Monadnock Speedway, NH Mod Results 7-24-21

 Posted by Wayne G. Barber 

Todd Patnode blasted to his third win of the summer in the NHSTRA Modified 40-lapper. On the same card, LMS hot shoe Cole Littlewood won his first 2021 feature race, and Gordon Farnum rocked the Minis.

Street Stocker Tommy O’Sullivan took his third 2021 victory lap Saturday; Nick Houle dominated the Pure Stocks. and it was business as usual for Young Gun Fast Eddie P, who won for the seventh time this year.

            Todd Patnode, the veteran Swanzey star, sent a message to the rest of the NHSTRA Modified field Saturday, putting them on notice that he’s the 2021 points leader and he has no intention of giving that up.

            Todd Patnode not only won his third event of the summer, and second in a row, he did it by simply blowing the competition away. Taking the lead from Scott MacMichael on lap 15 of the caution-free event, he then left all followers far behind. Trevor Bleau was second in the fast-paced affair, and MacMichael earned the bronze.

NHSTRA MODIFIED: Todd Patnode, Trevor Bleau, Scott MacMichael, Matt Kimball, Brian Chapin, Kimmy Rivet, Tyler Leary, Craig Smith, Cory Plummer, Eric LeClair.

Frank L’Etoile, Jr. Wins Midstate Site Development Street Stock 30 at Stafford Speedway;

 Posted by Wayne G. Barber 

In the 30-lap Midstate Site Development Street Stock event, Kyle Johnson took the early lead with Bobby Stirk, III, Jeremy Washburn, and Bert Ouellette behind him but the caution flew with 1 lap complete for a spin coming out of turn 2 by Chris Danielczuk that collected the cars of Travis Hydar and Nickolas Hovey.  Danielczuk was towed off the track while Hovey and Hydar were able to continue racing.

Johnson took the lead on the restart with Ouellette taking second.  Chris Meyer quickly worked his way through traffic into third with Stirk back to fourth and Washburn in fifth.  The caution flew with 7 laps complete for a spin in turn 1 by Patrick Jenks.

Ouellette took the lead back under green with Johnson and Frank L’Etoile, Jr. side by side for second.  Meyer was fourth in line with Adrien Paradis, III up to fifth while Stirk, who restarted fourth, was off the pace and fell to the rear of the field. 

Ouellette slipped up the track in turn 3 on lap-11, which allowed Johnson to power his way into the lead.  Meyer came up to second with Ouellette falling back to third with Paradis fourth and L’Etoile fifth.  Meyer went by Johnson to take the lead on lap-13 and his move brought Ouellette to second, Paradis to third, L’Etoile to fourth, and dropped Johnson from the lead back to fifth.  Bill Cote and David Macha, Sr. came together and spun to bring the caution back out with 13 laps complete.

Meyer took the lead on the restart but Ouellette did a half spin in turn 3 in front of the entire field which collected several cars to bring the caution right back out. 

Meyer took the lead after a lap of side by side racing with Ouellette with Ouellette slipping back to fifth in line as L’Etoile took second, Paradis third, and Nickolas Hovey, who was collected in the first caution flag incident of the race, back up to fourth. 

L’Etoile was starting to apply heavy pressure to Meyer for the lead on lap-21 while Hovey got around Paradis to move up to third place.  L’Etoile was able to get alongside Meyer as they completed lap-23 and he took the lead in turn 1 on lap-24 only to have Meyer make a crossover move to get back to the inside of L’Etoile.  L’Etoile held the lead by a half car length to complete lap-24 and on lap-26 Meyer went back to the front of the pack.  The jockeying between L’Etoile and Meyer allowed Hovey, Paradis, and Ouellette to close right in on the two leaders to make it a 5-way fight for the lead. 

L’Etoile went back to the front on lap-27 with Hovey still leading Ouellette and Paradis.  Meyer couldn’t get close enough to L’Etoile over the final 2 laps as L’Etoile scored his fourth win of the 2021 season.  Hovey finished third with Ouellette and Paradis rounding out the top-5.

1) Frank L'Etoile, Jr., Wethersfield

2) Chris Meyer, North Franklin

3) Nickolas Hovey, Chaplin

4) Bert Ouellette, Ellington

5) Adrien Paradis, III, Plainville

6) Jason Finkbein, Manchester

7) Tyler Trott, East Hartford

8) Bobby Stirk, III, Naugatuck

9) Daltin Mccarthy, Oxford, MA

10) Kyle Johnson, Manchester

11) John Orsini, Morris

12) Marvin Minkler, Stamford

13) Rob Sears, Stafford Springs

14) Samantha Dell, Harrisville, RI

15) Christopher Phelps, New Salem, MA

16) Christopher Orsini, Morris

17) Patrick Grady, Berlin

18) Sam Calvo, East Berlin

19) Jeremy Washburn, Willimantic

20) Bill Cote, Belchertown, MA

21) David Macha, Sr., Columbia

22) Travis Downey, Barkhamsted

23) Patrick Jenks, Scranton, PA

24) Chris Danielczuk, Goshen

25) Travis Hydar, Woodbury

Buzz Already Building for Midsummer 250 at White Mountain

 Posted by Wayne G. Barber 

Waterbury, VT — One of the biggest American-Canadian Tour (ACT) races of the year is just around the corner. The $10,000-to-win Midsummer Classic 250 at North Woodstock, NH’s White Mountain Motorsports Park on Saturday, July 31 has become a must-watch for fans and a must-attend for top Late Model racers.

