|
|
|
07/24/2011 |
|
JOE DOUCETTE WINS HIS FIRST EVER VMRS RACE
Oxford Plains Speedway
Ain’t Just Flat Anymore
by
Denise DuPont |
|
 The
Valenti Modified Racing Series (VMRS) completed their annual trek up to
Maine’s Oxford Plains Speedway. The series joined other racing activity to
make it a super Oxford 250 weekend for all. On Saturday there appeared to be
standing room only at the 14,000 seat facility as fans waited in long lines
to get in. During the Brackett Mechanical RB Performance 100 lap VMRS race
fans sitting on the edge of their seats as the Valenti Modifieds raced to
the checker.
The move of the night award though went to Joe Doucette when he went under
the leader, Chris Pasteryak, to pass for the lead on lap 97. A win has been
a long time coming for Joe Doucette and the #55 team. He has been
participating in the field of the VMRS for about six years and more often
than not he has always been the driver that would be considered for the hard
luck award. But this week the driver shed the cloak of bad luck and ran with
the “Big Dogs” proving that he could not only do it but also win while doing
it.
 “It
was unbelievable!,” said Joe Doucette smiling about the win. “That is the
one word to explain it – It is just unbelievable. We went from the slowest
car in practice at the bottom of the time charts. We made wholesale changes.
The crew just did an unbelievable job. They made major changes for the
night. We said do not get excited the track will come to us. We had a great
starting spot (sixth) and just rode for a while. About 50 laps in I looked
up and I said “Holy cow I am on the scoreboard! You know I have a pretty
good car here. A podium finish will just make my day.” Dwight and Les were
running real hard in front of me. So I just sat back and watched the show
and let them wear their stuff out. Then I finally got by them and then I saw
Chris kind of bring up the pace a little bit. They must have told him on the
radio that I was coming and my car looked pretty fresh. So he picked the
pace up. I noticed as he was driving hard he started to push up into the
center of the corner. My strong suit was that my car was running in the
center real well. So I just kind of waited and waited until it was ten to go
and kept sticking it under there. I knew I had to make the move coming out
of turn two because that was where he was the weakest and where I was the
strongest. When I got up beside him there was no holding us back. I respect
that he raced me real clean. We rubbed just a little bit and once I got by
it was just holding my breath for the last few laps. It was just
unbelievable!”
Oxford Plains is a three-eight mile flat oval track and is a hand full to
master. But once a driver meets the track’s challenge, you see a smile come
to their faces and know they have conquered the asphalt and are ready to
come back for more. And Doucette is one of those driver’s that is pumped up
and ready for more. “I never thought that it (a win) would come on a flat
track. Now I love it (the Oxford Plains track). We have struggled here and
at Beech Ridge and sometimes Seekonk. We spent a lot of time and money over
the winter on the car. The changes seem positive so far this year. We have
not had a lot of opportunity to show it. At Lee we should it a little bit.
We have had a little bit of bad luck but we are here now and it will be nice
to get our name in the paper.”
 Point
leader Chris Pasteryak started the race on the pole and led the race for 96
laps until Doucette passed him to take ownership of the most important lap,
the last one. Pasteryak was happy with a second place finish, but he even
appeared happier to see a fellow competitor finally get his first win. “At
first I was hoping that he used up everything that he had to get up to me.
Then after about five or six laps I realized that he was not going to go
away. He was going really good tonight. I tried not to go overly wide. I
tried to give him a lane to race. But I also tried to take away his momentum
whenever I could. And he raced me clean. He raced me as clean as you could
ever possibly ask any body else to race you here. I did everything I could
to hold him off. He is a true gentleman and he raced me clean, He earned it
tonight. He has been getting better ever week and it showed it tonight. He
won with the best car.”
As the laps clicked off and Pasteryak continued to lead the race what went
through his mind? “I kept saying to myself - “Do not burn it up. Try to go
slow Try to go slower and do not burn it up.” And I burnt it up anyways. Oh
well, what you are going to do. It was fun. We had another good night. I had
the fastest car on the race track except at the end. We were going really,
really good but we were just too tight. That is the best that I have ever
run here. It was a good night, good race and a good deal. “
In his sophomore year of racing the VMRS young Max Zachem had his best
series finish He finished the race in third coming forward from his
sixteenth starting spot. “The car was awesome. I have to thank my family,
crew and sponsor for sticking with me this year with the tough year that we
have had. I have always had a part of Oxford in my heart. I ran Legend Cars
here for several years and the Oxford TD 250 you cannot get a lot better
weekend to have a top seat run. Hopefully we can go this strong the rest of
the season.”
