By Lou Modestino
Advanced Oxford 250 entries are pouring in to the PASS North headquarters in Naples, Maine, and the entry list is certainly going to be a who’s who in Super Late Model racing from throughout the Northeast, Southeast and Canada.
Northern driver, Tim Brackett from Buckfield, Maine filed the first entry earlier this month, and since then entries have been coming in almost daily. 2013 PASS North champion Cassius Clark has filed entry for the Hight Chevrolet team. Former multi-time PASS champion, Johnny Clark, along with 2012 PASS North champ, Travis Benjamin have sent in their entries. 2013 PASS North runner-up Joey Doiron is entered as well as Turner, Maine’s Glen Luce. Other PASS notables include David Oliver and Reid Lanpher.
Oxford Plains Speedway is well represented with early entries as Shane Green, Chris Coolidge, Mark Lundblad Jr., Justin Gibbons, and Adam Polivinen have all thrown their hats into the ring.
PASS South is represented by the father and son duo of Jay and Tate Fogleman. Jay Fogleman is the defending two time PASS National Champion, while young Tate Fogleman, a mere 14 years old will be looking for his first win in the Oxford 250. Tate finished fifth in his run for the PASS National Championship in 2013. Canadian Super Late Model ace Karl Allard from St. Felicien, Quebec will be leading the Canadian contingency as he is the first driver from across the border to ink his name to the 250. Allard, a household name in Canadian racing circles will be up for the 250 challenge.
The 41st edition of the Oxford 250 will take place on Sunday afternoon, July 20, 2014. This gigantic event will complete the biggest weekend in the history of the Oxford 250. The Sunday card will feature the Super Late Models racing 250 green flag laps, plus a $1,000 to win, 75 lap PASS Mods race, Street Stocks, Outlaws, and a 50 Legends Car National Championship event. The weekend will start off with the PASS Mods and PASS Sportsman opening up the weekend on Friday night along with several support divisions. Then on Saturday night a blockbuster schedule of events will take place featuring the NEMA Midgets, NEMA Lites, the second race in the brand new PASS Northeast Late Model Series paying $4,000 to win, or $3,000 and a guaranteed starting spot in Sundays 250. Also on the card will be the Wicked Good Vintage Racers, the Northeast Classic Lite Dwarf Cars, Outlaw Sportsman and Street Stocks.
Matty Sanborn will be chasing the Rookie of the Year crown in the Granite State Pro Stock Series in 2014. What may be more important than any honors or trophies, is the relationship that Sanborn has with the sport.
Sanborn started his racing career at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway at 17 years old, and moved to Oxford Plains Speedway the next year. His racing operation is small, but it is very close knit. His father, Randy, is the heart and soul of his racing career.
Sanborn and his father were always around racing together, whether it was fielding a car or just being in the pits. “I couldn’t do it without him, no doubt about it” Sanborn says. “He is a disabled Vietnam Veteran, I’m so proud of him, and he is always there for me. We go through a lot of emotions together in racing, it’s just a healthy thing to do together.”
Sanborn takes pride in keeping his nose clean on the race track. Off the track, Sanborn is a UPS driver, where safety is an important part of the job. UPS uses multiple concepts to teach drivers to be safe on the road, and Sanborn uses that behind the wheel. “We have this thing called the ‘5 Seeing Habits’,” states the Westbrook, ME driver. “It sounds like a joke, but it really does work. I take pride in bringing the car home in one piece.”
Sanborn, his father, wife Randi, and friend Kyle Jordan all work on the #64 Chevrolet built by idol Jeff Taylor at Distance Chassis. When racing isn’t first on his mind, Sanborn is content picking up a book, or a pen. His true passion is writing. The 36 year-old driver once answered an ad in Speedway Scene, writing about his first race. Soon after, he picked up a $200 check for winning the contest. Later in life, Sanborn would like to write a book on all the aspects of racing, both on the track and behind the scenes.
Even with both of these time consuming hobbies, he still cherishes camping and travelling with his wife. “She puts up with a lot, and I have a blast doing those things with her,” tells Sanborn.
Watch Sanborn and the rest of the GSPSS as they engage in their first race of the season at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park on April 5th and 6th.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway honored the achievements of its star stock car drivers on Saturday, February 1 at the annual Banquet of Champions, held at the Holiday Inn Rutland-Killington in Rutland, VT. The sold-out crowd of nearly 300 guests enthusiastically applauded the champions of the track’s four NASCAR Whelen All-American Series divisions along with the Northern Modified Challenge Series, the Vermont State Late Model Championship Series, and the Enduro Series.
