Aug 22, 2013 | New England Motorsports North
By Lou Modestino
Eddie “The Outlaw” MacDonald of Rowley, MA came from 11th on the field to take the win in the American Canadian Tour 150-lap event at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway on Saturday, August 17. MacDonald held off fierce competition over the final 13 lap sprint to take the victory.
MacDonald took over the lead from Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. after starting in the outside lane on a lap 131 restart. It looked like MacDonald would win easily until the fourth and final caution of the event flew on lap 137. This setup up the final battle with MacDonald and Polewarczyk on the front row followed by rookies Bobby Therrien and Travis Stearns.
Therrien made a veteran move to the inside of MacDonald following the restart, kicking Polewarczyk back to third. The Rookie and the Outlaw battled with Therrien on the inside and MacDonald trying to keep him pinched down. The pair raced door-to-door with Therrien gaining the edge at the line for the lead on two laps. MacDonald kept the momentum on the outside and dispatched Therrien with two to go. It then turned into a three-way fight for the runner-up spot as Polewarczyk, Therrien and Stearns took the checkered flag three-wide.
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Aug 14, 2013 | New England Motorsports North
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.”
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Aug 8, 2013 | New England Motorsports North
By Lou Modestino
Thunder Road’s VP Racing Fuels night scheduled for Thursday, August 1 has been postponed due to the forecasted series of thunderstorms in the region. The event has been rescheduled for Thursday, August 29 and will be the final point counting event for the Late Models. The event will feature the Bond Auto Tiger Sportsmen 100-lapper along with regular events for Late Models, Allen Lumber Street Stocks and the Rough Riders.
Just over one week remains for competitors of the 29th Annual M&M Beverage Enduro to prepare their rides for the 200-laps of thrashing and crashing at Thunder Road in Barre, VT on Sunday, August 18. The “People’s Race”, as it has become known, gives the average fan the chance to tackle the Barre-highbanks for a shot at the $3,000 grand prize.
Long-time veteran of the M&M Beverage Enduro and the 1987 Enduro Champion Don “Dipstick” Tofani of Plainfield filed the first 2013 entry. He will wheel one of the over 100 nearly street-legal cars, which will be lined-up three-wide before taking off for the 200-laps with stops only occurring for fires and roll-overs.
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Aug 1, 2013 | New England Motorsports North
By Lou Modestino
Seven drivers and one car owner with hundreds of victories and dozens of championships comprise the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame’s Class of 2013. It is the 16th class and brings the membership to well over 115.
Drivers Stan Meserve, Brian Ross, Drew Fornoro, Ralph Nason, the late Bob Stefanik, Bill Eldridge and Bob Sharp and car owner Ron Berndt will be inducted at the 16th annual NEAR Hall of Fame Banquet Sunday, Nov. 10 at the Lodge at Manelley’s in South Windsor, CT.
The New England Antique Racers website www.near1.com will have complete times and ticket prices in the near future. Meserve, a Maine product, has been a driver, car owner/mechanic and race official for four decades plus including a season (1968) as an independent on the NASCAR Grand National circuit. As a driver, he won throughout Maine, including a pair of Oxford Opens and captured championships at Unity, Speedway 95, Wiscasset and Oxford Plains.
Berndt, a Meriden, CT native, has won in six different decades, most recently in 2012. Grandson Eric Berndt is on the end of a long list of drivers that include Sparky Belmont, Danny Galullo, Ted Christopher and Dave Alkas. His win total is estimated to be well into triple figures and his championships were won at Plainville Stadium, Waterford Speebowl and Thompson Speedway.
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Jul 24, 2013 | New England Motorsports North
By Lou Modestino
Jamie “The Hurricane” Fisher of Shelburne, driving the S. D. Ireland No. 18, led the final 18 laps of the Safelite Auto Glass Late Model 50 to become the 6th different winner in the last six races Thursday at Thunder Road. It was the first Late Model victory at the “Nation’s Site of Excitement” since 2009 for the former track champion as well as the 14th of his career.
Fisher overtook rookie Jason Corliss for the lead after gaining three spots in the previous eight laps. Joey Laquerre got underneath Corliss for 2nd when Corliss bobbled in turn four with seven circuits left, but couldn’t close in on Fisher. Corliss wound up 3rd, three car-lengths ahead of Derrick O’Donnell whose 4th-place effort unofficially moved him into lead in the championship point standings. Brooks Clark completed the top-five.
“The car felt better up on the outside,” Fisher said. “Once I got a little daylight on Joey, I thought I was in good shape. It’s been a while.” Fisher’s drive for the lead was set up by the second and final caution after Phil Scott’s spin on lap 23. Fisher was alongside Corliss on the front row with Laquerre and Eric Chase in row two. Nick Sweet, who began the night atop the standings, placed 11th. Positions 6-10 went to Jean-Paul Cyr, Dave Pembroke, Mike Bailey, Boomer Morris and Cody Blake.
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Jul 18, 2013 | New England Motorsports North
By Lou Modestino
The NEMA Midgets and NEMA Lites joined the weekly Benson Lumber and Hardware Small Block Supermodifieds, David’s Race Cars and Components Hobby Stocks, and American Used Auto Parts Ironman division on the program at Lee USA Speedway on Friday night, with another crop of first-time winners putting their names into the record books.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour ace Bobby Santos made the quick trip over to Lee after taking care of business at NHMS in nearby Loudon preparing for Saturday’s tour race, and he jumped into Adam Cantor’s NEMA Midget and dominated the action in the NEMA midget feature.
Santos was clearly the class of the field in the main event, pulling away from the field and putting down some incredibly fast laps on his way to victory. Jimmy Chambers, who was a weekly competitor in the Lee Small Blocks early in his racing career, just held off Ian Cumens for the runner-up spot at the stripe.
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