by Jay | Oct 8, 2009 | PASS
Naples ME ( 10/8/09) The Pro All Stars Series (PASS) South super late model teams roll into South Boston (VA) Speedway next weekend for their longest (250 laps) and richest ($44,100 purse) race of 2009 and the PASS National Champion will be crowned when the checkered flag falls.
The Mason-Dixon Meltdown is fast becoming a fall tradition. With 250 laps on tap for the PASS super late models and another 250 lap feature for late model stock cars, the popular event will give the fans in the stands their fill of side by side, nose to tail full fendered short track racing that the Virginia oval is famous for.
The Meltdown is the final round of the four race PASS National Championship series, where Ben Rowe holds a comfortable 57 point lead over Mark Gibson and 71 points over Ryan Blaney for the title. Rowe has been dominant in the series, winning races one and three at Hickory Motor Speedway and Southern National and finishing third at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway. Those are numbers that are hard to beat, giving Rowe the inside track for the title.
The PASS National Champion will receive a Leavitt Racing Components super late model chassis and a complete Quarter Master racing clutch, bell housing and starter package in addition to the Champions hardware. That’s an additional $7,500.00 in product awards for the four race series plus all the cash that’s on the line.
Rowe also carries a 56 point lead into race 13 of the 14 race PASS South series standings. Rookie Ryan Blaney, Preston Peltier, Justin Wakefield and Heath Hindman sit second through fifth. The Turner Maine racer has four PASS North super late model titles on his resume and hopes to join his father Mike Rowe, the inaugural PASS South Champion in 2006, as a PASS South title holder.
Practice for both divisions is set for Friday, October 16 from 1:00 PM until 3:00 PM. Grandstand gates will open at 3:00 PM on Friday and will be followed by time trials for both races at 4:00 PM.
The Grandstand gates swing open on Saturday October 17 at 11:00 AM. A NASCAR Late Model last chance 50-lap race will get the green flag at noon and will be followed by a Fan Appreciation Session on the four-tenths mile asphalt oval. The first feature race of the day will get the green flag at 3:00 PM.
by Jay | Oct 7, 2009 | Canada
October 7, 2009 – Shediac (N.B.) — Over 200 drivers and teams from throughout Atlantic Canada and Maine including a number of current and former track, tour and defending Atlantic Champions, have registered to compete in this weekend’s 9th annual Maple Leaf Foods / Vance Hanes Auto Parts Atlantic Stock Car “Championships Speed Weekend” on October 10 & 11 at the Centre for Speed (CFS), Atlantic Canada’s Super Speedway and Metro Moncton’s ‘Playground of Power’, located in nearby Grand Barachois.
A total of over $50,000 in payouts, including lap sponsorships, will be available for teams in the seven stock car divisions of Pro Stock, Sportsman, Streetstock, 4 cylinder Mini Stock and Four Fun, Atlantic Open Wheel (AOW) modifieds and Legend stock car racing events during this upcoming weekend.
Two feature races will highlight the 2009 Atlantic Stock Car Championships with the Vance Hanes Auto Parts Sportsman 100 on Saturday, October 10th and the Maple Leaf Foods Pro Stock 150 on Sunday, October 11th, both starting at 1:00 p.m. The October 10th event will also feature Atlantic Championship races for Legend, Mini Stock and Four Fun division drivers. Sunday’s action will also include Atlantic Championship racing for Streetstock (50 lap feature) competitors as well as 35-lap events for Sportsman and AOW Tour competitors.
NASCAR drivers J.R. Fitzpatrick of Cambridge, Ontario, and Donald Chisholm of Antigonish, Nova Scotia will highlight a field of top stock car drivers from throughout Atlantic Canada, including for the first time ever, competitors from two Newfoundland speedways – Avondale and Thunder Valley Speedways.
“Were very excited about this year’s Atlantic Championship events,” says Tim Wile, track promoter and general manager for the Centre for Speed (CFS). “We’ve got a super field of competitors in all divisions and the cars continue to register every day. We should have the strongest overall field of stock cars that we’ve ever seen at our facility for this years annual event, including drivers from all four Atlantic provinces thanks to our first-ever Newfoundland entries and strong representation from each of the stock car facilities in our region including Fredericton, Halifax, Sydney, Antigonish, and Charlottetown.”
