NEW ENGLAND MOTORSPORTS SOUTH
By Lou Modestino
The Northeastern Midget Association has long considered Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park (TSMP) the ultimate “separate the men from the boys” facility. While any Thompson checkered is a treasure, winning the first ever NEMA Lites feature at this year’s ICEBREAKER event will be a goal high on the list of many attendees.
Sitting at the top of that list is the all time Thompson winner – with eleven victories, Randy Cabral of Kingston, MA, who will return at the ICEBREAKER in his family owned #35 Lites car. In addition to Cabral – former NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion and multi time USAC feature winner, Bobby Santos III of Franklin, MAwill be wheeling the Frank Manafort #76 in the event. In addition to Santos and Cabral – ISMA competitor and feature winner Jeff Locke will be aboard his family owned Lites car, NEMA competitor Paul Scally of Raynham, MA will be debuting his new Drinan Lites car, and 2014 NEMA runner up Avery Stoehr of Lakeville, MA, a new family owned ride as well.
With nearly a twenty car field rumored, that’s just the beginning of the list. Teammates Christian Briggs and Juris Kupris will bring their RAM Bull racing entries to TSMP with high hopes of a feature victory. The Cugini family from Marshfield, MA brings their two strong family owned entries to the Speedway, and the always strong Andy Barrows will be debuting his new BEAST chassis at the ICEBREAKER. The Bigelow family, with 2014 owner’s champion Scott, and multi feature winner, Paul – will undoubtedly be strong as well, with their Honda power plants. Other rumored entrants include Kenny Johnson, multi time feature winner PJ Stergios and Dennis Potter.
Thompson, known for its long straightaways and high banked corners presents a “mental wrestling match from mid straightaway into the turns,” pointing out to be successful “you have to pretty much keep your foot in it deep into the corner” says long time NEMA member and multi time winner Greg Stoehr.
NEMA and Thompson have a relationship that goes back to 1960, the legendary Dutch Schaefer the winner. Since then, Thompson has helped write a ton of NEMA history. Greg Stoehr of Lakeville , driving for John Zahar, passed brother Russ in the closing laps to win in 1994. In 2001, Joey Payne, who like Greg Stoehr started last, passed the same Russ Stoehr of Bridgewater on the final lap en route to the checkered. The latter was the famed car owner Gene Angelillo’s 100th NEMA win. Last fall, Randy Cabral claimed the victory over another famous racing family name, Cole Carter – son of the great Pancho Carter.
The Lites kick off ICEBREAKER weekend with a 30 minute open practice beginning at 4:45 p.m. on Friday April 10th, followed by practice on Saturday morning, 6 lap heat races Saturday afternoon and a 20 lap feature Saturday evening. One thing is for sure, with as close as some of the big track races were last season – reminiscent of Oswego, Thompson’s ICEBREAKER should be a “barn burner.”
For “Lightning” Larry Gelinas, racing is almost as important as breathing. The 30-plus-year veteran gets behind the wheel any chance he can. This year, he’ll be chasing the 2015 crown in the Granite State Pro Stock Series (GSPSS), as well as throwing his name in the hat in the Late Model division at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park. Gelinas will also run select ACT events, and attempt to qualify for the Oxford 250.
“I love to race, that’s really all I’ve ever done,” comments Gelinas.
Gelinas started the year with his seasoned race car, after replacing the snout of his Cadillac following a bone-crushing hit at Lee USA Speedway’s Oktoberfest. The team packed up, headed south, and competed at New Smyrna (FL), only to suffer mechanical issues all week.
The 2015 GSPSS schedule has a different look, and Gelinas is anxious to get the season started. The schedule starts off in familiar territory, with the IceBreaker, April 10-12, at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park (TSMP). The IceBreaker will pay a cool $2000 to capture the victory, with $250 to take the green. Then, Claremont Speedway, the track where it all began, will host the GSPSS April 24. Add a return to Speedway 51 (NH), formerly Riverside Speedway, and New London-Waterford Speedbowl (CT) to close out the season, and the “new” tracks act as equalizers on the schedule.
