Checking Out: Multi-Time Champ Al Stone III Walking Away From Limited Sportsman At Speedbowl

Al Stone III celebrates a victory in a Limited Sportsman feature last August at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl

Al Stone III has more Limited Sportsman division championships than any other driver in the history of the New London-Waterford Speedbowl.

But it’s one record the Durham driver now has no plans of trying to extend further in 2018.

The Limited Sportsman division at the Speedbowl is one where the statistical history is dominated by Stone’s name, but it’s a division he has decided to walk away from for the time being.

Stone told RaceDayCT on Sunday that he will be taking an indefinite amount of time off from competition with his Limited Sportsman at the Speedbowl.

Stone made the decision after being involved in a chaotic scene that played out during Saturday night’s racing card at the Speedbowl.

“As far as the [Limited] Sportsman stuff, full-time for the rest of the year, we’re done,” Stone said. “I just have no ambition to be fixing my car and my frame every week to go back racing.

“[Saturday] was just my breaking point of really having enough with all of it. It’s just a lot of unnecessary actions out there. Some may call that hard racing or something else, but I’ve raced with Corey Hutchings and Josh Galvin and Shawn Monahan and I didn’t have to [rebuild] my car every week racing with those guys. We raced hard and we race aggressively and we didn’t have to go to the frame shop once a week. There’s a different way of doing things. It’s just a lack of respect really. They just need to get a handle on that and I don’t really know how they’re going to do that and it’s not really my job to figure that out. That’s why they’re management and I’m the driver. I get it. I do think [race director] Chris [Forester] is trying and I think that [general manager] George [Whitney] is trying. I just think it may be just a little bit out of control now. They wrecked a lot of stuff last night in the [Mini Stock] and [Limited Sportsman divisions].”

Stone began competing part-time in the Limited Sportsman division at Waterford in 2000. He has run full-time in the division at Waterford all but one year since 2003. In 2012 he ran an SK Modified part-time at Waterford and only started one Limited Sportsman feature that year at the Speedbowl.

Stone has four Limited Sportsman championships at the Speedbowl (2008, 2010, 2015, 2016). With 50 career victories, he is also the all-time winningest Limited Sportsman driver in the division’s history at the Speedbowl. Ed Gertsch Jr. is a distant second place on the division’s all-time win list with 29 career victories. The division started at the Speedbowl in 1988. From 2005 to 2017 Stone has won at least one event at the Speedbowl every year besides in 2012 when he ran only one event.

Stone’s primary car was damaged extensively in a wreck while running for a win in the season opening event at Waterford on May 6. He was back at the track Saturday with his backup car and was involved in a wreck involving Ryan Waterman and Jordan Hadley during the Limited Sportsman feature. After the wreck Stone turned around on the track and ran into Waterman’s car head-on while the race was under caution. When Stone began to get out of his car Waterman quickly tried to back away, in the process smashing into the car of Jon Porter. After getting out of his car, Stone attempted on foot to catch Waterman, who had driven away. After evading the pursuit of track officials briefly, Stone walked calmly to the pits.

“It’s all just nonsense going on at the track and it’s just getting old,” Stone said. “So we’re like killing the field and on a restart with 18 [laps] to go it was just aggressive driving early that didn’t need to happen and I got wrecked. I knew it was coming and it happened and I just said ‘I’m not going to take it anymore.’ I’m just not going to take all this nonsense anymore.

“I just literally lost my shit out there. And it just, ya know, I did some uncharacteristic stuff. I drove into the kid on the track and I got out. … But I’m just, we’ve driven there for the last 15 years, just, I think the management is doing an OK job. They’re trying. It’s just it’s hard to keep ahold of the guys all the time, especially when the car counts are low and I’m sure they’re afraid to lose cars. But what’s the lesser of two evils, losing cars because they’re wrecked or losing cars because you think they’re going to be upset if you make a call? I guess they’ve got to play that game.”

Stone said he may run make some starts later in the year at Waterford in an SK Modified or Late Model.

