1980 NASCAR North Tour

[Blaise Zebrataur]

Race #23 - Fall Final 100

The NASCAR North Tour made their 23rd stop of 1980 in Stafford Springs, Connecticut at the Stafford Motor Speedway, for the Fall Final 100.

Claude Leclerc led the field to the green flag but it was Phil Gerbode, who would pick up right where he left off at Catamount, who would lead the first laps around the half mile track as Gerbode and Leclerc would be the class of the field, with Gerbode having control of the event, losing the lead briefly to Leclerc for a few laps before Gerbode would take the lead back and would easily go on to score his second win in a row.

Other Noticeables:
Phil Gerbode scored his 2nd win of the year and second in a row,
Gerbode led 3 times for 98 laps, including the final 14 laps,
It was the 2nd win of his career in the NASCAR North Tour and his first since Catamount; 1 race ago,
Frank Sapowsky(4th), Tom Bolles(16th) and Bob Timmons(17th) made their NASCAR North Tour debuts,
Beaver Dragon, who finished 22nd, kept his points leader, leading Jean-Paul Cabana by 28 points

1.24-Phil Gerbode (98 laps led)
2.11-Claude Leclerc (2 laps led)
3.34-Steve Poulin
4.50-Frank Sapowsky
5.16-Stub Fadden
6.59-Hector Leclair
7.8-Mike Barry
8.08-Leland Kangas
9.28-Stan Meserve
10.48-Robbie Crouch
11.0-Dick McCabe
12.69-Brent Hatch
13.5A-Jean-Paul Cabana
14.09-Ron Barcomb
15.41-Jamie Aube
16.76-Tom Bolles
17.77-Bob Timmons
18.17-Kevin Lepage
19.03-Milt Wright-1 lap
20.35-Langis Caron-1 lap
21.51-Skip Cahill-1 lap
22.7-Beaver Dragon-1 lap
23.61-Brad Kennedy-1 lap
24.70-Jean-Paul Larose-1 lap
25.4-Wes Rosner-1 lap
26.12-Tim Dykman-1 lap
27.17-Bob Brunell-1 lap
28.1X-Gardiner Leavitt-1 lap
29.73-Jerry Marquis-2 laps
30.71-Bobby Dragon-2 laps

Claude Leclerc-Pole
Phil Gerbode-1-72
Claude Leclerc-73
Phil Gerbode-74-85
Claude Leclerc-86
Phil Gerbode-87-100

4 Lead Changes among 2 drivers

Caution Flags: 0 for 0 laps

Margin of Victory: 0.969 Seconds

Time of Race: 45 Minutes and 46 Seconds

Claude Leclerc leads the field to the Green Flag.



Phil Gerbode passes Claude Leclerc in Turn 1 and would go on to lead the first laps.



Claude Leclerc passes Phil Gerbode for the lead on Lap 73.



Phil Gerbode passes Claude Leclerc to retake the lead on Lap 74.



Claude Leclerc passes Phil Gerbode to retake the lead on Lap 86.



Phil Gerbode passes Claude Leclerc for the 4th and final lead change on Lap 87.



Phil Gerbode takes the Checkered Flag.

[Blaise Zebrataur]

The field has finished qualifying for the 24th race of the season the Maine Open 100 at the Oxford Plains Speedway.

Beaver Dragon won the pole, with a time of 16.893 seconds, beating Langis Caron by 0.019 seconds.

