NEMA has released their 2015 schedule which could see additions at the Waterford Speedbowl once the dust settles on the auction sale of that track. (Credit: NEMA photo.)
By Lou Modestino
Established haunts make up the 2015 Northeastern Midget Association schedule, including a return to White Mountain Motorsports Park for the Jim O’Brien Memorial race after an absence of many years and the season opener at Evans Mills Motorsports Park on May 23rd.
As NEMA President Russ Stoehr of Bridgewater puts the finishing touches on the final schedule, there are 12 races currently on the NEMA agenda while the NEMA Lites will make 12 stops in what will be the club’s 63rd consecutive season, making it New England’s oldest sanctioning body. There is a possibility additional races will be added to one or both schedules at a later date. Read that as Waterford Speedbowl in Connecticut due to the fact that the track has been auctioned off and another creditor is disputing the sale.
Randy Cabral of Kingston and owner Tim Bertrand will begin defense of their NEMA championships and the Lites will begin their eighth season at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, as they present The ICEBREAKER on April 11th and 12th. Scott Bigelow will begin defense of his Lites owner’s crown, and there will be a new Lites driver’s champion this year as Ryan Krachun will not be returning to the series in 2015.
Monadnock returns to the schedule hosting both NEMA and the Lites for the Iron Mike Scrivani Race on June 20. The club will honor the 32nd anniversary of the passing of the legendary car owner on the speedy high-banked quarter mile.
The full midgets and the Lites will share the billing at the Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park (TSMP) Sunoco World Series of Racing for the first time ever in October, and NEMA will host the Angelillo Memorial at TSMP on August 12th in conjunction with the Whelen Modified Tour. Both divisions will return to New York State’s Oswego Speedway King of Wings program as well on July 11th.
Two other special events — the Marvin Rifchin Trophy Race at LEE USA Speedway on July 17th and the Shane Hammond Memorial at Monadnock on September 5th will also include the Lites.
NEMA will also return with great fanfare in a televised event on MAV TV to Seekonk’s Open Wheel Wednesday Boston Louie Classic (July 1) and Waterford’s Wings & Wheels (pending ownership issues are solved), two traditional stops.
NEMA looks forward to stops at Wiscasset Speedway on June 13th after a very successful event last season and Twin State Speedway in Claremont, NH.
Date Track Site
May 23 Sat Night Evans Mills Motorsports Park- Evans Mills, NY plus NEMA LITES Series
June 13 Sat Night Wiscasset Speedway – Wiscasset, ME plus NEMA LITES Series
June 20 Sat Night Monadnock Speedway- Winchester, NH Iron Mike Memorial plus NEMA LITES Series
July 1 Weds Night Seekonk Speedway-Seekonk, MA plus NEMA Lite Series
July 11 Sat Night Oswego Speedway- Oswego, NY King of Wings plus NEMA LITES Series
July 17 Fri Night Lee USA Speedway- Lee, NH Marvin Rifchin Trophy Race plus NEMA LITES Series
July 18 Sat Night White Mountain Motorsports Park No. Woodstock, NH plus NEMA LITES Series
Aug 8 Sat Night Waterford Speedbowl– Waterford, CT Wings & Wheels plus NEMA LITES Series (tenative)
August 12 Wed Night Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park– Thompson, CT
August 21 Fri Night Twin State Speedway– Claremont, NH plus NEMA LITES Series
Sept. 5 Sat Night Monadnock Speedway – Winchester, NH Shane Hammond Memorial plus NEMA LITES Series
12 Oct. 17-18 Sat-Sun Day Race Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park– Thompson, CT SunocoWorld Series of Speedway Racing plus NEMA LITES Series
Source: NEMA PR and personal notes