Thompson, CT — Ted Christopher of Plainville, CT, continued his domination of the Sunoco Modified division with his seventh victory of the season. A special night for the Mini Stocks found Chris McKinstry of E. Thetford, VT victorious in the Mini Stock Northern Challenge. McKinstry also scored the top honors in the Northeastern Mini Stock Touring season portion of the Challenge. Thomspon’s own Jeff Moffat of Warwick, RI, also shared the limelight.
A mid-season drought ends for Derek Ramstrom of Worcester, MA, with a Super Late Model victory on Thursday night. Tommy O’Sullivan of Springfield, MA, returned to his winning ways in the Late Models scoring his third win of the 2010 season. It is a handful of wins for Shawn Monahan of Waterford, CT, who posted his fifth in the Limited Sportsman division win at Thompson. In open-wheel action, R.J. Marcotte of Millville, MA, streaked to his second straight TIS Modified victory.
Earlier in the year, Ted Christopher of Plainville, CT, had utilized last lap passes to score his victories. He has been applying his prowess a bit earlier in the events as of late en route to his mounting win tally. Dave Salzarulo set the pace in the opening laps of the Sunoco Modified main event. Before the completion of the first lap, Salzarulo gave up the lead to Rowan Pennink. When the field completed lap two it was Cates as the new leader. Ronnie Silk was making his presence known relegating Pennink back to third ahead of his Falmouth Ready Mix teammate Ryan Preece. Woody Pitkat joined the freight train in fifth.
Continue reading ‘TC Tops in Sunoco Mods Again at Thompson; McKinstry Mini Stock Northern Challenge Winner; Ramstrom, O’Sullivan, Monahan & Marcotte Also Continue Winning Ways’
The American Canadian Tour (ACT) announced today another list of potential race teams that may be invited to compete in the second annual ACT Invitational at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway over the opening weekend for the NASCAR Chase weekend on September 17-19, 2010.
Two full days of practice at NHMS will be divided between over 70 invited attendees. With just eight (8) teams guaranteed spots in the expanded field of 43 starters, the test sessions will go a long way in deciding who will get the ‘at large’ invitations to what has become one of the most anticipated events of the year for short track fans and teams in the Northeast and eastern Canada.
“There is a limit to how many teams we can invite in a season, and this year has been particularly difficult as we try to expand into the weekly tracks more than we did a year ago,” said Tom Curley, President of the American Canadian Tour. “There were several teams on the ‘bubble’ last year after the practice sessions, and in fact, two of the top three finishers from last year’s events were so impressive that we invited them as a result of the practice sessions.” Ontario’s 16 year-old star Brandon Watson and Barre, Vermont’s Nick Sweet used the practice sessions as a way to get invited to the Invitational and certainly proved they were assets to the inaugural event.
Continue reading ‘ACT Announces Final List for NHMS Invitational’
Seekonk, MA — Pulling away from a mid-race restart, Joe Payne Jr. won the 20-lap Northeastern Midget Association Showdown of Champions at Seekonk Speedway’s Open Wheel Wednesday.
Beating back a brief challenge from Chris Perley, Payne scored a convincing win in the Mikitarian #9. Perley (LeClerc #12) held on for second followed by Lou Cicconi (Seymour #29).
Fred Astle Jr. (Sherman #23) and Vin Annarummo (Scally #4) held up Seekonk’s honor completing the top five. The battle was waged in NEMA Lite cars.
Mike Stefanik (Bertrand #48), Ted Christopher (Mucciacciaro #45), Russ Wood Sr. (Wood #51) and Rick Martin (Medeiros #50) followed.
Continue reading ‘Joey Payne Jr. Wins NEMA’s Showdown of Champions’
Seekonk, MA — Lou Cicconi Jr. “knew right from the start” he had the winning car. “You want to pass when it’s the least punishing to the race car,” he explained.
Starting seventh, “Liquid Lou” drove the Seymour #4 under Randy Cabral (Bertrand #47) in traffic on lap 11 and won the Northeastern Midget Association’s 25-lap feature at Seekonk Speedway’s Open Wheel Wednesday.
Running consistent 11.3s, Cicconi dominated the final laps, finishing a quarter lap ahead of point leader Cabral. Early leader Mike Horn (Horn #93x) was third with Adam Cantor (Cantor #7ny) and Russ Stoehr (Dumo’s Desire #45) following.”
Continue reading ‘Cicconi Rules NEMA Seekonk Feature’
Waterford, CT — Waterford Speedbowl competed on Wednesday with another night of Wild ‘n Wacky racing, the first successful night of racing after two consecutive rain-outs. Berlin’s Jason Palmer claimed his second straight win in an exciting Legends Cars race. John Yagmin of Tolland won a tight battle in the Super X-Car event to take the checkered flag. Point leaders Glen Thomas Jr. of Groton and Taylor Martin of New Hampshire won their respective X-Car and Bandolero division races. Rick Ceravolo of Groton was the X-Modified winner.
