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Tom Fecteau



 

August 20th, 2009
The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of, well, you know – 08/20/09

With our SST Modifieds resting comfortably, it was time for the Epic Ventures team to lend a hand to our associate members and friends. Our "Pit Boss" James Steingraber has been giving a regular helping hand to our Chassis Advisor Kris Hillegeer and the #18 Street Stock. Our Chief Mechanic Doug Cheetham has been providing motor advice and a helping hand under the hood. Naturally, each of us has added some help wherever possible as Kris continues being competitive in his rookie season.

Also receiving a lot of team attention was Jody London and his #89 SST Modified. After a thorough chassis analysis and some engineering changes, we were all anticipating a best ever showing from "Gater Boy". Tom's garage roommate in Syracuse, Doug Reaume, was ready for action in his #14 ROC Modified and the 100 lap special that had all the fans excited.

The heat races were a bit of a struggle as no one would receive any bonus points. Kris had trouble finding a handle on his mount and slipped back to a 4th place finish. Jody had trouble finding a comfortable rhythm with the new set up and finished 5th and Doug Reaume was crashed in to hard resulting in lots of front end damage including the steering box. Now the big race was on, could Doug's regular crew get things fixed in time as they were parked in the infield and we were in the regular pits.

The Street Stock feature would be up first and Kris was able to hang on to his outside front row starting spot and after 2 tough laps, take the lead. Kris would never be challenged as he would maintain a comfortable lead over Steve Malin on a caution free night. Kris was thankful to the many people and sponsors that have helped along the way. We joined Kris and his family and friends from the grandstands for a great big "Family Sized" victory lane photo.

The ROC race was next and Tom spent time in Doug Reaume's pits as they were completing an amazing job of rebuilding a pretty busted up race car. Doug would run a conservative race after starting in the back. The #14 ran with Pete Brittain and Tony Hirshman as they bided their time and as the first 50 laps clicked off, they were all gaining on the main field. A caution bunched up the field a almost everyone came down for a new tire to complete the final 45 laps. The following restart saw cars darting and diving to quickly grab an advantage and on the next lap, cars up front would bang together, others would spin and the next batch of fast cars had no where to go but in each other. Doug spun to avoid the mess and someone behind him clipped the front end and that would end Doug's day. Although the damage looked repairable, it was decided to not risk the failure of any fatigued parts. Doug was naturally disappointed in his finish but was proud of what his 3 man crew accomplished not just repairing the heat race damage but giving him a good driving car as well.

The evening concluded with a standard 35 lap main for the Weekly (SST) Modifieds. Jody would start mid pack, driving hard from his outside position. A fellow competitor spun and suddenly Jody was spun around as well (a possible victim of a fellow competitor not noticing the dangers ahead). Jody would pit to check damages and quickly returned to the battle. Jody worked his way back through the field hovering around the 10th and 11th place positions. Jody was holding his own yet pushing the car to its limits. Suddenly, with about 10 laps to go the rear end slid out and Jody would end up in the turn two fence and enough damage to the radiator to force him pit-side. Much like Doug's scenario, Jody had lots to give him thanks for and the realization of what might have been.

For the official write up, click here Spencer Speedway Report 081509. We also want to recognize Ryan Hillegeer for another fine run in the Super Six class.

We are finishing up preparations for the second SST 100 lap event and focusing on the goal of a top competitive finish. You should click here to read about a special announcement that affects this week's race. EVMG Press release 08-18-09

Enjoy, and we will see you at Spencer this Friday.


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