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The Valenti Modified Racing Series returned to Lee USA Speedway on Friday night with two 50-lap feature races, making for an action-packed night full of racing in New Hampshire.
In addition to the series’ return back to Lee, the track also hosted 4 of their weekly divisions.
The Late Model Sportsmen division was the first on the agenda with their 35-lap feature.
Zach Nicholson and Kris Miller started on the front row in the feature, with Kris Miller taking the early lead. Zach Nicholson and the #91 of Bobby Melvin, Jr. both took spins on lap 2 in turn 2, leading to an early-race caution.
The #07 of George Helliwell pulled into the lead on the restart, but Bryan Kruczek was all over him by lap 5. Kruczek made his way to Helliwell’s outside on lap 6, clearing him for the lead the following lap. By lap 25, Kruczek had pulled away by nearly an entire straightaway over the rest of the leaders.
Frankie Eldredge was on the move in the late stage of the race, finding his way around Bill Helliwell for third on lap 26.
The #02 of Dylan Bilodeau had a rough night, retiring to the pits early on lap 27.
Bryan Kruczek, who is no stranger to Victory Lane at Lee, pulled into another feature victory. George Helliwell, Frankie Eldredge, James Russell and Bill Helliwell followed, rounding out the top five.
The #07 of Travis Hollins took off with the early lead in the 25-lap Street Stocks feature. Patrick Tanguay made his way to Hollins’ inside on lap 2, but both drivers lost ground as Pete Evans powered into the lead.
Alby Ovitt was on the move early, capturing the runner-up spot on lap 6.
Patrick Tanguay experienced mechanical issues on lap 8, retiring his car for the night.
Alby Ovitt made his way to the inside of Pete Evans on lap 9, challenging him for the top spot. Ovitt was able to clear him the following lap, pulling away from the field.
The #00 of A.J. Panessiti came to a slow on lap 13. His car stopped in the pit entry, making for a mid-race caution as his car was pushed to the pits, out of harm’s way.
Alby Ovitt pulled away again on the restart, showing strength in his #35 machine.
The #93 of Boe Green retired to the pits on lap 20, followed by Travis Hollins blowing up on lap 23 in turn 4.
With only two competitors remaining on the track, the race was called and Alby Ovitt was awarded with the victory. Pete Evans followed, with Travis Hollins being pushed to Victory Lane to accept his third place trophy.
The first Valenti Modified 50-lapper was next, with Sammy Rameau taking the lead on lap 2.
Tony Ricci took a hard spin on lap 15 in turn 4, collecting the #92 of Anthony Nocella. This brought out the first caution of the feature and also resulted in Nocella losing a tire and suffering some front end damage, which ended his chances of a top-5 finish in the first feature.
Sammy Rameau chose the inside line for the restart, with the #76 of Jacob Perry moving into the runner-up spot after electing to use the outside line. Rameau pulled away on the restart, but trouble was brewing behind the leaders.
The #22 of Roy Seidell took a spin on lap 34 in turn 1, leading to a late-race caution.
The #88 of Russ Hersey fell out of the groove on lap 43, miraculously avoiding any contact on the track as the field remained green.
Sammy Rameau took home the victory, making it his first feature win in the Valenti Modified Series at just 16 years old.
Brian Robie, Todd Patnode, Tony Ricci and Andy Shaw followed, rounding out the top five.
The #36 of Randy Washburn took off with the early lead in the 25-lap Ironmen feature.
The #49 of Zackary Washburn then came to a slow on lap 2 in turn 1, leading to an early-race caution.
The #9 of Brandon Mailhot pulled to the inside of Randy Washburn on lap 7, taking over the top spot as Washburn fell back through the field, losing a handful of spots.
Brian Destefano cleared Jamie Holland for the runner-up spot on lap 14, setting his sights on Mailhot at the front of the field. By lap 20, there was a 5-car breakaway at the front of the field.
The leaders went 3-wide with a lap car on lap 21, powering Brian Destefano into the lead.
Destefano took home the feature victory, followed by Brandon Mailhot, Christin Destefano, Adam Knowles and Jamie Holland.
Jaden Curtis and Jess Michaud started on the front row for the 20-lap Pure Stocks feature, but the #82 of Jacob Michaud pulling away with the early lead. By lap 8, there was a 3-car breakaway at the front of the field.
The #6 of Tyler Mailhot made his way to the inside of Michaud on lap 9, challenging him for the top spot. He pulled ahead on lap 11, but Michaud got him loose the following lap in turn 2. Mailhot managed to stay in the lead and later pulled away with the feature victory.
