Jun 12, 2014 | New England Motorsports North
By Lou Modestino
On Saturday evening of June 14, the race that many consider to be the crown jewel of pavement Modified Open shows; the fourth annual SBM 125 IV will take place at Star Speedway in Epping, New Hampshire. The total purse has grown to more than $44,000 as a result of unprecedented support from race fans and small businesses, with still ten more days for it to increase further.
This premier event for tour-type Modifieds has grown each season since it began in 2011 to help bring teams extra purse money and this fourth annual will be no different. It brings the most diverse field of Modified talent all season to the two-groove quarter-mile oval known as the track, “Where Champions are Made,” because it is where Champion drivers such as Chris Perley, Russ Wood and Bobby Santos learned to win races.
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Jun 7, 2014 | NE Racing News, New England Motorsports North
By Lou Modestino
Management has pulled the plug once again on Friday nights, Budweiser Oxford Championship Series. With rain showers throughout the area, and more rain scheduled for overnight, it was in best interest of both racers and race fans to postpone the event til Sunday afternoon, June 1st, at 1:30 pm.
Budweiser day at the races will feature the PASS Mods, Pass Sportsman, Budweiser Pro Late Models, Allen’s Coffee Flavored Brandy Street Stocks, Ripley & Fletcher Ford Outlaw Sportsman, and the all new Bandit division.
The pit gate will open at 9 am, while the grandstands will open up at 11am. Adults are just $12, Seniors and Military Personnel are just $10, and Juniors are just $5.
A summer time of Thursday night action on the high banks of Barre’s Thunder Road is set to kick off with FairPoint Communications night. This Thursday, June 5, the “Nation’s Site of Excitement” opens its gates for its 55th season of stock car racing Thursday night action. The Late Models, Bond Auto Tiger Sportsmen and Allen Lumber Street Stocks will all be racing. While the first two events of the season were among the biggest and most prestigious held at Thunder Road, it’s the gritty Thursday night action each week where drivers win or lose titles.
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May 30, 2014 | NE Racing News, New England Motorsports North
By Lou Modestino
$10 off tickets are now available throughout the area at many different vendors for the June 20th, 2014 edition of the Bentley Warren Classic for ISMA Super Modifieds, brought to you by Locke Crane Services.
“We are pleased to be able to offer these discount tickets at various outlets throughout the area surrounding Oxford Plains Speedway, stated OPS owner Tom Mayberry. We want as many people as possible to see this mega-show, and also visit the many different mini-marts, restaurants and stores throughout the Oxford region. We will be posting the names of businesses that have these $10 off coupons on our website.”
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Apr 11, 2014 | New England Motorsports North
By Lou Modestino
It’s been a long hard winter throughout the Northeast, and the harsh winter has caused Pro All Stars Series President, Tom Mayberry to move the Oxford Plains Speedway’s scheduled season opening, Ripley & Fletcher Ford 150 from Saturday, April 12, 2014 to Saturday, April 26that 2 p.m. This change turns the weekend into a giant doubleheader as PASS North will open their Series on Saturday, and the $7,000 to win, Colossal Carnage 150 Enduro will go green on Sunday.
“We knew it was risky scheduling the opener in early April, but the past few seasons have allowed us to open up earlier as warm weather has graced us in late February and early March. Right now we still have several inches of snow on the grounds, and even with warm weather, we don’t feel the grounds will dry up enough to allow the event to be held on April 12th, stated Mayberry. We want to make sure to give plenty of advanced notice to our race teams, race fans, and employees, and that’s why we decided to make this decision well in advance of the event.”
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Jan 29, 2014 | New England Motorsports North
By Lou Modestino
The four race Vermont State Late Model Championship series, which boasts an $11,000 point fund, will see changes in 2014. The series, which features four events split between Vermont’s only two paved oval speedways, will now include the Labor Day Classic at Barre’s Thunder Road on the schedule, instead of the Vermont Governor’s Cup as in years past.
The Vermont State Late Model Championship was created in 2012 and hosts two races each at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven and Thunder Road in Barre. Once again the series will kick off with the Mekkelsen RV Memorial Day Classic 100 at Thunder Road on Sunday, May 25. The 1/4-mile portion of the series will conclude with the Labor Day Classic 200 on Sunday, August 31. The Labor Day event will also be the final Thunder Road Late Model point-counting event for 2014.
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Jan 16, 2014 | New England Motorsports North
By Lou Modestino
PASS President Tom Mayberry is pleased to announce a brand new series for Late Models which will be unveiled at Oxford Plains Speedway in 2014. The division will race three times this season at OPS with the possibility of a full fledged Late Model Series developing in 2015.
Mayberry explained, “The timing is right for a new Late Model Series to be developed and implemented on a test basis in 2014. There are tons of Late Models just sitting idle, and several other tracks, and series cars will be able to participate as well. We have developed a universal set of rules that will just about encompass any racecars with just minimal changes. We will be debuting the PASS Northeast Late Model Series at Oxford on Friday, June 13, 2014 with a 100 lap, $2,000 to win main event. Round number two will take place on the Saturday of the Oxford 250 weekend, July 19th.
