NEW ENGLAND MOTORSPORTS
The Man Behind The Writings - Lou Modestino Biography
27 Bayberry Drive | Unit #2 | Sharon | MA | 02067
Phone: (781) 784-7857 | Fax: (781) 784-7857 | Email: lmodestino@hotmail.com
2009 NORTH RACING REPORTS
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(12/4-12/6) ..... With renewals completed, all remaining tickets for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LENOX Industrial Tools 301 weekend from Thursday, June 24 through Sunday, June 27, 2010 will go on sale on Tuesday, December 1. A variety of grandstand seats, starting at just $39, are available for the first event in "The Race to the Chase 2010," the LENOX Industrial Tools 301.
"Our 20th anniversary season will be a celebration for the fans," said Jerry Gappens, executive vice president and general manager of New Hampshire Motor Speedway. "With a weekend that features four NASCAR races, amazing entertainment, displays, and special events, we offer the best value in sports and entertainment anywhere."
These seats have been released in time for fans to purchase the perfect holiday gift for family and friends. To purchase tickets to the New Hampshire Motor Speedway LENOX Industrial Tools 301 weekend, please call our Ticket Hotline at (603) 783-4931 or visit the speedway online at www.nhms.com.
The New Hampshire Motor Speedway Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities will be distributing grants to the Antrim Girls Shelter, Contoocook School, David's House, the New Hampshire Food Bank, and the Home for Little Wanderers for their work supporting the health and welfare of area children. These awards will be a part of the Annual Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony on Friday, November 27, 2009 at the State House Plaza. The Speedway Children's Charities grant distributions are scheduled for 5:45 p.m.
Many of the leading race drivers in the Northeast will compete alongside nationally-known competitors when the high-powered, three-quarter-size Midget Cars return to the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, R.I., on December 4 and 5. They will race in two complete programs for the "Coffee Cup" on a concrete oval on the arena floor. Cars will be reaching speeds of close to 70 mph, the spectators have thrilling views from seats overlooking the track. NASCAR Sprint Cup star David Reutimann and Indy 500 driver Davey Hamilton will race at Providence for the first time.
Reutimann will be making a special appearance sponsored by Dunkin Donuts, on Friday, December 4 only. Reutimann, 39, will drive a No. 00 with the car having the logos of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. Fans are encouraged to “Give Back This Holiday Season” by bringing a non-perishable food item to the races that can be donated to that cause.
Hamilton, a nine-time Indianapolis 500 starter, will be driving a car fielded by the versatile Lou Cicconi Jr. Overall, Hamilton started 50 Indy Car events and was twice a runnerup in series points. He has also been a leading driver in the high-powered Supermodifieds, and in full-size Midgets, at tracks around the country. Now, he will race a TQ for the first time at Providence. Many-time race and championship winning TQ-Midget standouts in competition will include Cicconi Jr., Mike Tidaback and Joey Payne. All three drivers have won major indoor races in Atlantic City, NJ in recent years.
They will be joined by leading Modified division drivers in the Northeast. They include last March’s Providence winners, Ted Christopher of Plainville, Ct. and Mike Iles of Medford, N.J.; dirt track specialist Billy Pauch of Frenchtown, N.J., and pavement ace Mike Stefanik of Coventry, R.I. Pauch, a winner of over 650 features in his career, did not race in Providence in March due to a schedule conflict. But, he drove to victory indoors in January at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. Of interest, Pauch’s son, Billy Jr., already a successful driver in Modified and full-Midget competition, will race alongside his dad at Providence.
For Stefanik, Rhode Island is home to the nine time NASCAR champion. A specialist in the Modified and Late Model-style cars, he made his debut in a TQ at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center race last March. Other invaders entered include dirt Modified standouts Stewart and James Friesen from Ontario, Canada; and N.J.’s Anthony Sesely, the winner of two major Northeast pavement Modified races this autumn. The 2009 ARDC Midget champion, Frank Polimeda; and Franklin, MA resident Bobby Santos III, who recently won the prestigious Copper World USAC Midget feature at Phoenix Int’l Raceway, are considered pre-race favorites.