Jacob Michaud, Rob Carleton, Jess Michaud and Jaden Curtis followed, rounding out the top five.
Anthony Nocella returned to the track for the final feature of the night, the second Valenti Modified Racing Series 50-lapper.
The #45 of Dan Meservey pulled away with the early lead, but the #12 of Rob Richardi, Jr. took a spin on lap 2 in turn 2, leading to an early-race caution.
Meservey pulled back into the lead on the restart, but there was a pile-up on the front stretch on lap 4. Drivers involved included Donnie Lashua, Ryan Doucette, Andy Shaw and Cameron Sontag, among others.
Anthony Nocella restarted in the top 10 after starting the race from the rear. Woody Pitkat was also on the move, powering into the top five on the restart. The #83 of Michael Willis, Jr. crept his way toward the front too, settling into the runner-up spot on lap 12.
Dylan Rock, Andy Shaw and CJ Bolton made contact on lap 22 in turn 4, leading to a mid-race caution.
Anthony Nocella was on the move on the restart, making his way into the top 4 and later into the top 3 on lap 24. He captured the runner-up spot on lap 31, challenging for the lead that lap. Nocella captured the lead the following lap, pulling away from the field.
The #24 of Todd Patnode was on the move late in the race, climbing up to the third spot on lap 48 and later into the runner-up spot.
Anthony Nocella pulled off a miraculous victory, climbing to the top of the leader board in the second 50-lapper after his troubles in the first feature.
Todd Patnode, Dan Meservey, Russ Hersey and Michael Willis, Jr. followed, rounding out the top five.
Fans were able to see both a first-time winner and a comeback winner in Victory Lane at Lee USA Speedway on Friday night.
The excitement continues this upcoming Friday, July 20th, with the season’s second Autograph Night.
Get out there and support your local short track.
We hope to see you there!
Thank you again to Drown Excavation and Four Season Synthetic for their endless support for Chasing the Checkered. Contact Drown Excavation for all of your demolition and excavation needs and Four Season Synthetic for all of your oil, lube and filter needs!
The post Rameau and Nocella Earn Valenti Modified Victories at Lee USA Speedway appeared first on Chasing The Checkered.
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Friday night was one of Lee USA Speedway’s premier nights of the 2018 season with the Firecracker 100. The night was action-packed, with six exciting racing divisions taking to the track.
The 20-lap Northeast Classic Lites feature was the first feature of the night, with Charlie Patterson and the #36 of David McLean starting on the front row. After winning his heat, the #45 of Paul Marsan quickly made his way to the front of the field, stealing the lead away from Patterson on the first lap. The #18 of Eric Skofield wasn’t far behind, quickly taking the lead away from Marsan.
By lap 5, the #25 of Chris Sullivan had powered his way into the runner-up spot. After having a solid day, the #57 of Patterson took a spin on lap 9 in turn 2, leading to the first caution of the feature.
The #27 of Roger Edgecomb powered into the top 3 on the restart as Rob Bryant continued his fight to the front of the pack. After battling side-by-side for the lead with Skofield for a handful of laps, Bryant took away the top spot on lap 16.
Rob Bryant ran away with the victory, followed by Eric Skofield, Roger Edgecomb, Stew McCormack and Justin Larsen.
The Rod Father Super Modifieds were up next, with Jeffrey Battle taking off with the early lead. Battle was on a roll early, lapping cars by lap 12. After dominating both the heat and the feature, Battle had a left rear tire go down on lap 18, leading to a caution. By the time the field went green again, Battle’s team had replaced the tire and he was back on track.
The #55 of Mike Netishen took off with the lead on the restart, never looking back. The last lap of competition ended with a bang, as the #27 of Leslie Keyser blew up coming to the finish line. Netishen held off the competition for the victory, followed by John Burke, David Helliwell, Mike Spurling and Jeffrey Battle.
The #14 of Mike Farrington took off with the early lead in the 25-lap Ironmen feature after winning the heat earlier in the evening. The #69 of Brian Thompson took a hit in turn 1 on lap 6, leading to the first caution of the feature.
Trouble was brewing on the restart as Jamie Holland, Mike Farrington and the #12 of Lewis Anderson made contact in turn 1. After Anderson was involved in a hard wreck in his #81 car in the heat, Michael Ramsey allowed Anderson to pilot the #12 car. This incident led to yet another early-race caution.
The #44 of Troy Washburn took over the lead on the restart as the #67 of Christin Destefano pulled up to his door to challenge for the lead. As Destefano took over the lead, Lewis Anderson, Kaycie Kustra and Randy Washburn all retired to the pits on lap 18.
