Thunder Road Speedbowl lives up to its motto “The Nation’s site of excitement!
Barre, VT – Barre’s Thunder Road is about to rev up for a big month of racing to close out a great 2019 season. “High-Stakes September” begins with two days of action on the Barre high banks on Saturday, August 31 and Sunday, September 1. The Coca-Cola Labor Day Classic weekend is just the start of a month-long stretch that sends off the 60th season of racing with three of the biggest events of the year.
The focus right now is on a holiday weekend that includes two major Northeast touring series and the biggest stars of weekly racing. But there’s plenty more action planned for the Barre high banks in the coming month. The track champions will be crowned during a special 60th-season celebration on Saturday, September 14. Then, on the final weekend of September, the 57th Vermont Milk Bowl takes the stage. A minimum $10,000 is again guaranteed to whomever triumphs in “The Toughest Short-Track Stock Car Race in North America”.
“There’s no reason not to show up and see the action,” Barre’s Jason Corliss said. “September’s going to be a huge month for Thunder Road. If you like short track racing, you like excitement, and maybe even some entry-level action with the four cylinder divisions this Saturday, it’s going to be phenomenal racing. The Labor Day Classic is always one of the best races of the year, especially being a race where you can change tires, which adds some strategy elements. It’s just good old-fashioned stock car racing. If I wasn’t driving, I’d be sitting up in the stands watching. I’m definitely looking forward to this month as a driver, and I’m sure the fans are going to get their money’s worth.”
The month of non-stop action opens with Four Cylinder Saturday on August 31 at 6:00pm and the 41st Labor Day Classic on Sunday, September 1 at 1:30pm. The Saturday card includes the third-ever visit to Thunder Road from the North East Mini Stock Tour. Their 50-lap event is supported by added-distance features for the Allen Lumber Street Stocks and Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors. At just $10 for adult admission, the price is right to see three four-cylinder divisions that are never short on excitement.
The American-Canadian Tour (ACT) takes center stage Sunday with the 200-lap Classic. The biggest traveling stars such as Rich Dubeau, Jimmy Hebert, Scott Payea, Ryan Kuhn, and Dylan Payea will take on many of Thunder Road’s Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Model weekly standouts in an event that has roots going back to the track’s inaugural season. The Road Warriors complete their doubleheader with the first-ever Road Warrior Challenge, a 50-lap, $500-to-win event that is the biggest in the division’s history. The long-heralded Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers also have a 50-lap feature.
“We’re going to treat (the Classic) the same way and prepare the same way as a Thursday night race, and ultimately, it’s the same goal,” defending Labor Day Classic winner Corliss said. “We’re there to try and win the race and do the best job we can with the car we bring. It’ll be nice to have a race where we can maybe try a couple different things and almost use it as a mini-test session for the championship. But don’t get me wrong – we’re 100 percent focused on Labor Day first and trying to win another Labor Day Classic.”
After a week off to catch its breath, Thunder Road wraps up the point-counting season with Barre Granite Association Championship Night on Saturday, September 14. The 60th-season celebration includes twin 60-lap features for the Late Models and Flying Tigers plus twin 30-lap features for the Street Stocks and Road Warriors. All division champions will be crowned at race’s end, including the “King of the Road”. Following the racing, the fun continues with a post-race pit party featuring the 40th U.S. Army Band Iron Sights.
All this is a lead-up to the 57th Vermont Milk Bowl presented by Northfield Savings Bank on Saturday, September 28 and Sunday, September 29. The two-day event includes the three-segment Milk Bowl on Sunday and a 150-lap event for the Pro All Stars Series Super Late Models on Saturday as part of Booth Bros./H.P. Hood Qualifying Day. Along the way, there will also be “Mini Milk Bowls” for the Flying Tigers, Street Stocks, Road Warriors, and New England Dwarf Cars.
This fantastic month of short track racing begins at 6:00pm on Saturday, August 31 with Four Cylinder Saturday. The North East Mini Stock Tour, Allen Lumber Street Stocks, and Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors have a trio of four-cylinder showdowns. The pits open at 3:00pm and the front gates open at 4:15pm. Admission is just $10 for adults and $3 for kids age 6-12.
The Labor Day doubleheader continues Sunday, September 1 at 1:30pm with the 41st Coca-Cola Labor Day Classic. The ACT Late Model Tour goes 200 green-flag laps while the Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers and Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors each have 50-lap features. The pits open at 8:30am and the front gates open at 10:30am. Admission is $25 for adults and free for kids ages 12 and under.
-Source: Michael R. Stridsberg/Thunder Road Speedbowl Media Director
(Stafford Springs, CT)—The Valenti Modified Racing Series returned to Stafford Motor Speedway on Friday, August 30th for the Lincoln Tech VMRS 80. Chase Dowling took the lead on lap-24 of the 80-lap event and he led the rest of the way, holding off Keith Rocco on several late restarts to win the Lincoln Tech 80.
The race took the green flag with Cam McDermott going outside polesitter Brad VanHouten to take the early race lead. Chase Dowling was quickly took second with Ronnie Williams coming up to third. Keith Rocco was fourth with Matt Galko up to fifth as VanHouten was side by side with Les Hinckley, Jr. for sixth place on lap-5.
