by Lou Modestino
Riverside Speedway kicked off it’s 2013 season with a bang with the Bond Auto Parts qualifying night.
The Sign Depot Limited Late Model division started off the night with Time Trial action. Local boy Jerrad Ledger topped the charts with a 13.80 lap, but the top 4 cars were all .11 seconds within each other. Ledger was followed by 2-time defending champ “Hollywood” Chandler Davis, his brother Jourdan Davis, and Doug Laleme. The trials set the tone for the heats, where Ledger and Jourdan Davis duked it out in heat 1. Davis overtook Ledger to take the win, and Aaron Smith finished a strong run to take third. The second heat saw Chandler Davis beat out Doug Laleme and “Old School” Mike Paquette for his first heat win of 2013.
The Ouellette Trucking Angels had a heat of their own to start their season, which saw Nicole Ouellette take the checkers. Ouellette beat out Tina Leveille and Jenna Randall, who had to run home and grab her backup car to make the heat.
The Town and Country Inn and Resort Street Stocks had two heat races on Saturday. The cream rose to the top as “Nitro” Nick Gilcris held off last year’s champ “Stormin” Keith Normand and Will Good in the first heat. Jamie Heath ran away with the second heat over William Hennequin and Cole Kilby.
The Angels and Street Stocks were combined for a monza style event, with the first 30 lap feature run tonight. Jamie Heath continued his dominant performance for the evening and held off multiple attempts by Gilcris and Normand to take the first section of the feature. Gilcris held on for second, Normand third, with Hennequin and Good rounding out the top 5.
The Marshall Insurance Agency Daredevils ran their heat tonight, as Zach Savage pulled out the victory over Matthew Kopp and first time racer Anthony Benoit. Savage has made leaps and bounds since first stepping foot in a race car last year.
The story of the night, however, may have been the DK-N-Sons Pure Stocks. This start up division had people on the edge of their seats with enough bumping and banging to make things interesting. In the first event in their monza style feature, James Record fought his way to a first place finish over Bill Grover and Richie Veilleux. The gloves came off in the second feature. Record and Veilleux have started a bit of a rivalry, as their fenders and quarter panels look less than new now. Bill Grover took the top honors and the overall spot for the Pure Stocks. Once the smoke cleared, Record was awarded the second spot and Veilleux third.
TJ Brackett of Buckfield extended his lead in the Oxford Plains Speedway Pro Late Model Championship Series point standings, posting his first win of the season on Friday night.
Brackett’s win was particularly-rewarding, as he outgunned his father, former OPS track champion Timmy Brackett, an Oxford native now also living in Buckfield, for top honors.
“That was as much fun as I’ve ever had in a racecar,” the winner told the crowd from victory lane. “I’ve never had the chance to race Dad for the win.
“Next time it’s mine” the elder Brackett chimed in.
“We’ll see,” the youngster replied.
Multi-time Late Model track champion Shawn Martin of Turner raced from the back of the starting grid to post a third-place finish. Donnie Wentworth of Otisfield led more laps than anyone en route to a fourth-place finish. Tommy Stilphen, the 14-year-old rookie from Arundel, followed up his first career win with a fifth-place performance.
Carey Martin of Denmark claimed victory in the 75-lap Pro All Stars Series Sportsman division main event. Martin, a five-time champion of the similar Limited Sportsman class at Oxford Plains Speedway that was discontinued following the 2006 season, chased early frontrunner Ricky Burgess, Jr. of Waterville in the non-stop, caution-free race.
Burgess, impressive in all of his first-year starts on the regional touring series, built a healthy lead over the first half of the race. Former series champion Martin reeled him in and went by to take a lead he would not relinquish, though the outcome may have been in doubt if a caution flag had waved to bunch up the field.
Joey Pastore of Gorham raced from dead last on the starting grid to finish in second position, hoping throughout the second half of the event for that yellow caution flag that never appeared to tighten up the field. Dan McKeage of Gorham, also a former Sportsman champion, ended up in third position after winning the previous series event at Scarborough’s Beech Ridge Motor Speedway. Craig Smith of East Waterboro swapped positions with McKeage throughout the race, but settled for fourth as the checkered flag waved. Early leader Burgess rounded out the top-five.
First-year Allen’s Coffee Flavored Brandy Street Stock division competitor Josh Childs of Leeds prevailed in a wild, caution-filled 30-lap feature event for the class. Childs took command of the race from fellow rookie Dan Brown of Peru, who had set the pace for the first 19 laps.
Several caution flags shuffled the field, and damaged the cars and hopes of several contenders, including early leader Brown, who got turned around in the late going and ended up with a 15th-place finish.
Childs was chased under the checkered flag by three-time and defending division champion Kurt Hewins of Leeds. Corey Morgan of Lewiston dodged the chaos and claimed the final podium position in a car that was certainly not up to par. Zach Emerson of Sabattus was the fourth-place finisher, in front of Tyson Jordan of Poland, the most recent winner in the class entering Friday night’s action.
