NEW ENGLAND MOTORSPORTS NORTH
By Lou Modestino
Barre’s Jason Corliss claimed his second career Thunder Road Late Model win and became the first repeat winner in the division for 2014 during Safelite Auto Glass night on Thursday, July 24. Corliss came from the ninth starting spot and got under Lt. Governor Phil Scott late in the 50 lap event to gain the lead and eventually the win.
Young Kyle Pembroke led early in the race until relinquishing the lead to Brett Gervais on a restart just past halfway. Gervais then held the lead until losing control on a lap 32 restart handing the lead to Scott. Corliss ran down Scott and took over the lead with under 15 to go. He cruised to the win over the final laps. Derrick O’Donnell also got by Scott to claim second. Kyle Pembroke took fourth and Eric Badore completed the top five.
Nick Sweet, Scott Dragon, Dave Pembroke, Josh Demers and Joey Laquerre rounded out the top ten. The event saw just four cautions.
Dylan Payea of Milton earned his first Bond Auto Tiger Sportsmen win of the season and the second of his career. He got by Darrell Morin to take the win and held of a hard charging Mike Martin on the only restart of the 35-lap event with two laps to go. Morin took second and Eric Johnson claimed third in the final two laps. Jeff Bousquet and Martin rounded out the top five. Point leader Jason Woodard, Chris Pelkey, Brendan Moodie, Cameron Ouellette and Mike Billado earned top tens.
Young Jaden Perry of Hardwick, VT came from the tenth starting position to claim his first career Allen Lumber Street Stock win. He was followed across the line by his brother Jamon Perry and Garry Bashaw completing the podium. Tommy Smith and Kevin Dodge earned top fives followed by Jamie Davis, Gary Mullen, Donny Yates, Alan Maynard and Dave Whitcomb.
The LaForest brothers continued their winning ways in the Rough Rider division. This time Chris LaForest of Barre claimed the checkered. The driver’s ed teach Paul Dudley took second and Kevin LaForest came home third in the Milk Bowl style two segment event. Jamie Benneig, Chickey Stevens and Chris Sanborn rounded out the field.
Next Thursday, July 31 is the WDEV/Calkins Portable Toilets night featuring Late Models, Bond Auto Tiger Sportsmen, Allen Lumber Street Stocks plus the annual Porta-Potty Grand Prix at intermission. Post time will be 6:30 p.m.
Safelite Auto Glass Night
Thunder Road – Barre, VT
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Late Model Unofficial Results
Pos. Driver (Car #) Hometown
1. Jason Corliss (66vt) Barre, VT
2. Derrick O’Donnell (60vt) N. Haverhill, NH
3. Phil Scott (14vt) Middlesex, VT
4. Kyle Pembroke (27vt) Montpelier, VT
5. #Eric Badore (4vt) Milton, VT
6. Nick Sweet (88vt) Barre, VT
7. Scott Dragon (16vt) Colchester, VT
8. Dave Pembroke (44vt) Middlesex, VT
9. #Josh Demers (10vt) Montpelier, VT
10. Joey Laquerre (15vt) East Montpelier, VT
11. Emily Packard (9me) E. Montpelier, VT
12. Trampas Demers (85vt) S. Burlington, VT
13. Cody Blake (99vt) Barre, VT
14. Brooks Clark (68vt) Fayston, VT
15. #Jason Allen (29vt) Barre, VT
16. John Donahue (26vt) Graniteville, VT
17. Brett Gervais (11nh) Island Pond, VT
18. Kyle Welch (9nh) Newport, NH
19. Shawn Fleury (1vt) Middlesex, VT
20. Ricky Roberts (3vt) E. Barre, VT
21. Mark Norris (22me) Farmington, ME
22. Mike Bailey (17vt) Barre, VT
23. Eric Chase (40vt) Milton, VT
24. Boomer Morris (13vt) Barre, VT
Bond Auto Tiger Sportsmen Unofficial Results
