‘inside the Vault’ Series Part of Busy Summer Plans for Vault Productions
WATERFORD, Conn. — Vault Productions is working on a new series that will give fans a look back at some of the top racing stories in New England over multiple decades — and that is just the start of what is scheduled to be a busy summer for the team.
On top of the new “Inside The Vault” series — which is slated to debut just before the start of the 2022 racing season — Vault Productions will also continue with the popular Sid’s View series — with upcoming tapings at both the New London-Waterford Speedbowl and Seekonk Speedway. Fans can also now watch a new edition of ‘A Day At The Races’ with SK Modified driver Jon Puleo.
The Vault Productions team — led by Sid DiMaggio — is entertaining race fans with short-track stories — both old and new — through their YouTube channel (youtube.com/sidsview) in the comfort of their own home.
“I’m excited that we are finally in pre-production and scheduling interviews for our Inside the Vault series,” owner Sid DiMaggio said. “I’ve been making a list of stories I’ve wanted to tell in a documentary style for years. We now have the resources to move forward and I couldn’t be more ready to go with these first five episodes we’ve picked out.”
As they start production, the ‘Inside the Vault’ series is a short-track documentary series that will showcase some of the top stories from New England over a period of multiple decades. Some of the spotlight episodes will include the rise and fall of Race-A-Rama — a historic car show in Springfield, Massachusetts, which took place in the Big E Exposition Building for many years. Jared Echo, son of the late Race-A-Rama founder Bob Echo, has signed on to participate.
The series will also include an episode on Fred DeSarro — the winner of the inaugural Spring Sizzler driving for Boehler Racing — who passed away following injuries sustained in an accident at Thompson Speedway in 1978. The DeSarro family has agreed to participate in that production.
Fans can also look for an episode on John Blewett III, who also passed away following an accident at Thompson that included his brother, Jimmy Blewett. The Blewett family will be involved in the production of this story.
It will also include an episode on Whip City Raceway, which was located in Westfield, Massachusetts — opened in 1995 and closed in 2011 — when the property lease was revoked. The track was located on a portion of land that was owned by Westfield Airport. The episode will include a special interview with the Pighetti family, the owners of the track, as well as several former competitors.
Finally, an episode will be produced to remember one of the most touching moments in New England’s short-track racing history, which took place at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl in 2013. Steve Barrett — deployed to Afghanistan in 2012 after destroying his Street Stock in a race weeks earlier — came back after 10 months overseas to find that the community of racers, family, supporters and friends at the track had built him a brand new car. Steve Barrett and his family plus the core group of people who coordinated this event have all agreed to do interviews with the Vault crew.
“We have close to 30 stories on our radar,” DiMaggio added. “But I think five is a good place to start for season one.”
The Inside The Vault Series has verbal commitments for interviews from names like historic racing journalist Bones Bourcier, former New London-Waterford Speedbowl Public Relations Director Pete Zanardi, six-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Doug Coby, Ben Dodge, R.A. Silva, Dick Berggren, Phil Smith, Bruce Cohen, John Spence, Shawn Courchesne, Dick Brooks, and others.
The ‘Inside The Vault’ series will be a collective effort by many longtime crew members and collaborators, including veteran VP Crew members Jesse Gleason, Brent Gleason & Phil Jacques as well as Nicole LaRose, newcomer to VP Heather McGrath, and frequent collaborators Sean Foster and Bonssa Tufa, who is coming off the recent release of his documentary “13 – The Life & Career of Ted Christopher”.
The series currently has sponsorship from Hoosier Tire East. Anyone interested in sponsoring is encouraged to visit sidsview.com/sponsorship to learn more about available opportunities.
Now, how about a look at what fans can watch in the near future.
Sid’s View will return to Massachusetts and Seekonk Speedway for another edition of the special show coming up on Wednesday, June 30. With cameras located in the grandstands — capturing the exact eyes of what a fan is seeing on race night — owner Sid DiMaggio and the rest of the team will profile the Tri Track Open Modified Series and the $10,000 to win Speed51 Modified Madness feature race. Sid’s View, made famous at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl, is sponsored by Waddell Communications for Seekonk. Additional sponsorship is available at sidsview.com/sponsorship.
The second round of the Fast 5 Series, set to be held on Saturday, July 3 at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl, is presented by Ron Bouchard Auto Stores and The Racing Guys. Sid’s View will be back on the scene for another episode, as the premiere SK Modified division tears around the Shoreline oval with big money on the line. The first episode of Sid’s View with the Fast 5 Series includes the heated battle between Keith Rocco and Mike Christopher Jr., and Rocco’s epic speed-walk down the backstretch on foot. A total of three new episodes were produced from the first Fast 5 events featuring action from five different races.
With cameras placed in the grandstands and on-board multiple cars, this episode is one you can’t miss — and the next one will also include much of the same. The next Fast 5 Series episode is sponsored by Belltown Motors, Belltown Recycling, CIC Automotive & Sales, ServPro of Norwich, Thirty Two Signs, Volpe Pre-Owned Cars, Busy Bees Learning Center, Silva Motorsports, JR Motorsports, and Waddell Communications.
Released to the Sid’s View YouTube channel on June 22, a new episode of ‘A Day at the Races’ includes a look at Jon Puleo’s efforts at Stafford Motor Speedway in the Mr. Rooter Racing No. 7. The video includes interviews with Jon, and his father/crew chief Ed Puleo, and also profiles his scary crash at Stafford’s NAPA Spring Sizzler, which resulted in a slight injury, which he has now recovered from. The 21-minute full episode covers both his opening night debut and his return to competition four weeks later. There is also a three-minute blooper reel video with some funny moments from the shop interviews with Jon and Ed.
The team also continues to work on NLARO On the Road — a vlog series starring Nicole LaRose – with new episodes coming later this 2021 season. Also available on their channel is the recently completed 6-part documentary series on the history of the New London-Waterford Speedbowl and The Show — a 9-episode reality series about four drivers at Stafford Motor Speedway during the 2019 season.
Fans of Sid’s View should subscribe to youtube.com/sidsview. You can also support the VP crew by visiting their online store for apparel and DVD’s at vault-productions.com/shop. For more details on the crew and sponsorship opportunities, visit sidsview.com. You can also follow them at facebook.com/
Sources: Souza Media/Kyle Souza