And after 150 laps Floyd Bennett Jr. proves he is the King of the winter enduro.
(with two soft/flat rear tires no less)
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FLOYD BENNETT JR. MAKES HISTORY
WITH INAUGURAL PRE-HANGOVER 150 VICTORY
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It was an absolutely perfect day for the inaugural Pre-Hangover 150 lap enduro at Riverside Speedway in Groveton, New Hampshire, on New Years Eve afternoon. Six inches of fresh snow was packed down on the high banked quarter mile Speedway. The late storm was a blessing as the area enjoyed/un-enjoyed a green Christmas. Temperatures hovering in the mid-thirties, with bright sunshine, attracted over six hundred, hungry for excitement race fans, along with forty-six assorted race vehicles in the pit area. Racing vehicles included pick-up trucks, mini-vans, Lincoln's. Caddies, VW's and a whole lot more. Driver ages ranged from thirteen to sixty-four.
Any non-four wheel drive or all wheel drive vehicles were allowed. No studded tires, chains or traction devices, or added weight was allowed. This made for traction to be very limited for everyone. Many teams were worried about the big rigs blowing away the four cylinders, but those fear went away about twenty laps into the event, when it was obvious that horsepower wasn't anywhere near as necessary as handling.
Heywood Herriott took over the lead after Jerrad Ledger got tangled up with some spinning racers. Ledger's luck continued to sour as he got tangled up in another mess, pretty much ending his day. Chris Caron mounted a challenge around lap thirty, but he slid off the track and lost a couple of valuable laps. Herriott was now being chased by Floyd Bennett Jr.. The pair swapped the lead when Herriott slammed into a pile of spinning cars, bunching up his front end, and sending him pit side. Bennett grabbed the top slot and held off all challengers over the final thirty laps. The victory didn't come easy as Ryan Avery was on a mission and turning in some quick laps. Bennett on the other hand was involved in several skirmishes, and rode around the final twelve laps with both rear tires being flat. Due to attrition Bennett won the race by four laps which was cut down from a seven lap lead. Avery crossed the line second, with Craig Bartlett to his outside finishing in third. Fourth spot went to Trevor Rocke, and Mike Rainville rounded out the top five.
PRE-HANGOVER 150 NOTES:
Denmark, Maine driver, Craig Bartlett, won the trophy for Best Dressed Theme Racer.
Forty-six vehicles entered the race, forty-two started the race and thirteen vehicles were on the track at the completion of the event.
There were hundred of spins and wrecks, but no serious incidents. Five cautions waved for people sitting in dangerous positions or heavy debris on the track.
Two Wildman Auto Daredevil Youth Racers competed in the event. Cody Hodge placed 36th after wrecking in turn four on lap 19. Shawn Swallow had a great run going, but faltered a little at the end after a couple of tangles. He finished a very respectable 16th.
OFFICIAL FINISH: number, name, hometown, # of laps completed
1. 91X FLOYD BENNETT JR. NORTH STRATFORD, NH 150
2. 01 RYAN AVERY THORNTON, NH 146
3. 91 CRAIG BARTLETT DENMARK, MAINE 146
4. 63 TREVOR ROCKE WHITE RIVER JCT., VT 144
5. 22 MIKE RAINVILLE LITTLETON, NH 141
6. 55 JAMIE SWALLOW JR. STARK, NH 138
7. 1 PAUL HODGE ORLEANS, VT 137
8. 53 STEVE ALLENDER LIMERICK, MAINE 136
9. 94 ROLAND BIGELOW DANVILLE, VT 136
10. 32 CHRIS CARON GROVETON, NH 132
11. 52 JOE PRALICZ S. PORTLAND, MAINE 130
12. 340 JASON LEGENDRE GORHAM, NH 125
13. 11 CHRIS SHANNON GROVETON, NH 124
14. 37 PRESTON MOSHER GORHAM, NH 123
15. 47 KEVIN WHITTUM DALTON, NH 121
16. 04 SHAWN SWALLOW STARK, NH 112
17. 21 MIKE TWIST LYMAN, MAINE 111
18. 74 DAN SYDNEY ST. JOHNSBURY, VT 105
19. 70 HEYWOOD HERRIOTT BERLIN, NH 104
20. 64 GEOFF LOPUS LISBON, NH 95
21. 1098 TINA HEYWARD S. RYEGATE, VT 78
22. 1096 JAMEY BURBO NEWARK, VT 65
23. 41 JEFF AINSWORTH BETHLEHEM, NH 56
24. 69 LAVIS MAHER LANCASTER, NH 55
25. 00X SCOTT MORRISON THORNTON, NH 47
26. 15 JON BELIVEAU GROVETON, NH 46
27. 18 SEAN AKERS N. WOODSTOCK, NH 45
28. 27X ARIC COLE LANCASTER, NH 34
29. 20 CHARLIE ROCKWELL ORLEANS, VT 33
30. 7 PATRICK THORNE STANDISH, MAINE 33
31. 88X MATT PEPIN MEREDITH, NH 33
32. 68 CAGHY HATCH GORHAM, NH 32
33. 88 JERRAD LEDGER GROVETON, NH 31
34. 20X JOSEPH THOMPSON CAMPTON, NH 28
35. 49 WILBER BLAKE WOODSVILLE, NH 19
36. 99 CODY HODGE ORLEANS, VT 19
37. 40 ERNEST HODGKINS NORTHWOOD, NH 9
38. 43 JERRY CROMPTON STARK, NH 8
39. 1033 SHIRILYN MATTHANS E. MONTPELIER, VT 7
40. 78 RYAN NOLIN GEORGIA, VT 5
41. 57 DAVID MARCOTTE CANAAN, NH 0
42. 0 GREG SESSIONS OXFORD, MAINE 0
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