Providence, RI - With the success of the first Providence Indoor Show, the 56 crew were making the trip back down with hope of competing again this time around. The driver, Evan Beaulieu, and his crew chief Todd Beaulieu, were being helped this weekend by Jeff Martel, Joe Lovejoy, and Bobby Timmons. With 42 karts on the sign up list, and only 25 karts making the feature each night, just making the show would be a feat in itself.

When they arrived on Friday, they got the kart ready to practice and were fast through the first practice. During the second practice, they fell off the map, with the 56 kart very slow on the track and not much better through the final practice, still a second and a half off the pace. However, the crew made some changes to the kart before qualifying, and found themselves right back where they needed to be.

Evan would line up sixth for the third heat race. The top six would make the show. Once the shuffling ended in the first few laps, Evan found himself racing for position with Greg Brehio, when the two made contact going into turn three, leaving Evan in the guardrail and into the consolation race. Evan was coming from the rear in the consi, and only the top three made the show. On the second lap, Evan was drove to the inside guardrail by the 88 kart, leaving him on the concrete barrier, and little hope of continuing. When officials lifted Evan’s down though, he put his wheel back in place, told the officials he could still drive, and off he went. When the consi finished, Evan drove his way to the third spot, and made the feature.

When the feature went green, Evan was coming from the 24th starting position out of 25 karts. While making his way through the field, he dodged many of the wrecks that would plague the first half of the race. After a little bit of a green flag run, Evan found himself about midpack when a wreck going down the backstretch occurred, Evan darted for the inside and had the wreck cleared until the 64 of Mike Sullivan got spun right in his tracks, the two made contact, leaving Evan’s nose crunched in enough to leave the throttle sticking. He got the throttle back out though, and coasted the kart around for the rest of the race to finish in 9th.

Saturday came and the crew was hopeful for a better night than the one before. In practice they were still one of the more fast karts on the track, and would start from the second spot in the heat race, with once again only the top six making the field. On the start Evan got a good jump, but going into turn one, the 44 of Chris Daley made contact with him, leaving Evan dropping back to sixth and trying to hold on. A late race caution set Evan on the outside, and dropping to seventh once the field went green, and out of the show. However, on the final lap, Evan got under the 20 kart of Dale Friendly, and made it stick, grabbing the sixth spot and making the feature.

The second feature wasn’t going to be much nicer to Evan, starting from the 18th starting spot. When the green flew Evan saw himself stopped as quick as they got going to miss a big melee in front of him. That was only the first of many close calls for Evan in the feature, but he was still making his way to the front, picking them off one at a time. With five laps to go, Evan saw himself in the top ten and looking to go for more when the motor starting letting go. He coasted the kart once again to the finish, and again, finished in 9th.

“Can’t be too disappointed, we made the show both nights with all the horrible luck we had, but that’s the way it goes, I can’t thank my dad, Jeff, Joe, Bobby and my family for coming down here with us and supporting us,” Evan said after the race, “We’ll get a motor for Atlantic City next month, and be even better.”.

The next race for Evan will be at Atlantic City, arguably the biggest karting race on the east coast. With many heavy hitters there as well, the small team from Durham, Maine will be making the trip and once again competing with the best. Visit 56Racing.com to keep updated on team 56.

Photos By Lesha Beaulieu
 

The biggest karting event in Maine, the 3rd Annual, $1,000 to win, Dash For Cash at Richmond Karting Speedway. After leading until lap 99 of last years 100 lap race, Evan was ready for redemption in this years event. He’d be idle from the kart at his home track since May when he race a Friday night series race, and idle from driving anything since the trip to Bethel almost a month ago.

When the team got to the track, they unloaded both their Ultramax Blaze Octane “Rocker” Kart and the Ultramax Inferno “Champ” Kart, with 2008 Kart Driver of the Year, and good friend Bobby Timmons behind the wheel. During practice, Evan was fast and chose not to run much practice, saving his stuff for the race. Meanwhile, Timmons’ was not so lucky, motor issues plagued the team and would be the story of the day for Timmons’.

Instead of heat races like the previous two years, this years starting grid was going to be staged by time trials, which both drivers have had a history for struggling in. When the qualifying was over, Evan would start from the seventh position and Timmons’ would start 15th. New England karting ace TJ Laro started on the pole with the 41 of Nick Hadden on his outside.

When the green flag dropped, Evan quickly made his way through traffic to get into the top five. Riding in fifth behind Laro, Hadden, the 70 of Tommy Stilphen and the 4 of Brandon Barker. The order stayed the same for most of the beginning until Evan made his way around Barker to take fourth. While in lapped traffic, Stilphen and Evan made slight contact but continued, being one of the only times Evan made contact with anyone all day. Timmons’ day ended early, on around lap 15 when he decided to pull the kart in with more motor issues.

As Evan put it, he just rode for most of the first half until there were five laps to go in the half, when a caution came out and Evan pitted for fuel after running the tank dry. They would restart back in the pack and made up no ground before the mandatory caution at lap 50. Under the caution, the teams were only allowed to add fuel and adjust air pressures. Crew Chief Todd Beaulieu made a slight air pressure adjustment and told Evan to use his head to get to the front.

“The track has no grip for the first few laps and it gets real tight going into turn one,” Evan commented after being asked about the track conditions, “But after a few laps it’s still the same track it’s always been even with the cold weather.”

When the green flag came back out, Evan rode and just picked off karts one at time. With karts pulling in to make early fuel stops, Todd made the decision to keep Evan on the track for track position and run the race on the load of fuel he got at lap 50. After most of the drivers made fuel stops, Evan inherited the race lead and commanded it for a good 20 laps of the second segment before a caution came out with just 15 laps to go. On the restart, Laro and Hadden were able to power off the outside and take the lead. Evan wasn’t done yet though, as he stalked in third waiting for the right moment to make his move. Then, with just 10 laps to go, the two leaders made slight contact out of turn two and Evan drove around Hadden and go alongside Laro for the race lead.