Zachem
has had a tough year and running twentieth in driver points reflects the
challenges he has persevered this year. It looks like the team finally may
have turned around their season though at Oxford. “It is amazing. I have to
thank my crew. They are the ones that did all the work here. I just get
behind the wheel and drive it. Basically I do the work at the shop but at
the race they take over for me. The way this season has been, I can see how
you would think that we were a lapped car. But you know what I think that we
are proving ourselves worthy that we can run with the big dogs.”
Rowan Pennink started from the rear of the field after a spin during his
heat race. When he spun in the same spot a during the race, we started to
wonder whether it was it the track or the car.
 “It was an interesting race,” Pennink said after it was all done. “We had a
good car from the start up until we spun. It got a little tight on the high
groove and I was real loose on the bottom of the track. So it was kind of
like two different cars that I was driving whether I was on the top or the
bottom. This was difficult because if someone was running in the high groove
that was where my car was best. And I was real loose on the bottom, but if
they were running on the top I had no choice but to try to run on the bottom
to pass. That is how I ended up spinning out.”
So mastering a track where you feel like you were switching cars was not in
the plan for the #25 team as they race for the chase Pennink pitted during
the only caution. The crew adjusted the car to make it drive like only one
car and Pennink went out to make the forward charge. “The car was too loose
on the bottom so we made a couple adjustments during a pit stop. It (the
car) was pretty good for about 20 laps after we pitted and we ended up just
getting a little too tight after the 20 laps and seized up that right front
a little. It then kind of leveled off. We ended up fourth so it was not too
bad.”
 Norm
Wrenn has become a consistent runner in the VMRS field. This was the second
week in a row he has captured a top five finish. The team worked hard over
the winter and totally revamped their racing program and they are being
rewarded for their hard work. .”Since last year we changed everything. We
changed the motor we changed the whole setup. I thought that we were pretty
good in practice. Then we changed a few more things before we went out. We
start thirteenth and the finished fifth. I could not be happier. I told my
crew chief, Dave Berghman, “Dave, I like the place!” So we are coming back
next year. I know I was not too happy about coming this time, but next year
I will be looking forward to it. We have a good plan to go by and I think
that we are going to improve.”
So with another race in the books the VMRS packed up their haulers and
headed home. The teams will now regroup and get ready to return to a bigger
track as they return to Stafford Speedway to finish the rain delayed Shark
Cycle 80 next Friday, July 29th.
Racing Notes from Oxford Plains Speedway
Thoughts on the Oxford Plains Speedway Racing
Groove
Chris Pasteryak
“Up until tonight I kind of hated it (the track). I liked it a little bit to
race on but it is really boring to go around. I am going to have to change
my opinion now. We are starting to run better here. It is Oxford. It is
historical. If they tried to copy it I do not think that you could. It is
its own little unique place. I do not think that you could copy it if you
tried. It makes for some really good racing.”
Norm Wrenn
“I love this track. Last year when we came we were completely out to lunch.
I was actually regretting coming back. Last year we pushed like a truck.”
“I actually raced pro-stocks here. So I was use to the pro stocks with the
track dipping. So I was prepared for that. It makes it kind of interesting.
It does make for a different race track and it makes a different race. We
need different racing. That is why we are a touring series.”
Max Zachem
“I love Oxford and I love Beech Ridge. I ran Legend cars at both places for
several years and I won a lot of races around here. It is my type of race
track momentum where you do not have to worry about having the big horse
power and everything to have the car move down the straight away. This is my
kind of fast race track and it proved it tonight.”
This was a very, very popular win among the VMRS family. Drivers, owners and
crew members came to offer heartfelt congratulations to Doucette on his
first win.
The crowd at Oxford, well, they went wild cheering the late race pass and a
first win.
This was certainly a special time. |
|
|
Source: Denise DuPont
/ TheChromeHorn.com
Posted: July
24, 2011 |
|
|
