Gray wins exciting 100-lap dirt track finale
CANAAN, NH – Vince Quenneville, Jr., made history on Saturday, October 19, as he clinched the inaugural championship for the Northern Modified Challenge Series. The veteran open-wheel Modified stock car driver from Brandon, VT was a front-runner throughout the “OctoberFast” 100 finale at Canaan Dirt Speedway and wrapped up the title with a fifth-place finish.
Sanctioned by management from Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven, VT, the first-year Northern Modified Challenge Series (NMCS) is a unique championship tour, utilizing center-seat, dirt-style Modified cars on both asphalt and dirt tracks in the northeast.
Jason Gray of East Thetford, VT ran to the OctoberFast 100 win after a race-long battle with Adam Pierson. Several major accidents in the first quarter of the event took out top contenders including then-leader Chris Donnelly and NMCS stars Kenny Tremont, Jr., Hunter Bates, and Jessey Mueller.
Gray and Pierson entertained the full grandstand crowd with a torrid fight for the lead, and Gray finally pulled ahead after the final caution period with eight laps remaining. Derek Barker, Kevin Chaffee, and Quenneville completed to the top five, followed by Jim Morgan, Ryan Avery, Josh Sunn, Gary Siemons, and Jordan Fornwalt.
Despite going winless on the six-race schedule, Quenneville’s fifth-place result in the John Danyow-owned No. 78 Green Mountain Feeds/Black Diamond Builders Troyer was enough to outdistance two-time NMCS winner Mueller by just seven points for the championship. Quenneville was the only driver to register a top-ten finish in all six races.
“It feels really good to win the first Northern Modified Challenge Series championship and have a little piece of history,” Quenneville said in victory lane. “This team worked really hard and put a great car under me all year long. This one is for them.”
The contingent of Northern Modified Challenge Series drivers that traveled to Canaan Dirt Speedway had a solid showing in qualifying against the 45-car field, highlighted by a consolation race victory by Bates. Mueller, Bates, and Tremont were all eliminated in a lap 24 wreck during the main event, though, with Ron Proctor’s car suffering damage in two incidents. Proctor finished 17th in the race with Bates 20th, Mueller 23rd, and Tremont 25th. The final top five in NMCS championship standings were Quenneville (273 points), Mueller (266), Bates (262), Proctor (260), and Tremont (236).
The OctoberFast 100 drew the inaugural Northern Modified Challenge Series to a close. For more information on the Northern Modified Challenge Series, visit www.devilsbowlspeedwayvt.com, call (802) 265-3112, or follow @NorthernModCS on Twitter.
OFFICIAL RESULTS – OctoberFast 100 – Canaan Dirt Speedway, Canaan, NH
Northern Modified Challenge Series
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Pos.-(Car No.)-Driver-Hometown-Laps Complete
1. 00 Jason Gray, East Thetford, VT – 100
2. 15 Adam Pierson, Bradford, VT – 100
3. 151 Derek Barker, Thetford, VT – 100
4. 73 Kevin Chaffee, Fairlee, VT – 100
5. 98 Vince Quenneville, Jr., Brandon, VT – 100
6. 17 Jim Morgan, Woodstock, VT – 100
7. 01 Ryan Avery, Campton, NH – 100
8. 11 Josh Sunn, White River Junction, VT – 100
