Sicard Goes Two-for-Two in Triple Crown at White Mountain

By admin August 16, 2021 White Mountain Motorsports Park

Jurkowski Takes Late Model Feature in Final Turn

N. Woodstock, NH — Barton, VT’s Shane Sicard made it two-for-two in the J.P. Sicard Inc. Triple Crown Series by winning the 75-lap Wells River Chevrolet Flying Tiger feature at North Woodstock, NH’s White Mountain Motorsports Park on Saturday, August 14. Sicard took the lead from East Kingston, NH’s Bryan Wall Jr. on a lap-37 restart and couldn’t be touched down the stretch en route to his fourth win of the season.

It was a big night for Sicard in more ways than one. The three-time defending Flying Tiger champion is now in the catbird seat for the J.P. Sicard Triple Crown title with the finale next Saturday, August 21. Sicard also unofficially gained eight points on Waterbury Center, VT’s Jason Woodard in the season-long title chase, cutting the gap to 26 with five events to go.

Waitsfield, VT’s Kyle Streeter got the early break over polesitter Kaiden “Tropical Storm” Fisher, who earned the top starting spot via the ACT “plus-minus” qualifying system. Thetford, VT’s Brandon Gray eventually wrestled the second position from Fisher and ran down Streeter, putting his bumper in front on the outside with 18 laps complete.

Streeter tried to maintain the inside lane, but on the 21^st circuit, the two got together in turn three. The contact sent Gray for a spin and put both at the back for the restart, handing the front row to Tanner Woodard and Wall.

Wall pulled the trigger on the restart and went to the point until lap 25 when Chandler Potter lost a right-rear tire entering turn three and went up in a shower of sparks. Tanner Woodard pitted out of the second spot during the yellow, giving Ryan Ware the position while moving Jason Woodard and Sicard up to fourth and fifth, respectively.

Ware got the edge on the high line and led the next four laps before Wall surged back in front. Sicard wasn’t far behind, sliding past Ware for second just before the third and final yellow on lap-37 when Matthew Potter got tagged on the backstretch. Wall chose the inside line for the restart and Sicard made the top side work to show the way. Wall kept his nose in the door for several laps before Sicard finally cleared him. As the race wound down, Sicard showed his muscle, pulling away for another Triple Crown victory.

Wall finished a strong second as part of a doubleheader weekend with Vermont’s Thunder Road. Littleton, NH’s Ware took third for his eighth podium result of the season. Shane’s brother Jody Sicard got around Jason Woodard late in the going for fourth. Mike Clark, Streeter, Tanner Woodard, Colin Cornell, and Fisher completed the top-10.

Claremont, NH’s Mike Jurkowski erased a season’s worth of misfortune by making a final-corner pass to win the 50-lap Foley Oil & Propane Late Model feature. Jurkowski spent much of the event running a distant second to polesitter Jerry Lesage with Moltonborough, NH’s Matthew Morrill hot on his heels. Behind them, the action was ferocious as Jeff Marshall, Oren Remick, Quinny Welch, and other hotshoes tried to knife their way out of the back.

The field got a chance at Lesage when Jon Savage looped it off the front stretch to bring out the caution with 13 laps to go. Lesage got away cleanly as Marshall, who was going for two wins in a row, made a great move to get around Morrill and inside Jurkowski. The two were still battling when Dennis Dumas, Peyton Lanphear, Savage, and Reilly Lanphear piled up on the backstretch with six laps remaining.

Lesage again fired off the inside as Marshall tried to follow him through. With less than three laps to go, Marshall had a wheel up for second and peeked to the inside of Lesage for the lead. But then Jurkowski — who had taken several years off before returning to competition this season — found something left in the tank. The veteran let it all hang out on the high side, pulling even with Lesage the final time down the back chute and beating him to the checkered flag by 0.068 seconds.

Winooski, VT’s Lesage still had his best finish of the year in second. The battle for third was even closer with Morrill coming back to nip Marshall by 0.004 seconds. Rookie Kasey Beattie, Welch, point leader Jimmy Renfrew Jr., Mike “Beetle” Bailey, Remick, and Stacy Cahoon rounded out the top-10.

