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2011 News 2011 Year in Review January 2012
2011 marked another successful season for Boucher’s customers and it is worth taking some time to recognize those efforts. The Northeast Division hosted six divisional events which started in May and closed out in September. To start the year off right, Ray Sawyer took advantage of a gorgeous weekend at Maple Grove Raceway to post a strong quarterfinal finish in Super Gas. Not to be outdone by his dad, Mike Sawyer set the standards incredibly high about a month later at Lebanon Valley. Mike accomplished the elusive ‘double’ when he scored victories in both Super Gas and Super Street. At that same race, Mac Starks Jr. drove his way to a quarter final finish in Super Gas while Val DiGenova qualified in the top ten in Top Dragster. The series then made its way to New England Dragway for the first time in over 20 years. Even with the temperatures rising above 100 degrees, Brian Fink was able to drive his 1980 Chevy Malibu to the number three qualified position at -0.915 under the L/SA index. Tom Boucher also withstood the hot and humid conditions to qualify #7 in Super Stock with his GT/CA 1997 Pontiac Firehawk. Boucher’s power found their way to two finals with Deb DiGenover posting a Runner Up finish in Top Dragster and Mike Sawyer just missing out on a second consecutive win in Super Gas. Rounding out the notable performances from Epping, NH was Mathieu Beriault who had a quarter final finish in Stock Eliminator. Towards the end of the summer, Super Street racer Chris Butcher heated up scoring a quarter final finish at Cecil County Dragway which he then followed up with a win at Englishtown Raceway Park. Mike Sawyer kept his winning ways up as well claiming runner-up finishes in Super Gas at the division one finale in NJ as well a the division seven finale in Las Vegas.
Coupled with his success at the divisional level, Mike Sawyer took home the big Wally at the national event held in Englishtown NJ. In an effort to keep his national championship hopes alive, Mike registered a quarterfinal finish at the national event in Las Vegas at the end of October. Sawyer has proven to be a contender for both the national and divisional titles and this was just another year that proved that. He finished the year #2 in the world along with placing #2 in the division. His father Ray wasn’t too far behind with a third place finish in the division one Super Gas points standings. With his strong season end push, Chris Butcher also ended his year near the top of the standings falling in at #3 in Super Street.
The well-known All Star Racing Association that competes in NH and NY was celebrating its 30th anniversary season. In support of the milestone, Boucher’s Automotive jumped on board as a sponsor and generated the bounty hunter program which awarded the individual who took out the previous race winner. The series held its first race at New England Dragway where Bill Pomponi Jr. got off to a great start driving his father’s H/SA 69 Camaro to runner up finish. Dave Casey also successfully shifted his way to a semi-final finish in his always sharp A/S 69 Corvette. The next race was held at Lebanon Valley Dragway on Father’s Day Weekend. Racing action started on Saturday but the later rounds extended over to Sunday due to some track delays. The wait proved worthwhile for TJ Boucher who scored the victory with his Boucher’s Automotive GT/CA 1987 Camaro and for Casey, who added a quarter final finish. When action returned back to NED for a double header weekend, TJ Boucher made it two in a row by taking home the trophy on Saturday. On Sunday, Brian Fink registered a quarter final finish. Race 5 saw TJ make it three wins on the season as he outlasted the field on a wet and cloudy day. Once again, Casey was right in the mix of things posting another quarter final finish. The Boucher clan had a very successful weekend to close out the 30th anniversary season. In the shootout, which consists of the top 16 points earners after 5 races, TJ Boucher made it to the quarter finals before being ousted. The senior Boucher did one better by bowing out with a runner up finish. In Race #6 on the following day, the end result was the same as TJ lost to his father in a heads-up semi-final matchup while Tom managed another runner-up finish. When all was said and done, the younger Boucher closed the season out as the 2011 ASRA champion with Dave Casey posting a solid 7th place finish and Tom Boucher landing in the #10 spot.
Lastly, Boucher’s would like to recognize the success of its customers that make the dedicated effort to compete at New England Dragway on a consistent basis. Mark Winterbottom finished the season as the #1 driver in Pro Eliminator and Mark Rodrigues registered and 8th place finish in the Super Pro category. Boucher’s is always proud to be a part of its customer’s success and enjoys taking the time to recognize those accomplishments. Boucher’s wants to thank all of their customers on a successful 2011 and also wish them luck on their endeavors in 2012.
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