Jul 31, 2013 | Maine Racing News, NE Racing News, NHMS, Touring Series News
story by Chris Roy
One of the familiar Legends drivers at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) is Taylor Martin. This is Taylor’s third season racing in a Legends Car at NHMS and this young veteran driver is also the first female driver to ever compete in a Legends Car at NHMS. Last weekend, the Legends Cars raced a triple header; one race on the oval and two races on the road course. Taylor came away with her sixth straight top three in the Granite State Legends Series, and two more top ten finishes in the MOAT Mountain Road Course Series. This weekend, Taylor is heading back to NHMS for another triple header: “Yeah! I’m really excited for this weekend’s triple header at NHMS. We’re just doing a few final touches on the cars before we load them up.”
The road course at NHMS has left and right turns long straight aways, paperclip turns, and rolling hills. The Mini Magic Mile also has a flat front stretch and a banked back stretch, setting up some close side by side racing keeping the driver constantly busy. So which race track at NHMS is Taylor’s favorite? “To be honest, I’m more of an oval fan. I like racing on the road course because all the shifting keeps you busy but it does take a toll on you physically. And, I have been racing ovals all my life so it’s what I’m best at.”
(more…)
Jul 31, 2013 | Lee Speedway, Maine Racing News, NE Racing News
Lee USA Speedway has reschedule the 50 lap Hobby Stock event which was scheduled for last Friday night will be held this Friday night, August 2nd. The event is the highlight of the season for the David’s Race Cars and Components Hobby Stocks. Jim Piaseczny and Patrick Tanguay have been on top of the point standings all season. Piaseczny has three wins and Tanguay just got that elusive first win a few weeks ago. Other hobby stock winners in 2013 include Wade Worster, Paul Palen, Billy Clement, and David MacDonald.
David and Annette Joyce of David’s Race Cars and Components are long-standing sponsors of the division and many of the competing cars were built in their Derry, NH shop. Many more have benefitted from upgrades and specialized components from David’s Race Cars. For nearly 40 years, “It’s the right place to turn left.” Hot rods, street rods, custom cars and other automotive fabrication projects are also some of their specialties. Even if you’re planning on going straight, Dave Joyce may still be the man to talk to.
(more…)
Jul 31, 2013 | American Canadian Tour, Maine Racing News, NE Racing News, Thunder Road, Touring Series News
Tiger Sportsmen Special 100-Laps
Barre, VT – The stars of Thunder Road International Speedbowl in Barre, VT are preparing for a busy August schedule, set to begin this Thursday (Aug. 1) with VP Racing Fuels Night. The Bond Auto Tiger Sportsmen will battle in a special 100-lap event along with regular events for the Late Models and Allen Lumber Street Stocks.
The hunt for the Bond Auto Tiger Sportsmen crown has reached an all new intensity heading into Thursday’s VP Racing Fuels 100. The top five are separated by just 36 points following last week’s double points night. Two-time Tiger Champion Shawn Fleury currently leads the way, but Eric Badore, Jason Allen, Jason Woodard and Brendan Moodie all remain within striking distance of their first career title.
(more…)
Jul 31, 2013 | Maine Racing News, NE Racing News, NHMS
Hot Import Nights added to six-day docket of on- and off-track events
LOUDON, N.H. – No longer scheduled in the doldrums of a rainy, cool May, the 23rd annual Vintage Racing Celebration returns to the Magic Mile this week for six days of hot, intense on-track action. The midsummer classic, which has added two more days from its 2012 schedule, will run from Tuesday, July 30 through Sunday, Aug. 4.
This is New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s opportunity to make history come alive once again as it brings back vehicles that, while they may be old in appearance and date, still offer excitement and entertainment when it comes to on-track racing. The Vintage Racing Celebration includes oval and road course track days; the Classic & Custom Car Show; and, for the very first time, Hot Import Nights, an auto show featuring compact and tuner import cars.
