Donahue Turns WMMP Season Around With SpringBoard 100 Win
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N. Woodstock, NH -- Graniteville, VT's John Donahue finally turned around a miserable start to his White Mountain Motorsports Park season with a victory in the Sanel NAPA SpringBoard 100 on Saturday, May 29. "Irish John" grabbed the lead off the outside pole from rookie Laci Potter and fended off young charger Matthew Morrill down the stretch for his first win of the season.
For Donahue, a 16-time Late Model winner at Vermont's Thunder Road, it was his first Late Model win at White Mountain since 2011. The veteran had previously captured two ACT Late Model Tour events at the track along with multiple Flying Tiger victories.
Although he led most of the event, Donahue's triumph was anything but a walk in the park. After a spin by Reilly Lanphear a lap into the event, Donahue had immediate company, with reigning champion Stacy Cahoon, Morrill, and rookie Kasey Beattie mixing it up at the front.
A quartet of cautions between laps 22 and 32 kept the field bunched up and the action hot. As Donahue continued to parry Morrill's every move, Ryan Olsen, Quinny Welch, Peyton Lanphear, and others entered the frame, with no less than 11 drivers having a shot as the race hit halfway.
Welch, however, would be felled on a lap-52 restart from Oren Remick's incident, as the eight-time champion looped it out of the fifth-spot. Cahoon then made his move, taking second from Morrill on the restart and then poking a radiator cap on front on lap 58 after another caution.
But Donahue was too strong for them all. He retook the lead from Cahoon on lap 60, then survived the ninth and final caution of the event with 17 circuits remaining. When the dust settled, it was the veteran standing in Victory Lane by 0.221 seconds over Morrill.
Moultonborough, NH's Morrill matched the best finish of his Late Model career with a second-place finish. Duxbury, VT's Peyton Lanphear had the race of her life, taking third from Cahoon on the final restart and earning her first podium result. St. Johnsbury's Beattie also got around Cahoon late for fourth place. Jimmy Renfrew Jr., Marshall, Olsen, Erick Sands, and Zacary Fraser completed the back half of the top-10.
Barton, VT's Shane Sicard became the first two-time winner on the season in the Wells River Chevrolet Flying Tigers. Sicard started the night by coming from eighth on the grid to take the checkered flag in the first of two 25-lap segments. The three-time defending champion beat Matthew Potter and Ryan Ware to the finish line in a caution-free race.
After the field was inverted for the second segment, Sicard again carved his way through the field. He was up to fifth when his brother Jody Sicard and Tanner Woodard tangled fighting for the second spot with eight laps to go. Although Shane couldn't get around point leader Jason Woodard and Ware on the track, his combined score of four points gave him the overall win.
Waterbury Center, VT's Woodard won the second segment after finishing fourth in the first segment, giving him second place overall after a tiebreaker with Ware. Potter and Jody Sicard rounded out the top-5.
Littleton, NH's Todd Derrington nipped fellow Littleton racer in photo finish for the Woodsville Guaranty Savings Bank Strictly Stock Mini's. Derrington started third for the 25-lap feature and grabbed the lead from rookie Brendan Clark on lap 4. After the event's lone caution on lap 9 when Clark and Luke Shannon , Derrington led a four-car shootout with Jillian Baumgardner, Thompson, and rookie Donnie Baumgardner in hot pursuit.
Thompson finally cleared Jillian Baumgardner for second with three laps to go and set his sights on Derrington. The third-year phenom got alongside the leader on the final lap, and Derrington beat him to the line by just 0.014 seconds for his first win of the year.
Despite getting edged out for the victory, Thompson still padded his point lead with his fourth straight podium finish to start the year. North Woodstock, NH's Jillian Baumgardner had a career-best third-place effort followed closely by her dad Donnie. Reigning champion Brett Jackson, Mike Smith, Scott Senecal, Jack Hayes, Keri Driscoll, and Chris Moulton finished 5th through 10th.
Barton, VT's Damion Sicard won the 15-lap Dads 4 By Tool & Supply Kids Truck feature in the second photo finish of the night. Logan "The Cone Eater" Farnsworth took the initial lead off the outside pole from Dominic Warren, but Sicard -- the nephew of Flying Tiger winner Shane -- was on him like a shadow.
The young bucks went at it the whole way, with Farnsworth keeping position one for the first 14 circuits. Sicard gave it one more bid at the checkered flag, and the result was a finish too close to call. After a scoring review, Sicard was declared the winner by a few inches over Farnsworth. Thomas Smithers VI, Owen Rogers, and Warren completed the top-five.
White Mountain Motorsports Park has a full card of championship action this Saturday, June 5 at 6:00pm. The Foley Oil & Propane Late Models, Wells River Chevrolet Flying Tigers, Woodville Guaranty Savings Bank Strictly Stock Mini's, Arnold's Wayside Diner Dwarf Cars, and Dads 4 By Tool & Supply Kids Trucks are all on the schedule along with the annual appearance of the New England Antique Racers. Admission is $12 for adults, $3 for kids ages 6-12, and $25 for a family of four (2 adults, 2 kids).
