Archive for November, 2008

Pivotal NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Races Highlight 2009 New Hampshire Motor Speedway Major Event Schedule

Loudon, NH — Two pivotal NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races highlight the 2009 major event schedule at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

The LENOX Industrial Tools 301 on Sunday, June 28 will once again be the first of 10 events in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series “Race to the Chase.” This segment of the season is critical for every team as they look to qualify for the Championship round starting in September at the SYLVANIA 300.

The first NASCAR weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway will also feature the NASCAR Nationwide Series Camping World RV Sales 200 presented by RVs.com and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour New England 100 on Saturday, June 27. Heluva Good! Pole Day for the Sprint Cup Series and the NASCAR Camping World Series East Heluva Good! 125 will headline the Friday, June 26 schedule.
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Stafford Speedway Competitors Take Home Over $40,000

1372328321 b7c237abd8 o Stafford Speedway Competitors Take Home Over $40,000Stafford Springs, CT — With the 2008 Stafford Motor Speedway NASCAR Racing season in the history books, it is time once again for competitors to be rewarded for their season-long efforts through the Stafford Motor Speedway point fund and NASCAR Contingency awards. For their efforts during the 2008 season, SMS competitors banked over $400,000 in regular season purse money, post-season awards and contingency bonuses.

At the end of each racing season, Stafford Motor Speedway pays out 5% of its total purses for the year as a point fund for the top-15 points finishers in each of its five weekly divisions. The 2008 Stafford Motor Speedway point fund totaled in excess of $17,000 with track champions Keith Rocco, Ryan Posocco, Joe Allegro, Jr., Bill Davis, and Norm Sears taking home the lion’s share of their respective point funds.
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Stafford Speedway Releases 2009 Season Ticket Packages

1372328321 b7c237abd8 o Stafford Speedway Releases 2009 Season Ticket PackagesStafford Springs, CT — Stafford Motor Speedway has released its 2009 General Admission, Reserved Seat, Season Paddock Pass, and Kids Club season ticket packages. Season Tickets offer fans access to all Stafford Motor Speedway NASCAR Racing events during the 2009 season, including NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and CARQUEST Extreme Tuesday ISMA Supermodified events. Season tickets do not include admission to Monster Truck events, swap meets or Wild Thing Kart events.

Stafford Motor Speedway has several season ticket options available: General Admission, Top-Row Reserved and GOLD Chair-Back Reserved, Season Paddock, and the Kids Club for children ages 14 & under. Stafford Motor Speedway’s season ticket information, as well as seating chart diagrams, are available in the BOX OFFICE section on the track’s website located at www.staffordspeedway.com. The BOX OFFICE section also has season ticket order forms available for download. Order forms can be mailed to Stafford Motor Speedway, P.O. Box 105, Stafford Springs, CT 06076.
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Banquet of Champions Information

When: Saturday, January 10, 2009 – Social Hour at 6:00pm, Dinner at 7:00pm

Where: Sheraton Burlington Hotel & Conference Center, South Burlington, VT

Dress Code: Semi-Formal – no jeans, t-shirts, or ball caps

Tickets: Please contact the ACT/Thunder Road office at (802) 244-6963 to request ticket order forms. Tickets are $38.00 each. DEADLINE – THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2009. Reservations will be honored on a first-come, first-served basis, according to availability. NO reservations will be accepted without payment, and reservations are subject to immediate cancellation if payment is not honored by the bank. Reservations WILL NOT be accepted over the phone, and NO TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR – YOU MUST PURCHASE YOUR TICKET IN ADVANCE IN ORDER TO ATTEND THIS EVENT – TICKETS ARE REQUIRED FOR ATTENDANCE. For planning purposes, seating is assigned and tables are arranged in rounds of 10 persons per table.
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New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the NASCAR Foundation, and Nationwide Insurance to Support the Town of Loudon Blood and Marrow Drive

Loudon, NH — New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the NASCAR Foundation, and Nationwide Insurance have joined together to encourage local residents to help save a life at the Annual Town of Loudon Blood and Marrow Drive.

The drive is scheduled for December 2 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Arthur Colby Safety Building on 8 Cooper Street in Loudon, N.H., and is sponsored by the Loudon Police Department and the American Red Cross.

