Posted by Wayne G. Barber
After completing two championship events in the inaugural season, the North East Street Stock Tour has seen hard racing at the front of the pack, but with a high level of respect as well.
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photo by Alan Plummer
All other photos by Wayne G. Barber |
Chris “Moose” Douton picked up the victory at Seekonk Speedway (MA), after John Hanafin’s exciting blast through the field came up short, due to a mechanical failure. Douton’s win did not go uncontested though, as Joe Arena filled Douton’s rear-view mirror in the closing laps.
The roles were reversed at the following race, at Speedway 51 (NH). Arena had the top spot, with as many as five drivers within striking distance at different points of the race, including Geoff Rollins, Patrick Tanguay, Jim Boyle, and Bryan Town. But Douton gave Arena the most pressure, seemingly glued to Arena’s bumper at times.
Even two weeks later, Arena knew Douton would not race dirty with him, saying “We are all in this together. There is a good amount of give and take. There is a lot of respect across the board with these guys.”
With the upcoming event at Monadnock Speedway (NH), another tight, ¼ mile race track, Arena is optimistic of the race, saying “Our regulars are a good mix of guys, and there’s a lot of inquiries from the Monadnock drivers, as well. It should be a big show, and will only build from there.”
Arena admits the handicapping system adds a unique twist to the series. The North East Street Stock Tour uses the plus/minus system from the qualifying heats, to set the lineup for the feature events. In other words, the more cars a driver passes in the qualifying heats, the better starting position that driver will have for the feature.
Arena, who has predominantly been a New London-Waterford Speedbowl driver during his career, sees the touring series as a new challenge, adding “The whole thing is working out perfect. I enjoy it well, especially with the amount of respect from the drivers.”After completing two championship events in the inaugural season, the North East Street Stock Tour has seen hard racing at the front of the pack, but with a high level of respect as well.
Chris “Moose” Douton picked up the victory at Seekonk Speedway (MA), after John Hanafin’s exciting blast through the field came up short, due to a mechanical failure. Douton’s win did not go uncontested though, as Joe Arena filled Douton’s rear-view mirror in the closing laps.
The roles were reversed at the following race, at Speedway 51 (NH). Arena had the top spot, with as many as five drivers within striking distance at different points of the race, including Geoff Rollins, Patrick Tanguay, Jim Boyle, and Bryan Town. But Douton gave Arena the most pressure, seemingly glued to Arena’s bumper at times.
Even two weeks later, Arena knew Douton would not race dirty with him, saying “We are all in this together. There is a good amount of give and take. There is a lot of respect across the board with these guys.”
With the upcoming event at Monadnock Speedway (NH), another tight, ¼ mile race track, Arena is optimistic of the race, saying “Our regulars are a good mix of guys, and there’s a lot of inquiries from the Monadnock drivers, as well. It should be a big show, and will only build from there.”
Arena admits the handicapping system adds a unique twist to the series. The North East Street Stock Tour uses the plus/minus system from the qualifying heats, to set the lineup for the feature events. In other words, the more cars a driver passes in the qualifying heats, the better starting position that driver will have for the feature.
Arena, who has predominantly been a New London-Waterford Speedbowl driver during his career, sees the touring series as a new challenge, adding “The whole thing is working out perfect. I enjoy it well, especially with the amount of respect from the drivers.”
The North East Street Stock Tour will travel to Monadnock Speedway, on July 11, for 50 laps. For more information on the North East Street Stock Tour, visit
www.nestreetstocktour.com, on Facebook (N.E. Street Stock Tour), Twitter @NEStreetStock, or on Instagram at NorthEastStreetStockTour.
Photo credit: Alan Plummer