Gelinas adds “I’ve never even seen New London-Waterford (Speedbowl). The different tracks makes more of a challenge for everyone. That’s why we race.”
Larry Gelinas began the 2014 season on a tear. In the first five races, Gelinas never finished any worse than fourth, including a win at Hudson International Speedway. Then, bad luck struck the Buxton, Maine native, as mechanical issues took him out of the JBH 100 at Monadnock Speedway. In the very next race, the 1996 winner of the Oxford 250 battled two-time ACT Champion Wayne Helliwell, Jr., in a green-white-checkered finish, only to spin after contact, for his second consecutive finish outside the top-10. Gelinas would buckle down, and rack up four top-7 finishes, to round out the season, and finish third in the championship standings.
Gelinas will be joined by Derek Griffith, Barry Gray, and a field of Granite State Pro Stock Series drivers at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park for the $2000-to-win Icebreaker, April 10-12.
In the long and storied history of the NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler at Stafford Motor Speedway, there have been several drivers whose performance has shined high above the rest of their competitors. The Spring Sizzler presents the opportunity for Franklin, MA native Bobby Santos, III, of Franklin to enter into a very elite group.
S
antos will try this year to join Maynard Troyer and Ted Christopher as the only drivers to win the Sizzler three consecutive times and also to join Christopher and Mike Stefanik as the only drivers with 4 or more career Sizzler victories. Santos’ Sizzler career got off to a very slow start, with accidents in his first two Sizzlers relegating him to 32nd place finishes in 2004 and 2007. But when he hooked up with Bob Garbarino for the 2010 season, Santos has quickly carved out his own space in Sizzler lore. Santos won the pole for the 2010 Sizzler and led the first 54 laps of the race before contact with a lapped car dropped him back to 22nd in the running order. Santos recovered to finish second in that race and he then won each of his next three Sizzler starts in 2011, 2013, and 2014.
“I’m excited, the Sizzler is obviously one of my favorite races of the year and it’s treated me very well the last handful of years,” said Santos. “It’s definitely one of those races that you look forward to and with all the history of the race and everything that goes with it, it makes the race even better. I’ve driven for good teams that give me good race cars and I like the longer distance races. That extra 50 or 75 laps definitely suits my style of racing and driving. Any time you can be in the same category as Ted Christopher and Mike Stefanik is an honor. They were my two favorite drivers growing up and in my opinion two of the best. If I can do anything halfway close to what they accomplished, it would be pretty neat. But the competition gets harder every year and it’s going to be a difficult race to win for sure.”
With how well Santos has run at the Spring Sizzler in the past, the NWMT field could be in for another day of trying to chase down the #44 as Santos and his team will be bringing a slightly different car than in the past to this year’s Sizzler.
“The car that we ran at Loudon last year will be our Stafford car this year, so it’s a little nicer and newer car than we’ve brought the last couple of years,” said Santos. “It’s still a Troyer car with a Billy the Kid engine, so no major changes. It’s a good combination and we have everything we need to run well. I have to thank Sully Tinio (of Bellingham), he is the main person behind all this, Mike Curb with Curb Records is another big sponsor, and all my guys on the crew who work so hard. For me to be able to just show up and drive, it’s pretty cool to get into that equipment and have that opportunity.”
While Santos says he is a fan of the longer distance races, he says that when it comes to the Spring Sizzler a driver can’t rely on the same strategy for each race.
“It seems like every race is different,” said Santos. “The best strategy would be to get a caution right around halfway. The ideal scenario for me would be leading the race and get a yellow around lap-120 and be able to come back out of the pits still in the lead. You just have to play things by ear and if you’re out front, you can kind of dictate the strategy. I think last year we didn’t get into the lead until after the pit stops so we just went with the flow of what everyone else was doing and I made my move about 40 or 50 laps after the pit stop. I’ve also won the race by leading almost every lap, so you have to keep track of the way things fall in front of you.”
