Forty years ago in 1968,
Maynard Troyer scored his
first of 66 wins at the Lancaster Speedway in western New York. Don
MacTavish took the double point win at Thompson on Sunday night and at
Utica-Rome, Rene Charland hit pay dirt as he took the win over Lou
Lazzaro, Sonny Seamon, Richie Evans and Ray Sitterly.
Thirty five years ago in 1973, Richie Evans went two for two as he
won at Malta on Friday night and at Utica-Rome on Sunday. All racing on
Saturday night was washed out. Jerry Cook finished second at Malta and
was followed by Fred DeSarro, and Ronnie Bouchard. At Utica, Sonny
Seamon finished second and was followed by Cook and DeSarro.
Thirty years ago in 1978, Geoff Bodine made it three for three in
Yankee All Star action as he won a Wednesday night 100 lapper at
Thompson. Fred DeSarro, Leo Cleary and Joe Howard followed. At New
Egypt, Jerry Cook took the win over John Blewett JR and Fred Harbach.
Stafford ran twin 35's on Friday night and to no ones surprise, Geoff
Bodine won them both. Riverhead Raceway saw Greg Sacks win out over
Charlie Jarzombek. Saturday night at Seekonk, Ronnie Bouchard gave Geoff
Bodine a traffic lesson as he took the top spot and broke the winning
streak of the big red machine. At Westboro, it was Leo Cleary over
Roland LaPierre JR and at Waterford, Glynn Shafer and Joe Trudeau
finished one-two. Jim Tyler won at Islip and Richie Evans beat out
Reggie Ruggiero at Riverside. Ronnie Bouchard beat the master, Eddie
Flemke, at Thompson on Sunday and at Utica-Rome, Geoff Bodine settled
for third behind Richie Evans and Jerry Cook. Also on Sunday, Maynard
Troyer won his 25th and 26th features of the year at Perry Speedway.
Twenty five years ago in 1983, Thompson ran on Wednesday
with Richie Evans taking the win over George Summers and Corky Cookman.
Friday night at Stafford saw Brett Bodine in victory lane with Mike
Hornat, second. At New Egypt it was John Blewett JR and at Riverhead,
Don Howe took the top spot. Spencer Speedway action saw Richie Evans in
the winners circle with Jan Leaty and Mike McLaughlin rounding out the
top three. Lightning Larry Lanphear got a well deserved win at Waterford
on Saturday and at Wall Stadium it was Tony Hirshman. Islip ran a 200
lapper and it was Tiger Tom Baldwin across the line ahead of Fred
Harbach, Bob Park, Richie Evans and Jim Spencer. Eddie StAngelo won at
Seekonk and Stan Greger took the win at Riverside Park. In Winston Cup
action at Nashville, Ronnie Bouchard was the pole sitter but was
sidelined with motor trouble. Dale Earnhardt took the win over Darrel
Waltrip and Tim Richmond.
Twenty years ago in 1988, Jerry Pearl was the Friday night
SK modified winner at Stafford. At Monadnock, Reggie Ruggiero won his
fifth. At Waterford on Saturday, Moose Hewitt won, at Riverside it was
Stan Greger, Riverhead belonged to Wayne Anderson and Tioga belonged to
Randy Hedger. On Sunday, it rained at Thompson.
Fifteen years ago in 1993, Ted Christopher won the Winston
100 at Stafford and was followed by Tom Tagg and John Anderson. At
Waterford on Saturday, Bob Potter got his 91st career win and at
Riverside it was Greger over Bobby Gee. Riverhead ran the Richie Evans
Memorial with Bob Park taking the win over Don Howe and Tom Baldwin. In
Winston Cup action at Pocono Dale Earnhardt was the winner.
Ten Years ago in 1998, Stafford had the No-Bull 100
scheduled. On the start, the speedway set off fireworks, which
apparently spooked the drivers as half the field piled up in the first
turn. While the wreck was being cleaned up, the rains came and washed
out the event. The Featherlite Modified Tour Series was at Lee Raceway.
Ed Flemke JR took the lead from Doug French on lap 81 of the 150 lap
event and never looked back as he went on to take the win. Mike
Ewanitsko finished second and was followed by Tim Connolly, Mike
Stefanik and Jamie Tomaino. At Waterford on Saturday, Ted Christopher
took the lead from Todd Ceravolo on lap 49 of the scheduled 100 lap
event and went on to score a convincing victory. Ceravolo finished
second and was followed by Mike Gada. Twin 35's were on tap at Riverside
with Jim Broderick and Bob Polverari taking the wins. George Brunnhoelzl
JR ended a long dry spell with a win at Riverhead. The IRL and Busch
North Series were at Dover Downs. A very light crowd of 25,000 made the
place look empty. As an insult to the Busch North competitors, Jim
Spencer was brought in as a crowd draw.