Todd Stone of Middlebury, VT was officially crowned the champion of the headline Bond Auto Parts Modified division after a record-breaking season of 10 victories in 17 starts. Stone’s crew chief Jeff Carter received NASCAR’s UNOH Ultimate Mechanic Challenge prize, and the owner’s championship, won by Gardner Stone, was accepted by long time team member Rob Lowell. Hunter Bates was honored as the Modified division’s runner-up, with Vince Quenneville, Jr. third.
Veteran Modified racer Leon Gonyo of Chazy, NY received a standing ovation and the track’s highest honor with the second annual John Bruno Award. Named in honor of the late multi-time champion driver and owner, the John Bruno Award is given in recognition of a lifetime of achievement in racing while maintaining high standards of conduct on and off the track. Gonyo is a veteran of more than 40 years of racing at several paved and dirt tracks in the U.S. and Canada; the biggest victory of his career came in the 1986 Yankee 200 at Devil’s Bowl Speedway, and he is still a regular weekly competitor at the track.
Chris Bergeron of Claremont, NH collected the Late Model division championship in his first season racing at Devil’s Bowl. The long-time racer’s four wins were enough to fend off rookie Josh Masterson by a scant four points. Another rookie, Brandon Atkins, was third overall. Richie Turner of Fairfax, VT picked up hardware for his Renegade division title, and Benson, VT’s Jake Noble was crowned the champion of the Central Vermont Motorcycles Mini Stock division. Rookie of the Year awards were presented to Modified racer Jamie LaFountain, Late Model driver Masterson, Renegade freshman Brad Bushey, and Mini Stock runner Chuck Bradford.
Brandon, VT driver Quenneville received awards for winning the inaugural championship of the Northern Modified Challenge Series, and Nick Sweet of Barre, VT went home with the Vermont State Late Model Championship. Eric “Mongo” Messier of Hinesburg, VT was also recognized as the first-ever Enduro Series champion at Devil’s Bowl.
Several other special awards were given during the evening, with sportswriter Tom Haley and Devil’s Bowl staff member Jeff Champine among the honorees. Haley received the second annual Award of Excellence for his outstanding coverage of the speedway in the Rutland Herald, while Champine – affectionately known by racers as “The Tire Guy” – received the first-ever Dedication Award for his unwavering commitment to the track. Each received a raucous standing ovation.
Renegade rookie Stephen Donahue provided one of the evening’s several humorous highlights as the Sportsmanship Award winners were announced. Having been in attendance to receive his fourth-place point trophy earlier in the evening, the soon-to-be-16-year-old was absent when his name was announced as a Sportsmanship Award winner. Once he was retrieved from the hotel pool, he returned barefoot and wearing swim trunks to accept his award. Other Sportsmanship awards were given to Modified driver Dave Snow, Late Model rookie Seth Bridge, and Mini Stock veteran Matt Monaghan.
The keynote address was given by Tom Donahue, Executive Vice President and CEO of the Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce, with closing speeches given by legendary broadcaster and race promoter Ken Squier and Devil’s Bowl Speedway promoter Mike Bruno. Prizes were also given prior to the awards ceremony from Bond Auto Parts, Five Star Racecar Bodies, and New England Racing Fuel.
In his speech, Mike Bruno revealed the full 2014 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Schedule, which begins on Sunday, May 4 with the historic Spring Green for the American-Canadian Tour Late Models. Weekly summer Friday night racing begins one week earlier in 2014, on Friday, May 16. Other highlights include the Vermont State Late Model Championship Series on Friday, May 30, the Coca-Cola Firecracker special on Friday, July 4, the third annual C.J. Richards Memorial 67 on Friday, August 1, and the Vermont 200 Weekend season finale on September 13-14.
Bruno also announced the return of dirt track racing with an experimental three-event post-season schedule beginning in late September. Events will be held on Friday, September 26, on Saturday, October 4, and on Saturday, October 18. Further details will be announced soon.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway has unveiled an exciting and diverse stock car racing lineup for 2014. The fast half-mile track, located in West Haven, VT just 20 minutes from Rutland City, will pay homage to its past and future with a summer slate of asphalt racing and a three-race return to its original clay dirt surface in the fall. The announcement was made before a crowd of nearly 300 at the Banquet of Champions on Saturday, February 1.
