Briggs, Kupris Set for Inaugural WCM Race at Oxford
Teammates Christian Briggs and Juris Kupris, Jr. began their season at last weekend’s Icebreaker, the inaugural NEMA Lites race at Thompson (CT) Speedway Motorsports Park. Briggs finished 11th (DNF) and Kupris finished 6th.
Their next NEMA Lites race will be the Boston Louie Memorial at Seekonk (MA) Speedway. The undercard will support the July 1 Northeast Race Cars and Parts Tri-Track Open Modified Series and NEMA Midgets. Kupris ran well in his qualifying heat, but ran out of time to make the changes he wanted for the feature. He is hoping to capitalize when he returns to the Cement Palace.
They will be focusing on the Wicked Cool Midgets. The inaugural race is April 18 at Oxford (ME) Plains Speedway. The 13 race schedule includes visits at Beech Ridge (ME) Motor Speedway, Hudson (NH) Speedway, New London-Waterford (CT) Speedbowl, and Star (NH) Speedway.
Both drivers are looking forward to racing at Oxford. Briggs enjoys racing at Star. Both have circled the August 15 race at New London-Waterford. Kupris’ breakthrough NEMA Lites win was the Shane Hammond Memorial at the shoreline oval last summer.
“Christian came into the cockpit just before the start of the race with his overwhelming sense of confidence and said to me ‘You’re going to win this thing,’ Kupris said. “ It caught me so off guard, but it gave me such a sense of confidence at the same time. A huge day for our team.”
Kupris felt the race seemed very quick until he got the lead in turn three. “Then the laps seem as if they took forever. As each one of the last five clicked off, I was like I might win this thing.”
The week after the Shane Hammond Memorial win, the car was wrecked at New London-Waterford. The car is being repaired and the team hopes to run it at the Boston Louie.
Briggs is preparing four cars for Kupris and himself. The primary cars are ready and the backup cars will be by early summer. Briggs is getting married in August and is not planning to run for points. His schedule is for 10-14 races. He will be taking a lot of notes to get the whole package complete.
Kupris’s said the team’s goals are to both get a win. “I also would love to have a finish where we battle for the top spot,” Kupris said.
The inaugural Wicked Cool Midgets race will join the ACT Late Models and PASS North Super Late Models at Oxford.
Sources: Matthew Wiernasz/YankeeRacer.com