With 20 laps complete, the order remained the same up front with McDermott leading Dowling, Williams, Rocco, and Hinckley. Anthony Flannery was up to sixth with Matt Galko seventh, Anthony Nocella eighth, Donnie Lashua ninth and Dave Etheridge tenth.
Dowling made a power move to the outside of McDermott going into turn 3 on lap-24 to move into the lead. Williams followed him into second and it appeared that McDermott’s car began to drop off the pace and he pulled on pit road on lap-26. Rocco was now third behind Dowling and Williams with Galko fourth and Flannery fifth.
With 45 laps complete Dowling was still in command with Williams, Rocco, Galko, Flannery, and Lashua lined up behind him. Etheridge was now seventh followed by Nocella, Hinckley, and Mike Willis, Jr. to make up the top-10.
Dowling was still comfortably in the lead with 10 laps to go with Williams, Rocco, Galko, and Flannery all still giving chase. Lashua, Etheridge, Nocella, Willis, and Dan Meservey, Jr. made up the top-10. The complexion of the race changed drastically when the caution came out with 75 laps complete for George Sherman, who came to a stop in the turn 4 grass to set up a 5-lap sprint to the finish.
DiMatteo and VanHouten both spun on the backstretch to bring the caution back out on the restart. The next restart saw spins in turn 4 by Etheridge and Meservey. Dowling took the lead on the third restart with Williams in second. Williams dropped off the pace with a flat right front tire and was limping back to pit road when the caution came back out with 76 laps complete. Williams’s misfortune put Rocco alongside Dowling for the next restart with Flannery and Owen making up the second row.
Dowling took the lead on the restart with Rocco in second and Galko in third. Rocco couldn’t get close enough to Dowling to make a move as Dowling took the checkered flag to win the Lincoln Tech 80. Galko finished third behind Dowling and Rocco with Flannery and Hinckley rounding out the top-5.
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LINCOLN TECH VMRS 80 (80)
1) Chase Dowling, Midland, NC
2) Keith Rocco, Berlin, CT
3) Matt Galko, Meriden
4) Anthony Flannery, East Hampton, CT
5) Les Hinckley, Jr., Windsor Locks
6) Todd Owen, Somers
7) Ronnie Williams, Ellington
8) Mike Willis, Jr., Grantham, NH
9) Donnie Lashua, Canaan, NH
10) Anthony Nocella, Woburn, MA
11) Andrew Molleur, Shelton, CT
12) Derek Robbie, Bellingham, MA
13) Dan Meservey, Jr., Brewster, MA
14) Brad VanHouten, Wading River, NY
15) CJ Bolton, Weare, NH
16) Cory DiMatteo, Farmington
17) Dave Etheridge, Portland, CT
18) Cameron Sontag, Sterling, MA
19) Sal Accardi, Jr., Deer Park, NY
20) George Sherman, Framingham, MA
21) Artie Pedersen, III, Center Moriches, NY
22) Cam McDermott, Canterbury
23) Kreig Heroth, Fort Plain, NY
Source: Scott Running/Stafford Speedway PR
Note: If your track, tour or event is not posted on this blog send your press releases and flyers to: lmodestino@hotmail.com
Rocco, Leary, Narducci, Provost, & Bessette Score Lincoln Tech VRMS 80 Feature Wins at Stafford Speedway
(Stafford Springs, CT)—Stafford Speedway returned to NASCAR Whelen All-American Series racing action on Friday, August 30th with the Valenti Modified Racing Series in the house for the Lincoln Tech VMRS 80. Keith Rocco was a winner for the second consecutive week in the SK Modified® feature, Tyler Leary won for the first time in nearly 2 years in the Late Model feature, Bryan Narducci scored his second consecutive and eighth overall feature win of the 2019 season in the SK Light feature, Duane Provost secured his second win of 2019 in the Limited Late Model feature, and George Bessette, Jr. took down his second consecutive and fourth overall win of 2019 in the Street Stock feature.
In the 40-lap SK Modified® feature event, Troy Talman took the early lead with Joey Cipriano applying heavy pressure in second. Tyler Hines was third with Cory DiMatteo fourth and Glen Reen fifth. Hines got into the back of Cipriano on lap-5 with Cipriano recovering in 14th place. Talman still held the lead with Hines now in second, DiMatteo third, Reen fourth and Andrew Molleur fifth.
Todd Owen got around Molleur for fifth on lap-7 with Michael Gervais, Jr. in sixth. Gervais took fifth from Owen on lap-10 and Hines was given the black flag for making contact with Cipriano. This put DiMatteo into second with Reen third, Keith Rocco fourth and Gervais fifth as Talman was still in the lead on lap-14. Reen got around DiMatteo to take over second on lap-15 but DiMatteo came right back and nearly retook the spot on lap-17. DiMatteo continued to look high and low for a way around Reen while Rocco and Gervais were closing in and Talman was still in the lead. DiMatteo made a pass stick on lap-20 to move back into second and drop Reen to third.
