by Jay | Sep 1, 2009 | Beech Ridge, Maine, New England, PASS
NAPLES ME (9/1/2009) The Pro All Stars Series (PASS) returns to Scarborough Maine’s Beech Ridge Motor Speedway for the fifth annual PASS 400 weekend on September 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th , and the four day short track extravaganza will go a long way toward determining both the 2009 PASS North and PASS National super late model Champions
With just two events remaining on the PASS North schedule, Johnny Clark has a solid lead in the point standings. The defending champ currently enjoys a 40 point margin over Ben Rowe (2370-2330) in the title chase, with Adam Bates at 2310, Derek Ramstrom at 2290 and Kelly Moore in fifth with 2277. With two points available per finishing position and a minimum of 32 cars scheduled to take the grid in the seasons longest race, an upfront finish by Rowe combined with a bad day for Clark could easily tighten the standings. But so far in 2009, Clark has the Beech Ridge advantage with second and seventh place finishes compared to Rowe’s pair of ninth place runs. Both drivers have ten top 10 finishes in eleven starts, so it’s a tossup in that category. But Clark is the defending PASS 300 race winner, so he knows the extra distance setup and strategy that could carry him to a second consecutive $10,000.00 payday.
Adam Bates has had a virtual stranglehold on Beech Ridge victory lane of late. Bates has two wins, two second place runs and a fourth in his last five Beech Ridge starts, and despite a grinding wreck at Thompson International Speedway that completely destroyed his only super late model, he’s managed to regroup and battle back from adversity to remain near the top of the point standings.
There have been seven different winners in the last seven PASS North super late model races, and the last two have been first time wins scored by Randy Turner (Unity ME) and Tom Scully Jr. (Seekonk MA). There are plenty of talented drivers that haven’t crossed the stripe first in 2009, and there’s no doubt that another first time winner could emerge in the 300.
The PASS National Championship four race mini-series hasn’t been on track since May when Ben Rowe scored at Hickory Motor Speedway, but Beech Ridge is round two of the series, where Rowe leads by a scant two point margin over Jeff Fultz. Ryan Blaney is third, followed by Texan Trey Mitchell and South Carolina’s Hal Goodson. It’s all but impossible to miss one of the four races and remain in contention for the title, so you can expect all of the front runners to be on hand for the PASS 300, including Cassius Clark, the defending National Series Champion. Clark sits 21st in the National standings after a bad result at Hickory in the spring, but he will be looking to pull himself up in the title chase at Beech Ridge. Johnny Clark is seventh in the National standings and may make a run at the title if the team fares well in round two. The National Championship Series continues at Southern National Raceway Park in Lucama North Carolina on Saturday September 26th and wraps up at South Boston (VA) Speedway on Saturday October 17th with the Mason-Dixon Meltdown.
PASS 400 weekend kicks off on Thursday September 10 with a wild night of racing for the Beetle Bugs/Runnin’ Rebels,Trucks, Mad Bomber/Outlaw type cars and Beech Ridge 305s. Racing goes green at 6:00 PM. Friday is a practice day for all weekend divisions. Saturday it’s qualifying races for the PASS Mods, Sportsman and Super Late Models as well as heats and features for the Road Runners (30 laps),the Nelcar Legends (50 laps) and the Wildcats/Strictlys in a big 75 lap showdown.
Sunday is filled with PASS feature racing; a “B” feature for the PASS Super Late Models followed by 100 laps for the PASS Sportsman and a 50 lapper for the PASS Mods. Time and weather permitting, a driver meet and greet will follow while the Super Late Model teams set up the infield pit area for their longest (and richest) race of the year, the $10,000.00 to win PASS 300. Both Saturday and Sunday’s racing gets the green flag at noon.
Beech Ridge Motor Speedway is located at 70 Holmes Road in Scarborough Maine. The Speedway is on line at www.beechridge.com .
by Jay | Sep 1, 2009 | Hudson, New Hampshire
Hudson NH – Louis Maher Jr., Derek Griffith, Keith Caruso, Dean Wendell and Billy Ryder all drove to victory lane in their respective divisions this past Sunday evening at Hudson Speedway.
