Column Compiled By: PHIL SMITH / RPW – WESTERLY, RI – Sixty five years ago in 1959, Larry Mendelsohn signed a lease to operate the Islip Speedway on Long Island. Lou Figari was his partner.
Sixty years ago in 1964 Ray Delisle was the Modified winner at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl. Daring Dick Caso was the Bomber winner.
Fifty five years ago in 1969 Ed Yerrington Sr won the season opening 30 lap Modified feature at the Waterford Speedbowl. Jim Mazzella was the 20 lap Daredevil winner.
Fifty years ago in 1974 Don Bunnell won the season opener at the Waterford Speedbowl. Rick Elnicki was the Grand American winner.
Forty five years ago this week in 1979, Thompson opened for the season. Ronnie Bouchard won the small block Modified feature over John Rosati and Dunk Rudolph. Rudolph was subsequently disqualified when it was found that his car’s engine had illegal heads. Bobby Fuller was the late model winner. The speedway sported a new look as the Connecticut DMV mandated that the Speedway eliminate all light poles from the infield. Track owner Don Hoenig had purchased high intensity lighting that had been used at the Lincoln Downs Horse Track in Rhode Island. In other news, Dale Earnhardt won the Winston Cup event at Bristol as a rookie and Geoff Bodine was fired from the Jack Beebe Winston Cup Car.
Forty years ago in 1984, it was night No.2 at Riverside Park. Stan Gregger wasted little time and took down the win. Jim Spencer finished second and was followed by Ray Miller, Richie Evans and Corky Cookman.
Thirty five years ago in 1989, Reggie Ruggiero was the top dog at Riverside in the Mario Fiore No.44. There were only 21 cars on hand but they were all good ones. Stan Gregger finished second and was followed by Dan Avery, Brad Hietella and John Zavisa.
Thirty years ago, in 1994, the roles were reversed at Riverside as Gregger took the win with Ruggiero, second. Avery finished third and was followed by Eddie Spiers, Wade Cole and Tom Jensen. In SMART action at Caraway in North Carolina, Tim Arre won a 150 lap event over Frank Flemming, and in Hickory, N.C. Ricky Craven took the lead with 32 laps to go and went on to win the Sundrop 300 over Randy LaJoie.
Twenty five years ago, in 1999, David Green won the Busch Series 320 at Nashville. Casey Atwood finished second. Sterling Marlin provided the only competition but his day ended after his car spun and was wrecked by a wrecker in the pit area.
Twenty years ago in 2004, in a joint announcement from NASCAR and the Thompson Speedway last Thursday; the Thompson Speedway IceBreaker was postponed until April 17-18. The early cancellation was made in order to prevent fans and competitors from making a needless trip. The Thompson Connecticut area was pounded by over two inches of rain and with more forecast for the weekend, it was a wise move to pull the plug on the event. The Waterford Speedbowl also fell victim to rain as Saturday night’s races were canceled. In Nextel Cup action at the Texas Speedway Elliott Sadler won by inches over Kasey Kahne. Jeff Gordon recorded his best finish in quite a while as he finished third. Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished fourth. In Busch Racing Series action in Texas, Matt Kenseth took the win over Kyle Busch. The Caruso family sold the Oswego Speedway to Steve Gioia and Pat Furlong. In operation since 1951, Oswego is considered the next best thing to going to Indianapolis.
Fifteen years ago in 2009, The Waterford Speedbowl opened for the season with the SK Modified Nationals. The track opened for practice on Friday with quite a few race teams on hand to shake down their cars in preparation for the coming season. A beautiful Spring day greeted competitors on Saturday for qualifying at the shoreline oval. A somewhat meager field of SK Modifieds was on hand, 21, for time trials for the 150 lap-$5,000 to win feature. Conspicuous by there absences were the “Outsiders”, non-Waterford regulars. The only outsiders on hand were Jimmy Blewett from New Jersey and Eric Goodale from Long Island. Defending Connecticut State Champion Keith Rocco was the top time setter as he toured the 1/3 mile oval in 14.138 seconds. Frank Ruocco was second fastest with Diego Monahan, third. Jeff Paul and Ron Yuhas Jr rounded out the top five. Defending track champion Dennis Gada was tenth fastest. The top ten redrew for starting positions. Ruocco drew the pole and Paul, the outside pole. Yuhas drew third with Monahan and Gada filling out the top five. Rocco drew the seventh starting spot. In Late Model qualifying Bruce Thomas Jr put a new track record in place for the division as he toured the shoreline oval in 15.240 seconds. Tim Jordon was second with Jeff Smith, third. There was no redraw as the Late Models would start straight up from time. There were only 15 Late Models on hand.
