Victory lane splits divisions in half with 2 new feature winners and 2 repeats
by April May Preston
BRADFORD, Vt. -- As was the case the night before at sister track Canaan Fair Speedway, Promoter C.V. Elms was once again bound and determined to get the show in on Saturday. And as with the night before there was a full pit of cars and two extra distance races scheduled for the evening. With the battle now tied at two and two, he was able to beat mother nature in this round as the rain lightly fell on the racetrack, but not enough to stop the show.
With the intermittent showers it was decided to forgo the qualifiers for both the Sportsman Coupes and the 358 Modifieds. Thus after the Pro Streets and the Fast Fours qualified, it was time for the Mekkelsen RV 358 Modifieds to take to the track in their 2nd of the weekend Twin State Series event. By virtue of the draw Danny Douville found himself on the pole with Brad Phelps completing the front row. In a race that went almost green to checker, only one caution slowed the event, Douville was happy to be back in the saddle and at the top of the heap. He was able to pace himself from the field, with Carl Murray running out of time to be able to offer any serious challenge. When all was said and done it was Danny Douville followed by Carl Murray and Vince Quenneville, Jim Ryan and Troy Gray completing the top five.
Feature Finish: Danny Douville, Carl Murray, Vince Quenneville, Jim Ryan, Troy Gray, Rick Martel, Brian Whittemore, Gene Pierson Jr, Mike Tinker, Doug Sanborn, Jack Cook, Brad Phelps
Next up were the Gilmour Ford Sportsman Coupes who also had to do double duty this weekend, as this race too was a Twin State event. Bob Shepard and Dean Stockwell paced the field to the green in this the 2nd event of their series. Bob Shepherd likes the draw for position system as he was put on the top and after 3 quick cautions found himself still there when the checkers waved. Following him across the line to victory lane were Doug Titus and Steve Ellsworth. Points leader Louis Cadwell saw his 11 point lead over Titus shrink to just one point between the two with his 7th place finish.
Feature Finish: Bob Shepard, Doug Titus, Steve Ellsworth, Adam Pierson, Paul Towle, Louis Cadwell, Josh Harrington, Kevin Chaffee, Richard Simmons, Ryan Dutton, Tyler Rich, Kevin Menard, Peter Greaves, Dean Stockwell.
The H.O. Taylor Pro Streets took to the Ridge with a strong field of cars. In a feature with just 3 cautions, everyone seemed to be on their best behavior hoping to get in their feature before the rains came. When the checkers waved it would be current points leader Ryan Avery with his 2nd win of the season followed by Brian King, who is currently 2nd in the points, not ready to give up without a fight, and Dan Eastman. Rounding out the top 5 were Will Hull and Jason Blake.
Heat winners: Anthony Perkins and Ryan Avery.
Feature Finish: Ryan Avery, Bryan King, Dan Eastman, Will Hull, Jason Blake, Joe Perreault, Ryan Pierson, Mark White, Shawn Pallas, Rich Glode, Anthony Perkins, Alex Zeller, Rodney Guertin.
In the Journal Opinion Fast Fours it seemed that they had learned something from the night before as only two cautions marred the running of this feature. Andy Johnson the current points leader had to fight his way from deep in the pack to the front where he scored his 3rd feature win of the season. Following Johnson for second and third were Lenny Garduno with his first visit of the season to victory lane and Dean Switzer Jr. Completing the top 5 were Chris McKinstry and Bill Simmons.
Heat winners: Kane Pike and Bill Simmons.
Feature Finish: Andy Johnson, Lenny Garduno, Dean Switser Jr., Chris McKinstry, Billy Simmons, Wayland Childs, Kane Pike, Jeff Perry, Matt Piper, Toby Merchant, Rob Isham, Tim Murphy, John Prentice, Kelly Miller, Steve Bell, Robert Bell, Tony Bassett, Chandra Ryan, Bobby Bell, Jr.
The Granite State Mini Sprints were also on hand, but as of press time results were unavailable.
Next week at the Ridge, June 7th it is Bradford-Pratts night with a full card of racing plus a Twin State Coupe Event, 4 cylinder and v-8 Enduros. Bear Ridge Speedway is located off exit 16 of I91 on to rte 25 west 1 mile to South Road up the hill to Kidder Rd. For more information including the 2003 schedules you can log on to: www.bearridgespeedway.com. Sister track Canaan Fair Speedway is located on Orange Rd in Canaan NH just 12 short miles from I-89. www.canaanfairspeedway.com any questions can be sent to aprilmay@earthlink.net.