Hometown racer Jillian Baumgardner picked up her second Woodsville Guaranty Savings Bank Strictly Stock Mini feature victory in the last three races. Littleton, NH’s Jack Hayes, who was driving Tyler Thompson’s back-up car after suffering mechanical problems on his own steed, started pole and led the first lap before Baumgardner took over.

After the lone caution on lap two when Tim Corey backed into the turn-two wall, Baumgardner dropped the hammer. Last week’s winner Michael Smith tried to chase her down, but the 19-year-old breakout star left the boys in the dust to grab the victory.

West Burke, VT’s Smith recovered from two encounters with the tire barriers during his qualifying heat to nab the runner-up spot. Littleton, NH’s Tyler Thompson broke out of the pack to catch rookie Chris Moulton on the final lap for third. Point leader Luke Shannon beat Hayes by a paint job for fifth. Donnie Baumgardner, Todd Derrington, Brendan Clark, and Gavin McGinnis also took home top-10 finishes.

GIlmanton, NH’s Thomas Smithers VI matched his name by picking up his sixth win of the season in the Dad’s 4 By Tool & Supply Kids Trucks. Smithers started sixth in the 15-lap feature was already battling Owen Rogers for second on lap three when leader Logan Farnsworth got crossed up entering the fourth turn. Rogers couldn’t slow up in time and tapped the rear bumper of Farnsworth to send him around.

Smithers held the lead on the restart, but Rogers didn’t go away quietly. The Glover, VT racer kept the pressure on through two more restarts before Smithers finally was able to bring it home. Waterford, VT’s McKenna Merchant got the best of a thrilling battle for third while newcomer Kyle Goodbout charged past Damion Sicard on the final lap for fourth.

Winchester, MA’s Chris Olgivy dusted the field in the 20-lap feature for the Wicked Good Vintage Racing Association Early Late Models. Driving a restored 1955 Chevy, Olgivy shot from fourth to first on the opening circuit and quickly rode off into the twilight.

Heat race winner Matt Gosely, a former White Mountain Late Model racer, finally found some room to work near halfway. He eventually got to second spot in his 1966 Chevelle but did not have enough time to catch Olgivy. Boothbay, ME’s Parker Long took third in a 1964 Ford.

Winthrop, ME’s Scott Tucker topped a barnburner in the Wicked Good Vintage Outlaw. Tucker’s Pinto Modified spent most of the 20-lap feature trying to ride the high groove around the 1968 Chevelle of Bethlehem, NH’s Doug Laleme. The duo swapped the top spot multiple times and were too close to call at the line on several occasions.

With five laps to go, it looked like Laleme had it made, and Tucker was coming under attack from third-place runner Thomas Trempe. However, Tucker had one more trick up his sleeve, and he roared past Laleme with two laps to go for the victory. Jaffrey, NH’s Trempe, wheeling a Mustang Modified, took third in his maiden voyage with the Maine-based series.

The J.P. Sicard Triple Crown Series champion will be crowned at White Mountain Motorsports Park this Saturday, August 21. The Wells River Chevrolet Flying Tigers have 75 laps to decide the first title of the season. There’s also a full card of racing for the Foley Oil & Propane Late Models, Arnold’s Wayside Diner Dwarf Cars, Woodsville Guaranty Saving Bank Strictly Stock Mini’s, and Dad’s 4 By Tool & Supply Kid’s Trucks. Admission is $12 for adults, $3 for kids ages 6-12, free for kids ages 5 and under, and $25 for a family of four (2 adults, 2 kids).

For more information, contact the White Mountain Motorsports Park offices at (802) 244-6963, media@acttour.com, or visit www.whitemountainmotorsports.com. You can also follow us on Facebook at @WhiteMtnMotorsports.

WHITE MOUNTAIN MOTORSPORTS PARK — N. Woodstock, NH

J.P. SICARD INC. TRIPLE CROWN SERIES ROUND #2

SATURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2021

OFFICIAL RESULTS

WELLS RIVER CHEVROLET FLYING TIGERS