Former Division Champion Ryan Waterman takes down Limited Sportsmen Victory at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park 8-11-21

 Posted by Wayne G.Barber  File Photos by Wayne G. Barber, 

Source: Act Tour Media Press Release

Danielson, CT’s Ryan Waterman took a different course than his norm en route to the Vandi Auto Supply Limited Sportsman feature win. The man known for late-race charges instead wen to the front early, diving underneath Johnston, RI’s Jeffrey Van Pelt to take the lead four laps into the 20-lap feature.

 

As “Leadfoot” Larry Barnett battled Van Pelt for second and Brent Gleason worked on Corey Fanning for fourth, Waterman took advantage to pull off into the sunset. Moosup, CT’s Barnett eventually got the second position with four laps to go but did not have time to close the gap on the eventual winner.

 

Gleason also slid past Van Pelt in the closing stages for third. Fanning took fifth followed by Scott Sundeen, Troy Waterman, Nicholas Hovey, Charles Stott III, and Aaron Plemons.

Bowman Gray Speedway, Winston Salem, N.C.Saturday August 7, 2021

 Posted by Wayne G. Barber  Report by James Snape and Photos by Crystal Snape 

After running time trials Jason Myers turned the Bowman Gray oval with a time of 13.366 which was 6th fastest of the day, but with a redraw of the entire 27 car field Myers drew the number one card putting him on the pole with Brian Loftin starting along side.

   Coming to starter Randy Smith's green flag Myers shot out to the lead, the lead he would never relinquish for the next 100 laps. Behind him veteran Randy Butner quickly came from his third row starting spot to fall in behind Myers and follow him for the next 32 laps until caution slowed the action for a spinning Bobo Brown and James Civali in turn one.

   At the restart Butner chose the inside lane behind Myers while Burt Myers chose the outside. On the restart the two Myers brothers ran wheel to wheel for two laps before Jason prevailed on the inside. Through the next four yellow flag periods the Myers brothers ran first and second with Burt committing himself to the outside on each restart.

   That's when the head games started with Burt holding back on the start which caused two false starts. When racing did get under way Jason and Burt ran side by side again but Jason was not letting this one get away.

   Behind the two, battle was raging between Tim Brown, Butner and Bobby Labonte. By lap 70 Brandon Ward flexed his muscle picking off competitors one by one until he fell in behind Brown who could do no better than third.

   For the next 30 laps Jason, Burt, Brown and Ward pulled away from the rest of the pack with Jason streaking to his 36th career Bowman Gray victory, which tied him for tenth place on the all time winners list.

  Behind Jason's potent Ford was Burt Myers. Tim Brown was third, Brandon Ward fourth and quickest qualifier of the day Johnathan Holleman IV was fifth.

   Myers dedicated this win to his daughter.

   Myers said" Tonight I had a heck of a race car, I felt like I had the fastest car out there tonight. Sometimes when you win you dont have the fastest car, sometimes you do have the fastest car and you dont win." Myers added "I got a good draw tonight and it put me up front and I showed everybody I had the fastest car. The car has been super good the last couple of weeks." he said. "When they implemented the cone restarts it made Bowman Gray racing 100% better. It sucks for the leader but it gives everybody else a chance to race to the front. You have to base your whole strategy on restarts." he said.

            Tiger Tommy Neal led the first sportsman feature green to checkerd for his fifty first victory at Bowman Gray. The win also added to his points lead.

   Amber Lynn scored her second win of the year, but she had to do it by coming from deep in the pack. Taking over the number one spot on lap 9 she was never headed, The win was a very popular one with the Bowman Gray fans.   

Zack Robinson is now a Late Model Winner at Stafford Speedway, Conn.

 Posted by Wayne G. Barber   Track Photo

In the 30-lap Late Model feature event, Paul Arute took the early lead at the green flag with Zack Robinson taking second from John Blake on lap-2 but the caution flew before the lap was complete for a spin in turn 1 by Armand Cote, Jr. to put Robinson back in third for the lap-2 restart.

Arute took the lead on the restart with Robinson again going door to door with Blake for second place.  Robinson took the spot on lap-2 just before the caution came back out for a spin in turn 1 by Marc Curtis.

Robinson took the lead from Arute on the restart with Blake briefly making it 3-wide for the lead.  Arute settled into second with Blake third before Rick Lanagan spun in turn 4 to bring the caution back out with 3 laps complete.

Robinson charged into the lead on the restart with Arute taking second.  Blake was third in line followed by Andrew Durand in fourth and the side by side duo of Wayne Coury, Jr. and Keane for fifth.  Coury took fifth on lap-5 with Keane right behind him in sixth. 

