ACT Releases 2010 Tiger Sportsman Series Schedule

Four 100-lap events make up mini-tour

WATERBURY -- The American-Canadian Tour has released a four-race schedule for the 2010 Tiger Sportsman Series. The second-tier division has held its own short-schedule touring series 14 times in the last 20 years; Shawn Duquette of Morrisonville, N.Y. was the 2009 champion.

The first of the four 100-lap races will be held at White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, N.H. on June 5. White Mountain has adopted the ACT Tiger Sportsman rulebook for its new weekly "Super Sportsman" division in 2010. Barre's Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, which has operated the class in some form since the mid-1960s, hosts the series on July 1. Canaan Fair Speedway in Canaan, N.H. will hold an event on August 21, and the series ends a seven-year absence at Riverside Speedway in Groveton, N.H. on October 9. White Mountain, Thunder Road, and Riverside are all high-banked, 1/4-mile ovals, while Canaan Fair is a low-banked 1/3-mile.

Notably absent from the 2010 schedule are Airborne Speedway, Devil's Bowl Speedway, and Albany-Saratoga Speedway. Airborne, a 4/10-mile, progressively banked track in Plattsburgh, N.Y., has had the Tiger Sportsman division as a weekly fixture since 1990, and held a 100-lap ACT event in July. The newly-paved, CVRA-sanctioned Devil's Bowl, in West Haven, and Albany-Saratoga, in Malta, N.Y., have recently upgraded their Limited divisions to the Tiger Sportsman rulebook for 2010.

ACT TIGER SPORTSMAN SERIES 2010 SCHEDULE (as of Dec. 24, 2009)

#-Day-Date-Track-Location-Laps

1. Sat., June 5 -- White Mountain Motorsports Park, North Woodstock, N.H. -- 100
2. Thu., July 1 -- Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre -- 100
3. Sat., Aug. 21 -- Canaan Fair Speedway, Canaan, N.H. -- 100
4. Sat., Oct. 9 -- Riverside Speedway, Groveton, N.H. -- 100

Sweet Breaks Through in Late Models

Pembroke's crash hurts title chances


BARRE -- A long list of first-time feature winners at Thunder Road in 2009 got one name longer on Thursday night. Hometown sophomore Nick Sweet drove from 12th starting position to knock off his first career Late Model victory, becoming the fourth first-time winner in the division this season and the tenth consecutive non-repeat winner at the track.

Mike Bailey of South Barre led the majority of the first 30 laps, only letting Eric Chase nose ahead on three circuits after a lap 8 restart. Bailey was drilled in the right-side door on lap 29 by the lapped car of Matt White, however, and gave way to Sweet's Saint J Auto Pontiac one lap later. Sweet led the final 20 laps virtually uncontested, but was forced to outrace former track champions Jamie Fisher, Phil Scott, Cris Michaud, Reno Gervais, and point leader Jean-Paul Cyr to take the win, as a final restart of lap 40 bunched the field.

Fisher held on for his second runner-up finish in a row, with Michaud third, Scott fourth, and Cyr fifth. Bailey limped home in 20th place.

Sweet suffered engine problems last week and his team was still trying to solve the issue as of Thursday afternoon. "I can't say enough about the guys, they worked their butts off this week," said Sweet. "We were [at the shop], heck, I was going home before them and I usually don't do that. I'm usually one of the last guys there, and I was like, 'Guys, I gotta go to work in the morning,' and they would just stay down there.

"We lose as a team, we win as a team, and you really find out who your real friends are when you're down. I mean, look at us, we were down tonight. This is what happens in racing. You're at your lowest point in the season, you don't think it can get any worse, all of sudden you're like, 'I'm so sick of it, I can't wait for it to be over,' and then you win a race. And look at us now, I've got a grin on my face, I'm on the ninth cloud, and we're going to come back tomorrow."

The caution flag that flew on lap 40 was for championship contender Dave Pembroke of Middlesex, who was shoved off the track by White in Turn 2 and slid down the embankment before slamming into a dirt retaining wall. Pembroke's crew attempted to make repairs and sent their driver back to the track, but after driving down pit road, Pembroke parked the Vt. State Employees Credit Union Chevrolet before with heavy suspension damage. Pembroke entered the event second in points, just 11 markers behind Cyr. To make matters infinitely worse for Pembroke, top-five race finishers Scott, Michaud, Sweet, and Fisher are also tightly grouped in order behind Pembroke in the point standings, and the next green flag is set to fly at 6:00pm on Friday -- approximately 20 hours after Pembroke's crash, therefore severely limiting time for repairs.

Pembroke offered no comment on the incident, but his team plans to work throughout the day on Friday in order to race.

Shawn Duquette of Morrisonville, N.Y. clinched the ACT Tiger Sportsman Tri-State Series championship in a tie-breaker with Jason Bonnett despite crashing in the division's ACE Hardware 100. Shawn Fleury of Middlesex won the race after a late pass of Bradford's Derrick O'Donnell. Click here for the Tiger Sportsman event story.

Garry Bashaw of Lincoln earned his first career Street Stock win in the nightcap feature. Bashaw began racing in 2000 and had never won a main event. The win came in the first Street Stock/Junkyard Warrior combined 'A' feature run at Thunder Road since July 5. David Whitcomb of Elmore finished second over Tucker Williams, Michael Moore, and Mike MacAskill. Donny Yates of North Montpelier was the top-finishing Warrior driver in 21st place, taking his fourth win of the season in the division. Kevin Dodge of Barre was second, with Waitsfield's Kevin Streeter third. Street Stock driver Scott Maynard of South Burlington walked away from a multi-time rollover off Turn 2 that destroyed his car. MacAskill won the 'reserve' feature to qualify for the main event.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS -- ACE Hardware Night
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre, Vt.
Thursday, August 13, 2009

Pos.-Driver-Hometown (# - denotes rookie)

ACT Late Model (50 laps)
1. Nick Sweet, Barre
2. Jamie Fisher, Shelburne
3. Cris Michaud, Northfield
4. Phil Scott, Montpelier
5. Jean-Paul Cyr, Milton
6. Craig Bushey, Cambridge
7. Eric Chase, Milton
8. Pete Fecteau, Morrisville
9. Reno Gervais, Island Pond
10. Jerry Lesage, Winooski

NAPA Tiger Sportsman (100 laps)
1. Shawn Fleury, Middlesex
2. Derrick O'Donnell, Bradford
3. Jimmy Hebert, Williamstown
4. Brendan Moodie, North Wolcott
5. Scott Coburn, Barre
6. Jason Bonnett, St. Albans
7. David Finck, Barre
8. Joey Laquerre, East Montpelier
9. Ray Stearns, East Corinth
10. Josh Demers, Middlesex

Allen Lumber Street Stock/Power Shift Online Junkyard Warrior 'A' Feature (25 laps)
1. Garry Bashaw, Lincoln (SS winner)
2. David Whitcomb, Elmore (SS)
3. #Tucker Williams, Hyde Park (SS)
4. Michael Moore, East Haven (SS)
5. Mike MacAskill, Williamstown (SS)

21. Donny Yates, North Montpelier (JW winner)

Street Stock/Warrior 'Reserve' Feature (25 laps)
1. Mike MacAskill, Williamstown (SS)
2. Tommy Smith, Williamstown (SS)
3. Gary Mullen, Tunbridge (SS)
4. Mike Martin, Craftsbury Common (SS)
5. #Danny Doyle, Hancock (SS)

Against All Odds, Duquette Wins Tri-State Title

Fleury wins 100, New Yorker wins tie-breaker over Bonnett for championship


BARRE -- Sometimes all you need is a little luck, and Shawn Duquette got it. That, and a lot of help from some friends.

