County Kids Help Open Speedway Karting’s Season

Episode 110

June 12, 2016

Limestone's Gage Theriault, center, helped Speedway Karting in Bangor get their season underway Saturday with a win in Kids Kart Division. On the left is second place Austin Beale, Hamden and Glenburn's Mackenzie Butler on right finished third. Gage Theriault Racing photo

Limestone’s Gage Theriault, center, helped Speedway Karting in Bangor get their season underway Saturday with a win in Kids Kart Division. On the left is third place Mackenzie Butler, Glenburn and Hampden’s Austin Beale on right who placed second. Gage Theriault Racing photo

County Kids Race In Bangor

Three County kids ran at the opening of Speedway karting at the Speedway 95 track on Saturday. The track utilizes a part of the big track with the remainder infield according to some of the people who raced there.

As pictured above Gage Theriault won his race in the Kids Kart Division. Gage’s words after his feature… ” I had to drive it like I stole it Daddy. I could see the gas tank was falling off again” 

Gage is the son of Erin and Galen Morror of Limestone. Galen described the race saying ,”He took 1st in his heat and 1st in his feature. We lost a clutch spring in his practice run…JRT Customs had one on hand for us to replace it. Then lost his fuel tank in feature. Speedway Karting gave us time to fix it on track. He then took the win!

Last Chance Motorsports, based out of Houlton, made their presence known  sweeping the podium in the Senior Sportsman class and first in the Junior Sportsman class. The team provided parts and technical support for those racing at the new venue. Their support was appreciated I am sure.

Bryan Searles, Presque Isle, the points leader at NMKA, placed 3rd in the Animal engine class and 4th overall in a combined class at Speedway. BAS Racing photo

Bryan Searles, Presque Isle, the points leader at NMKA, placed 3rd in the Animal engine class and 4th overall in a combined class at Speedway. BAS Racing photo

Damian Theriault , Caribou on right took the runners-up spot on Sturday after winning all three of his races on Friday at Spud Speedway. Team JRT photo

Damian Theriault , Caribou on right took the runners up spot on Saturday in the Senior Sportsman Division after winning all three of his races on Friday at Spud Speedway.  Race winner Christian Hanscom on left. Team JRT photo

RYAN Motorsports from Harvey, New Brunswick

RYAN Motorsports from Harvey, New Brunswick with some of the damage from an incident in the Late Model Sportsman Class at Speedway 660 in Geary Woods, New Brunswick.

Ryan Messer Takes a Hit and Keeps on Racing

Harvey, New Brunswick’s Ryan Messer fought back from an on-track incident at Speedway 660 to finish  . Ryan  is one of the youngsters I am following this season. He already has one feature win.

Crew chief and Dad Robb Messer said,” Ryan Just got caught up in a spin that happened in front of us. We went under the car in front of us while another car slid up under our rear.”

“Pretty extensive damage to the rear frame section. Starting to tear apart now”

I will be following his progress as the season continues.

I just had to show this photo of Crouseville's Gene Cyr of Cyrious Racing earlier this season at Winterport Dragway. Cyr reported he is looking forward to the Downeast Nationals at Miriamichi Dragway, Miramichi, New Brunswick July 15-17 with large payouts per class. RT Photos photo

I just had to show this photo of Crouseville’s Gene Cyr of Cyrious Racing earlier this season at Winterport Dragway. Cyr reported he is looking forward to the Downeast Nationals at Miramichi Dragway, Miramichi, New Brunswick July 15-17 with large payouts per class. RT Photos photo

My newest crew member Bryce Martin, Fort Fairfield. I asked his Grandmother Geri Sullivan Martin if I could along with sponsorship from her company, Pine Tree Cleaning and Restoration, get Bryce as member of our team. Geri Martin photo

My newest crew member, 10-year-old Bryce Martin, Fort Faifield. I asked his grandmother Geri Sullivan Martin if I could ,along with sponsorship from her company, Pine Tree Cleaning and Restoration, get Bryce as member of our team. Geri Martin photo

Kody Swanson with his wife Jordan at Williams Grove Speedway. T-K Motorsports photo

Kody Swanson with his wife Jordan at Williams Grove Speedway. T-K Motorsports photo

Swanson Did Not Win

Kingsburg, California’s Kody Swanson did not win the Horn/Schindler Memorial 100 USAC Silver Crown race at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. He placed third. Race winner Chris Windom edged fellow Hoosier, second place Bryan Clauson for the win on the 1/2 mile dirt track.

