County Racers Dominate at Hermon Track

Episode 116

July 24, 2016

Senior Champ Kart podium finishers at Speedway Karting in Bangor, Chase Chandler 3rd, Damian Thereault 2nd, and race winner Jason Theiriault. Last Chance Motorports photo

Senior Champ Kart podium finishers at Speedway Karting in Hermon, Chase Chandler 3rd, Damian Thereault 2nd, and race winner Jason Theriault. Last Chance Motorsports photo

County Men Dominate at Bangor Track Aroostook County kart racers dominated at Speedway Karting in Hermon Saturday. The top three finishers were all County men. The winner was Jason Theriault, Caribou, Damian Theriault, Caribou, and Chase Chandler, Crouseville. The father son Theriault team drive for JRT Customs of Caribou and Chandler races for Last Chance Motorsports of Houlton. The eight kart feature saw Chandler start on the pole after his first win in a heat race. Team JRT stormed to the lead after a few laps. Friday evening Team JRT had finished one-two at Caribou’s Spud Speedway with son first and father second.on a slick track after showers just before race time. Complete results of Northern Maine Karting Association races Presented by Pat’s Automotive of Caribou on Friday are as follows: Spud Speedway Kid Karts 1st Gage Theriault, Limestone 2nd Kayden Haines, Caribou 3rd Avery Lloyd, New Denmark, New Brunswick

Spud Speedway Kids karts l to r Kayden haines, Race Director Don Rideout, Avory Lloyd, and gage Theriault. janet Bosse NMKA photo

Spud Speedway Kids karts l to r Kayden Haines, Race Director Don Rideout, Avery Lloyd, and Gage Theriault. Janet Bosse NMKA photo

Haney’s Building Specialties Junior Champ Karts 1st Noah Coventry, Van Buren 2nd Gage Theriault, Limestone

Haney Building Specialties Junior Champ Kart winners l to r Race Winner Noah Coventry wit his first feature win in 2016, Race Director Don Rideout, and Gage Theriault in his first race in Junior class substituting for Bryan Searles who was at Boy Scout camp. Janet Bosse NMKA photo

Haney Building Specialties Junior Champ Kart winners l to r race winner Noah Coventry with his first feature win in 2016, Race Director Don Rideout, and Gage Theriault in his first race in Junior Champ class substituting for Bryan Searles who was at Boy Scout camp. Janet Bosse NMKA photo

AroostookSavings and Loan Senior Champ Karts 1st Damian Theriault , Caribou 2nd Jason Theriault, Caribou 3rd Tom Hale, Westmanland The NMKA has completed the second segment of their 10 race Friday Evening Summer Karting Series. The third and final four race segment will begin August 12 at 6:30 pm. A practice date will precede the August 12th date on Thursday August 11, at 6 pm.

Two time Spud Speedway Senior Champ Kart Points Champion Tyler Raymond from Caribou on his Farmall Super C at the Fort Fairfield Potato Blossom Festival Antique Tractor Club pull. Raymond Racing Team photo

Two time Spud Speedway Senior Champ Kart Points Champion Tyler Raymond from Caribou on his Farmall Super C at the Fort Fairfield Potato Blossom Festival Antique Tractor Club pull. The Flyin Farmer Racing  photo

Former Kart Champion Goes Agricultural Tyler Raymond of Caribou was instrumental in getting racing karts re-introduced into the County at Spud Speedway. He raced at the Caribou track for 2 1/2 years in the Senior Champ Kart division winning the track championship for two years in a row. The former Caribou FFA Chapter President and Maine FFA Association State Officer has gone back to his agriculture roots purchasing a Farmall Super C for antique tractor pulling. After restoring his Farmall, Raymond the son of Dan and Shelby Raymond, began the year pulling at Ashland where he  won his class despite some last minute fabricating to get there. Recently Raymond won both the 3000 pound and 3500 pound classes at the Fort Fairfield Potato Blossom Festival’s Antique Tractor Pulls. The tractor nearly made a full pull narrowly missing the 300 foot line. Raymond will be in action next weekend at the Northern Maine Fair’s Antique Tractor Pulls which are held earlier than the International Truck and Tractor Pulls. See the complete fair schedule at www.northernmainefair.com

The real reason for Tyler Raymond's success in tractor pulling is his "Pit Crew" the Anah Shrine clowns. L to R Disco, Hearty, and Moochie. Flyin Farmer racing photo