Duquette came to Barre's Thunder Road for the ACT Tiger Sportsman Tri-State Series championship finale on Thursday night. The Morrisonville, N.Y. driver won the opening round of the series at his Airborne Speedway home base in July, copped the second round at Canaan Fair Speedway two weeks ago, and held a 22-point lead over fellow New Yorker Toby Ebersole, with St. Albans driver Jason Bonnett 32 points back.

At Thunder Road, a track he'd seen for the first time just seven days earlier, Duquette moved forward in his qualifying heat, enough to earn him a '+2' handicap rating and give him the seventh starting spot in the ACE Hardware 100 finale. Ebersole quickly went a lap down, effectively eliminating him from title contention. While running in the top-ten two laps before halfway, Duquette looked strong against hometown stars Shawn Fleury, Brendan Moodie, and Jimmy Hebert. Bonnett, who needed to finish 15 positions ahead of Duquette to take the championship away, was on his rival's front bumper. Things looked to be under control for Duquette.

But as soon as it looked like he would be celebrating a championship, it was just as soon gone. Contact from rookie Erik Steel on lap 48 sent Duquette hard into the frontstretch wall. The sliver, black, and green #18 Toyota sat on the track motionless, its driver an emotional mess.

"I was almost in tears," admitted Duquette. "I said, 'There it goes.' I knew it was going to happen here."

During a caution period ten laps later, it was announced that, given the misfortunes of Duquette and Ebersole, Bonnett would need to finish ninth or better to win the championship. A pretty easy task, all things considered, for the two-time Airborne champion and past feature winner at Thunder Road, who in June had an outstanding Late Model debut at the track.

In the pits, however, a swarm of bodies surrounded the battered car. Crew members representing no less than nine Airborne-based teams -- and even Airborne Speedway promoter Mike Perrotte, who attended the race to cheer on his drivers -- repaired the car's broken suspension in just 19 laps' time. Duquette returned on lap 67, and soldiered on to finish 20th.

And in a magical twist of fate for Duquette, Bonnett finished sixth, only 14 positions better. The result left them tied with 204 points each, and Duquette's pair of victories earned him the tie-breaker, sending the championship trophy to the western side of Lake Champlain for only the second time in history.

"I can't thank everybody enough," said Duquette. "There were a lot of people helping. My crew, Jamy Begor (an Airborne driver not in competition at Thunder Road) was there, I don't really know who else was over there because there were so many people. It's awesome. They got me back out on the track.

"It's wonderful. I didn't think it was going to happen there, I was sweating bullets. We got lucky, it was just a tie rod and a couple of rims, and we got back out and finished the race. It's the best feeling I've had so far in racing."

Ironically, one of the volunteers helping make repairs was Bonnett's father, Ron, a former racer. "I guess it's sort of my fault that Jason lost the title," laughed Ron Bonnett. "[Duquette] would have helped us out. We've lost titles before, and we've won them, too. It would have been nice to win, but it's no big deal. Stuff like [tonight] is why we race."

Two-time Thunder Road champion Fleury, of Middlesex, turned his dismal season around with the second 100-lap Sportsman victory of his career; his first came in 2005.

"I definitely had to get up on the wheel tonight," said Fleury, who started 21st in the 27-car field. "We just had a bad start to the night and I really wanted to win it for the guys. They busted their butts tonight putting that thing together. We were overheating earlier and they changed the radiator, changed the water pump, we had a bad start but it all worked out for us. We've had a terrible year, and if I was going to win one, this is the one I wanted to win. I'm glad we got it, and whatever happens happens from here on out."

Fleury's National Guard Chevrolet stalked young Derrick O'Donnell of Bradford for the lead from lap 80 until making his move on the outside; Fleury took the lead on lap 91, then held O'Donnell and teenager Hebert off for the victory.

"[O'Donnell] had a real good car, he ran me clean, and it was just an awesome race," said Fleury. "They're pretty tough, no doubt. We've been doing this a long time and there's a lot of good drivers. The division has really evened out. Any car can win on any given night. [The young drivers] are tough to beat. Honestly, I didn't think I was gonna get him, and luckily we did."

O'Donnell inherited the lead on lap 45 after top runners Mark Barnier and Eric Badore crashed as Barnier blew a tire on a restart. After surrendering the point to Fleury with nine laps to go, O'Donnell held on to second over Hebert, Moodie, Scott Coburn, and Bonnett. David Finck, Joey Laquerre, Ray Stearns, and Josh Demers completed the unofficial top ten.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS -- ACE Hardware 100
ACT Tiger Sportsman Tri-State Series -- Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre, Vt.
Thursday, August 13, 2009

Pos.-Driver-Hometown (# - denotes rookie)

1. Shawn Fleury, Middlesex
2. Derrick O'Donnell, Bradford
3. Jimmy Hebert, Williamstown
4. Brendan Moodie, North Wolcott
5. Scott Coburn, Barre
6. Jason Bonnett, St. Albans
7. David Finck, Barre
8. Joey Laquerre, East Montpelier
9. Ray Stearns, East Corinth
10. Josh Demers, Middlesex
11. Eric Badore, Milton
12. #Erik Steel, Barre
13. Joel Hodgdon, Craftsbury
14. #Mike Billado, Essex Junction
15. #Neal Foster, Waterbury
16. Howard Stoner, Altona, N.Y.
17. Toby Ebersole, Peru, N.Y.
18. Joey Becker, Jeffersonville
19. #Kevin Godfrey, Wentworth, N.H.
20. Shawn Duquette, Morrisonville, N.Y.
21. Mark Barnier, Essex Junction
22. Joe Steffen, Essex Junction
23. George May, Barre
24. Lance Allen, Barre
25. Skip Liberty, Peru, N.Y.
26. Brian Delphia, Waterbury
27. Richie LaFond, Colchester


(PHOTOS: 1. Shawn Duquette (2nd from right) and a small representation of the team that repaired his car on Thursday night celebrate their Tri-State Series championship. 2. Shawn Fleury won the ACE Hardware 100. Photos by Justin St. Louis/VMM)

The Juice: Two Good Minutes With The King

-by Justin St. Louis
We were lucky enough to chat with "King" Richard Petty at Thunder Road last week for a couple of minutes, and -- unlike the media circus at Oxford hanging on Rusty Wallace's every regurgitated word about NASCAR a few weeks back -- we actually asked him about something that matters to us: short track racing.

When picking the brain of the most decorated stock car driver in history, we asked Petty how important he feels the local short track "Saturday night" realm is to the overall picture, in relation to an economically-stuggling NASCAR and a recessed America.

Petty acknowledged that everything money-related is slumping right now, but realizes the role the grassroots racers play whether the economy is strong or not. "If there wasn't no Saturday night racing, there wouldn't be no Sunday [NASCAR Sprint Cup Series] racing," he said. "I think everybody gets their appetite, and sort of learns that they like racing and stuff, on Saturday night.

"There's guys struggling all over the country to do that, and even though they don't see them run on Sunday, some may get lucky enough to get to run on Sunday. The big deal is that it starts the sport from the ground up. The kids can come here and get interested and when they grow up they can go to the Cup Series."

Petty also realizes that, especially now more than ever, family-based teams have their work cut out for them if they've got an ambition to reach the top of the sport.

"They've never made it from this level to the Cup deal all in one race," Petty said, alluding to the fact family teams have rarely had an impact in NASCAR's top levels over the last several decades. As a driver, Petty suggests, it's all about opportunity. "You've got to go through this [local short track] deal right here, you try to go into Truck racing or Nationwide, and you have to move yourself up from that standpoint.

"A lot of these guys you see here tonight, they started in go-karts or motorcycles or something like that just to get to here. This is just another stop in a long race."

***

Feel-good story of the year: Steve Park in victory lane.