Other Noticeables:
Beaver Dragon won his 1st pole of the year,
Dragon won his 4th career pole in the NASCAR North Tour and his first since 1979 at Plattsburgh; 28 races ago,
Beaver Dragon, who will start 1st, has a 28 point lead over Jean-Paul Cabana

1.37-Beaver Dragon
2.35-Langis Caron
3.11-Claude Leclerc
4.38-Richard Pinkham
5.5A-Jean-Paul Cabana
6.48-Robbie Crouch
7.09-Ron Barcomb
8.9-Harvey Sprague
9.13-George Babb
10.40-Jim Brown
11.34-Steve Poulin
12.4-Dick Glines
13.0-Dick McCabe
14.27-Jimmy Burns
15.29-Dave Dion
16.5-Mike Rowe
17.23-Frank Fraser
18.72-Dan Perez
19.00-Roger Laperle
20.88-Mike Barry
21.17-Kevin Lepage
22.16-Stub Fadden
23.7-Bob Gerry
24.10-Ralph Nason
25.24-Phil Gerbode
26.94-Skip Hodgdon
27.07-Tom Rosati
28.1X-Gardiner Leavitt
29.59-Hector Leclair
30.22-Reggie Gammon
31.08-Leland Kangas
32.44-Jeff Stevens
33.71-Bobby Dragon
34.61-Brad Kennedy
35.12-Tim Dykman
36.62-Larry Pottle

[Blaise Zebrataur]

Race #24 - Maine Open 100

The NASCAR North Tour made their 24th stop of 1980 in Oxford, Maine at the Oxford Plains Speedway, for the Maine Open 100.

Beaver Dragon led the field to the green flag but it was Langis Caron who would lead the first laps around the 0.333 mile short track as a rash of cautions would cause more then half of the race to be held behind the pace car, allowing for Caron to keep the lead. When the race reached the original scheduled distance of 100 laps, the race was extended an additional fifty laps, as Dave Dion would briefly drive past Caron and would lead for two laps before Caron was able to take the lead back, while Dick McCabe, who rode around in the top ten all race long would make a move for the lead with sixteen laps to go and would hold off the determined Caron to score the first win of his career.

Other Noticeables:
Dick McCabe scored his 1st win of the year,
McCabe led 1 time for 16 laps, which were the final 16 laps,
It was the 1st win of his career in the NASCAR North Tour in his 20th start,
Beaver Dragon, who finished 7th, kept his points leader, leading Stub Fadden by 26 points

Heading into the final race of the season, mathematically four drivers still have a shot of winning the champio
1.7&37-Beaver Dragon: 1,182 points
2.16-Stub Fadden-26 points
3.5&5A-Jean-Paul Cabana-30 points
4.11-Claude Leclerc-32 points

1.0-Dick McCabe (16 laps led)
2.35-Langis Caron (131 laps led)
3.29-Dave Dion (2 laps led)
4.16-Stub Fadden
5.38-Richard Pinkham
6.11-Claude Leclerc
7.37-Beaver Dragon (1 lap led)
8.23-Frank Fraser
9.4-Dick Glines-1 lap
10.5A-Jean-Paul Cabana-1 lap
11.24-Phil Gerbode-1 lap
12.09-Ron Barcomb-1 lap
13.12-Tim Dykman-1 lap
14.17-Kevin Lepage-1 lap
15.61-Brad Kennedy-1 lap
16.07-Tom Rosati-1 lap
17.94-Skip Hodgdon-1 lap
18.00-Roger Laperle-1 lap
19.1X-Gardiner Leavitt-1 lap
20.72-Dan Perez-1 lap
21.08-Leland Kangas-1 lap
22.71-Bobby Dragon-1 lap
23.62-Larry Pottle-1 lap
24.5-Mike Rowe-1 lap
25.40-Jim Brown-1 lap
26.88-Mike Barry-2 laps
27.48-Robbie Crouch-2 laps
28.9-Harvey Sprague-2 laps
29.10-Ralph Nason-2 laps
30.59-Hector Leclair-2 laps
31.22-Reggie Gammon-58 laps (Accident)
32.7-Bob Gerry-64 laps (Accident)
33.34-Steve Poulin-102 laps (Accident)
34.27-Jimmy Burns-107 laps (Engine)
35.13-George Babb-107 laps (Accident)
36.44-Jeff Stevens-138 laps (Accident)

Beaver Dragon-1
Langis Caron-2-100
Dave Dion-101-102
Langis Caron-103-134
Dick McCabe-135-150