From that point on, he didn’t look back as he put five kart lengths on eventual second place finisher Hadden, and took his first Dash For Cash victory and the big paycheck that goes with it. The redemption after last years heartbreak felt great.
“I wasn’t letting it slip away this year,” Evan said as he celebrated with his crew in victory lane, “I can’t thank my dad, mom, and Bobby enough, I wish we could’ve given him a better motor for todays race because he’s been a big help to us this year, and to all my sponsors too, this is a great win for us and a great way to end a frustrating year.”

A win was a great way to end out the season, and a great way to what may be the end of Evan’s five year dominance run at Richmond Karting Speedway. This just builds more momentum for the 56 team for the 2010 season. Evan’s next race isn’t for a month and a half, when he will participate in the 2nd Annual Indoor race at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, RI. The 2010 Legends Car schedule is still in the works, but is sure to be one of the most competitive in a while.

Photos by Lesha Beaulieu and Julie Barker
 

 The final Nelcar race was held this past weekend during one of the biggest motorsports weekends in New England , PASS 300 weekend at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway. Todd and Evan arrived to the track Friday for the practice session and when they hit the track for their first session, Evan explained the car in one word, “fast.” They kept changing the car to make it faster, but in the end, Evan wanted the car put back to the way it originally was, and that’s fast.

When Saturday came, the skies looked threatening, but the team got in the two practice sessions in the early morning before the rain came. The rain was bad enough to delay the program for six hours, but the PASS officials were adamant to get the show in, and they did. The Legends cars heat race hit the track at 7 PM at night, and Evan was a part of the first one.

The heat race was a train wreck for Evan, after being so fast during all the practices; he was not at all during the heat race. The 7th place finish in the heat was not at all what Evan was looking for. He rode for most of the race behind the 33 of Alan Smith and was very frustrated after the heat. He didn’t have enough time to complain or fix the car however, as the feature race lined right up after the heat.

When the green flag dropped, Evan realized how much of a hole he was put in, starting from the 13th spot in the 20 car field. He got to work early on as he worked his way up through the field. The first caution came on lap eight when the 21 of Chris Sargent and the 72 of Kevin Hutchens got together right in front of Evan as he went way high in turn one, off into the dirt to miss the wreck and got it back together to keep his spot in the ninth position. When the flag flew again Evan went back to work, and he worked his way up to the sixth position behind the 10 of Ed Getty, where he rode of a good portion of the race trying to find a way around.

The next caution came and Evan was riding sixth. When the green flag flew again, Evan got around Getty after just a couple laps. The final caution came with just three laps to go, and Evan was able to hold on for the last laps and finish in the top five.

“Another awesome run for this 56 team, we ran awful in the heat race and got back to the front when the feature came,” Evan said after the feature, “For 50 laps in these cars, and the way I was handling, I could go another 100 laps, I just got to thank my dad, my great sponsors and all the fans here who went through all the rain today.”

While the Nelcar season is over, Evan will still be action this weekend. The 56 Hancock Lumber Legends Car will be at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the Legends booth this weekend, September 18th-20th. And the week after the team will be headed to New York to race at Bethel Speedway on Saturday and Mountain Speedway on Sunday to close out the Legends car season, with the 3rd Annual Dash For Cash at Richmond Karting Speedway the week after. Come out and support team 56!

Photos by Chris Roy
 

 The 56 team rolled the kart out for the first time in months last Friday night for the Kart Klash at Oxford Plains Speedway. Todd and Evan got the kart together Thursday night and loaded it up and looked for their first win in the season ending race. When the team got to the track, they were to miss the first practice as they were busy putting a new pipe on the motor that Jeff Martel supplied. Evan went out for seven laps in the second and final practice to get back accustom to the go-kart around the small but rough oval.

In his previous two Kart Klash starts, in 2005 and 2008, Evan drew last place on the starting grid, last Friday was not much better as he drew third to last, starting just ahead of PASS North regular, DJ Shaw. When the green flag flew over the field, those two showed their strength as they made their way to the front. Evan made his way up into the top five early but would start to fade with a tight handling kart in the long green flag run.

The first yellow flag flew just after halfway in the 50 lap feature, and Evan lined up eighth on the restart. When the race resumed, he once again gained a few spots on the restart, but the yellow flew again and slowed the pace back down. On the next restart, Evan spun off the backstretch going to avoid pieces off another karts body, sending Evan back to the rear of the field.

When the field went back green, Evan started his way back to the front, and made his way up to third before the caution came out for the final time for a big wreck on the frontstretch. This all happened with just two laps to go, and when the field went green again, Evan worked on the leader, the 18 of Brandon Douglas. Going down the fronstretch on the last lap, Evan was getting a push and tried a move going into one but couldn’t make it work, as he fell to third behind school friend David Blackwell as Douglas took the win.

“We went into one, and I was getting a push, we got to the turn and I had to back off a bit from hitting the 18, I could’ve hit him but he was having a great night and I’m not that kind of driver to take the win from him like that,” Evan concluded after the race, “But, for just one practice and putting this kart together last minute, we were very competitive and I’m ready for the Dash next month.”

Next weekend Evan will be back in action for the final Legends race at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway for the 50 lapper, $400 to win race on PASS 300 weekend.

Photos by JAR Racing
 

This past weekend was nothing short of eventful and full of more heartbreak for team 56, with the rough season it has been, more bad luck struck Evan Beaulieu driving the 56 Hancock Lumber car in practice on Thursday, August 6th. The 83 of Charlie Buxton spun in turn two, while Evan had nowhere to go when the spin occurred, and he hit turn two wall, ending his day early. When he climbed out, you could see the disappointment in his face about what a rough season 2009 has been for the team that had such high hopes going in.