Destefano held off Troy Washburn for the victory as Brian Destefano and Jamie Holland battled tooth-and-nail for the third spot behind them. Destefano held off Holland for third, with Adam Knowles rounding out the top five.
Jacob Michaud powered away with the early lead in the 20-lap Pure Stocks feature. By lap 4, heat winner, Tyler Mailhot, was all over him for the top spot. By lap 15, the two leaders had checked out and began putting cars a lap down. Michaud and Mailhot continued to battle it out until the very last lap.
The two leaders were side-by-side coming into turn 3, with the #6 of Mailhot sliding through the grass as Jacob Michaud took home the feature victory. Robert Carleton, Danielle Evans and Jessica Michaud rounded out the top five.
The 25-lap Street Stocks feature was next on the agenda, with Patrick Tanguay and Boe Green starting on the front row, followed by Alby Ovitt. After taking home the victory in his heat, Ovitt quickly made his way into the runner-up spot. He made his way to the outside of Tanguay for the lead on lap 3, capturing the top spot the following lap.
Max “Mad Max” Dolliver, scraped the wall on lap 11 in turn 2, losing ground on the runner-up car of Tanguay. By the halfway mark, there was a 3-car breakaway at the front of the pack. Alby Ovitt was seemingly all checked out by lap 20, but he lost a little bit of ground the following lap due to lap traffic.
Ovitt didn’t let lap traffic break his stride as he rolled into victory. The win was huge for Ovitt, who recently took home a big Street Stocks victory at New Hampshire Motor Speedway during the New England Short Track Showdown race weekend.
Patrick Tanguay, Max Dolliver, Boe Green and Rob Bodwell followed, rounding out the top five.
After winning his heat, Bobby Melvin, Jr. took off with the early lead in the final event of the night, the Firecracker 100. Jimmy Russell was on a roll early, powering into the runner-up spot on lap 3. Grant Aither quickly made his way to the front of the pack, taking the lead on lap 13.
After falling to the back of the pack early in the race, the #88 of Bryan Kruczek had made his way back into the top 3 by lap 15. He advanced into the runner-up spot on lap 18, taking control of the lead shortly after.
After missing his heat and starting dead last after replacing his rear end, rookie Zach Nicholson powered his way into the top 5 on lap 20. It was a long and trying week for the Nicholson Racing Team, who also had the joy of putting in a new motor into the #21 machine this past week. Nicholson continued his stride on lap 30, stealing away the fourth spot from the #02 of Dylan Bilodeau. His voyage to the front of the pack continued on lap 35 as he made his way around the #63 of Grant Aither for third.
By lap 40, Jimmy Russell was reeling in Kruczek, getting within 3 car lengths of the #88 machine. A caution for debris came out on lap 45, with all of the leaders coming down for a pit stop for fresh tires and fuel. Zach Nicholson’s team had the fastest pit stop, powering the series rookie into the lead for the restart.
Bryan Kruczek reclaimed his lead on the restart as Nicholson filed in behind him. Jimmy Russell gave Nicholson a love tap on lap 50, advancing into the runner-up spot as Nicholson fell back to fifth. By lap 60, Kruzek had checked out by nearly an entire straightaway over Jimmy Russell.
Dylan Bilodeau had reeled in Zach Nicholson for the fifth spot on lap 65, advancing into the top five. Jimmy Russell, Grant Aither and Geoff Rollins led a tight battle for the runner-up spot on lap 70, with Aither gaining the edge over Rollins and Russell.
It was a tough night for points leader Frankie Eldredge, who retired for the night on lap 89. By lap 95, there were only 5 cars left on the lead lap. After having a solid night, Zach Nicholson scraped the backstretch wall on lap 99, electing to stay out to salvage his finish. Dylan Bilodeau made contact with Nicholson coming into turn 3 on the final lap, resulting in both drivers winding up in the grass in turn 3.
Bryan Kruczek sailed into the victory, followed by Geoff Rollins, Grant Aither, George Helliwell and Jimmy Russell.
The exciting night of competition was followed up with a fantastic fireworks display, celebrating the Fourth of July holiday.
The competition continues this upcoming Friday, July 6th, at Lee USA Speedway. Get out and support your local race track.
We hope to see you there!
Thank you again to Drown Excavation and Four Season Synthetic for their endless support for Chasing the Checkered. Contact Drown Excavation for all of your demolition and excavation needs and Four Season Synthetic for all of your oil, lube and filter needs!
The post Bryan Kruczek Wins Firecracker 100 at Lee USA Speedway appeared first on Chasing The Checkered.
