THE JUICE: Kissing Cows Is Kind Of A Big Deal
Posted By Justin St. Louis On October 1, 2011
Categories: The Juice
PHOTO: It might look funny, but it's something every racer would gladly do: Smooch a bossy at the Milk Bowl. (Leif Tillotson photos)
-by Justin St. Louis
VMM Editor
So it’s Milk Bowl time I guess. Not sure if you’ve heard or not. It’s kind of a big deal.
I’ve had the same discussion with various people for years about the importance of this race in the general landscape of short track stock car racing. Invariably, it comes back around to “Sure, it’s a big race… in Vermont,” or “It’s not the Oxford 250.”
Those arguments are probably valid, but I’ve got the same opinion about “big” races all over the country. Depending on where you are in the Midwest, nothing holds a candle to the Winchester 400 in Indiana or the Slinger Nationals in Wisconsin. In the South it’s the Snowball Derby in Florida or the once-great All-American 400 in Nashville. Up here it’s the Milk Bowl or the 250.
It’s all opinion, so who cares? No, the Milk Bowl isn’t the Oxford 250. But the Oxford 250 isn’t the Milk Bowl, either. They’re completely different races at completely different tracks in front of two very different fan bases. If you get right down to it, the Labor Day Classic 200 -- at the very same place, Thunder Road -- is nothing like the Milk Bowl, either.
Short track purists hate the Milk Bowl. They hate the Monza-style segment racing, they hate full-field inversions, and they hate the scoring. They’re glad to watch a race at Thunder Road, but they’d rather see the Governor’s Cup 100 or the Merchants Bank 150 or Labor Day. That’s fine.
Those of us who have been around Thunder Road forever love the Milk Bowl for all the same reasons the purists can’t stand it. We not only love the Milk Bowl itself, we embrace its format as a way to run Street Stock races or a six-lap Junkyard Warrior feature or an American-Canadian Tour race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. That’s just because we’re used to it. If we were from the South, we’d probably love time trials and single-file, heads-up starts in every division.
Personally, I like something about every big event I watch, no matter what division is running, what the track surface is, or whether the cars have fenders or not, but I love the tradition of the Milk Bowl more than any other race at any other track. Seriously, we’ve been kissing cows up here for almost a half-century -- on purpose! If you win that race and have your name on a list with guys like Crouch, Dion, Cabana, Lindley, Dennis, McCabe, Hoar, Cyr, Scott, Hanaford, and Ingerson, you’ve done something you can hang your hat on.
I love the feeling of walking through the pits on Sunday morning at the Milk Bowl, when the fog is still heavy over the trees, and when you can tell who’s qualified and who’s running the “B” feature just by the sounds you hear. I love the strategy teams use with tires throughout the weekend -- “Should we change right-sides before the first segment, or wait until the third?” I love watching the take-no-prisoners driving style that a typically smooth and patient racer uses just this one time each year when he’s in the running for the overall win but needs to pick up three spots in two laps. God help me, I even love the drama of the time trials on Saturday.
Some folks could take or leave the Milk Bowl. I guess, if I had to, I could take or leave everything else.
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There isn’t much to say about the ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway besides “Wow.”
I suggested in the Times Argus and Rutland Herald last week -- after hearing it from some competitors -- that perhaps the ACT Late Models are too fast at the ‘Magic Mile’ and that perhaps drivers were becoming too comfortable and willing to make high-speed, high-risk moves in traffic.
I’m glad I said that those theories were all rubbish, too.
You can’t ask for better, harder, or more respectful racing -- hello, four-wide? -- on a “boring” superspeedway than that. Congratulations to everyone that took part in that race. What a show.
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Yes, we’re still keeping watch on Devil’s Bowl, folks. No news yet.
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Speaking of the TD Bank 250 up at Maine’s Oxford Plains Speedway, the date for the 2012 edition was set this week at July 22, which again coincides with the annual summer break in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule.
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Bear Ridge Speedway over in Bradford had an outstanding year. Maybe I’ve got a little bias since I’m the announcer there, but it’s impossible to ignore how the place has exploded in just three years.