(more…)
Jul 31, 2013 | Granite State Series, Maine Racing News, NE Racing News, Touring Series News
After a three week layoff, on Saturday, August 3rd, the Granite State Pro Stocks return to the high banks of Monadnock Speedway for the second annual JBH Memorial 100. This is the second of two events scheduled at the Winchester, NH speedplant.
The first JBH Memorial was postponed three times before it was finally run in 2012, before having the name changed to the Vampire 100 in October. Even with the weather finally cooperating, John Hoyt’s presence was felt as the lights went dim just before introductions.
Barry Gray, former Monadnock Speedway Pro Stock Champion picked up the win on that mid autumn evening, holding off Fran Colson and reigning GSPSS Champion Bobby Cabral. It was the first series win for Gray, which remains his only win to date on the series. (more…)
Jul 31, 2013 | Maine Racing News
ARCA/CRA Super Series: Austin Theriault
Lucas Oil Raceway Park Race Report
SALEM, Ind. – Austin Theriault of Fort Kent, Maine, finished fifth in the ARCA/CRA Super Series Night Of Stars 100 at Lucas Oil Raceway Park in Salem, Ind., on Friday, July 26. Theriault qualified seventh in his first trip to the famed .625-mile oval outside of Indianapolis, and rallied to finish in the Top-5 to mark his sixth consecutive Top-6 finish in the Brad Keselowski Racing No. 29 Checkered Flag Foundation Ford Fusion. Theriault spent the limited amount of practice time at LORP dialing the car in after unloading at the flat track and felt that by the time the race ended the car was the best it had been all weekend.
WHO: Austin Theriault, Fort Kent, Maine
TEAM: Brad Keselowski Racing No. 29 Checkered Flag Foundation Ford Fusion
CREW CHIEF: Gary Crooks, Mooresville, N.C.
WHAT: ARCA/CRA Super Series Night Of Stars 100
WHERE: Lucas Oil Raceway Park, Salem, Ind. (.625-mile oval)
STARTED: 7th
FINISHED: 5th
********
AUSTIN, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE DAY OVERALL AT LUCAS OIL RACEWAY PARK?
Honestly, it was one of the more challenging weekends we’ve had in a while. We unloaded and struggled with both cars, both Trey Mitchell and myself. With the limited amount of practice time and it being a one-day race, we spent the first practice throwing a whole bunch of things at the car. We made some gains on it, and in the second practice we just tried to focus on continuing to make the gains we made in the first practice. We kind of just ran out of time, and had to race with what we ended up with.
We made some changes before the race. Looking back at them, they might have been wrong way to go – but it was just the way everything ended up with the circumstances, there wasn’t much else we could do. We still ran a decent race. We finished better than we qualified, which was positive. I really felt like we had a Top-5 car, and that’s where we ended up finishing. It was another positive weekend where we learned some stuff, and we did some things we’ll be able to build on.
WHAT WERE YOUR IMPRESSIONS OF THE TRACK?
The track was one of the more challenging race tracks I’ve been to, both to race on and to pass on. You really had to be a lot faster than the guy ahead of you to pass them. There wasn’t a bottom groove, nor was there really a second groove. Most everybody was running at the top of the race track near the wall. That’s where we were fastest.
You had to make up a lot of ground on restarts. We just weren’t fortunate to start on the outside on any of the restarts, but we stayed out of trouble and tried to take what the track would give us.
WHAT DOES THE RECENT STRING OF TOP-6 FINISHES DO FOR YOU AND THE TEAM?
It’s a positive to be able to do that, but we all know that we’re capable of winning. We could have won some of these races – just sometimes it comes down to the circumstances and how the races play out. Things just didn’t play in our favor in a couple of them.
It’s also ammunition for us to work harder and to try harder to try to turn some of these Top-5 and Top-6 finishes in the future into wins. It’s not a bad thing we’re doing this, it allows us to build on something when you’re not wrecking race cars and can finish Top-5 every week. It allows you to work on something bigger. Now we just have to work on being able to turn Top-5s into wins.
