Page 11 - NewfoundLakeLife December 2020

December 2020 Newfound Lake Life Page 11

Sports

From Diploma to Dirt Track, Nick Comeau Finds Success

By Donna rhoDes school graduation as soon as it “He bested me by 10 points
HEBRON – Eighteen-year- was over this past June and hur- for the win and I came in sec-
old Nick Comeau of Hebron ried to the track to prepare for ond,” Comeau said.
grew up with racing in his fam- another round of competition in There are no hard feelings
ily’s blood, watching three gen- Rumney that night. though and he said he has a lot
erations of his family take to the “Every race counts when you of people to be grateful for this
track to compete on ice, dirt and are going for the top trophy,” he year. Among those are Hobart
asphalt at race tracks around said. Graphics of Hebron and Frankie
New England. This year he At Legion Speedway though, Hobart who allowed him to use
proved himself worthy of that his top competition on the Satur- his car while also providing Co-
legacy of racing when he placed day night dirt track though was meau with a garage to work on it.
second in the Wingless Sprint his uncle, Doug McPhail. “I owe Frankie a lot for all his
Car division at Legion Speedway Even though there is some support,” he said.
in Rumney. bumping and banging for posi- He also wished to thank his
Over the years grandfather tion at times the two promised other sponsors and supporters,
Harold Hannaford and dad to race clean. McPhail told his which included DJ’s Crafts in
Jamie Comeau toted young nephew he was just another Bristol and West Shore Marine.
Nicholas to the tracks where he driver on the track but he would Trophies were handed out in
watched they and other rela- not run into him deliberately. a season-ending celebratory din-
tives compete in Modified Stock, Racing wheel to wheel, the ner on Oct. 24th and Comeau
Super Modified cars and even two each set out to be the best was proud to accept one for his
Sprint cars on asphalt, ice and they could be on Rumney’s dirt second place finish.
dirt tracks. track and in the end, it was Uncle “It felt pretty good to get that
Even as a child he looked for- Doug who topped the points, but trophy because I had to work
ward to the day when he, too, not by much. hard for it,” he said.
could head out behind the wheel
of a racecar.
“I’ve been going to the races
since I was a little kid. Both of
my great-grandfathers began 18-year-old Nick Comeau of Hebron proudly displayed his second place
racing in the 1950s and over the trophy, a tribute to his determination and hard work to succeed on the
track this year at Legion Speedway in Rumney.
years the family brought that love
for racing to me,” said Comeau.
At the age of 15, he finally saw
his dreams come true. Before he
even had a New Hampshire driv-
er’s license, Comeau was able to
join the family on the dirt track at
Rumney’s Legion Speedway, aka
“Rumtown,” to begin his own
racing career.
“2017 was the first time I was
actually out driving on the track
in a Mini-Stock 4-cylinder street
car,” Comeau said. “In 2018 my
dad was racing a Wingless Sprint
Car when a guy offered me one
that I drove in seven races. I
drove another five races in a 2020 Newfound Regional High School graduate Nick Comeau of
Mini-Stock car and here we are Hebron drove his #03 Wingless Sprint Car to a second place finish this
year at Legion Speedway in Rumney.
now.”
His car number is 03, as a tip
of the cap to dad Jamie and his away then and you just focus on year (2019) I decided I was going
grandfather’s #30 cars. He chose the race,” said Comeau. to try to win it in 2020,” he said. Paul V. Fleming
a white with purple numbered In 2019 he came in fourth in Comeau took his 1500 lb. car
color scheme so it would be eas- his division, an admirable finish to the track this past spring and
ily noticed on the track during a for a young man who had only gave it his all in 2020. His senior & Sons LLC
night race. been a licensed street driver for high school project at Newfound
The best part about racing a little over a year. He took that Regional High School was even Master Builders
though is not just the family leg- on as a challenge though and has about his car and his passion for Carpenters • General Contractors
acy but the feeling he himself been fighting to show he is capa- racing.
gets when he climbs behind the ble of competing with more ex- Determined to make the best
wheel. perienced drivers. of his fourth season in competi-
“Pretty much everything goes “When I came in fourth that tive racing, Comeau left his high