Jason Palmer was the last Legends Car competitor in Speedbowl Victory Lane in the 2008 season, and picked up where he left off on Saturday capturing the 20-lap Legends Car race during the Budweiser Modified Nationals opening weekend. Saturday marked the 59th consecutive season of operation for the ‘Bowl. Palmer, the 2007 and 2008 Wild ‘n Wacky Wednesday Legends points champion, topped a full field of talented Legends competitors. He out dueled Shaun Buffington and Flyin Ryan Morgan in an entertaining 20-lap event. An extended red flag situation was necessitated after a scary incident in turn 4 involving Tom Gray. Gray’s car became airborne and slammed the wall. He was transported to L & M Hospital for observation, but did get out of the car under his own power and acknowledged the crowd.
Other winners from Saturday’s action include Allen Coates (Speedbowl Truck Series), Paul Tuthill (Allison Legacy North Racing Series), Curt D’addario Sr. (X Car) and Jon Porter (Super X Car).
Coates picked up his 65th career Speedbowl victory leading the 25-lap Truck Series event from start to finish. A late race caution regrouped the field and Coates was able to hold back the challenges of Keith Chapman. The four-time Speedbowl track champion (Late Models, Street Stocks) has won two consecutive starts in a Truck, also winning last July’s 100-lap ARTS event at the shoreline oval.
Opening day at the Waterford Speedbowl was not meant to be as heavy rain pounded the Connecticut shoreline during the early morning hours on Sunday. Shortly before 8:00am the Speedbowl Management announced the postponement of the 13th Annual Budweiser Modified Nationals due to the weather
In NASCAR Sprint Cup action, Jimmie Johnson nudged Denny Hamlin aside in the third and fourth turns with 15 laps to go at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway and gave team owner Rick Hendrick a perfect place to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his first victory in NASCAR’s premier series. Johnson won for the fifth time in the last six races in Martinsville, and for the sixth time overall, second among active drivers to Jeff Gordon’s seven. And he did it by biding his time, falling back in the pack early in the race to get his car right, and then using the improved car and some slick work in the pits to make it pay.
The victory was the 18th for Hendrick Motorsports at Martinsville, where a victory by Geoff Bodine in 1979 gave the fledgling company a needed boost, and the 10th in the last 13 races. Johnson has won six of those, and Gordon has won the other four. Johnson’s 41st career victory came after Gordon, who led 147 laps, and then Hamlin, who led 296, dominated for most of the race. Hamlin was second, followed by Tony Stewart, Gordon and Clint Bowyer. Ryan Newman was sixth. Still looking for success, Joey Logano was 32nd.
The Philadelphia Business Journal reported that Sun Oil Chairman and CEO Lynn Elsenhans said that the federal government should increase the gasoline tax to provide money for infrastructure repairs. Elsenhans suggested the idea in a speech to the annual meeting of the National Petrochemical & Refiners Association in San Antonio, Texas. “We should support a sizable increase in the federal gasoline tax for the expressed purpose of funding much-needed infrastructure investment,” she was slated to say in the speech, according to Thomas Golembeski, a Sunoco spokesman.
With all the problems with the economy going on, this woman needed to have her head examined! Granted, fuel prices have come down and stabilized. The big oil companies need to dig into their own pockets to repair their own equipment. The consumer should not be responsible for this.
The Associated Press reported that Brazilian race car driver and “Dancing With The Stars” winner Helio Castroneves owes more than $2.3 million in U.S. taxes because of unreported income and improper deductions over a five-year period, an Internal Revenue Service agent testified Friday at his tax evasion trial in Miami. The testimony, by the final prosecution witness, capped the fourth week of the trial. Castroneves, 33, his 35-year-old sister and business manager Katiucia, and Michigan lawyer Alan Miller, 71, each face more than six years in prison if convicted of conspiracy and tax evasion involving about $5.5 million in income.
