Monthly Archives: April 2017

May Schedule for NHMS

 
April 28, 2017
Looking Ahead: May
The Safe Kids 500 will be held on Wednesday, May 3 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Open to families, the night includes free bike and safety checks, as well as healthy snacks and educational handouts. 
Source: 
Kristen Lestock
(603) 513-5708 / klestock@nhms.com 
Gavin Faretra 
(603) 513-5706 / gfaretra@nhms.com

The month of May will be a busy one at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, starting with the 11th annual Formula Hybrid Competition, ending with NASCAR testing and a whole lot of racing, riding and running in-between.The beginning of the month certainly belongs to the youngsters, starting with the 11th annual Formula Hybrid Competition. Some of the youngest and brightest engineering minds in the world will be at the speedway May 1-4, when 20 teams will compete in aspects of design, acceleration, handling, and endurance, while abiding by rules that minimize risk and preserve students’ freedom to innovate.

May is National Bike Month, so it’s fitting that Speedway Children’s Charities will be holding its annual Safe Kids 500 on Wednesday, May 3 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Families are encouraged to come out and take their bikes onto the 1.058-mile oval, the same track driven by the stars of NASCAR. The free night includes bike and safety checks, as well as healthy snacks and educational handouts.

Providing opportunities for kids 7 and older to sharpen their STEM skills, the New Hampshire Soap Box Derby will run its annual spring rally at the speedway on Saturday, May 6 and Sunday, May 7.

The following week, the New Hampshire State Police D.A.R.E. 5K will be held around the speedway’s 1.058-mile oval. Along with displays featuring the New Hampshire State Police’s SWAT, Bomb Squad and Major Crime units, the night will include a NHSP helicopter landing on pit road and subsequent flyover, K9 and motorcycle demonstrations, a Kids Fun Run around the track, and the 27th annual D.A.R.E. 5K.

Dates to remember
May 6-7 – The Rusty Wallace Driving Experience, featuring driving and ride-along packages, makes its first of four weekend visits to NHMS in 2017.
May 8 – The New England Short Track Showdown, which will run at NHMS for the first time on July 1, will hold a test day for the Valenti Modified Racing Series, Granite State Pro Stock Series, North East Mini Stock Tour, and Street Stock Showdown.
May 20 – The Sign Works Oval Series racing (legends)
May 20 – Sign Works Mini Oval Bandolero Series racing
May 20-21 – Moat Mountain Road Course Series racing (legends)
May 22 – The United States Classic Racing Association (USCRA) will run the U.S. Vintage Grand Prix on the 1.6-mile road course
May 30-31 – Tentative date for Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series testing. Several teams are expected to take part in the two-day event. Grandstand admission is free to the public.

For more information all events at New Hampshire Motor Speedway or to purchase tickets to the New Hampshire 301 and New England 300 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series weekends, please stop by Fan Relations, visit www.nhms.com, or call (603) 783-4931.

 

Michael Bennett and family collecting donations for Connecticut Children’s Hospital

It's not very often that a driver like Tom Fearn can back up another Late Model Championship after 18 years.

Bennet family will be collecting donations for the Connecticut Children’s Hospital

 

 

 

With the dawn of a new NASCAR Whelen All-American Series season, Stafford Late Model driver Michael Bennett and his wife Lindsay have announced that they will be taking donations to benefit the Connecticut Children’s Hospital throughout the year.

The Bennetts had their world turned upside down back in Aug Continue reading →

Glen Reen teams with Dan Avery for 2017 SK Modified season at Stafford

It's not very often that a driver like Tom Fearn can back up another Late Model Championship after 18 years.

Reen and Avery team up for the 2017 season at Stafford

 

Flash back to the 2016 season at Stafford Motor Speedway and you’d be hard pressed to find a driver who had worse luck than Wilbraham, MA native Glen Reen.  Reen began the year with plans to drive double duty in the SK Modified® and Late Model divisions but his season came to a premature halt on May 27th when Reen lost the engines in both of his cars.  With the 2017 season ready to take the green flag at Stafford, Reen is back with much brighter prospects.  Reen has teamed up with Dan Avery to form 2-car Horsepower Hill Farm team for the 2017 SK Modified® season.

Continue reading →

Opening date for New London-Waterford on hold

 

The newly formed Modified Touring Series will hold it's first race ever at the Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, NH with paying

The newly formed Modified Touring Series will have to wait until the dust settles at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl on the Connecticut shore before it can make its first appearance there.

