By Lou Modestino
New Hampshire Motor Speedway is offering the $48 Jimmy Johnson Speedway ticket package. You can get one adult ticket and two children’s tickets plus a 15 minute Q&A session with Jimmie for the Lowe’s HBuild & Grow Clinic. And if you have already purchased tickets you can do an add on. Call NHMS at 603-783-4931.
The Tri-Track Open Modified Series, with the help of the Connecticut based Dunleavy’s Truck and Trailer Repair and Doug Dunleavy have just finalized a deal to help encourage teams from afar to compete in the biggest Modified Open events of the year.
For each event, beginning with the May 11, “Bullring Bash Powered by Sunoco” at NH’s Lee USA Speedway, the three race teams traveling the furthest distance to race will share a total of $1,000 regardless of their results on raceday.
“I asked Jim Schaefer, who has worked so hard to make these events a success how I can help, Dunleavy said. “He suggested that we help out the teams traveling the furthest. We don’t want teams to get discouraged by travel expenses, because these three races are going to be worth the trip.”
The car being hauled the most miles- not the driver- as determined by Google Maps, will be paid $500 by Dunleavy’s. The second furthest traveled car will be worth $300, and the third longest distance will pay $200 on top of the guaranteed purse money available to every team who attempts to qualify for the May 11 race at Lee.
This bonus will also apply to the other two Tri-Track events. The fifth running of the SBM 125 at NH’s Star Speedway on Saturday, June 14 which already has a guaranteed purse of more than $41,000 and growing. The July 23 Seekonk 100, on “Open Wheel Wednesday” will close out the three race spectacular, paying out an additional $10,000 point fund, sponsored by Alloy Wheel Repair Specialists of Quincy, Mass.
This added bonus from Dunleavy’s brings the expected payoff for the Sunday, May 11 “Bullring Bash Powered by Sunoco” to roughly $45,000. This brand new major event, made possible by ‘The Racing Guys’ group, is set up to pay every entrant a minimum of $300 to non-qualifiers and $1,000 to qualified cars.
The new bonus is only open to race teams who send in their entry blanks prior to the early entry deadline, which is May 4 for Lee. A number of early entries have already been received, as the event now only two weeks from Sunday.
Heading the list of those already entered are two former winners at Lee in previous Valenti Modified Racing Series events at the three-eights mile oval. Both Les Hinckley and Chris Pasteryak are pre-registered, and either could leave Lee on May 11 with more than $7,000 in their pocket from a race win, including bonus lap money.
Max Zachem is also entered. He too has found success at Lee, earning finishes in the top three previously, and it would be no surprise if he is able to find the fastest way around Lee as well. Drivers from the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, such as Ryan Preece and Justin Bonsignore will be among those entered, as will Race of Champions stars Matt Hirschman and Andy Jankowiak and many, many more.
With a one tire change being allowed during the 100-lap race, and a field of quality drivers not seen in years at Lee, almost any one of the drivers who qualify through the four competitive heat races will have a shot at the $5,000 plus bonuses first place payday.
Sunday, May 11 is the date, and because the available date falls on Mothers Day, ALL MOTHERS will be given a $5 discount off the $25 general admission price for this event. The Small Block Super-Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Classic Lites will also run feature events.
The American Canadian Tour (ACT) has announced a “Three Stars of the Race” award program for the 2014 race season. The program is designed to recognize three “non-podium” race teams who have had an outstanding race. Finishing position is not necessarily a criterion. The award will be based on team and/or individual effort. The award may be presented to the team based on an achievement by a crew member, crew chief, spotter, driver or owner.
A panel of race officials will select three stars at each 2014 point-counting event, the International 300 to be held July 20, 2014 at the Airborne Park Speedway, the Bond ACT Invitational at the New Hampshire International Speedway on September 20, 2014, and the Peoples United Bank Milk Bowl held at Thunder Road on October 4-5, 2014.
The teams picked will each receive a coupon for a free American Racer Tire valued at $125. From the various winners, one team will be selected as the single most outstanding star of the season. That team will be awarded $1,000 at the annual ACT Banquet of Champions.
“It became apparent to me at the Lee USA New Hampshire Governor’s Cup race last week that many stories developed throughout the weekend worthy of some kind of recognition. I spoke with other ACT officials and staff, and they concurred. That was the basis for developing this program. Obviously, as a hockey fan (note: the ACT +/- qualifying system) this is a “take-off” from the NHL three stars of the game program. Anyway, there is rarely a race that goes by without someone other than the top three making an impression. I think sometimes those efforts should be recognized,” said Tom Curley, President of the American Canadian Tour.
The awards will be announced with the posting of the official race reports and can be found on the ACT web page at acttour.com.
The three recipients of the first Three Star Awards as a result of their efforts from the New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150 at the Lee USA Speedway are:
*Jimmy Hebert, Williamstown, VT, Hebert started dead last after taking a 2013 100% provisional to get into the race he had won a year ago. His crew struggled all weekend to get the 58VT up to the form it had throughout the 2013 campaign. Obviously, they found the fix. With just three cautions spread over the 150 laps, Hebert made a steady ride to the front finishing 6th and keeping his 2014 championship hopes within reach.
*Ben Ashline, Pittston, ME, Ashline has not raced with ACT since the July 2012 Oxford 250. A shoulder operation had him wondering until the Wednesday before the Lee opener if he was even going to get in a race car. His practice times indicated the rust from time out of the seat was apparent. Not his race effort. Ashline and crew figured it out, and come race time, he charged from the 24th starting position in a stout field to finish 7th. The kid from Pittston with the family team was certainly deserving of this comeback star.
*Emily Packard, E. Montpelier, VT, Packard was one of two female racers to attempt to qualify for the Lee opener. Her rookie season touring was certainly up and down. Some excellent finishes followed by being involved in wrecks, many not of her mistakes. It was evident during practice on Saturday at Lee that Emily and her Neal Woodward led team were on the same page. Steady and fast times all day Saturday and a very competitive 150 laps made the choice for a star of the race an easy pick for the U-32 High School Junior.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the 22nd consecutive year on July 13, 2014 in the form of the Camping World RV Sales 301. The sponsor joined on in 2013 and kept the long-standing tradition of the extra mile at NHMS.
This crucial Race for the Chase can play a big role in building a driver’s momentum toward a championship run. From 2010-12, Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman and Kasey Kahne used wins in this race to carry themselves into the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup, but in 2013, Brian Vickers upset the field for his first win since 2009.
We had a conversation with Bob Mosscoffian the promoter of the Summer National that ran for 22 years on Main St. in downtown Worcester, MA until 2013 when he moved the motorsports event to the Thompson Speedway in Connectiicut some 15-miles south of his previous location. But, during the winter Bob claims that his show was shown the door at the newly revamped Thompson Motorsports Park. The reason given to Bob was that there wasn’t room for him on the track’s busy schedule.
So it seems that Moscoffian wasn’t happy with the way the city fathers treated him at the downtown Worcester location and that’s why he moved the show to Thompson. Burning his bridge with Worcester and getting shuffled out of Thompson put him in a real hurt. “I spent 70 grand promoting the new location on advertising and promotion. I’m not very happy with that. In fact I’m pretty upset about it, lamented Moscoffian.
We heard other things from some contacts at Thompson who felt that the Summer National drew a tough crowd and there was too much drinking and the show went into the late of the night. We do know that Bob tried to move the show to Framingham but it didn’t work out. “I’m not going to tone this show down to just a quiet cruise night and car show.I’m going to get a new location for next year,” promised Bob Moscoffian.