The sponsorship of the marrow testing portion of the drive is a partnership between New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the NASCAR Foundation, the Jimmie Johnson Foundation, and the Hendrick Marrow Program. All donors will have the opportunity to have a free marrow test at the Loudon drive. The test is done by a quick cheek swab and is totally painless.
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Thanksgiving

3008667031 f6c8cf6f9b o ThanksgivingGiving of ourselves to others is not something that comes naturally; we have to work at it. Many times it is a difficult choice between serving ourselves and serving others. Take a moment and think about all those who have made the difficult choice and give thanks. Greetings in the name of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving gives us a time to reflect on all that God has blessed us with. We don’t have to look very far before we find something we are thankful for. Who are you thankful for? Go to them and let them know that their sacrifice for you was appreciated.
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Kobyluck and Christopher Nominated for the Economaki Champion of Champions Award

Loudon, NH — Matt Kobyluck, 2008 NASCAR Camping World Series East Champion, and Ted Christopher, 2008 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Champion, have been nominated for the sixth annual Economaki Champion of Champions Award to be presented by Speedway Motorsports, Inc. at the PRI Trade Show in Orlando, Fla. on December 11.

Christopher is the 2008 New Hampshire Motor Speedway Lincoln Electric/Airgas Track Champion for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. Kobyluck finished second in the 2008 New Hampshire Motor Speedway Track Championship for the NASCAR Camping World Series East.
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Top American drifter Vaughn Gittin Jr. coming to SpeedwayEXPO

Salisbury, MA — Vaughn Gittin Jr., the drifting star who made his dirt-track racing debut in a ride set up by Speedway Illustrated Magazine, will appear all three days at SpeedwayEXPO, February 27 through March 1, 2009. Known as “JR” to his friends and fans, and one of drifting’s iconic figures, Gittin will bring his 650-horsepower Team Falken Tire Ford Racing 2010 Mustang, one of the sport’s most identifiable cars. (To see Gittin introducing his new Mustang, go online to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNpR7qknloo.)

Gittin’s aggressive, foot-on-the-floor, big-smoke driving style has made him the only American to win a D1 Grand Prix event. And he’s done it twice, in 2005 and 2007. He brought America a D1GP World Championship and has finished on the podium four times in his Formula Drift career, including a win last fall at a sold-out Toyota Irwindale Speedway in California.

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Plenty of Hardware At NEMA Banquet

Westport, MA — Champions Randy Cabral (driver) and Tim Bertrand (owner) shared the spotlight at the Northeastern Midget Association 2008 Banquet Saturday night at White’s of Westport. The event celebrated the club’s 56th season.

The #47 team won eight of 17 events during a season that started tragically with the loss of Shane Hammond at Thompson Speedway. Pointing out his friend was on his mind constantly; Cabral nonetheless turned his acceptance speech into a celebration for his entire crew in particular and the club in general.

The #47 crew, which was led by Bertrand and Glen Cabral, shared Mechanic of the Year honors while Cabral took away the Most Improved Driver Trophy.
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ARTS Hosts 2008 Banquet

The 2008 Season Banquet was held on Saturday, November 22nd at the Lakeview Inn in Averill Park, NY.

Andy Lindeman was honored as the 2008 Points Champion along with Greg Butler, Jr. being honored as the 2008 Rookie of the Year.  Greg also finished 3rd in the points.  Along with their trophies, they received checks from the points fund and the owner’s fund as well as jackets from Hoosier.
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Seymour the Clown Passes

John “Butch” Farone, Jr., better known to the racing community as Seymour The Clown, passed away at 4:00 P.M. today after a battle with cancer, funeral arrangements are pending and will be posted here as soon as available.

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Sources: Tom Ormsby/TheSpeedwayLineReport.com

Ryan Preece Named BDI Racing’s Driver for Snowball Derby

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Young Gun to Pilot #51 Chevy at Five Flags Speedway

Concord, NC — Eighteen-year-old NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour standout Ryan Preece has been tabbed today by BDI Racing Team Owner and SPEED broadcaster Bob Dillner as the driver of the #51 BDI Racing / Beef ‘O’ Brady’s of Pensacola, FL, Chevrolet in the 41st Annual Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway from December 3rd through the 7th.

Preece, a winner on the 2008 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, will make his first foray into the competitive Southeastern Super Late Model scene in one of the most prestigious short track events in the country, the Snowball Derby at the historic Pensacola half-mile.