Dennis Pantani started out the 20-lap Legends Cars event with the lead before the first caution waved after just one lap. Pantani continued to lead with Carl Blandina and George Whitney giving Pantani a run for his money, with Whitney overtaking Pantani for the lead on lap three.
Anthony Flannery began making his move and took over second place from Pantani with Palmer on his tail in third. After eight laps Whitney’s lead had shrunk as Flannery raced on his rear bumper with Palmer not far behind in third. Executing an incredible move, Palmer was able to overtake both Flannery and Whitney for the lead exiting turn two on lap 13.
Continue reading ‘Palmer & Thomas win second consecutive events; Martin, Yagmin and Ceravolo others in Victory Lane’
Daytona Beach, FL — The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will return to New York’s Long Island for the 26th season in a row this Saturday, July 31 for the Riverhead 200 at Riverhead Raceway.
At Riverhead Raceway:
History
• Built in 1949.
• Held its first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race on July 10, 1985 during the NWMT’s inaugural season.
• Has held 48 NWMT races all-time, fourth-most among all venues.
• Is one of two tracks to play host to the NWMT in each of its 26 seasons of competition along with Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway.
Notebook
• Mike Ewanitsko experienced more success than any other NWMT driver at Riverhead during his days as a competitor … His 11 wins and eight poles lead in both categories.
• Mike Stefanik is the active wins leader at Riverhead with six while Ed Flemke Jr. has the most poles – four – among current competitors.
• Ryan Preece captured the pole and the race win in last year’s event.
• Jimmy Spencer, who will be part of the VERSUS announce team for the Riverhead 200, was winner of the first two NWMT races at Riverhead in 1985.
• At .25 miles, Riverhead is the smallest track on the 2010 NWMT schedule along with Monadnock Speedway … The largest is New Hampshire Motor Speedway at 1.058 miles.
• There have been four NWMT races that have been won by Riverhead NASCAR Whelen All-American Series drivers, the last of which was Ed Brunnhoelzl Jr. in 1995 … Last year finishers 2-4 were Riverhead NWAAS drivers.
Continue reading ‘Statistical Advance: Analyzing The Riverhead 200 At Riverhead Raceway’
Daytona Beach, FL — The seventh race of the 2010 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season will be the NASCAR K&N Pro Series 125 at Lee (N.H.) USA Speedway on Friday, July 30.
At Lee USA Speedway:
History
• Opened in 1964 as Lee Raceway and was a .333-mile dirt tri-oval … Was paved a year later.
• After five dormant years, the track was reconfigured, renamed Lee USA Speedway and reopened in 1984.
• Was purchased by the current ownership in 1986 and has operated a weekly program since.
Notebook
• Played host to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East 16 times from 1992-2004.
• Kelly Moore won the inaugural NKNPS East race at Lee on June 7, 1992.
• Dave Dion leads all drivers with seven poles at Lee while Brad Leighton has the most wins with four, earned consecutively from 1996-99.
• Of the drivers on the preliminary entry list, only Matt Kobyluck (six starts) and Eddie MacDonald (four) have previous NKNPS East experience at Lee.
Continue reading ‘Statistical Advance: Analyzing The NASCAR K&N Pro Series 125 At Lee USA Speedway’
Boston, MA – NEMA announcer Peter Falconi and heralded sportscaster Jack Arute will provide LIVE Internet radio coverage of the “SHOWDOWN of CHAMPIONS” at “SEEKONK SPEEDWAY” on WNNE-BOSTON.
NEMA announcer Peter Falconi will be calling the racing action, flag to flag with Jack Arute providing post race victory lane celebrations. KC & Brian Hanaford will be producing the LIVE broadcasting and commentary of this event from their Boston studios.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Champions Ted Christopher and Mike Stefanik will be among a select group of champions competing a jaw dropping field of fellow champions: Midget Champions Jon Heydenreich; Supermodified Champions Chris Perley and Russ Wood; and Seekonk Speedway Champions Vinnie Annarummo, Fred Astle, Jr. and Rick Martin in a special NEMA Lites race at Seekonk Speedway on Wednesday, July 28, 2010.
Continue reading ‘Showdown of Champions to be Broadcast on WWNE-Boston’
Naples ME – The Pro All Stars Series (PASS) traveling road show heads for northern New Hampshire’s Riverside Speedway this weekend, headlining the Saturday July 31 edition of Summerfest 2010 at the tough little bullring nestled on the banks of the Connecticut River.