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16-year-old Zach Nicholson of Ossipee, New Hampshire has made significant strides in his racing career in just a few short years. In 2018, the talented driver will continue his growth at a new racetrack; Lee USA Speedway in Lee, New Hampshire. Nicholson finished runner-up in the 2017 Beech Ridge Motor Speedway Wildcats division, earning his first feature win on the last night of competition. He won Rookie of the Year honors in the division in 2016. In addition to those achievements, Zach received the UNOH Youth Achievement Award and Scholarship in both 2016 and 2017. When the opportunity for Zach to advance his career once again fell into his lap, he just couldn’t turn his back on the idea.
Zach came to the decision to move into a Late Model Sportsman with the help and guidance of his devoted parents, John and Angela. “It all came together when my Dad and I sat down and talked about the expenses of Pro Stocks to Late Models. We thought that Late Models would still be in our budget and fun. Plus, there would be cleaner racing and we could go do more racing,” Zach says. He’s excited to take on the challenge of competing at a faster track with a bigger banking than that of Beech Ridge. Although this year will be his rookie year in the Late Model Sportsman division, this won’t be his first experience racing at Lee.
When his racing career was just beginning, Zach competed in the 4-cylinder Pure Stock division. He was just 13 at the time, trying to learn more about the world of racing. “It’s a fast and high banked track, plus it’s well run. Some challenges about the track are adapting from a flat track to high banked, with faster corners, faster speeds, tighter racing, more cars and longer racing,” he says. The 5-division program is also different than that of Beech Ridge. The Friday night program consists of Super Modifieds, Late Model Sportsmen, Hobby Stocks, Iron Man and Pure Stocks. Zach will be competing alongside Nate Leavitt, Frankie Eldredge, Bryan Kruczek, Max Dolliver and others.
In addition to adapting to a different style racetrack, Zach will be facing the challenge of adapting to a completely different racecar. “Late Models are more touchy to adjustments and Wildcats are more rough than Late Models. You have to have smoother driving in a Late Model compared to a Wildcat,” he explains. You can be more aggressive behind the wheel of a Wildcat, but using that same technique behind the wheel of a Late Model could get you into trouble on the track.
Although he’s starting a new chapter in his racing career, Zach is still grateful for the past and the learning experiences that he has been a part of. “Being able to learn from veterans and have them give me pointers to be able to achieve my goals was a great experience. Ending my season with my first career feature win felt good after working so hard all year to be able to do just that. It was a challenging year and that took a huge load off of our shoulders,” he says.
The decision to race at Lee this season was an easy one for the Nicholson family. The Late Model they bought was already set up for Lee, so they don’t have to make many adjustments to the car. Plus, it is the home track for the family. “It feels better knowing more of my family can come,” he adds. Zach has a large support system, consisting of his own family, fellow drivers, family friends and more. Before every race, there’s always a large circle of people at the Nicholson trailer and the family is very inviting to anyone that shows their support to the #21 team and the young driver.
Zach’s most excited for the 100-lap Late Model race at Lee this year, making it the longest race that he’s ever been a part of. He’s not hanging up his helmet quite yet in the Wildcats, either. This past December, he traveled down to the Snowball Derby in Pensacola, Florida with Lewis “Dirty Lew” Anderson, helping him prepare the #81 for battle down at 5 Flags Speedway. Zach is planning on making the journey down to the speedway himself in 2018, competing on Derby weekend in his #21 Wildcat. His biggest goals for the upcoming race season are to win Rookie of the Year honors in his division and to have a consistent car every week.
As previously mentioned, Zach was awarded with the UNOH Youth Achievement Award and Scholarship this past season. He plans to follow in the footsteps of other local drivers and attend the University of Northwestern Ohio once he graduates high school. He has family in Ohio, so he won’t feel to far from home once he makes that move. He plans on joining the High Performance Motorsports program once he gets to UNOH and is also taking vocational classes in Auto Technology Level 2 at his school.
He’s making tremendous strides on his own, but Zach remains thankful to his family, friends and sponsors that have helped him out along the way. He thanks his parents for their never-ending support and for helping him make his racing dreams come to life. He also lends thanks to his Uncle Mike and Aunt Peg, who lend help to the race team. Jay Curtis, Jayden Curtis, Kyle Kramlich, Alex Dargi, Darryl Quinlan, Ashley Nicholson, and his friends Nate and Tomi are all a part of his circle of supporters that are there for Zach week in & week out. His sponsors Kid Logic, Overhead Door Options, Chasing the Checkered, Hall Construction, Templeton Snowmobiles and Life in Focus Photography have also helped make the 2018 race season possible for Nicholson Racing.