“When I was first approached with this opportunity, I knew it was a good team,” said Preece. “I always saw that the team was always in the top-five every time they went to the track. I knew it was a stout car, and now I have a chance to drive it in one of the most prestigious races of the year. I know Bob has the best equipment out there and the team has an association with Chevrolet, so it’s going to be a great engine and car combination. It’s a great opportunity for me, and I think we can have a good run at the Snowball Derby.”
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Stafford Motor Speedway Releases 2009 Schedule

2009 Stafford Schedule

American-Canadian Tour 2009 Schedule to Test Race Teams

Exciting changes have been announced for the 2009 American-Canadian Tour Late Model Championship stock car racing schedule.  The 12-event calendar will put the Northeast’s premier Late Model touring series race teams to the test, bringing them to championship races at nine vastly different tracks in the United States and Canada, with an additional five “bonus” events at four tracks, including the division’s first superspeedway race at the 1-mile New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

The series begins its 18th season at the 3/8-mile Lee USA Speedway in Lee, NH on Sunday, April 19, with the race distance increased from 100 laps in 2008 to 150 for 2009.  The second event is the Merchants Bank 150 at the 1/4-mile Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl bullring in Barre, VT on Sunday, May 3.  The Airborne Speedway half-mile in Plattsburgh, NY hosts the 35th Annual Spring Green 100 on Saturday, May 9, with Maine’s Oxford Plains Speedway holding the first of its two 150-lap races on Sunday, May 17.  The ACT Late Model Tour returns to Thunder Road on Sunday, May 24 for the 47th Annual Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic, a Twin 100 doubleheader with the open-wheel True Value Modified Racing Series.
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Pasteryak Crowned True Value Modified Champion

2939784325 453eddea8d m Pasteryak Crowned True Value Modified ChampionRehoboth, MA — A capacity crowd filled the historic Francis Farm banquet facility in Rehoboth, MA., Saturday night, November 15, as the True Value Modified Racing Series, presented it’s fifth annual Awards Banquet honoring drivers, car owners, and the 2008 series champion, Chris Pasteryak, Lisbon, CT.

Pasteryak, winner of two races, at Waterford and Seekonk, addressed the crowd from a well prepared and well delivered script that detailed what the season meant to him and his family. The second generation driver thanked his fiancé, family, his Babcia, friends, his sponsors, series sponsors, and TVMRS officials, for their support. His father, Charlie, and uncle, Carl, have been involved in modified racing since the mid-seventies. “I guess they didn’t know what they were getting into,” said the new champion.
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New Hampshire Motor Speedway to Host ACT Invitational in 2009

Loudon, NH — Late Model stock car drivers will get their first superspeedway experience next year as New Hampshire Motor Speedway will host the inaugural American-Canadian Tour (ACT) Invitational during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series SYLVANIA 300 weekend on September 17-20, 2009.

The Invitational will have a purse of more than $65,000 for invited and approved teams that attend the historic, groundbreaking event for Late Model stock car racing.

“New Hampshire Motor Speedway has been looking for a way to support the short track industry throughout the Northeast and Québec/Ontario markets,” said New Hampshire Motor Speedway Vice President and General Manager Jerry Gappens. “The Invitational is a great addition to our NASCAR weekend that already includes the Sprint Cup Series, the Camping World Truck Series, the Camping World Series East, and the Whelen Modified Tour.”
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New Hampshire Motor Speedway to Host ACT Invitational in 2009

Late Model stock car drivers will get their first super-speedway experience next year, as the 1-mile New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, NH hosts the inaugural American-Canadian Tour (ACT) Invitational on NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sylvania 300 weekend, September 18-20, 2009.  The ACT/NHMS event will have a purse of more than $65,000 for invited and approved teams that attend the historic, groundbreaking event for Late Model stock car racing.

“New Hampshire Motor Speedway has been looking for a way to support the short track industry throughout the Northeast and Québec/Ontario markets.  ACT offers the perfect conduit to help us meet our marketing goal,” said NHMS Vice President and General Manager Jerry Gappens.