With 10 laps complete, Robinson had pulled out to a lead of several car lengths over Arute with Durand and Blake side by side for third with Coury in fifth.  Durand took over third from Blake on lap-14 and that move allowed Coury to take fourth, Keane fifth, and Adam Gray sixth as Blake slipped back to seventh in line.  Durand made a move to get by Arute and take over second place on lap-16 while Robinson was still in command. 

Coury’s car dropped off the pace on lap-19 and he limped his way back to pit road as Gray and Keane were now side by side for third place with Arute in fifth as Robinson continued to lead.  Gray took third with Keane and Arute falling into line behind him.

Robinson held Durand off to the checkered flag to pick up his first career Late Model win at Stafford.  Gray finished third with Keane and Andrew Molleur rounding out the top-5. Source; Scott Running Media Press Release 

LATE MODEL (30)

1) Zack Robinson, Putnam

2) Andrew Durand, Chicopee, MA

3) Adam Gray, Granby, MA

4) Darrell Keane, Enfield

5) Andrew Molleur, Shelton

6) Tom Fearn, East Longmeadow, MA

7) Michael Bennett, Willington

8) Paul Arute, Northbridge, MA

9) Paul Varricchio, Jr., Berlin

10) Kevin Gambacorta, Ellington

11) Tyler Leary, Hatfield, MA

12) Trace Beyer, Stratton, VT

13) Michael Wray, Durham

14) Josh Wood, Palmer, MA

15) Rick Lanagan, Broad Brook

16) John Blake, North Haven

17) Armand Cote, Jr., Rocky Hill

18) Wayne Coury, Jr., Fairfield

19) Tom Butler, Stafford Springs

20) Marc Curtis, Brookfield, MA

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.

Ryan Preece Wins Trucks Race at Nashville in Series Debut

 Posted by Wayne G. Barber 

Ryan Preece Wins Trucks Race at Nashville in Series Debut

Ryan Preece took the lead from Grant Enfinger with seven laps remaining in the Rockley Roofing 200 at Nashville Superspeedway to earn his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory Friday night in his first race in the series.

Preece, the 30-year old Connecticut native who competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, is only the fifth driver in history to win in his truck series debut.

“That was a lot of fun,” Preece said, adding, “Really I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know anything.

“I was just taking the guidance from [crew chief] Chad [Johnston] and my teammates and told them I’d be better in the race than I was in qualifying and practice. And fortunately, I lived up to that.”

Preece’s teammate Todd Gilliland – who started at the rear of the field following a pre-race inspection violation – rallied all the way to second place, passing Enfinger with four laps remaining.

“It stings not to get that last spot especially because I was under the 17 [Preece] and got too loose, but that’s racing,” said Gilliland, whose father David served as his crew chief after his normal crew chief was suspended as part of the inspection penalty.

The Preece-Gilliland work gave Ford its first one-two finish of the season. Enfinger finished third followed by Zane Smith and Stewart Friesen, whose top-5 finish was only his second top 10 in the past eight races of the season.

Veteran Matt Crafton, two-race winner Ben Rhodes, Ty Majeski, Austin Hill and championship leader John Hunter Nemechek rounded out the top 10.

Preece, who drives the No. 37 JTG-Daugherty Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series, was one of three full-time Cup Series drivers entered Friday – all wanting to get some extra laps at the 1.333-mile Nashville track which is hosting its first Cup race Sunday. Chip Ganassi Racing’s Ross Chastain finished 22nd and Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron finished last in the 36-truck field, his No. 27 Chevrolet truck experiencing a motor problem shortly after the Stage 1 break.

Nineteen-year old Derek Kraus, who won his first career Camping World Truck Series pole position Friday afternoon, followed it up by leading the first 48 laps of the race and earning the Stage 1 victory – his second career stage win.

A slow pit stop during that stage break forced him to play catch-up, but he rallied back inside the top 10. His race ended early after contact with the Josh Berry truck sent Kraus’ No. 19 Toyota hard into the wall with only 40 laps remaining.

Nemechek’s 10th-place finish retained the lead in the championship standings for the second-generation driver. A four-race winner so far in 2021, he leads Rhodes by 78 points with only three races remaining to set the 10-driver Playoff field.

Chandler Smith, who finished 13th Friday, sits in the final Playoff transfer position with a slim 15-point edge on former series champion Johnny Sauter, who finished 12th at Nashville.

The series races next in the CRC Brakleen 150 at Pocono Raceway (Saturday, June 26, 12 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

— NASCAR Wire Service —Photo by 

Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) |