This race will feature a 125 lap main event paying $4,000 to win, or $3,000 and a guaranteed provisional for the Oxford 250 on Sunday. The final event of the Series will take place on the PASS Championship Weekend at OPS, which is slated for September 26th and 27th. This race will also feature a $2,000 to win, 100 lap main event. We are all excited about launching the PASS Northeast Late Model Series, and have a very good feeling that this Series will be very successful. The Late Model Series will carry the PASS banner in 2014. If the initial endeavor is successful than we will look to expand the Series in 2015.”
The purses are listed below for the three race Series:
June 13 & September 27, 2014 Purses.
1st, $2,000,
2nd $1,200,
3rd $800,
4th $600,
5th $550,
6th $500,
7th $475,
8th $450,
9th 425,
10th $400,
11th $375,
12th $350,
13th $340,
14th $330,
15th $320,
16th $310,
17th-32nd $300
Several reports tell of Maine native Steve Letarte leaving Dale Earnhardt, Jr’s Sprint Cup car to join NBC as a color analyst beginning with the 2015 season.
The American Canadian Tour (ACT) held its annual Banquet of Champions at the Doubletree Inn in Burlington, VT on Saturday, January 11. ACT honored its 2013 champions and top ten competitors from the Northeastern U.S.-based ACT Late Model Tour and the Quebec-based Série ACT. ACT Late Model competitors from across the region battled in point counting and special events for their share of over $900,000 in purses and point funds during 2013.
Wayne Helliwell, Jr. of Dover, NH and car owner Bruce Bernhardt earned their second straight ACT Late Model Tour title in 2013. Helliwell defended his 2012 title with two feature wins and another ACT Championship. He and his team narrowly avoided disaster in the final event of the season and hung on to their slim lead to earn the title. Helliwell and Bernhardt also claimed the Ford Blue Oval Cup title for the fourth straight season.
Jean-François Déry from Quebec City, QC claimed his first career Série ACT Championship in one of the closest battles in Série history. The veteran Série ACT competitor and perennial frontrunner picked up two feature wins during his title bid. He claimed the championship by just eight points in the highly competitive series that visits several tracks across the province of Quebec.
Brothers Denis and Louis Larue were awarded the prestigious Don MacTavish Award for their support and dedication to ACT and the sport of stock car racing. The Larue brothers have owned and managed a top-tier team on the Série ACT since its inception in 2007. They continue to be an integral part of the success of the Quebec-based series.
The annual Crew Chief of the Year Awards were also presented for both the ACT U.S. and the Série ACT at the banquet. Joe Polewarczyk of Hudson, NH earned the U.S. award after turning wrenches and spotting for his son Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. The Polewarczyk team finished second in the standings after claiming four feature wins in 2013. Andre Beaudoin received the honors for the Série ACT Crew Chief of the Year Award. As a former driver-turned-crew chief, Beaudoin helped guide driver Alex Labbe and the Larue team to a runner-up finish in the 2013 standings.
Rookie of the Year Awards went to Bobby Therrien (ACT U.S.) and Martin Goulet, Jr. (Série ACT). Therrien joined a short list of drivers to earn a feature win during their rookie season on his way to the rookie title. Goulet steadily improved during his first season on the Série ACT and claimed a top ten in the final standings.
American Canadian Tour Late Model teams will return to action in just a few short months with the season opening NH Governor’s Cup 150 at Lee USA Speedway in Lee, NH on Sunday, April 13. The 2014 Série ACT season will kick off with a 100-lap event at Autodrome St-Eustache in St-Eustache, QC on Saturday, May 24.
For more information and complete 2014 schedules.
At the annual banquet tour director Tom Curley told the assembly that he expects to continue on in his job through the 2015 season. Tom has also made no secret of the fact that his two tours are up for sale as is the Thunder Road International Speedbowl in VT. He’s also suffering with COPD which has impacted his day-to-day activities with his three companies.
In four months, the green flag will wave for the first of three Tri-Track Open Modified Series events. On Sunday, May 11 at New Hampshire’s ‘Center of Speed’, the Lee USA Speedway presents a very special Tour-Type Modified event, which now has a fitting name added to it.
New England Racing Fuel and Sunoco have now pledged their support, and as a result the initial event will now be called the ‘Bullring Bash 100 Powered by Sunoco’. A full field of Modifieds will be vying for the minimum $5,000 winners share, while being guaranteed a $1,000 payoff
just to take the green.
Mike Joy and John Holland of New England Racing Fuel have been a supporter of Modified racing throughout the northeast for many years. Their involvement in the Tri-Track Open Modified Series only further confirms that this three race, Triple Crown of Modified Racing is sure to bring bragging rights to the Alloy Wheel Repair Specialists Tri-Track Open Modified Series Champion.
“There is such a buzz about it coming together, and we want to continue supporting Modified racing in New England,” Holland confirmed. “With that in mind, we want to include these events as part of that.” New England Racing Fuel and Sunoco are the #1 supplier of racing fuel to all forms of auto racing in the northeast and beyond, and the Bullright Bash 100 powered by Sunoco will be no different.
The three race series continues on June 14 at the Star Speedway in Epping, N.H., as part of their fourth annual SBM 125 Modified Open. The Seekonk (Mass.) Speedway will serve as the series finale on Wednesday,
July 23, with their long standing “Open Wheel Wednesday” 100-lap thriller.
With this addition of now having Sunoco on board, plus strong support already being shown by race teams and fans alike, more announcements are expected soon that will only add to the already impressive payoff for
all three Tri-Track events.
