By Lou Modestino
Eric Chase, the Milton, VT helicopter pilot, got a chance to beam in victory lane after 14 years of trying by wiring the Late Model field from the outside pole on WDEV/Calkins Night at Thunder Road on Thursday, August 8.
Chase was put to the test over the second half of the 50-lap feature by veteran Dave Whitcomb who spent many a lap alongside his Gary Clay Builders No. 40. Whitcomb tucked inside to play a few laps of defense when teenager Emily Packard arrived to contest the top positions. Whitcomb made a final bid on the outside in the final three laps and Packard nosed underneath him to finish 2nd on the final circuit.
Jason Corliss was a close 4th, followed by fast-closing Scott Payea. Positions 6-10 went to Jamie Fisher, Trampas Demers, Joey M Laquerre, Mike Bailey and Derrick O’Donnell.
“It’s been a long time coming, Chase said. “It looks easy to do, but it’s not – it’s pretty hard. It’s a big monkey off my back.” “I didn’t have quite enough to get him,” Whitcomb said. “I went back outside to give it one more try. I’m glad to see Eric do it.”
The Late Models entered WDEV Night action having produced nine different winners in 10 events. Two of the three qualifying heat winners – Kyle Pembroke and Eric Chase – were both poised to join the new winners list. The other heat was won handily by Monday night’s victor, Brett Wheeler of Waterbury Center.
The top four drivers in the point standings – Derrick O’Donnell, Dave Pembroke, Brooks Clark and Nick Sweet found themselves in the consolation round fighting for handicapped positions in the main event. Clark won the race with O’Donnell 3rd.
Packard caught Whitcomb in the final turn to post her best-ever finish at Thunder Road in the Northstar Fireworks No. 9.
Payea came from 12th on the grid and was shuffled back in the early going. When he got rolling in the outside lane he climbed into 5th behind Corliss, who started 8th and ran in the top-5 much of the way.
Tucker Williams of Hyde Park jumped out to an early lead and was never challenged in the Tiger Sportsman 35-lap feature. The 10 car-length victory was Williams’ 2nd of the season and the 6th of his career.
Eric Badore of Milton kept the race exciting by tearing up the outside lane to advance from 18th to finish 2nd and unofficially take over the Tiger point lead. Badore wheeled the Milton Rental & Sales No. 04 into 8th place at the halfway mark. He was 5th on lap 26, 4th on lap 28, and swept around 3rd-place Doug Crowningshield for runner-up honors on the white flag lap.
Jeff Bousquet, Randy Gonyaw, Scott Coburn, Brendan Moodie and Mike Ziter finished nose-to-tail in positions 4-8. Mike Martin and Jason Woodard completed the top ten.
The Allen Lumber Street Stock feature – postponed by rain – will be made up next Thursday, August 15 as a part of the Make-A-Wish night featuring the annual Run-What-U-Brung.
Paul Dudley of Waitsfield claimed another win in the Rough Riders. He edged Chris LaForest and Dennis Perry in the three-segment event.
Late Model competitor Derrick O’Donnell took home the Golden Toilet seat top honors for his win in the annual Porta-Potty Grand Prix. Tiger competitor Shawn Fleury’s ride took home the Golden Plunger best in show.
