One of the most recognized names in American motorsports, Sammy Swindell, will make a handful of Northeastern Midget Association starts for Tim Bertrand/Bertrand Motorsports beginning on Wednesday August 14 at the Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, and continuing on to LEE USA Speedway on Friday August 16th. Swindell will be available for fan interaction & autographs at both venues. Swindell is a three-time World of Outlaws Champion & Five-time Chili Bowl champion.
Swindell will join a five car Bertrand Motorsports NEMA operation for the races joining teammates Todd Bertrand, Randy Cabral and Avery Stoehr. Four time NEMA champion and ISMA champion Ben Seitz will join the team at Thompson, and one of the hottest drivers in the northeast, Alby Ovitt, will join the team at LEE USA in a fifth car.
“It was great to be able to put together another deal with Sammy for 2019,” said team owner Tim Bertrand. “We had a great time racing together over the last couple of years and getting to know each other, and the entire team is looking forward to having him back to the Northeast.
“We are incredibly excited to have one of the biggest names in open wheel racing participate in our program on Friday August 16that LEE USA Speedway. Swindell is undoubtedly one of the best and we are looking forward to having him here,” said LEE USA Speedway GM, Joe Bassett.
“We are ecstatic to have Sammy Swindell join an already exciting evening of racing at the Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park. Between the exciting NEMA action and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, fans should be in for a great evening,” said Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park General Manager, Terry Eames.
Swindell was successful in his debut two seasons ago with the team, running second fastest in qualifying, advanced from seventh to third in his heat and from fifth to fourth in the feature, against NEMA’s best.
Along the way he went wheel-to-wheel with teammates Randy Cabral, Todd Bertrand and held off a charge from two time and defending Champion John Zych. Last season, the team struggled with a new car that Swindell ran, but this year, the team has opted to put Swindell in the family’s iconic No. 47, a threat to win any time it shows up. Danny Cugini took down the Iron Mike Scrivani Memorial race just last weekend in the Bertrand 47.
“We struggled a bit last year, and frankly, if Sammy is going to come out all this way to run, I want to give him a car that he can get right to it in,” said Bertrand.
“I’m excited to be able to get back out and drive for Tim and his team. We’ve gotten to know each other well over the last couple of years and even teamed up for a couple of Chili Bowls. A lot of the learning curve is behind us, and we should be able to get right to it off the bat this year,” said Swindell.
Car owner Bertrand was ecstatic about the partnership.
“Sammy is a great guy to be around, and I’m particularly excited to have him run Thompson for us, a place that our team has had so much success at,” said Bertrand.
Source; Tim Bertrand/NEMA PR
Note: If your track, tour or event is not posted on this blog send your press releases and flyers to: lmodestino@hotmail.com
Helliwell Makes Last-Minute Trip to Victory at New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150
N. Woodstock, NH – Dover’s Wayne Helliwell took White Mountain Motorsports Park by storm on Saturday, July 27 as he powered to the win in the New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150 presented by Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Northern New England. Helliwell, who made a last-minute decision to run the event, inherited the lead on lap 86 of the 150-lap event and never let go en route to the victory.
Dorchester’s Allie Menard started on the pole and led the opening circuit before being passed by Thornton’s David LaBrecque. The veteran’s stay at the front lasted until lap 10 when Moultonborough’s Matthew Morrill powered past. But Morrill’s lead was short-lived as well with Lyndonville, VT’s Scott Corey taking over the top spot on lap 13.
Monroe’s Oren Remick became the event’s fifth different leader when he got around Corey on the 17th circuit – just before the red flag came out due to Jon Savage’s hard crash and flip. The crash allowed Joel Hodgdon and Stephen Donahue, who had started 11th and 9th on the field, to close on the leaders. When the green came back out, both racers went back to work, and Hodgdon eventually grabbed the lead from Remick on lap 37.