A special guest at the event will be retired New England race driving champion Dave Humphrey from Seekonk, MA. Beginning his career in the stock cars at nearby Seekonk Speedway, he went on to become a six-time champion in the Northeast Midget Association (NEMA) and a 72 time feature winner with that organization. Mr. Humphrey will give the command to “start engines” and his looking forward to meeting the drivers of today and his legion of fans.
The TQs will be complimented by Champ Kart racing on the same oval. The Champ Karts, 5 HP-powered cars that offer sizzling, close competition in their own right, will be raced by drivers representing eight states. Possibly coming the longest distance to race is Florida’s Josh Hodges.
Early favorites to be in victory lane for the karts include Chris Daley, Justin Bonsignore and John Hillman.
Daley is “going for the circuit sweep,” having not only won both features for the Karts last March in Providence but also in Atlantic City last January. Hillman will be looking to avenge his loss at Providence, where he battled Daley for top honors only to crash while in lapped traffic. Long Island’s Bonsignore is a fast-rising driver in pavement Modifieds, with a successful background in the karts. The format will be similar to the one used in March. The Three-Quarter Midgets and Senior Champ Karts will headline the two-day program. Qualifying and feature events for both classes are scheduled each night.
Tickets can be purchased at all Ticketmaster locations and the Dunkin’ Donut Center box office.
Ticketmaster can be reached online at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Information on the event will be available at aarn.com or by calling 609-888-3618.
The American Canadian Tour (ACT) and New Hampshire Motor Speedway have reached an agreement for the Second Annual ACT Invitational to take place at the only superspeedway in the Northeast on Saturday, September 18, 2010.
"The overwhelming success of the inaugural ACT Invitational this past September made it an easy decision to have the short track stars of our region return again next September," said Jerry Gappens, executive vice president and general manager of New Hampshire Motor Speedway. "I really appreciate NASCAR's Mike Helton and his team for working with us again this year to add the Invitational to an already jam-packed schedule."
Thirty-six teams from all six New England states, Quebec, and Ontario took part in the inaugural ACT Invitational during the SYLVANIA 300 weekend this past September. One of the largest Saturday crowds in the 19-year history of the speedway was treated to an action packed tripleheader of racing featuring the American Canadian Tour Late Models, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
"We really thought things went great at New Hampshire Motor Speedway during the first ACT Invitational last season," said Tom Curley, president of ACT. "I would expect things to be even more fun for our teams and fans in 2010. We will add some laps to the event, and are discussing the possibility of allowing a tire change during the event. We will also add some positions to the starting field."
Teams were qualified for the first Invitational by winning ACT and ACT Castrol Series events in the United States, Quebec, and Ontario. Additional teams qualified through special events such as the Oxford Plains Speedway TD BANK 250 in Oxford, Maine, and the Vermont Governor's Cup at Thunder Road Speedbowl in Barre, Vt. Individual track champions from ACT affiliated tracks were also invited to attend the inaugural Invitational. "We plan to change some of the qualifying procedures as we continue to make this one of the most unique and exciting short track events in the country," said Curley.
"It is no secret that New Hampshire Motor Speedway is my very favorite track of all time," said 2009 ACT Champion, Brian Hoar from Williston, Vt. "I can't tell you how happy I am that we are going back."
Race fans from throughout the short tracks of the Northeast will now need to circle the weekend of September 17-19, 2010. The first of the qualifying events for the 2010 ACT Invitational will be held just down the road from New Hampshire Motor Speedway at the Lee USA Speedway in Lee, N.H. Over 50 teams are expected to try and capture the first invitation at the opening 150-lap event on Sunday, April 18, 2010.
Ernie Gahan, the 1966 NASCAR Modified national champion, passed away last Thursday night at his home in Cranberry Isles, Maine at the age of 83.
Gahan, originally from Dover, N.H., got his start in auto racing at his hometown track – Dover Speedway – in 1948 after serving more than two years as an Army military policeman in Germany following Word War II. After getting his start at Dover , Gahan competed in the NASCAR Sportsman division until 1965, when he moved over to Modifieds.