WDEV/Calkins Night Unofficial Results
Thunder Road – Barre, VT
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Late Models
Pos. Driver (Car #) Hometown
1. Eric Chase (40vt) Milton, VT
2. Emily Packard (9me) E. Montpelier, VT
3. David Whitcomb (25vt) Essex Jct., VT
4. #Jason Corliss (66vt) Barre, VT
5. Scott Payea (89vt) Milton, VT
6. Jamie Fisher (18vt) Shelburne, VT
7. Trampas Demers (85vt) S. Burlington, VT
8. #Joey M. Laquerre (51vt) E. Montpelier, VT
9. Mike Bailey (00vt) South Barre, VT
10. #Derrick O’Donnell (60vt) N. Haverhill, NH
11. Phil Scott (14vt) Middlesex, VT
12. Matthew White (42vt) Northfield, VT
13. Brooks Clark (68vt) Fayston, VT
14. Cody Blake (99vt) Barre, VT
15. Nick Sweet (88vt) Barre, VT
16. Jim Morris (13vt) Barre, VT
17. Kyle Pembroke (27vt) Montpelier, VT
18. Dave Pembroke (44vt) Middlesex, VT
19. Joey Becker (16vt) Jeffersonville, VT
20. Jean-Paul Cyr (32vt) Milton, VT
21. Joey Laquerre (15vt) E. Montpelier, VT
22. Brett Gervais (11nh) Island Pond, VT
23. Marcel Gravel (5nh) Wolcott, VT
24. Brett Wheeler (1vt) Waterbury, VT
25. Lance Allen (17vt) Barre, VT
26. #Robert Eldred (38vt) Waterbury, VT
27. #Terry Reil (11vt) E. Barre, VT
28. Mark Norris (22me) Farmington, ME
Bond Auto Tiger Sportsmen
Pos. Driver (Car #) Hometown
1. Tucker Williams (11) Hyde Park, VT
2. Eric Badore (04) Milton, VT
3. Doug Crowningshield (14) Barre, VT
4. Jeffrey Bousquet (60) Worcester, VT
5. Randy Gonyaw (22) S. Barre, VT
6. Scott Coburn (1) Barre, VT
7. Brendan Moodie (94) Wolcott, VT
8. Mike Ziter (26) Williamstown, VT
9. Mike Martin (01) Craftsbury Common, VT
10. Jason Woodard (68) Waterbury Ctr., VT
11. Jason Allen (29) Barre, VT
12. Joe Steffen (00) Grand Isle, VT
13. Shawn Fleury (31) Middlesex, VT
14. Josh Demers (10) Montpelier, VT
15. Christopher Pelkey (64) South Barre, VT
16. John Lambert (2) Northfield, VT
17. Chris Roberts (9) Washington, VT
18. Darrell Morin (71) Essex Jct., VT
19. Adam Pierson (85) Bradford,VT
20. #Cameron Ouellette (90) Barre, VT
21. Mike Billado (8) Essex, VT
Allen Lumber Street Stocks – POSTPONED
FEATURE WILL BE RUN NEXT THURSDAY, AUGUST 15
Rough Riders
Pos. Driver (Car #) Hometown
1. Paul Dudley (42) Waitsfield, VT
2. Chris LaForest (56) Barre, VT
3. Dennis Perry (18) E. Corinth, VT
4. Calvin Caswell (23) Jericho, VT
5. Randy Johnson (101) East Barre, VT
6. Justin Gay (Silver) Barre, VT
7. Alan Derrington (75) Bethlehem, NH
8. Aren Keene (50) E. Hardwick, VT
Five new faces graced victory lane Saturday, August 10, at Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, NH. Michelle Leh and Sonja Carey each took checkered flag laps after their Young Guns feature wins, as did Julia Raymond, who was victorious in the Mini Stock feature. Kyle Boniface was a first-time winner in the Lighting Stocks, and Shawn Waites scored his first-ever Monadnock victory, topping the visiting Classic Lites feature race.
Making return stops in victory lane Saturday at the high-banked speed plant were Bill Kimball and Tom Carey III, each scoring their second win of the season, Kimball in the Sportsman Modifieds, and Carey in the Super Stocks, and Rob Richardi, victorious for the third time this season in the visiting Pro-4 Modifieds. The wins were career firsts on the high banks for Carey, Boniface, and Waites, while Leh and Raymond each rung up their second.
In the Sportsman Modified main, Joey Kendall led the first 20 circuits around the high banks, with Steve Fifield and Tyler Jarvenpaa both in hot pursuit every inch of the way.
Fifield would take command on lap 21, bringing Kimball and Keith Carzello with him, as Kendall and Jarvenpaa were both shuffled back in traffic. Four laps later, Kimball would rocket into the lead, bringing Carzello with him, and the Bennington Bullet would never look back.