***

J.R. Fitzpatrick is set to make his NASCAR Nationwide Series season debut at Watkins Glen this weekend, and we're picking him as a darkhorse. The former CASCAR champion, now running a limited schedule for Kevin Harvick, Inc. in the Camping World Truck Series, will drive a KHI #4 car in the Nationwide road course event. Two of Fitzpatrick's four CASCAR/NASCAR Canadian Tire Series wins have come on road courses at Mosport and Edmonton (and in his only two Canadian Tire starts of the 2009 season, he scored top-threes at both tracks), and his KHI ride should prove to be much more competitive than the Nationwide cars he's driven at Montréal and Mexico City. Keep your eyes peeled. Just sayin'.

***

I cried a little for Jon Lester the other night.

***

Seeing Richard Petty awarding Street Stock driver Gary Mullen with a gold spray-painted plunger was one thing. But seeing him swap his trademark cowboy hat for Mullen's homemade, red-and-gold, felt-and-pipe-cleaner king's crown was just completely off the charts.

***

Here's what's right with racing in the northeast right now: The underdogs are winning.

Take a look down the list of weekly feature winners around the region this year, and you'll find some names that might cause a double-take. At Thunder Road, there's Reno Gervais, Grant Folsom, and last week, Tony Andrews. At Airborne, you'll find Jason Durgan and Aaron Bartemy. In New Hampshire, it's Bobby Baillargeon at Lee USA, Darrell Keane at Twin State, and Jeremy Davis and Travis Fadden at White Mountain. At Oxford Plains, Jeff White, Nick Brown, Travis Stearns, and "Two-Lap" Tommy Ricker are up front. On the dirt, it's been C.V. Elms and Robert Bublak at Devil's Bowl, and Jason Gray and Travis Shinn at Bear Ridge.

But then go on the road, where the competition is tougher (and should be), and you're still finding surprise winners. Low-dollar champion Eric Williams took an ACT Late Model Tour win at his home track, Thunder Road, a few months ago. Sean Kennedy scored a major upset by winning the ACT Castrol Series race at Capital City Speedway in June. Rob Goodenough, Jimmy Kuhn, and Steve Masse have all stolen wins on the True Value Modified Racing Series, and young Erick Rudolph was a first-time Whelen Modified Tour winner at Spencer Speedway this season.

The real surprise has been with the PASS North Super Late Model series; for several years, the PASS division was jokingly -- but universally -- referred to as the "Rowe-Rowe-Clark-Clark Tour" due to the fact that almost no one other than Mike and Ben Rowe or Johnny or Cassius Clark was able to win. But last year, that began to change when youngsters D.J. Shaw, Adam Bates, Derek Ramstrom, and Travis Benjamin started stealing checkered flags. And this year, Bates and Ramstrom have each won again, and Chris Staples and Randy Turner have shocked the northeast with breakthrough wins. Granted, Johnny Clark has three victories, Ben Rowe has two, and Cassius Clark won at Riverside Speedway two weeks ago, but the playing field seems to be a bit more level.

Should a driver like Bates -- an ex-Twin State Speedway Late Model driver -- go on to win the PASS North title this season, or, say Randy Potter in ACT, it would not only be considered a major upset to defeat the likes of the Clarks and Rowes of PASS, or the Brian Hoars and Brent Dragons of ACT, but it would send a signal to the "little guy" that nothing is impossible.

And frankly, we're pulling for the little guys.

***

AROUND THE REGION:

Time to take a look at the top Vermonters from the past weekend...

ACT Late Model Tour: The 100-lap event at Twin State Speedway was rained out on Friday and again on Sunday. It has been rescheduled for Friday, Sept. 4.

ACT Tiger Sportsman Series: Shawn Duquette of Morrisonville, N.Y. won the Canaan Fair 100 at Canaan Fair Speedway on Saturday night. Second-place finisher Joey Roberts of Georgia was disqualified, moving Jeffersonville's Joey Becker into the runner-up spot, Jason Bonnett of St. Albans third, Toby Ebersole of Peru, N.Y. foruth, and Williamstown's Jimmy Hebert fifth.

Airborne Speedway (Plattsburgh, N.Y.): Don Scarborough of Brandon was the top Vermonter in Saturday's Modified race, finishing 13th. Swanton's Kevin Boutin finished third in the Renegade feature, with Lance Rabtoy of Fairfax fourth, Swanton's Dave Rabtoy eighth, and Mike Terry of Grand Isle tenth. The Tiger Sportsman division had the night off.

Albany-Saratoga Speedway (Malta, N.Y.): Friday's races were rained out for the third-straight week. Albany-Saratoga had not lost three in a row to rain since 1992.

Bear Ridge Speedway (Bradford): Thetford Center's Wayne Stearns earned his third Sportsman Modified win of the year on Saturday, beating Whiting driver Jimmy Ryan in his first Bear Ridge start of the year; Chris Donnelly of Piermont, N.H. was third over East Thetford's Jason Gray and Thornton, N.H. driver Ryan Avery. Melvin Pierson of Topsham took the Sportsman Coupe victory over Ritchie Simmons of Bradford, point leader Josh Harrington of Topsham, Mike McGinley of East Barre, and rookie Billy Simmons of Bradford. Shane Race of South Strafford took his second Limited Late Model win of the year over Dan Eastman of Thetford Center, Robert Tucker of East Corinth, T.C. Forward of Lyme, N.H., and Dan Cook of South Tamworth, N.H. Andy Johnson of Wilder won the Fast Four race over Sharon's Mitch Durkee and Kevin Harran of St. Johnsbury. Bradford's Tom Placey won his fifth-straight Hornet feature over Mark Harran of St. Johnsbury and Justin Eldridge of Center Ossipee, N.H. Matt Robie won the Granite State Mini Sprints 600cc race, and Zach Herbert won the 500cc event.

Canaan Dirt Speedway (Canaan, N.H.): Friday's program was rained out.

Canaan Fair Speedway (Canaan, N.H.): Bradford's Arnie Stygles was sixth in the Super Street race on Saturday with Colby Hodgdon of Windsor seventh. Ascutney's Jamie Hodgdon won the Pure Stock feature with Pittsford's Kyle Davis sixth, White River Junction's Rob Thurston seventh, Andy Merritt of Perkinsville ninth, and Chris Riendeau of Ascutney tenth. Josh Sunn of White River Junction won the Outlaw Mini Stock feature over Chris Lyman of Hartland, Chris McKinstry of Thetford, Bobby Prior of White River Junction, and Robert Gioia of East Thetford. Mike Parker of Bradford won the Bandit feature over Bruce Jaycox of Hartland after apparent winner Kyle Small of Quechee was disqualified.

Devil's Bowl Speedway (West Haven): Sunday's event was rained out.

Monadnock Speedway (Winchester, N.H.): Dana Shepard of Putney finished 13th in the Super Stock race on Saturday. Joe Rogers of Ludlow was tenth in the Mini Stock feature, and Dick Houle of West Brattleboro was third in the 4-cylinder Enduro.

PASS North Super Late Models: Randy Turner of Readfield, Me. won Sunday's NAPA 150 at Unity (Me.) Raceway for his first career PASS win. D.J. Shaw of Center Conway, N.H. was second, with Turner, Me.'s Ben Rowe third. Danville rookie Steven Legendre finished 18th.

Riverside Speedway (Groveton, N.H.): Steven Hodgdon of Danville finished fourth in the Late Model feature on Saturday with Bob Ailes, Sr. of St. Johnsbury tenth. Dilyn Switser of West Burke finished fourth in the Super Stock feature with Michael Smith of St. Johnsbury fifth, Cody Hodge of Orleans sixth, and Ben Bedor of Lyndonville eighth. West Burke's Jesse Switser won the Street Stock race over Rick Utley of Wheelock and Montpelier's Kyle Pembroke, with Derby Line's Brendan Hunt fifth. Anthony Young of Beecher Falls finished second in the Dwarf Car race with Concord's Toby Merchant third.

