Published at May 24, 2002
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Stafford Springs, CT — The Connecticut Classic 150 Featherlite Modified Series, NASCAR Touring race, originally scheduled for May 24, 2002 has been postponed to Friday, May 31, because of rain. The starting field is set as Bud Pole qualifying was completed before the inclement weather struck.
A total of 44 Featherlite Modified Series drivers went under the clock at the 1/2 mile Connecticut oval for the 31 starting spots available. Nevin George of Kunkletown, Pa., who scored his first career series win at Nazareth, Pa. last week, earned his first career Bud Pole with a time of 18.370 seconds for an average speed of 97.986 seconds in the Bruce George Paving Chevrolet. Ted Christopher, winner of the Spring Sizzler at Stafford in April, was second fastest with a speed of 97.933 mph in the Mystique Motorsports Chevrolet. Robbie Summers, Jerry Marquis and Jamie Tomaino rounded out the Top-5 in qualifying.
Continue reading ‘Rain Postpones Connecticut Classic 150′
Thompson, CT — The project began in late winter. Phase one was completed just prior to the ICEBREAKER in early April. Following that event, phase two began and now has been completed. The project, of course, is the new pit road in the infield at the Thompson Int’l Speedway.
It began with several hundred feet of steel barriers being removed and replaced with new concrete walls. Next came the layout of the new exit from pit road which will take racecars from the infield pit area back onto the race track on the back stretch as opposed to the former re-entry in turn one. This will provide for a smoother and safer re-entry of racecars back onto the speedway.
The new pit road is now 840 feet long and 40 feet wide. This larger configuration will make for less congestion on pit road and provide pit ‘stalls’ for more competitors. The exit road is just over 300 feet long; is 16 feet wide. It provides access to the speedway so that cars returning to competition may do so by ‘blending’ into traffic on the track’s long back straightaway.
Continue reading ‘Pit road project completed in time for regular season opener at Thompson’
Published at May 22, 2002
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Last night I had a nightmare. I woke up as I was dreaming that the webmaster had written, stating that he wanted more racing and less recovery in this column. Thankfully it was just a nightmare. Thus far, the response to this column has been good and I look forward to a long stay here at YankeeRacer.com. If you do have comments or opinions, the email is below. I will reply.
Tonight as I was preparing this column, I heard the patter of tiny feet. Ginger, my 8 lb poodle wanted some lap time. She got it. That is a fringe benefit of being sober.
Continue reading ‘Pipe Smoke 05-22-02′
Published at May 22, 2002
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1st John 2:18 “Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.”
Greetings, in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus!This week, we promised to start identifying those who act in the spirit of the Antichrist, the one opposed to Jesus, the Messiah. These are the ones who act in a way contrary to the mind and attitude of our Lord. 1 John 4:3, “but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.”
Continue reading ‘The Anti-Christ has Come (Part 6)’
Thompson, CT — With the first holiday weekend of the summer being celebrated this weekend, Thompson Int’l Speedway will present one of its traditional holiday Family Fun Nights on Saturday, May 25th.
This fun-filled event will include three divisions of racing, a spectacular motorcycle jump from World Champion Doug Danger, the return of the Green Mamba jet powered car melt down machine, muscle car burn-outs, a school bus demolition derby and a huge fireworks display.
The racing portion of the program will include Thompson Limited Sportsman and Mini Stocks along with the American Race Trucks. Qualifying for these racing divisions will begin at 4:30 PM and the show will open with feature events beginning at 6 PM. For those wishing to make a day of it, the grandstands will open at 2PM so that fans can watch the practice sessions and enjoy the qualifying races prior to the 6 PM start.
Continue reading ‘Family Fun Night this Saturday at Thompson’
Published at May 16, 2002
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1st John 2:18 “Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.”
Greetings, in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus!So, how come we still have problems with the devil since he has been defeated at the cross? In the same way, ask yourself this: Can you pass any test if you do not have the information and even if you do have the information, never take up a pencil and mark down any answers?
