Alexandra Fearn celebrates victory Friday in the Late Model feature at Stafford Speedway (Photo: Amedeo Francesca)
STAFFORD – There have plenty of nights this season when it seemed Alexandra Fearn had the car to beat in the Limited Late Model division at Stafford Speedway.
And yet the consistent theme for the East Longmeadow, Mass. driver wasn’t celebration but rather heart break.
Friday at Stafford Fearn and her team turned the disappointment of a week previous into that long awaited celebration.
After being involved in an early wreck last week that eliminated half of the field in her feature, Fearn bounced back Friday to get her first victory of the season in the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature at Stafford.
“It definitely feels really good because we obviously had not as many chances as everybody else to get here,” said Fearn, who missed six events this season while doing an internship in Kenosha, Wisc. for Snap-On Tools. “After last week we had to work extra hard and we did it. We did this. This is something I’m really proud of and something that we’ve wanted all year because we’ve been fast but stuff didn’t go our way.”
“This is definitely something that we worked for and we earned this week. I say we because my team was really important to this. I would not be here without them. … It kind of sets the tone for the rest of the year for us.”
Jeremy Lavoie of Windsor Locks went to the checkered on Fearn’s bumper in second. Duane Provost of Palmer, Mass. was third.
Fearn started fifth in the field but made an aggressive sweep to the front, clearing a three-wide move to second place on lap. A lap later Fearn got by Steven Midford for the lead and never trailed again.
By lap six Fearn had checked out from the field, but Lavoie and Provost inched closer and closer as the lap clicked off before Lavoie got to Fearn’s bumper at the white flag.
“I needed a couple more adjustments to the car,” Lavoie said. “We were getting loose at the end. I was able to catch her, and we all know that’s one thing. Getting around her is the hardest thing. Congrats to her.”
Fearn dedicated the victory to her car owner Amedeo Francesca, who celebrated a birthday on Thursday.
Travis Hydar of Woodbury got his first victory of the season in the 20-lap Street Stock feature. George Bessette Jr. of Danbury was second and Johnny Walker of Agawam, Mass. third.
“Hey are you Alexandra”.
Well I learned one thing about Alexandra. She doesn’t suffer fools. Climbing the gauntlet to the media perch for her RacedayCT interview as a winner she was interrupted in the climb by a fan. No chit chat for her. It was a semi polite blow off and gotta go. Sitting by the guy and listening to him talk over roaring modifieds a good part of the night it was one of the best moves she made in a night of good moves.