Twin 10

22 ON TAP -TWIN STATE SPEEDWAY

It was a double header weekend for the Star Tour on August 13^th and 14^th. Twin State Speedway in Claremont NH was the first stop for the tour. On August 13^th Star rolled into Twin State Speedway with 22 cars on tap. The day began with warm ups for the tour from 3:30 till 5:30. Race Director Mary Lima coordinated 15- minute intervals for the tour by putting the sportsmen out for the first 15 minutes and then followed by the modifieds for their 15 minutes. This went on for the 2 hours of warm ups. The warm ups worked great as the cars got plenty of time to warm up with their divisions instead of having all the cars warming up together. Once warm ups were over it was time for Star’s Annual Picnic, which is held at Twin State Speedway every year. The members brought food of all sorts. The tables were filled with food from one end to the other. Steak, chicken, meatballs, pizza, hamburgers, hotdogs, salads, pies, deserts of all kinds. It was nice to see owner Dennis Fleury and his complete staff join the Star group for the picnic. It was a great time with a lot of laughs from the members and the speedway officials. Sometimes it nice to just lay back and enjoy good food, good company with laughs, jokes and stories. Star would like to thank the members who brought the great dishes to share with the other members. No one went hungry that day! Then it was off to racing as Star was in for two heats and two features for the evening show. The first heat to roll out was the Sportsmen heat. Ron DaRos from Ct in his #33 sedan and Skip Stearns from NH in his #0 Nova, cat and mouse from lap to lap until on the last lap Robert Harless from NY in his #8 sedan clipped under Stearns and DaRos and stole the heat win on the last turn and only by inches. Then the modifieds hit the track for their heat race. Charlie Grassie from Ma in his #99 Pinto flew out like a greyhound and was not looking back. The pack was closing in on him but Grassie was not going to give this win up! It was a fight to the end but when the checkered flag came down it was Grassie to his first win with the tour and I have to say he earned this one! A congratulation goes out to Charlie Grassie on his first win with Star. It was great to see the excitement in the pits as the drivers laughed and discussed the heats and I knew these guys were pumped up for this evening , oh what was the features going to bring. The sportsmen were brought out for their 15-lap feature. Gary Moore from NH in the 7X and Joe Keefner from Ma in his #99 lead the pack till the half way mark. Then Buzz Hankey from Ma in his #13 a 1955 Chevy drove to the front to take the lead. Stearns and Moore battled for second, but out of nowhere came Gerry DaRos from Ct in his #333 Pinto to overcome Moore and battle for second with Stearns. DaRos was a pleasant surprise because for most of the season has been having trouble with his car and unable to finish, but tonight was different story. When the checkered came down it was Buzz Hankey in the #13 to take the sportsmen feature win for the tour that evening. Stearns in the #0 held down the second position with DaRos in the #333 finishing the pack off with a third place. The top three were brought to Victory Lane for presentations of trophies, pictures and autographs. It was time for the modifieds to hit the track for their 15-lap feature. George Powers announcer for Twin State and Canaan Speedways did his famous on track start and if you know George he is the “King” of the on track starts. No one does it like George. George stands in the middle of the track and flags the modifieds on. George has been doing this with Star for years now but it is always an exciting moment. The crowd cheered him on as he jumps up and waves the flag to the modifieds as they zoom pass him on both sides. Twelve modifieds running side by side, bumper to bumper for lap after lap, it was a picture from the past of the great open wheel modifieds and how they really ran. Finally with a few laps to go the pack started to single file out and the passing began. Jamie Ferland from NH in his #194 Pinto in the lead with Darryl Dutch from RI in his #6 coupe making his way from the middle of the pack to second spot with the rest of the pack now breathing down on them. The checkered flag came down and it was Ferland in the #194 to take the modified win for the tour that evening. Darryl Dutch in the #6 finished with a second and Charlie Gassie by the skin of his teeth topped off the pack with a third. I have to say what a great race this was as the fans cheered them on. The winner of the modifieds Jamie Ferland stayed on the track and the sportsmen feature winner Buzz Hankey joined him for a out of car interview. Then the top three winners of the modified division were brought to Victory Lane for a presentation of trophies, pictures and autographs. Star would like to thank Twin State Speedway for a great night of racing.

Star's Annual Picnic Twin State Speedway STAR Drivers

Sportsmen Heat Just Before Harless Steals Win		Robert Harless Sportsmen Heat Winner

The Pack Was Closing In - Grassie Refuse To Give Up Win		Charles Grassie Modified Heat Winner
TOP THREE SPORTSMEN WINNERS - FEATURE RACE - TWIN STATE SPEEDWAY

Buzz Hankey Takes Feature Win	Skip Stearns Takes 2nd Place		Gerry DaRos Takes 3rd Place
TOP THREE MODIFIED WINNERS - FEATURE RACE - TWIN STATE SPEEDWAY

Jamie Ferland Takes Feature Win	Darryl Dutch Takes 2nd Place		Charles Grassie Takes 3rd Place