 

TRACK TALK

By Lou Modestino   (For Saturday, 4/29/17)

 

There have been conflicting reports about the season opener at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl.  The latest, according to postings on the track’s website, is that the Speedbowl has postponed the Blast Off weekend due to unforeseen circumstances for May 6-7.  All efforts are being made to rescheduled the opening event of the 2017 racing season as soon as possible. Track management apologized to all of the fans. Changes and updates will be released as soon as possible.  All this is due to the track owner Bruce Bemer being arrested due to a sexual trafficking charge.  Bemer is currently out on bail.

 

All that impacts the second round of the 2017 Modified Touring Series event at Waterford and MTS organzier Gary Knight of Charlestown, NH had high hopes of getting round two of the MTS behind him. Knight, by the way, had a successful 2017 launch of the MTS at the Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, NH last weekend. Some 20 top Modifieds were on hand to race in spite of the spring cold in the the Monadnock mountains of western NH.  Among the finishers was Canton’s Rick Savary and Tommy Barrett, Jr. of Millis.  Savary came in fifth while Barrett finished ninth.

 

We had a conversation with Tommy Barrett, Jr.  who did some infrequent racing during  2016.  “I’m going to race in the entire Modified Touring Series this year.  The challenge in this series is going to be getting “hooked up” with the American Racing Tire which something I tried to do in a practice session in mid-April at Monadnock.  But I wasn’t confident going into the first MTS race, “Barrett revealed.

 

Though, It appears that there was some progress by both Barrett and Savary considering that they both finished well in spite of some cold mountain weather that night. By the way Randolph’s Joe Kourafas has returned as crew chief for Rick Savary’s Modified car for the 2017 season.

 

 

With the cancellation of the New London Waterford Speedbowl opening event, the Northeastern Midget Association will head to the famed Star Speedway in Epping, NH on Saturday night, May 6. It has been a favorite stop for the midgets since the 60’s, in fact Star has hosted more NEMA events than any other facility.

“NEMA is extremely excited to return to Star Speedway and especially as part of their PASS weekend, and further, to expand our 2017 schedule with the Webber family,” said NEMA President, Tim Bertrand.  “Some of the best races in the history of the club have gone down at Star, and we look forward to making some more memories together.  Our car counts are looking strong for 2017, and the club is on the upswing,” said Bertrand.

“We learned of the issues with Waterford, and extended the opportunity to our friends at NEMA to participate in our opening weekend,” said Bob Webber Jr.  “This show should be an unbelievable bargain for the fans, with both the PASS, NEMA and NEMA Lite cars on hand,” he went on to say.

Some of the greats have gotten their first NEMA victory at Star including Joey Coy, Mike Favulli and Billy Mann, as well as modern day drivers like Kingston’s Randy Cabral, Jeff Horn, Joey Payne, Bobby Seymour and Russ Stoehr of Bridgewater. There will be plenty of drivers gunning for their first on Saturday night May 6, including New Hampshire’s Alan Chambers.

Russ Stoehr leads all active drivers with 10 wins at Star, and Randy Cabral captured last year’s Star race in convincing fashion.  Drew Fornoro is the all-time NEMA winner at Star with 23, the first coming in 1982. The others in double figures are Seekonk’s Dave Humphrey (16) and Russ Stoehr.

Among the others to score their first win at Star were three-time (’89, ’91, ’93) champ Joey Coy, Hall of Famer Mike Favulli and 1984 champ Billy Mann. There are two sets of brothers (Drew and Nokie Fornoro and Bobby Seymour) and three father-son combinations on the win list. The later category includes Johnny and Joey Coy, Johnny and Billy Mann and Ronnie and Johnny Evans, the latter winning for Jimmy O’Brien.

We have been hearing TV news reports that owners of the defunct Boston Grand Prix may be going after the City of Boston’s mayor’s office looking for compensation after the corporation went bankrupt.  City of Boston officials invited the the Verizon Indy Car Series for a 2016 Labor Day weekend event.  The race was cancelled due to the fact that permits could not be obtained from the City of Boston, the State of Mass. and the Port Authority. We also heard that the Indy Car Series made good on the ticket sales that were sold in advance.  An associate of ours from Medfield spent close to $500 for tickets and received a refund.  That race was quickly moved from the City of Boston to the Watkins Glen, NY road course which resulted in a sellout crowd.

This weekend Stafford Motor Speedway in Connecticut offers it’s Spring Sizzler weekend featuring the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.  Today, Saturday, April 29  offers qualifying.  Tomorrow, Sunday, April 30 will be the feature events with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour on top of the card.  Also this weekend has Seekonk  Speedway offering a  practice session for all safe race cars today, Saturday, April 29.   Other tracks such as Star Speedway in Epping, NH is also offering a practice session today, Saturday, April 29 followed by an Inex Legend race starting  at 3 pm.  The nearby Lee USA Speedway in Lee, NH offers a Sunday, April 30 opening featuring a NASCAR program with the Granite State Pro Stock Series and the Pro-4 Modifieds added to the card staring at noon.