With Kimball earning his second victory lap of the summer, Carzello finished his strong night’s work in second, with Jarvenpaa a close third. Fifield and Kendall rounded out the top five. With the win, Kimball extended his thin points lead, while top-four drivers Brian Chapin and Adam Norton each took a heavy hit in their pursuit of the championship when Norton cut a tire on lap 14, shooting up the track in turn two and forcing Chapin heavily into the backstretch wall.
Tyler Lescord set the pace in the Super Stock main, with Tom Carey III – from row three – taking charge on lap 20 and then speeding off to his second win of the season. Lescord held strong to post his best-ever Monadnock finish in second, with points leader Eddie Brehio III, Robert Hagar, and Bill Johnston rounding out the top five.
In the Mini Stock feature, Julia Raymond led every lap en route to her first win of the summer. She had opened up a large lead when a lap 14 caution brought the thundering herd back to her bumper.
Over the final 11 laps, she would be heavily tested by JT Cloutier and Mike Stebbins, but maintain a perfect line all the way home to lead Stebbins and Cloutier in a nose-to-tail top three finish. Beth Adams, back from a lap-14 spin, charged through the field to salvage a fourth-place finish, just ahead of Joe Rogers.
Michelle Leh led early and often in the first of two Young Guns features, wiring the event to score her first win of the summer. Cole Littlewood chased her all the way before settling for second, with Mike McGoldrick Jr., Cameron Sontag, and Joe Collins rounding out the top five.
In the Young Guns B event, Dylan Stebbins led laps one and two, giving way to Sonja Carey the third trip around the high banks. A lap-four jingle would see Carey refire from the back of the field, but she then methodically dashed to the front, passing Stebbins on the backchute the last trip around to earn her first victory ever. Stebbins finished his impressive run in second, with Justin Faford, Hailey Guy, and Dylan Morse rounding out the top five.
In the Lightning Stock 30-lapper, Dickie Houle lead the first nine laps, CJ Johnson the next nine, and then Kyle Boniface took over. Once in front, Boniface’s biggest assignment was to keep himself between the charging points leader Chris Davis and the checkers. Boniface scored the win a single length ahead of Davis, with Johnson, Tim O’Shea, and Pat Houle rounding out the top five.
In the Pro-4 feature, powerhouse Rob Richardi Jr., wheeling his brother Dave’s ride, led all the way. Andy Major was a close second, with Robin Berghman coming home third. First under the checkers in the Limited division was Derek Robbie.
Monadnock Speedway will host Country Western Night this Saturday, August 17, with the Sportsman Modifieds, Super Stocks, Thunder Stocks, and Young Guns all in action, along with the visiting NE Champ Karts, and the NE Mini Stock Tour, making its only appearance of the season. Post time is 6 p.m.
Top Ten Sportsman Modifieds: Bill Kimball, Keith Carzello, Tyler Jarvenpaa, Steve Fifield, Joe Kendall, Scott MacMichael, Dan Stebbins, Nathan Johnson, Alyssa Rivera, Jeff Beckwith
Top Ten Super Stocks: Tom Carey III, Tyler Lescord, Ed Brehio III, Robert hagar, Bill Johnston, John Lavoie, Dave Striebel, Dana Shepard, Josh Wood, Ian MacDonald
Top Ten Mini Stocks: Julia Raymond, Mike Stebbins, JT Cloutier, Beth Adams, Joe Rogers, Chris McTaggart, Eric Pomasko, DJ Lazelle, Louis Maher, Nick Anderson
Top Five Young Guns (A feature): Michelle Leh, Cole Littlewood, Mike McGoldrick, Cameron Sonatg, Joe Collins
Top Five Young Guns (B Feature): Sonja Carey, Dylan Stebbins, Justin afford, Dylan Morse, Hayley Guy
Bill Davis of Monson, MA won his second career M&M Beverage Enduro and pocketed a cool $3,000 at Barre’s Thunder Road in Vermont on Sunday, August 11. Davis was the only competitor to complete all 200 laps of the thrashing and crashing event.