Travis Nevers and Mark Nevers led the Rookie Stock main to the green flag and ran side by side holding the top two spots for the first three laps. Scotty Duval slipped by the duo bringing teammate Brian Harron along with him. John Morin moved up to third while Harron passed Duval for the lead. The top three ran that way for the mid-portion of the race while Dean Wendell was chasing them down. Wendell caught Morin with five laps to go and went to the outside groove to pass Morin. Staying in the outside lane, Wendell drove past Duval and set his sights on Harron. Harron and Wendell were side by side coming off turn four on the white flag lap but Wendell got off the corner better and nipped Harron by inches. Third through tenth were Duval, Morin Jr., Dan Murphy, Corrie Merritt, Travis Nevers, Jean Desilets, Jerry Lepage and Jared Edson.
It was “All in the Family” night for the Classic Lites as Roger Provost had the early lead in the Classic Lite main before his son Josh Provost took the top spot away. Josh Provost held on to the lead until Jimmy Ryder Jr. blasted past him. Ryder Jr. lost the lead to his brother Billy Ryder who held on for the win. Second through tenth were Ryder Jr., Steve Dickey, Jeff Miller, George Heliwell, Jon Provost, Dennis O’Brien, Danny Shields, Ralph Cook and Roger Provost.
Jef James and Louis Maher traded the lead a few times in the Roadrunner main before Maher settled in and took down the win. James finished second. Loren Smith Jr. made a mad dash in the closing laps and caught the front two but time ran out for Smith and he had to settle for third. Fourth and fifth were Darren Jacobs and Patrick D’Alba.
Hudson, N.H.’s own Derek Griffith won the Thunder Lights main. Finishing second through fifth in Hudson’s youth racing division were Dylan Bilodeau, Bobby Stirk lll, Jen Lord and Dan Fortin.
The V-6 Modified main was much like the Roadrunner main with Walter Boucher and Keith Caruso trading the lead a few times before Caruso settled in the top spot and drove on to victory. Second through fifth were Boucher, Chris Kuebler, Eric Vilandre and Dick Dubois.
Jay Townsend won the Spectator Drags, Scott Duval won the Flagpole Race, and Ronnie Lord won the Spectator Race.
Its back to afternoon racing at Hudson Speedway on Sunday September 6th featuring the return of the Outlaw Sportsman, plus the V-6 Modifieds, Mini Cup Cars, Rookie Stocks, Roadrunners, Thunder Lights, 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.
by Jay | Sep 1, 2009 | NASCAR, Thompson
Ted Christopher (No. 36 Al-Lee Installations Chevrolet) may have come up just short of the victory at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, but he still finds himself in the driver’s seat in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour points standings.
Barely.
After rain washed out a trip to Chemung, N.Y., this past weekend, the Tour will resume this Thursday at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway with a makeup date for the Budweiser 150 presented by New England Dodge Dealers. The race was originally slated to run prior to the combination race at Bristol.
Instead, it will serve as the tour’s return to the track. Christopher, from Plainville, Conn., will return to the .625-mile banked oval where he opened the defense of his championship with a victory in April. He will carry a slight 29-point lead over Todd Szegedy (No. 2 Wisk/Snuggle Ford) of Ridgefield, Conn.
A third Connecticut driver, Ryan Preece (No. 3 Mizzy Construction/Reynold’s Auto Wrecking Chevrolet), from Berlin, has won two of the last three races and is just three points behind Christopher.
In fact, the top five are all within 134 points of the lead.
Donny Lia (No. 4 Mystic Missile Dodge), who passed Christopher late in the Bristol race for the win, has moved up to fourth. The Jericho, N.Y., driver is 82 points behind Christopher and finished third behind Christopher and Jimmy Blewett (No. 12 TS Haulers Chevrolet) at Thompson in April.
Rowan Pennink (No. 93 Monk Mechanics Hand Cleaner Chevrolet) of Huntington Valley, Pa., is enjoying a breakout season and sits fifth.
Thursday’s visit is particularly significant to the points chase because the next time the tour returns to Thompson, it will be for the season finale in October.
