Williams Wins As Donahue, Martin Feud

SpeedReading

By DAVE MOODY

 

Graniteville's John Donahue and Roxbury's Tim Martin played a game of "tit for tat" last Thursday night at Thunder Road . The winner?

 

Eric Williams.

 

Williams was in the right place at the right time when Martin exacted revenge for an earlier bump by Donahue, shooting the gap with a low move on the 43rd lap to win the 50-lap "WDEV Trophy Dash" at the Nation's Site of Excitement. Martin and Donahue owned the dominant cars in the early going, running first and second with a heavy pack of traffic in hot pursuit. Donahue tried a handful of inside bids for the lead without success, until on lap 14, one of those bids resulted in contact between the pair. Martin's Ford slid into the turn-three grass, then came back on course in turn four without ever losing the top spot. Unfortunately for Martin, his re-entry caused a stack-up behind him that resulted in more contact in turn one.

 

Pete Fecteau's Pontiac was pushed into Martin's still-struggling Ford, sending Martin spinning once again and sucking in a number of other drivers, including former track champions Phil Scott and Cris Michaud. Donahue restarted as the leader, a spot he held until the 43rd circuit, when he attempted to lap Martin. Clearly still upset over the earlier incident, the Roxbury driver made a series of erratic blocking moves, then shoved Donahue up the banking in turn two, giving Williams plenty of room to slide through and steal the victory. Scott overcame his early spin to finish third, while Dave Whitcomb raced from eleventh to finish fourth, a car-length ahead of fifth place Cris Michaud.

 

            "Payback moves" are not uncommon in the sport of stock car racing. Unfortunately, no one ever seems to feel like they've settled the score. In fact, the last man dumped usually feels like he owes someone a shot in the back bumper; often leading to long-term feuds that produce nothing more than torn-up equipment and frayed tempers.

 

With two races at Thunder Road in a span of four days this week, one hopes that cooler heads will prevail, and the only fireworks will be the ones in the sky on Sunday evening.

 

rrrr

 

Chad Wheeler's off-season decision to become a Thursday night championship contender at Thunder Road appears to have been a good one.

 

            With two small children at home, Wheeler elected to forgo a full slate of racing on the traveling ACT New England Dodge Tour in favor of a Thursday night Thunder Road championship bid, combined with occasion Tour starts. In six starts at the Nation's Site of Excitement, he has driven his Land Air Express of New England Pontiac to five top-10 finishes, and leads his closest rival, Dave Pembroke, 385-374 in the battle for 2004 "King of the Road" honors. He looks to become the seventh different winner in seven races tonight, and the way he's been running so far, that's not a bad bet.

 

Speaking of parity, Thunder Road 's Tiger-Sportsman division has also produced six different winners in six races this season. Waterbury 's Kris Grout extended the "no repeaters" streak last Thursday night, holding off repeated challenges from Barre’s Kerry Henry. "Captain Kerry" recorded his best run of the 2004 season to date, charging through the pack in search of a win to dedicate to his late father, Pete.

 

Pete Henry was an inspirational sight in Thunder Road 's pit area last summer, refusing to yield to the ravages of cancer that eventually took his life at season's end. Last Thursday night would have been Pete's birthday, and his boy drove his heart out trying to get him that first-place trophy. What he earned instead were second-place honors, and a long line of handshakes and hugs from virtually every other team in the Tiger pits.

 

rrrr

 

Tony Stewart was fined $50,000 and stripped of 25 NASCAR Nextel Cup driver's points Tuesday, after a physical confrontation with driver Brian Vickers following last weekend's event at Infineon Raceway. Stewart's latest outburst is particularly puzzling in light of the fact that he (Stewart) dumped Vickers on two different occasions Sunday.

 

The two had what appeared to be an amicable conversation at first, but after a few moments, Stewart reached into Vickers' car and attempted to pull him out. Members of Vickers' team quickly grabbed Stewart and hustled him away from the car, and afterward, Vickers said he was unsure what Stewart's issue might be.

 

"He hit me early in the race, then he wrecked us in Turn 11," said Vickers Sunday night. "After the race he came over to the car and then it just went from there. He reached for me and knocked the breath out of me. It was not a fist, and he didn't hit me in the face.

 

"He said I laughed about the situation, and when I laughed, I #$%@ed him off. That's why he did it. (Stewart) is upset at me because he wrecked me and I thought it was funny."

 

In other "Stew News," the former Nextel Cup champion now says he is no longer interested in fielding his own team for the 2005 Indianapolis 500, saying it would be too much work, and too much of a distraction from his Nextel Cup duties.

 

rrrr

 

Short (Track) Subjects…

 

…Following up on a story we first reported here last week, there may be light on the horizon for racers and fans of the American Speed Association. ASA President Steven Dale announced recently that the circuit is going through tough financial times, and said he could not guarantee purses, prize money, or events through the end of the season. SpeedReading has learned, however, that former ASA champion (now Nextel Cup veteran) Mark Martin may be prepared to step-in and purchase the struggling series, in partnership with former ARTGO promoter John McKarns.

 

… Tiger Sportsman driver Ryan Nolin was chosen as last week’s Booth Brothers "Vermont’s Freshest and Finest Cream of the Crop" award winner, after advancing from his 19th starting position to finish fifth in the WDEV Radio 35-lap trophy dash.

 

…Thunder Road kicks off its jam-packed holiday weekend of racing tonight, with "Parts Plus Night," beginning at 7:00 p.m.

 

Tomorrow night on the Canaan (NH) Fair Speedway dirt track, the Clear Channel Weekly Racing Series hosts a full card of racing, highlighted by a Twin State Modified Series event and a four-cylinder Enduro, with the green flag waving at 7 p.m.

 

Top ACT Late Model competitors will take their shot at a $5,000 winner’s check Saturday night, when the Sixth Annual "Remington Shootout" rolls to the line at Airborne Raceway in Plattsburgh , New York Saturday night. This year’s Shootout is comprised of two 25-lap segments. All drivers will time trial in one of two groups; guaranteed starters, and all others. At the end of time trials, a draw will be held to determine how much of the starting field will be inverted for the first 25-lap segment. The remainder of the starting grid will be filled with the fastest non-guaranteed starters. Airborne's 50th Anniversary Fourth of July celebration also includes the Tiger Sportsmen, Renegades, Junkyard Warriors, and fireworks to close the evening. Post time Saturday is 6:30 p.m.

 

Bradford 's Bear Ridge Speedway presents its annual "H.O. Taylor Chevrolet Fourth of July Spectacular" Saturday night, with fireworks, a Pro Street Special, and a four-cylinder Enduro complimenting the 358 Modifieds, Sportsman Coupes, Pro Streets and Fast Fours. The Canaan (NH) Fair Speedway asphalt track also rolls Saturday night, with a full card of racing, plus the Dwarf Car series and fireworks. Post time is set for 6 p.m. Saturday night at White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock , NH , the New England Dodge Dealers present a 75-lap main event for the Late Models, and four other weekly divisions, with the first green flag at 6 p.m.

 

Sunday night, the thunder rolls again at "The Nation's Site of Excitement," when Coca-Cola presents the annual Independence Day race card, plus a giant aerial fireworks display. Race time is set for 7 p.m.