When Todd and Evan loaded up the car, team president Terry Kirk pulled Evan aside, and told him Evan was more than welcome to take the wheel of his second car he had recently purchased, driven by 2008 Thursday Thunder runner up, Chris Seavey. Evan and Todd went to get the car the next day, and went to work. Making the car race ready was more of a task than they thought it would be, but the car was ready for the eleventh tour race of the season, at Unity Raceway on Sunday, August 9th.

Evan stepped behind the wheel of the all white Ford Sedan for the first time in practice, and the problems continued right away, while Evan was getting a feel for the car, the left rear wheel fell off in turn one. They bolted a new one back on, and went out for the second and final practice. Motor issues was the story this time when Evan brought the car in, and the team, with help from Kirk, John Gibbs, Ed Getty and Bob Weymouth, replaced parts of the motor to get it to run more smoothly.

Green flag flew in the heat race, and Evan still couldn’t get a feel for the car, as he rode around in the back of the field just holding on to the extremely loose racecar. When Evan pulled in, they put a ton of cross into the car to tighten it up, and hoped it’d work.

Waiting for the feature, Evan was anxious to get back in the car and go from his third starting spot in the field. When the green flag finally flew, Evan held his ground, but couldn’t help from being freight trained to the rear of the pack on the bottom. During the race, Evan got more and more of a feel for the racecar, as he lost a ton of ground in the beginning; he started to gain more, but couldn’t make it work as he ended up in the tenth spot.

“I started to get a real feel for the car, but I wasn’t going to push it knowing it’s not my car, and the steering was all screwed up in it, if I pushed it enough, I wouldn’t be able to correct it, so I took what I had and just rode and kept it in one piece,” Evan said after the race, “I’m just really glad I’m here today, it’s been a rough season but I can’t thank Terry Kirk for letting me drive this car and my dad for all the hard work he’s been putting in this year.”

Evan will be back behind the wheel of the all white machine on Thursday, August 13th for the final race of the Thursday Night Thunder series at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway. Tickets are only $4! Come support Todd and Evan and team 56.

Photos by Chris Roy and EMB Motorsports
 

After a week of even more frustration and uncertainty, the 56 team of Todd and Evan Beaulieu rolled the 56 machine back out on Thursday, July 30th for round six of Thursday Thunder. The past weekend Evan was racing for second spot when the 88 of Steve Fox got loose on the outside of him, sending him for a spin and clipping Evan in the right rear, sending Evan hard into the frontstretch wall and left with even more repairs in what has already been a rough 2009 season. With the help of Terry Kirk and Timmons' Machine, the crew was able to roll the car back out and get ready to go at it again.

In practice, it was the first time Evan had ever described anything he drove as ‘fantastic’. His car was just that, and crew chief Todd made the car just a tick pit looser to be ready for when the sun went down on the 3/8s mile track.

When the green flag flew over the 17 car field, Evan started from the seventh spot and held his ground around that area for most of the race. While he watched the battle develop in front of him, he rode with the leaders, not risking wrecking the car again. When the race was at the half way point, the field sort of spread out and Evan was racing for fifth with the 17 of Terry Kirk and the 10 of Ed Getty. Evan tried to get a run on Getty several times, but couldn’t get his nose up to Getty’s door to make the pass, and when he went to the outside to make a move, his car jumped loose and Evan almost lost it.

With five laps to go, the 399 of Bob Weymouth and the 88 of Steve Fox made contact at the front of the field, sending Fox for a spin and Weymouth up the track. Evan took abasive action and went way high and almost hit the sand pit on the outside of turn two, but he saved it, but had to go to the pits doing so. Expecting a caution for the contact Evan drove back on the track, but the green was still out, leaving Evan a lap down and finishing a very disappointing 17th place.

“I saw the 88 spinning, and then I hit my blind spot so I went high, and then I look in front of me and the 399 is slow up high, so I could only go higher in the marbles up there and went off the track to avoid it,” Evan said after the race, “They need to throw yellows here more often, bad things happen when they don’t, but that’s a common complaint, and I can’t complain, we were fast and we aren’t racing for points and the car’s in one piece, so we’ll take it and run with it Sunday.

After the race, Evan has fallen back to 11th in the TNT points standings. The team is back in action Sunday, August 2nd for the Kraze Four Cylinder Nationals, which is also the National Qualifier for the Legends Nationals at Lanier Speedway in Georgia. It is also the same race that Evan got his first heat win a year ago, and qualified for the Nationals in the Semi-Pro class. The action starts at 2 PM. Come support team 56!
 

With the forecast once again calling for showers, the 56 crew of Todd and Evan Beaulieu were treated to hot and blue sunny skies at the Beech Ridge Motor Speedway for round four of Thursday Thunder.  Early on in practice, Evan knew he had a great car and Todd could tell too, as no real major adjustments were made to the car.

Being eighth in points, Evan was just able to make the invert in the 16 car field, and he would start from the top spot on the pole position when the green flag flew.  Out of turn four Evan got the jump and pulled out to a good advantage over the 10 of Ed Getty.  Meanwhile though, the 399 of Bob Weymouth and the 20 of Max Zachem were making their way through the field.  Evan pulled out to a half straightaway lead, but Weymouth was closing lap after lap, and with seven laps to go,  Weymouth was able to get to Evan’s rear bumper and made his move to the inside while Evan was shuffled back to third behind Zachem.  Two laps later though, Zachem went to the outside trying to get a run on Weymouth for the lead, and as he did Evan got a run going into turn three and got a nose under Zachem just as Zachem was coming back down the track.  The contact sent Zachem in a spin, and resulted in both cars being put to the rear of the field.