The action was hot and heavy for the next 50 laps. The top-three battled inches apart with nobody willing to concede a spot. Helliwell soon entered the mix as well from his 14th starting spot, making it a four-car tango at the front. After the second caution on lap 56 for Matt Kopp’s spin – and another yellow when Kopp spun again two laps later – the war raged on, with Hodgdon holding off every challenge that Donahue and then Helliwell could throw at him.
However, the first-year Late Model racer’s impressive run came to an end during the fourth caution on lap 86. Hodgdon was forced to pit during the yellow for an overheating problem and eventually had to retire from the event. His misfortune handed the lead to Helliwell, and “The Punisher” took it from there, dominating down the stretch. Donahue had one more shot at Helliwell when the final caution flew on with 17 laps to go, but Helliwell used the outside line to hold him off on the restart and roar to the win.
Graniteville, VT’s Donahue finished second while West Burke, VT’s Jesse Switser came from 13th to finish third. Remick, point leader Quinny Welch, Stacy Cahoon, Mike Bailey, Jeff Marshall, Brockton Davis, and Corey rounded out the top-10.
Wells River Chevrolet Flying Tiger point leader Shane Sicard of Barton, VT wrote the latest chapter in a dream season by taking his fifth win of the year in the 35-lap feature. Sicard crossed the finish line second behind Whitefield’s Christian Laflamme, who appeared to have grabbed the victory from Sicard with two laps to go after a hard-fought duel. But Laflamme was disqualified in post-race technical inspection for an illegal rear end, handing the win to Sicard.
Bradford, VT’s Nathaniel Parkin inherited the second spot while Plainfield, VT’s Michael Potter became the new third-place finisher. Jody Sicard and Sid Sweet Jr. completed the top-five.
Littleton’s Ryan Ware took his second win of the season in the Woodsville Guaranty Savings Bank Strictly Stock Mini’s. The point leader charged from 12th on the starting grid and was running third when Andrew Kachmarik and James Stone tangled while fighting for the lead on lap 14 of the 25-lap feature. Ware then held off rookies Darren Newland and Tyler Thompson to capture the victory and pad his point lead.
East Burke, VT’s Newland and Littleton’s Thompson continued their impressive freshman campaigns by finishing second and third. Colby Bourgeois, Jamie Ball, Adam Sicard, Jason Fallman, Dustin Jackson, Gavin McGinnis, and Scott Senecal also earned top-10 finishes.
Groton, VT’s Luke Peters also earned his second win of the year in the Dads 4 By Tool & Supply Kids Trucks 15-lap feature. Peters needed just five laps to come from sixth at the start and take the lead from Barton, VT’s Damion Sicard. He then held off a late bid by Colchester, VT’s Ryan Bevins to win the caution-free event. Bevins finished second followed by Sicard, Thomas Smithers VI, and Christopher Pierce.
The American-Canadian Tour returns to White Mountain Motorsports Park this Saturday, August 3 for the Midsummer 250. The ACT Late Model Tour stars will take on several Foley Oil & Propane Late Model regulars plus other top racers from around the region with $10,000 on the line for the winner. There will also be a full card of racing for the Wells River Chevrolet Flying Tigers, Woodsville Guaranty Savings Bank Strictly Stock Mini’s, and 7-Eleven Dwarf Cars.
Local division heats are scheduled for 5:30pm with the first ACT heat rolling out at 6:00pm. The pits open at 11:00am and the front gates open at 2:00pm. Admission is $25 for adults, $5 for kids ages 6-12, and $50 for a family of four (2 adults, 2 kids).
For more information, contact the WMMP offices at (802) 244-6963.
