McKennedy Wins Firecracker 100 at Monadnock
Winchester, NH — Defending Valenti Modified Racing Series Champion Jon McKennedy of E. Chelmsford, MA., took the lead on lap 64 and went on to win the 8th annual “Firecracker 100” Saturday night, July 2, at Monadnock Speedway, Winchester, NH. The win was McKennedy’s first of the season, his first at Monadnock, and his 12thcareer victory with the series.
McKennedy also becomes a guaranteed starter for the prestigious “Ricky’s Race For Kids,” July 16, at Canaan Fair Speedway, Canaan, NH. That race carries a $36,500 purse.
Pole-sitter Lou Mechalides, of Tyngsboro, MA.,took the early lead yielding the top spot to three-time series champion Kirk Alexander, Swanzey, NH., on lap eight. Alexander, a six-time winner of the race, set a torrid pace and appeared to be enroute to his fifth consecutive win.
Starting seventh in a 23-car field, defending series champion McKennedy methodically worked his way to the front moving to fifth by lap five, third on lap 40, second on lap 52, and the lead on lap 64.
“I owe a lot to the guys that work on this car. Three laps into our first practice we blew the rear end, we had to replace the whole drive line, the guys did an awesome job. I knew in the early stages of the race we had a good car,” told the large holiday crowd.
McKennedy’s strategy of slowly progressing to the front worked according to plan.
“At lap 40 he (Alexander) was a few cars ahead of me and I thought he was just riding around,” he said. “I did not use a lot of car to get to second. He looked like he was tight in the corners, the restart helped me, my car seemed to get better, its feels good to beat Kirk, he’s the King of this place.”
Alexander settled for second, Les Hinckley III, Windsor Locks, CT., made a late race charge to finish third, with Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, PA., and Rob Goodenough, Swanzey, rounding out the top five.
Sixth through tenth were, Dwight Jarvis, Ascutney, VT., Mike Holdridge, Madison, CT., Chris Pasteryak, Lisbon, CT., Jim Boniface, Winchester, and Max Zachem, Preston, CT.
The race, slowed by three caution flags, was completed in 40 minutes. 23 race teams entered the event, 17 cars were running at the conclusion, 14 on the lead lap.
Russ Hersey, Swanzey, McKennedy, and Pasteryak won qualifying races.
Race Summary:
Race # Monadnock Speedway, Winchester, NH
Distance: 100 laps
Time of Race: 40:19:792
Margin of Victory: 1.995
Best Lap Time: 12.669 (Jim Boniface))
Best Speed: 71.040 (Boniface)
Lead Changes: 3
Lap Leaders: Mechalides; (1-7) Alexander (8 –63) McKennedy (64-100)
Cautions: Lap 17, 39,61
Order of Finish: (1) McKennedy (2) Alexander, (3) Hinckley (4) Pennink (5) Goodenough (6) Jarvis (7) Holdridge (8) Pasteryak, (9) Boniface (10) Zachem (11) Patnode (12) Mechalides (13) Wrenn (14) Perry (15) Dore (16) McClay (17) Hersey (18) Doucette (19) Masse (20) Jordan (21) Norton (22) Annarummo (23) Bateman
Sources: John Spence, Sr./VMRS PR