With only four laps to go in the race after the restart, Evan was only able to make it back up to finish tenth place.  A dismal performance in what was looking to be a good run.  “We were running great tonight, for only our third race with this car we are gaining a lot, and on the old tires too, but me and the 20 got together and it was by no means intentional,” Evan explained after the race, “I don’t agree with sending me to the tail too but that’s the way it goes, just seems like we can’t catch a break lately and we got hurt in the points again tonight.”

Next week sees the Beaulieu crew heading back to Beech Ridge for round five of Thursday Thunder.  Then the crew hits the road again at Unity Raceway the following day.  Come support the 56 team, racing starts at 7 PM Thursday, and 6 PM on Friday.

After Evan's hard crash at Lee USA Speedway, the rest of the season was in the question, and it didn't look good. But Sunday night after the race they went and picked up a chassis, and with the help of Terry Kirk, Bob Weymouth, Mike Carver, Bob Timmons, amongst others, Todd and Evan Beaulieu were able to rebuild their car in just two days and ready to compete at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway for round three of Thursday Thunder.

In the first practice session Evan was just getting back used to the feel of his new ride, and put down some quick lap times as well. Being 11th in TNT points going into the night, Evan would have to srat from the seventh starting spot for the feature.

When the green flag dropped Evan quickly went to work, holding his ground and being careful as he made his move towards the front. On lap five though, the 38 of Bobby Timmons spun coming out of turn four and collected the 21 of Chris Sargent and the 399 of Bob Weymouth. Evan was able to just barely slide around the mess and moved himself up to fourth on the restart. When the green flag fell again, Evan was able to hold the spot and raced the 27 of Kevin Hutchens hard for the third spot, wheel to wheel for several laps, but Evan settled for fourth when the checkered flag flew.

"We had a great car, but I just wasn't going to push the issue with Kevin there at the end, we've worked hard on this car all week and I'd much rather keep it on piece than risk it," Evan said after the race, "I'm just happy to be here, our year was done as of last Saturday, but we came back as we always do, they won't get rid of us."

The next night saw the tour at Unity Raceway, one of Maine's toughest tracks, and one of Evan's favorites. In the first practice, Evan was just a bit off the pace as he tried to find the right line around the tricky 3/8s mile. When he pulled in, crew chief Todd Beaulieu made adjustments and when Evan went out for the final practice, he pulled away and ran the fastest times in the practice.

When the green flag flew in the heat race, Evan was on the outside of the front row along side of Terry Kirk. Coming out of turn two though on the first lap, Evan's car got real loose as Evan was doing everything he could to hang on to the car, but luckily he only fell back to third spot. Bob Weymouth was able to get around Evan on the last lap as Evan slowed down for a slower car on the frontstretch, and Evan ended up fourth.

Feature racing was next and this tie it was Evan on the pole position. He got the jump on the start and was able to take the lead and lead the first lap, until Weymouth drove hard to the inside and just barely squeeze around Evan for the lead. Coming from the rear was Max Zachem in the 20, and after a few laps he found Evan in second, but he wasn't going to back down as the two ran side by side for about ten laps. The race for second ended when a caution came out with about seven to go for the 48 of Kendall Curit, starting in only his second Legends race. When the green flew again, Evan was not able to hold the bottom groove from the third spot, and gave up the spot to Timmons. When the checkered flag flew, Evan ended up in fourth.

After a week of uncertainty, Todd and Evan were able to pull off two stellar performances in the top five. Once again proving that when the going gets tough for the father-son duo, they are always tougher. Next week sees the tour at Beech Ridge on Thursday night for round four of Thursday Thunder. Evan was 16th after the first race and has moved himself into the points battle in eighth spot. Come support team 56, racing starts at 7 PM.

Photos by Chris Roy
 

 This past weekend was one of the most interesting for the 56 team. It all started Thursday night for the first Thursday Thunder event of 2009 at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway. Early on in practice, Evan was one of the fastest cars and was showing he’d be a force come race time. During the drivers meeting, Evan drew the 40th pill out of the hat, and would have to start dead last in the 18 car field.

When the race went to green Evan went to work early. Moving his way to 15th in the early laps. But the race would not last long however, when the 64 of Chris Ogilvy and the 38 of Bobby Timmons got together in front of Evan, sending Ogilvy for a spin, and while Evan went high to avoid he made contact with the 19 of Jim Manchester, sending Evan airborne as he barrel rolled his 56 car twice in turn two, and coming for a rest on all four wheels as Evan climbed out quickly, uninjured.

“We had just passed the 33 and I was trying to gain on that group in front of us, and I went in hard to get a good run, and when I did the 64 went spinning and the car we were just in the wrong place, we slid up and got into the 19 and I went for quite a ride,” Evan concluded after the wreck, “It’s a shame because we had just built this car in the off season and now we got a lot of work to do before Friday at Unity.”

Luckily for Evan and his crew chief and dad Todd Beaulieu, Unity would be rained out, buying more time for the team to put the 56 car back together for Saturday at Speedway 95. When the car was back together they made the long haul to the track.

In practice early on, Evan and Todd were pleasantly surprised with the 56 car’s performance, with no real issues coming after they replaced just about everything on the car in the past day and a half. In the race, the 56 machine would show just how good it is.

For the heat, Evan started from the front stop, but wasn’t able to get a good start as the 399 of Bob Weymouth took the race lead. Evan hung on for third though and was still impressed with how his car was running.

