by Jay | May 16, 2014 | Connecticut, Stafford
(Stafford Springs, CT)—Due to a rainy forecast, Stafford Motor Speedway has announced that tonight’s Late Model / DARE Stock Xtra Mart Xtra D program has been postponed. The Late Model 60-lap feature, SK Light 22-lap feature, and DARE Stock 20-lap feature events will now move to Friday, May 30th to create a super night of extra distance racing. In addition to the Late Model, SK Light, and DARE Stock divisions, the Limited Late Models will also be racing an extra distance feature that night while the SK Modifieds® and Legend Cars will race their usual 40 and 20-lap feature events. May 30th is also Military Appreciation Night and anyone with a valid military I.D. will receive an adult general admission ticket for only $10.
With the four extra distance events on the May 30th card, there will be plenty of extra cash up for grabs for Stafford’s drivers and teams. Thanks to Xtra Mart Convenience Stores, the Late Models will split $1,000 among the top-5 finishers, the Limited Late Models will split $500 among the top-5 finishers, and the DARE Stocks will split $250 among to the top-5 finishers. The SK Lights will have $450 to split among the top-3 finishers thanks to RH2way Radios.
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by | May 16, 2014 | Connecticut, Waterford
Waterford, CT (May 14, 2014) – Wild ‘n Wacky Wednesday racing was back at Waterford Speedbowl with another entertaining night of motorsports landing five drivers into the winner’s circle. Mike Christopher Jr. of Wolcott continued his hot streak in the INEX Legend Cars, Jon Porter of Canterbury took home the Super X-Car accolades and Zac Thomas of New London was awarded the win in the X-Cars. Anthony Marvin of Colchester won for the second time in as many week in the INEX Bandoleros and Dave Gargaro Jr. of Cranston, RI was tops in the night’s Wacky Race.
Christopher rolled to his second consecutive 25-lap INEX Legend Cars victory on Wild ‘n Wacky Wednesday and third overall in the division at the Speedbowl this season. The excitement started on lap-1 when Scott Limkemann spun in turn one from mid-pack, looping his machine but kept going allowing the race to continue on. T.J. Thompson took command over Dennis Pantani to lead lap-1.
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by | May 12, 2014 | Connecticut, Waterford
Waterford, CT (May 10, 2014) – Waterford Speedbowl returned to fast paced motorsports action Saturday night with a six-division NASCAR Whelen All-American Series racing program. Kyle James of Ashaway, RI snatched his first victory of the year in SK Modified® ranks. Keith Rocco of Berlin won his fifth straight Valenti Auto Mall Late Model feature on the season and Ken Cassidy Jr. of Lisbon continued his mastery of the Mini Stock division. Andover’s Paul French won his first SK Light Modified race on the year and Paul Bigelow of Kensington came away with the victory in the NEMA Lite feature. Josh Galvin of Franklin won the night’s Street Stock race, his second in a row.
An emotional opening ceremony began the night’s program following a brief rain delay earlier in the evening. The track honored the memory of multiple time track champion Danny Field with much of his family and closest supporters in attendance. Field, a long time Mini Stock competitor at the Speedbowl, passed away Wednesday after battling cancer. He won Speedbowl Mini Stock titles in 2005, 2006 and 2009 and posted 28 career victories at the track and was active at the track through 2013. