Donnelly, Comes Highlight Bear Ridge Speedway Winners Gray Scores an Emotional Win in the Limited Late Models
BRADFORD, VT – Chris Donnelly and Justin Comes highlighted a jam-packed list of dirt track stock car winners on Swenson Insurance Night in the 99ROCK Weekly Racing Series at Bear Ridge Speedway on Saturday. Donnelly won the 25-lap Sprint Cars of New England (SCoNE) feature from the 14th starting position, and Comes first win of the year in the DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds broke a long streak of bad luck. More than 115 race teams filled the pit area.
Multi time champion Donnelly used the races’ only caution to his advantage as he took the lead on lap 12 from leading rookie candidate Travis Hull shortly after the race went back to green. Bridgewater, NH hotshoe Dan Douville used a late race slide job to take second with Travis Hull finishing third. Will Hull claimed fourth, after flipping off the top of turn one in hot laps after a steering failure with Lacey Hanson fifth.
Center Ossipee, NH racer Tunk Berry and Lyme, NH racer Tyler Rich each took hard flips in qualifying. Neither driver was injured and Rich returned to run the main event and finished 12th. The SCoNE Triple Crown series comes to Bear Ridge Speedway on Saturday, August 31, the middle round of the three-track, three-night Labor Day weekend mini-series championship.
Comes had a successful night by winning the Bond Auto DIRTcar Sportsman Modified feature in a caution free event from his fifth starting position. Adam Gage and Derek Barker waged a duel for the lead for nearly 25 laps before Comes made a slick 3-wide move off turn two to capture the lead with 12 laps remaining in the 40 lap affair. Gage would fend off Derek Barker for second with Travis Barker fourth and Josh Currier fifth.
Veteran racer Steve Ellsworth claimed the win in the Wells River Chevrolet Sportsman Coupes after starting on the pole, fending off a race long challenge by Billy Simmons who finished second. Kane Pike, Louie Cadwell and Terry Williams completed the top five positions.
Rookie Brandon Gray of Fairlee, VT ran to his second win of the year in the 20 lap Laquerre’s Sports Limited Late Model feature. It was a very emotional win for Gray as he unexpectedly lost his father just a few days ago. Point’s leader Jason Giguere finished a season worst second with Brian Chaffee third. Jeremy Hodge and Matt Ellsworth completed the top five.
Tim Martin of White River Junction, VT carried the checkers once again in the Weglarz Properties Fast Four division, besting Charlie Pickering and Kevin Harran. In the KDD NAPA Auto Parts Hornets Karl Sheldon claimed his first win of the season with Chris LaForest making a last lap pass to notch second with Bobby Bell third.
Rich Crooker took advantage of the only caution of the event in the 600cc Granite State Mini Sprint class, as he took the lead on the restart and went on to the win. Jacob Williams was second with Tobie Taro rounding out the top three. Lacy Hanson from Orwell, VT won the non-stop GSMS 500cc race with Josh Boissoneau second and 13 year old rookie Josh Smith third.
Bear Ridge Speedway’s 46th season of stock car racing continues on Saturday, August 24 as Sabil & Sons presents Old Timers’ Night and the 99ROCK Weekly Racing Series Modified, Coupe, Late Model, Fast Four, and Hornet divisions, along with the USAC Dirt Midget Association and classic race cars. Regular general admission is $10 for adults (age 18-61), $8 for teens (12-17) and seniors (62+), and $2 for children; Visa and MasterCard are accepted. Racing begins at the famous “6:00-ish” start time. Bear Ridge Speedway is located on Kidder Road in Bradford, VT, just off Exit 16 on Interstate 91. For more information, call (802) 222-4052 or visit www.bearridgespeedway.com.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS – Swenson Insurance Night
99ROCK Weekly Racing Series
Bear Ridge Speedway — Bradford, VT
Saturday, August 17, 2012
Pos.-Driver
Sprint Cars of New England (25 laps)
1. Chris Donnelly
2. Dan Douville
3. Travis Hull
4. Will Hull
5. Lacey Hanson
6. Rick Martel
7. Spencer Allen
8. Clay Dow
9. Troy Comeau
10. Kevin Chaffee
11. Butch Valley Jr
12. Tyler Rich
13. Bruce Kimball
14. Bob Giuliani
15. Doug Sanborn
16. Robbie Bodwell
17. Jacob Williams
DNS: Tunk Berry, Steve Hutchinson
Bond Auto DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Feature (40 laps)
1. Justin Comes
2. Adam Gage
3. Derek Barker
4. Travis Barker
5. Josh Currier
6. Mike Dunn
7. Gary Siemons
8. Robert Tucker
9. Josh Sunn
10. Mike Gendron
11. Chris Donnelly
12. Tim Hodge
13. Adam Pierson
14. Jason Gray
15. Kevin Chaffee
16. Jordan Fornwalt
17. Bryan King
18. Eddie Patterson
19. Billy Lussier
20. Will Hull
21. Troy Comeau
22. Dan Eastman
Wells River Chevrolet Sportsman Coupe Feature (30 laps)
1. Steve Ellsworth
2. Billy Simmons
3. Kane Pike
4. Louie Cadwell
5. Terry Williams
6. Teddy Salomaa
7. Jason Colbeth
8. Tom Placey
9. Jeremy Beckley
10. Jeff Robbins
11. Melvin Pierson
12. Jesse Smith
13. Jason Horniak
14. Buster Kathan
15. Martin Mastic
16. Danny Doyle
17. Jerry Catterall
18. Rick Fletcher
19. Josh Harrington
Laquerre’s Sports Limited Late Model Feature (20 laps)
1. Brandon Gray
2. Jason Giguere
3. Brian Chaffee
4. Jeremy Hodge
5. Matt Ellsworth
6. James Fadden
7. Travis King
8. Tina Catterall
DNS: Jason Blake, Eric Lang
Weglarz Property Service Fast Four Feature (20 laps)
1. Tim Martin
2. Charlie Pickering
3. Kevin Harran
4. Taylor Morse
5. Don Reynolds
6. Jacob Roy
KDD NAPA Auto Parts Hornet Feature (20 laps)
1. Karl Sheldon
2. Chris LaForest
3. Bobby Bell
4. Joe Kemp
5. Derek Stearns
6. Brent Warren
7. Traci Nelson
8. Mike Lique
9. Alicia Taylor
10. Cary Moulton
11. Leah McGinley
12. Charlie Lakin
13. Eric Post
14. David Stearns
15. Michael Phelps
DNS: Stan Otterman
Granite State Mini Sprint 600cc Feature (20 laps)
1. Rich Crooker
2. Jacob Williams
3. Tobie Tatro
4. Josh Boissoneau
5. Lacey Hanson
6. Spencer Allen
7. Steve Bell
Granite State Mini Sprint 500cc Feature (20 laps)
1. Lacey Hanson
2. Josh Boissoneau
3. Josh Smith
4. Joe Kemp
5. Keisha Boissoneau
6. Kyle Belliveau
7. Peter Belliveau
8. Kodie Pittman
9. Brandon Berry
10. Jordan LaCroix
11. Bob Griffin
12. Don Collins
13. Robyn Boisvert
14. Troy Boissoneau
15. Shenia Covey
DNS: Thomas Chaffee
Sources: April May Preston/Bear Ridge Speedway PR