Série ACT-Castrol: Patrick Laperle of St-Denis-sur-Richelieu, Qué. won the Montmagny 250 at Autodrome Montmagny near Québec City on Saturday night over Karl Allard of St-Félicien, Qué. and Donald Theetge of Boischatel, Qué. Trampas Demers of South Burlington finished 12th.

Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl (Barre): Tony Andrews of Northfield earned his first Late Model win in 17 years on Thursday night, beating Dave Pembroke of Middlesex, Cris Michaud of Northfield, Brooks Clark of Fayston, and Phil Scott of Montpelier. Josh Demers of Middlesex took his first career Tiger Sportsman victory over Hinesburg's Tommy Therrien, rookie Steve "Mudflap" Quenneville of Barre, and Lance Allen and John Drinkwine, also of Barre. Tommy "Thunder" Smith of Williamstown nipped Danville's Jason Corliss at the line for Street Stock checkers, with Hardwick's Bunker Hodgdon third, Randolph Center's Markus Farnham fourth, and Bruce Melendy of Danville fifth. Lance Donald of Williamstown earned his first-ever Junkyard Warrior win over Keith Fortier of Hinesburg, Kevin Wheatley of Williamstown, Ken Christman of Cabot, and Barre's Kevin Dodge.

Twin State Speedway (Claremont, N.H.): Rain washed out racing on Friday and Sunday.

White Mountain Motorsports Park (North Woodstock, N.H.): Stacy Cahoon of St. Johnsbury finished fifth in Saturday's Late Model feature, with Bernie Lantagne of McIndoe Falls sixth. Stevie Parker of Lyndonville was third in the Strictly Stock feature with Milton's Gordie Stone sixth, and Concord driver Rubin Call won the Strictly Stock Mini race.

***

Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl in Barre has its annual "Run-What-You-Brung" spectator races on Thursday night and the previously rained-out $5,000-to-win M&M Beverage Enduro 250 and Street Stock and Warrior specials on Sunday. The SCoNE 360 Sprint Cars are at Canaan Fair on Friday night and Bradford's Bear Ridge Speedway on Saturday. The ACT Late Model Tour will complete the final 72 laps of the Nutmeg State 100 at Waterford Speedbowl in Connecticut on Saturday, while the Série ACT-Castrol is at Autodrome Chaudière and the True Value Modified Racing Series is at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway. Regular events are on tap at Albany-Saratoga on Friday, Airborne, Canaan Fair, Monadnock, Riverside, and White Mountain on Saturday. Devil's Bowl Speedway in West Haven will have a regular program along with a 50-lap Enduro on Sunday.

Tiger Sportsman Series: Roberts Disqualified, Suspended Indefinitely

WATERBURY -- Joey Roberts drove arguably the best race of his career on Saturday night. It will be his last race for a while, at least under the ACT banner.

Roberts, of Georgia, Vt., has been disqualified from his second-place finish in the ACT Tiger Sportsman Tri-State Series at Canaan Fair (N.H.) Speedway on Saturday, and has been suspended indefinitely from ACT competition.

Following the Canaan Fair 100 on Saturday, the engines of the top three finishers -- including Roberts, winner Shawn Duquette, and third-place finisher Joey Becker -- were pulled for inspection by ACT. According to an ACT press release, Roberts' engine, built by Island Racing Service in South Hero, was deemed illegal and the finish was disallowed, with Roberts forfeiting all championship points and purse money associated with the race.

The suspension, however, stems from "subsequent behavior not in keeping with the rules of ACT racing." Roberts was fined $1,000 and indefinitely suspended from all ACT-sanctioned competition -- which includes weekly events at Barre's Thunder Road, where Roberts ranks 14th in the Tiger Sportsman class -- and has also been "banned from entering any pit area conducting an ACT event until further notice."

With the disqualification, Becker will inherit the second-place position and Jason Bonnett will move up to third place. The final round of the Tri-State Series is at Thunder Road on Thursday, August 13.

PHOTOS: ACT Tiger Sportsman Tri-State Series Canaan Fair 100

Richie LaFond and Neal Foster on the starting grid for the ACT Tiger Sportsman Tri-State Series' Canaan Fair 100 on Saturday night. Click here for a 54-photo gallery of the event. All photos by Justin St. Louis/VMM.

Duquette Perfect on Tiger Sportsman Series

CANAAN, N.H. -- Shawn Duquette may not have been the odds-on favorite for the ACT Tiger Sportsman Tri-State Series championship at the beginning of the year, but it's hard to ignore him now.

The Morrisonville, N.Y. driver dominated the second round of the three-race series at Canaan Fair Speedway on Saturday night en route to maintaining a perfect two-for-two record in ACT events this year; Duquette also won the season opener at his home track, Airborne Speedway, on July 11.

Duquette started third on the 23-car grid after earning a "+3" handicap in plus/minus heat race qualifying.  Polesitter Mark Barnier led the opening 13 laps before Duquette nosed ahead on the outside to lead lap 14, then settled in behind Barnier until a lap 29 restart brought them side-by-side.  Duquette took the lead again on lap 30 and was never challenged again, at one point leading by nearly half of a lap.

Joey Roberts of Georgia finished a career-best second after a battling with Barnier, Joey Becker, and Toby Ebersole at different points in the event.  ACT Late Model driver Becker, moonlighting in Rich Watson's Tiger Sportsman car, finished third over Jason Bonnett and Ebersole.  The top-ten was completed by Jimmy Hebert, Lance Allen, Brendan Moodie, Skip Liberty, and Eric Badore.  Barnier cut a left-front tire while running in fourth place on lap 74 and finished 17th.

Duquette represented a strong contingent of Airborne teams; all five that raced at Canaan on Saturday finished in the top-ten, including Ebersole, Bonnett, Liberty, and the Becker/Watson pairing.

"I ran the same setup as Airborne, and the car just turned," said Duquette.  "It was a little loose, but loose is fast.  It just took off."

Duquette won in his first visit to Canaan Fair Speedway.  He'll try to wrap up the Tri-State Series championship at another track he's never been to, Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl in Barre, on August 13.

"I've heard a lot of bad stories about there," he said, "but I'm going to head over Thursday (Aug. 6) to see if I can try to practice."

At the rate Duquette is going, though, he may not even need it.

OFFICIAL RESULTS -- Canaan Fair 100

ACT Tiger Sportsman Tri-State Series -- Canaan Fair Speedway, Canaan, N.H.

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Pos.-Driver-Hometown (# - denotes rookie)

1. Shawn Duquette, Morrisonville, N.Y.

2. Joey Roberts, Georgia

3. Joey Becker, Jeffersonville

4. Jason Bonnett, St. Albans

5. Toby Ebersole, Peru, N.Y.

6. Jimmy Hebert, Williamstown

7. Lance Allen, Barre

8. Brendan Moodie, North Wolcott

9. Skip Liberty, Peru, N.Y.

10. Eric Badore, Milton

11. #Erik Steel, Barre

12. Ray Stearns, East Corinth

13. Derrick O'Donnell, Bradford

14. Joey Laquerre, East Montpelier

15. Joel Hodgdon, Craftsbury

16. Josh Demers, Middlesex

17. Mark Barnier, Essex Junction

18. Scott Coburn, Barre

19. #Neal Foster, Waterbury

20. Richie LaFond, Colchester

21. #Kevin Godfrey, Wentworth, N.H.

22. Shawn Fleury, Middlesex

23. George May, Barre

ACT Saturday Recap: Laperle, Duquette Win

Patrick Laperle and Shawn Duquette each scored their second ACT victories of the season on Saturday night.

Laperle, of St-Denis-sur-Richelieu, Que., won the ACT Castrol Series' Montmagny 250 at Autodrome Montmagny (Que.), while Morrisonville, N.Y. driver Duquette won the ACT Tiger Sportsman Tri-State Series' Canaan Fair 100 at Canaan Fair (N.H.) Speedway.