The NASCAR Whelen All-American Series pavement season will open on Sunday, May 4 with the historic “Spring Green” event. The Bond Auto Parts Modified, Renegade, and Central Vermont Motorcycles Mini Stock divisions will open their championship schedules, and will be joined again by the exciting American-Canadian Tour Late Models.
The weekly Friday night season kicks off one week early in 2014, on Friday, May 16 at 7:00pm. Special events dot the summer schedule, beginning with the first of two appearances by the Vermont State Late Model Championship Series on Friday, May 30. The Coca-Cola Firecracker extravaganza returns on Friday, July 4, with the double-points Mid-Season Championships on Friday, July 18. There will be two “off weeks” during the season, on Friday, June 13, and again on Friday, July 25.
The third annual C.J. Richards Memorial 67, a special Modified event run in honor of the track’s late founder and in tribute the inaugural 1967 season, has been scheduled for Friday, August 1. The Friday night schedule ends on August 22 with a double-feature blowout for all four weekly divisions.
The asphalt season draws to a close with the blockbuster Vermont 200 Weekend on September 13-14. The event includes championship finales for all regular classes as well as the Vermont State Late Model Championship Series, and has quickly become a “must see” event in the Northeast.
Following the completion of the regular season, a professional team of dirt track preparation experts will transform Devil’s Bowl Speedway into a newer version of its former self by laying natural clay over the existing pavement. The track operated with that same dirt surface for its first four years and again from 1975 to 2009. The Richards family paved the track in 2010 as part of a long-term vision of overall growth at the speedway.
Dirt events will be held on Friday, September 26, on Saturday, October 4, and on Saturday, October 18, with the division lineup to be announced soon.
Track co-owner and promoter Mike Bruno has stressed that Devil’s Bowl Speedway will forever remain in its current asphalt layout, but that he realizes that a strong segment of local race teams and fans enjoyed dirt racing at Devil’s Bowl for many years. Two years of extensive research combined with the recent closure of nearby Canaan Fair Speedway in New Hampshire prompted Bruno’s decision.
“We are proud of the growth of our asphalt program over the last few years, and we remain committed to weekly NASCAR asphalt racing at Devil’s Bowl. Nothing will change that,” Bruno said. “We have one of the best paved facilities in the area, and it happens to be surrounded by 75 acres of the best natural racing clay in the country. We will keep supporting the outstanding asphalt racing that we enjoy every week, but we also want to give back to the dirt fans that supported Devil’s Bowl for almost 40 years.”
Bruno has sought advice from industry experts including dirt track promoters Lyle DeVore of Albany-Saratoga (NY) Speedway, Jeremie Corcoran of Canandaigua (NY) Speedway, C.V. Elms of Bear Ridge (VT) Speedway, and several others. Corcoran has headed up a similar asphalt-to-dirt transformation of Michigan’s Berlin Raceway in each of the last two Septembers, and said that adding the clay – at least in his experience at Berlin – has actually improved the asphalt racing.
“[Corcoran] told me that the clay is removed from the asphalt almost immediately after the race [at Berlin], and then the winter weather sort of cures the track,” Bruno explained. “In the first pavement race at Berlin after the clay was removed, lap times were faster than the previous track record.”
The U.S.-based American Canadian Tour (ACT) has announced a management change for its Canadian Late Model stock car series, beginning in 2014. Racing Promotion Management, Ltd. (RPM), a Quebec-based company, led by long-time racing enthusiast and promoter Sylvain Brouillette and his partner Jean-François Fredette, will take over the day-to-day promotion, marketing and event responsibilities for the 2014 season.
ACT took over the struggling Series in 2007, and it has turned into the most exciting stock car racing in Quebec, drawing large crowds and crowning notable champions of the Series like Donald Theetge from Quebec City, Patrick Laperle from Montreal, Ste. Felicien’s Karl Allard, and 2013 defending Champion Jean-François Déry from Quebec City.
