Monthly Archive for May, 2008

May 16th NASCAR Program at Stafford Speedway Cancelled

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on May 16, 2008
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Stafford Springs, CT — Due to inclement weather, Stafford Motor Speedway has cancelled its May 16th NASCAR Whelen All-American Series racing program.

Stafford Motor Speedway returns to racing action next Friday night, May 23rd with the 18th Annual TSI Harley-Davidson 150 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event.  Stafford’s SK Modifieds®, Late Models, SK Light Modifieds, Limited Late Models, and DARE Stocks will also all be in action for six divisions of racing next Friday night.  For next Friday night’s NASCAR Whelen All-American Series feature events, the top-18 in points will be pre-qualified for their events.

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Seven-Time Champion Stefanik to be Honored at Stafford

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NASCAR to Recognize Modified Great on May 23

Daytona Beach, FL — As part of a season-long celebration of 60 years of Modified champions, seven-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour titlist Mike Stefanik will be honored at the TSI Harley-Davidson 150 on Friday, May 23 at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway.

A resident of Coventry, R.I., Stefanik is the winningest driver in the history of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and he was also named to the “NASCAR All-Time Modified Top 10 Drivers” list in 2003.

Since the tour’s inception in 1985, Stefanik has experienced unparalleled success. His seven championships are two more than Tony Hirschman’s total and his record 68 wins are 24 more than second-place Reggie Ruggiero’s 44.

“I’m not a big nostalgic person and into statistics and all of that, but someday it’s going to be very exciting for me to realize that [the accomplishments] and enjoy it for what it is,” Stefanik said. “I’ve had a very nice and rewarding career.”

Stefanik captured his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship in 1989 when he edged Ruggiero by just six points, the second-smallest margin in the division’s history. During the course of the next 12 years Stefanik ran a full schedule nine times and captured the series title in five of those campaigns (1991, ‘97, ‘98, 2001, ‘02). His seventh title came in 2006 when he registered just one victory but finished in the top 10 in 15 of 16 races.

He was also voted the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s Most Popular Driver in 1997, 1998 and 2001.

Although the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour is where he has experienced the most success, Stefanik is an accomplished driver in other series as well. He has tallied nine poles, 12 wins and 102 top-10s in 164 career starts in the NASCAR Camping World Series East. Stefanik also made 26 starts in the NASCAR Nationwide Series from 1992-2000 and had the same amount of starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series during the 1998-99 seasons. Stefanik earned Raybestos Rookie of the Year honors in 1999 when he finished 13th in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings.

In one of the more dominant two-year runs of any driver in the history of NASCAR racing, Stefanik captured back-to-back titles in both the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and the NASCAR Camping World Series East in 1997 and 1998. In a Modified, Stefanik compiled 22 wins and 30 top-fives in 55 races en route to his third and fourth championships in that division. During that same time span in the stock cars of the NASCAR Camping World Series East he recorded six wins and 31 top-10s in 39 starts to earn consecutive points titles.

With his seven NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour titles and two NASCAR Camping World Series East crowns, Stefanik is currently tied with the late Richie Evans for the most championships in the history of NASCAR racing. Evans earned nine Modified titles, including the inaugural NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship in 1985.

Stefanik, who will turn 50 on May 20, has no intentions of slowing down anytime soon. He finished fourth in the Spring Sizzler at Stafford on April 27 and is just two years removed from his most-recent points title.

“I’m thrilled just to be racing anything, and to be involved with the program that we have is fantastic,” Stefanik said. “I’m just going to keep doing it and enjoying the rest of my time behind the wheel because it’s now more enjoyable than ever.”

NASCAR plans to honor each of its 31 all-time Modified champions throughout the season. The celebration began with the recognition of Frankie Schneider, Donny Lia and Richie Evans at Thompson International Speedway on April 6. Prior to the Tech-Net Spring Sizzler at Stafford on April 27 NASCAR honored Ernie Gahan and Red Byron.

With two races in the books, Stefanik and the rest of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour field will return to the half-mile oval at Stafford for the first night race of the 2008 season. The one-day show will feature an afternoon practice session and time trials at 6 p.m. For ticket information, please visit Stafford’s official Web site (staffordmotorspeedway.com).

Sources: Jason Cunningham/NASCAR WMT PR


Home Run Derby Highlights Speedbowl’s Little League Night

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on May 16, 2008
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This Saturday the Waterford Speedbowl hosts the 3rd annual Little League Night featuring the Sidsvault.com Home Run Derby. Any Little Leaguer wearing their team jersey will be admitted free of charge into the grandstands. The wiffle ball exhibition will team up ten of the Speedbowl’s NASCAR Whelen All-American Series drivers with ten local Little Leaguers in a home run contest on the front stretch at approximately 6:30pm. Grandstands open at 4pm, qualifying at 5pm and features begin at 7pm.

