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12/04/2011 |
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PASTERYAK CROWNED VMRS 2011 CHAMPION
'Part 1'
Surrounded by the Best,
Pasteryak Accepts 2011 VMRS Trophy
by
Denise DuPont |
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On Saturday, December 3rd, the eighth annual Valenti Modified Racing Series
(VMRS) was held to honor the top fifteenth drivers and owners in the touring
series. This year Chris Pasteryak had the Championship crown retuned to him
as he conquered his second VMRS Championship since 2008. With multiple
Championships, Pasteryak now joins two other racers in the record books with
multiple Championships, Kirk Alexander and Jon McKennedy.
 Chris
Pasteryak accepted the award with the big Pasteryak smile thanking his
family, his crew, his sponsors and everyone that helped get him there. The
driver worked hard all season to get where he was at the end. But he knows
he could not have gotten there on his own. So as he anticipated the
championship trophy, Pasteryak took the time to thank and recognize everyone
thank made him and the series the success that they were in 2011. “All too
often in racing the driver gets all the credit. The truth is that a
successful season is never the result of only one person. It takes a very
dedicated group of people an extraordinary effort to get the extraordinary
results. I am very honored to be surrounded by some of the best. I would
like to thank my fellow competitors for putting on some of the best modified
racing in New England and in the Country. And I would also like to thank
some of the track owners and promoters for allowing us to come and play at
their tracks.”
Representing his family and race team veteran modified driver Charlie
Pasteryak accepted the VMRS Top Car Owner in Points Award. Father like son,
Charlie smiled and graciously took the award. “This (The 2011 VMRS
Championship Car Owner Award) is really a whole lot more special that you
think. The Stafford win was truly the highlight of our year and our family.
A special thanks goes out to all of our series sponsors. This is really a
good deal (the VMRS) and this is fun.”
 Les Hinckley raced very hard all 2011 and had the championship within his
grasp all the way up to the last race. In the end though, he had to settle
for second best. Second place is really not a bad place to be but when you
can almost feel the top milestone is yours, it is a bittersweet place to be.
“It was a good year for sure. Anytime that you walk away for the commitment
that is put in against the competition that we compete against and you come
up second and you walk into the last race of the year with the chance of
walking out first you have to be proud of that. It is a tough pill to
swallow when you get out of the race car right after finishing second (in
the VMRS Championship).”
Thinking back on the 2011 race season Hinckley was very up beat and sounded
encouraged to go the next step towards the series championship in 2012.
“When you reflect on it though, for what we have – very good people helping
us and very good equipment, but our budget is not what others -have to work
with. I know people have a hard time to believe it but that is the truth.
That being said, what we have been able to accomplish and the races that we
have won, it is hard to be disappointed in what we have accomplished. It was
a long season.”
 In 2011 Rowan Pennink competed regularly in the VMRS and the NASCAR Whelen
Modified Tour while running for the Championship in both touring series. In
the beginning of the season he was right on top for both race divisions.
Then a racing date conflict hurt one attempts while “Lady Luck” intervened
in the other.
A third place standing was not what we were hoping for when we were leading
the points for the beginning part of this season. But we were not able to
make one of the races with a conflict for the tour but hopefully once we see
next year’s schedule for this series and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
Series hopefully we will be able to make it to all of the races in both
series next year and compete for a Championship in both of them.
I love racing as much as I can. I use to race every Thursday night at
Thompson (Speedway) also. At that point that was what I needed to do to get
laps under my belt and to become the best driver that I can be. Now I do not
race Thursdays at Thompson. But running in the two modified touring series
definitely helps my racing.
 Veteran racer Mike Holdridge has been trying to get a win racing with the
VMRS for a few years now. But bad luck or mishap stepped in causing the win
to be just out of his reach. But that elusive win finally came to Holdridge
on August 6th at Beech Ridge Speedway. Then much to his own amazement a
second win came right on its back at Seekonk Speedway. “This was the best
year that I could ever ask for. I never thought that we were ever going to
actually get a win so this is pretty cool. We got a second win right after
our first win. I wish that you could hold that feeling for a long period of
time but it goes away and at the next race you start all over again.”
I would now like to use some words from Les Hinckley to summarize racing and
why we do what we do every year when we do what we do. Racing when it comes
down to it, is both a love and a passion for a lot of us. And even though at
times it is a tough and yes a lot of work, where would we be without it? “It
was a long season and it was a very fun season. It is a relief at times
because you are done with it and you have time to do other things. But it is
almost painful because you just want to get back after it. You just want to
have a shot at it. You just want to keep doing it. I think that we had a
legitimate shot at a few more wins. Sometimes things did not go our way but
everyone can say that. It is just part of racing. “
See you at the track in 2012 as we go forward and venture into another
exciting year of racing and the memories that it brings with it.
Notes from 2011 VMRS Banquet
What has he thought about winning his second VMRS Championship?
Chris Pasteryak
“To tell you the truth I have not really thought about it (the 2011 VMRS
Championship) since the season has ended. Right after Lee we got ready for
Caraway (North South Shootout race) and went down there. We have actually
been pretty busy since then. So this is the first time that it has really
hit me here tonight.”