Pos. Driver (Car #) Hometown
1. Dylan Payea (7) Milton, VT
2. Darrell Morin (17) Burlington, VT
3. Eric Johnson (20) Randolph Ctr. VT
4. Jeff Bousquet (44) Worcester, VT
5. Mike Martin (01) Craftsbury Cmn, VT
6. Jason Woodard (68) Waterbury Ctr., VT
7. Christopher Pelkey (64) S. Barre, VT
8. Brendan Moodie (94) Wolcott, VT
9. Cameron Ouellette (90) Barre, VT
10. Mike Billado (8) Essex, VT
11. Joe Steffen (00) Grand Isle, VT
12. #Derrick Calkins (4) Milton, VT
13. Scott Coburn (1) Barre, VT
14. Doug Crowningshield (14) Barre, VT
15. Mark Barnier (0) Essex Jct., VT
16. Joel Hodgdon (36) Craftsbury, VT
17. #Caleb Nelson (07) Moretown, VT
Allen Lumber Street Stocks Unofficial Results
Pos. Driver (Car #) Hometown
1. Jaden Perry (92) Hardwick, VT
2. Jamon Perry (62) Hardwick, VT
3. Garry Bashaw (4) Lincoln, VT
4. Tommy Smith (50) Williamstown, VT
5. Kevin Dodge (8) Barre, VT
6. Jamie Davis (43) Wolcott, VT
7. Gary Mullen (29) Tunbridge, VT
8. Donny Yates (05) N. Montpelier, VT
9. Alan Maynard (10) Fairfax, VT
10. Dave Whitcomb (77) Morrisville, VT
11. Bunker Hodgdon (83) Hardwick, VT
12. Tyler Austin (5) E. Calais, VT
13. Marcel J. Gravel (86) Wolcott, VT
14. Patrick Tibbetts (48) Barre, VT
15. Jeremy Colson (44) S. Royalton, VT
16. Jennifer Getty (25) Cambridge, VT
17. Keith Fortier (35) Hinesburg, VT
18. Mike Gay (3) So. Burlington, VT
19. #Steve Bennett (76) Bethel, VT
20. Ken Stridsberg (6) Berlin, VT
21. Jason LaHue (66) Milton, VT
22. #Travis Streeter (61) Waitsfield, VT
23. Justin Blakely (17) Barre, VT
24. Will Hennequin (47) Morrisville, VT
25. Kyle Streeter (37) Waitsfield, VT
Rough Rider Unofficial Results
Pos. (Car) Driver, Hometown, Seg #1, Seg #2, Total
1. (56) Chris LaForest, Barre, VT, 3, 1, 4
2. (42) Paul Dudley, Waitsfield, VT, 2, 2, 4
3. (49) Kevin LaForest, Barre, VT, 1, 3, 4
4. (98) Jamie Benneig, St. Albans, VT, 4, 4, 8
5. (Bee) Chickey Stevens, Barre, VT, 5, 5, 10
6. (Sunshine) Chris Sanborn, Barre, VT, 6, 6, 12
At Lee USA Speedway Joey Polewarczyk, JR. used a two-lap shootout to best point leader Larry Gelinas en route to grabbing his second career victory in the Granite State Pro Stock Series (GSPSS).
Newcomer to the GSPSS Bobby Nadeau led the field to green with Marston Mills, MA native Billy Brady to his outside. Nadeau proved he had a fast car, jumping out to a quick lead. The advantage would be wiped away as the first of 6 cautions flew for Russ Hersey’s spin in turn 3 on lap 14. On the restart, Nadeau would drift wide and collect Brady on the backstretch, ending both driver’s nights early. Larry Gelinas would inherit the lead, and be faced with American-Canadian Tour point leader Joey Polewarczyk, JR. to his outside. Gelinas would show his strength, as the pilot of the Watt’s Race Cars Cadillac would pull away from Polewarczyk, JR. until a caution for Steve “Danger” Dickey would negate the lead on lap 49. Gelinas would fend off Polewarczyk, JR. once more, and set a blistering pace as the duo would put multiple cars a lap down.
The race endured another high-paced green flag run until lap 92, when George Helliwell and Tyler Fiscus would tangle entering turn one, sending Helliwell into the wall. Gelinas would jump out once more on the restart, and looked to be cruising to his second victory of the season until Brad Babb slammed the front stretch wall, teetering on two tires, and coming to an abrupt stop in between turns one and two, setting up a two lap shootout.
