There are generally two different ways to win a season championship across all genres and levels of auto racing. You can either dominate the field by winning as many races as possible or you can consistently finish high in the running order with a win or two sprinkled in.
Both approaches seemed to work this year at Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, N.H. The Mini Stock division in particular is an example of consistency winning out.
Gordon Farnum was dubbed the “Fitzwilliam Flyer” for his knack for getting to Victory Lane. Last Saturday, he closed the season with his 11th feature win of 2021. However, he lost the season title to Louis Maher, who won only one race this season. Maher held the edge in top-fives (14-13) and top-10s (16-14) over Farnum, who had a couple bad finishes mixed in. It’s Maher’s second career championship. Jake Puchalski of Sunderland notched six top-fives and 11 top-10s to finish fifth in the standings.
Consistency ruled the day in the Pure Stock division, as hometown driver Chris Davis won the season finale — his second victory of 2021 — and the championship over Granby’s Nick Houle, who won eight times, and Turners Falls teen J.D. Stockwell, whose best finish was second. Houle and Stockwell both finished 14 points back, with Houle getting the nod due to his number of wins.
Todd Patnode was an example of both approaches in the NHSTRA Modified division. His victory in last weekend’s Whitcomb 125 nightcap 50-lapper was his division-high sixth of the season, and he also finished with 17 top-fives and 17 top-10s in 18 starts. Talk about domination. With those stats, his record eighth track championship was won by 38 points over Matt Kimball, who won five races but had two fewer top-fives than Patnode. Hatfield’s Tyler Leary capped a stellar rookie season with by finishing thirs in points. Deerfield’s Ben Byrne finished a disappointing 11th this season.
Former track champion Brian Robie set the fastest qualifying time and won the first 50-lap event for the NHSTRA Modifieds.
The night’s most stunning sequence came late in the Late Model Sportsman feature, when Justin Littlewood of Orange wound up on top of a lapped car when he and Cam Curtis were battling for the lead in the closing laps. Haydon Scott took advantage and scored the win, while Austin Brehio locked up the championship with a runner-up showing. Littlewood and his brother Cole finished the season third and fourth, respectively.
It appeared as though Belchertown’s Chris Buffone was on his way to a division-high fifth win in Street Stocks. However, he collided with Holyoke’s Tim Wenzel while battling for the lead on the last lap. That opened the door for Wenzel to take his fourth win, and his brother Nathan, of Granby, scored the championship.
Dominick Stafford of Millers Falls won both his heat and the feature in the Young Guns class, while Leon Kenistion won the Linda Zuverino Memorial 62-lap Enduro.
Jason Remillard is a copy editor and page designer at the Recorder. He can be reached at jremillard@recorder.com and followed on Twitter @racinwithjason