For more information, contact the White Mountain Motorsports Park offices at (802) 244-6963 or media@acttour.com. You can also follow us on Facebook at @WhiteMtnMotorsports.
FOLEY OIL & PROPANE LATE MODELS
SPRINGBOARD 100
Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown
1. John Donahue ( 26vt ) Graniteville, VT
2. Matthew Morrill ( 9nh ) Moultonborough, NH
3. Peyton Lanphear ( 22vt ) Waterbury, VT
4. #Kasey Beattie ( 45nh ) St. Johnsbury, VT
5. Stacy Cahoon ( 83vt ) St. Johnsbury, VT
6. Jimmy Renfrew Jr. ( 00nh ) Candia, NH
7. Jeff Marshall ( 32nh ) Gilman, VT
8. Ryan Olsen ( 61nh ) Bath, NH
9. Erick Sands ( 36nh ) Derry, NH
10. #Zacary Fraser ( 02nh ) Dorchester, NH
11. Ben Belanger ( 99nh ) Whitefield, NH
12. #Dennis L. Dumas ( 15nh ) Raymond, NH
13. Joey Laquerre ( 15vt ) E. Montpelier, VT
14. Mike Bailey ( 1me ) S. Barre, VT
15. Quinten Welch ( 78nh ) Groveton, NH
16. Tyler Cahoon ( 38vt ) Danville, VT
17. Alby Ovitt ( 35nh ) Candia, NH
18. Oren Remick ( 21nh ) Monroe, NH
19. Joel Belanger ( 25nc ) Washington, NH
20. #Laci Potter ( 55nh ) West Danville, VT
21. Reilly Lanphear ( 21vt ) Waterbury, VT
*Following scoring recheck on 6/1/2021
WELLS RIVER CHEVROLET FLYING TIGERS
Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown, Seg 1, Seg 2, Total
1. Shane Sicard ( 4nh ) Barton, VT, 1, 3, 4
2. Jason Woodard ( 68vt ) Waterbury Ctr., VT, 4, 1, 5
3. Ryan Ware ( 32vt ) East Burke, VT, 3, 2, 5
4. Matthew Potter ( 23vt ) Marshfield, VT, 2, 4, 6
5. Jody Sicard ( 49nh ) Gilmanton, NH, 5, 5, 10
6. #Tanner Woodard ( 68nh ) Waterbury Ctr., VT, 6, 6, 12
7. Michael Clark ( 2vt ) Littleton, NH, 7, 7, 14
8. David Ofsuryk ( 73ct ) Holland, VT, 8, 8, 16
9. Cooper French ( 4me ) Northfield, VT, 9, 9, 18
10. Hunter King ( 62vt ) Woodbury, VT, 10, 10, 20
WOODSVILLE GUARANTY SAVINGS BANK
STRICTLY STOCK MINIS 50 LAP SPECIAL
Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown
1. Todd Derrington ( 57 ) Bethlehem, NH
2. Tyler Thompson ( 51 ) Littleton, NH
3. Jillian Baumgardner ( 14 ) N. Woodstock, NH
4. #Donnie Baumgardner ( 4 ) N. Woodstock, NH
5. Brett Jackson ( 31 ) Bethlehem, NH
6. Michael M. Smith Jr. ( 22x ) West Burke, VT
7. Scott Senecal ( 1 ) Lisbon, NH
8. Jack Hayes ( 09 ) Littleton, NH
9. Keri Driscoll ( 91 ) Gilmanton, NH
10. #Chris Moulton ( 15 ) Pepperell, MA
11. Gavin McGinnis ( 10 ) St. Johnsbury, VT
12. Les Washburn ( 17 ) Bethlehem, NH
13. Rick Shifflett ( 51x ) Littleton, NH
14. #Luke Shannon ( 13 ) Groveton, NH
15. #Brendan Clark ( 22 ) Dalton, NH
16. #James Knights ( 02 ) Littleton, NH
17. Cody Smith ( 18 ) St. Johnsbury, VT
DADS 4 BY TOOL & SUPPLY KIDS TRUCKS
Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown
1. Damion Sicard ( 23 ) Barton, VT
2. Logan Farnsworth ( 22 ) St. Johnsbury, VT
3. Thomas Smithers, VI ( 24 ) Gilmanton, NH
4. Owen Rogers ( 4 ) Glover, VT
5. McKenna Merchant ( 99 ) Waterford, VT
6. Dominic Warren ( 9 ) Concord, VT
7. Austin Sicard ( 01 ) Gilmanton, NH
8. Sam Aldrich ( 16 ) Haverhill, NH
9. Makayla Savage ( 00 ) Concord, VT