The PASS North Super Late Models will transition from the fastest track on the schedule to the series’ tightest when they pay their annual visit to the Groveton New Hampshire quarter mile. Ben Rowe is coming off a win at Thompson International Speedway where the average speeds reach 120 miles per hour, but the short track superstar is equally at home on the quarter miles. Still Rowe doesn’t have a “Grovetona” win to his credit, unlike Johnny Clark, Cassius Clark and Kelly Moore.
Cassius Clark is having a solid 2010. He’s third in the point standings with five top tens in eight starts, but there’s a big goose egg in his win column and Riverside might be the place where Clark corrects that. Johnny Clark seems to have taken a liking to Riverside’s high banks with feature wins in 2004 and 2008. The PASS North super late model point leader lost a few markers to Rowe at Thompson and he will be looking to regain those valuable championship points and more on Saturday night.
Continue reading ‘PASS North Tackles Riverside Speedway Saturday at Summerfest 2010′
St-Felicien’s Karl Allard won his fourth Serie ACT Castrol Edge event of the season at Circuit Riverside Speedway in Ste-Croix, QC on Monday, July 26. Allard started in the 10th position and took the lead from Jimmy Cormier after a lap 28 restart. He then held off Patrick Laperle through five more restarts and led the remaining 72 laps.
Laperle had to settle for second while Cormier got back by Donald Theetge late in the race to earn third. Theetge came home fourth followed by Jean-Francois Dery rounding out the top five. Patrick Hamel, Sylvain Lacombe, Max Descoste, Jacques Poulin and Stephane Descoste completed the top ten.
The 100 lap event took just one hour and four minutes and was completed with seven cautions.
Continue reading ‘Allard Wins Fourth Serie ACT Castrol Edge Event at Riverside’
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s mid-season bullring swing will continue with the Riverhead 200 and the annual appearance at Riverhead Raceway on New York’s Long Island.
A Modified track since well before the formation of the Whelen Modified Tour, Riverhead has been on the schedule in each of the Tour’s 26 years of existence. Only Connecticut’s Thompson International Speedway can claim the same distinction.
After competing at the Monadnock Speedway quarter mile in New Hampshire on July 17, the Whelen Modified Tour’s next stop will also be at a .25-mile oval. Aside from the distance, there are few similarities as Riverhead has less banking and is more narrow than Monadnock.
Continue reading ‘News & Notes: Whelen Modified Tour Set to Take On Riverhead’
The next stop for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East will take place at an old familiar facility.
Lee (N.H.) USA Speedway, has returned to the schedule for the first time since the 2004 season. The .375-mile banked oval played host to the K&N Pro Series East 16 times from 1992-2004.
While the NASCAR K&N Pro Series 125 will be the first trip for the vast majority of teams and drivers to Lee, for one driver, it will be a homecoming.
Eddie MacDonald, who hails from Rowley, Mass., has a strong connection to the New Hampshire short track. As the son of track owner and operator Red MacDonald, he has spent many a Friday night at Lee.
Continue reading ‘News & Notes: K&N Pro Series East Returns to Lee USA Speedway’
Brockton, MA — The Showdown of Champions and a budding point battle share center stage Wednesday as the Northeastern Midget Association returns to Seekonk Speedway’s Open Wheel Wednesday. Rain washed out the race a week ago.
NEMA shares the busy agenda with a 100-lap Modified event.
Less than 30 points separate defending two-time champion Randy Cabral (Bertrand 47) and Russ Stoehr (Dumo’s Desire 45) atop the points. Stoehr comes to Seekonk off a victory in the Hammond Memorial at Waterford last Saturday.
Continue reading ‘NEMA Heads Back to Seekonk’
Thompson, CT — The North East Mini Stock Tour (NEMST) will make its first ever appearance at the Thompson International Speedway this Thursday night. NEMST is a relatively new northern New England based group of Mini Stock racers who operate as a touring division and will race at Thompson for the first time. Their appearance will be unique in its presentation and will provide entertainment and excitement for Thompson fans.
The NEMST was formed in 2008 by Bob Guptill and has been very well accepted at every race track where they have been in competition. Their Thompson event will include a complete race program for their division and will be topped off by a 20-lap Mini Stock Challenge made up of race cars from both NEMST and Thompson’s own exciting Mini Stock division. Fans will be treated to three Mini Stock feature event races with the final one designed to determine the champion of the Mini Stock Challenge.
Current NEMST points leader, Justin Trombley of Winter Harbor Maine, will lead the northern group and Scott Michalski, the Thompson Mini Stock points leader, will do the honors for the home team. Driver Loren Smith is second in the NEMST points standings and is followed by Chris McKinstry. Michalski, the defending Thompson Mini Stock champion, is followed in the track’s points battle by Scott Jassaume and Chuck Rogers.
Continue reading ‘North East Mini Stock Tour Ready for Thompson Debut’
Published at July 26, 2010
in Seekonk.
