1973, in Northeastern stock car racing, is a season marked with challenging race schedules among two groups: the All Star Stock Car Racing League [modifieds] and the Northern NASCAR circuit [late model sportsman]. Ironically, it was also the year best remembered for the Arab Oil Embargo and the subsequent energy crisis that dramatically raised gasoline prices and - for a time - made Americans wait in long lines for rationed amounts of gasoline.
The aforementioned challenging race schedules could not have come at a worse time. Between the gasoline problems and some untimely deaths of important figures in the organization, 1973 effectively killed the heretofore highly successful All Star League. Strangely, it did little to deter the Northern NASCAR program, which did pare down a bit but went on to more of the same. It is the latter series, we are focusing upon on this page.
Courtesy of Mark Signor
1973 would see Northern NASCAR, then in its second season, try a punishing five track a week schedule: Wednesday nights, Sanair International Speedway, St. Pie, QU; Thursday nights, Thunder Road International Speedbowl, Barre, VT; Friday nights, Airborne Park Speedway, Plattsburgh, NY; Saturday nights, Catamount Stadium, Milton, VT; and Sunday Nights, Devil's Bowl Speedway, West Haven, VT. To make things worse, sometimes Thunder Road would run Sunday afternoons and then the Bowl would run Sunday nights [on the same day].
The result was ungodly wear and tear on cars, drivers, teams, and budgets. Sanair would drop out after a fashion, but the rest of the schedule went on.... and the cars looked like it soon into the season, as photos below will attest.
EARLY IN THE SEASON
 Ladabouche Photo The John Rosati team came prepared with two Ford Fairlanes for the demanding schedule. |
 Richards FamilyPhoto Ray Richards [ctr] bought a Cabana - built Chevelle for driver, Bob Ellis [lft], who would win 1973 Rookie of the Year honors. |
 Ladabouche Photo Already a hot commodity from the previous year, Bob Dragon picked up a major sponsor and just kept on winning. |
 Courtesy of Rich Palmer Beaver Dragon finally got a competitive Chevelle built and won the first two races of the long season. |
 Robert Brown Photo Veteran Ronnie Marvin, who had run a grueling schedule in 1965 to finish 8th in the national standings, arrives with an obviously new car. |
 Robert Brown Photo Ron Barcomb, [seen here at T Road next to the Rosati hauler] Still had the beautiful Torino but wisely kept this Fairlane 500 as a backup. |
 Robert Brown Photo A young Steve Poulin had made a big commitment by buying this Allison Chevelle from the departing Richie Panch team. |
 Ladabouche Photo Tom Tiller was another driver who decided he needed two cars to keep up with the five track grind. |
 Ladabouche Photo Tom Tiller's Dart was on ahnd for the first race of the year. |
 Bob Frazier Photo Dave Dion was back with essentially the same Torino he had introduced in 1972. It wasn't any slower. |
 Courtesy of Andy Boright Poulin leads Quenneville and Bob Dragon at T Road early in the season. |
 Courtesy of Joe Baril Barcomb and Dion in the battle of the Torinos. |
 Source Unknown Popular teenage driver Robbie Crouch was now in his second season here. |
 Source Unknown Jean - Paul Cabana had this unusual Monte Carlo as one of his cars that year. |
 Courtesy
of Barb LaducDevil's Bowl regular Charlie Laduc ran what he could of the schedule but mostly did Catamount and D Bowl.. |
 Ladabouche Photo Moe Dubois scrapped his heavier '67 Dodge from 1972 in favor of this one. He also went from Pepsi to CH Goss. |
 Source: Jim Watson Former Catamount champ Andre Manny still had his gorgeous Gaston Ethier car. |
 Ladabouche Photo NH runner Stub Fadden started 1973 with this entry. he may have had another car before the year was out. |
 Ladabouche Photo Former Malta and Riverside, Park standout George Rettew came up from Chicopee, MA with this Ford without much success. |
 Bob Frazier Photo Ron Barcomb's uncle Ernie waits for tires at Devil's Bowl. EB was a driver inthe 1950's. |
 Ladabouche Photo Bob Brunell's Chevelle took on several graphic looks during the long season. This might be the original. |
 Source Unknown Bob Karvonen ran this Chevelle for a couple of seasons before returning to modifieds. |
 Ladabouche Photo Ron Bettis had bought a Cabana car for his return in 1972; then the team built this beauty in '73. |
 Source Unknown Brad Kennedy. |
 Courtesy of Chris Companion Everyone was taken with the Monte Carlo,l but this was the go-to car for Cabana, |
DOZENS AND DOZENS OF RACES LATER ......
