MONADNOCK SPEEDWAY

Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, NH was the scene for the Senior Tour Auto Racers on June 1^st as 22 STAR cars from all over New England filled the pits to open up their 2013 season.  Cars rolled in from ME, NH, MA, RI, CT and NY.  It was hot, it was steamy but anything is better than rain.  Mother Nature needs to give the racing community a break!

First I would like to thank all the tech inspectors for getting all cars inspected in a timely manner.  All cars were tech and ready to go before the warm ups.  Great Job!

 It was nice to see so many fans visit Stars’ pit area taking photo and talking to the drivers.  It was also nice to see so many different types of cars on hand.  There were flatheads, coupes, sedans, Pintos, Gremlins, Vegas, and Mustangs something for everyone to enjoy and remember.

Then it was time to start the engines for the heat races for STAR.   To hit the track first was the Sportsmen for their heat race.  Ron DaRos from Ct in his #213 flathead sedan and Rick MacDowell from Ma in his #76 Camero lead the pack lap after lap.  Following closely behind was Robert Harless from NY in his #8 sedan and Joe Keefner from Ma in his #99 Gremlin.  DaRos and MacDowell battled for the win, but on the last lap MacDowell pull out to open up the pack and Keefner made his move to second.  When the checkered came down it was on Rick MacDowell in the #76 to take the first victory for the tour this season.  Joe Keefer in the #99 took 2nd place and to top off the pack with a 3rd was Ron DaRos  in the #213.  

The modifieds were on the grid and ready to go for their heat race.  When the green came down it was Darryl Dutch from RI in his #6 Pinto and James Allen from Ma in his #46 Monza dicing it up lap after lap.  Rich Mosher from Ct in his #17 coupe and Charles Grassie from Ma in his #15 Pinto battled for 3rd place.  Then the checkered came down on Darryl Dutch in the #6 for the second victory of the evening.  James Allen in the #46 closed down with a close 2^nd with Charles Grassie in the #15 to finish off with a 3^rd.

At feature time the Sportsmen hit to the track first for their feature race.  Richard Eastman from Ma in the #0 Gremlin and Skip Stearns from NH in the #7X coupe lead the pack with Joe Keefner from Ma in the #99 Gremlin and Robert Harless from NY in the #8 sedan on the bumpers of Eastman and Stearns.  Then at half way mark Harless dropped out of the race with problems leaving Stearns and Keefner to fight for 2^nd place.  When the checkered was dropped it was on Richard Eastman in his #0 to take the third win for the tour that evening.  Richard drove the well known Ollie Silva car that actually won at Monadock Speedway so many times.  Joe Keefner in the #99 picked up another 2^nd place that evening with Skip Stearns in the #7X finishing off the pack with a 3^rd.  The top three were brought trackside for an out of car interview and award with trophies. 

Now it was time for the ground pounding modifieds to hit the track for their feature race.  Side by side only inches apart these guys show how the modifieds ran back in the good old days and what a great race it was.  Rich Mosher from Ct in his #17 coupe and Charlie Lima from Ma in his #2X coupe lead the pack with Danny Ferland from NH in his #21 Pinto and Jamie Ferland from NH in the 194 Pinto right on the bumpers of Mosher and Lima.  Then the pack opened up and the positions changed lap after lap.  Danny Ferland made his way on the outside to take over the lead with Jamie Ferland right on his bumper. Now it was a three way battle with Danny Ferland, Jamie Ferland and Charlie Lima.  But making his way through the pack was new driver Gregg Massini from Ma in the #19 Vega to now make it a four way battle.  When the checkered came down it was on Danny Ferland in the #21 to take down the 4^th victory for the tour that evening.  It was like coming home for Danny as he drove here so many times before back in the day!   Jamie Ferland in the #194 took a very close second with Charlie Lima in the 2X making his way by a bumper to pick up 3^rd.   The top three were brought to trackside for an out of car interview and awarded with trophies. 

It was a GREAT NIGHT of racing and STAR would like to thank Monadnock Speedway and their complete staff for all their hospitality.  STAR will be returning to Monadnock Speedway on July 20^th.