Santos will begin his quest for his third consecutive NAPA Spring Sizzler victory with practice and Coors Light Pole Qualifying on Saturday, April 25th as part of the 44th Annual NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler. The 200-lap NAPA Spring Sizzler will run on Sunday, April 26 at approximately 3:15 p.m. following the NAPA Pit Party from 11 a.m.-12 noon and the SK Modified® and Late Model feature events beginning at 1 p.m.
Tickets for the “Greatest Race in the History of Spring” are on sale now at the Speedway Box Office. Tickets are priced at $38.50 for adult general admission tickets, $5.00 for children ages 6-14, and children ages 5 and under are admitted free of charge when accompanied by an adult. Reserved seating is priced at $42.00 for all ages. As always, Stafford Motor Speedway offers free parking with overnight parking available. All tickets are good for both Saturday and Sunday admission. All ticket prices include 10% CT Admission Tax.
-The 2015 season at Stafford Motor Speedway will mark the second season of weekly Legend Car competition around the track’s mini-mile. In addition Stafford Speedway Management is proud to announce that the Legend Cars feature during the season ending NAPA Auto Parts Fall Final Weekend on Oct. 3rd will serve as a Legends Car Asphalt Nationals Qualifier.
“It’s great to have a Legend Cars National Qualifier event at Stafford,” said Stafford Legend Cars promoter David Arute. “The Nationals is the biggest race of the year for the Legend Cars and our NAPA Fall Final Legend Cars feature event should see some exciting racing for the win. We’re looking forward to awarding the race winner a spot in the Legends Nationals race.”
The 2015 Legend Cars Asphalt Nationals will be held at Anderson Speedway in Anderson, South Carolina, November 12-14. The 3-day Legend Cars extravaganza will give competitors a final chance to accumulate points for the 2015 season to determine their final position in the INEX National Point Standings. Stafford Speedway was represented by two drivers from the Young Lion class at last year’s Asphalt Nationals at The Bullring in Las Vegas with Mike Christopher, Jr. finishing fourth and Joe Graf, Jr. finishing eleventh.
The Legend Cars division made a triumphant return to Stafford Speedway at the beginning of the 2014 season after a 20-year hiatus, Dana DiMatteo became the first ever Legend Cars Track Champion. The Legend Cars had 6 different feature winners last season with only 11 total races on the schedule. The race for the championship went down to the final race of the season with Dana DiMatteo beating out his brother Cory to claim the championship. Both DiMatteo brothers return to competition this season along with feature winners Jordan LaMothe and Devin O’Connell.
The first Legend Cars feature of the 2015 season at Stafford Speedway will take place on April 25 as part of the 44th Annual NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler on April 24-26. Tickets for the “Greatest Race in the History of Spring” are on sale now at the Speedway Box Office.
For the tradition-rich NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, each off season has historically brought little turnover among the ranks. Although ride swapping can occur with frequency, many of the drivers and teams remain the same from year to year. Things are a little different in 2015, however.
Most all of the drivers that fans have known for years will still be at the Whelen Modified Tour’s season-opening Icebreaker 150, slated for Sunday at Connecticut’s Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park. Champions like Ted Christopher, Doug Coby, Donny Lia, Ryan Preece, Bobby Santos, Ron Silk, Todd Szegedy and Jamie Tomaino. Contenders Justin Bonsignore, Eric Goodale, Rowan Pennink, Woody Pitkat and Timmy Solomito will be there as well. But make no mistake; this is a new day for the Whelen Modified Tour.
At the beginning of the week, there were 37 entries for the Icebreaker 150. Eighteen of those 37 drivers did not participate in this same race a year ago. Four drivers will attempt to make their tour debut, and it will be just the second career start for four others. Five additional competitors in the field have single digit start totals to their credit.