With DiMatteo now in second, he was slowly starting to eat into Talman’s lead with Reen and Rocco right behind him. Ronnie Williams and Owen were waging a thrilling side by side duel for sixth place with Williams taking sixth on lap-26.
With 10 laps to go, DiMatteo had closed the gap to Talman and was right on his back bumper. Rocco and Reen weren’t far behind in third and fourth and DiMatteo took the lead from Talman on lap-32 with a pass coming out of turn 2. DiMatteo’s pass for the lead allowed Rocco and Reen to close right up to the back bumper of Talman and Rocco took second on lap-33 with Reen taking third as Talman fell back to fourth.
Rocco took to the outside lane and ran side by side with DiMatteo for lap-36 before falling back into line. Rocco again went to the outside of DiMatteo on lap-38 and the two were virtually even at the line. The three leaders touched going down the backstretch with DiMatteo spinning and Reen hitting the wall to bring the caution out with 38 laps complete. Rocco brushed against the wall as he had white stripes all around his right side tires but he stayed on track in the lead for the restart. Williams was now second for the restart with Gervais and Talman in the second row.
Rocco took the lead with Williams right behind him in second. Williams couldn’t get close enough to Rocco on the final lap to make a move as Rocco took down his second consecutive win and fifth overall of the 2019 season. Gervais finished third with Owen and Talman rounding out the top-5.
In the 30-lap Late Model feature event, Tyler Leary took the lead at the drop of the green with Richard Ciriello in second. Michael Bennett held off Al Saunders for third with Michael Wray and Cliff Saunders side by side for fifth place. Tom Fearn and Ryan Fearn were slicing their way through traffic in the early going and with Wray taking third on lap-4, Tom Fearn took fourth from Bennett and Ryan Fearn took fifth on lap-5 as Bennett slid back to sixth in line.
Wray got by Ciriello to move into second on lap-6 and his move opened the door for Tom Fearn, Ryan Fearn, Al Saunders, Kevin Gambacorta, Wray, and Bennett to all get by Ciriello as he fell back to outside the top-10. Leary had built up a large lead of almost a full straightaway over Wray and Tom Fearn.
Tom Fearn took second from Wray on lap-9 and Ryan Fearn followed him through to take third and drop Wray back to fourth in line. At the halfway point of the race, Leary still held nearly a full straightway lead over Tom and Ryan Fearn with Wray fourth and Gambacorta fifth in line. Al Saunders was sixth followed by Wayne Coury, Jr., Cliff Saunders, Bennett, and Dave Wray. Bennett’s car began to drop off the pace on lap-19 and he brought his car to pit road on lap-20 where his team went under the hood.
With 5 laps to go, Leary was still out front by a wide margin with Tom and Ryan Fearn still in second and third. Gambacorta was fourth in line with Coury up to fifth. Leary led the field to the checkered flag to pick up his first win of the 2019 season in dominating fashion. Tom Fearn finished second with Ryan Fearn, Gambacorta, and Coury rounding out the top-5.
In the 20-lap SK Light feature event, Joey Ferrigno took the lead at the green and he led the first lap before Chris Matthews went to the front on lap-2. Teddy Hodgdon followed Matthews by Ferrigno to move into second with Amanda West taking third, Alexander Pearl fourth, and Mark Bakaj fifth as Ferrigno slid back to sixth in line. The caution came out with 3 laps complete for a multicar incident in turn 2 that involved the cars of Ed Chicoski, Glenn Bartkowski, and Sami Anderson.
Matthews and Hodgdon were side by side for the lead back under green with Pearl in third. West and Bob Charland were side by side for fourth. Hodgdon got clear to the lead on lap-6 with Matthews and Pearl now side by side for second while West and Charland were still side by side for fourth place. Pearl took second from Matthews with Charland getting the better of the duel with West for fourth. The caution came back out for debris on the frontstretch with 10 laps complete.
Hodgdon and Pearl were side by side for the lead but the caution came back out with 11 laps compete as Norm Sears, Robert Bloxsom, III, Glenn Griswold, and Ethan Durocher all spun on the frontstretch.
Matthews and Hodgdon were side by side for the lead with Narducci and Pearl side by side for third on the restart before Narducci went 3-wide with Hodgdon and Matthews before backing out and settling back in to second alongside Matthews as Hodgdon got clear to the lead.
Narducci made a move to the inside of Hodgdon on lap-15 to take over the lad. Hodgdon spun on lap-16 going down the backstretch and rejoined at the rear of the field as the race stayed green. Matthews was now second with Pearl third, Charland fourth and Wesley Prucker fifth as Narducci started to stretch out his lead. Narducci led the field to the checkered flag to pick up his eighth win of the 2019 season. Matthews finished second with Pearl, Charland, and Prucker rounding out the top-5.
In the 15-lap Limited Late Model feature event, Gary Patnode led the first lap before giving way to Duane Provost, who took the lead on lap-2. Jeremy Lavoie pulled alongside Provost on lap-4 for the lead and the two cars ran side by side for two laps before the caution came out with 5 laps complete as Alexandra Fearn slid into the turn 4 wall with a flat right front tire.
