A new face to fans of the New London-Waterford Speedbowl will be hitting the track in 2022 with a former championship winning shoreline oval team owner behind the operation.
Former Stafford Speedway Late Model division regular Ryan Fearn will make the move to the Truck division at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl for the 2022 season.
Fearn will drive a Truck division entry owned by his uncle Scott Fearn, who is a former multi-time championship winning Late Model division team owner at the Speedbowl.
“It’s something I never expected to happen,” Ryan Fearn. “[Scott Fearn is] a great guy at heart. I haven’t really talked to him exactly about why he wants to do this, but once he puts his mind to something then it’s happening. I think it’s really cool, especially with all the success that Scott has had at the Speedbowl I think we’ll be able to put some results up.”
Scott Fearn won Late Model division championships in 2013 and 2014 at the Speedbowl with driver Keith Rocco.
“I like the idea of not having to race every single week,” Scott Fearn said. “I like the idea that they’re going to have a tight reign on the rules over there and actually inspect things. We always had fun there with the Late Model and all of that. It’s only an hour and 15 minutes from my house and we can go down there and have fun every other week. It should be a good time.”
Scott Fearn purchased a Truck from longtime Speedbowl competitor Duane Noll.
“We’ll be in good shape I think,” Scott Fearn said. “We’ll have fun. I like the people down at Waterford. Duane Noll led us in the right direction and I appreciate all that stuff. We’ll go back there and plan on having a good time.”
Scott Fearn ran with Rocco in the Late Model division at the Speedbowl part-time in 2011 and 2012 and full-time from 2013-2015. The team was shut down in Sept. 2015 after winning nine races that year. Overall Rocco had 36 wins in the Late Model division at Waterford driving for Fearn, with 32 of those wins coming in three seasons between 2013-2015.
Ryan Fearn spent three seasons in the Street Stock division, two seasons in the Limited Late Model division and three in the Late Model division at Stafford. He had five Street Stock wins, seven Limited Late Model wins and three Late Model wins over eight seasons. He has never turned a lap at the Speedbowl. Outside of racing one Open Street Stock event at Lee USA Speedway in Lee, N.H. previously, Ryan Fearn has raced exclusively throughout his career at Stafford.
“It’s a completely different thing,” Ryan Fearn said “New track for me. I’ve really only ever been to one other track besides Stafford. …. I know it’s a three-eighths mile. I know that it’s got a little more banking than Stafford.
“If there’s anything that I’ve learned about getting into new cars and racing is that you can only learn so much in practice. I’ve always found the greatest leaps in improvements for myself have been during the first heat race and the first feature. That’s where you’re actually close to people, you’re actually racing with them for position and you get to see and feel a lot more than being isolated to yourself doing laps around the track.”
https://racedayct.com/2015/09/scott-fearn-shutting-down-late-model-operation-with-keith-rocco-effective-immediately/#comments
Talk about a match made in heaven. The track, owner and driver are perfect for each other.
No mention of Ryan Fearn’s suspension(s) at Stafford as a possible reason for his move to the Bowl??
Could it be that Ryan will be running a late model at Stafford, provided his suspension has been lifted, and the Truck at Waterford. Time will tell, wish him the best of luck.
So I guess Ryan Fearn wasnt reinstated at Stafford. Odd Chris Jones has been suspended from Stafford a couple of times and always was allowed back eventually. Stafford’s loss is Waterford’s gain. I do believe that leaves a perfectly good Stafford specific late model in the Fearn stable. Perhaps we see Alexandra Fearn in a Stafford Late Model next year. I hope we see it.
Has it crossed anyone’s mind that perhaps no one has asked for, nor discussed, any reinstatement at Stafford for Ryan to drive a late model there for 2022? That maybe he’s a kid who’s raced every week for about the last 15 years and has had enough of needing to go the “mecca” of short track racing every single week? That maybe he would be happier going to race somewhere else once every 2-3 weeks so he can do other things as well all year long? I would imagine that if Ryan and his father want to see about him driving a late model at Stafford, that would be something discussed in private between themselves and the Arute family. But maybe Doug already knows the answer to that…
No, Ryan was actually welcomed back but he didn’t take up the offer. Ryan is pretty much a very “colorful” character who has his moments. The late model shows weren’t the same without him a part of them. Even through his suspensions, he another profit for the speedway. He just chose to leave.
fearn go fast go zoom
i heard this guy is good at racing is that true
12 Late Model registered with driver TBA.
12 LLM registered with a different owner but a familiar sponsor.
Update from Fearn Motorsports on 2022 plans……unlikely with one exception.
Tom Fearn signed, sealed and on the record.
I think Amedeo has been listed as owner of #12 limited late model for a few years and possibly for every year of existence , still all part of the Fearn stable