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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JUNE 27, 2011 ----- Szegedy Tops Mod Tour at Monadnock ----- NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour star Todd Szegedy put his previous week’s education to good use Sunday, June 26, at Monadnock Speedway, steamrolling the rest of the 28-car field to top the Whelen Monadnock 200.
Szegedy, the 2003 series’ champion, had followed Monadnock strong man Kirk Alexander under the checkers a week earlier in the first leg of the Victor Johnson Memorial twin-25s, quickly mastering the setup on the high banked speedplant. Sunday, he and his crew proved they’d aced their homework assignment, first setting fast time, and then leading every lap of the 175-circuit main event.
Other winners on the Sunday afternoon card included Bill Kimball, who won his third Sportsman Modified feature of the year; veteran wheelsman Joey Bates, notching his first victory of the season in the Super Stock main; Barry Gray, who topped the first Super Late Model event of the summer; Beth Adams, who powered to her third Mini Stock main in as many weeks; JT Cloutier, also stretching his streak to three in the Young Guns division; and Barry Schonborg, winner of the Thunder Stock feature.
Szegedy and Ron Silk brought the Whelen Mods to the green, with Szegedy taking no prisoners as he began his romp to the checkers early. Lapping cars by his 23rd trip around the high banks, he and Silk pulled away from the field for more than half the race. Silk, though, was feeling the pressure of Andy Suess and Justin Bonsignore, with the latter dropping him to third.
In a race short on passing but heavy on speed, Szegedy was never challenged, as he dominated all 175 laps to score his first series win of the season and career-first at Monadnock. Bonsignore was strong in second, with Matt Hirschman snatching third from Silk on lap 168.
James Civali got up for fifth, with 2010 race winner Teddie Christopher sixth on the day. Fan favorite Mike Stefanik was steady all day to claim seventh. Of the 28 cars that took the green, 27 were still racing when the checkers waved, 16 vying for position on the lead lap.
Veteran jockey Dave Knight grabbed the early lead in the Sportsman Modified feature, but the eyes of the large crowd were on Billy Kimball and Russ Hersey, both charging from deep in the field as they gobbled up the competition.
Kimball, from row six, would take charge on lap eight, with Hersey glued to his bumper and looking both high and low for a way around the Bennington Bullet.
Hersey’s bid for the win would end on lap 22, when he ducked into the pits when the caution came out for a minor spin in turn three. Quickly back on the track, though, he would charge through the field to steal third from rookie Joey Kendall on the final lap.
In the Super Stock main, polesitter Stuart Wheelden was the early man at the point. Joey Bates was quick on the charge though, blasting from his row-five starting spot to claim third on lap four. Further back, Jolting John Lavoie – four wins under his belt already this season – was also gobbling up the field at breakneck speed.
Bates would rocket into the lead on lap seven and immediately open a huge space between himself and the rest of the pack. But Lavoie, still working his way past traffic, got up to second, 20 lengths behind the speedy Bates, and begin to reel the point car in.
Not getting the caution flag break he needed, though, Lavoie’s hot run came up four lengths short of the winner’s rear bumper, as he settled for a strong second. Kevin Russell, strong all night, grabbed his first trophy of the summer in third, with Bill Johnston and Jason Lafleur rounding out the top five.
Rob Thompson took the opening lead in the Mini Stock main, but Beth Adams – from seventh – was on a mission. Using a slick, low-groove move to quickly blast to the front, Adams had the point by lap two and then pulled away, bringing rookie Julia Raymond – from fifth – with her.
Kim Rivet, having her eyes on the prize too, was bidding for second when she and Raymond touched on the south end of the high banks, sending Raymond spinning, and Rivet pitside with a cut tire. Defending division champ Eric Dejackome moved up to second on the restart, and although having the rest of the field covered, had no answer for Adams.
With Dejackome powering to the deuce finish, Rich Fournier – in his first outing of the season – claimed third. Chris Davis and Joe Rogers rounded out the top five, with Rivet returning from the pits to grab sixth.
The Super Late Model main was all but decided on lap one. Barry Gray would lead Mike Parks and Steve Gauthier all the way to top the division’s first outing of the summer.
Young Gun JT Cloutier came from row five to take the lead on the ninth lap of the youth division feature and then pulled away to score his third victory in a row. Ian MacDonald copped another trophy with his runner-up finish, with Ryan Shaw strong in third.
In the Thunder Stock 30-lapper, Barry Schonborg saved his best for last, snatching the victory from Ed Lofland with a final surge at the finish line. Early leader Ryan Rivet came home third.
This Saturday, July 2, Monadnock Speedway will host its biggest event of the summer, as New England’s fastest quarter-mile presents the annual Firecracker 100. The Valenti Modified Racing Series will highlight a full card of racing, squaring off in a sizzling 100-lap main event.
With a full card of NASCAR racing on tap, the night will end with the fan-popular Independence Day weekend annual gigantic fireworks display. Post time for this special event is 5 p.m. Fans are advised to buy their tickets in advance, as this event always sells out. Discounted advanced and reserved seat tickets can be purchased by calling the Monadnock Speedway office at (603) 239-4067.
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