Lavoie and Provost resumed their side by side duel for the lead on the restart with Patnode in third. Matt Clement was fourth and Devon Jencik was fifth in line. Lavoie got clear to the lead on lap-8 with Patnode now side by side with Provost for second place with Clement right behind them. The caution came out with 8 laps complete for a spin in turn 2 by Kevin Crosby.
Lavoie took the lead on the restart with Provost slotting into second. Clement took third with Patnode fourth and Dave Gargaro, Jr. up to fifth. Provost made a move to the inside of Provost on lap-12 and he took the lead on lap-13. Clement was right behind Lavoie in third to form a 3-car train for the lead. Provost led Lavoie and Clement to the checkered flag to pick up his second win of the 2019 season. Patnode finished fourth with Gargaro rounding out the top-5.
In the 20-lap Street Stock feature event, Marvin Minkler led the first lap before Tyler Trott went to the lead on lap-2. Zack Robinson took second with Meghan Fuller third, George Bessette, Jr. fourth, and Adrien Paradis, III fifth as Minkler fell all the way back to ninth place.
Bessette made a move to the inside of Fuller on lap-6 and he was able to complete the pass on lap-7. Bessette then took the lead from Trott on lap-12 before the caution came out for a spin by Fuller in turn 3 that collected the car of Paradis.
Bessette took the lead on the restart with Robinson right on his back bumper in second. Paradis was third in line with Travis Hydar taking fourth from Trott on lap-15. Nicole Chambrello spun on the frontstretch to bring the caution back out with 15 laps complete.
Bessette took the lead back under green with Robinson still glued to his back bumper in second. Hydar took third from Paradis on lap-18 with Trott and Fuller side by side for fifth. Fuller took fifth on lap-19 but no one could catch Bessette as he took down his second consecutive and fourth overall feature win of the 2019 season. Robinson finished second with Hydar, Paradis, and Fuller rounding out the top-5.
Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park has adjusted all five NASCAR Whelen All-American Series rulebooks with an amendment in the tire rules section, effectively immediately. The new section of the rules reads as follows:
Participants are responsible for competing on tires that satisfy all of the above rules. Tire samples may be taken at any time to be analyzed by an independent testing laboratory that has been approved by the respective tire manufacturer. The participant’s samples will be compared with control samples provided by the tire manufacturer. Any tire samples that are found to not match the factory control sample will be deemed illegal and the participant will be subject to the penalties outlined above.
Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park returns to NASCAR Whelen All-American Series racing on Sunday, September 1, with Back To School Night at the races and all five NWAAS divisions. Lock City Drift will be in competition for The Clubhouse Circuit Showdown.
Oswego, N.Y. (August 22, 2019) – Both the ISMA management and the Oswego Speedway management are hoping to see a number of cars running the ISMA SuperNationals show Saturday (8/31) and running the Budweiser International Classic 200 on Sunday (9/1). If this happens that would help solidify the positive impact of the simpler tail configuration with the smaller tail wing for the Oswego cars which makes transforming from the Oswego configuration to the ISMA configuration a less complex transition. That was one of the goals of John Torrese when he proposed the simpler body configuration with either the ISMA or the Oswego wing. A move that makes it easier to move from one venue to the other.
To encourage teams to enter both the ISMA SuperNationals and the Oswego Classic we (ISMA/Oswego) are jointly offering a $500 bonus for any cars that qualify for both the ISMA SuperNationals and the Oswego Classic. This means the owner of a car (in the ISMA standard configuration of top wing) that qualifies and runs the ISMA SuperNationals, if the same car is reconfigured in the Oswego tail wing configuration and qualifies and runs the Oswego Classic the owner will be eligible to receive a $500 bonus in addition to the purse payouts for each venue.
To receive the bonus, the car must run the Friday Budweiser International Classic 200 Time Trials in the Oswego configuration and, with the same car in the ISMA standard configuration run all ISMA race events on Saturday and then, with the same car in the standard Oswego configuration return for all driver and race events scheduled for the 63rd Annual Budweiser International Classic on Sunday.
The next stop for the ISMA Super Modifieds will be at the Star Speedway in Epping, NH on the weekend of Friday and Saturday for the Annual Bob Webber Sr.Mdemorial Classic 125.
Eric Goodale is heading for the final five races of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season looking to score a victory. (Mike Lawrence/NASCAR)
BY KYLE SOUZA NASCAR.COM AUGUST 28, 2019
Eric Goodale might be fifth in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship standings, but he isn’t letting that number put him at ease. He wants to win. Badly.
The Riverhead, New York, driver has two top five finishes in the first 11 races of the season, but he scored both of them at the beginning of the season. He wants to turn it around when the Whelen Modified Tour returns to Oswego Speedway on Saturday for the Mod Classic 150 presented by McDonald’s.
“We’re having our best points year, which is cool, but not cool, because I’ve been really disappointed in our finishes this year,” Goodale said. “Two years ago we were contending for wins on the regular. That’s why you race, that’s why we show up. It’s fun to do, and I love and enjoy doing it. At the end of the day, you show up to win the race. We just haven’t been putting ourselves in position.”
