Sunoco Modified champ Woody Pitkat is ready to defend his championship at Thompson Speedway in 2016 staring the weekend of  April 8-10. (Credit: TMSP photo.)

As the start of the 2016 racing season nears on April 9-10 for the traditional Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park Icebreaker, the Sunoco Modified field is shaping up to be one of the most competitive in recent history. Woody Pitkat returns as the division’s champion in the Stan Mertz owned Sunoco Modified. By virtue of winning the title, Pitkat’s team decided to rebuild the car in time for the championship banquet that was held in December for the first time at Mohegan Sun. Since that time, the car has been ready to race and to begin a title defense. Continue reading →

After earning the NWMT Rookie of the Year for 2015, Chase Dowling shoots for a victory in Stafford’s Spring Sizzler. (Credit: NASCAR Hometracks photo.)

After a 2015 season that saw him win Sunoco Rookie of the Year on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, 18-year old Chase Dowling is ready to challenge for his first career victory.  What better place for Dowling to collect his first Tour win than at Stafford Speedway in the 45^th Annual NAPA Spring Sizzler, where he first sat behind the wheel of an open wheel modified car. 

“I’m really excited,” said Dowling.  “I have a lot of laps at Stafford thanks to my SK Modified® and SK Light experience and it’s always nice to go back to your home track.  It’s really hard to win at the Tour level and we don’t expect to win a ton of races, but we’re going to try our best.  What’s better than winning at your home track?  It would be an honor to win a race especially at Stafford having grown up there and coming through the SK Light and SK Modified® divisions for both myself and the crew.  Everyone on this team deserves to be in victory lane.”

After teaming with Jamie Tomaino Motorsports for his rookie campaign, Dowling and the #9 S+S Asphalt Paving / Dunleavy’s Truck and Trailer Repair / Hocon Industrial Gas team have joined forces with long time NWMT owner Bob Katon of Berkley, MA..  While the car owner is new from last season, Dowling says the crew remains the same and they are looking to build upon the experience that they logged during the 2015 season.

“We had a building year last year and I learned a lot going from track to track and we built up a good notebook for this season,” said Dowling.  “We’re teaming up with Bob Katon as our car owner this year so it’s a new team but we’re going to have the same group of guys working on the car.  I think it should be a pretty good year for us.”

Just as he had done in Stafford’s SK Light and SK Modified® ranks, Dowling proved to be quick study during his rookie NWMT season.  Dowling’s season got off to a very slow start with his best finish over the first 6 races of the year a 12^th place effort at Stafford.  But in the final 9 races of the season, Dowling posted 8 top-10 finishes, including a career best third place finish at Riverhead.  With positive momentum on his side, Dowling is looking to carry that over into the 2016 season.

“I think that having a good notebook is key to having good results,” said Dowling.  “Our results last year weren’t a result of myself or the team not trying hard, we just didn’t have a notebook to work with.  I remember in the TSI Harley-Davidson 125 at Stafford we were running right with Woody [Pitkat] up front until we had to make our pit stop and we had some issues there.  Our first time at Riverhead we finished 10^th and second race there we were running right up front and battling for the lead.  That just shows how much experience and time counts.  You’re never going to beat experience.  If you look at Doug Coby and Phil Moran, Phil’s been doing this for a lot of years now and he knows the cars inside and out.  We’re trying to build so we can get to that same level.  I think we’ll be there one day, it’s just going to take some time.”

For three consecutive seasons, Dowling has been a rookie and he has won Rookie of the Year each time.  He was Stafford’s SK Light R.O.Y. in 2013 with 7 wins and SK Modified® R.O.Y. in 2014 with 1 win before taking home the rookie award last year in the Whelen Modified Tour.  The rear bumper will be rookie stripe free in 2016.

“I don’t think it will be any different this season,” said Dowling.  “If you respect the guys around you, they’ll respect you on the track.  I think we were starting to get it at the end of the 2015 season.  We qualified seventh and finished 6^th at the NAPA Fall Final and I think we have a lot to look forward to.  We’re hoping that we can get a solid top-5 finish in the Spring Sizzler.”

The New England Hydroplane Series is getting ready for the 2016 racing season

As the start to the 2016 New England hydroplane racing season gets closer, the South Shore Outboard Association  and the American Power Boat Association will be conducting an open house and “dry  land” driver school on Saturday,April 2, from 1 to 4 pm at 479 Bay Rd,in South Easton. The afternoon program is free of charge and will include an opportunity for anyone interested in learning more about hydroplane boat racing to view several race boats on display, talk with local drivers, and attend a “dry land” driver school. The school will include an instructional film about the sport of Stock Outboard Racing, an opportunity to try on the required racing safety gear including special coveralls, life jacket and helmet, climb into the cockpit of one of the boats, and participate in a question and answer period. The dry land orientation is the first of several steps to prepare the novices for the opportunity to drive an actual racing hydroplane in competition.