Reigning division champion Rob Greenleaf of West Bath led the entire distance in a non-stop 30-lap feature race for the Allen’s Coffee Flavored Brandy Mini Stock class, posting his second victory of the young season. Greenleaf made an early three-wide move to take the lead away from Brady Romano of Livermore Falls.
Rookie Justin Larsen of Peru, seeking his second straight win after a career-first victory in the class in the previous event, chased Greenleaf throughout the race, but never mounted a serious challenge to the winner’s lead.
The best battle in the class was for third position, with Jimmy Childs of Leeds using a borrowed car to hold off point leader Calvin Rose, Jr., of Turner, after a spirited battle lasting through most of the event. Rookie Ryan Glover of Rumford rounded out the top-five.
Corey Morgan of Lewiston romped to his third victory of the season in the 25-lap main event for the Ripley & Fletcher Ford Outlaw Sportsman division. Starting from 13th position, Morgan beat the other top point chasers through traffic early in the race, and held on to the lead as several of his fastest rivals got caught up in various altercations.
Guy Childs of Turner was the best of the rest, racing three-wide at times in an attempt to stay close to Morgan. Kyle Treadwell of Auburn was Morgan’s biggest threat during the event, but fell off the pace a bit in the closing laps and settled for a third-place finish. Mike Haynes of Livermore Falls crossed the line in fourth position, followed by Gray’s Steve Moon, who led several laps early in the race.
Bell Wins in Tight Modified Finish at Devil’s Bowl Speedway while Bates shines in Late Models, Wood wins exciting Enduro. Alex Bell topped the winners’ list during a night of
exciting stock car racing action and close finishes at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Friday, May 31. Bell earned the sixth Bond Auto Parts Modified victory of his career during Whelen Engineering Night presented by Mobil 1 for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series. Bell, 21, of Cambridge, NY, led every step of the 35-lap feature race,
but never had more than a two car-length advantage.
At White Mountain Motorsports Park in N. Woodstock, NH
June 1 2013 Unofficial WMMP Results:
Napa Late Models:
1. #78 Quinten Welch
2. #16 Travis Fadden
3. #83 Stacy Cahoon
4. #13 Boomer Morris
5. #51 Jeremy Harclerode
6. #38 Tyler Cahoon
7. #66 Tim Churchill
8. #42 Mike Jurkowski
9. #3 Bernie Langtange
10. #02 Russ Clark
11. #21 Oren Remick
12. #71 Joe Amour
13. #17 Todd Aldrich
14. #92 Will Avery
15. #61 Ryan Oleson
16. #12 Katrina Canney
17. #26 Dan Curren
18. #57 Dave Labrecque
19. #90 Sean Akers
White Mountains Community College Tiger/Sportsman
1. #16 George May
2. #1 Scott Coburn
3. #84 Richie Lafond
4. #21 Jason Fallman
5. #23 Stephen Hodgdon
6. #28 David Baron Sr.
Kingdom Trailer Strictly Stocks
1. #63 Tom Keith
2. #84 Elwin Sidney
3. #66 Bobby Taylor
4. 4. Shane Sicard
5. #99 Cody LeBlanc
6. #49 Jody Sicard
7. #23 Chandler Potter
8. #26 Logan Oliver
9. #20 Amanda Wheeler
10. #21 Lucas Wheeler
11. #31 Brandon Bourne
12. #47 Gordon Day
13. #17 Keith Lord
14. #22 Michael Lloyd
15. #04 Jon Baker
Woodsville Guaranty Savings Bank Strictly Minis
1. #94 Brett Rowell
2. #00 Shaun Sinclair
3. #22 Michael Smith
4. #99 Ben Belanger
5. #17 Desirae Sicard
6. #14 Michael Richards Jr.
7. #0 Scott Corey
8. #23 Jeremy Wyman
9. #19 Dave Driscoll
10. #82 Colby Bourgeois
11. #18 Cody Smith
12. #3 Ray Eames
13. #25 Jesse Switser
Dad’s 4 By Tool & Supply Kids Truck Division
1. #63 Michael Dennis
2. #26 Wyatt Hayward
3. #4 Kaleb Rodgers
4. #17 Evan Amour
5. #77 Anthony Tompkins
6. #1 Taylor Coburn
Twisted Tea Dwarf Cars
1. #88 Jason Wyman
2. #7 Eric Boucher
3. #01 Tim Anderson
4. #41 Jeff Ainsworth
5. #27 Bobby Brown
6. #93 Dave Gyger
7. #45 Paul Marsan
8. #21 Jeremy Labrecque
9. #51 Aric Cole
10. #99 Toby Merchant
11. #16 Dennis O’Brien
12. #33 Kevin Scott Hockman
13. #17 Tyler Jones
14. #85 Thomas Harmon
15. #07 Adam Giacomozzi
16. #26 James Wentworth
17. #20 Myles Dewit
18. #8 Andy Hill
19. #48 Mark Wigget
The American Canadian Tour 150 at Groveton, NH’s Riverside Speedway scheduled for Sunday, June 2 has been postponed due to weather. A makeup date will be announced in the near future.
