 After
a twenty year hiatus the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour was welcomed by
standing room only from fans from near and far at Monadnock Speedway
this past Saturday. It gave some folks the opportunity to see old
friends and make lasting new ones. The 5pm early start time started
out overcast and then clear hot skies were braved by all in
attendance to see history in the making. Tour driver Mike Stefanik
would make his 400th career start. As the events would unfold it
would prove that the fastest 1/4 mile high-bank lies here in
Winchester, NH.
Qualifying for our divisions would start the night with Mini-Stocks,
Super Stocks, Outlaw Pros, and Sportmen Modifieds. After these heats
it would be time trials from the NASCAR Whelen Modifieds, and fans
were glued to their seats. Fans watched to see who would put down
the throttle along with being able to handle the two very different
sets of corners. Last, but in this case not least, we would see
Erick Rudolph as the final car to qualify snatch the pole with an
impressive time of 12.423.
Up and coming drivers of the Young Guns would begin the night of
feature events. Joe Boivin would capture his 3rd victory of the
season followed by last event winner Adam Manley for second place
and new comer Cordell Colon for third.
In the Mini Stocks Tim Jackson would make 5 wins this season, but
not without lots of contact with challenger Joey Kendall. When the
cars cleared and tire smoke settled Jackson would be on top followed
in second by Kim Rivett and last race winner Chris McTaggart
The Super Stocks would show their respect for Jeff Bemis, car owner
of John Lavoive's #33, with a last lap ceremony. Bemis passed away
this week from results of a car accident. Lavoie would take with all
a lap out front with all of his competitors 4 wide behind him then
re-set the field for the start. A caution flag flew on lap 22 when
Lavoie would cut down a tire as a result of contact with a lap car.
Chris Curtis would secure the top spot from pole to the finish to
win his first race followed by Eddie Brehio III and Joe Bates.
Outlaw Pros would answer the call next with Mike Parks jumping out
to the lead and going on to victory lane. But the most intense
racing was for second where Barry Gray and Brandon Ovitt would trade
paint, rub body panels and eventually tires when contact blew Grays
right rear. Parks, Ovitt and Steve Gauthier rounded out the top 3
spots. Gray would pull down next to Ovitt after the race and a
discussion would ensue. Hot tempers were matching the hot
temperatures tonight.
Sportmen Modifieds were a mean and clean feature. Dave Knight would
lead the field to the green, but by lap 13 Russ Hersey would take
over the lead position. Hersey finished first followed by double
duty driver Nick Boivin and Bill Kimball for third. It’s great to
see the car count up and new competitors each week joining this
division.
The main event lined up on the front stretch as NASCAR Whelen
Modified Tour drivers were introduced and fans cheered their
favorites on. Every modified fan was on their feet showing customary
appreciation to the drivers. Pole sitter Erick Rudolph would set the
pace and bring the field to the green. Turn four cautions would be
the theme for the night and also be the scene for a hostile take
over when "TC" Ted Christopher would take the lead. On next caution
restart on lap 108 when Christopher smoked his tires Rudoplh would
regain the top spot. After lap 146 we would see Eddy Flemke Jr smack
the front stretch wall. Christopher and Rudolph would start side by
side but when the green flag was shown Christopher would rocket his
way to the lead, until Wade Cole went off the track in turn three
and the caution waved again. This set the stage for a green, white,
checkered finish. Christopher would hold off all challengers and
take his first Modified victory at the fastest 1/4 mile in the east.
Rudolph finished a strong second followed by Ronnie Silk who started
16th.
To cap the evening’s event off, the 4-cylinder Enduros took to the
track. An early battle for the lead developed between Rob Thompson
and Dick Houle as Julia Raymond ran a very close third. On lap
twenty, Toby Wells took the lead and began to stretch it out. On lap
twenty three, a brief rain shower came in but not hard enough to
stop the action. Wells leading the way began to smoke and was shown
the black flag ending his night as Raymond took over the lead. The
last few laps were intense as Raymond and Houle ran inches apart for
the lead. At the checkers, Raymond beat out Houle by a matter of
inches for the win.
Racing returns to the high banks with a very busy schedule this
upcoming week. On Saturday, Monadnock Speedway and Fenton Family
Dealership will host Keene Community Kitchen Night featuring the
speedway’s own tour type Modifieds. Donations of non-perishable
items will be accepted to benefit the Keene Community Kitchen. On
Tuesday on July 27th, the racing action returns to the high banked ¼
mile for a rain date make up where all divisions will compete at
7pm. The Two for Tuesday Special Event will offer 2 for the price of
one general admission and $2 food items. For more information, log
onto the speedway’s website at
www.monadnockspeedway.com.
Young Guns: Nick Boivin, Adam Manley, Cordell
Colon, Andrew Martel, Tyrell Dugre, Hillary Renaud, Peri Bergquist
Top Ten Mini Stocks: Tim Jackson, Kim Rivet,
Chris McTaggart, Chris Davis, Joe Rogers, Beth Adams, Eric DeJackome,
James Hancock, Joe Kendall, Eric Pomasko
Top Ten Super Stocks: Chris Curtis, Ed Brehio
III, Joe Bates, Bill Johnston, Nick Boivin, Andy Brooks, Nancy Muni,
Nick Gravel, Brian Chapin, David Striebel
Outlaw Pros: Mike Parks, Brandon Ovitt, Steve
Gauthier, Geoff Rollins, Barry Gray, Fran Colson, Adam Lapoint, Ron
Smith
Sportsman Modifieds Top Ten: Russ Hersey, Nick
Boivin, Bill Kimball, Ricky Labrecque, Nathan Kehoe, Dave Knight,
Scott Nelson, Shan Foss, Robert Hagar, Rich Fournier |