NEW HAMPSHIRE GOVERNOR’S CUPPresented by Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Northern New EnglandSATURDAY, JULY 27, 2019 – OFFICIAL RESULTSPhotos by Mark Alan Sumner FOLEY OIL & PROPANE LATE MODELS Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown 1. Wayne Helliwell Jr. ( 27NH ) Dover, NH 2. Stephen Donahue ( 2VT ) Graniteville, VT 3. Jesse Switser ( 25NH ) West Burke, VT 4. Oren Remick ( 21NH ) Monroe, NH 5. Quinten Welch ( 78NH ) Groveton, NH 6. Stacy Cahoon ( 83VT ) St. Johnsbury, VT 7. Mike Bailey ( 1ME ) S. Barre, VT 8. Jeff Marshall ( 32NH ) Gilman, VT 9. Brockton Davis ( 47NH ) Whitfield, NH 10. Scott Corey ( 22NH ) Lyndonville, VT 11. Matthew Morrill ( 9NH ) Moultonborough, NH 12. Mike Kenison ( 3NH ) Lancaster, NH 13. Matt Kopp ( 16NH ) Lancaster, NH 14. David LaBrecque ( 57NH ) Thornton, NH 15. Allie Menard ( 06NH ) Dorchester, NH 16. Joel Hodgdon ( 36VT ) Craftsbury Common, VT 17. Jason Ryan ( 82NH ) Salem, NH 18. Reilly Lanphear ( 21VT ) Waterbury, VT 19. Jon Savage ( 78VT ) Whitfield, NH
WELLS RIVER CHEVROLET FLYING TIGERS Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown 1. Shane Sicard ( 4NH ) Barton, VT 2. Nathaniel Parkin ( 88NH ) Bradford, VT 3. Michael Potter ( 23NH ) Plainfield, VT 4. Jody Sicard ( 49NH ) Gilmanton, NH 5. Sid Sweet Jr. ( 93VT ) Williamstown, VT 6. Jason Rogers ( 37ME ) 7. David Baron Jr. ( 28NH ) Manchester, NH 8. Jeni Maynard ( 46VT ) Lyndonville, VT DSQ Christian Laflamme ( 10NH ) Whitefield, NH
WOODSVILLE GUARANTY SAVINGS BANK STRICTLY STOCK MINIS Pos., Driver, Car #, Hometown 1. Ryan Ware ( 32 ) Littleton, NH 2. #Darren Newland ( 25 ) E. Burke, VT 3. #Tyler Thompson ( 51 ) Littleton, NH 4. Colby Bourgeois ( 82 ) St. Johnsbury, VT 5. Jamie Ball ( 99 ) Passumpsic, VT 6. Adam Sicard ( 16 ) Barton, VT 7. Jason Fallman ( 21 ) N. Woodstock, NH 8. Dustin Jackson ( 37 ) Bethlehem, NH 9. #Gavin McGinnis ( 10 ) St. Johnsbury, VT 10. Scott Senecal ( 1 ) Lisbon, NH 11. Les Washburn ( 11 ) Bethlehem, NH 12. Nate Walton ( 88 ) Derby Line, VT 13. Keri Driscoll ( 91 ) 14. James Stone ( 92 ) St. Johnsbury, VT 15. #Andrew Kachmarik ( 94 ) Maidstone, VT 16. Todd Barrington ( 57 ) Littleton, NH 17. Tim Corey ( 10X ) Whitfield, NH 18. Joe Giddings ( 41 ) Waterford, VT 19. #Jillian Baumgardner ( 14 ) N. Woodstock, NH 20. Rusty Drew III ( 4 ) Franklin, NH DNS Tim Corey ( 10X ) Whitfield, NH DNS Richard Stockwell ( 82X ) Canaan, NH DNS Brett Jackson ( 31 ) Bethlehem, NH DNS #Jack Hayes ( 09 ) Littleton, NH
Jason Kenison became the first repeat winner in the Dalton Mountain Motorsports / Caron’s Towing Tiger Sportsman at Speedway 51 powered by the Autosaver Group in Groveton, New Hampshire last Saturday night, as he held the field at bay over the entire 51 lap distance. Other winners included Alan Birch, Mekaylah Bowen, and Nick Ogden.
The always exciting Tigers did not disappoint the crowd on Saturday night as they went green to checkers with spirited battles throughout the field in their 51 lap main event. Kenison jumped from the point but he was challenged the entire distance by Brad Bushey, with Jarred Ledger glued to Busheys back bumper. Late in the race Nick Gilcris started to mount a challenge but it was too little too late. Kenison carried the checkers with Bushey second. Unfortunately Bushey did not pass post race inspection and was relegated to 11th position in the final rundown. Ledger was now credited with second ahead of Gilcris, Derrick Calkins and Jared Plumley. Plumley and Kevin Boutin won their respective qualifiers.