In the feature race, Evan would start on the outside of the front row alongside karting rival and friend, Bobby Timmons. On the start Timmons took the lead while Evan settled in second until around the halfway point when the Canadian rookie Brad Eddy went for a spin in turn two. On the next restart Evan would show is strength as he held the outside groove and took the lead from Timmons. His run was ruined however when the 99 of Charlie Buxton went spinning off turn two, and as the caution came out Timmons made contact with Evan’s left rear, sending Evan airborne a bit and into a few spins on the frontstretch, but he was able to correct it and keep going.

With the next start coming Evan knew he had to be perfect again. With smoke pouring from both his and Timmon’s cars, it was going to be crazy. Evan got a good jump once again and was able to clear Timmon’s and take the lead. Evan held on until seven laps to go when the 20 of Max Zachem drove under Evan for the lead and came out as the leader. Evan did all he could, but had to settle for second.

“I can’t be happier with how our 56 car ran tonight after our flip Thursday, I got to thank my great sponsors Hancock Lumber, Copp Excavating, Beaulieu Construction, CNC Blocks NorthEast, Interstate Trailer Sales, Nitrous Designs and also my dad for working on this car and we got it fixed for today, also Rick and Charlie Buxton for coming Thursday night and Friday helping us and Bobby Timmons for helping us and Terry Kirk and Bob Weymouth for their help as well.”

After the wild race at Speedway 95, Evan will prepare for his return at Beech Ridge on Thursday, June 18th, coming from the rear again and looking for a better result.

Photos by Chris Roy
 

            After a week off, the 56 team was back in action at Wiscasset Raceway, the site of Evan’s first Legends race a year and a half ago.  While Evan has logged many laps at “Maine’s Fastest Oval,” this race is the only scheduled race for the 2009 season there. 

            In practice, Evan was amongst the strongest in the field.  During the last run, Evan was a little loose, but liked the feel and crew chief Todd Beaulieu prepped the car for the heat race.

            Evan started third in the second Legends heat race, while the 17 of Terry Kirk started in front of him on the pole.  For the entire race the field ran side by side nose to tail with nobody really having an advantage on anyone. Locked in the third spot alongside the 99 of Charlie Buxton, it looked like Evan was going to be able to go nowhere, but the 38 of Bobby Timmons cleared Kirk and opened the hole with one lap to go.  Evan made a quick run on Kirk and got a fender in front but had to settle for third at the line.  “There wasn’t much we could do during the heat, we were just locked in third there for most of it,” Evan concluded after the heat, “but with as close as everyone was and to not have any contact is impressive I got to say.”

            For the feature Evan would once again roll off from the third starting spot behind the 10 of Ed Getty and Kirk.  Early on, Evan was able to able to get his car on the outside for the race lead on Getty, but did not have enough to get around as he faded back.  By around halfway Evan had backed up to the sixth position, but the 56 Hancock Lumber machine came around for him as Evan drove back up to third on the outside line and made it work after only five laps.  When the race was said and done, Evan finished fourth.  “The car was just too loose during the race, I thought the track would tighten up more as it got cooler and it really didn’t,” Evan said after the feature, “We worked with a new setup this weekend and I’m getting used to driving it and seeing how far I can go with it, and the way we fought back I can’t complain with our run.”

            After the sixth race of the season, Evan Beaulieu is still sitting fourth in the points.  This weekend will be a busy one for team 56.  The season opener for Thursday Thunder will be Thursday night, June 11^th at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway.  Friday night the series will hit Unity Raceway once again and on Saturday will be the final stop of the season at Speedway 95.  Make the trip to the track and support your local race track and cheer on team 56!  Evan would also like to congratulate Kevin Hutchens and Bobby Timmons on their first heat wins this weekend.  For news and a full schedule, check out 56Racing.com.

Photos by Chris Roy
 

Back from a week off, the Nelcar tour was ready for a double header weekend and Evan and Todd were up for the challenge. The weekend would start on Friday with their first trip to “Maine’s Toughest Oval,” Unity Raceway.

During the first round of practice, the team was scuffing in a brand new set of tires, and put them away to use at Wiscasset in two weeks. After the second round though, the plans changed after the set of tires from last year were bolted on. “I think a rock passed me down low,” Evan said to describe his car after the second practice. The team bolted on the new set after that, and was ready for the heat.
Starting on the outside of the front row, Evan got a slow start after his gears got caught on the start, and down the backstretch the 399 of Bob Weymouth darted down low and they were into turn three, three wide, leaving Evan with no room on the outside as he spun around and backed into the dirt banking, ending his heat run.

Before the feature the crew bolted on a new bumper and fixed the body damage done the 56 machine. Evan started from the third position and when the green flag dropped he fell back to fourth, just biding his time and learning what the race car would give him. That’s how it looked like it was going to end, until the 20 of Max Zachem got loose out of turn two with two laps to go, surrendering his lead to Weymouth and moving Evan up to the third spot when it was all said and done.

“We had a real good car, and I was learning most of the race just what the car would give me since we really had no laps on it until the feature,” Evan explained after his third place finish, “The last restart with five to go I had to start in fourth gear because something was wrong with the gears, but we will fix it and it’s just really satisfying to come out of here third after the day we had.”
The next Sunday the two man team made their way back to Speedway 95 for the third time this season. The races were delayed for a long time though after constant rain fell on the track. After about five hours of waiting, the rain stopped and the sun came out and racing was about to begin.

In practice, Evan showed he’d be a force, as he led the practice session behind his black 56 machine. That was the one and only practice of the day, as crew chief Todd Beaulieu got the car ready for the heat race.

Evan started from the pole in the heat, and after slight contact with the 99 of Charlie Buxton, Evan pulled away. Zachem however had other plans, as he went to the bottom and got around as Evan would have to settle for second.