Qualifying heats and 29 laps of the 150-lap event were completed before the rains came with Steuben, ME’s Rowland Robinson leading the 29-car field. He stole the lead from polesitter Jimmy Hebert in the early laps, and had a car length advantage in his bid for his first ACT win before the rain poured. Former Riverside Champion Randy Potter was third at the time, followed by Wayne Helliwell, Jr., and Chip Grenier to round out the top five.
The American Canadian Tour continues the path to the championship next Saturday, June 15 at Canaan Fair Speedway in Canaan, NH.
ACT Bond Auto 150 – 29 of 150 Laps Complete
American Canadian Tour
Riverside Speedway – Groveton, NH
Sunday, June 2
1. Rowland Robinson Jr., Steuben, ME
2. Jimmy Hebert, Williamstown, VT
3. Randy Potter, Groveton, NH
4. Wayne Helliwell, Jr., Dover, NH
5. Chip Grenier, Graniteville, VT
6. Joey Polewarczyk, Jr., Hudson, NH
7. Brent Dragon, Milton, VT
8. Nick Sweet, Barre, VT
9. Ray Parent, Tiverton, RI
10. Ben Rowe, Turner, ME
11. Ben Lynch, Huntersville, NC
12. #Derrick O’Donnell, N. Haverhill, NH
13. Luke Hinkley, Claremont, NH
14. Travis Stearns, Auburn, ME
15. Mike Kenison, Lancaster, NH
16. Todd Davis, Claremont, NH
17. Bryan Mason, Stark, NH
18. Quinten Welch, Lancaster, NH
19. #Joey M. Laquerre, E. Montpelier, VT
20. #Bobby Therrien, Hinesburg, VT
21. Luke Shannon, Groveton, NH
22. David Michaud, St-Anne des Plaines,QC
23. Corey Mason, Groveton, NH
24. Paul Schartner, Jr., Lyndon, VT
25. Brandon Lambert, Colebrook, NH
26. Mike Bailey, South Barre, VT
27. Shawn Knight, South Paris, ME
28. Jimmy Linardy, Somerville, MA
29. Jeff White, Winthrop, ME
Devil’s Bowl Speedway is preparing for one of the highlight events of the summer stock car racing season, as the Vermont State Late Model Championship Series heads to the fast half-mile track for the People’s United Bank 100 on Friday, June 7 at 7:00pm. The event is the second round of the four-race championship.
The Vermont State Late Model Championship Series opened at Thunder Road International Speedbowl in Barre, VT with the Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic 100 on May 27. Rookie Derrick O’Donnell of North Haverhill, NH pulled off a major upset to defeat hometown driver Nick Sweet, who won both Vermont State races at the track in 2012, and finds himself leading the standings. Sweet and Trampas Demers of South Burlington, VT are next in line, followed by Glen Luce of Turner, ME and Chip Grenier of Graniteville, VT.
The People’s United Bank 100 at Devil’s Bowl Speedway is expected to continue a recent string of exciting Late Model races at the track. Photo finishes have been the standard for the division lately; dating back to the Vermont State Late Model Championship Series finale on Vermont 200 Weekend in September 2012, each of the last three races has been decided by less than one-tenth of a second. The quality of racing in the division has improved steadily since the beginning of the 2012 season, and a talented batch of locally-based racers is ready to challenge the invading Thunder Road stars.
Craig Bushey of Fairfax, VT and Brent Dragon of Milton, VT scored Vermont State victories at Devil’s Bowl last summer. Both are expected to return for the People’s United Bank 100, as are defending Vermont State Champion Dave Pembroke of Middlesex, VT, Thunder Road podium finishers O’Donnell, Sweet, and Demers, and Devil’s Bowl stars Kevin Elliott of Rutland, VT, Chris Bergeron of Claremont, NH, Dan Petronis of Mechanicville, NY, and Robert Bryant of Brooklyn, CT.
The NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Bond Auto Parts Modifieds, Renegades, and Central Vermont Motorcycles Mini Stocks will also be on hand for the People’s United Bank 100, along with the popular and unpredictable Spectator Races for street-legal vehicles. General admission is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors, and free for children 12 and under. Racing begins at 7:00pm on Friday, June 7.
The rained out American Canadian Tour 150 at Groveton, NH’s Riverside Speedway scheduled for last Sunday, June 2 has been rescheduled to Sunday, June 23 with a post time of 1:30pm.
The 150-lap event was postponed due to rain with 29 laps of the feature complete last Sunday. Steuben, ME’s Rowland Robinson was in first place when the race paused after leading the first 29 laps of his ACT career. He will try to earn his first ACT win when the race resumes on Sunday, June 23.
The race will follow a Saturday night ACT event at White Mountain Motorsports Park, making it a New Hampshire double header special for American Canadian Tour fans and competitors. It will be the first time ACT has raced twice in the same weekend in a number of years.
Also featured at the Riverside make up date will be a 100-lap Street Stock special that will be split up into twin 50-lap segments.
The ACT 150 at Groveton, NH’s Riverside Speedway will resume on Sunday, June 23rd. Post time is 1:30 pm.