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07/06/2013 |
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 .NOT
JUST ANY "OLD FARMER"
WINS THE 'FIRECRACKER 100'
AT MONADNOCK SPEEDWAY
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Dwight Jarvis Scores
his Seventh Career VMRS Victory
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by
Denise DuPont/Polly
Reid
|
 Valenti
Modified Racing Series (VMRS) veteran Dwight Jarvis, of Ascutney, VT.,
captured his first win of the 2013 race season Saturday night, winning the
‘Firecracker 100’ at Monadnock Speedway, Winchester, NH. The series returned
to Monadnock for its second race this season as it continues to celebrate
its tenth anniversary of racing. Jarvis on the other hand has marked his own
milestone, celebrating 40 years of racing.
It all started early in the 1970’s when Dwight Jarvis’ relationship to his
now wife Bonnie gave him an opportunity to jump behind the wheel of her
father’s modified. Jarvis was young, showed talent and had what it took to
beat some of the local track dominate champions. “I started driving my
father-in-law’s car here when Bonnie and I were going together. At that time
Dave Grantz was winning every race at Claremont. Bonnie’s dad said ‘We are
going to put a car together and beat him.’ And half-way through 1973 we
started and at the end of the year we did beat him.” Dave
After that there was no stopping Jarvis. He has competed in both weekly
modified and VMRS racing when he can. He also knows a race track and how to
make it work for him for a win. “I have a lot more laps around here
(Monadnock Speedway) them most of the other guys in this series. But they
are all supposedly professionals and I am just an ‘Old Farmer’. I owe all of
my years of racing to Bonnie, her father and my family for sticking with me
for all those forty years of doing this.”
During April’s VMRS race at Monadnock, Dwight Jarvis’s #28 car suffered so
much damage in his heat race that he could not finish. His crew spent the
evening pulling the car together just to get it back into the hauler. “It is
incredible! We had this car stripped down to the bare frame. Then beyond
that we had the frame cut away and replaced. We took the car to the Seekonk
race and we were so happy to finish second. A win here tonight is
phenomenal.” Jarvis said all smiles in the pits. “I cannot explain how glad
we are to be in victory lane. The crew worked real hard on this car. Mike
puts some much work, time and effort in it.”
 Tonight
was a very different from that night in April for the #28 race team. They
won their heat race, started the main feature sixth and set their sites for
the checkers at the end. “I know when we got here and unloaded that the
thing (#28 car) was fast. We kind of played with a little colder setup and
we also had a chip on our shoulder when we got here. We went out in our heat
and it (the car) felt real good so we did not change much for the main. We
just saved the car until the end. Then Mike my crew chief told me “We have
got to go.” And that was when I started to go forward. Before that we saved
the car while we watched all the excitement. “
Chris Pasteryak started on the outside pole and ran with the front pack of
cars until he passed Rob Goodenough for the lead around lap 37. Pasteryak
did not look back as he dominated the lead spot caution after caution. Then
a late race restart found him spinning his wheels as the green flag flew.
Dwight Jarvis took advantage and charged to the lead on lap 87.
So after his 50 laps of running in the lead, Pasteryak fell back into second
where he finished the race. “We had a pretty good night. Just on the last
restart I stepped on it and I spun the tires. Dwight stepped on it at the
same time and he took off while I was just sitting there. My crew told me
that Dwight was coming, so I started to make my move. So I started to turn
it up a little bit with 18 to 20 laps to go. Then I got myself a little bit
of a lead. But we really did not need the last caution.”
After missing the Stafford race, Pasteryak returned this week ready to race.
“I am real proud of the way that the car ran and real proud of the whole
team. We had a good car all night. We did not need that kind of race with
that many cautions, but oh well, that is racing. Maybe next time I will be
able to have the lead position when I need it.”
 Jon
McKennedy and Art Barry both returned to compete with the series at
Monadnock with the #21 SPAFCO modified. McKennedy had the night off from
ISMA Super Modified competition and Barry was back on his feet ready for
racing. The team qualified thirteenth, avoided incidents and passed Rowan
Pennink on the last restart to finish the race third.
“Overall it was a good day,” said McKennedy after the race. “This is the
first VMRS race of the year back with this team. It feels good to be here.
Obviously we are real good as a team with a third place finish after
starting mid-field. The guys on the team worked real hard. It was a long hot
day, but a good day. I think it would have been nice if during a couple of
the restarts, particularly at the end, I was on the inside so there could
have been a different outcome. It seemed like on every restart we were on
the outside and it is tough to be up there. But overall a third place finish
with these guys on our first race of the year it is a good day.”
McKennedy’s crew kept him aware of where Jarvis was as he made his move for
the lead. “The whole race I knew where Dwight was. A large part of the race
he was in front of me then there was a portion of the race where I got back
by him. Then I think on a restart where there was about 20 laps to go he got
back by me. He had the inside preferred line to make the move. Our car was
as good as Dwight’s, but with the way that the restarts fell and starting
with an outside position made the whole difference.
Congratulations to Dwight and his team. They had a good race. We were there
and the team had a good night.”
Rowan Pennink had a plan going into the ‘Firecracker 100’ - save his car
until the end. Starting on the pole, Pennink was sticking to his plan,
settling into fourth in the early going, back to third then in second place
by the half way mark. Running third with 13 to go when the last caution
waved, the final restart didn’t fall his way and Pennink ended his night
fourth. “The car was really good through the mid part of the race. About two
thirds of the way the car started to get a little free on me which was
earlier than I would have liked it to but we were able to hang on there at
the end for a top five finish. It was a good night all and all.”
Crossing the line fourth, he may not have won the battle but he is gaining
on the big picture. Pennink was able to capitalize on the night with a
finish that boosted the Huntingdon Valley, PA driver up the ladder in
points. With the balance of the season still to go, Pennink is not counting
numbers yet. “If we’re not going to win the race, we’re going to look to
finish in the top five, but there are a lot of races left on the schedule.”
 “Finished
fifth, started fourth and ran third most of the night.” Simply put, Richard
Savary had another solid night. “I thought the car was better than the
finish, but I think I need to learn to race with the guys up front because I
don’t race with them enough. I’m new to some of these guys and they’re new
to me, that’s racing. I’m happy another top five, that’s what we set out to
do and we’re bringing the car home in one piece.”
Quiet improvement is hard work. Just ask Savary who continues to build on a
program that has shown consistent strides forward. “We’re learning. There
are things I need to do better. Joey Kourafas, he’s come on board this year
and even though I’ve been racing so long and done OK in other divisions, he
has taken the time to work with me- talk to me about how to finish first.
I’m frustrated because I know we should have done better. He’s happy because
the car is in one piece and it’s another top five, that’s his outlook. Did
we learn something? Last time here we finished sixth but the car was not as
good as it was tonight. Tonight the car was a lot better- I only finished
fifth but its progress. I have to give a lot of the credit to Joey- he talks
to me pre-race, post-race, during the week he comes to the shop- he’s taken
the time to help me. And it shows.”
The VMRS teams will return to racing on Saturday July 13th for 100 laps of
green racing as the Chase for the Tenth Year VMRS Champion continues at
Canaan Fair Speedway. If you cannot join us at the track, please join us
follow the action on thechromehorn.com
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Source: Denise DuPont/Polly Reid / TheChromeHorn.com
Posted: July
6, 2013 |
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