Laperle was followed across the line by Karl Allard, Donald Theetge, Patrick Hamel, and Justin Holtom.

Duquette beat Joey Roberts, Joey Becker, Jason Bonnett, and Toby Ebersole for his victory. Vermont Motorsports Magazine was at Canaan and will have a full recap of the event soon.

The Juice: A Crazy Weekend, And Some Unsolicited Advice

-by Justin St. Louis

Well, we've finally lost it. Yours truly has drafted a couple of nostalgia-loving parents, a toddler with an increasing affinity for loud race cars, and perhaps most importantly, some daffy friends with reliable transportation, a camper, and a tolerance for me, for one completely bizarre weekend of racing.

Thursday, it's off to Thunder Road in Barre for the annual Times Argus Mid-Season Championships. Friday, we'll live a regular life with responsibilities and work and all that boring stuff. But Saturday, we're headed with the family to the tiny town of Waterford, just between St. Johnsbury, Vt. and Littleton, N.H., for the 50-year reunion and grand re-opening of Northeastern Speedway. After kissing the family goodbye at Northeastern, said friends and I will head to Berlin, N.H. for the second day of the New England Forest Rally, where we'll see the Vermont SportsCar factory-supported Subaru team in action with the likes of Travis Pastrana, Ken Block, and Dave Mirra driving gravity-defying, Colchester-built WRX STis, plus top racers Antoine L'Estage and Andi Mancin (we'll admit that we didn't even have to research those names -- following Rally America is a guilty pleasure of ours here at VMM HQ).

A few hours later, we'll complete the trip across Route 2 and down Route 26 to Maine's Oxford Plains Speedway for the True Value Modified Racing Series, Strictlies and Minis, and hopefully, some Late Model practice if we get there in time. Practice, of course, is in preparation for the mother of all short track events -- Sunday's TD Banknorth 250.

A list of 109 "probable" entries was released Wednesday at the event's annual Media Day in Westbrook, Me., and half of the drivers in attendance picked 20 year-old Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. to win. Polewarczyk, of Hudson, N.H., has been riding a huge wave of recent momentum that has even shown up on the national racing radar, and will look to improve upon his third-place finish in last year's race. Entries are expected from eight U.S. states plus Québec and Ontario, including NASCAR's Kenny and Steven Wallace, gunning for a purse that guarantees the winner $25,000, plus lap money.

If you haven't yet been to an Oxford 250, do yourself a favor and go. Just go. You have to. It's one of those special events where you'll find yourself mouth agape after a last-lap pass for the final transfer spot in one of the six heat races. You'll thrill to see your favorite driver beat his or her rival on the outside, three- or four-wide in Oxford's top groove. You'll get goosebumps when a local racer comes back from a heat race wreck, beats the touring stars to win one of the 'hooligan' races, then turns down the $1,500 winner's prize in favor of a starting spot in the main event, proudly proclaiming, "I'm racin' the 250!" over the microphone.

We can't wait to see what happens this year, and we've felt that way since the checkered flag fell last year. You should be there, too.

***

Quick things:

1. Apparently, C.V. Elms hasn't lost his touch behind the wheel. The promoter of Bradford's Bear Ridge Speedway took his second "Ridge Runner Series" victory of the season at Devil's Bowl Speedway in West Haven on Sunday.
2. Jeremy Mayfield simply needs to disappear.
3. Congratulations to Danville youngster Steven Legendre on his first career PASS North Super Late Model top-ten finish, a sixth-place effort, at Connecticut's Thompson Int'l Speedway on Saturday.
4. Kenny St. Germaine may be the toughest guy in America right now. The Airborne Speedway racer lost his home, a family member, and most of his belongings in a devastating fire last week, then, with a lot of help from the Airborne community, finished third in the Renegade race on Sunday. That takes some grit, and our hat's off to Kenny, and to the supporters of Airborne for rallying behind one of their own.

***

Here's our take on Thunder Road's Street Stock and Junkyard Warrior merger/split: The drivers that are complaining about it should just shut up and race their cars already. That's it.

At the risk of sounding like a curmudgeon here, this crying and whining business didn't happen in the old days. We were there on the track and in the pits a decade ago when the Street Stocks at Thunder Road were pulling in 50 to 60 cars a night, when half of the field was going home without qualifying for the feature. There wasn't a Warrior division, there wasn't a 'reserve' feature where we got to race a feature's worth of laps and gain a feature's worth of experience, even if it wasn't the main event. There weren't two winners, two sets of trophies, two purses, two champions. There were four or five drivers that had a great night, and 45 that took their lumps and came back the next week with higher hopes.

I'm telling the 45 drivers right now that aren't taking their lumps like they should, to grow up and get over themselves. If you're racing an entry-level four-cylinder car at a local short track, you need to realize that, no matter what you might want to believe, Jack Roush and Rick Hendrick aren't gonna come calling any time soon. Take a deep breath, race to your potential given the circumstances you've been handed on a particular night, don't take everything personally, and -- gasp! -- JUST HAVE FUN.

Listen, in 2000, I had a pretty great car, one that was much better than its driver, and I failed to qualify seven times out of 16 events. Seven times. In 2001, I missed nine out of 18. Nine! Half! And you know what? I had a blast. We all did.

The disparity was as bad then as it is now with the Streets and Warriors running together. Back then, there were 25 cars that could win, and 25 cars that had no chance at all. The key was that we all got along because we knew our fate and accepted it. More often than not, I was in the "no chance" group during those first two years, but I took advice and learned as much as I could. The veteran drivers offered a helping hand to the young kids like me. Guys like David Allen, Tommy Smith, Joe Fecteau, Lloyd Blakley, and a bunch more. By 2002, I was quite a bit better, winning races, contending for titles, and getting to the point where I could give a bit advice while I still listened to the more experienced drivers. Allen, Tommy Thunder, and Super Joe are still there and still helping, but it seems like some of the younger drivers -- in both divisions -- have stopped listening. If that's the attitude a racer is going to have, that racer shouldn't have a car at all.

If you're stuck in traffic behind some slower cars, either deal with it and try to outsmart your opponents like a sportsman would, or pull it onto the hauler. If you're in position to win, go for it. But for God's sake, don't just wreck a guy because he's slower than you, then complain that the system is flawed and you got screwed. You don't see Jeff Gordon or Mark Martin or Tony Stewart running over Dave Blaney or Joe Nemechek, you see them using patience. It works. Accept your fate, finish 24th, and keep in mind that the handicap system will reward you the next week with a better starting spot.

But taking a very positive thing like the two-division merger -- which provided the excitement it was intended to provide for race fans (which are more important in this business right now than they've ever been), and which began to lay the groundwork for the future survival of both classes -- and ruining it in six weeks is a shame. Tom Curley was beat up all year about it by the whiners, and finally he had to do something or he was going to start losing race teams. But I'll tell you this: Curley should have stuck to his guns and kept the divisions together, and here's hoping he goes back to the way it was two weeks ago. If the whiners want to quit, let 'em quit. Let 'em go somewhere else and run single-file every week and have a great time finishing sixth over and over if that's what they want. When they decide after a couple years of boring "racing" that they really did like Thunder Road, but they come back and the divisions are gone because a solution couldn't be found to appease every last driver, then they'll realize that they made a mistake by taking things for granted and throwing a tantrum.

No one is bigger than the show.

***

AROUND THE REGION:

Time to take a look at the top Vermonters from the past weekend...

ACT Late Model Tour: Point leader Scott Payea of Milton finished third at Kawartha Speedway's Summer Sizzler 200 on Sunday behind New Hampshire racers Brad Leighton and Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. Williston's Brian Hoar was sixth, and Chip Grenier of Graniteville finished tenth.