The real reason for Tyler Raymond’s success in tractor pulling is his “Pit Crew” the Anah Shrine clowns. L to R Disco, Hearty, and Moochie. Flyin Farmer Racing photo

 

Kody Swanson in Victory Circle at Lucas Oil Raceway in Claremont, Indiana. Chris Seelman photo

Kody Swanson in Victory Circle at Lucas Oil Raceway in Claremont, Indiana. Chris Seelman photo

Swanson Brothers One/Two Again Tanner Swanson’s stranglehold on first place at the .686 mile asphalt oval, Lucas Oil Raceway, was broken by his brother Kody Swanson last Thursday evening. The Rich Vogler/Hall of Fame USAC Silver Crown race is always held two days before the Brickyard 400 at neighboring Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Tanner had won five of the last six races at Lucas Oil Raceway. The one race he did not win he placed second just a couple of years ago.  With his second place last Thursday he now has a 7 race first or second streak.

In Victory Circle at Lucas Oil Raceway l to r second place tanner Swanson, winner Kody Swanson, third place Jerry Coons Jr. TK Motorsports photo

In Victory Circle at Lucas Oil Raceway l to r second place Tanner Swanson, winner Kody Swanson, third place Jerry Coons Jr. TK Motorsports photo

Older brother Kody came into the Rich Vogler/USAC Hall of Fame Classic trailing Chris Windom in points but with his win and Windom’s fifth place finish Swanson leads by seven points. The DePalma Motorsports Silver crown car usually sports a pristine white color, however, after Kody hit the wall at Gateway earlier this month the car was destroyed. The team purchased the RFMS Motorsports car driven by A.J. Fike in the past. The team worked feverishly to get the car in condition to race at Lucas Oil Raceway almost pulling an “all-nighter” on Wednesday to get it ready. Kody Swanson praised his team saying, “What an incredible journey this life has been, and what an awesome night it was to finish the Rich Vogler Classic in Victory Lane. I am so thankful for the opportunity to be a part of this #63 team, and for everyone who is a part of it. So many work hard to keep us on the track, and to keep us competitive. From the entire DePalma family and Radio Hospital, to Bob, Clark, Jon, Ryan, Jordan, Jesse, everyone who stops by the shop and support us from afar, everyone is a part of this team, and it continues to be an amazing team effort.

We’re fortunate to have great manufacturer support, and a couple came up big for us this week. Corey and Advanced Racing Suspensions, and David andEibach Springs each gave us some great turnaround to get us what we needed, and great products to put on the pavement car. Randy and The Joie of Seating got my seat straightened after Gateway and back to the shop in time for this race despite the short gap between. Thanks to everyone who has continued their support – K&N Filters, FK Rod Ends, Allstar Performance,Callies Performance Products, All Pro Cylinder Heads, Inc., Champion Brands, LLC Hi-Tech Lubricants, Kinsler Fuel Injection, Goodridge LTD,Simpson Indy, Real Racing Wheels, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Schoenfeld Headers, and JE Pistons. Thanks to Bart & Banshee Graphics for the quick service and making the 63 look good all dressed in black. Huge thanks to Don Fike and the RFMS Racing team for selling us such a quality racecar on short notice, and being a big part of helping our team to remain in the title hunt. I’m thankful for everyone at Alt & Witzig Engineering, Inc. for putting up with my crazy schedule, and still having a job for me when I get back from racing, they truly have been so good to Jordan and I. I am so thankful for the family that I have, the support I have had, and people to enjoy this incredible journey with. Thanks to Eleanor and the Vogler family for their continued support, to Andy and his staff for their constant efforts for this series.” The Silver Crown Series moves to Salem (Indiana) Speedway for the “Joe James-Pat O’Connor Classic” August 13.

