Archive for the 'Dover' Category

GRIZCO Racing Owner Steve Griswold Passes

Published at February 16, 2013 in Adirondack, Beech Ridge, Dover, Holland, Irwindale, Jennerstown, Lee USA, Lime Rock Park, Monadnock, NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, Nazareth, NHMS, Riverside Park, Seekonk, Stafford, Star, Thompson, Uncategorized and Waterford. Closed

3-time NASCAR BNS Champion Owner was 64

Steve Griswold, owner of the GRIZCO Racing team for 18 years (1988-2005), passed away on Sunday. He was 64.

Steve and Peg Griswold fielded the #55 entry on the NASCAR Busch North Series (now called K&N Pro Series East). Brad Leighton drove for the team 1995-2002. Mike Stefanik drove the car from 2003-2005. The team captured 3 championships (1999-2000, 2005) with Brad Leighton and Andy Santerre.

In 2005, GRIZCO moved to North Carolina and created the first multi-car team in series history for Andy Santerre, Mike Stefanik and Brad Leighton. The team’s historic final season saw a 1-2 points finish with teammates Santerre and Stefanik. Santerre captured his historic 4th consecutive series championship.

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Please Help the “Prince of Darkness”, Al Robinson

Published at February 12, 2012 in Dover, NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, NASCAR WA-AS and NHMS. Closed

Longtime Watkins Glen and Daytona International Speedway announcer and NASCAR Touring Series official Al Robinson needs our help. Known to his many racing friends as “The Prince of Darkness” for his annual, overnight stints on the public address microphone during the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Robinson suffered a serious stroke last May. He has since been confined to Elderwood Care Facility in Waverly, NY, and his 24/7 medical needs have severely depleted his financial resources.

A benefit has been organized for Al by his racing friends, and the owners of New York’s Shangri-La II Motor Speedway — where Al served as track announcer prior to his illness – have donated the use of their facility for a fundraiser, with all proceeds going directly to Al. Scheduled for Friday, May 11 and Saturday, May 12, the event will feature a "Family Fun Day" format; including displays of current and vintage race cars, children's activities, pace car rides, numerous racing souvenir vendors, sponsored walking laps and track food concessions, with all proceeds going to Al. Free overnight camping will be available, with a community bonfire, a silent auction of various donated items and a live auction of racing artifacts and memorabilia.

Special test-n-tune sessions will be held at both the Skyview Dragstrip (located on the grounds of Shangri-La II Motor Speedway); and the oval track, with the Shangri-La II Modified, Sportmod, Street Stock and 4four-ylinder teams all preparing their cars for opening day on Sunday, May 13.

Your financial support will be greatly appreciated, as will any donations of racing artifacts for the auction portion of the event. Auction and cash donations in any amount may be sent to Shangri-La II Motor Speedway 114 Skyline Dr., Tioga Center, NY. Please make checks payable to Al Robinson.

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NEAR Presents “Class of 2012” At 15th Annual New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame Inductions

Published at January 30, 2012 in Airborne, Albany-Saratoga, Autodrome St. Eustache, Beech Ridge, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Daytona, Dover, Eastern States, Holland, Hudson, Keene, Lakeville, Langley, Lee USA, Lonsdale, Martinsville, Monadnock, NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, NASCAR WMT, NEAR, New Smyrna, NHMS, Norwood, Nostalgia, Oswego, Oxford Plains, Plainville, Pro 4 Mod, Riverhead, Riverside Park, Seekonk, South Boston, Spencer, Stafford, Star, Thompson, Twin State, USAC, Utica-Rome, W. Peabody, Wall, Waterford, Westboro and Wiscasset. Closed

East Windsor, CT — On Sunday January 29, The New England Antique Racers (NEAR), presented the 15th annual New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame Inductions. Award-winning sportswriter Matt Buckler served as Master of Ceremonies for the well-attended event held at LaRenaissance Banquet Hall in East Windsor, CT.

Receiving induction honors this year were drivers Reggie Ruggiero, Joey Kourafas, Moe Gherzi, Jerry Humiston, and Roland Lapierre Sr., owner/mechanics Mario Fiore and Jim Jorgensen and track operator Irene Venditti.

Though not present due to prior commitments, longtime Northern media personality Dave Moody was the recipient of the prestigious “Jack Ratta Memorial Media Award.” Veteran auto racing journalist and Hall of Fame Member Pete Zanardi received the Danny Pardi Memorial Award for his many contributions to NEAR over the years.