Continue reading ‘The Anti-Christ has Come (Part 5)’
Thompson, CT — Tickets for the Tony Stewart-Ted Christopher Match Race will go on sale at the Thompson Int’l Speedway track office on Monday, June 3, 2002. Fans, who have been seeking ticket information, will be able to call the speedway office and order tickets for this very special night of competition and fun on July 17th .
NASCAR Winston Cup Series star Tony Stewart will be on hand at the Thompson Int’l Speedway on Wednesday, July 17th to compete in a match race with the 2001 NASCAR Weekly Racing Series National Champion, Ted Christopher.
Even though these drivers currently compete in totally different circles, the two met back in 1997 at New Smyrna Beach Speedway in Florida. They competed against each other in that nine consecutive night series and developed quite a rivalry in the process. The Thompson Match race on July 17th may put that rivalry to bed once and for all or it may simply fuel the flames between these two tough competitors.
Continue reading ‘Tony Stewart-Ted Christopher match race tickets go on sale on June 3′
Published at May 15, 2002
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I was torn ths week, between continuing my “hardcore” introduction to alcoholism and doing my semi-annual gratitude column.
When I began “Pipe Smoke” back in October of 2000, I decided that I wanted to highlight some of the ways that I stay sober. In that respect, I am doing my job of carrying the message to those who are sick and suffering. One of the most important tools that I use is Gratitude. Part of using that tool is making a gratitude list and I am enclosing my 20th anniversary list as part of this column.
Continue reading ‘Pipe Smoke 05-15-02′
Published at May 11, 2002
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Waterford, CT — Dave Berghman of Rehoboth, Mass., passed Todd Szegedy with just 7 laps remaining in the Waterford 150 to earn his first career Featherlite Modified Series, NASCAR Touring victory at the Waterford Speedbowl on Saturday night.
Berghman was making his 98th career start in the series dating back to 1994. Before his victory at Waterford, the best finish for this second generation driver was a pair of 5th place finishes during the 2001 season. Berghman is the son of Carl “Bugsy” Stevens a former three time NASCAR national modified champion during the 1960′s.
Continue reading ‘Berghman Makes Late Race Pass To Win Waterford 150′
Published at May 10, 2002
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Thompson, CT — Phase two of the pit road improvement at Thompson Int’l Speedway is in full swing. The design of the new and larger infield pit road was done during the winter months and a portion of the project was completed prior to the ICEBREAKER in April. The second phase includes extending and re-shaping of the exit in order to allow racecars a smoother and safer re-entry to the speedway following a pit stop.
The new pit road will be longer to accommodate more racecars and will exit onto the back straightaway of the historic 5/8ths mile oval. In addition to the construction and design of the road itself, considerable construction and re-construction of the concrete walls on both sides of pit road are also a major part of this improvement.
Continue reading ‘Pit Road Improvements Underway at Thompson’
Published at May 8, 2002
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Hello Friends,
I would like to welcome my friends from the Seekonk Speedway to this column. It is also nice to see my friend, mentor and spiritual advisor, Rev Pat Evans joining us here at Yankeeracer.com. Tonight, (Tues) I was in the chat room at www.rwjm.com and I jokingly remarked that with Pat and I sharing the same site, racing would never be the same.
For those of you who are new to this column, this is how it works. I start off with personal notes, changes to the website, and thing of general interest.
Continue reading ‘Pipe Smoke’
Published at May 7, 2002
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- The 3rd Featherlite Modified Series, NASCAR Touring race of the 2002 season, the Waterford 150 is scheduled for Saturday, May 11 at the Waterford Speedbowl in Waterford, Conn.
- Bud Pole Qualifying is scheduled to be held at 5:00 p.m. for positions 1-25. The fastest qualifier will determine the redraw of the Top 6, 8 or 10 cars. Four provisional positions – based on the 2001 Featherlite Modified Series season points standings (two driver, two car owner) – and a past champion provisional is available for a maximum starting field of 30 cars. The Waterford 150 is scheduled to start at approximately 8:30 p.m.
- The Waterford 150 will be the final event of the 2002 season to use 2001 points in determining provisional starting positions.