Five years ago in 2003, the Featherlite NASCAR Modified Tour
Series converged on the New Hampshire International Speedway for the New
England 100, which was run in conjunction with NASCAR’s Winston Cup,
Busch Racing Series and Busch North Series. Forty-one Modifieds were on
hand for the event, which carried a purse of $148,275, up $9,450 from
2002. Tony Hirschman took the Busch Pole with a speed of 127.654 mph.
John Blewett III, just a tic off at 127.628 mph, was the outside pole
sitter. Nevin George was third fastest and Ted Christopher, now using
Ford power was fourth. Rounding out the top five was a big surprise in
the form of Tom Cloce. Todd Szegedy, Chuck Hossfeld, Charlie Pasteryak,
Tom Baldwin and Ricky Fuller rounded out the top ten. Only 1.06 mph
separated the top ten. A year previous, modified car owner Bob
Garbarino, owner and operator of the Mystic River Marina in Mystic,
Connecticut, was ready to end his long tenure as a car owner. Garbarino,
who had built and owned Modifieds since the mid 1970’s had lost his
driver, Tim Connelly and his sponsor, Tidy Cats. Plus the fact he was
fed up with NASCAR and the way they were treating the division. A few
days before the 2002 Thompson Speedway Icebreaker Chuck Hossfeld came on
the scene and since then Garbarino had had renewed interest in the sport
he loved and supported for so long. Hossfeld was not well known outside
of his native New York State and after a short stint in a Craftsman
Truck owned by Jack Roush, resigned himself to the fact that he would
spend the rest of his racing life at the Lancaster Speedway and other
western New York ovals. Thanks in part to the Colton family; Hossfeld
was hooked up with Garbarino. At Loudon, Hossfeld started seventh and
never led a lap until the last one. Hossfeld, with the precision of a
surgeon, executed a last lap pass by John Blewett III and Todd Szegedy
to win the top spot in the event. Originally a 100-lap event, the
distance was extended to 103 laps after Ricky Fuller became involved in
a crash on lap 96. Szegedy had to settle for second at the finish.
Blewett finished third with Jerry Marquis and Mike Stefanik rounding out
the top five. For his efforts, Hossfeld collected $14,000. The announced
crowd of 21,000 got to see what had to be the best race of the weekend
which saw 11 official lead changes. Had it not been for the last
caution, there were only two for 13 laps; Hossfeld would have had to
settle for fifth or sixth. John Blewett III and Mike Stefanik were
contending for the lead at that point. Because of a long green flag
period from the start to lap 87 only eight of the original 41 starters
were on the lead lap at the finish.
Rain played havoc at the Stafford Speedway for the second week in a
row. In Wednesday night Thunder action at Thompson, threatening weather
didn’t deter the overflow crowd of 9,500 that came out to see Winston
Cup stars Tony Stewart and Jimmie Spencer. After a match race, which
Stewart won the defending Winston Cup champion entered the regular
Sunoco-SK type modified event, started in the rear and won that. Stewart
took the lead from Bo Gunning on lap 23 of the 30-lap feature and never
looked back. Gunning finished second and was followed by Bert Marvin,
Matty Adanti, Ted Christopher, Eric Berndt, Todd Ceravolo and Kerry
Malone. Other Wednesday night winners were GeGe Gravel in the Pro
Stocks, Woody Pitkat in the Late Models, Shane Michalski in the
Mini-Stocks and Keith DeSantis in the Limited Sportsman. At the
Waterford Speedbowl on Saturday night, Winston Cup drivers Jim Spencer,
Steve Park, Dave Blaney and Sterling Marlin made a special appearance to
mingle with the fans, sign autographs and compete in an exhibition race.
Crowd estimates of 4500 to 5000 spectators made it the most successful
event in 2003 at the shoreline oval. Ron Yuhas Jr. ended a long dry
spell as he won the regularly scheduled 35 lap SK-Modified feature as he
beat out defending track champion Dennis Gada for the win. Jeff Pearl
finished third and was followed by Rob Janovic and Ed Reed Jr. Among
those on hand to greet the Winston Cup drivers was former track champion
and now retired Bob Potter. Other Saturday night winners at the
shoreline oval were Diego Monahan in the Late Models, Sean Curtis in the
Sportsman and Richard Brooks in the Mini Stocks. Winston Cup and Busch
Racing Series qualifying at Loudon was rained out. Martin Truex made a
big impression when he won the Busch North Series event. It led to him
getting a ride in a DEI car. David Green won the Busch Racing Series
event and Jimmie Johnson conserved his fuel and took the win in the New
England 300 over Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth.
Last year 2007, the Waterford Speedbowl, thanks to the non
payments of property owner Terry Eames, was scheduled to go up for
foreclosure on Saturday, July 28. A sign posted on the property frontage
indicated that the sale would take place at high noon. Anyone interested
would need a $300,000 bank or certified check to participate. In 2006
the Washington Mutual Bank filed a lawsuit claiming that the track's
owner, Terry Eames, had failed to make payments on a $1.7 million loan
held by the Seattle-based savings bank. The lawsuit, Washington Mutual
vs. 1080 Hartford et al., continued through this year, with several
legal motions occurring during April and May. Eames had also failed to
pay the town of Waterford more than $185,000 in taxes owed dating back
to 2003. Eames was smart as he had shielded himself by an LLC titled
1080 Hartford Road LLC, a reference to its street address. In other
words if he did lose the property he could walk away and thumb his nose
at those he owes. Eames, who bought the race track in 2000 had all but
run the facility into the ground when he leased the track to a new
company called The New Waterford Speedbowl LLC, which ran the day-to-day
operations. Bill Roth served as its general manager and Jerry Robinson
was its president. Both Roth and Robinson had made an honest attempt to
bring the track back as they had made numerous improvements. They still
faced the stigma created by Eames as they had had problems securing any
credit for their business venture. Eames claimed he was about to sell
eight acres in the northwest corner of the property to Harvey
Industries, a Massachusetts-based window manufacturer that also
distributes other building products. Eames insisted that he had the
necessary finances in place, which would lead one to ask how come he had
not made any payments in the previous 18 months.