 

 

Elsewhere Thompson Motor Sports Park in Connecticut offers a VW and Audi car show on the 1.7 mile road course on Sunday, April 30.  Today, Saturday, April 29 the Middleborough based NCSC Motox Club will be in action at the Winchester Speedpark in New Hampshire

 

Note: If your track, tour or event is not posted on this blog send your press releases and flyers to: lmodestino@hotmail.com

Lime Rock Park has a long history of holding road races in Lakeville, Conn.


April 28, 1957, Lime Rock’s very first races

It was a special day when Lime Rock Park held its very first races. More than 6,000 fans travelled the winding, tree-lined country roads of Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts to bear witness. And have a great time…

It was April 28, 1957…

Now here we are, April 28, 2017, 60 years later.

As we continue to recognize and celebrate our six decades of tradition, beauty and speed this year, do you think we were going to pass up the opportunity to do something a little bit special for you on this day?

Of course not…

If you turn 60 in 2017 – just like Lime Rock – we’ll give you a weekend ticket to your choice of any of this year’s events.

Yes, choose from Pirelli World Challenge, Memorial Day weekend, May 26-28; IMSA WeatherTech Northeast Grand Prix, July 21-21; and Historic Festival 35presented by the Prestige Family of Fine Cars, Labor Day weekend, September 1-4.

And if your birthday is April 28, 1957, you not only earn that ticket, but we’ll also give you a pass for the race-day Mohegan Sun VIP Fan Hospitality experience.

We’re making it easy to redeem: Photograph or scan proof of your birthday and email it to Lime Rock’s ticket manager, then we’ll mail you the ticket(s).

Easy as pie. Or birthday cake.

So send your proof of age and a mailing address to meagan@limerock.com, and we’ll reward you for 60 years of brilliance!

Note: We are not able to give you your birthday present at the gate during the event. You must contact Lime Rock Park ahead of time, as described above, to redeem. Thank you… and Happy Birthday!

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For more information on Lime Rock’s other “60 Year Celebration”  events, merchandise, programs, and the “must-attend” party, click on this logo

Source: Lime Rock Park PR

 

Note: If your track, tour or event is not posted on this blog send your press releases and flyers to: lmodestino@hotmail.com

NBCSN To broadcast Championship stretch runs

NASCAR and NBC Sports released the 2016 Whelen Modified TV scheduleNASCAR and NBC Sports released the 2017 Whelen Modified and K and N TV schedules.

Showcase For NASCAR K&N Pro East and West and NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Series 

NBC and NASCAR announced  the remainder of the 2017 broadcast schedule, which will capture the championship races for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West, as well as the newly unified NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.

 NASCAR fans are watching Kyle Larson, Joey Logano and Chase Elliott battle in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series week in and week out, and NBCSN will again be the showcase of the next crop of drivers following in their path. Continue reading →

11th Annual Formula Hybrid returns to NHMS May 4

 
April 26, 2017
11th Annual Formula Hybrid Competition Returns May 1-4
Top engineering students from 20 schools around the world compete
to build the best hybrid and electric cars at Dartmouth competition

Source: NHMS PR

 

  • The 11th annual Formula Hybrid Competition will run at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on May 1-4, featuring hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students from 20 universities.
  • Formula Hybrid was officially founded in 2006 by Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth to provide an educational experience for students by challenging them to design and construct a hybrid drivetrain that focuses on fuel efficiency in a high-performance application.
  • Dartmouth hosted the inaugural competition in 2007 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, which has been able to easily accommodate the steady growth of the event each year.

LOUDON, N.H. – After more than 10 months of planning, design and construction, hundreds of the world’s top engineering students will arrive at New Hampshire Motor Speedway next week for Dartmouth’s 11th annual Formula Hybrid Competition. The four-day competition will run May 1-4.

Twenty teams from the United States, Canada and India will compete in hybrid and electric divisions, where they will need to pass numerous technical and safety inspections in order to make it on to the speedway. The students’ vehicles will compete in aspects of design, acceleration, handling, and endurance, while abiding by rules that minimize risk and preserve students’ freedom to innovate.