A pivotal figure during the formative years of the sport and truly one of the regions earliest stars, Moe Gherzi came to stock cars following a brief fling with midget racing during the busy post-war era. Gherzi won for some of the best teams in the early days of the sport while displaying a flashy style which became his trademark. Nicknamed “Moneybags” owed to a knack of winning many big-dollar events, he tasted success at virtually all of the regions tracks. He later served as the longtime Racing Director at Connecticut’s Plainville Stadium. Accepting for her late father from presenter Dave Dykes was Ms. Alma Michaud.

[Photo Gallery] by Nicholas Teto

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‘Rapid Roman’ Richie Evans Rode Orange Chariot Into History

Published at January 19, 2012 in Albany-Saratoga, Bowman-Gray, Caraway, Chemung, Daytona, Dover, Fonda, Hickory, Holland, Langhorne, Lee USA, Martinsville, Monadnock, NASCAR WMT, New Smyrna, North Wilkesboro, Oswego, Oxford Plains, Riverhead, Riverside Park, Seekonk, Spencer, Stafford, Star, Thompson, Twin State, Wall, Waterford and Westboro. 0 Comments

New York Star Won Nine NASCAR Modified Series Titles In Hall Of Fame Career

Daytona Beach, FL — Richard Ernest “Richie” Evans certainly was the face of NASCAR – and modified racing – in the northeast, winning an estimated 475 times in approximately 1,300 starts. It equates to a win in every three starts (a 36.5% clip), something unheard of in modern racing at any level.

Evans will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Friday, one of five members of the Hall’s third class comprised of the New York native, legendary crew chief Dale Inman, team owner Glen Wood and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champions Darrell Waltrip and Cale Yarborough. He is the first of 15 inductees without a connection to NASCAR’s premier series.

The 2012 enshrinement ceremony kicks off NASCAR Acceleration 2012 weekend, which includes the NASCAR Preview 2012 Presented by Sprint, where fans can interact with the sport’s legends and current stars in person, get autographs and catch a sneak peek at the upcoming season. Fans can go to NASCARacceleration2012.com for more information.

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Measure of the Man

Published at June 19, 2011 in Albany-Saratoga, Bowman-Gray, Caraway, Chemung, Daytona, Dover, Hickory, Holland, Lee USA, Martinsville, Monadnock, NASCAR WA-AS, NASCAR WMT, New Smyrna, North Wilkesboro, Oswego, Oxford Plains, Riverside Park, Seekonk, Spencer, Stafford, Star, Thompson, Twin State, Utica-Rome, Wall, Waterford and Westboro. 0 Comments

Equal parts talent, lifestyle and legend earn Evans his Hall call

Every Christmas Day, no matter how cold or how much snow was on the ground, Richie Evans would drive his race car over to The Rusty Nail, the Rome, N.Y., bar that also sponsored his famous orange and black No. 61, to celebrate the holiday. For Evans was never far from his roots.

This week, short-track fans up and down the East Coast were celebrating the announcement that Evans would be one of five people inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Evans made his name with eye-popping statistics from his career in a Modified.

But Evans cemented his legend a long time ago with the stories that surrounded his career.

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Evans Inducted To NASCAR Hall

Published at June 14, 2011 in Albany-Saratoga, Bowman-Gray, Daytona, Dover, Fonda, Hickory, Holland, Langhorne, Martinsville, Monadnock, NASCAR WMT, New Smyrna, Oswego, Riverhead, Riverside Park, Seekonk, Spencer, Stafford, Star, Thompson, Twin State, Utica-Rome, Wall, Waterford and Westboro. 0 Comments

2012 class includes Yarborough, Wood, Inman, Waltrip

1981 - Richie Evans at Stafford

1981 - Richie Evans at Stafford

Members of the 55-member NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel met today in a closed session in Charlotte, N.C., to vote on the induction class of 2012. The announcement was made by NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France in the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s “Great Hall.”

The class was determined by votes cast by the Voting Panel, which included a nationwide fan vote conducted through NASCAR.COM. The accounting firm of Ernst & Young presided over the tabulation of the votes.

As was the case for the first two classes of the NASCAR Hall Of Fame, the results of this year’s voting were competitive. Yarborough led with 85 percent of the vote, followed by Waltrip (82%), Inman (78%), Evans (50%) and Wood (44%).