The Seekonk Speedway, located just over the Mass. Line on the way
to Cape Cod had Open Wheel Wednesday Modified Madness $10,000 to win
scheduled for last Wednesday but heavy rain forced a cancellation to
September 22.
The 2007 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour continued on their summer
break.
The True Value Modified Racing Series traveled to the Oxford Plains
Speedway in Maine. Kirk Alexander started 15th in the 100-lap feature
and took the lead for the eventual win with only five laps remaining.
Les Hinkley, who started dead last in the 24 car-starting field,
finished second. Dwight Jarvis, Pete Jarvis and Lisbon, Ct’s Chris
Pasteryak rounded out the top five.
In regular Thursday Night Thunder action at the Thompson Speedway
the rains prevailed.
In NASCAR Whelen All-American Series action at the Stafford Motor
Speedway Woody Pitkat scored a one-two punch, cleaning house as he won
the Coors Light SK Modified 100 and the 30 lap Late Model feature. Alan
Provost scored a first career victory in the 20-lap SK Light Modified
feature, Sean Foster took down the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature,
and Matt Chiarizio scored his first career win in the 15-lap DARE Stock
feature. In the 100 lap SK Modified feature Pitkat battled back after
changing tires with 22 laps to go. Pitkat outdueled Ted Christopher in
the closing stages. Willie Hardie took the lead from the pole, and he
led the first 34 laps before contact with Keith Rocco sent him spinning
from the lead. Rocco was black flagged for rough riding, which handed
the lead of the race to Christopher. Pitkat took the lead from
Christopher on the restart, and held the lead until lap-52, when
Christopher moved back out front. Pitkat slowly began to lose positions
as Christopher began to build a large lead over Eric Berndt, who was now
running second. A caution with 79 laps complete erased Christopher's
large lead and brought Pitkat to pit road for fresh tires. Pitkat then
worked his way back through traffic and avoided several wrecks to find
himself in third place behind Christopher for a lap-95 restart. Pitkat
moved past Christopher on the restart and then drove away to score the
win. Christopher finished second, with Frank Ruocco, Kerry Malone, and
Curt Brainard rounding out the top-5. In the Late Model feature Alan
Provost scored a first career victory in the 20-lap SK Light Modified
feature, Sean Foster took down the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature,
and Matt Chiarizio celebrated his birthday in grand style by scoring his
first career win in the 15-lap DARE Stock feature. Pitkat cruised to
victory ahead of Jim Mavlouganes, Tom Fearn, Corey Hutchings, and Dillon
Moltz, a 16 year-old driver who scored a top-5 finish in only his third
start at Stafford.
In NASCAR Whelen All-American Series action at the Waterford
Speedbowl Shawn Monahan passed his brother Diego with 9-laps to go in
the 35 lap SK Modified feature. The Monahans then set up a moving wall,
which shut out Zach Sylvester and Dennis Gada in the closing laps. Other
feature winners were Ed Reed Jr. (Late Model), Dwayne Dorr (Sportsman),
Danny Field (Mini Stocks), and Steven Intravaia (USAC Ford Focus
Midgets).
The Nextel Cup competitors had the weekend off. Reed Sorenson
earned his first victory in two years, avoiding the pitfalls of a
cautioned-filled Busch Gateway 250 Saturday night in Madison,
Ill.Sorenson, who hadn't led any part of a race this season, passed
David Reutimann on lap 159 moments after the eighth yellow flag was
lifted. He survived the ninth and final caution with a strong restart to
distance himself from Reutimann, who was third.
Scott Wimmer earned his first pole position in 136 races and led
the first 53 laps before a right flat tire forced him into the pits. He
stayed near the front of the pack most of the race and finished second.
Jason Leffler and David Ragan rounded out the top five. The cautions
were five off the track's record of 14. Of 44 cars that started, 26
finished. The yellow flag was out for 43 of 200 laps. Sorenson, who had
the second-fastest qualifying time, led 93 laps. The victory marked his
third overall.
That’s it for this week from 40 Clark Street, Westerly RI 02891.
Ring my chimes at 401-596-5467. E Mail
smithpe_97_97@yahoo.com.
This week are
several vintage racing photos from the
early days of Riverside Park Speedway,
Courtesy of
VintageModifieds.com
Stan Disbrow
Gene White
Danny Gaudiana owned 999
Driver Unknown
Unknown
Andy Anderson
Dick Dixon
The Chrome Horn
'Looking Back with Phil Smith' Archive
THE END