Bubba Pollard, a North American short track racing superstar and the Cat Car for Kids celebrity driver in 2025 and 2026, will return to Riverside International Speedway for the IWK 250 Presented by Steve Lewis on July 18, and he’s on a mission to improve his sixth-place finish last year – by five spots.
“We learned a lot last year,” said Pollard from his Georgia race shop. “It will definitely help to be familiar with the competitors, the track, tires and all the other elements of the race. We’ve got notes now so we’re not starting at square one. We were impressed with everything about the event last year and especially the other racers. They showed a lot of respect and we appreciate that. We can hit the ground running when we get there this year. If things go as planned we can be more aggressive and, hopefully, end up in Victory Lane.”
The Milton CAT American-Canadian Tour returns to Riverside Speedway & Adventure Park in Groveton, New Hampshire for the Great North Woods 150 on Sunday, May 31st. This event marks the first time the North Country quarter mile has returned to the facility since 2020, and many teams are excited to return to the famed North Country quarter mile, especially after last year’s repave.
After several unexpected weeks off due to weather, Gabe Brown, Jake Johnson, and Jesse Switser are looking to rekindle their battle to lead the standings. While both Brown and Switser lead Johnson on experience at the Groveton oval, Jake ‘The Jet’ has proven that experience isn’t the most important thing. He’s three for three in top fives so far this season with the Hartwell Motorsports team and he’ll be looking to make it four on Sunday.
The DirtCar 358 Modifieds took center stage Saturday night as Devil’s Bowl Speedway hosted the first night of the annual Northeast Crate Nationals, one of the marquee dirt track racing events for Sportsman Modifieds in the Northeast. Group Time Trials for drivers who aspire to qualify for the $5,000 to win 100-lap event were also on tap.
In the DirtCar 358 Modified feature, rising young driver Tanner Siemons scored the first 358 win of his career, and he had to fight off one of the best in the business to do it. Siemons was able to fend off the challenge of Mike Mahaney after a restart with eight laps remaining to collect the momentous victory. Siemons and Walter J. Hammond led the field to the green flag for the 30-lap event. Hammond led for the first five circuits before Siemons assumed command on lap six. Once Siemons grabbed the point, he never let it go. Mahaney was working his way to the front from the sixth position on the grid, surviving battles with Hammond, Justin Stone, and Dave Camara to move to second on lap 21. Brian Calabrese was also on the move from the 15th starting spot. The red flag came out on lap 22 after a massive wreck on the front stretch involving Walter Hammond Jr., Tim LaDuc, Todd Morey, CG Morey, Lance Willix, Troy Audet, and Kevin Chaffee, with LaDuc’s machine landing upside down on top of two of the cars. After the lengthy delay for cleaning up the carnage, Mahaney did everything possible to find a way around Siemons, but the Orford, New Hampshire campaigner was not to be denied. Mahaney followed Siemons across the line for second, Walter J. Hammond held on for third, Camara was fourth, and Stone fifth.
With wet weather on the horizon for what would-be Coastal 200 Sunday, Wiscasset Speedway pivoted, moving the coveted $15,000-to-win Late Model race to Saturday afternoon instead.
Over 20 drivers showed up to compete on Saturday, including two competitors (Zack Harris and Jerry Simons) that traveled all the way from Florida to try their hand at one of the biggest Late Model races of its kind in New England.
Jonathon Emerson was the early favorite on the day as he topped the leaderboard in all 3 practices, highlighted by the fastest lap of 15.639 seconds in first practice. Frank Moulton, Chad Dow, and Troy Patterson led the charge in the qualifying heat races, which put Moulton and Dow on the front row for the main event.
While the Late Model drivers were getting ready for competition, support divisions ran their feature races, starting with the visiting Wicked Good Vintage Racers. Wiscasset Speedway veteran Adam Chadbourne ran the famous “?” car, beating out former Oxford 250 champion Gary Drew and Peter Warren for the win in the Hobby Class. Meanwhile, Addison Bowie and Bobby Symonds put on a barn burner in the Early Outlaws, with Bowie capturing the checkered flag.
The feature winners of the 59th consecutive season week three were Joey Scarborough in the Sabil & Sons DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds; Michael Danforth Jr. in the Wells River Chevrolet DIRTcar Sportsman Coupes; the Dad’s 4 By Tool & Supply Sportsman Modifieds Limited were OFF; Chris Murray in the Xtreme DIRTcar DMA Midgets; the High Country Dispensary Late Models were OFF; John Fields in the LaValley Building Supply Dirt Stocks; Zach Audet in the Woodsville Power Equipment Bobcat Ridge Runners, and Tim Colby in the High Country Dispensaries 4/6 Cylinder Enduro.
