PHOTO: (L-R) Canaan Fair Speedway GM Kathleen Burris, winner Joey Polewarczyk, Jr., and Dave Parker of Subway in victory lane at the Subway Fresh Fit 150. (T.J. Ingerson/VMM photo)
–by T.J. Ingerson
CANAAN, N.H. — Sometimes a race driver needs to be lucky. Sometimes he needs to be good. Joey Polewarczyk, Jr., was both on Sunday at Canaan (N.H.) Fair Speedway and won the Subway Fresh Fit 150.
Starting third in the $5,000-to-win event, which was postponed by rain on May 7, the Hudson, N.H., driver rode in that position for over the first half of the race before he took advantage of a lap 79 restart and worked his way past Wayne Helliwell, Jr.
Early on it was all Brad Leighton. The Center Harbor, N.H., veteran led the first 122 laps and seemed to be in command to win his sponsors race. That is, until he entered turn three coming to complete lap 123.
Leighton cut a right-front tire in the middle of turns three and four, shooting up the race track and surrendering the lead to Polewarczyk.
‘It just all of a sudden blew,’ said Leighton. ‘They’re thinking the swaybar was rubbing on the right-front, but they weren’t quite sure. It showed no indication it was going to rub.’
From there though, Polewarczyk was the car to beat and pulled away after the final restart on lap 124 to claim the victory.
‘I knew I had a really good car and knew I was better than [Brad], but anyone that knows Brad knows he isn’t easy to get around,’ said Polewarczyk. ‘I was just trying to think in my head, ‘How am I going to get around him without getting into him?’ It was going to be tough to pass him.’
Brian Hoar, of Williston, Vt., held off a hard charge from Donnie Lashua to finish second. Lashua, of Canaan, N.H., finished third after starting in the 12th position. Quinny Welch, of Lancaster, N.H., was fourth and Leighton rebounded to finish fifth.
Mike Bruno, Todd Davis, Wayne Helliwell, Jr., Luke Hinkley, and Stacy Cahoon completed the top ten finishers.
Six cautions slowed the event, all for minor incidents.
Polewarczyk felt he gave up a possible win in an American-Canadian Tour event at Oxford, Me., the night before for trying to pass eventual winner Jeff White too early in the race. Polewarczyk learned the lesson and didn’t make the same mistake twice.
‘I was trying to save my stuff,’ Polewarczyk said about riding behind Leighton. ‘It probably would have been a lot more interesting if he hadn’t had that tire go down.
‘But when it’s your day, it’s your day, and today was finally our day.”
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS — Subway Fresh Fit 150
Canaan Fair Speedway, Canaan, N.H.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Pos-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
1. (3) Joey Polewarczyk, Jr., Hudson, N.H.
2. (5) Brian Hoar, Williston, Vt.
3. (12) Donnie Lashua, Canaan, N.H.
4. (6) Quinny Welch, Lancaster, N.H.
5. (1) Brad Leighton, Center Harbor, N.H.
6. (8) Mike Bruno, Rutland, Vt.
7. (7) Todd Davis, Claremont, N.H.
8. (2) Wayne Helliwell, Jr., Dover, N.H.
9. (15) Luke Hinkley, Claremont, N.H.
10. (16) Stacy Cahoon, St. Johnsbury, Vt.
11. (9) Aaron Fellows, Croydon, N.H.
12. (11) Joey Laquerre, East Montpelier, Vt.
13. (22) Tyler Cahoon, Danville, Vt.
14. (13) Scott MacMichael, Newbury, N.H.
15. (10) Jeremy Davis, Tamworth, N.H.
16. (18) Glenn Martel, Belmont, N.H.
17. (17) Bruce Jaycox, Hartland, Vt.
18. (14) Allen Fellows, Croydon, N.H.
19. (23) Joe Tetreault, Enfield, N.H.
20. (21) J.R. Baril, Haverhill, Mass.
21. (5) Bucky Demers, Cornish, N.H.
22. (25) Tyler Fiscus, Strafford, N.H.
23. (19) Chris Bergeron, Claremont, N.H.
24. (24) Mark Merrill, Newport, N.H.
DNS (20) Pat Floyd, Chester, N.H.