4 Lead Changes among 4 drivers

Caution Flags: 12 for 63 laps
Lap 11 (Car #1X Spin Backstretch),
Lap 18 (Car #22 Spin Frontstretch),
Lap 36 (Car #59 Spin Frontstretch),
Lap 43 (Cars #22, 48 and 23 Accident Turn 1),
Lap 49 (Cars #34 and 48 Accident Backstretch),
Lap 60 (Car #12 Spin Turn 1),
Lap 69 (Cars #11 and 37 Accident Frontstretch),
Lap 76 (Cars #11 and 37 Spin Turn 1),
Lap 85 (Cars #59, 00 and 39 Spin Turn 1),
Lap 94 (Car #22 Spin Turn 2),
Lap 119 (Cars #88 and 62 Spin Backstretch),
Lap 137 (Cars #07 and 17 Accident Backstretch)

Margin of Victory: 0.485 Seconds

Time of Race: 1 Hour, 19 Minutes and 47 Seconds

Beaver Dragon leads the field to the Green Flag.



Langis Caron passes Beaver Dragon to lead the first lap.



The first caution comes out on Lap 11 when Gardiner Leavitt spins out on the Backstretch after contact from Skip Hodgdon.



As the field stacks up, Jeff Stevens runs into the back of another car, damaging his radiator and knocking him out of the race.



The second caution comes out on Lap 18 when Reggie Gammon spins out on the Frontstretch.



The third caution comes out on Lap 36 when Hector Leclair spins out on the Frontstretch.



The fourth caution comes out on Lap 43 when a three car wreck breaks out in Turn 1.



While running in 12th, Jimmy Burns's Engine blows up.



The fifth caution comes out on Lap 49 when Steve Poulin and Robbie Crouch wreck on the Backstretch.



The sixth caution comes out on Lap 60 when Tim Dykman spins out in Turn 1.



The seventh caution comes out on Lap 69 when Claude Leclerc and Beaver Dragon wreck on the Frontstretch.



The eighth caution comes out on Lap 76 when Claude Leclerc and Beaver Dragon spin out in Turn 1.



The ninth caution comes out on Lap 85 when a three car spin breaks out in Turn 1.



The tenth caution comes out on Lap 94 when Reggie Gammon spins out in Turn 2.



Dave Dion passes Langis Caron for the lead on Lap 101.



Langis Caron passes Dave Dion to retake the lead on Lap 103.



The 11th caution comes out on Lap 119 when Mike Barry and Larry Pottle spin out on the Backstretch.



Dick McCabe passes Langis Caron for the 4th and final lead change on Lap 135.



The 12th and final caution comes out on Lap 137 when Tom Rosati and Kevin Lepage wreck on the Frontstretch.



Dick McCabe takes the Checkered Flag.

[Blaise Zebrataur]

The field has finished qualifying for the 25th and final race of the season the Vermont Milk Bowl at the Catamount Stadium.

Langis Caron won the pole, with a time of 18.343 seconds, beating Jean-Paul Cabana by 0.113 seconds.

Other Noticeables:
Langis Caron won his 1st pole of the year,
Caron won his 1st career pole in the NASCAR North Tour in his 26th start,
Beaver Dragon, who will start 3rd, has a 26 point lead over Stub Fadden

1.35-Langis Caron
2.5A-Jean-Paul Cabana
3.7-Beaver Dragon
4.16-Stub Fadden
5.70-Jean-Paul Larose
6.11-Claude Leclerc
7.00-Roger Laperle
8.41-Jamie Aube
9.59-Hector Leclair
10.44-Keith Cavanagh
11.8-Mike Barry
12.1X-Gardiner Leavitt
13.61-Brad Kennedy
14.88-Bobby Dragon
15.48-Robbie Crouch
16.08-Leland Kangas
17.34-Steve Poulin
18.12-Tim Dykman
19.04-Del Thompson
20.1-Albert Hammond
21.24-Phil Gerbode
22.2-Dan Perez
23.38-Mike Perrotte
24.03-Milt Wright
25.25-Randy Corey
26.09-Ron Barcomb
27.15-Jocelyn Tremblay
28.17-Kevin Lepage

[Blaise Zebrataur]

Race #25 - Vermont Milk Bowl

The NASCAR North Tour made their 25th and final stop of 1980 in Milton, Vermont at the Catamount Stadium, for the Vermont Milk Bowl.

