County drag racer finishes season strong

Episode 182

October 8, 2017

County drag racer finishes season with a flourish

Crouseville drag racer Gene Cyr finished the 2017 drag racing season with a second and a third place finish. The second came at Oxford Plains Dragway September 29 when Cyr finished second in an eleven car field. His 6.17 second E.T. at 112 mph at the 1/8 mile track was Cyr’s best time of the night.

Gene Cyr at Oxford Dragway with Robert Baribeault, Oxford. Cyr finished second in the 11 car field dedicating his races for the night to Baribeault. LMN Photography

A broken oil pan meant he was done for the weekend, so he and his father towed home on Saturday. Once they were home, the pan was welded and the car prepared for the next race weekend at Winterport Dragway.

Gene Cyr doing a smoky burnout at Winterport Dragway. Cyr finished third in his final race of the 2017 season. Jodie Larrabee Herrick photo

Cyr and his father loaded up their Mustang and headed out to the central Maine Winterport Dragway for a two-day event. The T & L Gamblers class which Cyr competed in, featured 30 entrants for the Saturday race.

After six rounds of competition, Cyr was eliminated in the semi-final for a third place finish. His E.T. at Winterport matched his previous weekend when he ran 6.14 seconds at the 1/8 mile track. The race was won by Kevin Nichols, Oxford. The Sunday race was rained out.

Cyr would like to thank his father, Dan Cyr, Mitchell Harris, Mars Hill, and JR Howlett, Presque Isle for their assistance this season. In 2018, Cyr plans to run for a class championship at Winterport Dragway and run the majority of the Central Massachusetts Drag Racers series. In addition he hopes to race at several Oxford Plains Dragway Friday Night Series events.

In order to be more competitive in 2018,  he will be adding lightweight body panels, build in more reliability, and of course seek more horsepower in his Mustang.

Wyatt Alexander returns home for Wiscasset Speedway Fall Fury Finale

Wyatt Alexander, in red with girlfriend Lindsey Walker in white, on the escalator at Bangor International Airport. Jenn Alexander photo

After spending nearly 2 months in Charlotte, North Carolina studying Mechanical Engineering, Wyatt Alexander took advantage of the three-day weekend to come home to Maine. While home he jumped into the WAR #96 Pro Stock for the Fall Fury race at Wiscasset Speedway.

Despite being out of the car for a  spell, Alexander quickly shook off the rust running the third or fourth spot in the 40 lap feature after starting mid-pack. With only 6 laps left in the feature, contact between Alexander and Darren Ripley in the 09 car forced Wyatt high in turn one thus losing a podium finish.

Contact between the # 96 and the #09 car in turn one forced Wyatt Alexander out of the groove and Darren Ripley went by into third place. Photo by Fast Track Photography

Crew chief, Bob Alexander, described the race saying, “Earlier, around lap 20 of 40 lap race, he (Wyatt) had contact from the #01 car (Joe Decker) going into turn 1. Via the ‘gentleman’s rule’ , the #01 took responsibility for the contact and Wyatt went back to third for the restart.”

“The large pileup in turn one, caused by #09 was on lap 34. Wyatt went into the infield to miss it but the initial impact damaged the right front wheel and stretched the upper control arm bolts enough to cause the camber shims to dislodge and making the car unraceable.”

Look closely and you will see that the camber shims on the right front upper a-arm are missing. WAR photo

Overall the Alexander family was pleased with the performance of their driver and race car. They were excited to have their son home for the weekend.

Caribou racer runs with Wicked Good Vintage Racing Association at Wiscasset

Known primarily for his land speed efforts as a technical inspector for motorcycles and motorcycle racer as well stock car racer, Caribou’s Jesse Michaud has expanded his racing horizon. This year he rebuilt a Hobby class 30’s coupe and recently purchased an early 60’s Buick Late Model Sportsman to compete as a member of the Wicked Good Vintage Racing Association.

Caribou’s Jesse Michaud’s two vintage race cars, in front his early 60’s Buick Late Model Sportsman and in back his 30’s bodied Hobby Stock at Wiscasset Speedway. Stacy Robey photo

As part of Wiscasset Speedway’s season finale, The Fall Fury, the speedway hosted the Wicked Good touring group. Michaud made the long tow to Wiscasset with the help of Jeff Willette of Presque Isle.

Michaud described the weekend on Facebook saying, “Brought both cars to Wiscasset Speedway today. [There were] eleven early late models on hand.”

“I rolled off sixth, lead 10 or so laps, and when the checkered flag dropped, I finished second.”

“After that was the hobby race. We started eight hobby cars and again I started 6th. I led some laps, had some three-wide racing, and at the end of it,  came home third. Really fun day, after all that’s what it is about.”

“So many people who I need to thank for making this possible. Stacy (Robey), the entire Willette family, Jody Lewis, Keith Smalley, Willettes Automotive, Jody Lewis Property Maintenance , Reny Construction and the great folks at Wiscasset Speedway.”

What does Austin Theriault do in between race dates

A racer through-and-through, Austin Theriault came home to Maine for a few days during the three-week wait before his ARCA Racing Series finale at Kansas Speedway October 20. In addition to admiring horses at Maine’s largest agricultural fair, he worked with his dad, Steve, on their “Ground Pounder II” 4 wheel drive pulling truck which also was competing at the Fryeburg Fair.

Austin Theriault admiring another type of “horsepower” the four-legged kind at the Fryeburg Fair. AT Racing photo

Austin Theriault’s father, Steve’s “Ground Pounder III” being prepared for Fryeburg Fair Truck & Tractor Pulls. The 1997 Ford four-wheel drive Ford is powered by a 647 cubic inch engine. AT Racing photo

At the Fryeburg Fair, Steve Theriault drove his “Ground Pounder II” Ford to a full pull and first place in the finals at one of Maine’s largest truck and tractor pulls. Theriault finished the pull with smoke bailing out of the engine compartment yet was able to win his class.

Austin will back in action in the ARCA Racing Series finale at the Kansas 150 at Kansas Speedway October 20. The race can be viewed on Fox Sports II beginning at 9:30 pm EST.

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