Don “Dipstick” Tofani led for a good portion of the race before having to pit out of the lead. He recovered to take second with 198 laps completed. Andrew Botala, Mike Cormier, and Nick Gilcris all completed 196 laps and completed the top five. Kelly Miller, Jr., Brandon Gray, Jason Gray, Dan Rae, and Beverly Menard rounded out the top ten.
Greg Adams, Jr. claimed his fifth win of the season in the Allen Lumber Street Stocks 50-lap special. He bested Tommy Smith and Jadon Perry in the top three after apparent third place finisher Garry Bashaw was disqualified for an illegal carburetor in post race tech. Dean Switser, Jr. and Jamie Davis scored top fives. Point leader Bunker Hodgdon, Kyle Streeter, Kevin Dodge, Troy Kingsbury and Joe Fecteau completed the top ten.
Thunder Road will be back in action this Thursday, August 15 with Make-A-Wish night presented by Bond Auto. The evening will feature the annual Run-What-U-Brung as well as the Late Models, Bond Auto Tiger Sportsmen, two features for the Allen Lumber Street Stocks and the Rough Riders.
29th Annual M&M Beverage Enduro Unofficial Results
Thunder Road – Barre, VT
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Pos. (Car#) Driver, Hometown, Laps Completed
1. (114) Bill Davis, Monson, MA, 200
2. (20) Don “Dipstick” Tofani, Plainfield, VT, 198
3. (666) Andrew Botala, Grand Isle, VT, 196
4. (128) Mike Cormier, Ludlow, MA, 196
5. (32) Nick Gilcris, Groveton, NH, 196
6. (48) Kelly Miller Jr., Johnson, VT, 189
7. (100) Brandon Gray, E. Thetford, VT, 187
8. (11) Jason Gray, E. Thetford, VT, 186
9. (28) Dan Rae, Ludlow, MA, 185
10. (41) Beverly Menard, Waitsfield, VT, 181
Allen Lumber Street Stocks Special Unofficial Results
Pos. (Car #) Driver, Hometown
1. Greg Adams (38) Hardwick, VT
2. Tommy Smith (50) Williamstown, VT
3. Jaden Perry (02) Hardwick, VT
4. Dean Switser, Jr. (16) Lyndonville, VT
5. Jamie Davis (43) Wolcott, VT
6. Bunker Hodgdon (83) Wolcott, VT
7. Kyle Streeter (37) Waitsfield, VT
8. Kevin Dodge (8) Barre, VT
9. Troy Kingsbury (39) Waitsfield, VT
10. Joe Fecteau (75) Hardwick, VT
11. Gary Mullen (29) Tunbridge, VT
12. Jennifer Getty (25) Cambridge, VT
13. #George Butler (9) Randolph, VT
14. Scott Maynard (59) Burlington, VT
15. #Patrick Tibbetts (48) Barre, VT
16. Cassie Trendle (28) Georgia, VT
17. Jamon Perry (62) Hardwick, VT
18. Paul Grant (46) East Calais, VT
19. David Whitcomb (77) Morrisville, VT
20. Marvin Johnson (19) Essex Jct., VT
21. Marcel Gravel (86) Morrisville, VT
22. #Tommy Elwood (88) Morrisville, VT
23. Will Hennequin (47) Morrisville, VT
24. George Sanders (68) Northfield, VT
25. Alex Perkins (55) White River Jct., VT
DSQ Garry Bashaw (92) Lincoln, VT
Multi-time Modified stock car racing champion Kenny Tremont, Jr., earned his first-ever victory on the Northern Modified Challenge Series on Sunday, August 11, taking a convincing win in the Subway Fresh Fit 50 at Canaan Fair Speedway in NH. The win was the 303rd feature event victory of the West Sand Lake, NY veteran’s celebrated career.
Tremont was strong in his qualifying heat at the fast 1/3-mile asphalt oval, finishing second to point leader Jessey Mueller. By virtue of a blind draw, Tremont started on the outside of the front row in the 50-lap main event, lining up next to Brandon, VT’s Vince Quenneville, Jr., who also won a qualifying heat.