The Caron Fabrication Street Stockers put on a whale of a show as Alan Birch took over the point part way through the 25 lap main event and scored a popular victory of four time winner Dean Switser Jr. Third place went to Kristian Switser, followed by Josh Plumley and Kasey Beattie. Dean Switser Jr. won the lone qualifier.
Mekaylah Bowen defeated a deplete field of Claudette and Dean’s Place Daredevils as she bested Cassi Leonard and Kaiden Fisher in the main event. Bowen also won the heat race.
The White Mountains Community College Bone Stockers had a pair of features and when it was all said and done, the combined finishes saw Nicholas Ogden victorious for his third win of 2019. He now must start at the rear of his heat and feature for the balance of the season. Brendon Rhodes tied with Ogden for the overall win but Ogden finished higher in the second feature. Dan Stinson whom won the first segment came home third overall ahead of Nick Beaulieu and Eric Barrup.
Racing resumes Saturday night, August 3rd, as Jon Parks Tractors sponsor all the activities. Post time is 6pm. The cardwill feature Round #2 for the Caron Fabrication Triple Crown Series, a 75 lap main event for the Tiger Sportsman. Also racing will be the Caron Fabrication Street Stocks, Claudette and Dean’s Place Daredevils, Mom’s UTV Front Stretch Drags, as well as Kids and Adult Bike Races at intermission.
Speedway 51 is located at 78 Craggy Road in Groveton, New Hampshire.
With lots of extra events on tap for the evening no time was wasted once the first green flag of the evening flew. Winners in the Weekly Rock99 Racing Series were Jason Gray in the Sportsman Modifieds, Jason Horniak in the Sportsman Coupes; Mike Chaffee was a first time winner in the USAC Dirt Midgets with Ryan Christian topping the Limited Late Models and Owen Carbee best in the 4-Cylinders. Also on hand for the evening were the Sprint Cars of New England Where Will Hull claimed the win. A 75-lap Enduro saw Eric Lindbled Victorious and all the kids had a great time as it was also Kid’s Bike Race night.
Just like last week, the DIRTcar Sabil & Sons Sportsman Modified Main event saw Jeremy Huntoon break to the lead on the initial start, leading the first three laps before Todd Buckwold took the top spot. A lap eight restart saw Buckwold once again break into the top spot with Robert Tucker moving to second. Meanwhile Jason Gray, who started 12th on the field had advanced to the third and started to gain on the front duo. With ten laps to go Gray slipped inside Tucker to take second and just a lap later the caution flew for Richie Simmons, who hit the backstretch wall after breaking his steering. On the restart Buckwold and Gray fought for the top spot for a couple of laps before Jason Gray took the lead for good to take the impressive win. Todd Buckwold was second with Jordan Fornwalt making a late race pass to claim third. Robert Tucker and Kevin Chaffee completed the top five.
The Wells River Chevrolet DIRTcar Sportsman Coupes saw Jason Horniak annex his second win of the season. Rookie Cody Gregoropoulos broke into the lead on the initial green, leading the first eight laps before Jason Horniak took the top spot. While Horniak repelled all challengers the battle for the rest of the top five was intense with positions changing nearly every lap. When the checkers flew it was Jason Horniak with his second win of the season. Todd Hayward was second after starting deep in the field with Bob Kilburn third. Tanner Siemons was fourth with Brian Chaffee fifth, good runs for both drivers after they were involved in separate incidents and had to come from the rear.
Mike Chaffee was the show in the USAC DMA Midgets, leading every lap to take win in a race punctuated by a single caution that involved five cars. Mike Netishen ran second most of the race, holding off the perpetual challenges for the spot by Justin Phillips, who was finally successful in his quest for second on the last lap to take the position at the checkers. Justin Phillips was third across the line with Adam Whitney fourth and Justin Sheridan completing the top five. The top point contenders didn’t fare so well as Seth Carlson pitted with mechanical issues and Will Hull was involved the five car incident in turn two ending his night.