Ten years ago in 2014, Based on high interest in the Valenti Modified Racing Series for 2014, series director Scott Tapley requested a mandatory tire sign-in to ensure enough tires for the Waterford opener. The rule showed 33 race teams had filed for tires. Among those entered were reigning series champion Rowan Pennink, of Huntingdon Valley, PA, and defending “Blastoff” winner Steve Masse, of Bellingham. MA plus local favorite, two-time Speedbowl winner Chris Pasteryak, of Lisbon, CT, Richard Savary, of Canton, MA, Max Zachem and Berlin, CT’s, Keith Rocco, Ted Christopher, Plainville, CT., Mike Holdridge, of Madison, CT, and Dave Etheridge, of Portland, CT., are part of the opening day roster.
In addition, Todd Szegedy, of Ridgefield, CT., will debut in Kevin Stuarts # 85 and a Long Island invasion finds Justin Bonsignore, of Islip, NY, driving Art Barry’s #21 car, and Shawn Solomito, of Islip, looking to nail down the opening day win. Eric Goodale, and Brad VanHouton of Wading River, have also entered.
The powers that be at the Waterford Speedbowl had done some scrambling in order to make the speedbowl open on schedule. Back in January a Judge set an October 18 foreclosure auction date for the Connecticut shoreline oval. The ruling gave track owner Terry Eames some extra time to find funding to continue as owner of the track or find a buyer. The judge also ruled that the track management complies with state and town officials who have mandated that the grandstands be repaired. A re-construction project of the under pinnings of the grandstands was begun last year and was not completed leaving large sections uninhabitable and covered over with tarps and danger tape. The extreme hard winter has all but halted any work that had been planned. In the last two weeks much progress has been made and it looked as if the Waterford Speedbowl will open on the weekend as planned.
Down in the southland, 2014 could be a record-setting year for veteran Modified racer Tim Brown. With just two more wins, the Cana, Virginia native would assume the title of the all-time wins list leader at historic Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Brown has been winning at “The Stadium” for more than a decade. He’s won seven NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour races and has finished in the top five in more than half of the races he has competed in.
Instead of chasing more NASCAR Tour wins this season, Brown’s Tour car owners Tom and Connie Lythgoe had made the decision to compete in the upstart KOMA Unwind Modified Madness Series in 2014. It’s a matter of dollars and cents. The KOMA races pay $2900 to win while the Southern Mod Tour events pay $2,000.
The first KOMA Modified event run at the Hickory Motor Speedway in North Carolina drew 16 Modifieds and a near full house of fans. Jason Myers defeated brother Burt to claim the first ever KOMA Unwind Modified Madness Series pole. Tim Brown qualified third.
Tim Brown took the win over Jason Myers, Burt Myers, Josh Nichols and Jimmy Zacharias. Burt Myers was running second at the lap 94 mark when he pitted. There were 20 lead changes and some confusion at the finish. It had been said that a pit stop was mandatory. Renee Dupuis was the only northerner in the field. Her night ended on lap 46 when she crashed hard into the wall.
Race director Randy Myers stated that there was a mandatory pit stop during the race. He made sure this was relayed to teams through race officials at multiple points throughout the race as he felt it was properly mentioned but not stressed during the drivers’ meeting. It was stated that the mandatory pit stop could come at any point during the race. If the caution had come out, teams could have stopped then too. In a sense tonight’s confusion was caused by a lack of cautions after lap 50. The pit stop COULD include a tire swap if it came before lap 100. If the stop came after 100, the stop and go was the only allowed action. As such, Myers maintains Tim Brown as the rightful winner, having done a stop and go on lap 112. Myers understands some particular teams are unhappy about this interpretation and says he accepts responsibility for the issue at hand.
Kyle Larson, who began his racing career on dirt tracks in California, survived an intense battle with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series veterans Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick in the closing laps of Saturday’s TreatMyClot.com 300 to earn his first NASCAR Nationwide Series victory. He backed it up with a runner-up finish behind Kyle Bush in the Sunday Sprint Cup event.
Congratulations went to Mike Joy who was voted upon and named as the Best NASCAR Announcer by the Sporting News. Joy, who was an accomplished sports-car racer, spent 14 years (1977-1990) at Motor Racing Network and had spent 30 years as part of the NASCAR broadcasts at CBS, TNT and Fox. He has been the play-by-play announcer with Fox since the network began televising NASCAR races in 2001. Before his days at Motor Racing Joy was the announcer at the Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam, MA, the announcer and Public Relations at the Stafford Motor Speedway and the announcer at the Thompson Speedway. Mike Joy is one of the nicest guys along with being one of the humblest. Mike always gives credit to those around him and embraces the team he is on and above all has never forgotten where he came from.
The Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park announced that Spencer, MA based Victory Lane Radio will embark on a first-of-its-kind program which will allow fans to listen to live lap-by-lap coverage, from the drop of the first green flag to the waving of the last checker flag, free of charge.
Five years ago in 2019, The Whelen Modified Tour was in South Boston, Va. A strong field of 32 NASCAR Whelen Modifieds were on hand. Also on tap was the previously rained out PASS Commonwealth Classic at Richmond which also had tour type modifieds on their venue created a direct conflict for both modified competitors and modified fans. As of Thursday, March 28 there were only 10 tour type modifieds were pre-entered. Among those who were entered at Richmond was Matt Hirschman. Hirschman, who is not considered a regular on the Whelen Modified Tour, finished 11th at Myrtle Beach.
At South Boston the Whelen Modifieds performed in a near full house. At Richmond the grandstands were empty. Tommy Catalano was the pole sitter as he toured the .400 mile recently paved oval in13.849 seconds or 103.979mph. Second fastest was Chase Dowling in the Jamie Tomaino entry. Ron Silk was third. Jon McKennedy and Matt Swanson rounded out the top five.
Catalano took the lead at the start. Dowling slid back which made it obvious that the top groove lacked grip. The first caution flew on lap 16 when Burt Myers tapped Justin Bonsignore as the field backed up in the turn three area. Bonsignore’s mount suffered severe damage to the right front suspension. Catalano continued to lead the field when on lap 27 the second caution flew as Frank Fleming, Kyle Ebersol, John Fortin, Jeremy Gerstner and Calvin Carroll crashed. Catalano continued to lead until Walter Sutcliffe spun in turn 4 bring out caution no.3.
Catalano and Dowling pitted for fresh tires. Burt Myers elected not to pit and inherited the lead and Ron Silk moved up to second. The fourth caution of the day flew on lap 83 when James Civale spun and hit the wall in turn four. Myers indicated that he was going non-stop without a tire change as the field took the green on lap 89. Kyle Bonsignore was running second as Silk was closing on the front two. On lap 126 Sutcliffe spun for the second time, bringing out the fifth caution.
When the green was displayed on lap 132 Myers hit the gas and momentarily slipped which allowed Silk to surge by for the lead Myers regained his composure but the damage was done. With worn out tires he was shuffled to the back as Dowling, Jimmy Blewett and Kyle Bonsignore rode by.
At the 150 lap mark the checkered flag was waved and Silk ended a long dry spell. Chase Dowling finished second with Jimmy Blewett, third. Kyle Bonsignore and Burt Myers rounded out the top five. Sixth thru tenth were Chris Pasteryak, Patrick Emerling, Doug Coby, Timmy Solomito and Craig Lutz.
Eighteen of the 31 starters were on the lead lap at the finish. Among those who did not finish were Calvin Carroll (32), Kyle Ebersol (31), Jeremy Gerstner (29) and Frank Fleming (30) who wrecked on lap 26, Rob Summers retired after 42 laps with overheating problems. Timmy Catalano (27) and Eric Goodale (26) retired with engine trouble on laps 49 and 50. Justin Bonsignore (25) continued to have bad luck as he crashed on lap 16, made repairs only to retire after 93 laps with power steering problems. James Civale (22) recovered from hitting the wall on lap 83 only to drop out after completing 117 laps with electrical problems. Melissa Fifield (24) and Wade Cole (23) were running at the end but no where close to speed.
After two events, Doug Coby led the series point standings. Coby leads Jon McKennedy by three points. Jimmy Blewett sits third with Patrick Emerling and Chris Pasteryak rounding out the top five.
Overall, the quality of this event and the quantity of entries was very good. The Modifieds did not disappoint as they continue to be the most competitive and entertaining of all of the NASCAR divisions. FansChoice.TV did an outstanding job in their presentation of the event. As previously announced,
In the inaugural Commonwealth Classic at Richmond Raceway (VA). Matt Hirschman dominated the 75-lap feature, winning from the pole. It was basically a 75 lap practice session for the veteran racer. Andy Seuss was second with Bobby Measmer, third.
