Everybody knows the Bando Kids are pretty darned good, but these days they’ve got a few veterans wondering what the heck is goin on! Speedway 660 has seen its fair share of kids come up through the ranks, but now these “little whipper-snippers” are starting to rule the roost!

 

How did he do that?
Can you believe it? I’m still kinda scratchin my head and wondering how in the “wide world of sports” this sort of thing could happen at Speedway 660. We’ve got an awesome stable of veteran drivers down in the Geary Woods and I know they think it’s great that we started the Westwood Estate Apartments Bandolero Division. After all, it gives the kids a place to race.It wasn’t that long ago that Cole Boudreau was winning races and a championship in the Westwood Estate Apartment Bandolero Division.  But things have changed very quickly because now this “boy” is racin against the men!

Only trouble is, these kids are growing up, moving up and starting to race against the veterans. It was all fun and games until these pups started winning races and knocking heads with some of their older competitors. Now we are witnessing a “changing of the guard” down at Speedway 660.

The icing on the cake came last Saturday night. Cole Boudreau had a coming out party so-to-speak. Chipman’s “Kid Boudreau” drove his double zero to the Riverview Ford Victory Lane in the Re/Max Group Four Realty Pro Stock 40 lap feature! How did that happen?What did he just do? Cole Boudreau wins his first Re/Max Group Four Realty Pro Stock feature just days after his 17th birthday.

Well, Cole was a holy terror in the Bando and won a championship there in 2012. Last year he split time between the Bando and a Pro Stock. Yup, he jumped into our highest class right out of one of those funny looking kid cars! He did pretty good too. Stayed out of trouble, got some seat time and started to earn some respect from the veterans.

Then Boudreau raised a few eye-brows when he showed up for the Auto Value 250, last SpeedWeekend. Not only did he qualify, he finished 15th which was a pretty good showing. Earlier this year Cole decided to enter the PASS race. Say what? Yup, he was going up against some of the best short-trackers in North America. Finished on the lead lap in tenth! Pretty impressive! Cole Boudreau puts the pressure on short-track legend Ben Rowe (#4) during this year’s Pro All Star Series race at Speedway 660. Cole had a top ten finish and was on the lead lap when the 150 lap race ended!

Two weeks ago he challenged Derek Christie for the win in the Pro Stock feature and settled for second. Last Saturday night Boudreau would not be denied. And remember as a rookie he has to start at the back every week to “stay out of the way of the veterans.” A lot of tongues are waggin this week and everybody is wondering how this kid is doing what he’s doing.Just over a week ago Cole Boudreau came this close to winning the Pro Stock feature. At the time Derek Christie (#9) said he was glad the race was only 40 laps, because he wasn’t sure he would have been able to hold Cole off for another trip around Speedway 660.

But Cole Boudreau isn’t the only youngster cutting down “the old growth forest” in the Geary Woods. Just a couple of weeks ago Andrew Rodgers scooped up a cool three grand by winning the Martin’s Home Heating Sportsman 100. That big pay day came just a week after he won his first Sportsman feature. Andrew’s brother Matt isn’t too shabby either. Whoops – I almost forgot that another teen, Dawson McIntee, won a Sportsman feature earlier this year.Three generations of racers! Bob Rodgers (2nd from right), his son Steve (left) and his sons Andrew (right) and Matt (2nd from left) make a formidable Sportsman team. Andrew recently won the $3000 first place money in the Martin’s Home Heating 100.

There’s more of the same taking place in Street Stock. Last week Peter Martin won a Hat Trick Award. Justin Cole and TJ “Hollywood” Madore both did the same thing earlier in the season. Luc McLaughlin, the 2013 Street Stock Rookie of the Year, is part of the Street Stock youth brigade too.Peter Martin is the third young driver to win a Jensen Financial Hat Trick Award in the DMR Auto Sales & Service Street Stock Division. Peter and the other young guns are making Street Stock racing a whole lot of fun to watch this year!

Most of the vets won’t come right out and say it, but I get the feeling that a few of them are surprised that the kids are having so much success so soon after moving up to one of our top three divisions. But I’m not surprised and no one else should be either. These kids can drive. They are smart, they are focussed and they sure are fast!

To be fair, I’ve got to say that Dave O’Blenis, Derek Christie, Rick Cashol and a few other vets saw this coming. They know talent when they see it and welcome the competition, even if the kids they are competing against are less than half their age!Dave O’Blenis is the first to admit that he’s got to be at the top of his game to compete with the youngsters who are coming up through the ranks. Courtney & Alexandra, Dave’s talented daughters, are among the group of young stars we see every week in the Geary Woods. 

This Saturday night the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour comes to the Geary Woods. And guess what? Another teenager is ready to set the Geary Woods on fire. Dylan Blenkhorn has won the last two tour races, including a 150 lapper a couple of weeks ago down at Scotia. Tour announcer Tim Terry tells me young Dylan is an impressive driver and says don’t be surprised if this kid makes it three in a row come Saturday night.Dylan Blenkhorn has taken the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour by storm. Dylan is coming to the Geary Woods this weekend with his sights set on an Irving Oil Blending and Packaging win. If he can pull it off, it’ll be the youngsters third straight tour victory!

Last week I was walking through the Speedway 660 pits and next thing I know I’m standin there talkin with Cole Boudreau, Dana Hamm, Matt and Andrew Rodgers and Brent Roy. You know what? They are all great kids. Their parents should be proud of them because they are polite and respect their elders. But when the green flag flies these kids are real racers and they run hard until Joe Barrieau throws the checkers.

Brad Mann has three Re/Max Group Four Realty Pro Stock championships down at Speedway 660. But he was no match for Cole Boudreau (#00), who blew by the veteran last Saturday night on the way to his first ever Pro Stock feature win!

By the sound of the applause for “Kid Boudreau” last Saturday night, most folks approve of the changing of the guard at Speedway 660. To me all of this “Kid Stuff” is great for our sport!
We’ll see you at the races!