The WYKR Sprint Cars of New England ran a fast caution free feature. Kurt Conklin took the lead early with Mark Cole running second. As the laps clicked off Will Hull began to close ground on the duo, arriving in third on lap nine and finally passing Cole for second on lap fifteen. From there it only took Hull three more laps to blast by Conklin for the lead and pull away for the win. In the closing laps the field behind Hull shuffled spots so at the checkers it was Will Hull with the win, Chris Donnelly was second with Mark Cole third, Kurt Conklin was fourth with Clay Dow rounding out the top five.
The C.A. Miller Limited Late Models saw Nicholas Longley lead the first five laps before Ryan Christian took the lead, it was all over from there as Christian rolled to an easy win in spite of a caution just before the halfway point. John Neddo was second at the checkers with points’ leader Tyler Tremblay third, Nicholas Longley fourth and Carey Moulton fifth.
In the Peanuts Auto 4-Cylinder Feature it looked like Zach Audet would get his first win as he led the first fourteen laps as the big guns worked their way to the front, running two and three wide most of the time. A scramble off turn four as the lead pack approached lapped traffic found Garrett Brown take the lead for a lap while Audet got shuffled out of the top five. As the flagman gave five to go Owen Carbee shot to the lead and held back all challengers to take the win. Buddy Welch was second with Jason Porter third. Kevin Laforest was fourth with Garrett Brown fifth.
The night concluded with a 75-lap Enduro where Eric Lindbled held off all challengers to take the win with Taylor Sayers second and Frank Putney third.
Bear Ridge Speedway’s 52nd season of dirt car racing continues Saturday, August 3, 2019 with the John Poor Memorial night sponsored by Walker Motor Sales, featuring a full card of racing for the 99Rock weekly racing series, with the Sabil & Sons DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds, Wells River Chevrolet DIRTcar Sportsman Coupes with their MADNESS night, C.A. Miller Inc Limited Late Models, and the Peanuts Auto Four Cylinders. Plus the WYKR BRS Sprint Cars of New England. The USAC DMA Midgets are off and will return to action on August 10th. Special admission pricing for the 99Rock Weekly Racing Series is $13 for adults (age 18-61), $10 teens (12-17) and seniors(62+), and $2 for children; Visa and MasterCard are accepted. Racing begins at the famous “6:00-ish” start time.
Bear Ridge Speedway is as an alcohol-free family friendly entertainment spot, with our goal to make each experience at the Ridge better than the last. Remember “Dirt where every lap is the last lap” we continue to offer the best source of good inexpensive high quality entertainment for families.