This years Speedbowl Sluggers include SK Modified drivers Jeff Pearl, Ron Yuhas Jr. and Tyler Chadwick. Ed Reed Jr., Bruce Thomas Jr. and Vin Esposito from the Late Model division, Walt Hovey Jr. and Al Stone III representing the Sportsman division and Mini Stock drivers Ken Cassidy Jr. and Randy Churchill Jr. Only Yuhas, Reed and Cassidy have participated in the event before.

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Ricky Miller Memorial Named North-South Shootout Qualifier

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on May 15, 2008
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Lexington, NC — C&C Racing Promotions, in conjunction with the True Value Modified Racing Series and the Twin State Speedway in Claremont, NH, announced last week that the first annual Ricky Miller Memorial 100 will be a qualifier for the 6th Annual John Blewett III Memorial North-South Shootout TM. Both Modified races honor outstanding racers whose lives were cut far too short.

The winning car owner of the Ricky Miller Memorial 100 for the True Value Modified Racing Series scheduled for Sunday, September 28, 2008, as part of the two-day Twin State Speedway Fall Challenge, will earn a guaranteed starting spot in the 6th Annual North-South Shootout TM. The annual event will take place on November 7&8, 2008 at Concord Motorsport Park in Concord, NC.

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Sticking Together

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on May 15, 2008
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We face many trying times in our lives. Some of them bring us to the point of breaking. How do we manage to get through them? How do we continue? What is it that makes it possible to keep things focused and moving in a positive direction? Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The racing season is young but already we have had to deal with more than our share of challenging times. We have lost a good friend in Shane Hoffman. He inspired us to continue on even if the odds were stacked against you. He did more with less, but had that trademark smile and attitude that let you know he could conquer the world.

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NEAR ‘08 Inductee Fred Luchesi Plans to be at Norwood Arena Reunion on June 1

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on May 14, 2008
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Norwood, MA — Some of Fred Luchesi’s peers felt that he retired from racing too early. The Pawtucket, RI racer had a very impressive resume. Consider that he was a NASCAR Champion back in 1948 the year that sanctioning body was formed for his string of wins at the Kingston Fairgrounds in RI. From that point on Luchesi won a number of features at such venues as Lonsdale Arena in RI, Westboro, Norwood Arena, Thompson in Conn., Dover, NH and Seekonk Speedway among several other tracks. As a matter of fact, a knowledgeable observer revealed that Luchesi won just about every feature at Lonsdale in 1955 right up through Hurricane Carol which inundated the venue that ultimately resulted in the demise of that oval. Fred’s ability to win on both dirt and paved ovals proved his versatility. He even took in the big dirt track at Langhorne Speedway in Penn. “I was in that very famous wreck that took out a bunch of cars. The film clip hit all of the newsreels in theaters and the TV news programs at that time,” he said. The Ocean State driver wasn’t just limited to racing in New England and the northeast, either. He managed to take major events in Ontario, Canada.

Towards the end of his career, Luchesi confined his efforts to a two car team which raced at Seekonk Speedway with Fred driving one while the late Bobby Sprague of Foxborough, MA drove theother. During that era it was common to see drivers and teams competing on dirt tracks and taking the same machine to paved tracks. The only changes required were grooved tires for dirt and slicks for paved tracks and some minor adjustments to suspension systems. Unlike today where a pavement car is much different than one especially built to race on dirt. Some observers feel that the 50’s, 60’s and into the early 70’s were the best of times for stockcar racing. Racing several nights a week all over New England and the northeast were the norm.

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Johnson Motorsports Grabs Top Ten Finish at Waterford

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on May 14, 2008
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Waterford, CT — With two consecutive Friday night rainouts at Stafford  Speedway, the Johnson Motorsports team and driver Doug Coby brought their white #10 SK Modified to the Waterford Speedbowl this past Saturday for a 35-lap NASCAR Whelen All-American series event. This was the team’s second visit of the season to the 1/3 mile shoreline oval, and their 8th place finish contributed a total of 32 points to their NASCAR state championship point total.

In the first practice session of the day, the team showed everyone on hand that they had not missed a beat from their pole qualifying effort and 3rd place finish at the Speedbowl’s season opening Bud Nationals by posting the fastest time of the practice session.

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ACTion News 5/14/08

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on May 14, 2008
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Last Sunday at Thunder Road, Late Model stock car racer Mike “Beetle” Bailey capped off a feel-good story that should prove to be a pretty hard one to top.

The former Allen Lumber Street Stock champion and multi-time NAPA Tiger Sportsman winner moved into the American-Canadian Tour Late Model division in 2006 on the smallest of shoestring budgets.  With a well-used, ex-Jeff Spooner chassis that raced as a mid-pack car for several seasons, Bailey held his own in the weekly Thursday night wars at Thunder Road.  He notched five top-ten finishes and netted 15th place in the final point standings, a rather respectable rookie effort.  During the following off-season, Bailey and his close-knit team began to “focus on the little things” and make the car perform consistently.