Internet Racing News site RaceDayCt reported that the trial of New London-Waterford Speedbowl owner Bruce Bemer was scheduled to begin on Monday, April 1 in Danbury Superior Court. Bemer was arrested, along with two other men, in March 2017 in connection with a Connecticut based human trafficking ring. Investigators allege the decades long ring victimized mentally ill young men. Bemer, of Glastonbury, has pleaded not guilty to charges of patronizing trafficking victims under 18 and accessory to human trafficking. Hopefully this will not affect the installation of new grandstands that are scheduled to be installed at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl.
Denny Hamlin raced to his second NASCAR Cup victory of the season, overcoming two penalties on pit road and missing the entry another time during green flag conditions Sunday in Texas.
While Hamlin led the final 12 laps, and 45 of the 334 overall, Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch missed out on the chance for a tripleheader weekend sweep. Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota finished more than 2.7 seconds ahead of Clint Bowyer. The race, which had only three cautions outside the two stage stoppages, featured 27 lead changes among 13 drivers. It was the 33rd career victory for Hamlin.
Clint Bowyer finished second, followed by his Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Daniel Suarez. Erik Jones was fourth ahead of polesitter Jimmie Johnson, whose career-long winless drought reached 66 races. William Byron, Aric Almirola, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch rounded out the top 10.
It was the third time at Texas that Busch won the Xfinity and Trucks Series races before coming up short in the weekend-ending Cup race. Ryan Preece finished 22nd.
Last year, 2023,The SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic headed to the Caraway Speedway near Ashboro, NC for the Warrior 100 on March 25th! Twenty four cars were on hand. Brandon Ward scored his 4th SMART win over Joey Coulter and Bobby Measmer. Outside pole sitter Burt Myers had the field covered until he pitted on lap 42 under caution for a water leak. Jonathan Brown assumed the lead and held it until he pitted on lap 68 for a tire. Coulter assumed the top spot and held it until lap 93 when he gave way to Ward who went on to take the win. Tim Brown finished fourth with Zach Brewer rounding out the top five. Jonathan Brown finished sixth with Burt Myers all over him at the end.
Matt Hirschman added his name to the growing entry list of talent for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, “Virginia is for Racing Lovers 150” event that will take place on Friday night, March 31 at Richmond Raceway. The list of early entries also included former NASCAR Cup Series stars Ryan Newman and Bobby Labonte, along with current Cup standout Corey Lajoie, winner of the NWMT season finale at Martinsville Speedway last October. They will challenge an equally impressive list of Modified stalwarts Doug Coby, Ron Silk, Justin Bonsignore and 2022 Champion Jon McKennedy to name a few.
While he would only say that his confirmed schedule doesn’t go past the month of May, Hirschman couldn’t deny rumors that he might enter all 19 tour events this season. That should cause a great deal of anxiety for any 2023 Championship hopeful drivers. The Northampton, Pennsylvania driver last season had an average finish of 2.7 in seven starts, which easily ranks higher than any of the 67 drivers who made at least one NWMT start last season.
Race fan Craig Gabriele came up with some interesting data that pertains to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Series. Whelen Modified Tour Per Event Sponsorship for 2023: The WMT could not be where it is today without the following Sponsors. Whelen Engineering out of Connecticut: “What can you say about Whelen and what they have done for the sport of auto racing? Whelen Engineering has been the biggest supporter of NASCAR Tour Modified racing for over 17 years and is going on 18 years in 2023 as a Major Sponsor of the NASCAR Modified Tour. Can’t thank them enough.” Whelen Engineering is also responsible for the huge point fund that is paid out at the end of the year. Whelen Engineering “Winner of the Race” award to the winning driver $3,500 per event. Total awards for the 2023 season $66,500 for the 19 events. $1,000 Mayhew Tools Dominator Pole per event award to the driver with the fastest qualifying time eligible to participate under the Manufacturers’ Prize Money Conditions. Total for the year Awards $19,000. “Thank You to Mayhew Tools for sponsoring the Pole Award and for sponsoring the 7ny of Tommy Baldwin, Jr. and its driver Doug Cody.”
