840 Keene Road | Winchester | NH | 03470
Phone: (603) 239-4067 | Fax: (603) 239-8800 | Email: speedway@webryders.net
GPS COORDINATES: N 42° 49.8181' | W 072° 21.5779'
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MAY 3, 2011 ----- HINCKLEY CAPTURES MODIFIED WIN ----- Four seat-of-your-pants feature finishes, sunny skies, and a packed grandstand ushered in the 2011 racing season at Monadnock Speedway with a bang, as promoter Larry Cirillo opened New England’s fastest quarter-mile oval for the 29th time April 30th.
The Valenti Modified Racing Series was in town for the first of its two summer stops at the high-banked speedplant, with Windsor Locks Wizard Les Hinckley making a late race pass on the top of the track to win the 100-lap main event at the oval where he was a top Pro Stock pilot a decade ago.
Defending series champ Jon McKennedy led the 24-car field to the green, darting out to the early lead from his pole starting position, with hot shoe Kirk Alexander quickly moving up from the fourth row to claim second from Jim Boniface on the 10th circuit and then the lead from McKennedy two laps later.
McKennedy wasn’t done though, staying in the top three as the laps rolled by, with Alexander leading a quartet of local heroes in the top five – including Boniface, Rob Goodenough, and Todd Patnode - as Louie Mechalides charged forward from row four, and Hinckley went to work in the outside groove from mid-field, a trademark pattern he honed at Monadnock en route to scores of Pro Stock victories.
Alexander’s tires began to fade, as Mechalides crossed the stripe with him wheel-to-wheel on lap 68, and then took over the point a lap later. Alexander looked for a passing lane high and low in his quest to reclaim the lead, but Mechalides was able to block his every effort. McKennedy, meanwhile, was holding strong in third, and Hinckley had marched methodically up to fourth after passing Patnode.
The crowd’s collective heart stopped on Lap 74 when the red flag halted action when Boniface destroyed his ride in a bone-crunching head-on crash into the turn four wall. The Winchester pilot received a standing ovation when he eventually emerged from the wrecked car, dazed but otherwise intact.
Eighteen of the 24 starting Mods were still contending when the race went back to green, but Patnode’s strong bid would end six laps later when he was collected in someone else’s wreck. The Richmond Rocket would finish the race, but out of the money, after a quick visit to the pits.
With both McKennedy and Hinckley riding in Mechalides’ shadow, Hinckley dove under McKennedy in turn two to snatch the deuce spot on lap 84, pulling momentarily alongside Mechalides, before the leader again slammed the door.
The final caution of the event closed the field again on lap 93, with Mechalides still riding at the point and his two closest pursuers wheel-to-wheel in his shadow. With Hinckley and McKennedy side-by-side, the leader could only protect one lane, and it was Hinckley pouncing on the opportunity from the high side to blast to the front on lap 98, edge past Mechalides, and score the popular victory as the crowd stood to watch the final two laps.
Mechalides held strong for second, with McKennedy in his shadow in third. Alexander, on spent tires, finished a solid fourth, with a steady Goodenough rounding out the top five.
Defending Sportsman Modified champ Bill Kimball brought his field to the green from the pole, never looking back as he held Nick Boivin and Russ Hersey at bay for 30 laps.
Hersey, from row three, claimed third on a lap six restart and then quickly grabbed second from Boivin. The final 24 laps were only slowed by one minor caution, as the top three ran away from the rest of the field and hid.
It was Hersey’s last-lap bid for the win that had the crowd on its feet, as he went to top of the track and nearly reeled Kimball in, coming up just a wheel short of victory at the finish line, with Boivin glued to their bumper for third. Jeff Wright was solid all night to claim fourth, Rich Hammann finished fifth.
Brian Chapin and John Lavoie put on a heavyweight battle for the top spot in the Super Stock main. Lavoie, from row two, slipped past Chapin for the point on lap six and two would run under a blanket until the checkers flew 19 laps later. Defending champ Bill Johnston was under the same blanket for much of the race before settling for a well-earned third. Mark Smith and Joe Bates rounded out the top five.
In the Mini Stock main, it was Eric Dejackome scored the opening night feature win, but only after holding off the ladies for much of the 25-lap event. Beth Adams and Kim Rivet - earlier heat race winners - ran nose-to-tail with Dejackome the entire event before claiming the second and third-place hardware. Chris Davis came home strong in fourth, with Joe Rogers fifth.
Scott Betourney held off JT Cloutier to score the win in the Young Guns 15-lapper. With Cloutier claiming the runner-up hardware in Betourney’s shadow, it was Ian MacDonald finishing his night’s work a solid third.
In the 50-lap Lightning Stock main, it was Dick Houle topping a strong field. Ed Lofland won the season’s first Thunder Stock event.
This Saturday, May 7, Monadnock Speedway will feature a full card of racing, highlighted by the season’s first outing of the Monadnock Tour Type Modifieds. Super Stocks, Mini Stocks, Lightning Stocks, and Young Guns will all be on the card, along with the first visit of the summer of the nostalgic New England Antique Racer series.
Pole time at Monadnock is 6 p.m. every Saturday. For more information, visit the track Web site, www.monadnockspeedway.com.
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