ACT Tiger Sportsman Tri-State Series: Shawn Duquette of Morrisonville, N.Y. won the series' opening round at Airborne Speedway on Sunday in a 100-lap race. Jason Bonnett of St. Albans was awarded the runner-up position after Tylor Terry failed inspection. ACT Late Model Tour regular Joey Becker of Jeffersonville was seventh, Joey Roebrts of Georgia was ninth, and Shawn Fleury of Middlesex was tenth. Former Daytona 500 winner Geoff Bodine finished sixth.

Airborne Speedway (Plattsburgh, N.Y.): Aaron Bartemy of Sheldon earned his first career Modified feature win on Sunday night with Don Scarborough of Brandon fifth. Kevin Boutin of Swanton finished fourth in the Renegades with Lance Rabtoy of Fairfax sixth, Milton's Rob Gordon eighth, and Mike Terry of Grand Isle tenth. Curtis Demore of Milton was ninth in the Bomber feature.

Albany-Saratoga Speedway (Malta, N.Y.): Todd Stone of Middlebury continued a strong season by finishing third in the 358 Modified feature on Friday night, while Rob Langevin of Londonderry finished second in the Sportsman event. Frank Hoard, III of Manchester was tenth in the Budget Sportsman race. Londonderry's Lori Langevin was fifth in the Pro Street Stock race with Castleton's Ed Thompson sixth and Fred Little of Salisbury eighth.

Bear Ridge Speedway (Bradford): Saturday's Mid-Season Championship races were postponed by rains that moved in during qualifying heats.

Canaan Dirt Speedway (Canaan, N.H.): Gene Pierson of East Corinth finished fourth in the Sportsman Modified event on Friday night, while Dave Lacasse of Thetford Center was fifth. Street Stock top guns Will Hull of East Montpelier and Dan Eastman of Thetford Center stuggled, finishing eighth and ninth, respectively. Josh Sunn of White River Junction was third in the Mini Stock race with Wilder's Andy Johnson fourth and Ryan Dutton of Bradford fifth.

Canaan Fair Speedway (Canaan, N.H.): Chris Wilk of Mendon finished fourth in the Pro Stock feature on Sunday, then won the Super Street race over Bradford's Arnie Stygles. Chris Riendeau of Ascutney was the Pure Stock winner, while Jamie Hodgdon, also of Ascutney, was fifth. Chris McKinstry of Thetford won the Outlaw Mini race with Robert Gioia of East Thetford third and Bobby Prior of White River Junction fourth. Bruce Jaycox of Hartland won the Bandit feature over Quechee's Kyle Small, while Ascutney's Tyler Lescord was fourth.

Devil's Bowl Speedway (West Haven): In a 50-lap Ridge Runner Series race won by C.V. "Butch" Elms on Sunday, Middlebury's Hunter Bates finished sixth in the Budget Sportsman division, with Cullen Howe of South Londonderry ninth. Lori Langevin of Londonderry was third in the Pro Street Stock feature with Carl Vladyka of Fair Haven fourth, Fred Little of Salisbury fifth, Chuck Towslee of Manchester sixth, and Jeff Washburn of Benson tenth. Mike Clark of Brandon was the Limited winner over Hydeville's Bill Duprey. Kayla Bryant of Rutland won the six-cylinder Mini Stock race, Nathan Woodworth of Essex Junction was the top four-cylinder Mini, and Chris Murray of Poultney was the Duke Stock runner-up.

Monadnock Speedway (Winchester, N.H.): Vernon's Heath Renaud finished 11th in the Super Stock race on Saturday, one spot better than Putney driver Dana Shepard. Joe Rogers of Ludlow was ninth in the Mini Stock feature. The Modified feature was rained out, as were the four- and eight-cylinder Enduros.

PASS North Super Late Models: Rookie Steven Legendre of Danville finished a career-best sixth on Saturday at Thompson Int'l Speedway in Connecticut, then finished 23rd at Lee USA Speedway in New Hampshire on Tuesday night. Derek Ramstrom won at Thompson, while Johnny Clark was the Lee winner.

Riverside Speedway (Groveton, N.H.): Mike Paquette won Saturday's rain-shortened Late Model feature. Paul Schartner, III of Lyndonville was fourth with St. Johnsbury's Bob Ailes, Sr. fifth. All other features were rained out.

Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl (Barre): Grant Folsom of Waitsfield earned his first career Late Model win on Thursday over Montpelier's Phil Scott, Jean-Paul Cyr of Milton, Mike Bailey of South Barre, and Middlesex's Dave Pembroke. Eric Badore of Milton took his first career Tiger Sportsman victory over Northfield's Jeff French, Barre's Cody Blake, Ray Stearns of East Corinth, and Mark Barnier of Essex Junction. Hyde Park rookie Tucker Williams took his second Street Stock win of the season over Williamstown's Mike MacAskill, Gary Mullen of Tunbridge, Jason Corliss of Danville, and Tommy Smith of Williamstown. Ken Christman of Cabot raced to his first career Junkyard Warrior win over Montpelier's Alex Whitcomb, Waitsfield drivers Troy Kingsbury and Kevin Streeter, and Mark LaFleche of Williamstown.

True Value Modified Racing Series: Dwight Jarvis of Ascutney finished eighth in the Laticrete/Port City 100 at Lee USA Speedway on Saturday night. Veteran driver Jimmy Kuhn, Jr. took his first career TVMRS win.

Twin State Speedway (Claremont, N.H.): Dallas Trombley of Rutland was the Late Model runner-up on Friday night, with Ascutney's Chris Riendeau fifth. Zach Jewett of Perkinsville finished fifth in the Modified feature, while Ascutney rookie Joey Jarvis beat his father, Peter Jarvis, for sixth. Nate Kehoe of Windham was eighth. Russ Davis of Cavendish was third in the Super Street race with fifth Mendon's Chris Wilk fourth. Tara Tarbell of Springfield was second in the Strictly Stock feature with Michael Burke of Bellows Falls fifth, West Hartford's Jeremy Blood sixth, and Josh Lovely of Barre seventh. The Wildcat finish was a carbon copy of the week before, with Jeremiah Losee of North Springfield winning over Cody Small of Hartland and Cavendish driver Rob Leitch.

White Mountain Motorsports Park (North Woodstock, N.H.): Stevie Parker of Lyndonville finished third in the Strictly Stock race on Saturday night with Milton's Gordie Stone seventh. Concord's Rubin Call won the Strictly Stock Mini feature. The Late Model event was rained out.

***

Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl in Barre is in action on Thursday night with the double-points Mid-Season Championships. Regular events will be held at Albany-Saratoga, Canaan Dirt, and Twin State on Friday. Saturday has the grand re-opening of Northeastern Speedway in Lower Waterford, while the True Value Modified Racing Series at Oxford Plains Speedway, Granite State Mini Sprints and previously rained-out Mid-Season Championships for the weekly divisions are at Bear Ridge Speedway in Bradford, Late Model Triple-25s are at White Mountain Motorsports Park, and regular events are held at Airborne, Canaan Fair, and Riverside. Devil's Bowl Speedway in West Haven will have kids rides on Sunday, while Oxford Plains Speedway hosts the $25,000-to-win TD Banknorth 250.

ACT Recap: Leighton, Duquette Take Sunday Wins

Brad Leighton and Shawn Duquette split victories in a two-series twinbill for the American-Canadian Tour on Sunday.

Leighton, of Center Harbor, N.H., took his second ACT Late Model Tour win of the season, taking the Summer Sizzler 200 at Kawartha Speedway in Fraserville, Ont., while Morrisonville, N.Y. driver Duquette won the opening round of the ACT Tiger Sportsman Tri-State Series at Airborne Speedway in Plattsburgh, N.Y.

Following Leighton across the finish line at Kawartha, unofficially, were Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. of Hudson, N.H., point leader Scott Payea of Milton, Karl Allard of St-Felicien, Que., and Jonathan Urlin of London, Ont. Brian Hoar, early leader Patrick Laperle, Kawartha regulars Dave Morgan and Brandon Watson, and Chip Grenier completed the unofficial top ten. Randy Potter of Groveton, N.H. was in position to take his first win of the season when he dropped out of contention on a lap-189 restart; he finished 23rd.

