Riverside Rants

                It was a busy Saturday at Riverside Speedway last weekend. Mother Nature has not been kind to us in the North Country so far this race season, so we tried to take advantage of the nice weather and have one huge night. The night was full of special events, laughs, and some great racing.

                We started off the night with the second annual Tom Doyon Pit Crew Challenge. The NAPA Chevy Cavalier driven by Tina Leveille was brought out to the front stretch, and five teams tried to beat the clock by switching tires and washing the windshield. Honored judge Tom Doyon oversaw the crews to make sure everything was done correctly, as Doyon was a storied member of Aaron Bennett’s multi-time championship crew. Matt Carbone’s Late Model team went first, and set the bar high with a time of 1:03. They held off the crew from Brandon Lambert’s Late Model/Jerrad Ledger’s Limited Late Model, but then the defending champion North Country Ford team, consisting of Alex Kopp, Dana Graham, Keith Kopp, and Matt Plumley, stepped up to the plate, and beat them by only 1 second. ONE SECOND! The North Country Ford team would hold on to the lead after the teams composed of the Angels division and former and current Daredevils drivers to pick up the $100 bill and plaque. By the sounds of the fans and the smile on Tom Doyon’s face, this event was yet again a hit.

                Then it was time for heat racing. Fans enjoyed multiple fender to fender finishes, as drivers put on quite a show after the multiple rainouts. In the Town and Country Inn and Resort Street Stocks, last year’s leader in heat wins Dana Graham had an all-out duel with last year’s champ “Stormin” Keith Normand in heat 3. The two were side by side for multiple laps, and Graham held off the perennial hard charger to pick up the heat win. Not to be outdone, Jenna Randall in the Ouellette Trucking Angels division used the outside groove to power her way to the front in their heat race. Also, in the Late Models, the Mason brothers gave the fans a good show in heat number 2. Bryan led the way, but not unchallenged, as Corey was all over the back bumper of the 10 car, including a little nudge out of turn 2. Bryan would come out the victor, and then it was on to the semi-feature for the big boys. Long time veteran Steve Patnaude and “The Colebrook Kid” Brandon Lambert dueled for much of the race, but it was late in the race that had the fans on the edge of their seats. Randy Potter slid his nose underneath the two coming off turn 2, putting them three wide down the back stretch. Potter would come out victorious and take home the bonus points for the first semi-feature of 2013.

                Then it was Kid’s Bike time. Children from all ages grabbed their bikes and brought them out to the track for some fun racing. In the 0-4 year old category, Matthew Hickey brought home top prize crossing the finish line first. In the 5-8 year old category, close to 20 children raced down the front stretch. After it was all said and done, Adam Bell took the victory. Kody Whittum raced his way to the win in the 9-11 category, and Street Stock driver Jared Plumley picked up the win in the 12-14 category. For the second year in a row, we held the Adult Kid’s Bike race. It was just as crazy as it sounds, as drivers and crew members hopped on children’s bikes to race around the speedway. Aaron Smith deserves recognition for his “souped up” trike, made from old race car parts and lawn mower tires. Unfortunately for Aaron, he may be better suited with a unicycle as his 6’something stature just doesn’t fit well on a bike. As an added bonus for the fans (I think), the first three across the line had to immediately down a hot dog and soda to determine the winner. Johnny Ledger was first across the line, followed by last year’s champ Alex Kopp and Steve Patnaude/Mike Paquette crew member Brian Parker, but the task of the food and drink seemed formidable for Ledger. Experience helped Kopp out as he engulfed most of his hot dog, and pounded his soft drink, but almost was disqualified for “near regurgitation”, which allowed Ledger to catch up. In all the commotion, Kopp had dropped part of his hot dog onto the racing surface. As he raised his hands in the air for victory, it was pointed out he was, in fact, not done. Like a trooper, Kopp picked up the remaining portion of his hot dog and threw it in his mouth for the victory.

                Features were next on the card, as divisions either enjoyed extra distances, or segment races. Zach Savage survived a late race charge from Matthew Kopp to pick up the victory in the Marshall Insurance Agency Daredevils, with Dylan “The Dragon” Laleme crossing the line third. This marked Savage’s first win of 2013, and makes different winners in both races so far in the early season.

                In the Ouellette Trucking Angels division, Tina Leveille had jumped out to the early lead, but Jenna Randall worked the outside groove to the front of the pack. Leveille and Randall had a great battle going, and with just under three to go, the pair touched coming off turn 2, breaking Randall’s momentum. Randall fought back, and on the last turn, powered her Pontiac Sunfire to the win, making her 2-for-2 this year. Leveille would finish second, and Jaime Carbone would place third.

                The growing DK-N-Sons Pure Stock division had its normal exciting racing. Gerard Cote worked from last to first in his Monte Carlo picking up the win, but not before working around Richie Veilleux. Veilleux ran Cote hard, and did everything he could to try and run Cote down late in the race, with blue smoke coming off the right front tire, but had to settle for second. Dave Glidden wound up third. There is much talk in the pits and town about multiple cars being built as we speak for this division, so keep an eye out later in the season.

                The Sign Depot Limited Late Models had a good first segment with some tight racing. Alex Rooney led for half of the race, until a late race restart put two time defending champion “Hollywood” Chandler Davis to his outside. Davis would hold off Rooney for the win, and take segment one. Doug Laleme would finish third. The second segment saw Jerrad Ledger jump to an early lead, and walk away with the victory. Doug Laleme would use the outside groove to finish second, while opening weekend winner Jourdan Davis would finish third. With Laleme’s combined score of 5 and the better finish in the second segment, he would be crowned winner overall, with Chandler Davis finishing second overall, and Jerrad Ledger taking the third place trophy.

                The Town and Country Inn and Resort Street Stocks also had segment races for the evening. Multiple three wide passes kept the fans on edge, as Keith Normand took down the first segment, with Jamie Heath and Will Good in tow. The second segment saw the caution flag early, as cars tried sorting through the field. Cole Kilby and Nick Gilcris were taken out of contention with damage to their race cars, and other top finishers in segment one could not make their way through the field. After the smoke cleared, Jason Kenison powered to the front for the win in segment 2, with Tina Leveille finishing second, and Jamie Heath third. Heath’s combined score of 5 was good enough for the overall win, Kenison second, and Keith Normand third.

                The North Country Ford Late Models came onto the track to do 50 laps of racing for the final event of the night. Bryan Mason led early, but came under heavy pressure from Randy Potter and Steve Patnaude. A couple of restarts made for some great racing as Mason and Potter were side by side for multiple laps, but Potter overtook Mason and came home victorious for the night. Mason and Patnaude would finish second and third, with Matt Carbone and Corey Mason rounding out the top 5.

                This Sunday, June 23^rd, ACT comes back to town for the completion of their event. They will finish the 121 laps remaining on their card, and be followed by two-50 lap segments for Street Stocks. Just $5 gets you through the front door, and racing begins at 1:30. Then racing resumes Saturday, June 29^th at 6PM, with our regular divisions, plus Steve Patnaude’s Blast from the Past and 4-cylinder Match Races. The Blast from the Past recognizes past champions and winners from Riverside Speedway’s storied history on the front stretch. For more information, visit our website, www.riversidespeedwaynh.com, like us on facebook, or follow us on twitter @riversidespdway. Until next time, keep your tires clean and your motor running strong!

Shawn Sicard