“I’ve got two wrecked cars in my garage right now,” Stone said. “I didn’t have any time to fix the first one that got wrecked. Now the second is wrecked. I spoke with my wife and my sponsors and my father and we just decided we’re going to take some time off. … We’ll see how things go for the next month or two and if we want to continue on at the Speedbowl or go to another track. We’re thinking about maybe running at Stafford [Motor Speedway] or Monadnock [Speedway in Winchester, N.H.].”

Comments

  1. Mini fan says

    Al going backwards on the track and trying to leg down a driver makes you part of the issue. Taking the month off is a good idea with any luck you will be allowed back . But your right there is no respect in short track racing any more. Just wish there was a way drivers and owners could get their point across to RD,GM or director without this out come. They need understand that this is the reason they loose cars not the $$ or economy they blame it on.

  2. You’re right, but that division has become an absolute joke, filled with drunks, hacks, and back markers. GM and race director want the $$ so bad, but what they got is none of the top three from last year racing, and about an 8 car field. Sad

  3. Wasn’t Ray Downing suspended for 4 or 5 years for a move like that? He tries that crap at Stafford and he will be leaving in cuffs!

  4. Another top draw past track champion leaves the Bowl, first Rocco and now Stone. This lack of management staff needs a course adjustment and I mean quick.

  5. Hope Flannery says

    WOW. Out of all the great racing that took place at the bowl on Saturday, All The CASH$$$ for divisions that never see that opportunity. That’s the Top Story ? I get The Woe’s of Al Stone and the division and feel for him like others due, He’s a great racer and person but Really ?Humm Disappointing! Their was a lot of good things happening but nothing about that.

  6. Why does race day CT only publish negative events about Waterford?
    I’m sure all other tracks he goes to has same stuff happening. Just doesn’t help short track racing everywhere. Maybe this site can write about bowing or tennis When all tracks are gone

  7. Technically it was the Gada’s exiting way before Rocco. Many more I would think. In fact Rocco is racing at the Speedbowl but just on a limited basis. Nonetheless it’s good to see racedayct sticking to it’s no Speedbowl coverage but covering the drivers on a limited basis . Very limited. Opportunistic one might say.

  8. Thanks to RaceDayCT’s “indirect” coverage, we’re still aware of some key developments at the Bowl. When will the postponed 80 lap SK race be run?

  9. Rafter Fan,
    There has been nothing announced concerning when or if the event will be rescheduled.

  10. Blind as a Bat says

    Boohoo. Theres only been two races this season. Technically you shouldn’t have been allowed to run Wednesday night for the remainder of the opening weekend race with how the rules are written yet you were allowed to. The car you raced Wednesday night for that race was not the car you wrecked out of the opener with. Now you crap on the track that afforded you that opportunity. Go cry to mommy Stone.

  11. Just Wondering says

    Shawn, taking what you have written it seems that the Blast Off high dollar race may not be rescheduled? If tbat is the case it sure sucks for the racers and crews that paid the high dollar pit fees for the event without any return at all for showing up.

  12. Stones annoying.. out of character? Why yes it is.. isn’t he usually the whinny guy that the track let’s get away with everything? Sounds like the bowl has cut ties with it’s kiss ups and now the guys that worked so hard to be fake with the GM’s and manages don’t want to play an equal game.

  13. Stone should be fortunate to be driving any kind of race car. He has a backup car in the garage and one race ready for racing I don’t feel bad for you.I wish I had the help of family and friends to help every week, Waterfords speedbowl has been really good to you . I know guys and girls out there that if they had the opportunity to race like you do [and have a backup car] wow.
    Would race circle around you .On top of it all you have an s k ride . Oh my heart bleeds for you . Suck it up spoiled brat its part of the game ……..

  14. OH, OK maxium, we will all shut up like you want and surpress the truth instead of reporting accurate info about what is going on. They are doing a great job driving their own nails, they don’t need any help from anyone else. What do you think we should do, take the Ostrich approach and bury our heads in the sand and wait for the problem to go away? May you should join the lack of management staff at the Bowl, you would fit right in.

