April May Gelineau

Racing has been a part of my life since I was a child living in Barre Vermont. During the summer months every Thursday night you would find my family at the races at Thunder Road. We would sit through all kinds of weather until they sent us home or mother nature cooperated and we got to see the events. Some of the names which are still heard in the racing world today whom we rooted for on a regular basis are Bobby Dragon, Stub Fadden and Robbie Crouch. Ken Squire could be heard making a guy standing still sound like he was going a 100 miles an hour and even the dullest of races the most exciting thing ever seen. My family moved to Strafford when I was 12 and after that we were unable to go to the races every Thursday night. As time went by and I grew up I drifted away from racing. 

Then one day about 8 years ago, I asked my husband who had never been to a race, if he would like to go to Claremont Speedway. I can remember the look on his face as he was thinking (I am sure) If she likes it can't be any fun, it is probably too much of a girl thing. 20 minutes into the first race a car caught on fire in turn 3 and he has been hooked ever since!! Luckily the guy driving the car escaped with no injury. From then on we were found every Saturday night no matter what the weather at the race track until they sent us home or mother nature cooperated and we got to see the events!! 6 years ago the track started a new division called the mini stocks. These are 4 cylinder cars. As the division started to grow I made the comment to my husband that I thought it would be cool to drive one! The next thing I know we are in Goshen NH dragging a 1979 ford mustang out of a field. They say the rest is history, actually that was probably more appropriately the beginning of the end!! 

It took us about a year to get the car ready. A friend of ours built our engine, we painted the car black and orange (the orange paint was given to us) and gave it the number of 76 which was the # our favorite prostock driver at Claremont. We showed up at the track's spring "pre season" car show and knew immediately we were in trouble!! Our car was the roughest looking one there, and it hadn't even been on the track yet!! Over the winter the other drivers decided to put some extra money into their paint schemes and it was very apparent!! Even though we looked like the black sheep of the family you could see the pride in our faces as we showed off our very own race car!! 
Practice day finally arrived after a year of waiting and the moment of truth had come. I will admit that I was a little worried about how I would react the first time I got in the car and drove it on to the track. You see this would be the VERY FIRST time that I ever driven a racecar and I had no idea what to expect!! My first time on the track was some what of a fright to the crew. They were sure I was scared to death or there was something very wrong with the car. I was doing 29 second laps. To be competitive you need to do (low) 17 second laps. So needless to say I was VERY SLOW!! When I came in from my first trip around the track the crew was relieved to see that all was well. I was just laughing so hard that I couldn't drive any faster, it was just TOO COOL to be out there. 

This brings me to a point where I would like to say that I have had two major events during my racing career that I will always remember. One is the race I won on June 14, 1997, which is without a doubt the ultimate high, and the other is the review of the first time I was in the race car by my great grandfather. Grampa was 94 and still living at home the first year I raced. Shortly before the racing season started he suffered a stroke which left him unable to speak clearly. We videoed my first experience in the race car and I took the tape, a TV, and VCR up to Strafford to show him how I did. Just prior to that he had asked my husband to sell an old (very dilapidated) pickup truck for him for what ever he could get. After watching the video my grand father turned to me and said as clear as day "you should have kept the pick up truck it would have went faster!!" That was the last time I saw my him alive and I couldn't ask for a better memory of him.  

Needless to say our first year was somewhat of an eye opener. We realized that we certainly had a lot of work to do to the car and driver to become competitive, but at least we were having fun trying!! We finished that year 29th in points (a feature race only has 24 cars in it). 

In 1997 we improved dramatically I won a race, received the award of Most Improved Driver in the division and finished 13th in points!! (The night I won my best friend was visiting from Florida, she is planning on being here the 15th of July… so we are hoping for maybe another win…!) 

In 1998 I finished 10th in points and received a 5 foot trophy!! 

In 1999 we purchased a new car and after working all winter on it, the crew's hard work won best of show at the Claremont car show, and I was nominated for the Most Popular Driver award. We kept the old car hoping to get another engine built and ready for use if we needed it but that didn't work out. 

The actual racing turned out to be our year from hell, the sophomore jinx!! We did manage to finish 11th in points. I think one of the reasons that it was such a huge disappointment, is that we had been working upward steadily and were expecting to have maybe a top 5 in points year. On week 4 the engine blew (they are supposed to be "stock" and 3 attempts later to try to salvage what we could, being a low budget operation, the year began to take a steady turn for the worse!! My trophies for the year was a set of pistons! I was tied for 10th going into the last race with my EX engine builder and all of a sudden he was making it 4 wide going into 3. (We have it on tape!) I was on the outside, got in the marbles OF COURSE and spun in the middle of the turn.