The last two races definitely haven’t been what Goodale was looking for. At Stafford, he was running inside the top 10 on the final lap when contact sent him into the wall, forcing him to not finish. At Thompson, the team struggled and finished outside the top 10.
“We just haven’t had the speed in the cars — we haven’t deserved to win based off our speed. Jason (his crew chief) and I have worked together a lot. It’s been a hard year. We’ve had some solid finishes to walk away with and have a good ride home, but at the end of the day, not winning races is getting old really quick,” Goodale said.
“We got wrecked at Stafford and totally destroyed the car we’ve been racing with and we had to bring out the backup car at Thompson and we had a lot of issues. That was a tough race for us and it set us back a lot.”
For now, Goodale is looking forward. He has two consecutive top five finishes at Oswego, and he’s hoping that this Saturday’s event pans out the same way.
“We’re pinning a lot on this race to get our ship back together,” Goodale said. “I can tell you that we are not lacking anything off the track, we’re doing everything we need to do. Some of it is probably me as a driver, some of it might be the car. Everything isn’t quite working the way I know that it can. We are looking at every aspect of what we are doing to see if we can find the little bit extra. We have a few tricks up our sleeve.”
Oswego is one of the venues on the Whelen Modified Tour schedule that Goodale says is unlike any of the others. Saturday’s race puts the series on the big stage as part of the track’s annual Classic Weekend, which also includes major Supermodified events.
“It’s fun, and it’s bumpy as (expletive),” Goodale said. “You have the raised interior wall all the way around the track that keeps you honest. It’s really easy to get pinched in there with your left-front. There is no nicking that wall — you can completely tear the left-front right off your car. It adds a whole dynamic.”
“It’s also two completely different turns. Everyone feeds on the bottom in turns one and two, but in three and four, everyone wants to enter on the bottom and you push up the hill. You want to run the bottom, but you don’t have much grip. It’s tough. That’s where the opportunities for passing happen.”
With five races left, Goodale’s chances of winning the Whelen Modified Tour championship might be slipping away. But he has one major goal in mind, and all his attention is towards it.
“I want to win a damn race,” Goodale said. “The points will take care of itself, and I want to finish top five in points. But I honestly just want to win a damn race.”
:Plainfield, NH’s Rich Dubeau (#30NH) comes into the Coca-Cola Labor Day Classic trying to hold onto his point lead at track where he’s just starting to find his stride. (Alan Ward photo)>>
Williamstown, VT’s Jimmy Hebert, seen here after a win at Thompson Speedway in June, is still looking for his first ACT victory at his home track. (Eric LaFleche/LaFlechePhotos.com photo)
Thunder Road Speedbowl lives up to its motto “The Nation’s site of excitement!
Waterbury, VT – The American-Canadian Tour enters the next-to-last round of its 10-round title bout this Sunday, September 1 with the 41st Coca-Cola Labor Day Classic at Barre, VT’s Thunder Road. With two point-counting races remaining on the schedule, it looks increasingly likely ACT will have a first-time champion in 2019. Sunday’s race will play a huge role in deciding who that champion will be.
In one corner sits Plainfield, NH’s Rich Dubeau. The 30-year-old rom New Hampshire’s Upper Valley joined the ACT Late Model Tour full-time in 2015 as the classic underdog. To this day, Dubeau has one of the Tour’s smallest budgets, traveling to each event with a small-but-dedicated crew.
But in 2019, Dubeau has completed a five-year transformation from bantamweight to heavyweight. He earned his first ACT victory on June 1 at Quebec’s Autodrome Chaudiere and has finished no worse than seventh in the eight events this year. This remarkable string of excellence has him atop the standings with a 26-point lead.
“Coming into this season, I had two goals – and I thought they were pretty hard-to-reach goals,” Dubeau said. “One was to continue improving in points, which we had done every year since we’d been on the Tour. Last year we finished fourth, so this year I was hoping for a top-three in points, which I thought would be challenging in and of itself. The second goal was that I wanted to get a win. So we’ve already pretty much met my goals from the beginning of the season. I honestly didn’t picture being anywhere near this position – not five years ago or even coming into this season. I’ve been over-the-top happy with how things have gone so far.”
In the opposite corner sits Williamstown, VT’s Jimmy Hebert. While he is younger than Dubeau, the 28-year-old Hebert has been with ACT since 2012. He and his Hebert Excavation team have proven themselves as one of the Late Model powerhouses of the Northeast with five ACT wins at five different tracks. He most recently stood in Victory Lane this past June 29 at Connecticut’s Thompson Speedway.
However, while Hebert has come close to a championship several times, the top spot at season’s end has eluded him. Hebert finished second in points in 2014 and has come in third two other times, including last year. This season, he is in the hunt again, running second to Dubeau entering Sunday’s event.
“It seems like at almost every race, we’ve had something of some sort happen,” Hebert remarked. “To still be in contention after all the bad draws, flat tires, starting in the back, bad restarts, and everything else that’s happened this year has been pretty good. We’ve had extremely fast cars at every race we’ve gone to – it just seems like circumstances have taken us out of some chances to win. I think if we can have a clean race this weekend, we can gain a lot of points.”