  15. Another spoiled brat bites the dust , two back up cars to boot . And an s k ride .you owe Waterford a great deal ….I know plenty of good race car drives that never had the opportunity to race like you do, that would drive circles around you .this is part of the game , so when the goings gets tough you bail, does anybody really care .( Get him a crying towel )…….

  16. derealgoodfella says

    This is a report about Al Stone, not the 🚽.

  17. Mike Serluca says

    The race is going to be rescheduled. We are in the process of checking dates. We are trying to not run up against any other big modified shows. An announcement will be made in the next day or two, as we have been closed since Sunday for the Memorial Day holiday. An announcement will post to our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, along with our website. Have a happy and safe Memorial Day!

  18. sour grapes of wrath says

    so the only “new”s that gets reported at the bowl is negative …..more accurate headline is stone shouldn’t`t walk away he should be led away in cuffs… rams another car head on after getting wrecked…(his car was good enough to drive off the wall into a competitor). ya know when ya go three wide that’s what happens ..somebody get wrecked..this time it was yuo Mr Perfect ..you had a top car f(former TC car) for your sk run and you stunk it up so you come back to a lesser division where you have had success and you whine.. go to Thompson.. see how you do there .. go buy a dare stock see how ya do at Stafford..LOL. now as for the track why have a mid week show with a division that suffers from low car counts.. ya barely had enough cars for a decent heat race sat .. stupid stupid decision there.; as for the minis.. there was a wreck.. big deal.. the rest of the race went fine.. minis usually the least carnage for any division ..show went way too long too many courtesy laps.. Forrester is incompetent.. stands 1/2 full pits were full.. the place still has a heartbeat . race management and facilities management need some improvement but in all fairness this has been said since Eames owned the place …when the Kortewegs ran it vending on the midway rocked.. as far as I know many competitors were treated failrly… BRING BACK THE KORTEWEGS!!!!!

  19. Moshe Shekelstein says

    I’m sorry but the worst things in racing are not the cost, purse, the distance away or even perceived slights posted by the media. It’s nepotism and the competitors themselves.
    Good for the Meyer tribe. Them and their clique including Waterman drove yet another competitor out of a division with an already small car count. Look at their negative posts here and on Faceberg about Stone all season long. It’s obsessive. They obsess over him because he was the only fast car left there. C’mon….Stone is as respectful of a driver as it gets. He’s never even been put to the back of the pack in any race, nevermind being suspended (Unlike Meyer or Waterman). Whose next? Porter or Hadley? How many more cars do you guys have to smash up and then antagonize on social media?
    It’s ok Meyer tribe. Nothing is going to happen to you guys. We know how much you love Bruce Bemer thanks to your antics at the banquet. And we know how much you like to stir the pot on social media on any competitor that is a legitimate threat. You’re poker face is terrible. Good luck with the heat race size division and doing your part on ruining the bowl.

  20. justice a. reason says

    Saw the video appears the 75 turns right putting the 52 into the outside car and turning both into the wall. Before that the 75 is pushing the 52 into turn 3-=4 forcing him up into the outside car. Managements fault for not penalizing 75 for overaggressive driving that is his trademark. View the video what is your unabashed opinion.

  21. Street stock fan says

    Walking away he should be parked for the rest of the season. Safety workers on the track smashing into cars under caution running around the track after a car.

  22. JimBinCT says

    As hard as you try to come across as an objective journalist, your reporting proves otherwise. You were obviously jilted by the management at the speedbowl, and you are obviously paying that back by “not reporting on the speedbowl”. Well, except when there is negative news to report. It’s clear as day. No matter how much you try to hide behind your claims of journalistic integrity.

    On this report. Al Stone should and probably would have been suspended for his dangerous actions.

  23. Racing fan says

    It’s so sad to see another respected champion leave the bowl! The racing is just not the same there anymore because there is no respect on the track. The sportsman division will have a low car count because of the aggressive driving. And for the Meyers you guys have a big obsession for stone, every comment is about him. I think it’s just full jealousy because you will never be half the driver he is. I can’t wait to watch him race someone else with real racers that actually want to race o stead of wreck. Good luck Waterford for that sportsman car count now.