I remember thinking I was going to make it as I watched the cars go by and then the next thing I remember is the safety crew talking to me and I can't understand a word they are saying. I got t-boned by one of the competition whom I am very close too and sustained a concussion. The seat was knocked over 10 inches through the transmission tunnel. I was told by the announcer who dubbed me the "Canaan Copter" that it was a fitting way to end the year. Which I would definitely agree with him! So the only reason I finished 11th is because I was in the hospital with a concussion!! Even with the following "bad Luck Chart" I managed to have 4 top ten finishes. Week 3 rained out; Week 4 blown engine–broken connecting rod; Week 5 bad lifters; Week 6 3 broken pistons; Week 9 & 10 wrecked; Week 15 bad carb, timing, or engine going again? Week 16 timing; Week 19 2 spins 4th bad piston! Week 20 wrecked; Week 21 T-boned/Hospital.

2000 was my 5th year of racing. The guys worked hard all winter to rebuild the car. They were awarded with 2nd place at the annual car show in our division. The car is as much of a replica as we could make it of the #22 of Ward Burton. (there is a picture of it in the August issue of Racing Milestones on page 9.) We had 3 top 5 finishes, 11 top ten finishes, and finished 6th in points. 2000 was the year we should have had in 1999. It was a great year.

I am looking forward to an even better year in 2001. This is something my husband and I can do together. I wreck the car and he along with our crew (which includes my dad!) fix it.

Nicknames: Canaan Copter and Giggles, My family and friends also call me track trash because I am always talking to someone!! Canaan Copter was given to me my first year by the track announcer, because I had a tendency to loop it coming out of 4!  Giggles was given to me last year by the new track announcer and track program guide editor because even after 3 blown engines I could still laugh about it.  
DOB 5/25/61
5'8" blond hair hazel eyes
Married to Victor W. 
4 Cats- Peaches, Trouble, Toeby, & Buster Brown
4 Dogs-Jessie, Molly, Ren, & Shifter
Born in Springfield Ma.
Lived in New Jersey, Barre VT, Strafford VT, West Palm Beach Fl, then back to New England, Vermont-New Hampshire 
Currently reside on Goose Pond Rd in Canaan NH
Profession: Administrative Officer--National Park Service

Crew Sponsors:
Driver: April May Gelineau Sabil & Sons White River Jct. VT
Owner: Victor Gelineau Dennis Preston, Builder
Crew Chief: Victor Geilinea ABC Motors, W. Lebanon. NH
Crew: Skeets, Dad, Brock, & Kelly AC Lawnmowing & Snowplowing
Jr. Crew Chief: Kaitlyn Allan Hammond General Contracting 
Jr. Crew: Jenna, Tyler, Connor, Abbie, Brownies Speed Shop Enfield, NH
Kim, & Allie Bungie Bill Skeets
Support Crew: Karla, Mom, Wendy, the Tiltons Cellular ONE, W. Lebanon. NH
Mark, Robin & Matt Country Hair Salon, Ascutney VT
The Florida Gang
J.A.S. Auto Body & Sales WRJ, VT
KIXX 100.5 Best Country www.kixx.com
McLain Chiropractic, Lebanon NH
Morways Auto Salvage, Charlestown, NH
Scranton & Son Claremont, N H
White River Jct. Animal Hospital

Misc. Highlights
Home Track: Claremont Speedway, Claremont NH NASCAR Sanctioned in 2000
1997 Feature win Won best of show 1999 Claremont Speedway car show Nominated Most Popular Driver 1999
Cars: 1984 Ford Mustang Main car #22 1979 Ford Mustang Back up car #76
Web site: www.scratchracing.com

Career
Have only driven in the 4 cylinder Mini Stock Division.
1996 - 1st year - finished 29th in points Claremont Speedway, Claremont NH
1997 - A Feature win - Finished 13th in points Claremont Speedway, Claremont NH
(FIRST FEMALE DRIVER in this division TO WIN A FEATURE.) 
Most Improved Driver award received
1997 - Canaan USA Speedway Canaan NH opened NEW asphalt track, FIRST female to take the green flag. Ran all races they had-not a full season.
1998 - 13 top 10 finishes Finished 10th in points Claremont Speedway, Claremont NH
1998 - 3rd in Points - Highest finishing female (and domestic car) in division Canaan USA Speedway Canaan NH
1999 - Claremont Speedway car show winner 
5 top ten finishes - Finished 11th in Points 
Nominated for the Most Popular Driver award
2000 - 2nd Place Claremont Speedway car show
3 top 5 finishes, 11 top ten finishes, finished 6th in points