The feature would be, eventful to say the least. Starting from the ninth position after his top three run at Unity, Evan would have his work cut out for him. The action started early as Evan would find that there was not much room around the track, and had to wait for the others in front of him to slip up before he could advance his position. After the long fought race, Evan could only make it up to the sixth position.
“It’s frustrating to have a top three car and only run sixth, there’s no where to go out there and the guy in front of me most of the race was blocking,” Evan discouragingly said after the race, “As always though, we will have to go get them next week, we are real good at Wiscasset and hopefully we can make the best of it.”

Evan now sits fourth in the Nelcar points after this weekend, 27 points out of the lead. The series next stop will be the Wiscasset Raceway on June 6th. It is the tours only stop at “Maine’s fastest track” and we encourage all to come out and show your appreciation for the Nelcar Legends and team 56!

Photos by Chris Roy
 

     Lee USA Speedway was the host of the third race on the Nelcar tour.  Last season Evan Beaulieu didn’t exactly get a real good handle on the tricky 3/8’s mile at all.  “We just struggled here the track is difficult to run on and to be honest I don’t really like it,” Evan said before the first practice.  Evan ran fast though, posting a time within the top five best cars in the two practices given.

            Heat racing was first on the racing agenda, and Evan was in heat two.  Starting from the sixth spot Evan wasted no time getting to the front.  The 20 of Max Zachem left on the start and pulled away, while Evan was in a tight battle for second with the 29 of Tyler Jordan.  Evan would pull around him though at the end and took second place over Jordan and the 99 of Charlie Buxton.

            Due to his top three run at Speedway 95, Evan would have to start shotgun on the field along with Zachem and the 399 of Bob Weymouth.  From the 13^th starting spot in the 17 car field, Evan went to work.  Picking off cars one at a time and at a cautious pace.  Early on Evan got around a few cars around the outside, putting him into 9^th spot before five laps were completed.  From there on the field stretched out though, making it tougher to get to and pass cars.  By the end of the caution free race, Evan found himself in a tight battle for fourth with the 27 of Kevin Hutchens and the 30 of Ed Field.  At the end though Evan didn’t have enough time to get around as he’d settle for sixth.

            “I can’t complain, our car was real fast and we ran a smart race, we just did what we could and I got to say I do really like this track now that we’ve got it hooked up,” Evan concluded after the race.  Evan now sits fourth in points after three races.  The tour is back in action in two weeks at Unity Raceway on Friday, May 22^nd.  Evan will be getting the go-kart back in action this coming Friday night though at Richmond Karting Speedway for the “TGIF Friday Night Series.”  Come support team 56!

Photos by Chris Roy
 

Week two of the Nelcar tour was the best one yet for team 56.  It started out early Sunday morning with the 56 car taking the track after a top three run in week one turn into a disappointing sixth place finish.

During practice, Evan fought a real loose race car and did what he could with it.  With crew chief Todd Beaulieu calling the shots, he took Evan's information and made some changes, which included a tire change.  The adjustments in Evan's words, "perfect".  He pulled the 56 car in after final practice relieved at the fact that he felt he had a car capable of winning.

For the heat, Evan would start from the fifth spot.  The race went green and Evan had his work cut out for him.  The inside line was freight trained by the preferred outside groove and Evan had to wait for a hole to open up.  It eventually did and he got back up to fifth place at the checkered flag.

Second place was the starting spot for the feature. On the start Evan got the quick jump on the 33 of Alan Smith, and drove away from the field in the early laps. At about halfway however, the 20 of Max Zachem caught up to the bumper of Evan.  For numerous laps the two dueled side by side for the race lead, and win.  With about nine to go Zachem got his bumper in front of Evan and took the lead.  Evan wouldn't let up though as he held close to the 20 car for the remainder of the race, diving low a few times to make a run.  But at the checkered Zachem beat Evan by a car length.  "It was my first podium finish, and I had a lot of fun racing Max he's an excellent driver," Evan concluded in his post race interview, "We had a good points day and we'll get em next week."  Evan is back in action this Friday night at Lee USA Speedway for the first time of the season.

Photos by Chris Roy
 

"Have to lose one before you can win one"

The first stop on the Nelcar Legends Car tour was the tricky Speedway 95 up in Hermon, Maine.  The weekend started off on a high note for team 56.  Practice on Saturday went very successfully for the team with the debut of their car that they put together over the offseason with a new motor and new chassis.  Evan felt like he certainly had a top three car going into Sunday.  When the day got going in practice, Evan wanted one adjustment on the car, but after his run he had crew chief Todd Beaulieu put it right back to where it was. 

Off the racetrack though, the 56 car won the "best looking car" award on the opening day at the track, adding to the ever growing list of "best in shows" that the team has gotten over the years.  For the heat, Evan drew the 7th starting spot, which was about mid field but more importantly not on the outside, which was the preferred groove around the rough track. 

On the start Evan stood his ground in 7th even though it appeared that he had a faster car than the few in front of him.  He was doing all he could to get around the 33 of Alan Smith, who held the outside line while Evan was forced to try to make something happen on the bottom.  With about five to go the 17 of Terry Kirk drove around both Evan and Smith, while Smith lost a little ground and Evan darted high and got around, picking off one more spot and ending up in 6th, most importantly on the outside line for the feature start. 

On the start, Evan quickly made his way to fourth place, running behind the 20 of Max Zachem, the 399 of Bob Weymouth and the 99 of Charlie Buxton.  On about lap eleven when the 29 of Tyler Jordan went for a spin in turn three.  On the next restart Evan got up to third and looked to be able to challenge the leaders when Zachem's motor grenaded down the backstretch, ending his day is a puff of smoke.

On the next restart it was Weymouth in the lead and Evan running second.  The first start was flagged off after Weymouth jumped.  The two drivers got the warning to not screw the next one up, and when Evan went to hit third gear, the gears stuck and he had to push it again to get into third.  The call was made that the front row go to the rear, and ended any chance of Evan getting his first legends win.  Evan did however make it back up to sixth, giving him a good start to the new season. 