  24. So sad to see stone leave! I always enjoyed going to the bowl to watch him race. I actually remember him always racing waterman clean and giving him a trophy at one race because of sad circumstances in the stands.. waterman just wants to just on the Meyer bus and he should be ashamed of himself! Another respected champion leaves.. and I think it’s just pure jealousy that made him go!

  25. darealgoodfella says

    THE INMATES ARE RUNNING THE JOINT!!!!

  26. Wait I’m so confused didn’t Waterman and Meyers get into in the pits a couple of years ago! They had a fist fight and everyone is talking bably about stone going after waterman.. Meyer went after waterman also.. And now they are best friends.. and he wrecks stone! Something is fishy!! I’m shocked it took stone this long to loose it! But he has a lot more class than everyone else in the fired. Stone is a respectable driver and a true champion.. the obsession the Meyers have over him is true craziness! Just look at their Facebook, everything out of their mouth is stone!!

  27. Inquiring Minds says

    Lets see if the Speedbowl’s management team will be consistent in the penalty given to Stone for using his car as a weapon. I too remember a Ray Downing incident that got him a few years off. I realize Stone says he is done at the Bowl but if I had a dime for every time a racer made that comment I would be a millionaire.

  28. I don’t understand why people are bashing the 52, if anyone else was in his shoes they would do the same thing! He was wrecked on purpose both weeks, by people that can’t beat him so they wreck him. He comes every week with his family and brings back the family component of racing. I seen him race for many years and he has never acted like this! These kids have pushed all the respected drivers away and turned the sport into a wreck fest! Meyers and waterman got into in the pits years ago.. and they are bashing the 52! It’s a joke, they are just jealous! The bowl would be stupid to not let him back because he just couldn’t take it anymore, no one was hurt! .. he brings class to the track something the track needs!

  29. mike serluca says

    This story is a direct story about Al Stone, who HAPPENS to race at the Speedbowl (or used to, since the story is about stepping away). This IS NEWS relating to racing and AL STONE FANS. The article doesn’t bash the Bowl. It’s not negative reporting about the Bowl. If Al Stone decided to walk away from Thompson, Stafford, Daytona, Bristol, etc. it’s still a story about Al Stone. Period. As far as punishment goes, penalties aren’t handed out until midweek. Stop jumping the gun and give the officials a chance to make a ruling before bashing them too.
    It is very unfortunate that Al has decided to leave, but who’s to say it will wind up his choice if he decides to come back? Who’s to say he announced leaving, before the track handed out punishment to possibly toss him, as a way to save face? As a PR person, I hate to lose competitors. It benefits no one. I thank Shawn for giving Al a platform to express his feelings and his story. I like Al Stone. I think he’s a good guy who just lost his cool in the heat of the moment. As most of you on here know, I’ve done the same. This doesn’t make Al a bad guy. Look at Waterman and Meyer (since it’s been brought up), they had a fight and have obviously moved on. I know Chris (Meyer) and Ryan (Waterman) pretty well. They are both fierce competitors. They have history also. No excuse, but once again, frustration, emotion, etc. all can play a factor in a person’s cognitive thinking. It is an emotional sport and these things happen, unfortunately. All over the country. On any given race night. I wish Al Stone all the luck in where ever he goes and hope to see him back at the ‘Bowl in the future (once again, if allowed).
    As far as the consequences of Saturday’s actions, that lies in the hands of the race department, which I can honestly say, I’m glad that’s not my department. Are there improvements needed? Certainly. Will they be made? Certainly. Until then, I’m sure most of you will see the decision posted in the penalty box on the web site.

  30. Racingfan says

    RacedayCT thanks for the professional updates and I personally don’t feel that you were saying anything negative about the track it was an update on Stone. And Serluca thanks for putting everyone in their place and also being professional! I really hope to see Stone back at the track racing soon! He has been a true racer for so many years and his family is always in the stands supporting the track and the drivers! He is someone that has a heart for racing and anyone that was pushed to his limits would do it too. It was a bad night for everyone, I hope the track officials understand that! I think many people would be upset to not see stone out there racing because he shows that racing is still about family and values! Hoping for the best!

