Canaan Fair Speedway race notes 2004-10-10

1st Annual Winged Weekend at Canaan a Success

Canaan, NH: In May, ISG Racing LLC and the management team at the Canaan Fair Speedway announced that they would host a sprint car weekend for fans in the Northeast. The Fall Foliage Winged Weekend in New England went off this past weekend with nearly 120 competitors in the pits. Competitors came from around the country. More than a dozen states were represented as well as two entries from Canada. Many of the racers rolled in early on Friday to take advantage of the 4-hour practice session.

When racing action kicked off on Saturday with five divisions on the program for the Canaan fans, many teams, unfamiliar with the track, hoped that they had the right set-up for the tricky quarter-mile.

Boyd Wolff of Martinsville, IN inherited the lead from Jared Fink of Germantown, NY in the 1200 Sprint division just after halfway. Fink had the field covered until that point. He had caught the tail end of the field in just six laps and looked to be unstoppable. Fink went high around traffic coming off of turn four and made hard contact with the wall ending his chance for the win. When the field resumed, Wolff was solid for the remainder of 'A' Main. Rick Hench of Newport, PA finished second followed by Edward Baillargeon of East Hampton, CT, Jeremy Quick, and Paul Corazzo Jr.

Hench was runner-up on Sunday's 30-lap 'A' Main for the 1200s. Rich Wood Jr. of Enfield, CT just held Hench off at the checkers. Quick, Fink, and Corazzo rounded out the top five. Hench is the overall champion for the 1200 Sprints.

Tim Smallidge of Rochester, NY took the lead from Ryan Preece of Berlin,CT in Saturday's 600 Sprint division on lap 5 and held on for the win. Shawn Lawler of Mason, NH finished second followed by Mitch Griswold, Troy Boissoneau of Bedford, NH, and Brian Tillson of Meredith, NH. Lawler, Boissoneau and Tillson are all regular competitors in the Granite State Mini Sprint Racing Club (GSMSRC).

On Sunday, Jay Coppo of Troy, NH won the 600-Main. Tillson has another top five in Sunday followed by Smallidge in third. Jody Tripp of Tiverton, RI turned in a solid performance with his fourth place run. Anthony Warren of Shoreham, VT rounded out the top five. Smallidge is the overall weekend champion.

Marc Guerard of Wethersfield, CT flat out dominated with 750 Sprints. Matt McLeod started on the pole, but couldn't hold of Guerard on a lap 4 restart. McLeod kept pace until lap 8 when Anthony Montessi of Roxbury, CT moved to second. Guerard stretched his lead lap after lap until the checkers flew. Montessi maintained second followed by Kyle Spencer of Montgomery, MA, McLeod, and Bubba Broderick rounding out the top five.

Guerard backed Saturday's win up with a win on Sunday when he almost lapped the entire field. Montessi had another second place finish which was not enough to at least tie with Guerard in the weekend championship race. Montessi and McLeod put on a great battle for position while Spencer and Jack Walts battled for fourth. At the checkers, it was Guerard, Montessi, McLeod, Spencer and Walts in the top five.

Dave Morgan of Woburn, MA started Saturday's main event for the 500 Sprints in the sixth position. By lap seven he caught the leader. Morgan never looked back as his way to the win over Lowbed Johnson of Arlington, MA. John Duggan finished third followed by Joe Stopyro and Daniel Stopyro rounding out the top five. The 500s twenty-four car field was the largest of the season when competing at the Canaan Fair Speedway. GSMSRC provided large support to the division by sponsoring every lap of the feature.

The large field returned to action on Sunday and a charged up Brandon Caron of Merrimack, NH claimed the win with a late race charge. Dave Morgan finished second and clinched the weekend overall championship. Dick Bonner of Derry finished third followed by Troy Boissoneau, and Lowbed Johnson rounding out the top five.

In the Superior Race Parts 250/270 Sprint division, Aaron Wall of Shrewsbury, MA won both of the weekend's features and the overall championship. Rich McKay of Washington, NJ turned in two top fives with his venture North with a fifth on Saturday and a second on Sunday. Wall's younger brother William finish third on Saturday and had to drop out of the race on Sunday. Tim Bertrand was in the hunt for both races but came of shy with a second place finish on Saturday and a third on Sunday.

Mike Kondrat of the Lakes Region came in on Sunday with the full-size 360 sprints. Though a late addition to the Fall Foliage event, the division put on good show for the fans in their 20-lap feature.

On Monday morning, ISG Racing and the Canaan Fair Speedway management team announced that the show was a success for a first year effort and the national event will return in 2005.

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