NEW ENGLAND MOTORSPORTS SOUTH
By Lou Modestino
The word from the Valenti Modified Racing Series is that the tour hired Warren Alston as the Race Director for 2015. Warren was the flagman last year and brings a lot of experience to the position. Flagman John Spence, Jr, will be his backup when needed and already has two shows to do this season.
The VMRS will also be atg the Waterford Speedbowl in August with ISMA and NEMA. That tour will be making its first visit to Devils Bowl and that tour will also be going to Oxford Plains for the 250 weekend. Beech Ridge is another popular stop in August. Kirk Alexander, all time VMRS winner with 31 victories, returns full-time this season.
*2015 Valenti Modified Racing Series Schedule*
April 11th Monadnock Speedway Practice Session
April 18th Monadnock Speedway Winchester, NH 100 Laps
May 22nd Stafford Motor Speedway Stafford, CT 80 Laps
May 30th Airborne Speedway Plattsburgh, NY 100 Laps
June 6th Seekonk Speedway Seekonk, MA 100Laps
June 19th Lee USA Speedway Lee, NH 100 laps
June 26th Stafford Motor Speedway Stafford CT, 80 Laps
July 4th Monadnock Speedway Winchester, NH 100 Laps
July 24th Devil’s Bowl Speedway Fair Haven, VT 100 Laps
August 1st Beech Ridge Speedway Scarborough, ME 100 Laps
August 8 New London- Waterford Speedbowl CT 100 Laps
August 22nd Monadnock Speedway Winchester, NH 100 Laps
August 29th Oxford Plains Speedway Oxford, ME 100 Laps
September 4th Stafford Motor Speedway Stafford Springs, CT 80 Laps
October 10th & 11th Lee USA Speedway Lee, NH 100 Laps
October 17th Thompson Speedway Thompson, CT 50 Laps
American Canadian Tour officials have announced a New Champions Program for the ACT U.S. Tour in 2015. The program is a revival of the old New Champions point standings from the former ACT Pro Stock Tour in the 1980s and early 1990s.
The ACT New Champions Program will include any driver who has not won more than one ACT U.S., Série ACT or special ACT-sanctioned event prior to the start of the 2015 season and is approved by ACT. The program will award eligible drivers points and year-end monies based on a separate point system for each ACT U.S. point-counting event they attend and attempt to qualify for. A point fund has been established for this program.
The $7,500 program will also include a special New Champions bonus of $500 each to the top five finishing New
Champion eligible drivers in the 7th Annual Bond ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 26.
“We’ve resurrected this program from the old Pro Stock days, because we want to give the guys that may or may not still be rookies, but are still searching for their first or second ACT win, something more to race for,” explained ACT President Tom Curley. “We are fortunate to have a very deep and talented field at all our events and besides going for a win, they can set their sights on the 2015 New Champions title and some bonus cash to go with it.”
The 2015 American Canadian Tour season and the New Champions Program will kick off with the season opening NH Governor’s Cup 150 at Lee USA Speedway in Lee, NH on Sunday, April 12. Defending NH Governors Cup winner Eddie MacDonald will attempt to keep his winning streak going after sweeping all three events at New Smyrna Speedway in February. He will have to contend with defending ACT Champion Joey Polewarczyk, Jr., Wayne Helliwell, Jr., Emily Packard, Jimmy Hebert, Ray Parent and a host of others.
The Northeastern Midget Association proudly announced on Friday that it has added an inaugural event at the Chemung Speedrome to its schedule for May 22, 2015. Chemung will start an action packed weekend for NEMA, with an event the following day at Evans Mills Speedway. The NEMA Midgets will run extended 30 lap races at both tracks, with the Lites running 25 Laps.
An added bonus for the fans – reigning NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Champion Doug Coby will be on hand competing in the #74 Bertrand Motorsports midget. In addition, NEMA will be providing a Lites car and are working with the Speedrome promoters to get Chemung regular Jimmy Zacharias into a car for the Lites event.
The Chemung Speedrome was originally built as a ¼ mile dirt track in 1951 by the Bodine family of Chemung, NY it closed in 1978. As the story goes, in an article written by Bob Johnson, “It was by sheer coincidence that the track came to fruition in the first place. Eli Bodine Sr. was in Ithaca having his car repaired. The mechanic working on the car asked him if he liked stock car racing. Mr. Bodine’s reply was that he indeed did. This led to a conversation about racing.
The mechanic, Karl Beilou, brought up the fact that the local racers from the Finger Lakes racing club had become disenchanted with the track they were running at. The possibility of building a track on the Bodine farm was discussed. Bodine jokingly agreed to the request not thinking it would ever come to fruition. The next day was Saturday. Much to Bodine’s surprise, members of the racing club came calling on the farm – and from there, the track was born.”
After buying the track in 1985, the Stapleton family started to rebuild the track in 1997 and in October of 2000 had its inaugural race event. The track is currenly owned by the White family, run by John White. Events at Chemung since its re-opening include The NASCAR Weekly Racing Series NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, ISMA Super Modifieds, Race Of Champions Modified Tour, USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series, SST Modified Tour, Cup Lite Racing Series and USAC Ford Focus Midget Series. The 3/8 mile Speedrome features all new TV-quality Musco lighting, a 3000 Seat Main Grandstand, a 28 stall paved pit lane and much more. The facility is situated on over 38 acres and is one of New York’s finest paved oval tracks.
“I grew up watching guys like Johnny Coy run midgets on Long Island. Chemung should be a perfect track for the midgets, plenty of room, long straightaways – it should be a good night of racing,” said John White, owner.