Lee USA Speedway Honors Champions
Manchester, NH - Lee USA Speedway celebrated the highly-successful 2008
season at the annual "Banquet of Champions" on Saturday night, with dozens
of drivers and teams honored for their accomplishments.
Larry Gelinas was the man of the hour, taking the spotlight as the 2008
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model champion. Larry was also
recognized for his fifth place finish in the NASCAR state standings.
Former Rookie of the Year Miles Chipman, former two-time champion J.R.
Baril, Bryan Kruczek, Jeffrey Labrecque, Jr., Bobby Baillargeon, Katrina
Canney, Tom Fuller, Wayne Helliwell, Jr., and Charlie Rousseau were honored
as the second through tenth place finishers.
Rousseau may have just been tenth overall, but he had a strong enough run in
the three races of the Watts Triple Crown Series to score the championship
title there, with Chipman and Baril picking up second and third place
awards.
Joey Lovejoy was the cream of he 2008 rookie crop, capturing the coveted
Rookie of the Year honors, while Katrina Canney garnered the Sportsmanship
award, Baillargeon received Hard Luck, Chipman was voted Most Improved, and
Gelinas' team went home with Best Team Performance.
In addition, Nicholas Janvrin of the Baillargeon crew scored the prestigious
2008 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Mechanic of the Year award.
Wayne Helliwell, Jr. and car owner Bruce Bernhardt celebrated their first
Late Model Sportsman championship in style, taking home the Best Team
Performance award as well.
Grant Aither, Bob Melvin, Pete Evans, Geoff Rollins, Michele Fushpanski,
Jesse Bousquet, Dan Eaton, Joe Jodoin, and Tony Kawejsza all collected
awards for finishing in the second through tenth spots.
Evans took home the Rookie of the Year honors in the Late Model Sportsmen,
while Melvin grabbed the Sportsmanship award, Eaton collected the Hard Luck
award, and Fushpanski was recognized as Most Improved Driver.
Aither was the big winner of the Watts Triple Crown series in the Late Model
Sportsman, beating out Helliwell and Jimmy Renfrew to grab the title.
Eddie Witkum, Jr. and car owner Dave Callahan received the championship
honors in the Small Block Supers for the second straight season, and they
picked up the Best Team Performance award as well.
Dan Bowes was the best of the rest, with Danny Lane, Jim Lowrey, Jr., Bob
Millett, Jr., Jeff Locke, Butch Valley, Jr., Ben Tinker, Mike Spurling, and
Mike Netishen following him to the stage to accept second through tenth.
Second-generation racer Millett picked up Rookie of the Year honors over a
tough rookie field, season runner-up Bowes grabbed the Sportsmanship award,
Locke garnered the Hard Luck award, and Danny Lane was named Most Improved
Driver.
Witkum backed up his season championship with the overall win in the Watts
Triple Crown Series as well, outscoring Bowes and Lane to take top honors.
Freshman Jimmy Russell accomplished all he could hope for in his rookie
campaign in the Hobby Stocks, winning not only Rookie of the Year honors,
but Best Team Performance, and the division championship as well.
To top things off, Russell's team collected the championship bonus in the
Watts Triple Crown series just for good measure, heading home with a huge
pile of hardware at the end of the night.
Alby Ovitt picked up his trophy for runner-up behind Russell, with Jim
Shorey, Wade Worster, Geoff Rollins, Chris Titcomb, A.J. Panessiti, Patrick
Tanguay, Eric Hoffman, and Ron Washburn the remainder of the top ten.
Tanguay picked up second place honors if the Watts Triple Crown, and he was
also presented the Hobby Stock Sportsmanship award. Chris Titcomb got third
in the Triple Crown, and was voted Most Improved Driver. Jim Shorey picked
up the Sportsmanship award.
Ricky Porter doubled up in the Roadrunners, picking up the Watts Triple
Crown series and the season championship as well. Porter's crew was also
recognized with the Best Team Performance hardware.
2008 Rookie of the Year honors went to young Lance Barthelemy, who finished
the season solidly in the runner-up slot behind Porter. Tim Boyle picked up
third place hardware, followed by Chris Jacobson and Triple Crown runner-up
Jim Piaseczny.
Veteran Dana Faulkner collected the sixth place trophy, with Sportsmanship
award winner Timmy Johnson seventh, Chris Harding eighth, Hard Luck winner
Chris Kingsley ninth, and Ken Piaseczny, Jr. tenth.
Chris Harding picked up the big trophy for the 2008 Ironman championship,
with runner-up Kevin Emery, Shane Horvath, Rick Fountain, C.J. Bassett,
Crystal Brown and Matt Tobey all receiving awards for their efforts.