The Sabil & Sons DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds were host to the VP Racing Fuels DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds for their Eastern Region series event. Unfavorable weather conditions for tracks around the region afforded the opportunity for several competitors to make the trek to the Ridge for the second event of the series. An old name at the Ridge the son of Joey Scarborough was one of those visitors. Scarborough would set fast time in his time hot laps group, win his heat and have the right redraw of the night, grabbing the pole for the 40 lap main, for the field of twenty nine cars. Scarborough would survive a couple of early cautions before the field settled down to some great racing, and be able to capitalize on lapped cars to keep Martin Lessard of Canada at bay for the win. Bear Ridges first regular competitor to cross the line was Robert Tucker who takes home the final victory lane spot. The Ridges own Max Dolliver and Jeremy Huntoon rounded out the top five. We wish to thank all the competitors who helped make this show a great event, and DIRTcar for allowing us the opportunity to host.
Plenty of fans and teams joined in to start their Memorial Day Weekend with a Saturday night showdown at White Mountain Motorsports Park. After struggling with a fuel issue in her heat race, Chloe Doyle kept pace with the front of the Dad’s 4 By Tool & Supply Kids Division as Makenzi Sicard and heat winner Khloe Goodbout followed close behind. Cooper Benoit and Gracen Gorham made it a five-way fight for the top spot until Gorham, Sicard and Goodbout were collected in turn four to bring out the lone caution for a green-white-checker finish. In the finale, Chloe Doyle took down her first feature win at White Mountain over Benoit and Evan Folsom.
The two-wide stronghold broke apart by lap five in the 35-lap The Farmyard Store Flying Tiger feature with Nate Hamblett driving away with the lead as Owen Cheney and Shane Sicard gave chase. Sicard faced a mirror full of Kyle Willis with Willis motoring to the outside groove. Nate Hamblett would take down the win just ahead of Cheney at the line while a side-by-side battle for third saw Kyle Willis just edge Luke Peters for the third-place podium spot.
WINCHESTER, N,H. Joey Jarvis survived a slugfest to win his first Modified feature of the summer Saturday at Monadnock Speedway. The second generation Vermont pilot accomplished the feat by sitting in the best seat in the house, the pole, from where he was immune to the wildness behind him.
Jarvis was one of five first time 2026 winners on the high banks of the fast quarter mile. Justin Beecher, in house for the night’s special R&R Open Street Stock show, duplicated his victory of the same event a summer ago, and reigning speedway Mini Stock champ John Fultz picked up where he left off last September.
In the Pure Stocks, red hot rookie Josh Brigham scored the first win of his career. New England Dwarf Car pilot Ryan Carman scored his first career victory on the high banks, and then there was 11-year-old Dylan Stati.
The Lee USA Speedway weekly track championship series kicked off on Friday night with a five division showdown. Starting the evening were the Tri-City Lining Street Stocks for their season debut. A three-way wreck at the start/finish line ended the night early for Connor McDougal while Austin Erickson and Dave Cameron piled in for a rough opening lap. Back under green, Jimmy Renfrew Jr. ran away with the opening day win over Jason Curtis and Erickson who made it back up to third in the end.
The 350 Supermodifieds returned for the first of several planned visits this summer with a 40-lap main event. Ben Tinker showed the way throughout the first 25 laps but had one car on his tail the whole time. On lap 26 the #10 of Ben Seitz finally made his way around Tinker’s #19 and never looked back to take the win with Justin Harris following Tinker across the line for third.
Claremont Motorsports Park Friday, May 22, event story
CLAREMONT, NH – Teen phenom Cole Robie soared to victory Friday under the lights at Claremont Motorsports Park, winning with ease as he pocketed the $5,000 winner’s purse for topping the Granite State Pro Stock Series 150-lap main event at the Thrasher Road third mile.
In the night’s Late Model feature, Green Mountain Boy Stephen Donahue improved on a handful of early season near misses by blasting to his first 2026 CMP victory. Chris Chambers, also from the west side of the Connecticut River, continued his domination of the Pure Stock division, outrunning a stout 18-car field to score his track-best fourth win of the season.
Meghan Bell, victorious a week earlier, made it two in a row in the Six Shooters, topping a colorful 25-lapper, and Lane Lantas, who won here back in April, scored his second win of the summer in the Ridge Runners. In the Karts, Abel Connolly won for the second time.
Stafford Speedway was back in action on Friday, May 22nd with the Monaco Ford SK Light Double Down program. The big winner of the night was Nick Anglace, who scored his second consecutive and third overall win in only 5 starts this season. Anglace took home the $1,750 winner’s check from Monaco Ford with contingency bonuses pushing his win total to $2,200. Other winners on the night were Marcello Rufrano in the SK Modified® feature, Chris Meyer in the Late Model feature, Travis Hydar in the Limited Late Model feature, and Jason Raymond in the Street Stock feature.
In the 40-lap Monaco Ford SK Light Double Down feature, Cassandra Cole got into the turn 1 wall to bring the caution out before the first lap could be completed.
Matt Brewer led the field to the green flag and he took the early lead with Amanda West second, Eddie Gomarlo third, Jason Finkbein fourth, and Chris Matthews fifth. Finkbein took third on lap-3 while Matthews took fourth on lap-4. Peter Bennett also got past Gomarlo to move into fifth and drop Gomarlo back to sixth in line. Ben Morrison got into the turn 4 wall to bring the caution flag out with 5 laps complete.