 Courtesy of Andy Boright One of Tiller's nice cars ended uyp like this....  Courtesy of Andy Boright |
 Source: Andy Boright Bob Dragon's only car went through a lot during a successful season.  Bob Mackey Photo Courtesy of Andy Boright |
 Dragon Family Photo Coll. Beaver Dragon started 1973 with this entry..and ended with it.  Dragon Family Photo Coll. |
Ladabouche Photo Former Malta and Riverside, Park standout George Rettew came up from Chicopee, MA with this Ford without much success. Below, later in '73.  Robert Brown Photo |
 Ladabouche Photo John Merrick works on Bobby Giroux's beautiful Chevelle in 1972, when it was new.  Robert Brown Photo Bobby Giroux's beautiful Chevelle showing signs of the rough schedule in '73. |
 Bettis Collection Ron Bettis's group built a stunner in 1973... but ...  Courtesy of CHris Companion it wasn't roll proof..... |
 Courtesy of Chris Companion and it ended up as battle - scarred as everybody elses' ca |
 Robert Brown Photo Robbie Crouch's car looking much the same wear as most of them. |
Richards FamilyPhoto Bob Ellis' 76VT of Ray Richards before...  Richards FamilyPhoto ...and after. |
 Courtesy of Andy Boright Clem Despault scrapped his familiar '55 Chevy for Mopar.  Courtesy of Chris Companion The car seldom made it out of primer for very long |
MORE SHOTS OF A
HECTIC SEASON
 Burlington Free Press Photo Courtesy of Wayne Bettis Beaver and Bob Dragon stand at the Church Street car show in 1973 with Beaver's newly - built Chevelle.  Burlington Free Press Photo Courtesy of Wayne Bettis Beaver clobbers Tom Tiller in the first race of the year but he went on to win the first two races of the season. |
 Source: Alan Ward Bob Karvonen and Dave Dion, on the covers of a Catamount and DBowl program.  Ladabouche Collection |
 Shawn Byrne Coll. Vince Quenneville and Charlie Laduc, on the DBowl program.  Bob Mackey Photo Via Dave Brown Beaver Dragon's one car got bruised but never failed to answer the bell. |
 Ladabouche Photo Former Malta and Riverside, Park standout George Rettew came up from Chicopee, MA with this Ford without much success. Below, later in '73.  Photographer Unknown John Peoples' 61 and Andre Manny's 27A on the track at Devil's Bowl. |
 Business Insider.com Fortunately the energy crisis was only beginning to rear its ugly head as the 1973 season was winding down.  Business Insider.com |
 Via Joe Baril Bob Dragon holds off Dion at Thunder Road. |
 Via Joe Baril Kourafas wins at Catamount. This will look better if downloaded and blown up larger. |
 Via Joe Baril Disappointment for the Hector LeClair team: from left - Carl Cain, George Goldring, Hector, and Marcel LeClair [hat]. |
 Via Joe Baril Kourafas leads at Catamount. This will look better if downloaded and blown up larger. |
 Via Joe Baril Bob Dragon wins career #82 at Thunder Road. This will look better if downloaded and blown up larger. |
 Via Dave Brown Beaver Dragon receiving award for his excellence at Airborne. He loved that old, flat half - mile track. |
 Via Andy Boright Action at Catamount. Someone in the Cabana backup car leads Poulin, Eliis, and Fadden. |
 Via Joe Baril Beaver Dragon chases Kourafas at Thunder Road. This will look better if downloaded and blown up larger. |
 Dragon Family Collection Beaver Dragon poses proudly with his new Chevelle proior to the season opener. This was his first decent car at Catamount since 1969. |
 Via Andy Boright Bob Dragon wins career #82 at Thunder Road. This will read better if downloaded and blown up larger. |
 Via Stephane Beattie Bob Dragon wins yet another. |
 Via Chris Goodbout Tom TIller began the year with this nifty Dart, but I can't recall how long he kept it. |
 Via Chris Companion This over-exposed shot shows Ron Bettis racing Tom TIller. |
 Ladabouche Photo Ron Barcomb's Torino sports a slightly different graphic package as he is pitted next to Beaver Dragon. |
%20_.png) Courtesy of Chris Companion Beaver enjoys the spoils of his winning the second race of the season [and 2nd in a row] at Devil's Bowl. Not Jane's favorite photo. |
 Ladabouche Photo Beaver's car had to undergo changes in the graphics before season's end due to so many body repairs. |
 Ladabouche Photo Drivers came from far and wide.John Ditges hauled from Long Island every week. |
 Courtesy of Ladabouche Collection Many local heroes with small budgets would race one or two of the five tracks. Bill Braham ran Airborne and Catamount. |
 Courtesy of Ladabouche Collection Many local heroes with small budgets would race one or two of the five tracks. Bernie Griffith ran Airborne and Catamount. |
 Courtesy of Ladabouche Collection Dave Dion, with the Torino he first shoewed up with in 1972. |
THE TRACKS
 Courtesy of Wayne Bettis WEDNESDAY NIGHTS The Sanair Flat Track Built in the early 1970's by Jacques Guertain, and named for his patented system of ventilating poultry barns, the track did not stay in the circuit for the entire 1973 season. |
 Courtesy of L.A. West THURSDAY NIGHTS Thunder Road Built in 1960 by Ken Squier and the Cooley brothers, the 1/4 mile paved oval also ran a few Sunday afternoon shows in the1973 season. |
 Bob Mackey Photo via John Rock FRIDAY NIGHTS Airborne Park Speedway Built in 1954 by , Maurice Broderick, Burt Blake, and Lyman Burnell the flat paved half mile was crumbling by 1973 season, but it hung in there the whole time. This modified shot was the best view I had. |
 Courtesy of Andy Boright SATURDAY NIGHTS Catamount Stadium Built in 1965 by by a consortium led by Ken Squier, the trtack was the central point of the Northern NASCAR organization. This shot, while most typical of that era, is mini stocks,,and likely not 1973. |
 Courtesy of Dick Britain, Photographer SUNDAY NIGHTS Devil's Bowl Built in 1967 by C.J. RIchards, the Bowl suffered through the entire 1973 season at the tail end of ahard week's racing on the circuit. |
Return to the Main Page
Return to the
Main News Page
Return
to the All Links Page