By Lou Modestino (For Saturday, 3/30/19) Check out Lou Modestino’s Track Talk blog at http://blogs.gatehousemedia.com/tracktalk/wp-admin/post.php?post=19888&action=edit )
Close to home is tonight’s Saturday, March 30, Shane Hammond Foundation Kart Klash at the X1 indoor track (formerly F1 Boston) on Wood Road in Braintree starting at 5 pm. The annual event is being promoted by East Bridgewater’s Deb Marviglio. Her son Shane from Halifax was killed in a bad racing accident in a NEMA Midget years ago at the Thompson Speedway in CT.
Deb revealed that she hopes to get some 80 entries as in past years. She’s been working hard to get the entries from team owners, drivers, crews and fans. Most of them will be from Modifieds, Pro Stocks, Late Models, NEMA Midgets, Street Stocks and Mini Stocks.
Elsewhere, after months of anticipation, the American-Canadian Tour (ACT) is ready for the inaugural Commonwealth Classic 65 at Richmond Raceway in VA. At least 38 ACT Late Model teams from the U.S. and Canada will make the trek to Richmond Intl. Raceway for the race this afternoon Saturday, March 30 at 1 pm. Officials and fans will join them to see the long-running Northeast series take on the ¾-mile D-shaped speedway for the first time.
Everyone involved is excited about finally getting to race on the historic track. Richmond has hosted more than 200 events in NASCAR’s top three series along with events for the NTT IndyCar Series, the USAC Silver Crown Series, and the now-defunct International Race of Champions (IROC). Both Richmond Raceway and its predecessor, the ½-mile Richmond Fairgrounds Speedway, have been the site of some of the most famous moments in North American motorsports. ACT goes into today’s event hoping to add at least one more moment to that list.
The entry list is filled with racers that are familiar to Northeast racing fans. Some of them could end up being household names in Virginia by the end of the weekend. Five former ACT champions headline the drivers making the trek. St-Denis, QC’s Patrick Laperle has five total championships between the ACT Late Model Tour and Série ACT. He’s also looking for his 45th ACT-sanctioned Late Model victory. Former ACT U.S. champions Wayne Helliwell, Jr. of Dover, NH, Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. of Hudson, NH, and Nick Sweet of Barre, VT are joining Laperle in Richmond, as is 2017 Série ACT Champion Jonathan Bouverette of Blainville, QC.
A number of racers on the entry list also have track championships under ACT rules. Hinesburg, VT’s Bobby Therrien was the 2017 Late Model Champion at Thunder Road while E. Bridgewater’s Ryan Kuhn captured the 2018 title at Seekonk Speedway. Rehoboth’s Nicholas Johnson was also a 2018 champion at Thompson Speedway. Current ACT Late Model Tour standout Rich Dubeau of Lebanon, NH previously won Late Model championships at Canaan Fair Speedway and Claremont Speedway. All told, nearly one-third of the drivers in the field have a touring series or track championship in an ACT Late Model.
The $5,000-to-win ACT Commonwealth Classic 65 today is part of a huge card of action for the event’s inaugural edition. The Pro All Stars Series Super Late Models will run both open and crate-engine 75-lap events. Richmond Raceway will also host the Tour-type Modifieds, Mid Atlantic Street Stocks and North East Mini Stock Tour with almost $165,000 in total posted awards.
Other short track racers from across North America will also converge on Richmond Raceway for the inaugural PASS Commonwealth Classic. While a lot of the focus will be on the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Super Late Models as they kick off the 2019 PASS National Championship season, that will be just a fraction of the nearly 400 laps of action fans will be able to see at Richmond this afternoon. In addition to the PASS Super Late Models, 40 ACT Late Models are currently entered along with the return of the Tour-Type Modifieds to Richmond and first-time trips for the MASS Street Stocks and NEMST Mini Stocks.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour stays down south for race two of the 2019 season today before heading back to New England. The South Boston 150 at South Boston Speedway in VA will see Whelen Modified Tour drivers return to the Virginia oval for the first time in 18 years. South Boston is one of two new tracks on the 2019 series schedule that will see teams test their equipment in another short-track environment.
Doug Coby is back at the top. At least for now. The five-time series champion opened the season with a victory at Myrtle Beach Speedway and he leads a long list of drivers looking to keep themomentum rolling into South Boston. But prior to two weeks ago, Coby didn’t have laps at the Virginia track under his belt. During an organizational test, Coby and his No. 2 Mayhew Tools Chevrolet team earned crucial experience just two days before Myrtle Beach building a notebook they will need for Saturday’s afternoon showdown.
The real advantage though may rest with the drivers who have previous experience at the Virginia oval in Whelen Southern Modified Tour action from 2009-2016. Burt Myers, who also tested at South Boston, has 10 starts at the track nicknamed ‘SoBo’ but has come up just short of winning. The Walnut Cove, North Carolina, driver finished eighth or better in all of those starts, and as one of the only with experience, it could pay off for him in a big way.
Kyle Bonsignore, who picked up his first career Whelen Modified Tour win last year, finished second in his most recent South Boston stop. Kyle Ebersole, who led 12 laps in the Myrtle Beach opener, won at the Virginia oval in 2014. Jeremy Gerstner and Gary Putnam also have previous starts at the track. The Hill family returns to action with veteran James Civali behind the wheel with another driver who has previous experience and two wins at South Boston.
From up north Chase Dowlin who finished in the runner-up spot in the championship standings last season, will make his first start driving for Jamie Tomaino. Concord’s Matt Swanson is driving the Mike Boehler’s #3 out of Freetown and finished 18th in last week’s NWMT go at Myrtle Beach, SC.
The starting field for the South Boston 150 is limited to 28 starters including provisional positions. The first 22 drivers will secure starting positions based on the group qualifying process. The remaining six positions will be awarded through the provisional process. (end)
Information for this column came from press releases and personal notes.
Note: If your track, tour or event is not posted on this column send your press releases and flyers to: lmodestino@hotmail.com