drivers were uninjured.
Folsom was elated to have his first career win in hand.
"My God, I've been waiting for that," he said. "My car's always junk, you know what I mean? This thing went so good tonight. I can't thank the crew enough." Prior to his win, Folsom's best finish of the season was an eighth-place effort last month; he had only one other top-five finish at Thunder Road, which came in 2006.
Folsom knew the mid-race cautions are what made the race go his way. "[I was] hoping [Clark] made a mistake. I knew the yellows would give us a shot at him again. Just following him I knew he was pretty free in [the corners], I'd see him drift up. I was just waiting for him to drift up enough where I could get a run under him. If it got down to five or ten to go or whatever, I'd probably have tried him on the outside, but I could see how his car was and I knew I wanted to be on the bottom.
"I've been waiting for this for so long. I never dreamed of it."
Former Street Stock champion Eric Badore of Milton earned his first career Tiger Sportsman win after holding off some wild challenges by another former Street Stock champion in Jeff French. Badore led every step of the 35-lap feature, but had to hold off charges on both the inside and outside from second-place runner French, and was drilled in the rear bumper by French on lap 20. Following the hit to Badore, French then drove down the track and into the side of third-place driver Cody Blake. All three were able to continue without further incident, finishing in that order. Ray Stearns and Mark Barnier completed the unofficial top-five finishers after turning in several laps of their own close-quarters racing.
Hyde Park rookie Tucker Williams earned his second career Street Stock feature, on a night when the Street Stock and Junkyard Warrior classes ran their own seperate events for the first time this season. Williams took the lead from Jason Allen on lap 4 of the 20-lap race and was never seriously challenged for the lead, despite several caution periods. Mike MacAskill drove from the back to finish in second place over Gary Mullen, point leader Jason Corliss, and Tommy Smith, unofficially.
Ken Christman of Cabot became the first Warrior driver other than Kevin Streeter or Donny Yates to take a victory in that division in 2009, earning his first career win over first-year racers Alex Whitcomb and Troy Kingsbury. Streeter made some breathtaking moves to finish in fourth place, with Mark LaFleche fifth.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS -- Charter Communications Night
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl -- Barre, Vt.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Pos.-Driver-Hometown (# - denotes rookie)
ACT Late Model (50 laps)
1. Grant Folsom, Waitsfield
2. Phil Scott, Montpelier
3. Jean-Paul Cyr, Milton
4. Mike Bailey, South Barre
5. Dave Pembroke, Middlesex
6. Reno Gervais, Island Pond
7. Rich Lowrey, Charlotte
8. Brooks Clark, Fayston
9. Craig Bushey, Cambridge
10. Tony Andrews, Northfield
NAPA Tiger Sportsman (35 laps)
1. Eric Badore, Milton
2. Jeff French, Northfield
3. Cody Blake, Barre
4. Ray Stearns, East Corinth
5. Mark Barnier, Essex Jct.
6. Scott Coburn, Barre
7. Joel Hodgdon, Crafstbury
8. David Finck, Barre
9. Brendan Moodie, North Wolcott
10. Jimmy Hebert, Williamstown
Allen Lumber Street Stock (20 laps)
1. #Tucker Williams, Hyde Park
2. Mike MacAskill, Williamstown
3. Gary Mullen, Tunbridge
4. Jason Corliss, Danville
5. Tommy Smith, Williamstown
Power Shift Online Junkyard Warrior (15 laps)
1. Ken Christman, Cabot
2. Alex Whitcomb, Montpelier
3. Troy Kingsbury, Waitsfield
4. Kevin Streeter, Waitsfield
5. Mark LaFleche, Williamstown
(PHOTO: Still shocked by his first Thunder Road win, Late Model driver Grant Folsom prepares to sign an autograph on Thursday night. Justin St. Louis/VMM photo)
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