Jostens Phil Kurze Halfway Leader Award $400 per event: Total for the year Awards $7,600. “This is a great award from Jostens to keep the memory of our beloved leader Phil Kurze from Whelen Engineering. Anybody who new Phil could tell you just much he loved the Modifieds and could give you a history lesson on all of the great drivers, tracks and Modified races held for over 60 years of the sport.”
WMT 2022 Champion Driver #79 Jon McKennedy: “McKennedy would receive $600 per race in 2023 for being the 2022 WMT Champion Driver on the WMT. That’s a payout of $11,400 as long as he competes in all 19 events in 2023.” 2022 ROTY #64 Austin Beers would receive $200 per event for every race he enters in for 2023. If Beers races in all 19 events he would receive an extra $3,800. Hoosier Tire: “Hoosier Tire is also a long time sponsor on the WMT.” They have 3 separate Awards on the WMT:”#1 Hoosier Tire “Hard Charger” per event award to the highest finishing eligible driver who advances the most positions during the course of the race. In the event of a tie, the highest finishing driver will receive the award. $600 per event. Total Awards for the 2023 season are $11,400.” #2 Hoosier Tire “Lap Leader” per event award to the eligible car owner whose driver leads the most laps in each event. In the event of a tie, the award will go to the highest finishing car in the event. This is also a $600 Award per event. Total awards for the 2023 season are $11,400. #3 Hoosier Tire “Most Improved” per event award to the eligible new team/organization whose driver improves the most positions during the course of the race. In the event of a tie, the award will go to the highest finishing car in the event. If money is not awarded during this event, funds will rollover to the next event and will continue to rollover until an eligible new team/organization claims the money. This is also a $600 Award per event. Total awards for the 2023 season are $11,400. Sunoco Spec Fuel Award: 1st $550 5th $150 and 10th$100. Total Award per event is $550. Total awards for the 2023 season are $10,450. “The Rookie of the Year will again award $10,000 to the winner.”
There was also bad news about one race award that disappeared from the 2022 season. “In 2022 Sunoco paid $650 per event to the highest finishing Rookie of the Race. Losing this award might keep new race teams and drivers from dipping their toes in the WMT. I personally think this award should have been continued and not having this award will do nothing to entice new Teams to the Tour. What a Shame.” FLO-RACING has been a big plus to the WMT with it’s per race payouts and its year end awards. “Total Per Race $10,000, Total Paid for the Year for 19 Races $190,000. With an additional $25,000 year end monies to be divided evenly among each car owner who attempts to qualify for every NASCAR Whelen Tour event during the 2023 season. The Points Bonus will be paid to the top 15 in points per race. “Total Per Event $11,000”.
Competing on the tour requires extensive traveling. Many team owners, drivers and crews hold down day jobs which makes this quite difficult. The localized “Open Competition events provide an alternate venue with some pretty hefty purses without the travel and the extended time off.
Thanks to Craig Gabriele for providing this information.
In NASCAR cup action Tyler Reddick prevailed in three NASCAR Overtime restarts to claim his first trophy of the year — and first with his new team, 23XI Racing, with a 1.411-second victory over two-time series champion Kyle Busch in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at the famed Circuit of The Americas course, in Austin, Texas. Ryan Preece was destined for a possible top five before he was taken out by a hack. Preece ended up in32nd spot.
It appears that the SK Modified competitors at Stafford may need to install heavy duty nerf bars and bumpers on their cars as a new breed of cat has voiced his intentions of making his Friday night home at the Connecticut oval. When the green flag drops for Spring Sizzler weekend on April 29 and 30 Jimmy Blewett will be in the SK Modified field. Blewett, from New Jersey has a reputation of being a hard charger and not one to be afraid of using his bumper and nerf bars to win races. Blewett will be driving the car formerly driven by Bryan Narducci.
Fresh off a fifth place finish in last year’s NAPA Spring Sizzler®, Blewett will return for this year’s 51st annual running of “The Greatest Race in the History of Spring” looking to add his name to the winner’s list with a brand new #02 Primary Services Group / John Blewett, Inc. modified.
With the advent of early spring warmer weather the installation of the Safer Barrier Soft Walls has progressed into the turn three area. Installation should be completed in time for the opening green.