Brouillette and Fredette are the owners and promoters of the Pro-Cam Truck Series. The Truck Series will become sanctioned by ACT as a part of the new management team’s arrangement with ACT. They will also manage the new American Racer tire business for both series. “We have been anxious to get some established help from Quebec officials for some time now. I have known Sylvain Brouillette for many years. He has been a strong advocate of ACT racing, and the ACT US team looks forward to having the RPM team join us in assuring all the fans and teams in Quebec that ACT racing will continue to set a standard of excellence for the fans and teams of Quebec,” said the President of ACT, Tom Curley.
A ten race schedule, including the NASCAR-sanctioned Autodrome Ste-Eustache, the 5/8th mile oval outside of Quebec City, Circuit Riverside Speedway, and the third mile and quarter mile ovals in the eastern part of Quebec, Autodrome Montmagny and Autodrome Chaudiere, will all host the ACT Série in 2014.
“We are anxious to get started and are very excited about working with ACT this season. I have been a big fan of short track racing and especially the ACT for many, many years. We feel confident that working with the ACT crew will help us to make this Series even stronger for our many fans in Quebec”, said Sylvain Brouillette, the head of the RPM.
The Série ACT opens the season at Autodrome Ste-Eustache on Saturday, May 24, 2014.
The only hardcore racing trade show in the Northeast will go green on Friday, February 7th at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel in Marlboro, MA.
All forms of motorsports will be represented from circle track, drag, and road racing to karting and more.
World class exhibitors will be displaying the latest equipment and innovative technology that this industry has to offer. Sanctioning bodies and tracks will be available to inform competitors about the coming season.
There’s also a special match race between ISMA Super-Modified standout Chris Perley and NESN Wicked Bites showhost Brittany Baldisseri at F1 on Wood Road in Braintree, MA starting at 6 p.m. Other drivers in attendance
include; Russ Wood, John Zych, Ray Parent, Randy Cabral, Otto Sitterly and Chris Correll. New England Racing Show will also be there to video the event with host Jack Arute.
The Racin’ Preview in Portland, Maine is just a couple of weeks away. The show will be held on Friday and Saturday, February 21st and 22nd. Show hours are Friday from 4pm til 10pm, and Saturday from 9 a.m. til 9 p.m. We still have a couple of openings for those interested in having their cars in the show in the Oxford Plains Speedway booth.
The Clarion Hotel, located approximately one mile away from the show is offering a great room rate of just $69 for show-goers.
If your business is looking for a very affordable way to advertise, we have the perfect idea for you. Our weekly program which will be handed out FREE of charge on Wednesday and Friday nights is a great place for your business to advertise whether it is a large or small family owned enterprise. Contact the track office to discuss this opportunity as it costs very little, and offers a monthly payment plan to boot.
The Budweiser Pro Late Model division at Oxford Plains Speedway is already showing some solid growth for the 2014 racing season. Almost twenty teams have pre-registered to compete on a weekly basis at the popular OPS venue. The Brackett family including TJ, Tim and Vanna are already to roll in 2014. Tim Brackett, the 2013 champion is very excited about defending his title. Several of the top challengers include Shawn Martin, Shane Green, Adam Polvinen, Eric Allyn, Chris Coolidge, Scott Farrington and a host of others. It will be a stellar rookie class with the likes of 2013 PASS Sportsman champion, Carey Martin competing weekly. New Hampshire’s Quinney Welch will be on board as well as numerous other rookie competitors. A full roster will be presented in the very near future here on our website.
The first ever Colossal Carnage 150 Enduro is gaining momentum as we speak, as the giant $7,000 to win portion of the purse has everyone talking about building a car and entering. The four and six cylinder race will be held on Sunday, April 27. One racer stated, “We are building a fleet of cars for the race. Right now we have six racers ready, and hope to have four more! We want that winner’s check real bad as that would fund our race program for the entire season.” To reserve your number(s) download the Colossal Carnage 150 form from our website and send in the entry fee. There will be no duplicate numbers so hurry and send yours in.
The 2014 edition of the Oxford 250 will be held on Sunday, July 20, 2014. Reserved seat tickets are selling very fast. Last year saw the return of the Super Late Models as the premier division of the 250, and what a show the put on. Travis Benjamin’s thrilling pass of Joey Doiron late event the event left the crowd wanting more of these sleek machines and the 2014 edition of the Oxford 250 should once again play in front of a packed house. You can order your tickets in our online store, or you may download the order blank and send it in to our office. Orders are also being accepted by phone at 207-539-886.