WILLIS TOPS MODS, FELLOWS STAYS PERFECT AUGUST 14 AT CLAREMONT
By Gary Dutton
CLAREMONT, N.H. – Modified star Mike Willis won his first open-wheel feature of the summer Friday, August 14, at Claremont Motorsports Park.
Aaron Fellows stayed perfect on the year, scoring his track-high seventh 2020 victory, while Jeremy Blood won his fourth, and both Desmond Skillings and Zach Richardson took his second victory lap this season on Friday. It was Fellows’ 24th consecutive CMP win over the past two years.
Sunapee speedster Mike Smith led the first four rapid-fire trips around the speedplant in the Maurice Trailer Country Modified main event, then giving way to Grantham’s Willis, who rocketed low around the west end of the third-mile to take the lead.
With no cautions, Willis was untested the rest of the way. Smith, though, had a good one of his own going, keeping two-time winner and defending track king Brian Robie in his shadow to come home strong in second. Robie’s bronze medal finish kept him atop the points parade.
Bourgeois Rolls to Third Straight Win in 7-Eleven Dwarf Car Special
N. Woodstock, NH — St. Johnsbury, VT’s Colby Bourgeois made short work of his competition to win the 50-lap 7-Eleven Dwarf Car Special at N. Woodstock, NH’s White Mountain Motorsports Park on Saturday, August 15. It was the third straight win for Bourgeois and his fourth of the year on 7-Eleven of Lincoln Night.
Bourgeois, who entered the night as co-point leader with Easton, NH’s Jason Wyman, rolled off 10th for the main event. However, the youngster needed just five laps to carve through the field. After slicing and dicing his way to the runner-up spot, he flew around the outside of Gilmanton, NH’s Tommy Smithers to grab the lead on the sixth go-around.
“Downtown” Bobby Brown of Lincoln, NH followed Bourgeois up the outside into the runner-up spot, and after a yellow on lap 13 for Paul Marsan’s backstretch spin, Brown stayed glued to Bourgeois’s back bumper until a competition caution on lap 25 for teams to refuel their cars. Meanwhile, despite getting stuck in traffic early, Wyman was able to find a hole and move into the third spot by the time the yellow flew.
MONADNOCK SPEEDWAY TO HOST RACE THREE OF 2020 TRI TRACK SEASON
RETURN TO NEW HAMPSHIRE FOR COMPETITIVE NIGHT SET FOR THIS WEEKEND
By Kyle Souza/Souza Media
SEEKONK, Mass. — The Tri Track Open Modified Series returns to competition this Saturday, August 15, for race three of the 2020 season at Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, New Hampshire. This is the second stop at the high-banked oval this season, and if the first one was any indication, fans won’t want to leave their seat until the finish checkered flag and beyond.
On July 5, Craig Lutz used a bump-and-run to get around Les Hinckley in a final dash to the finish line, bringing fans to their feet, and creating a bit of frustration between some of the top contenders. Now, as the season hits the middle of August, these two could be headed straight for a rematch. But they won’t be the only top contenders when Tri Track takes the green flag on Saturday.
Matt Hirschman, who has 12 career Tri Track wins, including the SBM at Star Speedway earlier this year, is coming back looking to rebound from a performance he wasn’t happy with last time at Monadnock. Although the driver of the No. 60 finished seventh, Hirschman wasn’t pleased with the way the car handled. After dominating at Star, he’s heading to Monadnock looking to pounce.
BYRNE, KIMBALL, ROBBIE AMONG LOCALS WHO LOOK TO EARN TRI TRACK CHECKERED FLAG
By Kyle Souza
SEEKONK, Mass. — When the Tri Track Open Modified Series rolls into Monadnock Speedway this Saturday, August 15, the race will be a battle between some of the Tri Track stars and Monadnock regulars. Monadnock runs a weekly Modified division as part of their NASCAR program, and multiple of the competitors will be jumping up to the Tri Track Series looking to defend their home-turf in the 100-lap feature.
Ben Byrne, who is a three-time winner in the NHSTRA Modified weekly division this year, has shown his strength multiple times in the past with Tri Track. Byrne was a frontrunner in the race last year, and on July 5, he charged to the front of the field, taking the lead on lap 33, and holding the top spot through a caution period on lap 64. Byrne would lose the lead but settle for a third-place finish after Les Hinckley and Craig Lutz got together racing for the lead in the final corner, with Lutz pushing to the win.
Byrne feels like he needs some redemption after showcasing the speed under the hood in the last few Tri Track races at Monadnock and not coming away with the checkered flag.
Modified Schedule for Motorcycle Week at NHMS Plenty of on-track action at New Hampshire Motor Speedway during Laconia Motorcycle Week, Aug. 22-30.
LOUDON, N.H. – New Hampshire Motor Speedway will host plenty of on-track action during the 97th annual Laconia Motorcycle Week Rally, Aug. 22-30, with a modified schedule of activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Charity rides, select competition events and limited camping will take place at the speedway, but vendor displays, concessions and demo rides are canceled for 2020 in order to support proper social distancing.
Racing action kicks off Aug. 22-23 with the United States Classic Racing Association’s FIM North American Vintage Championships on the 1.6-mile road course at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
PATNODE WINS MODIFIED THRILLER AUGUST 8 AT MONADNOCK
By Gary Dutton
WINCHESTER, N.H. – Brian Robie may have had the fastest car Saturday, August 8, at Monadnock Speedway, but Swanzey, NH star Todd Patnode had the best move, fighting back after Robie’s late-race pass to win the night’s 50-lap NHSTRA Modified main event.
The victory, on the speedway’s eighth night of its pandemic-shortened 2020 racing season, was Patnode’s first of the summer. While it took the speedway’s defending Modified champion eight weeks to taste victory this season, it took the same amount for Aaron Fellows to finally be beaten. That, too, happened Saturday.
Robert Hagar (Windsor, VT) won the night’s Late Model Sportsman feature, stopping Fellows’ winning streak at seven and, so doing, earning his first victory lap of the year. Hagar was one of Saturday’s three first-of-the-year victors, along with Patnode and Pure Stocker Damon Roy (Claremont, NH).