Duquette beat Tylor Terry of Morrisonville, N.Y. at Airborne, with St. Albans racer Jason Bonnett third, unofficially.

The House That Bucko Built

Watch an NBA basketball game on television some time, and invariably you will see at least one player -- LeBron James maybe, or Dwayne Wade -- make a huge dunk in front of the home crowd and proclaim, "This is my house!" It happens all the time.

Over in Plattsburgh, New York, at Airborne Speedway, there is a race car driver that would have every right to pull a showstopping move like that after a big win, not that he ever would. After all, Airborne is for all intents and purposes, "his house."

Twenty-seven years younger and wet behind the ears, a kid named Brian Branham -- known universally as "Bucko" -- tried his luck in a stock car at his hometown race track.

"In 1982, me and my cousin bought a car, we split a car," says Branham, leaning up against his familiar #20 Tiger Sportsman racer. "He ran one race and I ran one race and that was pretty much the end of it right there. I decided it was what I was going to do." The two were following in the footsteps of Bucko's father, Bill, who was a master short track racer in the northeast for more than two decades.

"The next year, I built my own car and finished second the first race out. It was pretty fun. Since then it's just been climbing the ladder, stepping back down a couple times, and moving back up. And I've raced with some great people."

More than two decades later and unquestionably the most popular driver at the track, Branham says his greatest accomplishment came in May 2005, during a four-year stretch when he raced in two divisions at the track. During Airborne's first year running dirt-style Modifieds as its headline class, Branham came home a winner in his first-ever start in the open-wheel division. He won a feature race every Saturday night during the first four weeks of that season, twice each in the Modified and the Sportsman.

He also has fond memories of the 1990s, when he and his cousin, Robin Branham, who was his partner in that first car in 1982, were a force in the Late Model division. "I had a lot of fun doing that until it started getting too expensive," Bucko says. "But the Tiger division is probably the best it's ever been right now."

Away from the race car, Branham is a construction worker for Plattsburgh-based Fuller Construction, owned by the same man that purcahsed Airborne Speedway two years ago, Steve Fuller. Fuller's company spent many hours revamping the track in 2005 and 2006, when Elizabethtown, N.Y. automobile dealership mogul George Huttig leased the facility. As a driver, Branham knew Airborne perhaps better than anyone, but now his relationship with the 51 year-old race track became something more. It was his own sweat and hard work going into the track to ensure its future.

When Fuller bought the property from deed holders Tom Curley and Ken Squier in 2007, Branham became even more involved in the beautification of the speedway. This spring, he took part in the estimated half-million-dollar facelift the track received, including the construction of a new VIP/media tower, new fencing, new lights, and a completely new track surface.

Airborne Speedway quite literally became the house that Bucko built. Ever the jokester, Branham realized the irony of his involvement with the speedway in two different facets of his life -- work and play -- and capitalized on the moment with a symbolic joke.

"When I was paving it, I threw some money on the track before the roller came through," he laughed, "so I can say I've got a couple dollars in it." But quickly, Branham becomes serious again. "[It feels] just like I own the place. I've been here so long, I probably wouldn't know what to do if I didn't come here."

Obviously an established veteran, Branham said that he has been called upon many times by track promoters and technical inspection officials at multiple tracks in the region for his input on rule changes and procedures. Last year, in his 25th full season of racing, Branham finally earned his first championship at Airborne. His wife and daughter are his biggest cheerleaders in the grandstands and pit area, his nephew, Robin Wood, is not only an unofficial crew member, but a fierce competitor in the Sportsman class. Branham -- who has recently taken on the nickname "Professor" -- beat Wood in a thrilling Sportsman finish to open the season two weeks ago.

But even as competitive as he still is after two-and-a-half decades, Branham sees the light at the end of the tunnel.

"I'm probably retiring pretty soon," he says. "Ain't much else to do, you know? Modifieds, I've done that, had some success in that. I'd like to run [an ACT Late Model at the Fall Foliage 300 in September] and see how that works out. Other than that, I'm happy in the Tigers. I'll race for probably a couple more years."

And it's Branham's family that he's keeping in mind. "They've stuck with it because I like to do it. That's why I think it's probably time for me to start giving back to them. Even though I hate to get away from racing, they deserve more. I think it's time."

For now, race fans can still delight in watching the black-and-silver #20 charge through the field at Airborne on any given Saturday night. But they know that when the time comes for Bucko Branham to hang up his helmet, it will be a tall task to replace him.

Especially in his own house.

(Photos: 1. Bucko Branham takes a break from building a portion of the frontstretch catch fence at Airborne Speedway last month; 2. Branham carries Late Model checkers in 1995; 3. Branham (#20) and nephew Robin Wood (#61) race closely together on opening day two weeks ago; 4. Branham (center) with his family and crew members in victory lane. Photos 1 and 4 by Justin St. Louis/VMM, Photo 2 Justin St. Louis collection; Photo 3 by Leif Tillotson)

Tiger Sportsman Series Schedule Unveiled

The American-Canadian Tour released the schedule for its new Tiger Sportsman Tri-State Series on Thursday. The three-race season begins on Saturday, July 11 at the newly redesigned Airborne Speedway half-mile in Plattsburgh, N.Y. New Hampshire's 1/3-mile Canaan Fair Speedway oval returns to the ACT fold on Saturday, August 1, with the series' finale at Barre's 1/4-mile Thunder Road on Thursday, August 13. Each race distance will be 100 laps.

The series has a sporadic history with many formats and titles, but has been a popular addition for race teams and fans. Chuck Beede of Williamstown won the most recent championship in 2006. Interest in a small, three-race series was very high at a pre-season rules meeting in February.

"I’m glad the Tour is back," St. Albans driver Jason Bonnett said in an ACT press release. "It’s fun to go to different tracks and race different people instead of racing the same track every week. I also like the challenge of adjusting the car to different setups for the different tracks." Bonnett, a two-time Airborne champion, finished third in Tiger Sportsman Series points in 2006 and won a 100-lap Series event at Canaan in 2005.

Jamy Begor of Mooers Forks, N.Y. is another Airborne driver looking forward to the experience. "It’s a great idea to run a three race series because you can go to a couple different tracks and it fits the budget," he said. Begor was also a winner at Canaan with the former Street Stock Tri-State Series.

ACT Tiger Sportsman Tri-State Series Schedule
Day-Date-Track-Location
Sat., July 11 - Airborne Speedway - Plattsburgh, N.Y.
Sat., Aug. 1 - Canaan Fair Speedway - Canaan, N.H.
Thu., Aug 13 - Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl - Barre, Vt.

Perrotte Bringing Airborne to the Forefront

Mike Perrotte has an on-track résumé deeper than most short track racers will be fortunate enough to build. From the tiniest and most obscure dirt tracks to the grandeur of the old NASCAR North Tour and everything in between, Perrotte has driven just about everything and raced just about everywhere in the northeast. Just last year, he was a race winner and championship contender at Albany-Saratoga Speedway against the likes of Kenny Tremont, Brett Hearn, and Dave Camara, three of the biggest names in dirt modified racing.

But the Elizabethtown, N.Y. man has another side that most drivers can't relate to. On Satruday nights, the 53 year-old trades his helmet in for a set of headphones, climbs out of his 700-horsepower race car, and climbs up the stairs to the control booth. Mike Perrotte the driver isn't here tonight. No, this is Mike Perrotte, Airborne Speedway Promoter.

