Flash Back -- Catamount Stadium: Ken Squier
came up with the idea of building a third-mile race track in Milton. Others
involved in the planning were Jack Dubrul, Gordon Fitzgerald, John Campbell and
the Cooley brothers, Ray and Reginald (Spade). Archie Blackadar was the original
Chief Steward.
Catamount Stadium opened on June 11, 1965. The Sportsman Coupes were the premier
division. On that first day, 20 of them showed up with Mack Miller winning the
first heat race and the $25 that went with it. Jean-Paul Cabana won the second
heat and later the main event. Miller was second, Andre Manny was third. Dick
Nephew and Charlie Trombley rounded out the top 5.
They ran 13 times that season with five different guys winning a feature. On the
strength of his six wins Andre Manny became the first Catamount champion.
The Flying Tigers began in 1965 as a hobby class. Nine guys were in the pits for
their event. Jim Fafountain won. He was followed by Harmon "Beaver" Dragon and
Bob Brunell. At the end of the season the car count grew to more than 20 cars.
Among them were Tom Tiller, Mike Beattie and Tom "T-Bone" Curley.
The NASCAR North started in 1979 and Catamount hosted 51 events before the track
closed after the 1987 season. It was a sad day in Vermont motorsports when the
land became more valuable as an industrial park.
Robbie Crouch and Jamie Aube qualified for 50 of those 51 events. Crouch had 12
wins. Cabana, Bobby Dragon, and Hector Leclair all picked up 5 victories. Other
first guys under the checkers were Stub Fadden (4), Randy Lajoie (3), Beaver
Dragon, Aubie, Claude Leclerc, Chuck Bown and Mike Barry, who all had two.
Single wins went to Dick McCabe, Kevin Lepage, Steve Poulin, Joey Kourafas, Paul
Richardson, Ron Barcomb, and Tom Glaser.
The fastest lap record is held by Russ Urlin. On September 19, 1987 he drove his
Buick LeSabre around the track in 15.446 seconds. Crouch holds the record for
the fastest 100 laps, on May 22, 1982 it took him 34 minutes and 55 seconds. He
also holds the 300-lap record. September 16, 1979 he won the New England 300 in
a Chevy Nova. The time of the race was 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Crouch and Beaver Dragon's 28 top 5s lead the way. Fadden had 27. Dragon's 37
top 10s top that list. Fadden was next with 36. Crouch had 33. Crouch earned
$85,935 in prize money. He led 1,227 of the 6617 laps run there. The 1980 New
England 300 saw nine lead changes. A Ford never won a NASCAR Tour event at
Catamount. Neither did a Dodge or a Mercury.