  31. People that go to the races for the first time don’t go back to work and tell their co workers, ya know I saw some great side by side racing over the weekend where drivers treated each other with respect and kept their distance. But that would tell their co workers they saw a crash then a guy front end another at the races and chase him around.
    There weren’t a lot of cars in that race but it was old school, full bodied, hard cases going at it with a ton of action and it was exciting. Racing should be exciting and unpredictable with unscripted chaos on occasion. Not all the time but some times. Over thirty comments here with people engaged from all angles and zero for the Granite State top of the card races. When these things happen it’s a celebration of the emotion, adrenaline and unpredictability of short track racing. If you were there to see it you were lucky.

  32. I have been going to the bowl for 29 years and 18 of them I have enjoyed watching stone race.. from when he was the 69 when he first started as a kid! I have loved seeing him out there! He has lots of fans in the stands and it would be a shame not to see him race At the bowl Anymore! The bowl will loose lots of fans if he doesn’t return!

  33. Inquiring Minds says

    @Mike Serluca, did the mid-week penalties get posted by the Race officials? I looked for the penalty box on the Speedbowl’s website you mentioned but can’t find it. Can you please post the link? Also could not find anything on the Bowl’s fb page regarding Al Stone’s misbehavior last week. Finally can you shed any light on last nights assault/boxing match in the pits? A friend told me it was in the newspaper but I have not heard or seen anything yet regarding the culprit(s).

  34. Y No News says

    We all know Mike Suluca loves to voice his opinion whether he is working for the track as the PR person or not but his silence is making me think his tounge is being tied on the Al Stone penalty. Its just so much out of character for him.

  35. Y No News,
    It is my understanding that Al Stone III was suspended for four events with the suspension covering all divisions at the track.

  36. Inquiring Minds says

    @MikeSerluca I just see the Speedbowl has added the penalty box to their website today so no need for you to post the link. I have have done it for you below. I see lots of cheaters in the Late Model Division, wish they would have specified what parts the cheaters were using like they used to. Hopefully the fines will go into the point fund along with the purse money they lost.

    http://www.speedbowlct.com/2018-penalty-box/nlws-saturday-night-penalty-box/

  37. Y No News says

    Looks like Al Stone has started at theme at the Speedbowl. I you don’t like what happens on the track you take to doing crazy things. Wacky Wed. had its boxing match in the pits and last Sat. the Sportsman moved the boxing match to the racetrack. How long do these clowns think this crap is going to help keep the Speedbowl open? With so much disrespect going on from the competitors how long do you think George Whitney aka Bruce Bemers will continue to fund a losing operation? My guess is not to long.

  38. Rafter fan says

    It will be interesting to see if Todd Owen keeps his pledge not to return to the Bowl after tonight’s wreck with Izzo (and Moeller?). Perhaps some RaceDayCT “indirect” coverage of the Bowl will fill us in.

  39. I have been going to the speedbowl for over 40 years and even raced in the late model division against people like phil rondeau and chunk zentarski and many many others, the sportsman division is out of control, these guys are all sideways and using the other cars to keep them straight, al is a great driver and well respected, they need to fix it now before someone gets hurt, fighting every week between drivers is no good, management at the speedbowl needs to open there eyes and start making some calls and sitting these guys out, if I wanted to see a demolition derby I would go to one and it should not be saturday night racing.

  40. Y No News? says

    @larry 100% with you regarding the fights and carnage on the track. I just took a look at the Speebow’ls 2018 penalty box and do see any additional penalties being imposed for the fight in the pits a couple a Wacky events ago (5/30) or the on-track boxing match in turn one last Saturday (6/2).

    I’m sure someone will chime in that the fight in the pits at the wacky event was caused by a crew member of another team but I am under the impression that a driver is to be held accountable for any actions by their crew members or those associated with their team.

  41. Rafter fan says

    To my naked eye (and after watching the video), it looked like the 13 triggered the Owen wreck Wednesday night at the Bowl. Losing Owen would be another blow to the track.

Leave a Reply

Copyright 2018 E-Media Sports

Website Designed by Thirty Marketing