"On one hand I'm disappointed that we let the chance of getting a win slip away like that, but on the other hand we ran up front and contended for the win, so we know we got a good car and hopefully can carry this into next weekend when we make the trip back up here," Evan said after the race.  The series will be heading back to Speedway 95 next Sunday, May 3rd for the second race of the 2009 Nelcar tour.  Evan would like to congratulate Charlie Buxton on getting his first Legends win on Sunday.

Photos by Chris Roy
 

"Total Domination" 

Everything went just about perfect as perfect can get this past weekend for team 56. Starting in the first practice session on Sunday at Victory Lane Indoor Karting for the 5th and final Winter Blast Series race, Evan wasn't going good, the Ultramax Inferno had no grip on the track and Evan was worried about how his kart was going to do in the races.

  Once the heat started though, Evan was on a tear. Starting from the rear of field, Evan dodged all the wrecks that clouded the heat race and got the lead with about five to go and didn't look back, taking the heat win.

  Come feature time, Todd didn't change a thing to the kart, and let Evan fly. Evan went on to total domination, once again dodging all the bullets, working around the lapped karts with ease, and making it all work out as Evan took his third win out of four in the Winter Blast Series. "Well when you got great people like my dad, Jeff, Bobby and just everyone that helps me and supports me like my great sponsors Hancock Lumber, Beaulieu Construction, Victory Lane Indoor Karting, Copp Excavating and Fast Track Racing Products, this is the result," Evan said in his post race interview, "It's the people that say I can't win here, or I can't win in a Champ kart is what drives me, we proved them wrong today." Congratulations also to Evan's POS Racing teammates Bobby Timmons and Brandon Barker, who also led their races green to checkered and took their wins in their respective classes.

Indoor Racing at it's Finest - Providence, RI

190 miles from the quiet little town of Durham, Maine, to the big city of Providence, Rhode Island for the 1st Annual Providence Indoor Kart Race at the Dunkin Donuts Center. When the kart was unloaded there were only five karts in the "pits" area inside the arena, but that number grew to 28 karts showing up, and only 20 would start the feature later Friday. In each practice Evan was fast from the get go. He paced every practice he ran Friday and couldn't believe how fast the kart really was against the competition he was up against.

Qualifying was first, and Evan was the 14th kart to take time in the field, and became the first kart to break into the nine second barrier. While it only lasted a few minutes as Evan would be knocked off the pole by WKA Champion Chris Daley. Heat racing time came, and after going back to eighth on the outside, he drove his way back to the front and ended up fourth with a three wide finish, the top seven advanced to the feature, and Evan was safe without running having to run the Consi. After the redraw for the top eight, Evan drew fourth, putting him on the outside of row two in the feature. Once the race started, Evan once again had trouble on the outside, falling back to seventh before he got to the inside. Evan had made his way up to sixth by halfway when the 07 of Clinton Mills and the 22 kart got together in front of him, and Evan got collected, riding the concrete wall and tearing the left front off the kart, ending his night in the 15th place. After the race, Jeff Martel, Todd Beaulieu, Bobby Timmons and Evan scrambled to get the kart back together for the feature Saturday night, replacing both front spindles and the rear axle out of the kart.

Saturday morning came, and the crew was the first kart team to get there and continued their work on the kart. Practice started at five later in the day, and Evan was once again fast as anyone in practice. Evan started from the sixth spot in the first heat, and was flying around the outside, making his way to fourth on the outside in the bunched up group of karts. On the inside though, two karts got together and Evan had to spin to avoid the wreck. The kart was fine though, but Evan would restart last in 14th. With the ten laps remaining, Evan weaved his way through traffic, and made the race on the final lap finishing seventh, putting him 13th in the starting order for the feature. Evan ran a quiet race, and ended up finishing eighth and bringing the kart home in one piece after missing plenty of carnage in front of him. "The kart was on a rail earlier, our bumper got bound up in the rear and it was probably what was causing my kart to get real tight like it was, the kart was two wheeling a few times like it does up in VLK and I wasn't pushing it, I wanted to finish the race and bring it home in one piece, still, we were the highest finishing "rookie" in the ace and we made both features both nights and exceeded all of my expectations, we'll be back next year to get them," Evan said surprisingly content after his finish on Saturday night. We'd like to thank Jeff and Bobby for their help this weekend on the kart, and we'll see you guys at the D and D Center next year!

After the past weekend spent at Victory Lane Indoor Karting, you'd think Evan and Todd Beaulieu would be, dissapointed. The weekend started Satruday as Evan practiced the #56 Hancock Lumber Inferno Champ Kart for the biggest race of the five race indoor series. Evan was fast right from the get go and he knew he had a piece to win with. Come Sunday in practice, he wasn't so sure anymore. Six karts were all bumper to bumper, with Evan trailing the pack. The competition was going to be tight for the feature. First up was heat racing. Evan qualified fourth the day before, but didn't stay there for long. He went right to front, running right on the bumper of leader TJ Laro for several laps before Evan made his move and took the lead. With three laps to go though, Evan's left side tires left the surface, leaving the kart about a foot and a half off the ground as he two wheeled it off of turn four headed for the barrier, but Evan saved it incredibly, but it allowed Laro to get back by as Evan was left to fight with Dave Pantanella for second. At the end Evan got the spot, but knew he had some work to do if he wanted to win the feature. Crew chief Todd made some good adjustments with lead placement and tires for the feature. Evan fell back early after the green flag dropped, but got around the 12 kart of Pantanella for second and set his sights on Laro. Evan made the move around lap ten for the lead, and didn't look back. With about fifteen laps to go, Evan caught up to some heavy lapped traffic as he held a good straightaway lead and looked to be on his way to the victory. While the 12 kart battled for position with the 22 of Katrina Bright in front of Evan, he slipped up just a bit out of turn two, allowing Evan to get a run underneath him, but going into turn three the two karts made contact and it left Evan in the inside barrier. It was a tough break for Evan, and he restarted fifth when the green flag flew, but could only manage a fourth place finish in the closing laps. "I got a run under him, and he must not of seen me, he drove right down into me, he came up and apologized after though so I respect that, Evan explained distraughtly after the race, "It's frusturating, but it's racing and it's happened to me before and it will happen to me again, it's racing, I'm just glad our champ kart ran as good as it did, it was faster than the rocker has ran here, so we got a good piece for Providence, RI next weekend, and hopefully keep it up front and learn a thing or two." Next weekend on March 6th and 7th, Evan will be driving the #56 Champ Kart in the Indoor Racing Series race at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, RI. You can keep up to date on 56Racing.com with updates from the track.

