MANCHESTER, N.H. — Lee USA Speedway celebrated the annual Banquet of Champions over the weekend at the Executive Court function facility, highlighting 2012 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Small Block Supermodified champ Tommy Tombarello’s second career championship season in the track’s headline division.
The other 2012 track championships were awarded to J.R. Baril, who won his sixth Lee title in the Late Model Sportsman division after a six win season behind the wheel of the Brian House entry, Jim Shorey, who won four times on the way to scoring top honors in the David’s Race Cars and Components Hobby Stocks, and Jake Rheaume, a track-high seven-time winner in his Ironman championship season.
The top 10 finishers in the weekly NASCAR Whelen All-American Series divisions all took hardware home, with NASCAR WAAS New Hampshire State champion Wayne Helliwell, Jr. among the honorees, picking up second place overall in the Benson Lumber and Hardware Small Block Supermodifieds for 2012.
P.J. Stergios took third in the final standings, with Mike Netishen, Leslie Keyser, Mike Ordway, Jr., Sparky MacIver, Ryan Gath, Tony Carroll, and Mike Spurling rounding out the top ten. Gath captured Rookie of the Year honors, with Most Improved Driver going to Keyser, Hard Luck to Sparky MacIver, and the Sportsmanship Award presented to Carroll. Tombarello’s crew received recognition for Best Team Performance.
Second-generation racer Michele Fushpanski took home runner-up honors to Baril in the Prime Storage Late Model Sportsman championship battle, driving the Myra Fowler machine to two wins along the way to her best season-ending result to date.
Timmy Johnson collected the third place hardware, with two-time winner Tony Kawejsza, Kyle Roy, Patrick Stewart, Jason Welch, David Piper, Raymond Dinsmore, and Chris Titcomb the remainder of the top ten points finalists who made their way to the stage.
Roy, a graduate of the Lee USA Speedway Ironman division, was named Rookie of the Year in the LMS, with Johnson getting Most Improved Driver, Titcomb taking the Hard Luck award, and Kawejsza picking up the Sportsmanship award. Best Team Performance went to the Baril/House team.
Division sponsors David and Annette Joyce of David’s Race Cars and Components picked up a special commemorative plaque courtesy of the top ten finishers in the Hobby Stocks, Jim Shorey, Patrick Tanguay, Jim Piaseczny, Kenny Scott, Paul Palen, Nick Maniatis, Ron Washburn, Chris Jacobson, Brian Thompson, and Kyle Sawyer.
Jacobson grabbed some extra hardware for being named Rookie of the Year, with Scott taking Most Improved Driver, Palen heading home with the Hard Luck award, Piaseczny honored with the Sportsmanship award, and Shorey’s crew taking best Team Performance.
Danielle Simoneau was honored for her runner-up finish in the Ironman points chase, with Evan Horvath taking third over Tyler Mitchell, Wayne Purington, Chris Murray, Travis Hollins, Hannah Shaw, Ryan Pitkin, and Shane Horvath.
Mitchell came out on top of the freshman crop to collect Rookie of the Year honors, with Simoneau taking Most Improved Driver, Hollins earning hard Luck honors, Shaw being awarded for Sportsmanship, and Rheaume’s team collecting the Best Team Performance hardware.
NBA Draft: Top 5 Prospects
Athletes come to aid of Oklahoma tornado victims
NFL Player Posts Photo of Himself Appearing to Pee on IRS Building
Are Sixers targeting Kelvin Sampson?
Recipe for Success: Phillies draft picks
Recipe for Success: Phillies at the trade deadline
Recipe for success: Ryan Howard
Phillies talks about struggling to win games
Utley on Halladay going on the DL
Is the bullpen in trouble without Mike Adams?
Mike Adams talks about his back pain
Matt Barkley on meeting his Fiancee in preschool
Matt Barkley on playing in Philadelphia
Evaluating Chip Kelly's practice methods
Larry Bowa on the Phillies' road trip
How does the hiring of Hinkie change the 76ers' coaching search?
Recipe for Success: Can the Eagles make the playoffs?
McCoy: Vick cheated to beat me
What did we learn from Chip Kelly's first practice?
Vick: 'I compete with myself more than anyone around me'
Sportsnet Central: Tedy Bruschi selected for Patriots Hall of Fame
Rask: 4th line deserved GW goal
Paille on GW goal: 'I had a perfect view on it'
Bruins' defenseman Wade Redden On Potential Return
Globe 10.0: Can the Bruins young defensemen keep playing well?
Kevin Dupont discusses Bruins-Rangers Game 2
Globe 10.0: Is Lundqvist the key to the series?
Blakely: Rivers to return to Celtics next season
Globe 10.0: Do the Sox rely too much on Lester and Buchholz?
Bruins Talk About Rangers Blocking Shots
Bruins' Patrice Bergeron On Selke Award, Matchup With Rangers
Julien: 'I'm a tired coach'
Seguin: Thornton said he expected something from me in OT
Rask: 'It's really disappointing'
Julien: 'We've been a Jekyll and Hyde hockey club'
Farrell: Dealing with some frustration right now
Julien: Bergeron line needs to step up
Thornton: 'We should've been able to close'