“New Hampshire Motor Speedway is giving short track fans and teams throughout the Northeast and Canada a wonderful opportunity,” said ACT President Tom Curley.
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Keith Rocco, Ryan Posocco, Joe Allegro, Jr., Bill Davis & Norm Sears Honored as 2008 Stafford Motor Speedway Track Champions

Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Motor Speedway welcomed a guest list of over 500 people consisting of teams, drivers, and employees this past Friday night, November 14, 2008 at the La Renaissance Banquet Facility in East Windsor to officially honor Keith Rocco, Ryan Posocco, Joe Allegro, Jr., Bill Davis, and Norm Sears as the 2008 Stafford Motor Speedway NASCAR Whelen All-American Series track champions.

With Stafford Motor Speedway broadcasters Matt Buckler and Tony Sutton serving as the Masters of Ceremony, the 39th annual Stafford Motor Speedway NASCAR Champions Awards Ceremony not only honored the five track champions, it also honored the top-20 points finishers from the SK Modified®, Late Model, SK Light, Limited Late Model, and DARE Stock divisions. Other awards that were presented during the evening’s festivities were Most Popular Driver Awards, Most Improved Driver Awards, and the Reliable Welding & Speed Rookie of the Year awards.
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RPM Announces Record Sponsorship

Edgar, WI — Eleven supporting sponsors, more than ever before, will back the upcoming 36th RPM Promoters Workshops; a testament to the strength of this industry despite a year plagued by bad weather and the economic slowdown. “We are gratified to see the commitment demonstrated by the organizations that are underwriting our services to promoters,” said Stewart Doty, Chairman of the events. “In an economy such as we are experiencing, these commitments are extraordinary and serve to underline the loyalty of these organizations to promoters and to our sport.”

Joining firms that have supported the Workshops since 2004 are new sponsors AMI Graphics, the New Hampshire-based producer of stadium graphics and the WISSOTA Promoters Association, which sanctions more than 50 tracks in the upper Midwest and Canada. Returning sponsors include INEX, the international sanctioning group for Legends, Bandolero and Thunder Roadster racing; The Eldorado Hotel Casino Reno, host hotel of the Western Workshop; Musco Sports lighting, the leading supplier of stadium and track lighting; Raceceiver racing communications and management software; Moffett Productions, producer of TV and radio advertising for race tracks; The World Racing Group, World of Outlaws and UMP DIRTcar; Lucas Oil, the Lucas Oil Late Model Series, and the Lucas Oil Speedways; Simes Graphic Designs, designer advertising for race tracks and sanctioning groups; and GM Performance Parts, source of GM crate engines for motorsports. We are excited to have the support of these companies and look forward to introducing them to promoters at Reno and Speedweek.
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Promoter of the Year Balloting Begins

Promoters to Nominate Peers for Award

Edgar, WI — Who will succeed Lynn Phillips and Alfred Gurley as the next Auto Racing Promoters of the Year (ARPY), and receive the prestigious award during ceremonies at the Speedweek National RPM Promoters Workshop? The ballot, was mailed as part of the October 2008 issue of Racing Promotion Monthly, and promoters will use it to select Regional Auto Racing Promoters of the Year in eight regions encompassing the United States. In final January balloting, one of the Regional award recipients will be chosen by peers as the 33rd Auto Racing Promoter of the Year.

Recipients of the Auto Racing Promoter of the Year award, originated in 1976 by the editors of Racing Promotion Monthly, the idea newsletter for auto racing promoters, are a who’s who of short auto racing promotion. Phillips and Gurley, Talladega Short Track, Talladega, AL, was selected 32nd Auto Racing Promoter of the Year last year. Previous winners of the ARPY award are, Hugh Deery 1976 and 1984; J.C. Agajanian, 1977; D. Anthony Venditti, 1978; Jack Gunn, 1979; George Eisenhart, 1980; Dick O’Brien, 1981; Howard Tiedt, 1982; Don Martin, 1983; Glenn Donnelly, 1985; Cary Agajanian, 1986; Bud Lunsford, 1987; Bob Daniels, 1988; Howard Commander, 1989; Ray Wilkings, 1990; Paul Kuhl, 1991; Robert Lawton; 1992; Earl Baltes, 1993; Jody Deery, 1994, and Andy Vertrees, 1995, Charles Powell, 1996, C. Ray Hall in 1997, Larry Kemp in 1998, Charles Cathell in 1999, Charles Deery in 2000, and Ralph Capitani in 2001, and Lanny Edwards in 2002, Bob & Nadine Strauss, 2003, Tom Curley, 2004, Steve York, 2006, and John Padjen, 2007.
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