The Coupes of Bear Ridge

                              By Ken Paulsen

It may well be the last stronghold of weekly coupe racing in America.  Bear Ridge Speedway in Bradford, Vermont bills itself as "Home of the Coupes" and has featured this form of racing since its inception.  Vermont is a state in many ways that resists change, preferring instead a simpler lifestyle. It was then with interest that I read an article in Stock Car Racing back in the late 1970's about Bear Ridge (one of three tracks in Vermont) and its coupe class.  Even then, this form of racing had all but vanished in most parts of the USA.  So in 1982 after a week on assignment in Boston, I vowed to rent a car for the weekend and try to find this "Home of the Coupes".             

Now finding Bear Ridge Speedway can be a challenge.  It redefines the word "remote".  The first sign on state route 25 is reasonably placed, however once on South road, you need to pay close attention for the next turn.  Then a mile down a dirt road you come to what looks like the entrance to a corral.  Turn right, you have arrived!

Nestled in a hillside surrounded by trees (as is most of Vermont) is this quarter mile dirt track which, except for the computerized message board in turn two, looks like it hasn't changed since it was built decades ago.  Bear Ridge is a throw back to another time, however, unlike a lot of speedways that have passed on, it has no fear of an encroaching populace.  No shopping mall will ever be constructed on this real estate and  neighbors won't insist on a noise ordinance.  There are no neighbors.  

What I recall finding on that summer night in '82 was the shell of a division being bolstered by more modern Gremlin and Pinto bodied modifieds.  I was certain that I was witnessing the demise of an era.  The coupes had one, maybe two years of life left.  So flash forward to 2001 and the newspaper article read ". . . Bear Ridge returns to action with its four divisions:  modifieds, coupes . . . ".  Coupes?  No, this is 2001.  Curiosity overcame common sense and a return visit was in order.                                                   

I arrived early knowing that what was being billed as "coupe" was probably some class of 1980's Detroit sheet metal.  I could make a quick assessment and then return home before dark.  To my surprise a number of pre-WWII models were already unloaded with more being registered at the pit gate.  Admittedly, little of the original body below the window line remained and some of the cars were not metal at all but fiber glass reproductions.  They are typical of the northeast dirt modifieds of the early 1970's, but undeniably, their origins were pre-1949.    

When cars are being weighed prior to competition, you know that this is not going to be a night of vintage exhibition hot lapping.  Two heat races and a feature convinced me that this was indeed no holds barred racing.  According to the point standings, twenty three cars have made an appearance this season with fifteen in the pits on this particular night.  Small block V8s have replaced the flathead and six cylinder engines of another time and plenty of reinforcement surrounded the driver and car.

Fan support appears to be solid.  The stands were filled as was the parking lot.  The pits were jammed with four classes of stock cars and modifieds plus a large field of enduro cars.  On this particular night, the coupes outnumbered the more modern modifieds.  Why does this division continue on long after it has disappeared everywhere else?  It isn't because Bear Ridge is trying to relive the past.  It never left and that suits the fans just fine.  I suspect that twenty years from now, the speedway will still be holding its Saturday night venue and it would not surprise me if it was still "Home of the Coupes".

  A Closer look at the Bear Ridge Coupes . . .