Bear Ridge Speedway is located off exit 16 of I91 on to Rte 25 west 1 mile to South Road up the hill to Kidder Rd. The green will wave every Saturday at 6:00 pm(ish). Be sure to check the web www.bearridgespeedway.com Questions can be sent to brsdirt@charter.net
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS – 52nd Season of Racing Lucky’s Trailer Sales night 99ROCK Weekly Racing Series Bear Ridge Speedway — Bradford, VT Saturday July 27, 2019
Sabil & Sons DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds (30 Laps) 1 OO Jason Gray 2 631 Todd Buckwold 3 24 Jordan Fornwalt 4 73 Kevin Chaffee 5 42T Robert Tucker 6 18 Matt Lashua 7 2nh Tanner Siemons 8 86 Mike Ryan 9 6 Jeremy Huntoon 10 17 Jim Morgan 11 40 Steve Flint 12 3 Jeff Huntington 13 92 Ricky Sanville 14 8 Steve Lary 15 91 James Fadden 16 9 Michael Dunn 17 21d Randy Geake® 18 21 Jeremy Stygles 19 78 Josh Ruel 20 34 Richie Simmons
HEAT one: Jeremy Huntoon HEAT two: Todd Buckwold
Wells River Chevrolet Sportsman Coupe Feature (30 laps) 1st 3 Jason Horniak 2nd 20 Todd Hayward 3rd 77j Robert Kilburn 4th 5 Tanner Siemons 5th 16 Brian Chaffee 6th 33 Melvin Pierson 7th O9 Tad Kingsbury 8th 23 Derek Stearns 9th 17 Ryan Christian 10th 18 Cody Copeland 11th 71 Josh Harrington 12th 12 Cody Gregoropoulos 13th 1 Jeremy Hodge 14th 56 Chris LaForest
HEAT one: Cody Copeland HEAT two: Chris LaForest
USAC DMA Midgets Feature (25 laps) 1st 18c Mike Chaffee 2nd 16 Justin Phillips 3rd 5 Mike Netishen 4th 12 Adam Whitney 5th 17 Justin Sheridan® 6th 50 Owen Carbee 7th 23 Tim West 8th 91 Wayne Kohler ® 9th 1B Joe Krawiec 10th 77 Jeffrey Champagne 11th 26 TJ Foster 12th 3 Will Hull 13th 2 Seth Carlson 9 David Moniz (DNS)
HEAT one: Mike Chaffee HEAT two: Jeff Champagne
C.A. Miller Limited Late Model Feature (20 laps)
1st 10c Ryan Christian 2nd 15 John Neddo 3rd 32 Tyler Tremblay 4th 316 Nicholas Longley 5th 94 Cary Moulton 6th 3 Devin Stearns 7th 21 Lucas Wheeler 8th OO Brandon Gray
HEAT one: Ryan Christian
Peanuts Auto Four Cylinders 1st 5 Owen Carbee 2nd 65 Robert Welch 3rd 13 Jason Porter 4th 49 Kevin LaForest 5th 89 Garrett Brown 6th 69 Jeffrey Martin 7th 9 Zach Audet 8th 0vt Kelly Miller Jr 9th 70 Josh Vilbrin 10th 73 Tim St John 11th 87 Don Reynolds 12th 60 Kyle Ashford 13th 51 Westley Blake® 14th 98 Tom Brown 15th 12 Devin Spinks 16th 29 Justin Carbee 17th 83 Mike Sherburne 18th 66 Robert Audet 19th 55 Rick Stygles 20th 75 Chase LaFoe 21st 23 Brian Lakin 22nd 47 Paige Whittemore 23rd 62 Wayne LaBree 30 Hayden Bishop (DNS)
WYKR BRS Sprint Cars of New England Feature (25 laps) 1st 61 Will Hull 2nd 24 Chris Donnelly 3rd 6x Mark Cole 4th 45 Kurt Conklin 5th 58 Clay Dow 6th 5 Mike Kondrat 7th 69 Floyd Billington 8th 41 Rick Stone 91 Scott Holcomb (DNS)
HEAT one: Will Hull
Mike Estrada State Farm 4/6 Cylinder Enduro Feature (75 laps) 1st 44 Eric Lindbled 2nd 95 Taylor Sayers 3rd 88 Frank Putney 4th 35 Aren Keene 5th 13 Jason Porter 6th 80 Bob Racine 7th 4 Kelly Linton 8th 14 Geoff Durphey 9th 56 Chris LaForest 10th 17 Jason Langmaid 11th 77 Phillip Basaldr 12th 91 Tim Sherman 13th 19 Dan Allard 14th 7 Anne Rrancourt 15th 93 Derrick Root 16th 90 Corey Mossey 17th 79 Jon LaForest 18th 23 Mike St. Lawrence 19th 71 Chris Mooney 20th 2 Justin Blakley 21st 51 Danny Doyle 22nd 53 Travis Burroughs 23rd 74 David Wilder 24th 69 Collin Morse 25th 31 Adrian Langmaid 26th 18 Bruce Poirier 27th 97 Cary Hunter 28th 78 Dylan Bowen 29th 27 Logan Martin 30th 40 Shawn Bell 31st 70 Troy Duprey 32nd 92 George Wanner 33rd 30 Ryan Sayers 34th 87 Daniel Plante -30-
Source: : April May Preston-Elms/Bear Ridge Speedway PR
NAPLES, ME (July 30) – The entry list for the most prestigious asphalt short track race in America reached a major milestone today. With just under a month to go before the green flag drops, there are now 50 Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Super Late Model entries for the 46thAnnual Oxford 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway in August. Multi-time Oxford Plains Speedway track champion, Jeff Taylor, of Farmington, ME officially becomes the 50th entrant for the 250. Competitors will have the opportunity to race for one of the richest winner’s purses in asphalt short track racing, with $25,000 to win, plus an additional $25,000 in lap leader money. Last year’s winner, Bubba Pollard of Senoia, GA, took home over $28,000 last year for his efforts in coming the first southern driver to win the Oxford 250 since 1983.