 

Tom Carey III, Mike Hopkins, Jimmy Hebert, Quinny, Welch, Ben Rowe, and Wayne Helliwell Jr. are just a few of the stars gearing up for the Midsummer Classic 250. The longest, richest point-counting event on the schedule has more than $47,000 in posted awards up for grabs. It’s taking place at a track that gains popularity every year among both weekly and touring drivers.

 

“White Mountain is one of my favorite places to race,” Hermon, ME’s Hopkins said. “It’s like a mini-Bristol — you get to race it. At (some tracks), you’ve got to slow down to go fast. But at White Mountain, you go fast to go fast. It has the banking, and it’s racy, and it’s just an all-around cool place.”

 

In just four ACT-sanctioned starts, Hopkins has established himself as a contender every time out. The reigning Pro All Stars Series (PASS) National Champion is in his first year driving the “house car” part-time for Port City Racecars. At each event, he has started fast and stayed fast.

 

A wire-to-wire win at Oxford Plains Speedway last Sunday was the exclamation point. Hopkins also finished runner-up in the Caron Fabrication Spring Green at White Mountain and posted a pair of top-five finishes in non-point events at North Carolina’s Hickory Motor Speedway.

 

“Those guys work their tails off,” Hopkins said of his Port City team. “Their technology and their production down there (in North Carolina) is second to none — it’s as good as anybody’s. Going into any race, the preparation is top-notch and as good as anything you could ever ask for. Communication between me and the guys has been key. Gary (Crooks) is a racer at heart, so he knows what he’s got to do and what he wants to do right from the start.”

 

Hopkins will have to out-prepare, out-race, out-strategize, and outlast ACT’s best. Point leader Tom Carey III of New Salem, MA and defending champion Jimmy Hebert of Williamstown, VT are the last two Spring Green winners. They’ll both be tough to beat with $10,000 on the line. Turner, ME’s Ben Rowe and Center Conway, NH’s D.J. Shaw have each turned thousands of laps at White Mountain between Super Late Models and Late Models. They’re part of a fierce ACT championship battle as the season’s second half starts.

 

Locals such as eight-time track champion Quinny Welch of Groveton, NH will try to keep the big check local. No weekly Late Model racer has ever won an ACT Tour race at White Mountain, and a driver like Welch is the perfect person to change that. Dover, NH’s Wayne Helliwell Jr., the 2019 Midsummer 250 winner, is planning to take his crown back after an illness forced him to withdraw from last year’s race. Barre’s Jason Corliss, who has finished third in both Midsummer 250s, will try to bring home a first-place trophy this time around.

 

Fourth-generation racer Ryan Olsen of North Haverhill, the opening night winner at White Mountain this year, has also filed an entry. These drivers will go up against Tour stars Derek Gluchacki, Stephen Donahue, Shawn Swallow, Dylan Payea, and the Lanphear sisters in a Late Model epic that has become a crown jewel of the ACT schedule.

 

“I always tell everybody that it doesn’t matter if it’s in a wheelbarrow or a racecar — winning never gets old,” Hopkins said. “The ACT Tour is very well-established. It’s fun, they’ve got a lot of good incentives to race, the purses are good, and there’s a great caliber of drivers and cars. We had 29 cars at Oxford, and there was probably 15 of them that could have won that race at any given point. It shows that what they’re doing is obviously working.”

 

The ACT Late Model Tour storms into North Woodstock, NH’s White Mountain Motorsports Park on Saturday, July 31 at 5:30pm for the Midsummer Classic 250. Both local and regional stars are chasing a $10,000 winner’s purse with more than $47,000 in total prizes. The track’s Wells River Chevrolet Flying Tigers, Woodsville Guaranty Savings Bank Strictly Stock Mini’s, and Dads 4 By Tool & Supply Kids Trucks complete the card. Admission is $25 for adults, $5 for kids ages 6-12, and $50 for a family of four (2 adults, 2 kids).

 

For more information about ACT, contact the ACT offices at (802) 244-6963, media@acttour.com, or visit www.acttour.com. You can also get updates on Facebook and Twitter at @ACTTour.