This weekend’s round of the championship battle takes Dubeau and Hebert to Thunder Road — one of the toughest tracks on the Tour. It’s a track where the experience and success levels of the two drivers varies greatly. Add in the wild card of a strong local Late Model class, and it’s truly impossible to predict what could happen.
Thunder Road is truly Hebert’s home track. He started racing in go-karts there, then won a Flying Tiger championship and a Late Model Rookie of the Year Award before making the jump to the ACT Tour. His ACT results at the track have largely backed up his reputation as a “hometown guy” with two runner-up finishes and five other top-10s. However, Hebert is still looking for his first Late Model win at Thunder Road, and he knows Sunday would be the perfect time to get it.
“This is probably the best chance we’ve had,” Hebert said. “We tried some stuff at the Governor’s Cup – some if worked, some of it didn’t. So we decided that, even though we haven’t been running there it all year, we’re going to bring the new car to Thunder Road. With the points being as tight as they are and the season getting down to the wire, we need to bring our best piece to every race.”
“At most tracks, (the local experience) doesn’t really seem to matter, but Thunder Road is such a unique track and takes such a unique setup that it seems to give the locals a real upper hand,” Hebert added. “We’ve tried to run there as much as we can the last couple years to help out our program there, because we want to win there in the worst way.”
Dubeau, on the other hand, has only recently started to realize his potential at the Barre high banks. His fifth-place finish at the Community Bank N.A. 150 in May was just Dubeau’s second top-10 finish in seven ACT visits to the track. Still, the Labor Day Classic is more of a wild-card for Dubeau, and he knows he’ll need a good showing to stay in position for the title.
“The approach remains the same as pretty much every track we go to – look at our notes and try to improve any way we can,” Dubeau said. “The last time we were at Thunder Road was the first time we ran really well there. I think a lot of that has to do with stiff competition from the locals – they’re really good. I expect it to be a tough race. I hate to sound this way, but honestly, I’d be okay with a top-10, just because the competition is so stiff.”
Both racers will also have to battle the best of ACT and Thunder as they hungrily pursue the title. Two-time defending ACT Champion Scott Payea of Colchester, VT maintains the proverbial puncher’s chance with a 59-point gap behind Dubeau. E. Bridgewater, MA’s Ryan Kuhn, Milton, VT’s Dylan Payea, Graniteville, VT’s Christopher Pelkey, and Blainville, QC’s Jonathan Bouvrette are among the other ACT full-timers aiming for a strong run.
Locals such as Jason Corliss, Scott Dragon, Cody Blake, and Marcel J. Gravel will likely be in attendance as well to defend their home field. They’ll be trying to add their name to a granite monument that includes Northeast racing legends such as Larry Demar, Jean-Paul Cabana, Bobby Dragon, Brian Hoar, and Dave Dion.
Qualifying for the 41st Coca-Cola Labor Day Classic 200 at Thunder Road begins at 1:30pm this Sunday, September 1. The ACT Late Model Tour is joined by a 50-lap feature for the track’s Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tigers and the first annual Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warrior Challenge. The pits open at 8:30am and the front gates open at 10:30am. Admission is $25 for adults and free for kids ages 12 and under.
Those who can’t make it to Vermont on Sunday can watch the Labor Day Classic on Speed51 TV as part of their Summer Thunder package. A monthly or yearly subscription is required and a 100-mile blackout is in effect. Visit www.speed51.com for more information.
-Michael R. Stridsberg/American-Canadian Tour Media Director
Notge: If your track, tour or event is not posted on this b log send your press releases and flyers to: lmodestino@hotmail.com
Capeway Rovers M/C 85th Anniversary Races Middleboro, MA NCSC / NEMX Monster EnergySept 7th & 8th Racing Saturday & Sunday 2 Moto Format Trophies each Day No 1 Day Membership 250A / 450A Expert Payout per Moto Capeway Rovers $ Chart Open A / Vet A 50% after 2nd Moto WeatherBest Racing of the Season“Not too Hot Not Too Cold”Mid to upper 70’s Giveaway’s Saturday & Sunday Who Likes Free Stuff??? We’ve got Helmets, Gear Bag Plus Dealer gift cards BettencourtsC Cycle Hutch Motorsports Monty’s Harley Davidson Pilgrim Powersports Plymouth County Powersports
Restaurant Gift Cards Damien’s Hanson, MAGIARDINO’S Abington, MA Happy Dragon Halifax, MAThe Brook Kitchen & Tap Holbrook, MA Tommy Doyle’s @ Sidelines Brockton, MA Contingency Saturday Husqvarna – Honda – Suzuki Sunday Husqvarna – Honda Saturday Night Free Make Your Own Ice Cream Sundae Free Candy Bar Bingo In the Snack BarNO STARTING ANY MACHINES BEFORE 9AMUpon Entering the Property Everyone in your Vehicle must have wristband on before pulling away from the Entrance Racing Saturday & Sunday 2 Moto FormatTrophies each Day No 1 Day Membership 250A / 450A Expert Payout per Moto Capeway Rovers $ Chart Open A / Vet A 50% after 2nd Moto Race Sign upRiders Meeting 8:45am Saturday & SundaySign up for Saturday $35 per class Friday Night 6pm-7:30pm Saturday 7am-9am Sign up for Sunday $35 per class Saturday During the Day Sunday 7am-9amGate Opens Friday Night 6-10pm $30 per person under 4 free Saturday 6:30am – 10pm $30 per person under 4 free, $15 after 2 pm cutoffs Saturday Night by 6 pm with $30 Wristband no exceptions $15 refund Sunday Gate opens 6:30 am $15 per person under 4 free NO STARTING ANY MACHINES BEFORE 9AM Golf Carts/ Medical Carts $10 weekend golf cart license – must be a licensed driver to operate and register a golf cart Medical Licenses Free -Register at Sign up. ONLY Golf carts/Side by Sides/UTV’s are allowed to be registered as pit vehicles. Please be respectful to all in attendance while using pit vehicles. No racing or reckless driving will be tolerated!! NO EXCUSES!! Violators will have their permit revoked and no refund will be given.