The long weekend events are expected to attract most of the top drivers from throughout the four Atlantic provinces, including most area track and tour champions as well as a number of former champions and defending Atlantic Champs.
On Sunday, October 11th, the Maple Leaf Foods Pro Stock 150 will feature CARQUEST Maritime Pro Stock Tour (MPST) champion, Wayne Smith (Timberlea, N.S.), who will be defending his 2008 Atlantic Championship title against the best Pro Stock drivers from our region, including Nova Scotians Donald Chisholm and John Flemming, local favorites Dave O’Blenis (Boundary Creek), Mike Stevens (Riverview) and Brian McNaughton (Lower Coverdale), as well as Bern Hickey of Avondale Speedway (NL). J.R. Fitzpatrick, a rising NASCAR Canadian Tire series driver, will also be competing in both the Pro Stock 150 on Sunday and the Legends feature on Saturday. This year, J.R. has been quite busy in both Canada and the United States, competing in a number of Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series events south of the border as part of the Kevin Harvick NASCAR racing team.
Other top regional Pro Stock competitors expected on Sunday include a number of teams from Nova Scotia including George Koszkulics (New Glasgow) and Craig Slaunwhite (Terrence Bay), Fredericton-area drivers Shaun Tucker, Greg Fahey along with PEI competitors Jonathan Hicken, Kris Hughes, Scott Livingston and Kris Fournier. Over 40 Pro Stock drivers have registered to compete for positions on the starting grid for the Maple Leaf Pro Stock 150 on Sunday.
Sunday’s action will also include top Streetstock track champions and drivers from throughout the Atlantic region in the very competitive Atlantic Streetstock Championship 50. If last year’s ‘photo finish’ is any indication, defending 2008 Atlantic Champ Fred Broussard from Sydney’s Island Speedway will have his hands full in this ‘edge of your seat’ Streetstock feature. Competitors from the AOW Tour will also battle it out in the AOW 35-lap main event.
On Saturday, October 10th, a total of 60 of the Maritimes top Sportsman drivers are expected to battle for positions on the 28-car starting grid for the Vance Hanes Auto Parts 100. Top competitors, including current and former track champions from most of the stock car tracks in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, are expected to make the trek to CFS for the 100 lap feature. The event will include top competitors and multi time track champs such as Dan Bourque (Grande Digue), Claude Gaudet (Barachois), Jim Duke (Moncton), Glyn Nott (Burton), Bradley Logan (Fredericton) and Jeff Dillman & Terry Roma (Halifax).
The Saturday program will also include track champions from throughout the region and other top drivers, including a few competitors from two Newfoundland speedways, in the very competitive 4 cylinder (Mini Stock, Four Fun). Both of these division drivers will be competing for their respective Atlantic Championship bragging rights in the Four Cylinder 35. Also included in the Saturday event will be drivers from the region’s Legends racecar series putting their skills to the test against J.R. Fitzpatrick in the Legends 50 feature race.
“There are two things that make this weekend event unique,” said track promoter Wile. “Fans, drivers and crews get a chance to celebrate the end of the racing season in friendly competition, without any pressure, and it’s also an opportunity to match skills with most of the top teams from throughout the region – in every class with a chance to be named the ‘best of the best’ in your division.”
Friday afternoon and evening on October 9th will feature practices for all divisions as well as a pit party.
Weekend passes for adults will be sold for $40 while a youth (5-15 years old) weekend pass will go for $10. Weekend Family Passes for 2 adults and 2 youths will also be available for $85 – a savings of $15! Furthermore, a limited amount of advance weekend passes for only $30 are available at Race Time located in Dieppe’s Champlain Mall.
On Saturday October 10th, individual day passes will be $20 for adults and $10 for youths while day passes for the October 11th races will be $25 for adults and $10 for youths. Monday, October 12th has been reserved as a rain date for either event.
