By Lou Modestino
Plans are in the making for the two NASCAR Whelen North and South Modified Tour races at the Daytona International Speedway’s backstretch. No doubt those dates will be part of the plans, of Modified teams, to also take in the six Open Comp Tour Type Modified races at the nearby New Smyrna Speedway which has experienced sparse entries since the economy take a big bump starting in 2008. Every year since then has seen a significant drop in entries. So bad was was the entry list at NSS that the officials had to combine them with the Sk Modifieds. Two races at Daytona are expected to entice a lot more entries is the feeling of the owners/promoters of the New Smyrna half-mile.
Though, in order to run the two Daytona NASCAR events the Mods have to be equipped with the latest racing seat that costs four grand according to sources. We could see a lot more teams heading south this February because the drivers and teams all want to experience the racing on the paperclip designed 1/2 mile track laid out on the DIS backstretch near the second turn of the 2 1/2 mile tri-oval.
Checking with someone close to the scene, the estimate to field a Modified for those events at DIS and NSS will cost ten grand including all expenses. We’ll be interested to see what the payoffs are going to be at Daytona. The teams that ran NSS over the past years were lucky to break event. Although one team owner said that by going to New Smyrna every year he could line up some good contingency money for the entire season. Combine that with getting an early start on the season and doing well could result in a team and driver being in top form by the time the WMT opens the season in April up this way.
Stoughton’s Joe Brady indicated that he will be going to Daytona with the Brady Bunch Modified. He also thought that he would be racing at both Daytona International and New Smyrna Speedway with his usual driver Ted Christopher, a driver of immense talent. Brady and company have taken several World Series of Stockcar Racing championships over the years.
With New England’s Valenti Modified Racing Series celebrating its 10th anniversary next season, President and Founder Jack Bateman has announced a 19-race schedule for the 2013 campaign.
The series will return to the State of Maine twice next summer with invites back to the Oxford Plains Speedway, Oxford 250 weekend, July 20, and the Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, ME., August 3.
The series visits the State of Connecticut eight times with the Waterford Speedbowl hosting the season opener, April 6 & 7, and a return engagement August 10.
Stafford Springs Motor Speedway adds a third event in 2013. The first race is June 21, with the popular 80-lap races also on tap August 30, and September 13.
Thompson Speedway offers a different twist with two Sunday events and a return to the season ending World Series of Speedway Racing, Saturday, October 19. The Sunday 75-lap races are May 19, and July 28.
New Hampshire tracks host six races with Monadnock Speedway on board for their traditional spring event April 20, and additional events July 6, and August 24.
Lee USA Speedway will welcome the Laticrete-sponsored race June 28 and will host the series at Oktoberfest weekend, October 12 & 13. Canaan Fair Speedway has July 13 locked in.
Seekonk (MA) Speedway will welcome the VRMS three times with June 8, August 17, and the traditional DAV race, October 5, on thecalendar.
The 2012 VMRS banquet will be held Saturday, December 8 at The Clarion Hotel, 1080 Riverdale Street, W. Springfield, MA.
The list of Threee Quarter (TQ) Midget drivers entered for the first race of the three event Fatheadz Indoor Racing Series – in 1st Mariner Center in Baltimore, Md., December 8 – is best characterized in two ways – quality and quantity. Among the nearly sixty competitors are a quintet who earned circuit or track championships in 2012.
Tim Buckwalter of Pottstown, Pa., the recently crowned 2012 American Racing Drivers Club (ARDC) Midget driving champion, is looking for his first win Indoors.Ted Christopher of Plainville, Ct., a five time winner Indoors between Atlantic City and Providence, is the 2012 Stafford (CT) Motor Speedway track king.
Mike Lichty, a one-time winner indoors, and one of two Canadian drivers entered in the Fatheadz three race series, won his first ISMA
Supermodified driving championship in 2012. Anthony Sesely, Matawan, N.J., will be seeking his first TQ Midget win after earning the 2012 Wall Stadium Modified track championship for the second consecutive year.
And Ryan Tidman of Levittown, Pa. will be a contender in the Indoor races after having won the 2012 ATQMRA Three Quarter Midget outdoor
championship for the second straight year. The 1st Mariner Center race is the first of a three indoor auto racing event series produced by Len Sammons Motorsports Productions.
The newly named Fatheadz Series’ second event is logged in for Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, R.I., on December 31 and the
two-race weekend finale is scheduled for February 1-2, 2013 in Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall. Entries have been coming in at a steady rate for the Baltimore, Providence and Atlantic City in the Champ Kart support division as well. Atlantic City’s schedule of events includes two other class, a 600 Micro Sprint class and the Slingshots.
The addition of the Baltimore race this year to the previous events in Providence and Atlantic City provides TQ drivers and Champ Kart racers
with major events in three destination cities.
Collectively, the racing talent in the TQ Midget field has won an estimated 700 feature races and fifty track or circuit championships.
The 1st Mariner Center is near the very popular Camden Yards and is in the middle of Baltimore’s trendy Inner Harbor area, a tourist mecca
with dozens of shops, restaurants and attractions.
Here’s what’s happening this weekend. On Saturday the Bristol County Street Rods have a holiday part at 6 p.m. at the Elk’s Club in Attleboro. Billy Greco’s NEAR Movie Party goes off that the same time at the Polish-American Club in W. Haven, CT. On Sunday the Holiday Inn in Dedham offers an antique/collectable toy show at 9 a.m.