Island's Own Albert Clements Captures Victory at Speedway

By MAX HART

You have to look hard to catch the blur of white and black zooming around the oval-shaped, quarter-mile stretch of asphalt at close to 90 miles per hour.

But the 1979 Chevy Camaro with the roaring, rebuilt 350 engine and number 99 painted on the door is fairly easy to spot: It is usually the one passing cars on the inside track, or maybe even blowing by them on the outside. And if you still can't find it, just look toward the front of the pack, where it is most likely leading the charge.

In Seekonk, a Vineyarder is burning rubber and turning heads. The one they call Little Al is fast becoming a big hit.

"It's been a lot of fun," says Little Al, otherwise known as Albert Clements 4th, the Oak Bluffs native who is blowing away the competition as a stock car racer. "I love racing."

Last Saturday night, you had to look no further than the victory lane at the Seekonk Speedway, where Mr. Clements, 26, was celebrating his first place finish in the 20-lap, street stock category. In two years on the amateur circuit, Mr. Clements has made a name for himself in a sport not often associated with the Vineyard.

"NASCAR is huge right now, but I got into it when I was a kid because of my father," he says. "My dad's been racing for over 20 years, and he has taught me pretty much everything I know. It's just a lot of fun."

Mr. Clements's victory on Saturday was his third first place finish in two years. Starting in 15th place, he stormed to the front of the pack, moving into the lead position with just two laps - or half a mile - left in the race. The win also moved him into first place in the points standings for the season.

Last year, he also won an award for the most popular racer as voted by the fans.

"That really surprised me, I didn't know anyone knew who I was," he says.

Mr. Clements has been racing since he was in high school, when he drove souped-up go-carts at speeds of 60 miles per hour. When he turned 18, he moved up to stock cars, the type his father, Albert Clements 3rd, raced - and still races today. In fact, you can find both Big and Little Al on the Seekonk track racing with - and against - each other.

"There's not really a rivalry there," the younger Clements says. "People will razz him for coming in behind me, but we focus on working as a team. That's really important."

Mr. Clements doesn't strike you as someone who loves to press the pedal to the metal and fly around a quarter-mile track playing bumper cars at near triple digit speeds. He has a calm, relaxed demeanor and moves deliberately.

As it turns out, that is just how he likes to race.

"I am not real aggressive out there," he says. "If anything, I think I have been accused of being too patient out there. I like to be respected as a clean driver."

However, when it comes to straightaways, he lives by one creed: "The faster, the better," he says with a laugh.

Mr. Clements calls his love for racing just a hobby, saying the extraordinary costs prohibit him from thinking seriously about a career in the sport. Further commitment also would involve leaving the Island, something he is not yet willing to do.

"You really have to have big money and sponsors to race in the more competitive circuits," he says.

Even with a strong support network - he says countless Island businesses and friends have helped out - his success in Seekonk has its limits. A first place finish nets up to $150, far less than what it costs to leave the Island every weekend to race.

"It's not something I can afford to do for a living," he says. "My mom helped me pay for my rebuilt engine this year. She gave me one of those nice, no-interest loans I can pay off over time."

But Mr. Clements says he is content to keep this as nothing more than a hobby. After all, racing has given him some of his fondest memories.

"Last year, my mother, my girlfriend and my sister all came to watch me race, which is not something that happens a lot. But I raced really well and won it, and that's something I had dreamed about forever."