The CENTRE for Speed is a 128-acre motor sports park which includes Atlantic Canada’s largest and fastest stock-car oval along with several other racing facilities. The CENTRE overlooks the Northumberland Straight and is located 5 kms east of Shediac’s Parlee Beach in the village of Grand Barachois, New Brunswick.
Full schedule details are available at www.centreforspeed.com
by Jay | Oct 7, 2009 | New England, Thompson
To Benefit Sonny “King” Richards Memorial
Groton, CT (October 4, 2009): On Friday, October 16, 2009, at 8PM, the friends of Sonny “The King” Richards will host the first-ever Texas Hold’ Em Poker Tournament at the Raceway Golf Club Restaurant on the grounds of Thompson International Speedway during the running of the World Series of Speedway Racing. There will be a $40 buy-in with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Sonny Richards “Education is King” Scholarship Fund. The payout will be determined by the number of players. Prizes will be paid out to the top-three finishers.
Known to many as the “King”, Sonny Richards was a longtime supporter of Modified racing and friend to the entire Motorsports community. A fan since the days of the coupe, Sonny was a fixture at Modified races throughout the decades. He began his love affair with the auto racing as a journalist covering the sport for the Connecticut Daily News and later as the field representative for Speedway Scene. Sonny passed away at his home in Hartford, CT in July of 2001 after having enjoyed an action-packed Modified race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
The King was a man who gave so much of himself to others. The Sonny “King” Richards Memorial was created by a group of his closest friends shortly after his death to help ensure that his spirit lives on. Tributes to Sonny include a memorial award and the Scholarship fund.
Any active participant in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour or their families actively enrolled in a collegiate program is eligible to receive the “Education is King” Sonny Richards Memorial Scholarship. Past recipients of scholarship include Megan Clifford and Kelly Coby-Silk. Megan and her parents remain active in the racing community today. Kelly, along with her husband Ronnie Silk and brother Doug Coby, are among the new generation of the Modified Tour. Anyone interested in the “Education is King” Sonny Richards Memorial Scholarship should contact Dale Wolbrink at (508) 847-0565 or [email protected] for application requirements.
Proceeds from the Texas Hold’ Em Poker Tournament will help to support the educational aspirations of another member of the racing community. Noted journalist and avid Poker player Shawn Courchesne of the Hartford Courant has agreed to organize the tournament.
Tickets are available for the Texas Hold’ Em Poker Tournament by emailing [email protected] or by calling (508) 847-0565.
Also, during the weekend, a member of the Modified Tour Racing community will walk away with the 9th Annual Sonny Richards Memorial Award. Each year as part of the ongoing tribute to the late Richards, the memorial award is presented to the owner, driver, crewmember, or official deemed by the media as the best representative of the Whelen Modified Tour. Some truly outstanding people have won this special recognition including Art Barry, Tony Ferrante, Sr., Ralph Solhem, Tom Baldwin, Sr., Jerry Marquis, Howie & Mary Hodge, Mark Mockovak, and Bill Brice.
The World Series of Speedway Racing at Thompson is one of the most fun and unique race events of the season. The friends of Sonny Richards are proud to be a part of the festivities.
by Jay | Oct 7, 2009 | Canada
It was just one short month ago that Cambridge, Ontario’s J.R. Fitzpatrick was at Scotia Speedworld outside of Halifax, Nova Scotia racing, and winning in a Legend car. The game plan will be the same this upcoming weekend as Fitzpatrick will once again team up with RacingTrader.ca to race in the Annual Speed Weekend festivities at the CENTRE For Speed in Grand-Barachois, New Brunswick!
Fitzpatrick’s weekend will start off on Saturday, October 10th by stepping foot into the #3 CAT Rental Store/Vance Hanes Auto Parts Legend car that he won in at Scotia Speedworld back in September. The fifty lap Legend race will be on a complete compliment of racing on Saturday which will include racing in the Sportsman, Atlantic Open Wheel and Four Cylinder classes at the CENTRE.
