(L-R) Stuart Fearn, Alexandra Fearn, Ryan Fearn and Tom Fearn at Stafford Motor Speedway (Photo: Shawn Courchesne/RaceDayCT)
STAFFORD – At 52 years old, Tom Fearn has long ago cemented his legacy as one of the dominant drivers in the full fendered ranks of Southern New England short track racing.
And while still chasing personal successes behind the wheel weekly, these days the East Longmeadow, Mass. driver is also focused on creating a solid Fearn family legacy in full-bodied short track cars.
Fearn comes to Stafford Motor Speedway every week chasing wins and division titles in his own Late Model, but he’s also trying to help get his niece and nephew to victory lane regularly.
Fearn begins defense of his 2016 Late Model championship at Stafford Motor Speedway in this weekend’s NAPA Spring Sizzler. And next to him in the pits is niece Alexandra Fearn and nephew Ryan Fearn, each trying to make their in division jump for 2017.
Alexandra Fearn, 20, and Ryan Fearn, 18, make the jump this year from the track’s entry level DARE Stock division the Limited Late Model division.
“I take a lot of pride in what we have,” Alexandra Fearn said. “I’m really lucky to be a part of this. I know that a lot of other people don’t necessarily get to have this kind of dynamic where literally their whole family is racing on Friday nights. I’m blessed.”
Alexandra Fearn had seven victories over the least three seasons in the DARE Stock division at Stafford. Ryan Fearn has five DARE Stock division wins since 2013. Each of them had two victories last year.
Tom Fearn, who has been racing at Stafford since 1988, has been the dominant force in the track’s Late Model division in recent years. He had 10 victories in 2015 and seven victories last year on the way to the division title. He has 33 career victories in the division since 2004.
Stuart Fearn, Tom’s brother and the father of Alexandra and Ryan, owns and manages the Fearn Motorsports team. The success of the organization in recent years has many around Stafford Speedway calling the group the First Family of full bodied cars at historic facility.
“I don’t even think of it that way,” Stuart Fearn said. “Sometimes I do realize that we’re like the top fendered team I guess, probably in the number of wins, and the number of cars. I don’t think about it. We just go racing and try to win. I guess when you’re in the battle you’re not thinking about it though. Maybe when I’m old and tired I’ll think about that.”
The Limited Late Models of Alexandra Fearn (12) and Ryan Fearn (92) (Photo: Shawn Courchesne/RaceDayCT)
Working as a group, off the track – and more especially on the track – has been a key, and a long foundation for the group. When Alexandra and Ryan were getting into karting about ten years ago, Stuart Fearn set established a rule that he says has been the key to ensuring unity on the track between the two in competition.
“I have no problem at all with the kids next to each other,” Stuart Fearn. “I set a rule when they were eight and ten years old. They were racing against each other, maybe the second time of the year they were on the track together in the go-karts and one hit the other and that’s when I laid it down. I said “Listen kids, whoever I think causes the accident if you do get together, I’m going to fix their car second and there’s a very good chance it’s not going to get fixed in time for the feature.’ After that, zero problems ever and it’s been 10 years.”
Alexandra Fearn, who is finishing her sophomore year at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., amusingly joked about an incident last April at Thompson Speedway when twin brothers Keith and Jeff Rocco dramatically wrecked eachother in a battle for victory in that track’s Late Model division.
“I am aware of [Ryan] just because we work in the same shop,” Alexandra Fearn said. “We share everything basically. … I’m always aware that he’s there and try to be cognizant of that. I’m not trying to do what the Rocco brothers did in their Late Models. I respect him. I know how he races. It’s something I think about.”
Said Ryan Fearn: “Usually out on the track I’m usually worrying about myself, picking off cars when I can and where I can. But if she ends up coming up in my view, I just race here like anybody else. I race people hard but I’m not going to wreck them. But it’s my sister and if her car gets broken then I have to help fix it, so it’s just more work for me. But I still race here with the same respect.”
Tom Fearn said much of his enjoyment in going to the track now revolves around helping Alexandra and Ryan.
“I just try to help them out with the little bit that I can as far as on the racetrack,” Tom Fearn said. “Their dad can work on their chassis and their cars and things like that, but as far as their lines on the track and getting them a little bit faster on the racetrack, I can probably give them a little bit more input than Stu does. I’m always here trying to help them go faster. They’ve got a lot to learn and it’s just about getting as many laps as they can and getting experience. If I can help them get faster I enjoy that. The better they go the better everybody feels with this team.
“There’s not too many other families that are doing what we’re doing with three cars every week. It makes us feel really good. Hopefully at some point Ryan and [Alexandra] can race against me. When we get to that point that will be great, and maybe they can carry my legacy on.”
“Said Ryan Fearn: “We wouldn’t be in the place we are without the family integration we have. We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t have the group that we are in the racing community right now. Without Tom I don’t know if we’d even be out here.”
What a great story. Who doesn’t love seeing a chick do well in racing at any level. If she can get decent equipment Alexandra will thrive the higher she goes as the cars become more responsive to the finesse driver she it.