Continue reading ‘Waterford 150 Pit Notes’
Published at May 7, 2002
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1st John 2:18 “Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.” Greetings, in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus!
Last week, we saw Jesus being tempted by the antichrist and rebuking the devil. Jesus used the Word of God, a power the devil can not stand against. The devil had a final weapon going for him. It was death. God had a plan to defeat him, even in death.
The devil thought he had finally won at the crucifixion of Jesus. At the last moment, it happened this way: Mark 15:33-39 At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”–which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.” One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said. With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”
Continue reading ‘The Anti-Christ has Come’
Thompson, CT — Phase two of the pit road improvement at Thompson Int’l Speedway is in full swing. The design of the new and larger infield pit road was done during the winter months and a portion of the project was completed prior to the ICEBREAKER in April. The second phase includes extending and re-shaping of the exit in order to allow racecars a smoother and safer re-entry to the speedway following a pit stop.
The new pit road will be longer to accommodate more racecars and will exit onto the back straightaway of the historic 5/8ths mile oval. In addition to the construction and design of the road itself, considerable construction and re-construction of the concrete walls on both sides of pit road are also a major part of this improvement.
“This is something we have wanted to do for some time, said track owner and promoter, Don Hoenig. It’s a project that takes both the proper weather conditions and some time to complete. We have to construct a new exit road that runs from the current pit road all the way around to the back stretch and re-construct concrete walls. It’s a project we hope to have completed by the time we have our next event on Saturday, May 25th ,” said Hoenig.
Continue reading ‘Pit road improvements underway at Thompson’
Thompson, CT — Tony Stewart showed his short track skills at Richmond International Raceway when he won the Pontiac Excitement 400 on Sunday, May 5, 2002. Stewart took the number one spot with only seventeen laps remaining and went on to win his third career Winston Cup victory in seven starts at Richmond.
Meanwhile, Ted Christopher, driving a NASCAR Featherlite Modified, cruised to a win on the same day in the Spring Sizzler at the Stafford Motor Speedway. Christopher was never seriously challenged for the top spot as he claimed his first win of the season on the NFMS schedule.
All this begins to set the stage for two short track superstars to go head to head on July 17th at the Thompson Int’l Speedway. That is the date when these two incredibly talented drivers will face off in match race.
Continue reading ‘Short track wins by Stewart and Christopher add excitement to July 17th Thompson match race’
Stafford Springs, CT — After coming so close so many times to a Modified Series victory at Stafford, only to be denied, Ted Christopher now has two consecutive Modified Series wins at the half-mile.
Christopher won the 2001 season ending CARQUEST Fall Final, and today dominated the CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler, leading 150 of the race’s 200-laps.
Continue reading ‘Ted Christopher Wins 31st Annual CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler’
Stafford Springs, CT — Two-time SK Modified champion Bo Gunning made his return to the SK Modified ranks at Stafford Motor Speedway a triumphant one, as he claimed his first SK Modified feature win since September of 1998, and the 39th of his career.
Gunning ran down early leader Eddie Spiers, and made the pass for the lead on lap-32 of 40. Spiers didn’t give up the lead easily, as he ran on Gunning’s bumper to the checkered flag, but was unable to make a pass.
Continue reading ‘Bo Gunning & Jay Stuart Take Spring Sizzler Wins’
Published at May 5, 2002
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by John “Pipe Smoke”
Welcome to this, the first edition of Pipe Smoke to appear on the YankeeRacer.com website. In October 2000, I started this column as an independent site and now it is time to move to the big time. There are three things that I hope to do here, carry the message of recovery from alcoholism, highlight some of the best drivers and teams coming from Western Ma., and just have some fun. If you like racing, welcome. If you are in recovery, welcome. If you, like yours truly happen to be sober and involved in auto racing, welcome, you have found a home.
Who the heck is, “The Pipe”. My name is John and I am a recovering alcoholic and a member of the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. In keeping with the A.A. tradition of anonymity, I have adopted “The Pipe”as my screen name, so that I can write about my experiences during mydrinking years and in recovery.
Continue reading ‘Pipe Smoke 05-01-02′