Christopher and the rest of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour competitors will get the action going on race day at Thompson with practice at 2 p.m. Time trials are set for 5:30 p.m. and the 150-lap race is scheduled to go green at approximately 8:45 p.m.
by Jay | Aug 31, 2009 | Thompson
THOMPSON, CT. With only five races remaining on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour 2009 schedule, the competition for that division’s championship is really heating up. Defending champion, Ted Christopher, will enter the Budweiser 150 presented by the New England Dodge Dealers at the Thompson Speedway this Thursday night with a slim 29 point advantage over Todd Szegedy. Ryan Preece finds himself only three points behind Szegedy.
The extremely competitive Whelen Modified Tour (WMT) finds itself in a very familiar position with regard to the race for the title. Virtually every year, the lucrative championship honors are not determined until very late in the season if not at the final event of the year at Thompson. This Thursday’s running of the Bud 150 at Thompson will play a vital role in determining the outcome of the title chase for 2009.
` Christopher has maintained the points lead for most of the season. He gave it up briefly to Szegedy but roared back to put himself at the top once again. Szegedy, however, is one tough customer and has the 2003 title to his credit and finished 2nd in 2007 and 3rd last year in the final standings.
The dark horse in what may appear to be a two-man race is Ryan Preece. The eighteen year old driver from Berlin, CT has won two of the last four WMT events and is a mere 32 points away from Christopher. Preece has positioned himself to be a real contender for the prestigious crown. Other drivers in the top five in points are the 2007 champ, Donny Lia and one of the busiest drivers in the northeast, Rowan Pennink. The title will not be settled this Thursday, but the Bud 150 at Thompson is sure to play a major role in determining the eventual winner.
The WMT will be joined by Thompson’s own NASCAR Whelen All American Race Series divisions in their features only presentation. Those races will be preceded by time trials for the WMT. It all gets underway at 5:30 PM. Grandstands will open at 2 PM.
For more information and the complete schedule for the day, fans are urged to visit the Thompson web site. www.thompsonspeedway.com Advance ticket sales are available by calling the track office at 860-923-2280.
by Jay | Aug 31, 2009 | NASCAR, NASCAR K&N Pro Series, New England
Harrisburg, N.C. (August 31, 2009): Andy Santerre Motorsports together with driver Brett Moffitt have announced that they will compete in this weekend’s Central Iowa Building and Construction Trades 125 at Iowa Speedway, a NASCAR Camping World Series West event. Moffitt will be driving the No. 4 Chevrolet sponsored by Karl Chevrolet. This will be Moffitt’s third start at the track closest to his Grimes, Iowa hometown.
“We’re really excited to be heading back to Iowa Speedway,” said Moffitt. “The last time we were there we had a really competitive car, but we got tight in the last 20 laps or so and finished sixth. I know we can go there and run good so I’m really looking forward to it. I’ll have my friends and family there, and I really think that Iowa is one of the best tracks I’ve gone to with the Camping World Series. I can’t think of a better place to give them a win!”
Moffitt is currently sixth in the NASCAR Camping World Series East point standings with one win, four top-five, and seven top-10 finishes. Only 14 points separate him from the fourth and fifth place drivers as the series comes to its final two-race stretch that kicks off at New Hampshire Motor Speedway later this month. The extra seat time at Iowa should be an advantage for the 17-year-old driver.
“Our last two races are on tracks a mile or bigger,” said Moffitt. “Iowa isn’t quite a mile, but its close enough. The seat time is what’s important. When you’re on track you get a momentum, you get better. We’re still within striking distance of the championship in the East Series so anything I can do to get closer to that, I will.”
Moffitt has cemented a reputation as a go-getter in the NASCAR Camping World Series East. He’s earned a place in the record books as the youngest driver in series history to win a pole, win a race, and lead the series point standings. But this weekend will mark his debut in a West Series stand-alone event.
“I raced with these guys back at the combination race with the East Series in May,” said Moffitt. “Everyone I raced with was clean, and I raced them clean. There are some talented drivers in the field and I look forward to racing with them again.”
The Central Iowa Building and Construction Trades 125 takes place under the lights with an 8 p.m. start time on Friday, September 4th. For more information on Brett Moffitt or Andy Santerre Motorsports, visit www.brettmoffitt.com or www.andysanterremotorsports.com.