The opening laps took their toll, drawing four caution periods in the first eight circuits. The restarts set up an entertaining faceoff between Quenneville and Tremont, however, and Tremont surprised even himself in using the tricky outside lane to grab the lead each time. Quenneville was able to lead only the second lap of the race before Tremont pulled out to a comfortable advantage.
The final 42 laps of the race went off without incident, allowing for several battles for position. As Tremont navigated lapped traffic in the late stages of the race, Quenneville and Ron Proctor of Charlton, NY – who had a race-long fight for the runner-up spot – caught Tremont at the front. Tremont held on for the win, though, followed in order by Quenneville, Proctor, Leon Gonyo, and Todd Stone.
Gonyo, of Chazy, NY, fought off a constant challenge from Stone for virtually the whole race distance. Stone, who won the Carrara Masonry & Concrete C.J. Richards Memorial 67 event for the Northern Modified Challenge Series at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on August 2, recovered from a qualifying crash that saw his car fly off the track and require substantial repairs to score the finish.
Mueller, of Olmstedville, NY, finished sixth to retain a slim four-point lead on Gonyo with two races remaining. Jason Durgan of Morrisonville, NY finished seventh in his NMCS debut, followed by Joe Williams of Scotia, NY, Hunter Bates of Middlebury, VT, and first-time Challenge competitor Lonnie Rivers of Plattsburgh, NY.
The Northern Modified Challenge Series is a five-race championship for dirt-style, center-seat, open-wheel Modified stock cars, with races at four tracks on both asphalt and dirt surfaces. The NMCS returns to action at its home track at Devil’s Bowl Speedway, a half-mile asphalt oval in West Haven, VT, on September 14-15 for the Vermont 200 Weekend. The Challenge schedule wraps up on Saturday, October 19 at the quarter-mile Canaan Dirt Speedway at the annual OctoberFAST event.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS – Subway Fresh Fit 50
Northern Modified Challenge Series
Canaan Fair Speedway, Canaan, NH
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown-Laps Completed
1. (2) Kenny Tremont, Jr., West Sand Lake, NY – 50 laps
2. (1) Vince Quenneville, Jr., Brandon, VT – 50 laps
3. (4) Ron Proctor, Charlton, NY – 50 laps
4. (3) Leon Gonyo, Chazy, NY – 50 laps
5. (15) Todd Stone, Middlebury, VT – 50 laps
6. (8) Jessey Mueller, Olmstedville, NY – 50 laps
7. (5) Jason Durgan, Morrisonville, NY – 50 laps
8. (6) Joe Williams, Scotia, NY – 50 laps
9. (7) Hunter Bates, Middlebury, VT – 50 laps
10. (11) Lonnie Rivers, Plattsburgh, NY – 50 laps
11. (9) Cody Sargen, Greenfield Center, NY – 50 laps
12. (12) Jamie LaFountain, Keeseville, NY – 49 laps
13. (13) Dave Snow, Brandon, VT – 28 laps
14. (10) Travis Bruno, Morrisonville, NY – 9 laps
15. (14) Jim Introne, Jr., Queensbury, NY – 2 laps
Heat Winners: Jessey Mueller, Vince Quenneville, Jr.
UNOFFICIAL POINT STANDINGS – Following Subway Fresh Fit 50 – Event #3 of 5
Northern Modified Challenge Series
Canaan Fair Speedway, Canaan, NH
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Pos.-(Car No.)-Driver-Points
1. (19) Jessey Mueller – 151 points
2. (4) Leon Gonyo – 147 points
3. (78) Vince Quenneville, Jr. – 141 points
4. (69) Hunter Bates – 128 points
5. (1X) Todd Stone – 125 points
6. (55L) Joe Williams – 123 points
7. (27) Ron Proctor – 120 points
8. (115) Kenny Tremont, Jr. – 105 points
9. (55) Cody Sargen – 98 points
10. (5VT) Dave Snow – 92 points
***
REMAINING SCHEDULE OF EVENTS – Northern Modified Challenge Series
· Sat.-Sun., September 14-15 – Devil’s Bowl Speedway – West Haven, VT
· Sat., October 19 – Canaan Dirt Speedway – Canaan, NH
In an action filled night, Jerrad Ledger picked up his first win in 2013 at Riverside Speedway in Groveton, NH by taking the inaugural Chili Bowl. The 100 lap race for the Sign Depot Limited Late Models was plagued by multiple incidents, taking out some good automobiles. Jerrad Ledger and Chandler Davis made contact around lap 46, which ended with Davis slapping the wall, and Doug Laleme having nowhere to go, driving in the back of Davis and ending his night. Ledger would go to the tail end of the field for that incident, as well as Davis, but the two fought their way back through the field and found themselves in the front once more.