The next day, Fitzpatrick will climb behind the wheel of the Univeral Truck and Trailer – Robbie MacLean Chevrolet Impala Pro Stock for the Maple Leaf Foods 150. This event is one of the most prestigious events in the Maritimes each year and is expected to be contested by a full field of Pro Stock drivers from the Atlantic Region and beyond! Fans have seen the Universal Truck and Trailer Impala on track all season racing in the CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour with Charlottetown, P.E.I.s Robbie MacLean behind the wheel and will be a threat to win on Sunday as it has been all season throughout the Maritimes.
Fitzpatrick has had a busy season North and South of the border this season as the youngest Canadian Stock Car Champion has run races for Kevin Harvick Incorporated in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series. As a side dish to the compliment of NASCAR Racing down South, Fitzpatrick has been running his share of NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races which included a win in front of the big crowd at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal!
On board once again for his Eastern Canadian swing is RacingTrader.ca. The Fastest Growing Racing Classified and Online Community Website in Canada that was on board the #3 Legend car one month ago when Fitzpatrick pulled into Victory Lane at Scotia Speedworld and will be on the hunt for more victories with Fitzpatrick this weekend. We had too much fun not to do this again! said RacingTrader.ca Founder and Co-Owner Mark Williams.
The CENTRE For Speed can be found on Route 133, just outside of the scenic town of Shediac, New Brunswick. Spectator gates open at the stock car oval at 10am on Saturday and Sunday with racing beginning at 1pm. A full field of cars is expected in all divisions. A two day pass can be purchased at the front gate on race day for $40 (Adults) or $10 (Juniors, 5-15 years old). For more information on the weekend, please visit www.centreforspeed.com!
by Jay | Oct 6, 2009 | Hudson, New Hampshire
Hudson NH – George Baldwin won the Inaugural race for the Independent Modified Racing Series this past Sunday at Hudson Speedway. It was fitting that the race named the Gate City Classic, a race name revived after many years dormant, was won by Baldwin who drove to many victories and the 1992 Thunder Car Championship at Hudson Speedway in the 80’s and 90’s. Baldwin led from green to checker and was never challenged while running a flawless race. Joining Baldwin in victory lane was his father Choppy and brother, Johnny, both of them former feature winners at Hudson Speedway.
Dave Flammia Jr. drove a steady race and finished second. Gregg Hurley struggled with handling issues, spun a few times, and finished third. Tony Carroll also had handling issues and after contact with Hurley put him into the backstretch tire barrier and had to call it a day and finished fourth. Len Johnson retired early with mechanical woes and finished fifth.
Heath Tourtellotte took the win in the Rookie Stocks, also leading from green to checker, for his first career win. The win wasn’t as easy for Tourtellotte as John Cianciulli made his way from his fourteenth starting spot to second by the halfway mark and set his sights on Tourtellotte. Cianciulli made up ground on Tourtellotte but fell short when the checkers fell by a few car lengths and had to settle for second. Third through tenth were Corrie Merritt, John Swain, John Morin Jr., Dean Wendell, Jerry Lepage, Scotty Duval, Brian Harron and Larry Fortin.
Dan Fortin returned to victory lane in the Thunder Light division. Bobby Stirk lll was second. Third through fifth were Derek Griffith, Tyler Hatch and Jen Lord.
Louie Maher continued his dominance in the Roadrunners with his twelfth win of the year. Jef James, Don Soucy, Darren Jacobs, Patrick D’Alba, Peter Raby, Eric Miller, Ron Lord Jr. and Nick Gilman all finished in the top ten.
Bob Murphy won the Grand Enduro followed by John Swain and Scotty Duval.
Patrick D’Alba won the 4 Cyl. Enduro followed by Tom Hamilton and Johnny Reefer.
Ricky Marrocco won the Spectator Drags, Danny Angrove won the Flagplole Race and Jay Beaudoin won the spectator Race.
Next Sunday October 11th it’s a doubleheader at Hudson Speedway with the Outlaw Sportman and the Classic Lites plus Rookie Stocks, Roadrunners, Thunder Lites, Spectator Race, Spectator Drags and Flagpole Race. Gates open at 11am and the first race at 1pm. For more info please visit www.hudsonspeedway.info.