“It is great it puts me in the same category as Jon (McKennedy) and Kirk
(Alexander). Well I do not know if it puts me in the same category but at
least according to statistics I am right there anyway. I do not know if I am
in the same category as them but we will come back and try it again next
year.”
“We (the #5CT team) just want to go and have fun. Other people would put a
lot more on the expectations because of the last name (Pasteryak) and
because my family has been involved in it (racing) for so long. But it is
more than my father, uncle or I do.”
Winner of the VMRS Bob Polverari Award
Mike Holdridge
“This award has caught me off guard. But I am glad that my fellow
competitors voted on it, it really means a lot. I am just a little bit
speechless right now. This is an unexpected award here so it is really
special.
“I watched Bob (Polverari) when I was a kid watching races with my father in
the 70’s so it is pretty cool. It is a special award to get and it means a
lot.”
Winner of the VMRS SPAFCO Most Improved Driver Award
Joe Doucette
“Well I can honestly say that I am overwhelmed, surprised and thrilled. Last
year we were here and I believe that I finished something like seventeenth.
Even to be a podium this year and then get an award in the top ten was a
thrill. So the Most Improved Award I am humbled by it. I want to thank Kenny
(Barry) and the officials for voting for me for this. I certainly hope that
we can follow this up next year. This year we had our first win, we got our
first top ten and I had to have my first beer. So I do not know what else
that I have left to do other than to continue to approve and hopefully we
can get into the top five or top three next year and go from there.”
What are your racing plans for 2012?
Chris Pasteryak
“The same as this year.”
Les Hinckley
“We have some stuff to work out. I hope to do the same thing as 2011. That
is the direction that we are heading in. Hopefully it all works out. But we
have some hurdles to cross to get to that place financially.”
Mike Holdridge
“We will be going after it just like we did this year. I want to win again
so that is the goal.”
What stands out in you mind as the most memorable event in 2011?
Chris Pasteryak
“The Stafford MRS win was the most memorable event. To go there a lot of
times and finally get one that was great.”
Les Hinckley
“I have a hard time just getting past Monadnock and the opener of the year.
It was just an awesome race. There were four cars at one time under a
blanket for the last ten or fifteen laps. I ended up getting to the outside
of Louie (Mechalides) and Jon (McKennedy) with a couple to go. And I got the
lead with just two to go. It was just the way that whole race played out. It
was a fun race.”
“Obviously Seekonk was a fun race passing Dwight for the win late in the
race. So you know that anytime that you win a race it is hard not to put
them on the top of your list. But the Monadnock one it is just hard to top
that one just the way that we came from the back and the way that it all
played out. Closing off the race in the last tow laps that was a good one
(race).”
Rowan Pennink
“Winning Lee’s (Lee USA Speedway) race just because Lee is one of the tracks
where we have not done our best at over the years. We have struggled to be
run fast there and have a car at the end of the race so that we can do
something with it. Before the win we consider it one of our worst tracks
that we go to. And to end the season with a win there a t Oktoberfest
Weekend really was a good way to end the season with the #25 team.”
Joe Doucette
“Obviously my most memorable moment of 2011 was the victory at Oxford
(Plains Speedway). I was completely dumbfounded by the whole thing. Still to
this day I find myself reading the live reports just to read about the win
and to get excited. That would have to be the highlight. And not just for me
but also for the whole team. I certainly do not want to be selfish on this.
They (my race team) deserve it probably more so than me. I get to have all
the fun while they put all the hard work into it. I am thrilled for them
that we got the victory. It kind of pulled us out of the slump that we were
kind of in. It also proved to us that we are capable of doing it under the
right circumstances. It has given us a boost of enthusiasm to continue on
and move on it.”
What are your thoughts on the Wall Stadium Turkey Derby Race?
Les Hinckley
“We ran the Turkey Derby (at Wall Stadium) last week. We almost won and we
should have, so that's difficult to deal with. You just want to have a shot
at it. You just want to keep doing it. We had a real good race car, one of
the better ones that we have ever had. We were just able to work through
traffic and get to the front and put ourselves in a position to win that
race. It really was a gratifying race. I do not like the outcome of it
though. I do not like it for how it ended for us and I feel worst for what
happened to Matt (Hirschman) than I do for myself.”
“Because ultimately my decisions are what ended Matt’s day, and it ended it
for myself too. When your decisions end your outcome it is one thing. But
when your decisions change someone else’s, that is another thing. I do have
a hard time with how it affected Matt and I spoke to him about it. I do feel
badly about it.“
“When we are there (at Wall) people know that we are there. It is not that
my name is necessarily recognized because of my last name. It is we are
recognized because of the performances that we have had there. It is not
like the first time that I went there that everybody knew who I was. Like a
Blewett or a Hirschman based off their history in racing.”
“My dad raced long ago but gave it up for the betterment of his family. He
never got the opportunity in the prime of his career to make a statement for
himself. He gave that all up for us. So I did not going to the first Turkey
Derby with people knowing who I was. People know who we are when we are
there because of what we have been able to accomplish there.”
“In 2006, I think that was the year, we almost won it with Jimmy. It was
quite a race and we have made a lot of nice friends down there. This year
they knew we were there at Wall. And hopefully they will again in the
future!” |
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Source: Denise DuPont
/ TheChromeHorn.com
Posted: December
4, 2011 |
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