Fans in the stands Sunday will be treated to one of the more diverse Whelen Modified Tour starting grids in some time. Drivers old and young, veterans and rookies, some that are making a return to the tour after a number of years away, and plenty of others that haven’t gone anywhere.
RACE: Icebreaker 150
PLACE: Thompson (Conn.) Speedway Motorsports Park
DATE: Sunday, April 12
TIME: 3:30 p.m. ET (approx.)
TELECAST: NBCSN, April 17, Time TBD
TRACK LAYOUT: .625-mile, high-banked asphalt oval
2014 WINNER: Justin Bonsignore
2014 POLESITTER: Woody Pitkat
EVENT SCHEDULE: Saturday – Practice 10:30-11:45 a.m., Qualifying 2:30 p.m.; Sunday – Driver Autograph Session 10:30-11:30 a.m.
The 2015 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season will open with the Icebreaker 150, the 127th all-time race at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, and the first of four events this year at the famed northeastern Connecticut oval.
The maximum starting field is 37 cars, including provisionals. The first 32 cars will have secured starting positions based on two-lap qualifying. The remaining five spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race is scheduled for 150 laps (93.75 miles) and the tire change rule is three tires, any position.
A .625-mile high-banked oval that opened in 1940, Thompson was the first entirely asphalt track in the nation, and was the largest in New England for five decades. Thompson has played host to 126 Whelen Modified Tour races all-time, more than any other track, and is one of two facilities to welcome the tour in each of its now 31 years of competition.
There have been 34 different race winners at Thompson, led by Mike Stefanik’s 15 victories. Justin Bonsignore is the defending Icebreaker 150 winner.
There have been 42 different pole winners at Thompson, led by Tony Hirschman’s 13. Woody Pitkat earned the pole for this race last year and Bobby Santos maintains the tour’s track qualifying record at 18.237 seconds (123.376 mph), set on April 10, 2011.
The Icebreaker 150 will mark the confluence of milestone seasons for both the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park. This is the 30th anniversary season for the tour, and the 75th season of auto racing for Thompson.
Reigning Whelen Modified Tour champions Doug Coby and the No. 2 Mike Smeriglio III Racing team return in-tact for a title defense in 2015. They’ll have to overcome a decade’s worth of history to repeat, however. The last driver to earn back-to-back tour titles was Tony Hirschman in 2004-05.
Coby and Ryan Preece have alternated 1-2 finishes in the final championship standings each of the three previous seasons. This year 2013 titlist Preece will challenge Coby with a new team as he has moved over to TS Haulers Racing to pilot the No. 6 Chevrolet. The new pairing has already found success with a championship in the World Series of Asphalt Racing modified division at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway in February in NASCAR Whelen All-American Series action.
The Icebreaker 150 will mark the debut of Rob Fuller Motorsports’ new lineup of Corey LaJoie and Ron Silk. The team, sponsored by 15-40 Connection, will field the No. 15 for LaJoie and the No. 40 for Silk, both on a part-time schedule in 2015. Family ties predate the new racing alliance, however. LaJoie’s father, Randy, is Silk’s godfather while Silk’s father, Scott, is LaJoie’s godfather.
Although not unprecedented, in a unique set of circumstances, Eric Goodale (129 points) and Preece (120) enter Whelen Modified Tour opening week sitting atop the points standings in the Whelen Southern Modified Tour. Each has registered a win through the southern tour’s first three races. By raceday on Sunday at Thompson, however, the Whelen Southern Mods will have a different leader as neither Goodale or Preece will compete in that tour’s fourth race on the schedule, which will be Saturday night at Hampton, Virginia’s Langley Speedway.
To commemorate the beginning of its 75th season of auto racing, Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park will contest a 75-lap Sunoco Modified feature on Sunday to headline its weekly NASCAR Whelen All-American Series racing program on Icebreaker 2015 weekend. Ryan Preece is the defending NASCAR track champion out of the Sunoco Modified division, which has traditionally contested 30-lap features.