Still feeling the effects of his employment supervisor passing last week, coupled with winning his first race with the True Value Modified Racing Series, Danbury, CT., driver Ed Dachenhausen was filled with emotion when he exited his modified racer Friday night July 11, after beating fellow Connecticut drivers, Les Hinckley, Windsor Locks, and Mike Holdridge, Madison, to the checkered flag to capture the “The Mill 96” modified race at Lee USA Speedway, Lee, NH.
   The race, sponsored by Manchester NH radio station “96.5 the Mill” was checkered on lap 96 in honor of the classic rock station. Glad that the station’s radio frequency was not located higher on the FM band, Dachenhausen said, “We could have made it to 100 but that 96th lap seemed like an eternity. We knew Les (Hinckley) was back there and knowing how well he runs at Lee, we were glad to see the checkered flag wave.” Hinckley won the race a year ago.
   “This was special for a lot of reasons. It’s our first and it was Nil’s first since Plainville in the 80’s. (Car owner Linstedt) We knew we were fast. We have been fast all season. We were quick at Thunder Road and we were fast here tonight. It’s good to be getting back to tracks we’ve already been at this year.” Dachenhausen likes that advantage for set up purposes.
   Hinckley and Rob Goodenough, Swanzey, NH., brought the field to green with Hinckley taking the top spot immediately and holding it for the first 27 laps until Goodenough moved by, a position he would hold until the 67th circuit. Goodenough set a fast pace, picking up the Black Mountain Painting half-way contingency at lap 48, and he held down the lead until a fast approaching Dachenhausen grabbed it away on lap 68.
   Dachenhausen would hold the lead to the finish but would be chased to the end by Hinckley . On late race restarts, Hinckley would pull up alongside the race leader only to find Dachenhausen pull away. And not far back was Holdridge, with another strong run, finishing third, followed by David Pinkham, Buxton , ME. , and Koszela Speed Rookie of the Year contender Joe Doucette, Framingham, MA., fifth.
   Ken Bouchard, Fitchburg , MA. , in only his second TVMRS event, drove a smooth race to finish sixth in his own racer, while 2006 champion Dwight Jarvis, Ascutney, VT., with no power steering , muscled his way to a seventh place finish, Chris Pasteryak, Lisbon, CT., Vinnie Annarumo, Swansea, MA., and Andy Seuss, Hampstead, NH rounded out the top ten.
   The win by Dachenhausen marks the second time a Connecticut driver has won his first TVMRS race at Lee. On October 30, 2005 Jimmy Dolan, Bethel. , captured the Oktoberfest race. Like Dachenhausen, Dolan’s win was a long time coming.
   Pasteryak emerged from Lee taking over the point standings lead by four points over defending champion Kirk Alexander. Pinkham fell to third with Holdridge and Hinckley fourth and fifth. Going into Oxford Plains , ME. , July 19, Pasteryak has 310, Alexander 306, Pinkham 292, Holdridge 286 and Hinckley 276.
   The next event in the 19 race schedule is Saturday night July 19 at Oxford Plains , ME for the “Maine-Ly Action Sports Night 100” Kirk Alexander is the defending champion. Race time is 6:30 PM.

Race Summary: Race # 9
Lee USA Speedway, Lee , NH (0.333 miles)
July 11, 2008
“The Mill 96” (laps)

  1. Dachenhausen
  2. Hinckley
  3. Holdridge
  4. Pinkham
  5. Doucette
  6. Bouchard
  7. Jarvis
  8. Pasteryak
  9. Annarummo
10. Seuss
11. Goodenough
12. Alexander
13. Wenzel
14. Bateman
15. Spiers
16. White
17. Perry
18. Douglas
19. McKennedy
20. Evonsion

Lap Leaders: Hinckley (1-27) Goodenough (28-67) Dachenhausen (68-96)
Race Time: 39:21:680
Margin of Victory: 0.174
Caution Periods: (4)
Entries: 20 (15 cars finished race on lead lap)
Sunoco Race Fuels Hard Charger: Holdridge
Black Mountain Painting Half-Way: Goodenough
Sherwood Wheels: Doucette

THE END