Zach recently debuted his new paint scheme for 2018 at the Northeast Motorsports Expo in Augusta, Maine. The red, yellow and blue paint scheme was worked up by fellow driver Connor McDougal of Eleveight Designs. Zach says that Connor was the “mastermind” behind every color and design on both his helmet and his car. Zach was gifted his new racing helmet after the conclusion of the 2017 racing season at the Awards Banquet, with family and friends pitching in to give Zach a helmet that matches his 2018 paint scheme perfectly.
Zach has a learning curve in front of him with the transition to a new track and a new style of racing, but he is excited to take on the challenge and see what 2018 brings him. The Season Opener is on Friday, June 1st at 7:00 pm. Come on out to the Season Opener to see what Zach can do and to enjoy 5 exciting divisions of racing. We look forward to seeing you there!
Follow Nicholson racing on Social Media here:
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Eleveight Design started out the 2018 race season in a big way, taking home two awards for best appearing cars at the 2018 Northeast Motorsports Expo in Augusta, Maine.
Eleveight is a small full-service graphic design company located in Rochester, New Hampshire. The company is owned and operated by Connor McDougal, who is a driver himself. Connor, his younger brother Tanner and his father Steve are all involved in the racing scene. Tanner is making his way through the ranks at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway while Connor and Steve plan to race here and there at Lee USA Speedway in 2018.
Steve McDougal’s #2 purple and orange Street Stock car caught people’s attention from a mile away all weekend at the expo. Describing the paint scheme on Eleveight Design’s Facebook page, Connor says, “Capping off the car is a wild orange, black and white scheme from the tail to the nose, which ties into the purple perfect”. The #2 car won an award for the ‘Best Appearing Super Street’ on day #1 of the three day event. Steve is excited for the opportunity to get behind the wheel, saying that it will be “really cool” to be able to race alongside his son.
Joey “Rust Bucket” Doyon’s car was hands-down the most unique car at the entire expo, showcasing a paint scheme intended to make the Speedway 95 Late Model look like it was just dragged out of a scrapyard. The rust-colored brown and orange car is classic, featuring old-school numbering and a graphic made to look like a classic car door handle on each side of the racecar. For added effect, fake moss was placed underneath the car at the expo, creating a highly talked about display. The “Rust Bucket” car received the award for the ‘Best Appearing Late Model’ at the show.
Connor also took on the task of designing cars for two new division rookies: Bryce Mains and 16-year-old Zach Nicholson. Bryce Mains is no stranger to competition, coming off of a successful season at Oxford Plains Speedway in the Street Stock division. He’s moving into a PASS Super Late Model in 2018, another car that Connor designed. Mains’ new ride for 2018 features a simple yet eye-catching white, blue and yellow design on the #77 car.
16-year-old Zach Nicholson is making big changes in 2018, moving from the Wildcats division at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway to a Late Model Sportsman at Lee Motor Speedway.
Knowing that Connor does unique, quality work, the Nicholson family approached him to design their new car for 2018. Zach says his only wish was for stars to be incorporated into his new paint scheme. According to Zach, the design came out better than he could have ever anticipated. Nicholson’s sharp-looking #21 ride features a blend of eye-catching red, yellow, white and blue, making it sure to stand out on the track in 2018.
Connor’s personal Street Stock was also on display, showcasing a retro orange and blue paint scheme on his #8 car. Over the course of the weekend, he handed out free throwback hats to anyone that approached him wearing a throwback tee and sporting an old-school mustache. Although he plans on focusing mainly on his business in 2018, he’s excited about racing at the New England Short Track Showdown on June 24th at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
McDougal provided all of his drivers with an Eleveight Design stand-up banner to showcase next to their cars at the show, with each banner featuring the driver’s number and colors from their paint scheme. Eleveight Design doesn’t stop at just banners and race car wraps, though.
What started as a business that Connor started on his own in 2015 has grown into something bigger and better. In addition to race car wraps and banner creation, Connor creates decals, logos, posters, signs, apparel and more. He doesn’t limit himself to racecars, also providing work for other small businesses in need of his graphic design services.
McDougal has an online portfolio on his website, showcasing all of his latest work. In addition to the drivers at the expo, Connor has also done previous work for drivers like Dave Charest and Charlie Sanborn, who are two big names at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway.
2018 has only just begun and Eleveight Design is already showcasing some of the most appealing race cars of the upcoming season. With 4 more months ahead of us before race season begins, I can only imagine that we will be seeing more eye-catching paint schemes from the graphic design company coming out of the woodwork.
Keep up the great work, Connor! We look forward to seeing what else you come up with in 2018!
Check out Eleveight Designs on social media here:
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