Gelinas, who had been so strong on restarts all race long, could not hold off Polewarczyk, JR. on the final restart, as the Hudson, NH native would beat Gelinas to the stripe, picking up the victory in the Seacoast 100.
Polewarczyk, JR. gave credit to Gelinas after the win. “If it wasn’t for that last caution, Gelinas would have won this race,” stated Polewarczyk, JR. “Larry and I had similar cars, but I felt in the first two laps on restarts I was just a bit better. We had a few restarts, and Larry got the jump on those. The last one, I timed it right. It feels good to get a win like this, but I know how Larry feels, because I’ve lost one like this at Devil’s Bowl (VT).”
Polewarczyk, JR. started from the seventh spot en route to his victory, which makes him the fifth winner in as many races in the GSPSS 2014 season, but was lucky to even finish the race. In pre-race tech, crew member Nate Brown noticed a leaking valve stem, and the Pole’s Automotive team rushed to change the failed part to get their driver back in line.
Larry Gelinas settled for second on the night. “We didn’t need that caution,” admits Gelinas. “I figured the 97 was saving something for the end, I spun the tires, and he had the edge and got me.” Gelinas, who now has 5 finishes in the top 4 to start the season, said luck has helped his blistering start. “It will be real tricky to continue this streak.”
Youngster Derek Griffith gained ground all night, and fought his way to a third place spot after starting the race 13th. “This is huge to us in the point standings,” Griffith remarked. “The car was a rocketship. Louie and the crew put me in a great car. There was a lot of green flag laps, with some clean, hard racing. We are trying for a championship, so tonight was huge.”
Matt Frahm snuck into the Seacoast 100, filling the last qualified spot in the consi, but a strong car helped the Hampstead, NH driver fight his way into a fourth place finish. Dillon Moltz overcame a trip down pit road on the lap 14 caution to bring his Chevrolet to a fifth place spot. Barry Gray used a provisional to get into the show, but rebounded with a sixth place finish, with Mike O’Sullivan, Joey Squeglia, JR., Tyler Fiscus, and Keith Caruso rounding out the top 10. Moltz, Polewarczyk, JR., and Gelinas picked up heat wins, and Babe Branscombe was victorious in the consi.
The Granite State Pro Stock Series will be back in action August 9th, as the series travels to Monadnock Speedway for the second event at the Winchester, NH track in 2014, followed by a return trip to Star Speedway on August 16th, and Hudson International Speedway August 24th. White Mountain Motorsports Park welcomes the GSPSS on September 20th, and the series will end the season at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park at the World Series October 18-19.
SEACOAST 100 RESULTS
7/25/14
POS (Start) Driver Hometown
1. (7) Joey Polewarczyk, JR. Hudson, NH
2. (6) Larry Gelinas Buxton, ME
3. (13) Derek Griffith Hudson, NH
4. (21) Matt Frahm Hampstead, NH
5. (5) Dillon Moltz Waterford, CT
6. (22) Barry Gray Belchertown, MA
7. (9) Mike O’Sullivan West Springfield, MA
8. (14) Joey Squeglia, JR. Derry, NH
9. (17) Tyler Fiscus Pembroke, NH
10. (8) Keith Caruso Milbury, MA
11. (20) Bobby Cabral Kingston, NH
12. (24) Zig Geno Canterbury, NH
13. (4) Brad Babb Windham, ME
14. (15) Todd Stone Middlebury, VT
15. (11) John Salemi Nashua, NH
16. (87) Adam Norton Ludlow, MA
17. (07) George Helliwell Derry, NH
18. (12) Tommy O’Sullivan Wilbraham, MA
19. (3) Steven Dickey Londonderry, NH
20. (21) Mike Parks Walpole, NH
21. (19) Babe Branscombe Nottingham, NH
22. (1) Bobby Nadeau Buxton, ME
23. (2) Billy Brady Marston Mills, MA
24. (10) Russ Hersey Swanzey, NH
DNQ Cory Roberts Canaan NH
DNQ Wyatt Alexander Elworth, ME
DNQ Dennis Maxfield Fitchburg, MA
DNQ Bobby Baillargeon Kingston, NH
DNQ Jeremy Davis Tamworth, NH
CONTINGENCY AWARDS Winner
AR Bodies (Hard Luck) Brad Babb
Bond Auto Parts (Last car on lead lap) Zig Geno
Crazy Ed’s Powersports (Hard Charger) Matt Frahm
Draco Springs Award (Most positions gained) Matt Frahm
Five Star Stock Car Bodies (5th place finisher) Dillon Moltz
MacLellan Metal Finishing (Heat #1 Winner) Joey Polewarczyk, JR.