PIT BIKES/SCOOTERS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BE USED AS PIT VEHICLES!!! YOUR RACE BIKES CAN ONLY BE RIDDEN TO AND FROM THE GATE to your PIT 1ST GEAR AT WALKING SPEED!!MyLaps Transponder Rental will be $20 Saturday with Credit Cardor $200 Cash as collateral plus $10 for Each Holder. Not Racing Sunday $10 Refund on Transponder rented for Saturday Racing The deposit will be refunded upon return,Holder rental return will receive Track Bucks
NO BICYCLE RIDING ON RACE DAY EVER!!!NO DOGS ON THE TRACK EVER!!! No one other than track personnel allowed on the track for any reason. If your rider falls do not go on the track If looking for a second class to Ride:50cc 4-6 & 7-8 = 50cc Open, 65cc 7-9 & 10-11 = 65 Open, 85cc 9-11 & 12-15 = Supermini, 125 Youth AB – C & 250 A-B-C & 450 A-B-C = Open A-B-C. 250-2 Strokes are allowed in the 250/450/Open Class 250-4 Strokes are allowed in the 250/Open Classes 250-2 Strokes are not allowed in the Youth Class 85cc Maximum Wheel size not to exceed:17” Front 14” Rear no Big Wheels allowed. We are not equipped to handle your waste oil or old tires so please take them with you. The D.E.P. has rules we must all follow about these materials so please do your part.
MOTO MOM T Shirts available in cafeteria $18 Capeway Classic T’sCapeway Rovers T’sCapeway Rovers Hoodies Capeway Rovers SweatshirtsAvailable @ Sign up Saturday RACE ORDER 50cc Open125 Youth A/B/C40 A/B/C65cc 7-9/10-11Open A/B/CSupermini50cc 4-6 / 7-8250 A/B/C65cc Open30+ A/B/CWomen / 50+85cc 9-11/12-15450 A/B/C
SundayRACE ORDER Sunday50cc 4-6 / 7-8250 A/B/C65cc OpenWomen / 50+30+ A/B/C85cc 9-11/12-15450 A/B/C50cc Open125 Youth A/B/C40 A/B/C65cc 7-9/10-11Open A/B/C Supermini Check final race order after practice!!!!!!!!!!
CAPEWAY ROVERS M/C | P O BOX 2304, ABINGTON, MA 02351
Hello, everyone! Please find attached the following information sheets for the Interstate All Battery Center “Vermont 200 Weekend” event at Devil’s Bowl Speedway:
Vermont 200 “FAQ” Frequently Asked Questions
Weekend Schedule
Ticket, Pit Pass, and Camping Info
Sportsman Sunday Qualifying Procedure
Weekend Purse (All Divisions)
Please read all of the information carefully, as this is a much different event than our weekly Sunday shows!