Corvettes #4 and #3 finish first and second in GT LM class followed closely by the #67 Ford GT at IMSA four hour race at Lime Rock Park Saturday. Chevrolet Racing photo

Corvettes #4 and #3 finish first and second in GT LM class followed closely by the #67 Ford GT at IMSA Weather Tech Sports Car Championship two hour forty minute race at Lime Rock Park Saturday. Chevrolet Racing photo

Corvette Get’s 100th Win When Corvette Racing entered the American Le Mans Series as it was known then, at Daytona January 31, 1999 who could have predicted the success the race team would achieve.. Since then the team has racked up wins across the United States and Canada as well as the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France. “Achieving 100 victories is a tremendous accomplishment for Corvette Racing,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. vice president, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “It’s a testament to the dedication of all the crew members, engineers, drivers and our engine team members over the past 17 years. We certainly couldn’t have achieved this milestone without the support of our partners at Pratt & Miller, Mobil 1 and Michelin. Everyone with Corvette Racing operates as one team and embodies the competitive spirit of Chevrolet. We’re happy to share this success with our passionate Corvette owners and supporters.” Lime Rock Park in Connecticut is the shortest track in the IMSA Series at 1.474 miles. I had a chance to see these cars in action at the Rolex 24  Hours of Daytona in January. They are certainly a team to be reckoned with in IMSA.

Corvette Racing; Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, CT; July 22-23, 2016; C7.R #3 driven by Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia; C7.R #4 driven by Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner (Richard Prince/Chevrolet photo).

Corvette Racing; Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, CT; July 22-23, 2016;  C7.R #4 driven by Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner (Richard Prince/Chevrolet photo).

So who is Austin Theriault hanging around with lately? Hall of Fame Red Sox Rico Petrocelli at Rickie Craven's Celebrity Golf Tournament prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Austin Theriault Racing photo

So who is Austin Theriault hanging around with lately? Hall of Fame Red Sox Rico Petrocelli at Rickie Craven’s Celebrity Golf Tournament prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Austin Theriault Racing photo

Will Austin Be At Oxford 250? With an open weekend in the NASCAR K & N Pro Series East, I think it is possible that Austin will be at the Oxford 250. In conversations with Austin he did not say no when I brought up the subject. Theriault has experienced success at the arguably most famous short track race in America. We will see. Gearhead Tour Ahead My brother and I will be spending time together this Thursday and friday as we head south for our first annual “Hale Brothers Gearhead Tour”. We plan to race each other at Maine Indoor Karting Thursday evening using all of our accumulated races in one setting. We will be sore the next day for sure. You probably will not be able to wipe the smile off our face. Friday morning we will be heading north to the Owl’s Head Transportation Museum after spending the night at my daughter’s house in Westbrook. We plan to do research on Bill Milliken who was born in Old Town. Milliken built his own airplane which he designed in 1927 at the age of 16. the plane was completed in 1930 when Milliken flew it a short distance before it ended upside down. Milliken went on to study at U Maine Orono for two years then MIT.. He worked for Boeing Aircraft in World War II as the assistant head of flight flying the first B29 prototype as well as B 17 models. Cornell Aeronautical Lab was his next step where he worked on projects which included servo controllers and aerodynamic stability. He became one of the founding members of the Watkins Glen Road races  and helped organize the first  race at Watkins Glen, New York. The race was run in the streets of the small town long before the permanent track was built. “Milliken’s Corner” was named after him on the original circuit after he rolled his race car in the first race in 1948. He raced at Pike’s Peak, Sebring, and a host of other tracks during his 15 years as a race driver. In 1976 he founded Milliken Research Associates based in Williamsville, New York a suburb of Buffalo. He collaborated with his son Doug in writing one of the most comprehensive motorsports technical books , the 900 page Race Car Vehicle Dynamics in 1995. They sold over 25,000 copies. You will hear more about this brilliant Maine man as I prepare to make a case for his inclusion into the Maine Motorsports Hall of fame. From Owl’s Head we will proceed northward to visit with Wyatt Alexander Racing in Ellsworth as they prepare their Super Late Model to defend their title at the Boss Hogg 100 at Wiscasset Speedway Saturday July 30. We hope to get to Gardner Racing Concepts  shop in Ellsworth to see him put together some of the fastest motorcycles in the nation. Then up to Bangor to view the new kart track at Speedway 95. Going to be a busy couple of days.

HTF Motorsports Shop. HTF Motorsport photo

HTF Motorsports Shop. HTF Motorsport photo

So What’s In The HTF Motorsports Shop This Week? I thought you might be curious to see what “high performance” machines as well as  the latest decorations at my “shop” in central Westmanland. As you can see I am able to fit two lawnmowers into my space when the race kart is absent. You may be able to notice the deluxe carpet addition for laying on when under the race kart. Let’s Go Racing, Tom Hale Soli Deo Gloria

*2

 

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