Vermont’s Local Racers

While researching background on Dave Dion , the famous local race car driver, for the following story, I got to thinking about something that happened way back in the 1970s when my youngest brother, David, and our cousins, John and Billy, were around 8-10 years old. They were nuts about Vermont’s local racers… Bobby Dragon, “Beaver” Dragon, Dave Dion, and many others. 

Now if you remember, my mom was born and brought up in the small town of Milton, VT, where the Dragons also were from, and as small towns go, everybody knows everybody. And as a teenager, all I ever heard out of the mouths of my brother and cousins was Beaver this and Bobby that and Dion and racing Jean Paul Cabana. Or was it “Compana” or “Copana”? I never actually knew until this writing. I just knew they weren’t fond of Cabana (he not being from VT). I also remember the 3 boys talking excitedly about Catamount Stadium and Thunder Road and wherever the next race was. And then coming home from our camp in Milton in the summer, riding down Route 7 and seeing and hearing the lights and sounds of Saturday or Sunday night racing. 

So back to the story. My mother remembers this occasion like it was yesterday: She stopped into Branch’s IGA in Milton, with the 3 boys in tow, and happened to bump in to Beaver Dragon and proceeded to chat amicably with him. From her: “Hi Beaver. Haven’t seen you in ages.” “Hello Ruth. It’s been a long time.” And all the two heard from down below them was, “She knows Beaver Dragon? How does she know Beaver Dragon?” John, Billy, and David were awestruck! Right in front of them was one of their local hero race car drivers, and she knew him! My mom then introduced the boys to Beaver, and all they could manage to utter was “uhh, uhh, uhh”! From then on, I think Beaver was their all-time favorite.

Sorry, Dave…

Wheel Tracks is happy to report, thanks to Duane Leach, that the identity of the race car on the back page of the November 2024 issue is owned by none other than legendary Vermont race car driver Dave Dion. 

 “Dynamite” Dave Dion was born in Boston, MA, and started driving race cars in the early 1960s. It was a family affair as his brothers Paul, Roger and Donald were all integral parts to the Dion Brothers Racing team. 

Dave’s very first career win was the 1972 Late Model 

Championship at the Norwood Arena. He went on to win 2 Late Model Sportsman Championships at Thunder Road in 1975 and 1977 where he also was a 9-time winner of the Memorial Day Classic race. With his career 53 starts, he won 7 races with 15 Top 5’s and 27 Top 10’s. He also made 12 starts on the NASCAR Cup Series, with one Top 10 finish at Richmond Raceway in 1980. 

He then competed on the NASCAR Busch North Series winning 13 races over 20 seasons (1987-2006). Dion won the 1996 Busch North Series Championship at age 52. His last win on the series came at Oxford Plains Speedway in 2005 at the age of 61. He won the Oxford 250 3 different times in 3 different  decades (1975, 1985, 1992) becoming the event’s first 3-time winner. He considers this and his Busch North title his greatest accomplishments in racing. 

During his career, he visited victory lane at many tracks, including Thunder Road Speedbowl, Catamount Stadium, Dover International Speedway, and New Hampshire Motor Speedway. 

Dave Dion retired as one of New England’s most accomplished Late Model drivers and was inducted into the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame in 2007.