After winning the 1986 Airborne track championship, Perrotte had a short-lived stint as the promoter. When track owners Ken Squier and Tom Curley decided to transition what was then-known as Airborne International Raceway out of their fold of companies in 2005, car dealership mogul and Dirt Modified team owner George Huttig leased the speedway and hired his driver, Perrotte, to run the operation. When Plattsburgh construction giant Steve Fuller purchased the facility outright from Squier and Curley, he kept Perrotte on the payroll.

The results on and off the track during the last four years under Perrotte's leadership have brought increased local television coverage, a bit of national attention, and have seen the word "Airborne" back as a household name around the region. The addition of DIRTcar-sanctioned Modifieds, improved parking and pit areas, and various weekly attractions only scratch the surface of the changes made. For the upcoming season, Perrotte and Fuller have another laundry list of improvements planned, including redesigning the track itself with progressively-banked corners, similar to those found at short track showplaces like Kawartha Speedway (Ont.) and Toyota Speedway at Irwindale (Calif.), or NASCAR Sprint Cup Series tracks including Bristol Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway. The intent is to create more two- and three-wide racing, thereby adding more excitement to the racing program.

"It will change the racing completely," Perrotte said. "(Most of) our divisions seem to get around well, but primarily, divisions like the ACT Late Models and the Tigers, which are sort of similar with tires, limitations on motors, things like that, they all tend to race at the bottom of the track. With this progressive banking, I think - I know - there will be a lot more side-by-side racing."

Perrotte and Fuller have stepped up their game each year, and Airborne Speedway is on the tip of seemingly every race fan's tongue lately.

"We've just made a real commitment to bringing this place to the next level," says Perrotte. "We're putting new lights in all over the facility, we've replaced the whole catch fence all the way down the frontstretch with new poles and fence. We're making a substantial investment, probably $300,000 or $350,000, I guess, I don't know what it'll be when we get done. At a time when everyone is cutting back, it shows our commitment and our faith in what we're doing, and the support we've got from the community and from the racers. Each year the fan count gets better, our car counts are rising, and everything's just really positive. I'm concerned about the economy like everyone else is, but I was more concerned last year at this time than I am now, when gas was at $4.00-plus a gallon. I think that that (positive) change will effect us more this year than the downturn of the economy."

Perrotte is so confident, in fact, that Airborne Speedway will host more marquee events in 2009 than it has in many years, even dating back to the successful Squier/Curley era of the 1990s; the Super DIRT Series - the largest, most successful dirt Modified racing circuit in the world - will roll into Airborne for the first time in June, and Curley's American-Canadian Tour will hold a pair of events, including the return of the historic Fall Foliage 300 in September. The 300 will be the longest event ever held for the ACT Late Model Tour. Add to that list a pair of stand-alone 100-lap Modified events, a 100-lap Tiger Sportsman race, 50-lap specials for the track's support divisions, an Enduro, fireworks, chain races, and more, and Airborne Speedway has the potential to be one of the leading attractions - stock car racing or otherwise - in the northeast.

Perrotte sees recent announcements that top regional drivers including Todd Stone, Don Scarborough, and Jessica Zemken will compete on a more frequent basis at Airborne, and past special appearances by nationally-respected short track racers as a culmination of several things, not the least of which are personal relationships that he first forged as a competitor.

"A lot of that is due to the fact that I know these people and they're all friends of mine and we've all raced together for a long time, but even more importantly is guys like Timmy McCreadie and Timmy Fuller, for instance, guys that can't wait to come back," Perrotte explained. "McCreadie came and ran once last year and told everyone that it was the most fun he had all season. Timmy Fuller, he's not running the (Super DIRT) Series full-time, but he contacted me about two months ago, and he's thinking about coming here. So that says a lot, I mean, maybe our friendship got them here in the first place, but they had a good time while they were here and the racing keeps them coming back. The atmosphere, too, they way they're treated by fans and racers and officials, that's all part of the deal."

In addition to the racing and special appearances, Perrotte and Fuller have created a couple fan-friendly experiences that aren't found anywhere else - a trolley bus that tours fans and children around the speedway grounds and pit area, and a weekly post-race party held in the style of SPEED Channel's Trackside Live program. Both have proven to be very popular.

"Our trolley is huge," said Perrotte, "and that was Steve Fuller's doing. We have a team, every one of us involved in this thing, from the guys that park in the parking lot, it's all a team effort. The racers, the fans, it's not one person, it's everyone working together. The trolley is pretty neat, we've had a good time with that. And the go-karts during the week. Every year we have someone from the go-karts jump into the race cars. They get into the four-cylinders, and every year we have people jumping from one division to the next, so it's all growing."

And speaking of the four-cylinder cars, one of the items on the long list of changes is the transformation of Airborne's Warrior division into the new-look Mini-Modifieds. The cars look exotic, and are already popular among fans and race teams. The purpose is to differentiate the cars from the entry-level Bomber class.

"I've got to be honest with you, it was Tom Curley's idea," chuckled Perrotte. "I'd like to take credit for it, but he said 'Why don't you do something with those cars? You've got two divisions that are same, why don't you take the fenders off and make them different?' and I thought it was a great idea. Because we had two divisions that were the same, people in the stands didn't know one from the other, and it was a little confusing. The best part is that it gives those (Mini-Modified) guys their own identity, and it doesn't cost much to do it. We haven't allowed them to modify the suspensions or anything like that, we just said pull the front ends off the cars and make your own, or leave them off, do whatever you want to do, just make them look different. And they look pretty cool."

Perrotte says he is happy with the state of Airborne Speedway and its recent wave of success, and plans on the trend continuing for years to come.

"It'll be more of the same, bringing in bigger races, although I think in our area we can't get any bigger than the Super DIRT Series and the ACT 300, I think those will always be our two biggest events," he said. "Even if we decided to have a NASCAR race, I still think that those two races in our community and in our area would be our biggest races. We'll certainly entertain the idea of other associations. I see our weekly program going stronger, too. If the race track is a lot fun to drive then we'll have a lot of race cars and racers that want to be there and with that comes more fans, so I just see the whole thing snowballing. Our affiliation with ACT will continue to grow more and more, and with the DIRTcar Modifieds. I've talked to some people about doing a Sprint Car show.

"The sky is the limit, we just have to use our heads and move slowly."

(Photos 1 and 2 courtesy Leif Tillotson, Photo 3 by VMM)

Tiger Sportsmen to Have Three-Race Series in 2009

A three-race, three-track series was announced on Tuesday night for Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl's NAPA Tiger Sportsman division. American-Canadian Tour President and Thunder Road Promoter Tom Curley made the announcement at rules meeting in Berlin to an overflow crowd of Tiger Sportsman drivers and crew members, confirming events at the soon-to-be-redesigned Airborne Speedway in Plattsburgh, N.Y. and the Canaan Fair Speedway in Canaan, N.H., as well as Thunder Road. Official dates for the events were not immediately available.

ACT has held touring Tiger Sportsman series in various forms sporadically since 1990. The last touring-type series for the division was held in 2006, with events at Airborne, Thunder Road, and the 1.3-km Sanair Super Speedway tri-oval in St-Pie, Que. Chuck Beede of Graniteville was named the series' champion after the final three events - which were to be held at Airborne, White Mountain Motorsports Park (N.H.) and Circuit Ste-Croix (Que.) were cancelled.

Past Tiger Sportsman Series Champions:
1990 - Dwayne Lanphear, Morrisville
1991 - Brent Dragon, Milton
1994 - Eric Williams, Hyde Park
1996 - Jimmy Young, Middlesex
1997 - Ricky Dennis, Colchester
1998 - Jimmy Young, Middlesex
1999 - Cooper MacRitchie, Williamstown
2000 - Cooper MacRitchie, Williamstown
2001 - John Donahue, Graniteville
2002 - Craig Bushey, Cambridge
2003 - Craig Bushey, Cambridge
2005 - Robin Wood, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
2006 - Chuck Beede, Graniteville
(No series in 1992-93, 1995, 2004, 2007-08)