Langis Caron led the field to the green flag but it was Jean-Paul Cabana who would lead the first two laps around the 0.333 mile short track before he was passed back by Caron, who would begin to build up a lead and would keep all of the challengers behind him, leading for 100 of the event's 150 laps, but when the third caution came out for Jamie Aube's spin in Turn 3, allowing for Hector Leclair to assume the lead. Once in the lead, Leclair would keep Caron behind him for the final laps, building up a nearly one second lead, and would go on to score the second win of 1980.

Crossing the start/finish line in 3rd, Beaver Dragon scored enough points to win the 1980 NASCAR North Tour Championship.

Other Noticeables:
Hector Leclair scored his 2nd win of the year,
Leclair led 1 time for 48 laps, which were the final 48 laps,
It was the 3rd win of his career in the NASCAR North Tour and his first since Laval; 4 races ago,
Jocelyn Tremblay(17th) and Albert Hammond(27th) made their NASCAR North Tour debuts,
Beaver Dragon, who finished 3rd, is the 1980 NASCAR North Tour Champion, winning the championship by 38 points over Claude Leclerc

1.59-Hector Leclair (48 laps led)
2.35-Langis Caron (100 laps led)
3.7-Beaver Dragon
4.48-Robbie Crouch
5.70-Jean-Paul Larose
6.11-Claude Leclerc
7.8-Mike Barry
8.00-Roger Laperle
9.61-Brad Kennedy-1 lap
10.1X-Gardiner Leavitt-1 lap
11.17-Kevin Lepage-1 lap
12.25-Randy Corey-1 lap
13.12-Tim Dykman-1 lap
14.24-Phil Gerbode-1 lap
15.2-Dan Perez-1 lap
16.88-Bobby Dragon-1 lap
17.15-Jocelyn Tremblay-1 lap
18.09-Ron Barcomb-2 laps
19.44-Keith Cavanagh-2 laps
20.34-Steve Poulin-2 laps
21.5A-Jean-Paul Cabana-2 laps (2 laps led)
22.04-Del Thompson-2 laps
23.38-Mike Perrotte-2 laps
24.41-Jamie Aube-3 laps
25.08-Leland Kangas-4 laps
26.03-Milt Wright-16 laps (Engine)
27.1-Albert Hammond-47 laps (Accident)
28.16-Stub Fadden-62 laps (Header)

Langis Caron-Pole
Jean-Paul Cabana-1-2
Langis Caron-3-102
Hector Leclair-103-150

2 Lead Changes among 3 drivers

Caution Flags: 4 for 20 laps
Lap 56 (Car #38 Spin Turn 2),
Lap 96 (Car #5A Spin Turn 3),
Lap 103 (Car #41 Spin Turn 3),
Lap 138 (Car #03 Stalled Backstretch)

Margin of Victory: 0.746 Seconds

Time of Race: 59 Minutes and 30 Seconds

Langis Caron leads the field to the Green Flag.



Jean-Paul Cabana passes Langis Caron going into Turn 1 and would go on to lead the first lap.



Langis Caron passes Jean-Paul Cabana for the lead on Lap 3.



The first caution comes out on Lap 56 when Mike Perrotte spins out in Turn 2.



While running in 11th, Stub Fadden's Header breaks.



The second caution comes out on Lap 96 when Jean-Paul Cabana spins out in Turn 3 after contact from Mike Barry.



Hector Leclair passes Langis Caron for the second and final lead change on Lap 103.



The fourth and final caution comes out on Lap 138 when Milt Wright, who was running in 25th, stalls on the Backstretch due to a blown Engine.



Hector Leclair takes the Checkered Flag.