For those interested in taking the next step to racing, the drivers will be able to attend an on-water orientation to learn some of the basics of driving a race boat. The opportunity is available for drivers from the age of 9 – 16 years old in the Junior Division and 16 and up in the Stock Outboard (Adult) Division.

“Today is just the first step for anyone who is interested in participating as a volunteer or driver,” said Bruce Nichols, who is heading up the Junior Driver outreach. “Before they are ready to race they will have time on the water in specially prepared Hydroplanes and receive instruction from some of the best racing veterans in the business.”

Through the generosity of the American Power Boat Association and other local race, the South Shore Outboard Association has put together a training fleet of several arrive-and-drive boats for the new driver program. The concept allows for interested drivers (and their guardians for Junior Division divers) to attend the prerequisite training and then rent (at a nominal fee) the racing boat and equipment for their first race events. All the equipment is included, as well as help and supervision at race events. This type of program allows a new driver or junior parent to try out the sport prior to having to make an investment in a boat and the other equipment.

As explained by Easton’s Scott Deware, father of Junior Champion Lily Deware and 2015 Junior Rookie, Eden Deware, “some kids will take to it and want to continue while some will find it to be an activity that they are not interested in after a race or two”. “This program is a very cost effective way to try it out before having to think about making any real financial commitments”.

Throughout the 2016 season, the South Shore Outboard Association will conduct additional orientations and on-water driving schools for both juniors and adults interested in learning how to drive a hydroplane race boat. If you are interested or know someone who is interested in attending this program, please contact Bruce Nichols at oldpropnut@comcast.net, or go to www.southshoreoutboard.com for additional information.

The program is hosted by the South Shore Outboard Association and sanctioned by the American Power Boat Association. Since its inception in 1953, the SSOA has produced over 1000 race events throughout New England. Additionally, SSOA drivers have won over 100 National, North American and World Championships. In 2016, SSOA will have several current or past National Champion drivers counted among its rolls, competing in the New England Hydroplane Championship Series.

Source: Scott DeWare Marketing

OTB Promotions lands a sponsorship for the Legends at Thompson Motorsports Park’s on the 1.7 mile road course.(Credit: INEX photo.)

In 2015, US Legends cars made their debut on Thompson Speedway Motorsports’ Park’s (TSMP) 1.7-mile road course.  The race, which featured as many as six lead changes per lap, was deemed by many to be the best since the track’s renovation in 2013.  On the heels of a successful inaugural event, OTB Promotions, Inc. announced they’d partnered with Midstate Site Development (MSD) to host a six-event, 10-race championship on TSMP’s challenging 11-turn course.  Three of INEX’s State Champion drivers were the first to announce their intention to become the Series’ first titlist.

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Three appearances for the ACT Tour in southern New England is a milestone for that club’s 25th anniversary.

The 25^th season of the ACT Late Model Tour will see a number of exciting new events that showcase the best of Late Model racing in the Northeastern United States. Among the highlights of the silver anniversary is the debut of the Southern New England Tripleheader, which will pit the standouts of the ACT Late Model Tour against the best weekly Late Model racers in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Continue reading →

Lee USA’s opener in southern NH sets the tone on its 25th  season.

The American-Canadian Tour (ACT) opens its 25^th season of ACT Late Model racing, along with the 33^rd season of racing at Lee USA Speedway, with the New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150 on Sunday, April 10. The traditional ACT season opener often sets the tone for what to watch throughout the season, and the 2016 edition should be no exception. Continue reading →

Pro Stock National set for Seekonk Speedway on Wednesday night, July 13.  (Credit: Seekonk Speedway  photo.)

Gary Sagar and Kraze Korlacki Speed Equipment have announced that four races across New England will carry big implications on the July 13  U.S. Pro Stock/Super Late Model National Championship race  at the ‘Action Track of the East’, Seekonk Speedway. Prior to the Wednesday night spectacular, the winners of those four races will receive a guaranteed starting spot (at least a provisional) in the 200 lap feature event. The 200 lap race will showcase Pro Stock/Super Late model  talent from across the Northeast region, including stars of the Pro All Star Series (PASS), the Seekonk Speedway and Granite State Pro Stock Series.

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Dave Trudeau hopes to back up his 2015 Mini Stock Championship  at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park starting with the early April Icebreaker.

First time Mini Stock champion Dave Trudeau will attempt to defend his championship beginning Icebreaker weekend on April 8-10, at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park (TSMP). It’s not the championship that defines the driver’s reputation, but instead it’s his aggressive no-holds-barred approach to every event.

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