7/28/2024
Monadnock Speedway
Leary Tops Mad Dog Modified 50 at Monadnock
LEARY TOPS MAD DOG MODIFIED 50 SATURDAY AT MONADNOCK
Monadnock Speedway Saturday, July 27, event story
By Gary Dutton
WINCHESTER, N.H. – Tyler Leary scored an important victory Saturday at Monadnock Speedway, topping the 50-lap Mad Dog Modified main event .The Triple Crown Series victory moved the Hatfield, Mass. pilot to the top of both the 2024 Weekly Racing Series and 2024 Monadnock Triple Crown Series points parades.
Leary was one of ten different drivers earning a victory lap Saturday at the high-banked speedplant, as another JDV gem saw 102 competitors battle in ten feature events, as the high-banked Winchester oval closed out the month of July with an action-packed show that kept the huge crowd on the edge of its collective seat.
Six Shooter ace Michael Yeaton stayed perfect at eight-for-eight on the summer. Bob Williams held off Erin Aiken to top the Mini Stocks Saturday, and Chris Riendeau crushed the competition in the Super Streets to, like Leary, finish his night atop both the WRS and Triple Crown points charts.
Aboard a loaner car for Saturday’s second round of the 2024 Triple Crown Series, Mad Dog Modified star Brian Robie set fast qualifying time with a lap of 12.236 seconds. His bid to duplicate his Round 1 win, though, didn’t materialize.
Trevor Bleau, from second on the grid, led the first ten laps of the 50-lap main event, with Tyler Leary – from row three – then taking over from low along the backchute. Glued to Bleau’s bumper, JT Cloutier and Kimmy Rivet were turning up the heat. Bleau, though, his eyes on the top prize, refused to bend.
Cloutier’s strong run ended with a lap 44 looper, with Rivet’s big charge – she’d had the fastest car all night, turning a late-race lap of 11.980 – halting at the same time. With Leary then blasting off again for his third win of the season, Bleau was a close second, and 15-year-old rookie star Colton Martin third.
Chris Riendeau had the dominant car in Saturday night’s Super Street feature, but even more than his convincing win, it’ll be how he took the lead that’ll have people talking for weeks to come. The Green Mountain star rocketed from third to first on the south end of the track to lead lap four and then never looked back.
There was contact aplenty in this one, including right at the end, as Tim Wenzel and Robert Hagar swapped second, with Wenzel, the two-time defending track champ prevailing for the runner-up finish inches ahead of Hagar, who came from last at the green to third at the checkers.
Riendeau’s impressive win put him atop both the WRS and Triple Crown points parades, while teen star JD Stockwell, whose car went south halfway through the race fell from atop the Triple Crowners after struggling to tenth on the night, and also lost 25 markers to Riendeau in the 2024 championship race.
In a warm-up for next Saturday’s Mini Stock Meet special event, hot shoe Bob Williams blasted to victory Saturday. Williams, though, didn’t have the fastest car. That belonged to five-time 2024 winner Erin Aiken, who rocketed from a big hole to finish at Williams’ bumper.
Williams took the lead from Louie Maher on lap ten and never looked back. Aiken’s runner-up finish kept her easily atop both the seasonal and Triple Crown points charts. Jon Fultz, the winner here way back on opening day, was strong in third on Saturday.
Five-time champ Chris Davis led the first two laps of the Pure Stock feature but his summer of many horrors then began again. As Davis drifted backwards, Chris Chambers took charge, and though he would have Jimmy Zellman riding in his shadow the final 20 laps, the Chelsea, VT star would hold strong to score his first Monadnock victory.
With Zellman strong in second, and Andrea St. Amour at his bumper in third, Zellman finished the night four markers atop the seasonal points parade, while St Amour expanded her Triple Crown advantage after two events.
The Six Shooters? Who else, Michael Yeaton stayed unbeaten on the year, taking the checkers ahead of number two point man Garrett Barry. Michael Comtois came home third.
With families filling the grandstands for the earlier rained-out Lundgren Auto Group Kids Night events, dozens of young fans competed in on-track Trike races, with many then manning the flag stand as honorary starters throughout the night. Only a few years older themselves, a field of seven Mad Pups opened the night’s feature lineup.
Newcomer Jordon Gonyea led the first two go-rounds, then giving way to Markus O’Neil, who sped off to his fourth victory of the summer. Gonyea made his first run on the high banks a memorable one, earning the second-place hardware, and Emma Blake impressed in third.
Starting up front after his earlier heat race win, Jake Mongeon led all the way in the NELCAR Legends 25-lapper. Brenden Lebelle stayed glued to his bumper before settling for second in the 20-car field, and Kevin Davis came home third. Brody Wakefield won the NELCAR Bandaleros 15 lapper.
Joe Goss, piloting a vintage Nova, topped the Senior Tour Auto Racers Sportsman feature, Charlie Lima was second, and Dale Butler third. James Allen led the last nine laps of the STAR Modified main, taking the checkers in his 1967 Mustang-bodied ride ahead of Skip Swianiek and John Jalbert.
Monadnock Speedway will return to action next Saturday, August 3, when the storied quarter-mile oval hosts its inaugural Mini Stock Meet event, with a deep field of Mini Stocks expected in to vie for the $500 winner’s purse. The Mad Dog Modifieds, Super Streets, Pure Stocks, and Mad Pups will all be in action too, along with the visiting Pro 4 Modifieds.
MONADNOCK SPEEDWAY JULY 27 TOP PERFORMERS
MAD DOG MODIFIED 50 LAP: Tyler Leary, Trevor Bleau, Colton Martin, Brad Zahensky, Andy Major, Nate Wenzel, Brian Robie, Dallas Trombley, JT Cloutier, Kevin Pittsinger.
SUPER STREET: Chris Riendeau, Tim Wenzel, Robert Hagar, Hillary Renaud, Trevor Rocke, Zach Zilinski, Erik Smith, Wes Stedt, Isabella Minchella, JD Stockwell.
MINI STOCK: Bob Williams, Erin Aiken, Jon Fultz, Louie Maher, Dick LaMotte, Kevin Clayton, Eric Pomasko, Gordon Farnum, Matt Lambert, Chris Fultz.
PURE STOCK: Chris Chambers, Jimmy Zellman, Andrea St. Amour, Dominick Stafford, Owen Zilinski, Keegan Tabor, Carter Chamberlin, Ron Burgess Jr., Chris Davis, Addison Brooks.
MAD PUPS: Markus O’Neil, Jordan Gonyea, Emma Blake, Haley Crestuk, Hunter Duquette, Sofia Rego, Ella Grabowski.
SIX SHOOTERS: Michael Yeaton, Garrett Barry, Michael Comtois, Meghan Bell.
NELCAR LEGENDS: Jake Mongeon, Brenden Lebelle, Kevin Davis, Cole Robie, Riley Paul, Zach Martinez, Reagan Parent, Kyle Caissie, Jack Walker Jr., David Stone.
Article Credit: Gary Dutton
Submitted By: Taylor Pelletier
