Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles
Washburn couple team up with Bubba Wallace at Talladega
Episode 396
April 24, 2022
Washburn’s Doody Family with Bubba Wallace at Talladega
Since early March, Washburn’s Steve Doody and wife, Becky, have been on tour as the McDonald’s Talladega Victory Tour Mobile Marketing managers. They have been utilizing Bubba Wallace’s #23 Toyota from last season to help promote Wallace’s first NASCAR Cup victory. This past weekend the duo was at the Talladega Superspeedway where Wallace raced the Team 23XI in the Geico 500.
Bubba Wallace won his first NASCAR Cup race at the fastest track on the planet, Talladega Superspeedway at the fall race in 2021. (Steve Doody photo)
At a local McDonalds in Talladega were Becky Doody, Bubba Wallace, and Steve Doody. Wallace took time to pose with the mobile marketing managers before stepping inside to work the window on the drive through line. Autographs were signed and many locals got to meet Wallace. (Steve Doody photo)
On the last lap of the GEICO 500, Wallace got turned around during the scramble to the finish line and smacked the wall hard in the tri-oval area. He gingerly walked around after getting out of his seriously damaged race car. After battling up front all afternoon, the spin relegated Wallace to 17th place.
In the Big League now
I have featured Heather Holler, Mooresville, North Carolina, via Vermont, in several UpNorth Motorsports episodes. Astute readers will remember Heather continued to follow her motorsports dream when she began work at Hyundai Motorsports located in Alzenau, Germany in 2021 as a mechanic on the test crew.
In 2022 she was moved up to the World Rally Championship (WRC) traveling team that supports Hyundai works driver Oliver Solberg. Solberg splits driving duties with Dani Sordo at 10 events in Europe, one at Kenya, Japan and New Zealand.
Oliver Solberg and co-driver Elliott Edmonson at speed in their Hyundai i20 N Rally car featuring hybrid power at Croatia Rally. The course was tough and demanding. (Hyundai Motorsports photo)
The team recently suffered its first DNF for 2022 at the Croatia Rally. Solberg slid off a slippery corner and backed his Hyundai i20 N Rally into a grove of small trees. The car caught fire which was extinguished in a short time by firefighters who were jolly on the spot.
While working at Zagreb at the Croatia Rally, Heather Holler met WRC super-star Michelle Mouton. Mouton from France had a career in WRC from 1974-86. Her best season was 1982 when she won four WRC rallies and finished second in points in a factory Audi Quattro. In 1985 she won the Pikes Peak Hillclimb. Since 2011 she has worked for the FIA governing body for the WRC. Holler was thrilled to meet the legend driver. (Heather Holler photo)
Two County teams to drag race in southern Maine in 2022
It is a minimum four-hour trip for a couple Aroostook County drag racing teams to get to the nearest dragstrip. Gene Cyr, Crouseville, will be drag racing his Mustang at Winterport Dragway and Oxford Plains Dragway after a couple year hiatus.
Cyr will also be using horsepower of another sort when he competes riding his Quarter horse, Oreo Shake, at National Barrell Racing Association (NBHA) competitions primarily south of Bangor. A member of Pine and Spurs Club located in Fort Fairfield, Cyr hopes to race in 12 races at 7 different locations. He hopes to combine horse racing and drag racing on the same weekend.
At the Pine and Spurs 2021 event, Gene Cyr maneuvers his Quarter horse, Oreo Shake, while competing in barrel race. Cyr commented that the handling is quite different than his Mustang race car. (Gene Cyr photo)
Cyr’s other ride will be his Mustang pictured in 2019 at New England Dragway, Epping, New Hampshire. A freshened 430 cubic inch 933 horsepower small block Ford built by TRE, Cleveland, Texas is in place as well as a C4 transmission built to take that much power. Cyr’s goal is to have a 5.35 second ET in the Super Gas class. (New England Dragway photo)
Stacy Robey left and Jesse Michaud, right with their Arctic Cat snowmobiles which are modified to race on dragstrip asphalt. In 2022 the couple plan to race their sleds. (Stacy Robey photo)
Michaud’s 1956 Chevy, the ex-Hardy Ketch stock car, when finished will compete in Gassah Guys Days at Winterport. Michaud has updated the vintage racer with a 2002 4.8 LS truck motor. Basically, all stock except for cam and valve train. It has a 78mm VS Racing turbo controlled by Holley Terminator X. Michaud did all the hot and cold side of the turbo update himself with a set of cheapo eBay truck headers that were dumpster bound. (Stacy Robey photo)
The racing couple have upgraded their over-night accommodations with this new camper. The camper will stay at a secure site near the racetrack at Winterport. (Stacy Robey photo)
UpNorth Motorsports will be monitoring the on-track exploits of theses County folks this race season. The next episode of UpNorth Motorsports will feature a story provided by Michaud about the couples racing at Winterport in 2021.
Correction Correction Correction
Episode 395, April 10, 2022, it was reported that Chassidy Shorty, Winslow, was the 2021 Junior Sportsman champion at then Richmond Raceway. She was the second-place finisher in the championship. Sorry about the mistake. (HTF Motorsports photo)
Let’s go racing,
Tom Hale
Soli Deo Gloria (Matthew 5:16)
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