Seekonk, MA — On Saturday, July 31, the Late Models will take center stage and compete in their longest event since 2000. The winners’ share of the $5,500 purse will be $1,200, making this one of the largest Late Model payouts in Seekonk Speedway history.
In 2010, the rules package for the Late Models at Seekonk Speedway was adjusted to allow competitors from throughout New England, which had adopted the ACT rules package, to be able to compete at the 1/3 mile oval without having to make changes in their cars. Also, management has waived the temporary license for this event, hoping to attract cars that are idle for the night from their regular programs.
Continue reading ‘$5,500 up for grabs in Seekonk’s Late Model 75′
Winchester, NH — ARTS 2009 Champion Andy Lindeman of Poestenkill, NY checkered his first New England Truck Series win in the feature event Saturday Night at Monadnock Speedway.
The hot temperatures and high humidity in the pits contributed to an eventful contact race for the NETS series feature with a three wide finish for second and third place.
Starting the race coming of turn four, the Lee-Boy sponsored #16 of Willy Auchmoody from Highland, NY took the lead with Derek Chriss #12 from Averill Park, NY on the outside, crossing the start finish line with a green flag start. By the next lap the #3 Andy Lindeman moved up to second spot from fourth position while #12 Chriss fell back to fifth. TheChevy sponsored East Hampton Auto Parts #85 of Greg Butler from East Hampton, CT held his third position while #83 of Gee Perry FEB Construction sponsored Chevy, drove around him taking the position leaving # 12 of Chriss and Chevy sponsored Dave’s Auto Enterprises # 6 of Craig Cashman of Marlboro, NH behind.
Continue reading ‘Lindeman Claims First Season NETS Win’
Waterford, CT — Randy Cabral won the Northeastern Midget Association’s Shane Hammond Memorial Lites feature at the Waterford Speedbowl on Saturday evening.
Coming from deep in the field, Cabral passed early leader Chris Haskell with 16-laps remaining to capture his first Lites victory of the season.
The race included a handful of cautions and a red flag period when Tom Fox spun coming out of the second-turn and was violently collected by David Moniz. Both drivers were uninjured.
Once in command, Cabral stretched his lead winning the event far ahead of runner-up Haskell.
Continue reading ‘Randy Cabral Scores Hammond Memorial NEMA Lites Feature at Speedbowl’
Brockton, MA — He rose skyward, both arms extended, both hands pointing up . It seemed Randy Cabral, who had just won the first race following his best friend Shane Hammond’s death, was being pulled by some supernatural force.
It is hard to recall a more emotional Northeastern Midget Association result than Cabral’s triumph at Waterford Speedbowl on that wet Sunday in 2008. It came exactly a week after Hammond perished at Thompson Speedway.
It remains a classic photo, testimony to the bond between fellow warriors who were also best friends.
Emotions will be evident again Saturday night, July 24th, for the inaugural Shane Hammond Memorial Race. A number of financial incentives await what is expected to be an impressive field.
Continue reading ‘Hammond Memorial at Speedbowl’
Waterford, CT – Russ Stoehr passed brother Greg on a restart with 13 laps remaining and went on to win Saturday night’s Northeastern Midget Association’s inaugural Shane Hammond Memorial at Waterford Speedbowl.
Emotion ruled as the brothers dominated the race memorializing Hammond who died at Thompson Speedway in 2008.
“The car (Dumo’s Desire 45) was wicked good on the outside. I knew we could pull it off,” Russ said of the winning move. He was actually battling Chris deRitis (deRitis 75) for second several car lengths behind Greg (Stoehr 26b) when the yellow flew.
Randy Cabral (Bertrand 47) filled out the podium after a late battle with deRitis. Early leader John Zych Jr. (Zych 9) claimed fifth.
Continue reading ‘Russ wins Stoehr battle at Hammond Memorial’
Canaan, NH– Starting third in a 24 car field, Eric Goodale of Wading River, NY, took the lead on lap 13 and went on to win the Modified Racing Series, sponsored by BobValentiAutoMall.Com, 112 lap, Ricky Miller Memorial Race, Saturday night, at the Canaan Fair Speedway, Canaan, NH. It was Goodale’s first win with the series. He also became the ninth different winner in ten races this season.
Pole sitter Jon McKennedy East Chelmsford, MA., led the first 12 laps giving up the lead position to Goodale on lap 13. Goodale was pursued by Steven Masse, Bellingham, MA., for several laps, Mike Holdridge, Madison, CT., and then Dwight Jarvis, Ascutney, VT. The race was slowed on lap 101 for a caution period that closed up the field. On the restart, Jarvis tried every move possible to get by the race leader but Goodale was equal to the task.
At the finish, Goodale beat Jarvis by .149 seconds with McKennedy .141 seconds behind Jarvis.
Continue reading ‘Goodale Nabs First Modified Racing Series Win at Canaan’
