Leo Cleary a native of Quincy and later a resident of Hanover passed away on Tuesday, January 31 in Florida. He was a well known Modified racer in New England and had a very large following of race fans. He celebrated his 88th Birthday this past Christmas Day. (Photo credit: Norwood Arena-The Movie photo.)By Lou ModestinoThis past Tuesday former Quincy and Hanover resident Leo Cleary passed away. Cleary was one of the top Modified drivers at every New England track. Not only did he race Modifieds at some tracks he drove a race car in every division. Arrangements were not available. There will be a Memorial event sometime in the near future Leo the Lion.”
According to David McGrath, Executive Vice President and General Manager at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, on NASCAR’s announced changes for the upcoming 2017 season:
“I applaud NASCAR for making changes that will bring more exciting racing and will improve the overall on-track experience for our fans. We are always looking to improve the fan experience and raise the bar in motor sports entertainment, and this is another step in that right direction. It is an exciting time to be a NASCAR fan and I can’t wait for the race season to kick off next month, bringing us a few months closer to our July and September race weekends.” |
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NASCAR dropped the green flag on the 35th annual NASCAR Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway this with a blockbuster announcement, regarding the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, the NASCAR XFINITY Series, and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.In an effort to increase a sense of urgency and emphasizing aggressive racing and strategy, the race format will deliver more dramatic moments over the course of an entire race and season, with playoff point incentives on the line throughout.
- Races will now consist of three stages, with championship implications in each stage.
- The top-10 finishers of the first two stages will be awarded additional championship points.
- The winner of the first two stages of each race will receive one playoff point, and the race winner will receive five playoff points. Each playoff point will be added to his or her reset total following race No. 26, if that competitor makes the playoffs.
- All playoff points will carry through to the end of the third round of the playoffs (Round of 8), with the Championship 4 racing straight-up at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the title.
- Championship points following the first two stages will be awarded on a descending scale, with the stage winner receiving 10 points, second receiving nine points, and so on.
- The race winner following the final stage will now receive 40 points, second-place will receive 35, third-place 34, fourth-place 33, and so on.
NASCAR also announced a playoff bonus structure that will see the regular season points leader honored as the regular season champion, earning 15 playoff points that will be added to the driver’s playoff reset of 2,000. In addition, the top-10 drivers in points leading into the playoffs will receive playoff points, with second place receiving 10 playoff points, third place will earn eight points, fourth place will receive seven points, and so on. All playoff points will carry through to the end of the Round of 8.
“Simply put, this will make our great racing even better,” said Brian France, NASCAR chairman and CEO. “I’m proud of the unprecedented collaboration from our industry stakeholders, each of whom had a common goal – strengthening the sport for our fans. This is an enhancement fully rooted in teamwork, and the result will be an even better product every single week.”
Even though the NASCAR drivers are happy with this change, we’ve seen lots of negative comments on many internet message boards from fans. The so-called Chase to the Monster Energy Cup has seen changes and tweaks every year since its inception. That’s all been done in an effort rekindle fan interest so they will buy tickets to top tier NASCAR events held from coast-to-coast. So far it hasn’t worked. Let’s see what happens this time. Maybe things will get better .
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We were surprised that the Monster Energy Supercross at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, usually held on the fourth weekend of April , 2017,was cancelled! The event was supposed to have been a five year deal. A source close to the scene revealed that the promoter wasn’t happy with the costs at Gillette Stadium to truck in the dirt and take it out. The event date has now been replaced with a new event in Minnesota. The Supercross and Gillette Stadium have always had an off and on relationship over the years. Another issue is the fact that in the month of April in New England, especially in southeastern MA, there’s always a 50 percent chance of rain every day for the entire month. An outdoor Supercross in New England during April is very risky due to weather.
| The Seekonk Grand Prix Bandoleros are a youth racing division at Seekonk Speedway sanctioned by INEX. The division offers racing for ages 8 to 16. The Bandoleros race on the 1/3 mile banked oval of Seekonk Speedway is part of the Fast Friday race program along with the INEX Legends, Sport Four and Pure Stock classes. |
The Bandoleros will race at Seekonk Speedway beginning June 2 and will compete weekly until September 22 for a 16 week schedule. This division will offer racing for young racers between 8 – 18 years old competing in two classes. The classes are bandits for ages 8-11 and the Outlaws ranging from 12 – 18 years old.
Using the same formula that made the Legends Cars the most mass-produced competition race car in history, the Bandolero Car is a turnkey, spec-series racer designed for drivers as young as eight years old and the young-at-heart at any age. They are built by the 600 Corporation in Charlotte, NC
The Bandolero Car serves as a stepping stone between a 1/4 Midget and a full size race car. They are simple to maintain. The driver operates a Bandolero in a similar manner to a kart with left foot braking. The Bandolero is also equipped with a centrifugal clutch so the driver does not have to shift gears.
The Bandolero Car’s motivation is provided by a thumping Briggs & Stratton 570cc Vanguard engine mounted behind the driver. Small modifications have been made to the engine to bring the once 20HP stock engine to nearly 30HP.
The Capeway Rovers in Middleboro located on Old Rt. 44 on the Carver town line have been hosting motoX events since the 1950’s. The track will reopen for the 2017 season on Sunday, March 26 and continue through the season and closing on Friday, November 24. They will host various motoX events including practice seasons for various clubs in the area.
Thompson Speedway exhibiting at The Racer’s Expo. The Racer’s Expo, an annual motor sports trade show, returns on February 3rd and 4th at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel in Marlborough, MA. This year, under the management of OTB Promotions, the show features some new seminars and world class exhibitors. Over 45 vendors are registered for the expo for 2017. TSMP will once again be showcasing the facility and experiences offered at the expo. Exotic Driving Events, American Muscle Experience and Fiat 500 Rally will be highlighted. The TSMP booth will boast a great giveaways such as a 2 lap experience driving a Corvette Z06 on the 1.7 mile road course through the American Muscle Experience. It will also include a give away for a 3 lap experience driving one of the Exotic Driving Experience’s cars through an autocross set up. Choose from a Ferrari 458 Italia, Nissan GT-R and a Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570. A pair of tickets to the 2017 Icebreaker are also up for grabs in the giveaway. Show hours on February 3 are 4 pm-9 pm and on February 4 are 9 am-4:30 pm. Tickets are $5 per person with kids 12 and under free.
This column contains extracted news from press releases and personal notes
Note: If your track, tour or event is not posted on this blog send your press releases to: lmodestino@hotmail.com