Ledger and Davis made contact coming out of turn 2, sending Davis to the infield. Davis would keep rolling, keeping the caution from coming out, and Ledger would go on to take the victory. Chris Ouellette ran another great race, propelling himself to the second spot, and “Old School” Mike Paquette completing the podium. Davis would survive to finish fourth, and rookie Matt Remick picked up the fifth spot.
In the North Country Ford Late Models, the completion of the Berlin IGA feature took place right off the bat, as last year’s champ Luke Shannon restarted on the pole for the final 16 laps. Shannon would motor away and pick up his first feature victory of the year. Point leader Randy Potter would pick up second after restarting the race fourth, and second place point man Bryan Mason would come home third. The “Colebrook Kid” Brandon Lambert and Jeff Marshall would round out the top five.
After qualifying was complete for the second feature for the North Country Ford Late Models, Jeff Marshall was at the helm for the majority of the event, until Marshall had panhard bar issues, and had to pull off the speedway. Luke Shannon once again took advantage, and brought his #13 to the front, picking up his second feature win of the night. Potter would again finish second, with the “Colebrook Kid” picking up his first podium finish of the 2013 season, grabbing third. Bryan Mason and Steve Patnaude completed the top 5.
The Ouellette Trucking Angels saw another checkered flag go in the hands of point leader Vanessa Brown. Brown took the lead early after an incident with Sierra Moulton and Carrie Dunn, bringing out the caution. Brown would hold off Tina Leveille and Nicole Ouellette, who finished second and third respectively. Siera Sanschagrin survived multiple incidents to finish fourth, and Jenna Randall finished fifth.
Randall would redeem herself in the Town and Country Inn and Resort Street Stocks. Starting on the outside of the front row, Randall jumped out to the lead, with youngster Anthony LaCoss following Randall around the track early. The big guns made their way through the field, especially after a huge wreck involving Tina Leveille which landed Leveille on her roof.
Cole Kilby, trying his best to get around Randall lap after lap, suffered mechanical issues as Kilby’s car kept popping out of gear, dragging the outside groove back as he tried to limp to pit road. Jamie Heath, Jason Kenison, and Nick Gilcris tried their best to get by the youngsters, but Randall would hold on to take the victory, her first in the division. LaCoss would hold on to finish second, point leader Heath would take third, with Gilcris and Kenison rounding out the top five.
“Honkin’” Don Kenison came out of retirement to jump behind the wheel in the DK-N-Sons Pure Stocks. Jay Bennett brought his Pontiac Grand Prix across the line first, with two-time feature winner Nick Miller and Gerard Cote crossing the line second and third. Point leader James Record and Kenison grabbed fourth and fifth.
It was a great night for “Old School” Mike Paquette, as he not only secured a podium finish in the Limited Late Models, but also won the first ever “Fan Chili Cook-off”. Nine contestants entered their chili, judged by four people in the Riverside network. The judges tasted each chili without knowing who made it, or any special ingredients, to give an unbiased opinion. By unanimous decision, the judges chose Paquette’s chili, complimenting the sweetness and overall flavor of the dish. Congrats to Paquette on the trophy.
Next week, the North East Midget Association comes to town. These open-wheeled, high powered automobiles can run in the twelve second range around these high banks, quicker than late models. Also on the card will be the North Country Ford Late Models, Town and Country Inn and Resort Street Stocks, Ouellette Trucking Angels, DK-N-Sons Pure Stocks, and the Marshall Insurance Agency Daredevils. Post time for this event is 6 p.m.