Gahan compiled 6,560 points during his 1966 run to the title to distance himself from runner-up Bugs Stevens and third place Ray Hendrick. Driving a 1936 Chevrolet coupe, Gahan won 15 of the 71 races he entered that season, but led Hendrick by just 48 points heading into the season finale in Atlanta, Ga. Hendrick was caught up in an early race accident and Gahan crossed the line 10th to earn the crown.
Gahan made 11 starts in what is now known as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series from 1960-66. He was bestowed the Buddy Shuman Award for outstanding contributions to NASCAR following an incident in which he helped Tiny Lund rescue Marvin Panch from a fiery crash prior to the 1963 Daytona 500.
Winner of an estimated 300-plus races during his nearly three decades as a racer, Gahan was a member of the inaugural New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame in 1998 and was a 1990 New York State Stock Car Association Hall of Fame inductee. Additionally, he is a member of the Maine Motorsports Hall of Fame and Beach Ridge Motor Speedway Hall of Fame.
Gahan was in attendance at the 2007 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Awards Banquet as many of the NASCAR Modified champions gathered to kick-off the celebration of 60 Years of Modified Champions. He was honored for his 1966 title at the 2008 Spring Sizzler at Stafford . Arrangements are pending and will be made available at a later time. This item came from Roland Via Reporting from NASCAR PR original report)
The 37th annual TD Bank 250, two American-Canadian Tour events, four prime-time Motor Mayhem shows and a record 11 fireworks displays will highlight the 60th anniversary season at Oxford Plains Speedway in 2010. Maine State Lottery Fireworks Night will fall on the traditional date of Saturday, July 3, and set the stage for a giant pyrotechnic display almost every Saturday night in July, August and September.
With the exception of the eve of the 250 (Saturday, July 17) every weekly event will feature a show by Central Maine Pyrotechnics to cap the night. "I thinking of ways to make this a festive, special anniversary season, we recognized that some of the most popular and crowd-pleasing events each year are our fireworks nights," Ryan said. We've added three or four to the traditional Fourth of July weekend date the last few years, and they have been extremely well-received. But we don't know of any other track that makes it a part of every week's race program as we plan to do throughout the second half of 2010."
OPS also will give fans an early-season dose of sight and sound on Saturday, May 29, lighting up the skies on Memorial Day weekend as part of Motor Mayhem. That will be the first of four Motor Mayhems in 2010, three of which are scheduled for Saturday night: May 29, July 24 and Sept. 4. There also is a Friday night Mayhem under the lights on June 25.
"We enjoyed a resurgence with our Motor Mayhem program in 2009. By holding those events at night and re-introducing such fan favorite events as a demolition derby and monster truck as well as a bunch of crazy stuff we never tried at Oxford before, it seemed to fill a big demand for unique, family fun at a low cost to both fans and competitors," Ryan said. "So we've added a date and plan even more surprises to ramp up
the Mayhem in 2010."
ACT again will open the season on Sunday, May 16. And in a change that is sure to popular with fans and drivers alike, the tour has added a fate on Saturday, June 19.
"That tour race about a month before the TD Bank 250 was a long tradition at Oxford, and it's something we haven't had for a couple of years," Ryan said. "It kind of brings back that concept of a tune-up race for the 250. The winner certainly will establish himself as one of the early favorites to win in July." TD Bank 250 weekend will be a two-day event in 2010, ensuring fans the most action-packed eve of the big event in history.
The fourth-annual True Value Modified Racing Series 100 will highlight the Saturday, July 17 card. Eight divisions will be in competition that night, including the Strictly and Mini Stocks and all five Acceleration Series classes.
Acceleration Series mid-week action cranks up for its 12th season on Wednesday, June 16 and continues most weeks through the end of August. In addition, two divisions again will compete each Saturday night in the Grand Slam series.
Other notable dates to mark on our calendar:
- Fan Appreciation Night is Saturday, May 22. Adult admission is $5 with juniors free for this special, once-a-year event.
- Championship Nights for the respective series are Wednesday, August 25 (OAS) and Saturday, Sept, 11 (OCS).
- The 15th annual Little Guy 100s and Acceleration Series Showdown will run concurrently on Sunday, Sept. 26.
Deep discounts of 50 percent or more are available to drivers and spectators who purchase season pit and grandstand passes before December 31. Call (207) 539-8865 for more details.
