PHOTO: Adam Pierson obliterated the Sportsman Modified field at Bear Ridge Speedway on Saturday night. (Alan Ward photo)
Father-son team sweep double-points Modified, Coupe features; Holcomb takes USAC Midgets
(From track press release)
BRADFORD — Adam and Gene Pierson combined for their first sweep of the stock car racing season at Bear Ridge Speedway in Bradford on Saturday night. With double championship points on the line at the Wells River Chevrolet Mid-Season Championships, son Adam Pierson dominated the 40-lap Bond Auto Parts DIRTcar Sportsman Modified feature and father Gene Pierson won the 30-lap Wells River Chevrolet Sportsman Coupe race.
Fairlee driver Adam Pierson wasted little time in the Modified main, streaking from his ninth-place starting position into the lead by lap 7. From there, he sailed around the quarter-mile clay oval during the caution-free race, putting all but runner-up Jason Gray and third-place finisher Chris Donnelly a lap down. Pierson’s No. 15 Wing’s Market & Deli/Pierson Bros. Construction Bicknell car was within two car lengths of the close Gary-Donnelly battle when the checkered flag flew.
“I had no plan at all, but I made some changes on the suspension this week in the garage, and let me tell you, this car is on a rail,” said an excited Adam Pierson in victory lane. “Anybody could get in it right now and drive it. This car went anywhere I wanted it to.”
Gray, of East Thetford, nipped Piermont, N.H., driver Donnelly at the finish line for the second spot by about two feet. Kevin Chaffee and rookie Josh Sunn completed the unofficial top five.
Moments after Adam Pierson’s win, his father Gene won his fourth Wells River Chevrolet Sportsman Coupe feature of the season. The elder Pierson, of East Corinth, took the lead from Jeremy Stygles at lap 22 after an intense five-car battle for the top spot, then held off a late charge from Shane Race for the win. Stygles finished third behind Race, with Josh Harrington and Terry Williams in tow.
Scott Holcomb of Granby, Conn., put an end to Joe Krawiec’s win streak in the 25-lap USAC Dirt Midget Association feature. After mechanical troubles with his team transporter en route to Bear Ridge threw a kink in Holcomb’s day, the former Sprint Car driver swept both his qualifying heat and the feature. Kevin Chaffee of Fairlee posted his third runner-up finish in as many USAC Midget starts this season, and New England Auto Racing Hall of Famer Ray Miller third. Krawiec, who had won all three previous USAC races this season, finished fourth, with Dana Shaw fifth.
Tyler Stygles bookended a landmark week with a victory in the 25-lap A Notch Above Automotive Limited Late Model event. The Bradford driver celebrated the birth of his daughter on Thursday. Troy Comeau of Rumney, N.H., was second with Newbury’s Jeremy Hodge third.
Kevin Harran of St. Johnsbury took his third Weglarz Property Service Fast Four win of the year ahead of Travis Hull and rookie Bobby Bell. Groton’s Eric Lang won his fifth KDD NAPA Auto Parts Hornet feature over Tom Placey and Mike Stender. Fifteen year-old Travis King of Corinth took his first win in the Hornet Stinger youth division over Geoff Durphey and Dominic Bassett.
Bear Ridge Speedway is back in action on Saturday, July 23 as J&A Lawn Care and Boudreault Septic present a full card for the 99ROCK Weekly Racing Series, plus the Granite State Mini Sprints and the Hornet Queens.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS — Wells River Chevrolet Mid-Season Championships
Bear Ridge Speedway — Bradford, Vt.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Pos.-Driver-Hometown
(# – denotes rookie)
USAC Dirt Midget Association (25 laps)
1. Scott Holcomb, Granby, Conn.
2. Kevin Chaffee, Fairlee
3. Ray Miller, East Granby, Conn.
4. Joe Krawiec, Bristol, Conn.
5. Dana Shaw, Plainfield, Conn.
6. Jeff Horn, Hudson, Mass.
7. Jamie Spalding, Chaplin, Conn.
8. Adam Whitney
9. Tim Gallant, Wales, Mass.
10. Tyler Rivard, Woonsocket, R.I.
Bond Auto DIRTcar Sportsman Modified (40 laps)
1. Adam Pierson, Fairlee
2. Jason Gray, East Thetford
3. Chris Donnelly, Piermont, N.H.
4. Kevin Chaffee, Fairlee
5. # Josh Sunn, White River Junction
6. Justin Comes, Middlebury
7. Bryan King, Corinth
8. Mike Dunn, North Haverhill, N.H.
9. Dan Eastman, Thetford Center
10. Jim Morgan, Woodstock
Wells River Chevrolet Sportsman Coupe (30 laps)
1. Gene Pierson, Jr., East Corinth
2. Shane Race, South Strafford
3. Jeremy Stygles, Bradford
4. Josh Harrington, Topsham
5. Terry Williams, Wells River
6. Steve Ellsworth, Corinth
7. Bob Shepard, West Topsham
8. Jason Horniak, Bradford
9. Jeremy Beckley, Woodsville, N.H.
10. # Jeff Robbins, Woodsville, N.H.
A Notch Above Automotive Limited Late Model (25 laps)
1. Tyler Stygles, Bradford
2. Troy Comeau, Rumney, N.H.
3. Jeremy Hodge, Newbury
4. Ray Johnson, Campton, N.H.
5. Robert Tucker, East Corinth
6. Richie Simmons, Bradford
7. # Jordan Fornwalt, Bradford
8. Scott Senecal
9. Will Hull, East Montpelier
10. Anthony Perkins, Groton
Weglarz Property Service Fast Four (20 laps)
1. Kevin Harran, St. Johnsbury
2. Travis Hull, Graniteville
3. # Bobby Bell, St. Johnsbury
4. Danny Doyle, Barre
5. Andy Johnson, Wilder
KDD NAPA Auto Parts Hornet (20 laps)
1. Eric Lang, Groton
2. Tom Placey, Bradford
3. Mike Stender, South Strafford
4. Don Reynolds, Springfield
5. Charlie Lakin, Groton
Hornet Stinger Youths (10 laps)
1. Travis King, Corinth
2. Geoff Durphey, Springfield
3. Dominic Bassett, Lyndonville
