Lets start this article off with the actual definition of a ‘sport’. According to Dictionary.com, a sport is “anathleticactivityrequiringskillorphysicalprowessandoftenofa competitivenature,asracing,baseball,tennis,golf,bowling,wrestling, boxing,hunting,fishing,etc.” Everyone may have their own definition of what a sport really is, but how does saying that racing isn’t a sport make you feel better?
Growing up around racing and having to talk about it to other people, I was constantly hit with the comment that racing isn’t a sport. “All they do is turn left”, “how hard can it really be?”, “they only go around in circles…how is that a sport?”. These comments have followed me around since my brother first started racing cars in New England and I’m done not voicing my opinion about it.
The American Canadian Tour’s Coastal 100 at the Scarborough, Maine track produced an exciting feature from the drop of the green flag to the checkers one hundred laps later with Eddie Mac posting a second place finish in the EXIT Realty/Hancock Electric Chevy. The finish closed the gap in the point’s championship with the Rowley, Mass. veteran driver in third place only four points behind Scott Payea and twenty points behind leader Nick Sweet.
Eddie Mac started on the pole with former track champion Brad Babb starting outside pole, who returned to the track after serving a two race penalty for rough driving involving Eddie Mac at Seekonk. This time the duo battled door-to-door and nose to tail for the entire feature without incident. Eddie Mac led the most laps in the race to gain points to help close the championship gap. However, a lapped car pushed up the track on lap 61 with Eddie Mac on the outside allowing Babb to dive under to take the lead.
Grand Isle, VT’s Kyle Botala celebrates his win in the M&M Beverage Enduro on Sunday, August 7. (Alan Ward photo)
Davis Inherits Win in Street Stock Special
Barre, VT – Grand Isle’s Kyle Botala outlasted a field of 114 cars to win the 32nd Annual M&M Beverage Enduro at Barre’s Thunder Road on Sunday, August 7.
Botala, one of four members of his family in the field, was running second to Joshua Muir on lap 169 of the 200-lap event when Muir suddenly went to pit road, handing Botala a one lap lead over former Late Model driver Jeff Spooner. Although Spooner was able to unlap himself just past the 180-lap mark, he was involved in an incident shortly after, allowing Botala to cruise to the $3,000 payday.
Despite the late incident and a subsequent pit stop, Spooner managed to finish second, five laps behind Botala. Former Street Stock driver Donny Yates took third, followed by Nathan Lafont and Matt Raboin. Andy Hill, Dennis Perry II, Robert Lalancette, Muir, and Brandon Lawrence completed the top-10. A complete finish will be released shortly at www.thunderroadspeedbowl.com.
After a rainout at Riverhead Speedway last Saturday night, Mother Nature brought the sun to the Bond Auto 100 at Claremont Speedway. Early in the day DJ Shaw of Center Conway, was the man to beat, posting a lap of 13.862 in practice. John Salemi of Nashua, NH, Mike Parks of Walpole, NH and Mike O’Sullivan of Springfield, MA also posted competitive laps in the low 14’s. Bill Ahern of Billerica, MA had his night end early, after his throttle hung in the heat and he hit the turn two wall.
This race saw the return of some past Pro Stock racers, as Walt Hammond Jr. of Canaan, NH started seventh and Zig Geno of Canterbury, NH started 17 in the feature. New drivers starting the race included Ryan Bell of Acworth, NH started 14th and Travis Dunbar of Auburn, ME started 16th.
After a rainout at Riverhead Speedway last Saturday night, Mother Nature brought the sun to the Bond Auto 100 at Claremont Speedway. Early in the day DJ Shaw of Center Conway, was the man to beat, posting a lap of 13.862 in practice. John Salemi of Nashua, NH, Mike Parks of Walpole, NH and Mike O’Sullivan of Springfield, MA also posted competitive laps in the low 14’s. Bill Ahern of Billerica, MA had his night end early, after his throttle hung in the heat and he hit the turn two wall.