Graniteville driver tops Brent Dragon by four
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KYLE MARTEL/TIMES ARGUS |
Toolbox
By TOM HERZIG CORRESPONDENT - Published: October 5, 2009
BARRE TOWN – John Donahue came up golden in Thunder Road's 50th Anniversary season finale, winning the 47th Chittenden Milk Bowl Sunday. The Graniteville driver finished 3rd, 9th and 5th in the Milk Bowl's three 50-lap segments, which gave him an event total of 17 points, four better than runner-up Brent Dragon (1st, 10th, 11th).
Donahue and Dragon began the final 50-lap segment side-by-side in the seventh row as the low-score leaders, a point apart from Scott Payea (12th, 5th) three rows farther back. What soon unfolded with $10,000 on the line was four of the fiercest laps of the year as drivers showed no hesitation in contesting track position three-wide in places that seldom allow it.
Donahue, running just ahead of Dragon, touched the rear bumper of Eric Chase in turn one on lap 14 and backed off. It was the last time he would lift until he was swigging milk and kissing the Milk Bowl Ayrshire queen in victory lane.
As Jean-Paul Cyr, Chip Grenier and Joey Polewarczyk broke away from the pack to lead the third segment, Donahue, about to get pinned in lapped traffic, dropped down into the low line just ahead of Dragon. Dragon returned the favor one lap later. The action continued for three more laps before the jousting sent Dragon to the top of turn three as Payea and Dave Whitcomb flew off it and into the styrofoam barriers.
"It got a little rough there for a while," Donahue said. "I was playing it smart in the first two segments. Then it was time to take the gloves off. This is the Milk Bowl. It's not like a regular Thursday night."
"The third segment began to get rough about halfway through," Dragon said. "We got the rear end knocked out and that messed the car up. I had to just ride it out after that, which was too bad because I had a good car. At the start he (Donahue) was on the inside, I was on the outside and the outside was a little slower. That's the luck of the draw. It's everybody for themselves at the end of the Milk Bowl. That's just the way it is."
Dragon drove underneath Nick Sweet on lap six and led the rest of the first 50-lap segment. He was able to run high or low with equal ease and began lapping cars on lap 30. No one else could overtake Sweet.
Donahue, driving the Army National Guard No. 26, won a lengthy duel with Polewarczyk to finish third. Dave Pembroke stayed on the bottom to claim fifth. Phil Scott finished a bumper ahead of Eric Williams for sixth. Cyr improved five spots from 13th to 8th.
Wayne Helliwell Jr. of Dracut, Mass., won the second segment handily after some early challenges from Whitcomb. Tyler Cahoon, Tony Andrews, Brian Hoar and Payea were next in line.
Polewarczyk's Milk Bowl bid came apart with seven laps left in segment two when he tried to tuck down low in front of Matt White, didn't quite clear him, cutting a tire and spinning out. He wound up fourth, two points behind Williams. Williams placed third over-all with 26 points (7th, 15th, 4th). Hoar completed the top five.
"This means so much to me, I don't know how to describe it," Donahue said. "I wanted it so bad. Now I get to have my name up there on the third monument as a Milk Bowl winner."
Eighteen year-old Jimmy Hebert of Williamstown earned the NAPA Tiger Sportsman championship with a 13th-place finish. Hebert entered the day eight points behind Pete Ainsworth, who failed to qualify for the50-lap feature. Shawn Fleury of Middlesex, also driving a Army National Guard-sponsored car, won the race. Jason Corliss, just up from the Street Stock division, was second. Derrick O'Donnell was third.
"This is 10 times better than I thought it would be," Hebert beamed in victory lane. "I want to thank my crew, all the fans, my sponsors, Lowrey's Auto sales and Hebert Excavation, and Donny Gove for his karting program, which is where I got my start."
Tommy "Thunder" Smith celebrated his 40th birthday by taking the Allen Lumber Street Stock feature to become the winningest Street Stock driver all-time (20)at Thunder Road. Mike Martin was second. Danny Doyle was third. Gary Mullen of Tunbridge became the 2009 Street Stock champion. Ken Christman of Cabot won the Power Shift Online Warrior event. Donnie Yates of North Montpelier had already clnched the Warrior championship.
Thunder Road
Chittenden Milk Bowl
(Start)
1. John Donahue Graniteville (5)
2. Brent Dragon Milton (3)
3. Eric Williams Hyde Park (7)
4. Joey Polewarczyk, Hudson, NH (2)
5. Brian Hoar Wiiliston (18)
6. Dave Pembroke Montpelier (4)
7. Jamie Fisher Shelburne (8)
8. Nick Sweet Barre (1)
9. Joey Laquerre E Montpelier (6)
10.Chip Grenier Graniteville (9)
11.Jean-Paul Cyr Milton(13)
12.Phil Scott Montpelier (11)
Joey Doiron Berwick, ME
12.Phil Scott Montpelier (11)
13.Scott Payea Milton (12)
14.Brad Leighton Ctr Harbor, NH (14)
15.Tyler Cahoon St Johnsbury (15)
16.Glen Luce Turner, ME (19)
17. Tony Andrews Northfield (23)
18.Wayne Helliwell Jr. Dracut, MA (25)
19.Joey Doiron, Berwick, ME (10)
20.Quinten Welch Lancaster, NH (24)
21. Matt White Northfield (21)
22.Chad Wheeler, Waterbury (30)
23.Mark Hayward Unity, NH (27)
24.Mike Olsen No. Haverhill, NH (22)
25.Eric Chase Milton (29)
26. Joe Becker Jeffersonville (28)
27. Pete Potvin III Graniteville (20)
28.Rich Lowrey Charlotte (16)
29.Mike Bailey Barre (17)
30.Dave Whitcomb Essex Jct (26)