In 2008, the Modified feature had six cars. This year there were more than that in each of the three heats every week.
There are some kids racing there that need to have a chance at a career behind the wheel. I’m convinced that Adam Pierson, Kevin Chaffee, and Joe Krawiec -- each a veteran at this point but still not 30 years old -- could drive any car anywhere and win.
Jordan Fornwalt was a joy to watch this year as he developed. Four wins at 14 years old -- in his first season on dirt and first season in a V8 -- is no joke.
Danny Douville and Chris Donnelly should be running for national championships.
Josh Harrington and Gene Pierson may not get along all that well, but they need each other on that track, and so do the fans. That Coupe show wouldn’t be half as entertaining without them.
And good lord, the pizza is awesome.
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RESULTS:
American-Canadian Tour: Nick Sweet of Barre was the runner-up in last Saturday’s ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., with Williston’s Brian Hoar sixth. Eddie MacDonald of Rowley, Mass., was the winner.
Bear Ridge Speedway (Bradford, Vt.): Track champion Adam Pierson of Fairlee won last Saturday’s 50-lap DIRTcar Sportsman Modified feature over Vince Quenneville, Jr., of Brandon and Chris Donnelly of Piermont, N.H. Terry Williams of Wells River won the Sportsman Coupe feature over Jason Horniak of Bradford and Gene Pierson of East Corinth, and Josh Harrington of Topsham won the championship. Jordan Fornwalt of Bradford took the fourth win of his rookie year in the Limited Late Model feature over Ryan Christian of Canaan, N.H., and Bradford’s Tyler Stygles, who also clinched the championship. Travis Hull of Graniteville won his third consecutive Fast Four race over Barre’s Danny Doyle and St. Johnsbury rookie Bobby Bell, and Kevin Harran of St. Johnsbury won the championship. Eric Lang of Groton won his 11th Hornet feature of the year over Bradford’s Tom Placey and Charlie Lakin of Groton, and Lang won the championship.
Canaan Dirt Speedway (Canaan, N.H.): Friday’s races were rained out and postponed.
Pro All Stars Series: Scott Dragon of Colchester finished 13th in the PASS Super Late Model National Championship 150 at White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, N.H., last Saturday, with St. Johnsbury’s Steven Legendre 21st. D.J. Shaw of Center Conway, N.H., was the winner.
Sprint Cars of New England: Kevin Chaffee of Fairlee finished sixth in last Saturday’s season finale at Bear Ridge Speedway in Bradford, with rookie Will Hull of East Montpelier seventh. Rookie Tyler Rich of Lyme, N.H., was the winner, and Dan Douville of Bridgewater, N.H., won the series championship. Chris Donnelly of Piermont, N.H., claimed the Bear Ridge track championship.
USAC Dirt Midget Association: Kevin Chaffee of Fairlee finished third in last Saturday’s two-segment race at Bear Ridge Speedway in Bradford. Scott Holcomb of Granby, Conn., was the winner.
White Mountain Motorsports Park (North Woodstock, N.H.): Michael Moore of East Haven was the Tiger Sportsman runner-up last Saturday. Bradford’s Lucas Wheeler was the Strictly Stock runner-up with Brandon Albee of Newbury third and Barton drivers Shane Sicard and Jody Sicard fourth and fifth. Wheeler was named the Rookie of the Year. Desirae Sicard of Barton finished fourth in the Strictly Stock Mini race with Lisa Hodgdon of Orleans fifth and Derby’s Kyle Willis seventh. Willis captured the championship and Hodgdon was the Rookie of the Year. Irasburg’s Mark Puffer finished second in the Kids Truck feature with Amanda Wheeler of Bradford third.
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COMING UP:
Saturday, October 1
Oxford Plains Speedway (Oxford, Me.) -- Pro All Stars Series 150 -- 1:00pm
Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl (Barre, Vt.) -- Booth Bros./H.P. Hood Qualifying Day -- 1:30pm
Sunday, October 2
Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl (Barre, Vt.) -- 49th annual People’s United Bank Milk Bowl -- 1:00pm