N. WOODSTOCK, N.H. – Following heat race qualifying for the action-packed Fall Foliage program at White Mountain Motorsports Park, the PASS Modifieds got Saturday’s feature racing started.
Dan Brown led Zach Nicholson at the onset in their 50-lap main event with Chanler Harrison pulling up to third in the early circuits. The back half of the top-10 saw plenty of fender-banging action with Brandon Varney battling Ryan Hewins and Zach Bowie for position. Varney made the jump to the outside lane and found himself in third looking for more under Nicholson with 10 laps remaining.
Fighting wheel to wheel with Brown, the two made heavy contact in turn- two, shooting Varney up the track before Varney returned the favor in turn four to bring out the lap 48 yellow. Setting up the green-white-checkered between Varney and Nicholson was initially short lived, with a backstretch stack-up sending Hewins and Harrison around and ending Harrison’s day. Varney would power on to the win followed by Zach Nicholson and Spencer Morse charging his way up to third. Morse’s apparent podium finish would be denied in post-race technical inspection giving Zach Bowie the third-place run.
Mike Mayberry and Dave Duggan brought the New England Supermodified Series (NESS) showdown to green in their 50-lap main event on Fall Foliage Saturday. Duggan launched into the early lead with Matt Swanson quickly pulling up to his rear bumper as defending champion Dan Bowes began to reel them in from a distant third. Swanson used the threat of lap traffic ahead to motor into the lead around Duggan at the halfway point with Bowes following close behind. Matt Swanson would nail down the win in the caution-free, nine-minute event with Dan Bowes and Bobby Timmons climbing into a podium finish.
The PASS Super Late Model Fall Foliage 150 got its start under the leadership of Austin Teras. Teras powered the Cushman Competition machine to a growing lead before a strong-running Jimmy Hebert entered the picture. Hebert seemed content to ride it out early in their 150-lap marathon but Trevor Sanborn and Johnny Clark began to bear down on the leaders. Clark quickly powered his way by Sanborn and Teras while Hebert read the writing on the wall and took the lead on lap 26. Calamity struck on lap 38 for Ryan Green as Cole Robie made a three-wide move entering turn one that went foul as he, Green and Kyle Salemi motored off turn two and squeezed hard into the backstretch wall. Green took the brunt of it all, nearly rolling over as the contact stripped all body panels off his chassis and Robie was subsequently parked for the remainder of the event by PASS officials.
Hebert maintained the restart lead over Sanborn with Joey Doiron, Rusty Poland and DJ Shaw entering the top-five around Johnny Clark before slowing once again for an expired engine under the hood of Dennis Spencer in on lap 52. Jimmy Hebert kept tabs at the front of the field until lap 94 when Clark, after stalking him for 40 laps, finally made his move underneath to secure the lead. Derek Griffith would use a similar move nearly 30-laps later to take over the top spot with the two having a hard-fought battle to the very end! Derek Griffith would take the edge and claim the Fall Foliage 150 win over Johnny Clark with Jimmy Hebert holding on to claim third overall.
Twinning with the green-on-black combination, Derby Line long haulers Nate Hamblett and Kyle Willis brought the Flying Tigers to green. The two remained side-by-side through the early laps before Ryan Field called out the first caution on lap 7 in the No. 77VT. Brandon Gray used the restart re-rack to take the lead over Willis on lap 12 and never looked back en-route to his 13th win of the year and clinched the season-long championship with the point lead one week early. Luke Peters and Shane Sicard rounded out the podium.
Bryan Wall Jr. and Erick Sands brought the American-Canadian Tour to green for the 46th running of the Fall Foliage 200 with Joey Polewarczyk and Flying Tiger champion Brandon Gray in tow. Sands immediately took charge at the head of the pack with Wall and Jamie Swallow Jr. following close behind. Charging from an eighth-place starting spot, Gabe Brown claimed the lead around Sands on lap 27 and made hay at the head of the field. The first major caution saw Tom Carey III and Justin Prescott land hard in the turn three tire wall on lap 56, ending both their runs early.
The next caution for the spinning Philippe Poulin in turn four saw top runners Brown, Kaiden Fisher, D.J. Shaw and Alexendre Tardif, among others, jump pit side for fuel, tires and adjustments. Brown maintained a torrid pace through the field, slowed only by a pair of quick-spin cautions before he returned to the lead around Bryan Wall Jr. on lap 137. In dominant fashion, the newly-crowned Platinum Series champion Gabe Brown kept his foot planted in the firewall to lead the final 64r laps and take his first American-Canadian Tour win of the season and his first Fall Foliage 200. Kasey Beattie kept it lean and clean all night long to take second place with Quebec’s Alexendre Tardif taking third.
The Mini Late Models rounded out Saturday’s super program with Kevin Boucher and Tim Paquette fighting side-by-side under the green flag. Boucher led the way, going on the defensive with Nick Miller hot-to-trot behind him. Miller nabbed the lead on lap 16 and never looked back to take his second win of the season in the Mini Late Model ranks with rookie Chris Moulton in second and former champion Nick Anderson rounding out the podium in the caution-free showdown.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
(local competitors)
American-Canadian Tour
17. 01VT, Stephen Martin, Craftsbury Common, Vt.
Flying Tigers – (35 Laps)
6. 23VT, Matt Potter, Marshfield, Vt.
7. 23NC, Chandler Potter, Plainfield, Vt.
10. 77VT, Ryan Field, Wolcott, Vt.