NOTES:–Saturday, the Limited Sportsman, Super Stock, Mini Stock, and 500cc Mini Sprint divisions are racing FOR POINTS. Sunday, all licensed Sportsman Modified drivers will earn 50 Devil’s Bowl points whether they qualify for the main event or not. –Saturday’s Sportsman Modified “Ron Casey Memorial” event is an optional non-winners race for drivers who have not won in a Big Block, Small Block/358, Sportsman, or Limited at ANY track (not just Devil’s Bowl) in 2019. There is also a 30-minute open practice session on Saturday following the races. –The 500cc Mini Sprint division will be running a money race this week, which means drivers will NOT receive a free pit pass! Please be prepared! We need a W9 tax form completed for all drivers! –The Sportsman Modified event on Sunday will be a draw for heats. There will not be time trials this year. Saturday’s non-winners race is also a draw for heats. –Dry camping is open now through Monday for $25 per campsite. Tents are allowed. Spaces are 20 feet long each with no hookups. No fires allowed on the ground – fires must be in a raised fire pit above the ground. –Everyone is invited to the Saturday night pig roast and bonfire party! Your pit pass or general admission ticket will get you into the BBQ at no charge! For anyone just stopping by without a pit pass or ticket, the BBQ price is $10 adults and $5 for kids 12 and under. –ALL DRIVERS: Please remember to check in at the pit tower upon arrival to the track so that you are handicapped correctly. And PLEASE make us aware of any driver changes as soon as they happen! –ALL DRIVERS: Please make sure that your Raceceiver (or other radio communication device) is working and has fresh batteries every week, and make sure that your earbuds are also working and are loud enough! –ALL DRIVERS: Please make sure that your MYLAPS transponder is fully charged, mounted correctly, and has an active subscription! If your transponder isn’t working, you may not be scored correctly! As always, please contact us with your questions and concerns: Mike Bruno – (802) 236-9141 Justin St. Louis – (802) 355-3282 Track Office – (802) 265-3112
Thanks, and we’ll see you this weekend for the VERMONT 200!–Devil’s Bowl Speedway Staff ————————————————————Devil’s Bowl Speedway
(Stafford Springs, CT)—When the Valenti Modified Racing Series takes the green flag this Friday, August 30 at Stafford Speedway for the Lincoln Tech 80, Cory DiMatteo will be making his series debut behind the wheel of the John Fredericks owned #10. DiMatteo will carry sponsorship from Sign Pro and Island Cove Yacht Sales for his VMRS debut.
“This will be my first time in a car with a lot of horsepower so I’m excited about the opportunity,” said DiMatteo. “John’s shop is close to ours and one of my crew member’s father is good friends with John, so we were able to work out a deal. The plan is to try to keep all 4 wheels on the car for 80 laps and hopefully we can get a top-5 finish. I have to thank Sign Pro and Island Cove Yacht Sales for coming on board and supporting me in John’s car for the VMRS race. Right now there aren’t any future plans so I’m focused on this race to get a good finish for John and for myself.”
Although DiMatteo is a former SK Light champion at Stafford and he is in his second season of SK Modified® competition at the Connecticut half-mile, he knows that he will face a balancing act of how hard to push the #10 car during the race while at the same time trying to conserve his tires for the closing laps. In order to help prepare himself for the Lincoln Tech 80, DiMatteo has been reviewing old video to pick up some tips.
“I think the car is going to be fine, the hard part is going to be monitoring my pace throughout the race and saving the tires,” said DiMatteo. “I watched Tommy Barrett for a lot of years so I’m going to try to do what he used to do when he won a bunch of MRS events and I’ve been watching the Sid’s View in-car camera deals that he did last year at Stafford. I was watching Ronnie Silk and Woody Pitkat and listening to how they said the car felt at the start of the race and how it was at the halfway point of the race and that’s something that I want to mimic. I remember watching Rowan Pennink when he was driving the 25 car and if you have better tires than everyone else with 10 laps to go, you’re going to be way faster. Once the tires are gone, they’re gone and there’s no getting them back so it’s going to be all about finding where that line is with the tires and hopefully we can get lucky and have that figured out. We’ll see how it goes. Tire management is going to be the biggest lesson I’m going to learn and hopefully take that knowledge with me for future races.”
In addition to the Lincoln Tech 80, DiMatteo will be one of 10 Stafford regulars from the SK Modified® and SK Light divisions that will be pulling double duty. DiMatteo isn’t worried at all about splitting time between his #6 SK Modified® and #10 VMRS cars.
“Last year I ran a legend car and SK at Waterford but this is going to be my first time driving two modifieds,” said DiMatteo. “I like getting as many laps as I can. If I could drive 5 cars in a night then I would.”
As the 2019 SK Modified® season draws closer to its conclusion, DiMatteo and the #6 team are closing in on nailing down their first SK Modified® feature win. DiMatteo nearly won the July 19 SK Modified® feature, leading the first 36 laps before contact after a late race caution relegated him to a 14th place finish. DiMatteo and the #6 team had notched three top-5 finishes in their previous 4 starts before an engine issue didn’t allow them to start the feature last Friday. DiMatteo and his crew have the #6 ready to go for this Friday night’s Lincoln Tech 80 program.
“The SK is all ready to go and it’ll be back at the track Friday,” said DiMatteo. “We’re still trying to get our first win. The car has been really good, we just need to have the cards fall the right way for us. The car has been a lot faster, especially in practice. The drivability has been much better and much more comfortable for me the last 5 weeks than it’s been all year. If we can keep putting ourselves in contention, anything can happen on a Friday night at Stafford. If we can keep on doing what we’ve been doing the last couple weeks putting ourselves in the top-5 and racing for the lead, eventually we’ll get our first win.”
The Lincoln Tech 80 Valenti Modified Racing Series takes to the track this Friday, August 30 with qualifying beginning at 6:30pm. Stafford’s five NASCAR Whelen All-American Series divisions will also be in action. Tickets for this event are priced at $30.00 for adult general admission tickets, $5.00 for children ages 6-14, and children ages 5 and under are admitted free of charge when accompanied by an adult. Reserved seat tickets are $32.00 for all ages. All ticket prices include 10% CT Admission Tax. Stafford Motor Speedway offers plenty of free parking along with overnight parking available for self contained Recreational Vehicles.