This year’s entry lists features some of the best short track racers in North America, including former Oxford 250 winners, Mike and Ben Rowe, Travis Benjamin, Joey Polewarcyzk, Curtis Gerry, Bubba Pollard, and Scott Robbins. Former PASS champions, Johnny Clark, DJ Shaw, and Cassius Clark have also entered, along with defending PASS National champion, Derek Griffith and 2019 national title contenders Mike Hopkins, Ray Christian, III, and Jake Johnson. The Canadian Maritimes are also being represented by Cole Butcher and Ashton Tucker, while Northwest racing legend Garrett Evans will be returning to make his second attempt at the 250.
“The Road To The Oxford 250” program will be concluding in the next few weeks. Racers have the opportunity to get locked into the 46thAnnual Oxford 250 over the next two weekends with the final two events in the program scheduled for Spud Speedway and Speedway 51.
Following Derek Griffith’s win at White Mountain Motorsports Park last weekend, the race for the PASS North title has again tightened. While Center Conway, NH’s DJ Saw continues to lead the standings, the gap between the top six in points has shrunk to less than 100 markers. And, Shaw now leads Garrett Hall by just five points heading to the Firecracker 200 at Spud Speedway.
Entry forms for the 46thAnnual Oxford 250 and the Lanier National 200 at Lanier Raceplex in Georgia are available at ProAllStarsSeries.com.
The Pro All Stars Series is recognized as North America’s premier sanctioning body for asphalt Super Late Models and boasts such marquee events as the legendary Oxford 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway, the Easter Bunny 150 at the historic Hickory Motor Speedway, and the PASS Commonwealth Classic at Richmond Raceway.
Editors note: While 50 Super Late Models and Pro Stock teams have filed entries for the Oxford 250 Classic, we can recall that back in the 1980’s, during mid-July when the event was held, then track owner Bob Bahre decided to run the event as an Open. The result was some 110 entries were filed by drivers from New England, the midwest, the southeast as well as several Canadian Proviences! The result was a format of several heats, consis and a non-qualifiers race in front of a standing room only crowd of 19,400 fans! At that time I was responsible for the PR for that race and can verify those facts.
Source: Alan Dietz/PASS Tours PR
Note: If your track tour or event is not posted on this blog send your press releases and flyers to: lmodestino@hotmail.com
Woody Pitkat in victory lane twice at TMSP! Pulling double-duty the wins came in both Modified and Late Model rides!
THOMPSON, Conn. — Sunday was a dream day of racing for Woody Pitkat.
The former Sunoco Modified champion at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park captured the victory in the 25-lap Late Model feature driving for Hartwell Motorsports, then, followed it up with returning to Sunoco Modified victory lane driving for Dan Avery.
It was two wins in one day for the Stafford, Connecticut, native.
“It’s really hard to win two in one day, I’ve done it before at Stafford (Motor Speedway), but you have to realize the difference in the cars and the crews,” Pitkat said. “I would have been happy with one win but winning two is special because it’s so hard to win in anything. It’s awesome. It feels really good.”
