Tri-Track Open Modified Series Returns
The Tri-Track Modified Series will make a return for the second season. Jim Schaefer known to many fans as the Long Island Mod Maniac and Dick Williams from The Racing Guys. Schaefer is a man who is passionate about the Modifieds and goes to Modified races all over the place. The Tri-Track Modified Series became an idea about three years ago during the summer. “A lot of the old racers that I used to race with or raced for me back a few years ago, I ran four different racetracks, so I had a lot of ties with these older fellas,” Williams said. “Now their sons and some of them are still racing. They said ‘Wouldn’t it be nice like we used to do.”
Dick Williams went around and talked to numerous teams and the teams told Dick Williams that wanted him to get Jim Schaefer. After these two guys met everything took off. They had a lot of the same ideas. They wanted to help the racers.
“The big key was when we sat down with some of these tracks, we told them you could pay 10 thousand,” Williams said. “You could pay 20 thousand. That is not the answer to this. The answer is you have a lot of little guys that stay home because they cannot afford to come and buy five tires. Don’t make the show and then go home with tires they can’t use anywhere else. We can create a B race. They all said ‘we can’t do that. We can’t afford it.’ Jim (Schaefer) and I looked at one another and said we’ll take care of that if you let us do certain things.”
That’s when they started selling laps. They were not for the lap leader but were for the B Main. They would raise anywhere from $7,000-$8,000. The other idea was to get all the fans involved. To Williams, there are three entities which are the fan, the racetrack, and the racers. “Now if one does really well and the other two doesn’t, it doesn’t work,” Williams said. “They all have to work. So by putting on a good race and if you noticed none of the prices were over $25 dollars.”
The Tri Track Series began last year with Modified drivers from all over the Northeast entering in these three races. The first one was held at Lee (NH) USA Speedway and Matt Hirschman took down the win. The second race was held at Star Speedway. Jon McKennedy claimed the SBM 125 after a hard-fought battle with Les Hinckley and Richard Savary. Tommy Barrett, Jr. won the final race at Seekonk (MA) Speedway, while McKennedy won the Tri-Track Series championship. Williams thought there was good, hard, clean racing and out of respect. Last year a total of 43 teams entered the Seekonk race. A total of 23 teams ran all the races last season.
Jim Schaefer called it a success in terms of car count and for Seekonk management last season.
“However to be a complete success, we cannot rent a race track and lose money,” Schaefer said. “We rented Lee and lost about $15,000; money out of our own pocket.”
Schaefer has seen plenty of Modified races over the years. Some of his favorite Modified races was when Lee would have a special Modified race on a Friday night or at Monadnock when Reggie Ruggiero, Mike Ewanitsko, and Jerry Marquis would take on drivers like Jack Bateman and Dwight Jarvis. Another favorite moment at Monadnock was when he got Teddy Bear Pools to sponsor the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race. One of his favorite moments at Seekonk was when Matt Hirschman and Ryan Preece had their great battle during the $10,000 to win a couple years back and at New London-Waterford was when Doug Coby and Ryan Preece would have their battle during the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race. Monadnock and Seekonk are Schaefer’s favorites.
Lee USA Speedway, Monadnock Speedway, Seekonk Speedway, and New London-Waterford Speedbowl will all have a Tri-Track Series race this season. A total of 51 drivers from all over the Northeast have entered the Tri-Track Modified Series as of now. They are renting and Lee and Monadnock.
“We have two chances of breaking even,” Schafer said. “We will not do it a third year if the crowd support is not there. If we can break even, it will be deemed a success. If we make money, we will put it right towards the B Feature, point fund, etc.”
The Tri-Track Modified Series will kick off Sunday May 17 at Lee USA Speedway.
Sources: Matt Wiernasz/YankeeRacer.com