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NASCAR to Feature Live Race Audio

Published at February 23, 2011 in Bowman-Gray, Caraway, Dover, Greenville-Pickens, Hickory, Irwindale, Langley, NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, NASCAR WMT, NASCAR WSMT, NHMS, Phoenix, South Boston, Stafford and Thompson. 0 Comments

Webcasts allow fans to follow the action of their favorite series

Daytona Beach, FL — NASCAR announced today that NASCARHomeTracks.com will feature live internet radio broadcasts of 32 touring series events, beginning with Thursday’s NASCAR K&N Pro Series West season-opener at Phoenix International Raceway.

NASCARHomeTracks.com is NASCAR.com’s official home for touring and weekly series news and results. The live radio broadcasts will be provided by the team from Speed 51 Radio, headed by SPEED announcer Bob Dillner.

The broadcasts will feature flag-to-flag coverage of many of the top events in NASCAR’s touring series, including the championship season finales in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour.

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Truex Wins First NASCAR Title

Published at September 26, 2009 in Dover and NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. 0 Comments

Claims Camping World East crown at Dover as fellow rookie Moffitt wins season finale

Dover, DE — A pair of rookies took center stage Friday at Dover International Speedway: Brett Moffitt came away with the Sunoco 150 checkered flag and Ryan Truex earned the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Series East championship.

Truex, a 17-year-old development driver for Michael Waltrip Racing, finished eighth on Friday but it was the performance throughout the 11-race season that put him in the championship Winner’s Circle following the Sunoco 150. Truex finished his first season in NASCAR’s top development series with three wins and eight top 10s.

The main championship contender for Truex – Eddie MacDonald – finished one position behind Truex in the race and wound up 34 points out of the championship (1,719 – 1,685).

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QUALIFYING: Record-Breaking Effort For DiBenedetto At Dover

Published at September 25, 2009 in Dover and NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. 0 Comments

Sets East track record with fast lap

Dover, DE — Fastest in Thursday practice translated to fastest in Friday qualifying as first-year Joe Gibbs Racing driver Matt DiBenedetto shattered the previous NASCAR Camping World Series East qualifying at Dover International Speedway in preparation for today’s Sunoco 150.

DiBenedetto, from Grass Valley, Calif., needed just one lap in time trials to turn in a fast lap of 23.201 seconds (155.166 mph), eclipsing the mark Sean Caisse set in 2006 at 23.563 (152.782).

The second and third-fastest qualifiers – Eddie MacDonald and Kevin Swindell – also eclipsed the previous track record. MacDonald was first out during time trials and laid down a fast lap of 23.479 seconds (153.329 mph) while Swindell’s quickest effort was 23.504 (153.165).

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PRACTICE: DiBenedetto Leads The Way In “Monster Mile” Debut

Published at September 24, 2009 in Dover and NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. 0 Comments
Joe Gibbs Racing Driver Fastest At Dover
 
Dover, DE — Continuing a season-long trend, first-year NASCAR Camping World Series East driver Matt DiBenedetto took little time to adapt to a new track.

The Joe Gibbs Racing development driver clocked a fast lap of 23.963 seconds (150.232 mph) in final practice Thursday in his first appearance at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. He was also second-fastest in the first practice session earlier in the day at 24.436 (147.324).

Kevin Swindell was the second-fastest driver in Thursday’s sessions with a lap of 24.320 seconds (148.026 mph) during final practice and rookie Brett Moffitt was third-fastest on the day at 24.350 (147.844), also in final practice.

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LIVE: East Finale at Monster Mile

Published at September 24, 2009 in Dover and NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. 0 Comments

The 2009 NASCAR Camping World Series East season is set to draw to a close this week at Dover (Del.) International Speedway with the Sunoco 150.

For updates throughout Thursday and Friday, please click here: LAP-BY-LAP

For Sunoco 150 event information, please click here: EVENT PAGE

Check back here on Friday for a live audio stream of all the race action.

Statistical Advance: Analyzing The Sunoco 150 at Dover

Published at September 22, 2009 in Dover and NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. 0 Comments

Daytona Beach, FL –  The 2009 NASCAR Camping World Series East champion will be crowned in the Sunoco 150 this Friday, Sept. 25 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.

At Dover International Speedway:
History
• Dover International Speedway opened in 1969.
• The first NASCAR event at the facility was a Sprint Cup Series race on July 6, 1969.
• The first NASCAR Camping World Series East race was held on July 18, 1998.
• DIS is the only concrete racing surface on which the NCWSE will compete in 2009.
• DIS held 10 NASCAR Nationwide Series–NCWSE combination races from 1987-92.
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