Pitkat started up at the front of the pack for the Late Model feature, and dominated the race, leading nearly all the laps in his No. 91. He was over one second ahead of second-place finisher Derek Gluchacki at the finish.
“The Late Model win definitely lit a little bit of a fire in me,” Pitkat said. “It’s been a while; I don’t know when the last time I truly won a Late Model race was here at Thompson. It’s cool to be able to win for the Hartwell family. I started racing in the early 2000s and they were racing then. Jeff gave me an opportunity and we have been good together. We were good in the ACT Tour race here (on June 15) with a different car and I took some of the notes over here and it really woke it up.”
Pitkat started outside the top five in the Sunoco Modifieds, and the beginning of the race didn’t quite go his way. He dropped back through the bottom of the top 10 and had to work his way through the field in the final laps. It was a restart with Todd Owen where Pitkat was able to slide into the top spot for good. He did have to hold off defending champion Keith Rocco on the final restart, though.
“My crew chief just started changing of the car after the heat race and I was just hoping we didn’t go too far,” Pitkat joked. “When Kyle (James) took the bottom in the lead, we got slid backwards and I was just trying to keep my composure. Keith got a good start and I know it’s tough on the bottom, and Keith is almost a master at restarts. He’s the best up here, especially at restarts. I knew I could trust him and the best I had been all day was going to be on the top. I felt like if we got going, it seemed like we were driving away.”
Double-duty isn’t anything new for Pitkat. He’s done it before, and he will continue to do it for the rest of the season. On NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour nights, Pitkat competes in three different divisions. He’s already won a race on the tour circuit at Wall Stadium Speedway in New Jersey and has finished inside the top 10 in both tour stops at Thompson.
“One of the big things for me is trying to win one race in each series I run each year,” Pitkat said. “I now can say I’ve won a Sunoco Modified race, Late Model race and a Whelen Modified Tour race. Now I just have to win a Tri Track Open Modified Series race. Hopefully I can bring some of this momentum to the tour and start running a bit better.”
Driving for both Hartwell Motorsports and Dan Avery’s team isn’t something Pitkat takes for granted. He knows competing in both of Thompson’s top divisions is a difficult task and winning takes a strong team behind him.
“I’m not giving both teams my 100 percent focus at the track because I’m going back and forth, but they know that, and the biggest thing for me is surrounding myself with people that are good with it,” Pitkat said. “Both Dan and Jeff give me just about everything I could ever ask for and they both prepare such a great car.”
“The last time we were here we basically totaled the Sunoco Modified and Dan was excited on the radio today… I’m just glad I was able to win for Dan, Jeff and all of the guys. These races are hard to win.”
Pitkat, the remainder of the Sunoco Modified and Late Model drivers, and the rest of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series competitors return to competition this Sunday, August 4. Lock City Drift will also be on hand with their New England Top Drift Series on the road course.
Due to excessive heat index for tomorrow night’s mid-week show at Star Speedway, the Pro All Stars Series and Star Speedway have decided to postpone the event to a later date in 2019. Provisionals for the Road to the Oxford 250 will be moved to the August 10th event at Speedway 51.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will add Iowa Speedway to the schedule in 2020 (Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)
BYIOWA SPEEDWAY TRACK RELEASE JULY 27, 2019
NEWTON, Iowa – For the first time, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will race at Iowa Speedway in 2020. The 36th season of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will feature a mix of historic short tracks on the eastern seaboard before visiting central Iowa. This marks the first time in history that the unified Whelen Modified Tour will journey this far west.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will be in action during NASCAR Xfinity Series U.S. Cellular 250 weekend at Iowa Speedway July 31-August 1. The Whelen Modified Tour is NASCAR’s oldest running division and the only open-wheel class. The tour features a passionate, veteran-laden core of drivers as well as emerging young talent.
“I don’t know that I’ve ever felt this much excitement about an upcoming season,” said Iowa Speedway PresidentDavid Hyatt. “From the fans to competitors and media, it’s industry-wide excitement and we are already looking forward to it.
“The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and Iowa Speedway are a perfect match.”
