Doucette and Buffington Defend NHMS Track Champion Titles for 2019
More than 60 riders and drivers from this year’s Loudon Road Race Series, MOAT Mountain Road Course Series and J&J’s Yolk & Co. Oval Series were recognized at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn. on Saturday, November 16.

LOUDON, N.H. – The 2019 champions from three local racing series were honored at the annual awards banquet held for the first time at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn. on Saturday, November 16. Two New England racers – Rick Doucette of the Loudon Road Race Series and Shaun Buffington of the MOAT Mountain Road Course Series and the legend car division of J&J’s Yolk & Co. Oval Series – each took home 2019 Track Champion titles from New Hampshire Motor Speedway in their respective series.

Doucette is no stranger to winning, making this his ninth Loudon Road Race Series (LRRS) Track Championship. This win marks his third year in a row, and prior to that, he won the title consecutively from 2010-2015. This year, the Sandown, N.H. native will be going home with a total of 11 trophies. Not only is Doucette the champion of the Combined 300 Superbike, Formula 50 Lights, GTL and Lightweight Grand Prix expert divisions, he is the first runner up in the Middleweight Superbike, Combined 300 Supersport and Formula 40 Lights expert divisions and the second runner up in the Combined 500 Superbike, Heavyweight Superbike and Middleweight Grand Prix expert divisions.

“It was a good season,” said Doucette. “I’m happy to defend again, but we’re going to try one more time – I want an even 10. It’s been a fun year, as always, and I like celebrating with everybody that I race with.”

Vicente Frontinan received the Loudon Road Race Series Amateur Achievement Award after being named the champion of the Middleweight Supersport, Middleweight Formula 40, Formula 40 Unlimited, GTU and Middleweight Grand Prix amateur divisions.

Buffington, who is the Track Champion in both the MOAT Mountain Road Course Series and the legend car division of J&J’s Yolk & Co. Oval Series for the seventh time, had a phenomenal 2019 season at NHMS, landing on the podium after every single race, that included 19 first place finishes, two second place finishes and three third place finishes. Buffington also took home the 2019 Master Road Course and Oval World Championship at the Road Course World Finals, which were held at Atlanta Motorsports Park in Dawsonville, Ga. on November 3.

“Being the only one to have won it here is pretty special,” said Buffington, a Plainfield, Conn. native. “Championships aren’t won on the track necessarily. A lot of hard work goes into it, both in the off season and during the season. We just got back from Atlanta, where we all had a lot of success, so it definitely makes tonight more fun, and everybody can celebrate. This was the best year I’ve ever had racing as far as setting the goals and actually meeting all of those goals, and we’ve already started getting ready for next year.”

Brianna McHugh from the Loudon Road Race Series, Matt Haufe from the MOAT Mountain Road Course Series and Tom Searles from the legend car division of J&J’s Yolk & Co. Oval Series were all recognized as rookies of the year in their respective series.

The Loudon Road Race Series, Road Course Series and Oval Series* will all return to New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the spring of 2020 for another season of close side-by-side racing.

2020 Schedule:

  • Loudon Road Race Series
    • May 2-3 and 16-17
    • June 19-21
    • July 4-5 (off-site at New Jersey Motorsports Park)
    • August 1-2 and 29-30
    • September 19-20
    • October 3-4
  • Road Course Series
    • May 2-3, 9 and 16-17
    • June 20-21 and 27
    • July 25
    • August 1-2 and 29-30
    • September 11

*The Oval Series schedule is TBD and will be posted on NHMS.com at a later date.