“We are the only hybrid competition of its kind,” said Douglas Fraser, director of the Formula Hybrid and senior research engineer and laboratory instructor at the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth, which founded and runs the event. “There are competitions that look a lot like ours, but those vehicles are only gasoline powered or powered entirely by electric.

“We are the only competition that combines the two, with gasoline engine on one side and electric power on the other. Blending the output can be done any number of ways. Students have to work together and decide which system gets to do what. It’s pretty tricky.”

As a result, the Formula Hybrid is the only competition that requires the full cooperation of mechanical engineers, electrical engineers and computer scientists in the planning and building of their cars. Formula Hybrid teams must also optimize energy efficiency and incorporate sustainable materials when building their vehicles.

Formula Hybrid gives students the platform to showcase their knowledge, skills and ability to work as a team – all under pressure, as recruiters from major automotive companies and suppliers will be on-hand with the hopes of hiring some of the best and brightest.

For other spectators, May 3 is the “most fun-filled” day to visit, as the autocross and acceleration events run from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. It’s also Formula Hybrid School Day for middle and high school students who enjoy guided tours with volunteers from the SAE New England Section and other knowledgeable experts.

A list of all teams entered into this year’s competition:
Amrita Institute of Technology & Science………….India
Binghamton University……………………………………Binghamton, N.Y.
Boston University…………………………………………….Boston, Mass.
Dartmouth College……………………………………………Hanover, N.H.
Georgia Institute of Technology…………………………Atlanta, Ga.
Illinois Institute of Technology………………………….Chicago, Ill.
Lawrence Technological University……………………Southfield, Mich.
Milwaukee School of Engineering………………………Milwaukee, Wis.
Princeton University…………………………………………Princeton, N.J.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute………………………..Troy, N.Y.
Rochester Institute of Technology……………………..Rochester, N.Y.
RV College of Engineering…………………………………India
SRM Engineering College………………………………….India
Tufts University……………………………………………….Medford, Mass.
University of Houston College of Technology……..Houston, Texas
University of Michigan …………………………………….Ann Arbor, Mich.
University of Vermont………………………………………Burlington, Vt.
University of Victoria………………………………………..Canada
Wayne State University…………………………………….Detroit, Mich.
Yale University………………………………………………….New Haven, Conn.

Media wishing to attend the event are encouraged to RSVP to gfaretra@nhms.com ahead of time so that we may add your name to the gate list.

-NHMS-

 

About New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Celebrating more than a quarter century of NASCAR racing in the Granite State, New Hampshire Motor Speedway is the largest sports and entertainment facility in New England and hosts the two biggest sporting events in the six-state region.
Located approximately one hour north of Boston, in Loudon, N.H., the speedway hosts tens of thousands of spectators at each of its two prestigious Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series weekends. The facility is active every day from April through October and attracts more than half a million guests during the season. For more information on NHMS, please visit us at www.nhms.com.

About Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth
Celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth prepares leaders for a technology-driven world while solving pressing, real-world problems through research and entrepreneurship. Consistently ranked among the top colleges and universities for its commitment to teaching, Dartmouth is the first national research university to graduate a majority-female class of undergraduate engineers.

 
Note: If your track, tour or event is not posted on this blog send your press releases and flyers to: lmodestino@hotmail.com
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New date, added excitement for PASS Beech Ridge 300 this weekend

 

 Towards the end of the racing season Beech Ridge Motor Speedway hosts the PASS Touring Series.

Towards the end of the racing season Beech Ridge Motor Speedway used to host the PASS Touring Series.  Now that track is featuring the series at the start of racing season

 

 Moving from the Fall to its new date now in April, one of New England’s biggest race weekends is in store for competitors and race fans alike.  The Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Super Late Models and PASS Modifieds head to Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, ME, once again this Saturday afternoon to bring together some of the best drivers from the Northeast and Canada.  Adding to the importance of this big day of racing, the Beech Ridge 300 will be the fifth race of the PASS National Championship season and the final chance to accrue important points prior to the next national event, the 44th Annual Oxford 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway in August.

Continue reading →

58th season begins New Era at Thunder Road

 

Thunder Road Speedbowl lived up to its motto "The Nation's site of excitement!

Thunder Road Speedbowl lived up to its motto “The Nation’s site of excitement! And now has new ownership.  The new management will be trying to maintain the track’s motto!

 

 

 

Barre, Vt.Thunder Road Speedbowl opens the doors for its 58th season of competition this Sunday, April 30 with the 19th Merchants Bank 150. The stars of the American-Canadian Tour (ACT) will take on the weekly Thunder Road Late Model standouts, while the Flying Tigers and Allen Lumber Street Stocks begin their 2017 championship battles. Continue reading →