The field for the 51st Annual NAPA Spring Sizzler® set for April 29-30 continued to grow and the latest entry is the Mike Curb owned #77 Curb Records / Mohawk Northeast modified, prepared by Gary Putnam with Max McLaughlin as the driver. McLaughlin has made two previous starts at Stafford, both behind the wheel of the Curb/Putnam #77 car and he is looking forward to returning to the Connecticut half-mile. McLaughlin’s father Mike notched a total of 6 feature wins at Stafford with 5 modified wins and 1 Busch North victory. A NAPA Spring Sizzler® victory would not only be huge for McLaughlin, but it would help turn around the fortunes of the #77 team who with McLaughlin have been so close to several wins only to see them slip away.
Pro All Stars Series (PASS) and American Canadian Tour (ACT) officials have a full schedule of events for the ten-division 49th Icebreaker Weekend line-up at Thompson Speedway. Often recognized as New England’s unofficial Lid Lifter for the year’s racing activities, the Thompson Icebreaker is once again highlighted by the PASS Super Late Model 75 on Saturday, April 1st and the $10,000-to-win Icebreaker 125 for the Thompson Outlaw Open Modifieds on Sunday, April 2nd.
After a full afternoon of practice on Friday, March 31st open to all Icebreaker divisions, Saturday brings an exciting opening day for the 2023 season. The Pro All Stars Series Super Late Models make their 21st appearance at the 0.625-mile oval to headline the Saturday portion of Icebreaker weekend with a 75-lap showdown. In contrast, the newly minted Mighty Mini Stock Series will also be in attendance for their first-ever point counting event to the tune of 25-laps.Saturday’s showcase will also include the EXIT Reality Pro Truck Series and a $1,200 to win 50-lap Street Stock Open event. Starting off their 2023 seasons will also be the Sunoco Modifieds, who are pulling double-duty on both days of Icebreaker weekend, plus the always thrilling Thompson Late Models. Both local divisions will be pulling for 30-lap season opener events.
Sunday, April 2nd brings along the iconic Icebreaker 125, now in its 49th edition.A pool of talented teams are expected to make a run at the history books with $10,000 waiting for them under the checkered flag. Sunday will also include season-opening action for four more local divisions including the Limited Sportsman, SK Lite Modifieds and Mini Stocks. The Sunoco Modifieds will also return for a second 30-lap feature on Sunday.
With the cooperation of the Arute family a book has been published with pictures and biographies of the 50 Greatest Drivers at Stafford.
The Stafford Motor Speedway had become the epicenter of NASCAR Modified racing in the northeast by the late 1980’s. From its dirt beginnings to its lightning-fast asphalt, Stafford had become the toughest and most gratifying track to score a victory. The Arute family which has owned and guided the destiny of the facility commissioned their thousands of loyal fans to name their favorite drivers. In alphabetical order so as not to offend anyone:
Tom Baldwin, Gene Bergin, Brett Bodine, Geoff Bodine, Ken Bouchard, Ron Bouchard, Mario “Fats” Caruso, Rene Charland, Ted Christopher, Leo Cleary, Tim Connolly, Jerry Cook, Corky Cookman, Pete Corey, Fred DeSarro, Richie Evans, Mike Ewanitsko, Ed Flemke, Sr., Jeff Fuller, Rick Fuller, Ernie Gahan, Bill Greco, Bo Gunning, Ray Hendrick, George “Moose” Hewitt, Tony Hirschman, George Janoski, Charlie Jarzombek, George Kent, Buddy Krebs, Randy LaJoie, Jan Leaty, Jerry Marquis, Mike McLaughlin, Ray Miller, Steve Park, Bob Polverari, Bob Potter, Brian Ross, John “Reggie” Ruggiero, Greg Sacks, Ollie Silva, “Wild” Bill Slater, Jimmy Spencer, Mike Stefanik, Carl “Bugsy” Stevens, George Summers, Jamie “The Jet” Tomaino, Maynard Troyer and Satch Worley.
The all new book, The Modified Years At Stafford, by the Grace of God and 600 hp, is gaining interest and has become a must have in race fans and competitors library. Race by Race, Year by Year, it’s all there. Read all about it! Books are now available on Amazon.com and Coastal 181 (877-907-8181 toll free) and are available thru Stafford’s web site in their store. Order yours now. Makes a great gift!
Books are priced at $17.95 each and be purchased at the track at the Novelty Booth or at the Stafford Motor Speedway on line store. Books are also available at Amazon.com and at Coastal181 (877-907-8181).