9. 5 Gary Siemons, Orford, NH – 100
10. 24 Jordan Fornwalt, Bradford, VT – 100
11. 77 Allan Hammond, Orange, NH – 100
12. 2 Tim Hodge, Vershire, VT – 100
13. 42 Robert Tucker, East Topsham, VT – 100
14. 631 Todd Buckwold, Canaan, NH – 100
15. 70 Jim Boardman, Ashby, MA – 100
16. 75 Gene Pierson, Jr., East Corinth, VT – 99
17. 7 Ron Proctor, Charlton, NY – 98
18. 10 Derek Graham, Woodsville, NH – 94
19. 56 Chad Turck, Pittsfield, NH – 91
20. 69 Hunter Bates, Middlebury, VT – 28
21. 21 Adam Gage, Plainfield, NH – 24
22. 4 D.J. Robinson, Thetford, VT – 24
23. 19 Jessey Mueller, Olmstedville, NY – 24
24. 26 Jeff Huntington, Piermont, NH – 24
25. 115 Kenny Tremont, Jr. West Sand Lake, NY – 24
26. 20c Chris Donnelly, Piermont, NH – 24
27. 60 Tom Forward, Lyme, NH – 24
28. 32 Evan Kingsbury, Bradford, VT – 2
29. 92 Jason Sanville, Grafton, NH – 2
30. 05 Toby Stark, Canaan, NH – 2
31. 1X T.C. Forward, Lyme, NH – 2
Failed to Qualify (14): 0-Tyler Austin, 1-Travis Shinn, 3-Robbie LaCroix, 9X-Todd Petschke, 14-Mark Williams, 27-Eddie Patterson, 51-David Heath, 66-Mike Gramolini, 77X-Mark Clattenburg, 78-Louie Cadwell, 89-Shawn Lawler, 93-Ricky Sanville, 181-Blake Shepard, X-Bryan King
Lap Leaders: Jason Gray, 1-14; Chris Donnelly, 15-24; Gray, 25-88; Adam Pierson, 89; Gray, 90-100. (4 lead changes among 3 drivers)
Cautions (14): Laps 2, 2, 2, 13, 24, 24, 36, 50 (competition break), 53, 54, 62, 77, 88, 92.
Heat Winners (5): Ryan Avery, Allan Hammond, Tom Forward, Kevin Chaffee, Robert Tucker
Consi Winners (3): Derek Barker, Jeff Huntington, Hunter Bates
LCQ Winners (2): Gary Siemons, Toby Stark
Official Final Northern Modified Challenge Series Driver’s Championship Standings
Pos.-(Car No.)-Driver-Hometown-Points
1. (78) Vince Quenneville, Jr., Brandon, VT – 273 pts.
2. (19) Jessey Mueller, Olmstedville, NY – 266 pts. (2 wins)
3. (69) Hunter Bates, Middlebury, VT – 262 pts.
4. (27) Ron Proctor, Charlton, NY – 260 pts.
5. (115) Kenny Tremont, Jr., West Sand Lake, NY – 236 pts. (1 win)
6. (55L) Joe Williams, Scotia, NY – 220 pts.
7. (4) Leon Gonyo, Chazy, NY – 204 pts.
8. (1X) Todd Stone, Middlebury, VT – 196 pts. (2 wins)
9. (55) Cody Sargen, Greenfield Center, NY – 149 pts.
10. (5VT) Dave Snow, Brandon, VT – 144 pts.
Official Final Northern Modified Challenge Series Owner’s Championship Standings
Pos.-(Car No.)-Owner-Hometown-Points
1. (78) John Danyow – 273 pts.
2. (19) Billy Mueller – 266 pts. (2 wins)
3. (69) Marc Bates – 262 pts.
4. (27) Debbie Eddy – 260 pts.
5. (115) Ken Tremont, Sr. – 236 pts. (1 win)
6. (55L) Joe Williams – 220 pts.
7. (4) Leon Gonyo – 204 pts.
8. (1X) G. Stone Motors – 196 pts. (2 wins)
9. (20) Shawn LaFountain – 167 pts.
10. (55) Matt Sargen – 149 pts.
PHOTO: Hunter Bates (69) and Jessey Mueller (19) race for position in the OctoberFast 100 at Canaan Dirt Speedway. (vtmotormag.com photo)
PHOTO: Jason Gray (00) and Adam Pierson (15) fight for the lead in the OctoberFast 100 at Canaan Dirt Speedway. (vtmotormag.com photo)
PHOTO: Vince Quenneville, Jr. (98) and Jim Boardman (70) race for position in the OctoberFast 100 at Canaan Dirt Speedway. (vtmotormag.com photo)
PHOTO: Jason Gray celebrates his win in the OctoberFast 100 at Canaan Dirt Speedway. (vtmotormag.com photo)