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Todd Szegedy Looks to Recapture Stafford Magic in TSI Harley-Davidson 150

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on May 13, 2008
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Stafford Springs, CT — The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour returns to Stafford Motor Speedway for its second of four visits during the 2008 season on Friday, May 23rd for the 18th Annual TSI Harley-Davidson 150.  Todd Szegedy, the 2003 Whelen Modified Tour champion, currently sits in fifth place in the 2008 points standings and will be looking to use the TSI Harley Davidson 150 as a race to get his team back on track as they try to march towards a championship in 2008.

Szegedy has found success at Stafford, recording 3 of his 12 career Whelen Modified Tour victories at the Connecticut half-mile, and he also has several years of SK Modified® racing experience to Stafford to draw from.

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More History Awaits Cabral; NEMA Heads To Monadnock

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on May 13, 2008
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Two-for-two so far with a couple of victories at Waterford Speedbowl, Randy Cabral is still not ready to declare himself a contender for the Northeastern Midget Association championship. He is, however, the driver to watch when NEMA pulls into Monadnock Speedway on Saturday, May 24.

Monadnock is one of the “trickiest” venues on the NEMA schedule. The club returned there last year after a 10-year hiatus and it was a trio of veterans - Greg Stoehr, Jeff Horn and Nokie Fornoro - that filled the podium. Nokie, a winner back in 1981, is the only other current NEMA driver with a Monadnock win.

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True Value Modified Series Prepares For Thunder Road

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on May 13, 2008
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Canaan NH — It’s been over 40 years since a modified race car has turned a lap at the historic Thunder Road International Speedbowl, Barre, VT, but the True Value Modified Racing Series will bring that long drought to an end, Memorial Day weekend, May 24, 25, when the fifth year series rolls into Vermont for the first time for 100 laps of ground pounding open-wheel modified racing at “The Nations Site of Excitement.” The TVMRS will join with the American-Canadian Tour Late Models who will compete in the 46th annual Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic.  To say series drivers and officials are anxiously looking forward to the holiday weekend program is almost an understatement.

“Everywhere you go, all you hear is Thunder Road.” said series announcer John Spence Sr. Up and down pit road at Waterford, Monadnock, and Lee, drivers, car owners, media and fans were really buzzing about this event. The enthusiasm is at an all time high and has been since Tom Curley and Jack Bateman announced the date. This is not only an historical event in Vermont, but in New England motorsports. I told Tom at Lee if Mother Nature is good he’ll hit a grand slam with this one.” Spence added, “The break in the schedule since Waterford really allows everyone to be ready. The officials are looking forward to it just as much as the competitors are.”

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PASS North Super Late Models and Mods at Wiscasset Raceway Sunday

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on May 13, 2008
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Naples, ME — The Pro All Stars Series (PASS) North visits Wiscasset Raceway this weekend for the first of four 2008 stops at the fast coastal Maine oval. Sunday’s Ray Haskell Ford 125 super late model go is one of two qualifiers for the August 17th Toyota Tundra 250 at Maine’s center of speed. The  $30,000.00 to win, 250 lap special is the richest race on the PASS super late model schedule, and a guaranteed starting spot goes to Sunday’s race winner. Boothbay Maine native Corey Williams has already earned his starting spot with a win in the PASS South/PASS National Championship opener at Hickory (NC) Motor Speedway.

Confirmed entries for the Ray Haskell Ford 125  include Adam Bates, Gary Bellefleur, Travis Benjamin, Cassius Clark and Richie Dearborn. Rookie contenders Jimmy Chambers D.J. Shaw and Harry Olson are all entered; Steve Knowlton, Kelly Moore, and Mike Rowe are on the list as well. Expect Johnny Clark, Ben Rowe, Scott Chubbuck and a strong field of Wiscasset  weekly racers to be on the grid when the green flag flies.

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Points Major Concern For Speedbowl Competitors

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on May 12, 2008
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Waterford, CT — When the final tally is made for the 2008 Waterford Speedbowl SK-Modified championship, May 10 may be one of the keys. Dennis Gada, seeking a record seventh championship, came back from a mid-race crash to finish 10TH and hold on to the division point lead.

Gada, who likes being atop the standings, will take an ever-so slim two-point edge on the streaking Keith Rocco into Saturday night’s 35-lap SK feature. It is the headliner of Little League Night at the Speedbowl.

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NEAR Hall of Fame Nominations Sought

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on May 12, 2008
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The list of nominees for the New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame are “streaming in” according to Bruce Cohen, the organization’s vice president.

“We’re had a couple dozen or so and they’re still coming,” says Cohen. “They run the gamut from the real pioneers to the more recent guys. I have really been impressed.”

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NASCAR Touring Teams Test at New Hampshire

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Total of 23 Teams Test at Loudon in Advance of June Races

Loudon, NH — In a combined session today a total of 23 teams from the NASCAR Camping World Series East and NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour tested at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

The NASCAR Camping World Series East had a strong contingent of teams taking advantage of the test opportunity with a total of 18 cars. The garage featured a mix of New Hampshire veterans like Steve Park and Matt Kobyluck, as well as a host of rookies such as Austin Dillon, winner of the season-opener at Greenville-Pickens Speedway on April 19.

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