The race marked the first time USAC Silver Crown cars raced at Williams Grove in 35 years. Second place Clauson was trying to be the first to lead a lap in the Indy 500 and win at Williams Grove. The last to do so was Roger Ward did it in 1959. Oh so close…

The Championship Points race tightened up with Windom’s win. Swanson still leads by 15 points going into the next race the “St. Louis Silver crown Showdown” ay gateway Motorsports Park June 26th.

 

Newgarden Okay After Heavy Crash at Texas

Josef Newgarden was side swiped by Conor Daly on the front stretch at Texas Motor Speedway on lap 42 of the Firestone 600.  Watch the in-car and out-of-car videos and one can see the cars and the SAFER barrier did their jobs.

In a press release Newgarden said, “Thank you to Dallara, INDYCAR, the Holmatro Safety Team and everyone we work with at Texas Motor Speedway,”

“The car held up great and the response from the safety team was amazing. I’m banged up a little bit but I’m generally OK. That’s all thanks to INDYCAR and all the work everyone within the series does. I am feeling a little pain but I hope to be ready to rock and go again soon. We had a great car today, it just did not go how we had planned. I feel bad for both Conor and myself but I’m glad Conor is OK as well. I’ll be back out there fighting as soon as I can. Luckily I am all right, thank you again to everyone who helped me.”

Newgarden has a fractured clavicle and a small hand fracture. James Hinchcliffe who was leading the race at the end of lap 71 when the red flag was thrown, will be able to say he lead the race for two months since the final laps will be run at Texas on August 27th at 7 pm.

It still had not been decided what to do about the wrecked cars of Daly and Newgarden. Track officials have said the two drivers will be given a chance to get back in the race whatever that means.

Northern Maine Karting Association Race Results

Racing at Spud Speedway last Friday evening as part of the Friday Night Kart Series saw a new winner in the Haney’s Building Specialties Junior Champ Karts Division. Limestone’s Braden Thibodeau made his first trip to Victory Lane this young season followed by Noah Coventry , Van Buren and points leader Bryan Searles of Presque Isle in third.

Full results are:

Kids Karts

Parker Bosse, Caribou

Avery Lloyd, New Denmark, New Brunswick

Haney’s Building Specialties of Caribou Junior Champ Karts

1. Braden Thibodeau, Limestone

2. Noah Coventry, Van Buren

3. Bryan Searles, Presque Isle

Aroostook Savings and Loan Senior Champ Karts

1. Damian Theriault, Caribou

2. Jason Theriault, Caribou

3. Tom Hale, Westmanland

The next race is Friday June 17th at 6:30 pm. Thanks to sponsor support there continues to be free admission in the grandstands.

 

Erik Jones tribute to his father Dave Jones who passed away on Tuesday after a brief battle with cancer Erik Jones Twitter account

Erik Jones tribute to his father Dave Jones who passed away on Tuesday after a brief battle with cancer Erik Jones Twitter account

Fathers Day

This Sunday will be Erik Jones first Father’s Day without his Dad. I know many of you are in the same situation. My sympathy goes out to you. Though it has been 10 years since my Dad passed away it still hurts very much to not have him here to share with him some of the things I have been up to that would make him proud. To hear me on the radio or to read this blog post I  would give a lot to hear him once again play his guitar or fiddle. I know since he was a follower of Christ I will get to see him once again. That is my blessed hope.

For you with your Dad still here would you reach out to him on this special day? I admire the Messer family, the Alexander family, and the Austin Theriault Racing family who treat their Dad and Grand Dad with respect and tell them they are appreciated. There are many others as well who take advantage of this day to do the same..Will you take a few moments to do the same?

Tom Patsis formerly from Ellsworth, makes many different things in his his studio/shop in Brownsburg, Indiana including these The Best Dad  hearts made from actual top fuel or funny car valves. Amazing talent on display at Cold Hard Art. CHA photo

Tom Patsis formerly from Ellsworth, makes many different things in his his studio/shop in Brownsburg, Indiana including these The Best Dad hearts made from actual top fuel or funny car valves. Amazing talent on display at Cold Hard Art. CHA photo

Happy Father’s Day to all you Dads out there.

Let’s Go Racing,

Tom Hale

Soli Deo Gloria

 

Tom Hale

About Tom Hale

Tom wrote 14 years as freelancer for the Bangor Daily Sports covering motorsports in Maine. Now blogging and concentrating on human interest stories about people and places in racing. He races Champ Karts and owns HTF Motorsports in remote Westmanland, Maine