Hey everyone, this is Evan.  This past weekend our #56 Hancock Lumber Legends Car was in the Racin' Preview 2009 show in Portland, ME.  My dad and I have been working hard the past month to get the car together for the show, and we got the body on it the night before the show.  Our hard work paid off and we got "Best in Show" for the Non-Traditional Class.  This weekend we will be racing Victory Lane Indoor Karting in a big race, which is slated to be $1200 to win, depending on the kart count of course.  And next weekend we will be racing at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, RI for a big Champ Kart race.  Hopefully we will do well and we will have updates from the track right here at 56Racing.com.  Right now this websites going to get an overhaul, I'm working on a new design.  E-Mail me if you guys have any neat ideas you'd like to see.  Also don't forget to keep commenting me on my Starving Racers account, and if you don't have one, it's really cool, you get to sign up as either a fan or a driver, drivers are awarded things like parts for their cars, or racing apparel, and fans can win prizes as well.  And one last thing, we are always looking for new sponsors, anyone interested in sponsoring a young driver with a lot of potential, just click on the Sponsorship Request form above, and contact us and we'll get you the exposure your company needs in the 2009 racing season.  Hope everyone's having a great off-season.  See you at the track, and keep rooting on the 56!

Todd and Evan Beaulieu arrived to Victory Lane Indoor Karting for the third Winter Blast Series race on Sunday, February 8th. Coming off the momentum of a very impressive win in the last race, they were ready to show it was no fluke. After the only round of practice, Evan didn't have any complaints of his kart and was ready for the heat race. Evan started in last of the field, but had a strong kart. As the race began Evan had a problem with the handling of the kart, as the left side tires would lift out of the air through the corners, and at one time going about a foot and a half in the air and just about flipping the kart over, but Evan stayed in it and didn't back off as he finished second behind the 41 of Nick Hadden. As the feature race was about to begin, Evan would take off from the second position. From there he never looked back, as he held off the charges of the 55 of Ryan Hewins and Hadden, and made it two in a row at the end of it. "Just an awesome kart, made our way through all the traffic, and kept it close to being on four wheels in the feature," Evan said jubiantly after the win, "I just can't thank my dad and everyone who's supported us enough, we are going to be tough to beat in that race on March 1st." Evan and Todd have made plans to run the $1200 to win race at VLK on the 1st, and then the next weekend they will bring out the champ kart and make the trip down to Rhode Island to race at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, RI with an elite group of the best NorthEastern karters around. Be sure to keep updated here and keep rooting us on!

What a day for Todd and Evan Beaulieu at Victory Lane Indoor Karting on Sunday, January 25th. Only about twenty minutes into the day, and it was already getting crazy. The motor on the kart would not fire, but thanks to Walt Dearborn they got it to fire and Evan made it out on the track for the one and only practice he'd get. After the run of only probably ten laps, Evan didn't really get to shake the kart down that much, but only wanted some more bite getting in and it was good. Todd made the right adjustments and sent Evan out for the heat. It got crazy early on, as the 22 of Katrina Bright got into the leader and turn him, Evan had to take abasive action and just barely caught the outside wall. On the next restart Evan dropped back to about sixth but the race went green from there, the kart got better and better as the run went on, and Evan found himself knocking on the back door of the leaders on the white flag lap. The 55 of Ryan Hewins made a move on the 4 of Katie Moran for the lead, and Evan went with him, and as he did Katie tried to get back in line and Evan had nowhere to go as she went for a spin, Evan ended up second, and that was where he would start the feature. The feature started with Hewins on the pole and Evan on the outside. Early on, Evan had his kart locked to the rear bumper of Hewins for the lead, just waiting for the right hole to open up, but after about lap 15, for the next twenty laps the race went with only three or four laps of green until a caution, and Evan was fighting his kart hard with a bad loose condition on the starts, which at Victory Lane, isn't easy to handle. But once the field got a good green flag run, Evan charged his way from about a straightaway behind in fourth to the back bumper of Hewins with ten laps to go, and Evan didn't waste time behind him, as he found a hold open up coming out of turn two and he charged his kart under Hewins, and took the lead coming out of turn four as Hewins lost grip on spun into the wall, bringing out the final caution. Evan held on though and took the win! "We had one heck of a kart here today, just have to thank my dad and Walt today for putting this piece under me, and thanks to my great sponsors Hancock Lumber, Beaulieu Construction and Copp Excavating for supporting me, and everyone here who supports us, the gearing was just perfect, Archie's motor doesn't let me down," said Evan after the race, "It took our kart a couple laps to get going, but it does that at RKS too, but I wouldn't want to give up the setup this kart has on the long runs, just flawless." Evan will be back in action in two weeks on Febuary 8th at Victory Lane once again, looking to make it two for two.