3rd annual New England Dirt Track Championships on Sept. 22
Bear Ridge Speedway will host back-to-back headline events to close out its 45th anniversary dirt track stock car racing season. The third annual New England Dirt Track Championships presented by Perry Oil Service and 99ROCK will be held on Saturday, September 22, and a special event has been added on Saturday, September 29, presented by Woodsville Guaranty Savings Bank.
The double-points New England Dirt Track Championships on September 22 will feature a special 50-lap, $750-to-win race for the Bond Auto Parts DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds. Multi-time champions Chris Donnelly of Piermont, NH and Adam Pierson of Fairlee, VT won the first two editions in 2010 and 2011; they’ll be challenged by Kevin Chaffee, Justin Comes, Jason Gray, Derek Graham, Gary Siemons, and many others.
The New England Dirt Track Championships is the final 25-lap event for the WYKR Sprint Cars of New England tour, with Donnelly and Dan Douville just 14 points apart up front. Douville has two Bear Ridge wins this year, and while Donnelly is winless in the Sprint Car he has a division-high four victories in the Modifieds.
Also on the card are a 40-lap race for the Wells River Chevrolet Sportsman Coupe division, 25 laps for the USAC Dirt Midget Association, and 20-lap races for the A Notch Above Automotive Limited Late Models, Weglarz Property Service Fast Fours, and KDD NAPA Auto Parts Hornets.
Saturday, September 29 has been added to the schedule after a mid-summer rainout on Woodsville Guaranty Savings Bank Night; the event will have a unique format with half-time breaks for all divisions and an emphasis on qualifying. All drivers competing in feature races will receive equivalent championship points, but time trial qualifying will award points based on top speed and lap times – the pole winner will earn seven bonus points, second-place six points, third-place five points, down to a minimum of one point for all racers. The six-point swing could very well change final point positions, including championships.
The Modified main event will be lined up based on a random draw after time trials –four, six, eight, ten, or zero drivers will be inverted at the front. A 30-lap segment will be run, followed by a 10-minute break for adjustments and a final 30-lap segment. Coupes, Midgets, Late Models, Fast Fours, and Hornets will run in similar formats, and the Granite State Mini Sprints will also be on hand for their final event.
Special general admission for the New England Dirt Track Championships event will be $13 for adults (age 18-61), $10 for teens (12-17) and seniors (62+), and $2 for children; Visa and MasterCard are accepted. Racing begins at the famous “6:00-ish” start time.