At the very beginning of stock car racing the bootleggers would race on Sunday afternoons to see who had the fastest moonshine car, the first Daytona 500 took place on a Sunday and now Wiscasset Raceway will also race on Sundays! The Center of Speed, Wiscasset Raceway, is constantly searching to improve racing in Maine and have decided to break the trend of Saturday night racing and start a new Maine racing tradition with Sunday afternoon twilight racing. “We feel that going to Sunday afternoon events will free up time for the fans to take care of normal work and family obligations which often happen on Friday and Saturday” says Doug White, owner of the Wiscasset Raceway, “this is a great opportunity for race teams throughout the State to have an alternate day to be able to race!” Dave Walker, from Walker Racing, was instrumental in the switch to Sunday racing in 2010. “I've heard from 20 or 30 different race teams that would love to race on Sundays” said Dave, “this will give lots of teams a chance to race more than once every weekend.”
According to Steve Smith, sales and marketing manager for the raceway, Sunday Twilight Racing is just the first of many innovations planned for 2010. “We want to make racing more affordable and more exciting for race teams and race fans” says Steve, “we have new divisions, big events and lots more in the works for the new year.” Stay up to date on all the breaking news and big events for 2010 on the Wiscasset (ME) Raceway website www.wiscassetraceway.info. Doug White adds “We look forward to seeing all of the fans, race teams, and sponsors in 2010 for our new Funday Sunday Twilight Racing. BE THERE!”
The American Canadian Tour (ACT) Late Models from Thunder Road will open the newly paved Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven, Vermont on Sunday, May 23, 2010. Track promoter Jerry Richards said, “This is going to be a great way to bring the new asphalt to life at Devil’s Bowl. It has been over 30 years since the track was asphalt, but we think having Thunder Road’s Late Models on the ½ mile will certainly give our fans at the “Bowl” a great opening event.”
Thunder Road Late Models will be joined by some of the regular ACT U.S. Touring teams for this grand opening of the original Champlain Valley Racing Association (CVRA), which was founded by legendary promoter CJ Richards.
Tom Curley, the President of ACT and managing partner of Thunder Road said, “When we learned that the “Bowl” was being returned to asphalt we really wanted our teams to be a part of it. Most of the Thunder Road Late Models have raced various tracks on the ACT, and this just seemed like a great fit. We have no races scheduled at Thunder Road from May 2 until Memorial Day weekend, so I am sure there will be great support from the Late Model teams.” When asked if there would be some ACT U.S. Touring teams in attendance, Curley concluded, “I am sure there will be a number of teams from Chittenden County and central Vermont who will want to give Devil’s Bowl a try, and this change the CVRA is going through is something ACT wants to support.” The sister track of Devil’s Bowl, Albany Saratoga Speedway, will host an ACT event on April 25th at the newly paved 4/10ths mile speedplant.
Some of the Northeast’s biggest names in Late Model racing are expected to attend this historic event at Devil’s Bowl. Defending Thunder Road Champion Jean-Paul Cyr, who started his Modified racing career at Devil’s Bowl, along with three-time Thunder Road Champion Cris Michaud, will bring his potent Ford to the ½ mile. “I think this is really great,” said ACT star Brent Dragon from Milton, VT. “My father (Beaver Dragon) and uncle (Bobby Dragon) were both a part of the five-track Northern NASCAR circuit back in the mid ‘70’s, and I am really excited that we have a “long track” back in Vermont”, said Dragon. Brent Dragon is noted for his dominant performances on most of the long tracks where the ACT participates.
Here's what's going on in the North Country this weekend.The Intl. Auto Show runs Tuesday through Sunday at the Boston Convention Center. SCCNH hosts its annual Christmas Party and Awards Dinner at the American Legion in Loudon, NH on Saturday at 6 p.m. Ditto for the KSCC at the Holiday Inn Express in Springfield, VT. On Sunday the Wicked Good Vintage Racing Club will have an annual meeeting and election of officers at the Econo Lodge in Augusta on Sunday at 1 p.m.
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INFORMATION FOR THIS COLUMN CAME FROM VARIOUS REFERENCED
SOURCES, PRESS RELEASES, NOTES AND OTHER SOURCES
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