MacLellan Metal Finishing (Heat #2 Winner) Larry Gelinas
MacLellan Metal Finishing (Heat #3 Winner) Dillon Moltz
Racer’s Depot (Random drawing) Derek Griffith
RB Performance (4th place finisher) Matt Frahm
RB Performance (7th place finisher) Mike O’Sullivan
Sherwood Wheels (10th place finisher) Keith Caruso
Sunoco Race Fuels (Heat #1 Winner) Joey Polewarczyk, JR
Sunoco Race Fuels (Heat #2 Winner) Larry Gelinas
Sunoco Race Fuels (Heat #3 Winner) Dillon Moltz
The Northern Modified Challenge Series made an entertaining first appearance at Airborne Park Speedway on Saturday, July 26, running a pair of 30-lap feature races. Veteran drivers Leon Gonyo and Vince Quenneville, Jr., scored the victories, each posting his first victory on the Northern Modified Challenge Series.
Gonyo, of Chazy, NY, started on the pole position by virtue of a random draw in the opening feature. He led every lap, but found himself under nearly constant pressure from Jessey Mueller during the race. Mueller, who won the opening NMCS event of the season at Thunder Road in Barre, VT, made multiple attempts for the lead on the outside lane, settled for the runner-up position. Travis Bruno took third place, followed by Jason Durgan.
Mark Lamberton cut a tire on lap 7 and spun to the infield, then came from the back of the field after pitting during the resulting caution period to finish fifth. Nick Heywood was sixth, followed by Vince Quenneville, Jr., Jayson Criss, Andy Heywood, and Mike Wells.
Brandon, VT racer Quenneville – who won the inaugural NMCS championship last year without a race victory – finally broke into the winner’s circle in the second feature. Underdog racers Speedy Bresette and Chris Frennier led the field for much of the race while Quenneville sliced through traffic. Quenneville used a three-wide move to take the lead from Bresette with four laps remaining, then cruised to the win. Bresette crossed the finish line in second place, but lost the finish in post-race inspection when his car measured lower the than minimum allowable ride height.
Rookie driver Frennier inherited the runner-up spot, followed by Andy Heywood, Lamberton, and Nick Heywood. Gonyo finished sixth ahead of Bruno, Mueller, Tyson Drown, and Jamie LaFountain.
The Northern Modified Challenge Series, sanctioned by Devil’s Bowl Speedway management, returns to its home track on Friday, August 1 with the third annual C.J. Richards Memorial 67 presented by Carrara Masonry & Concrete.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS – Northern Modified Challenge Series
Airborne Park Speedway, Plattsburgh, NY
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Feature #1 (30 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
1. (1) Leon Gonyo, Chazy, NY
2. (4) Jessey Mueller, Olmstedville, NY
3. (11) Travis Bruno, Morrisonville, NY
4. (8) Jason Durgan, Morrisonville, NY
5. (12) Mark Lamberton, Mooers Forks, NY
6. (10) Nick Heywood, Plattsburgh, NY
7. (2) Vince Quenneville, Jr., Brandon, VT
8. (13) Jayson Criss, Plattsburgh, NY
9. (3) Andy Heywood, Morrisonville, NY
10. (14) Mike Wells, West Chazy, NY
11. (7) Johnny Scarborough, Bomoseen, VT
12. (6) Tyson Drown, Mooers Forks, NY
13. (5) Codie Aubin, Plattsburgh, NY
14. (18) Chris Frennier, West Chazy, NY
15. (16) Speedy Bresette, Peru, NY
16. (20) Andrew Bordeau, Dannemora, NY
17. (15) Rick Doner, West Chazy, NY
18. (17) Rico Hernandez, Plattsburgh, NY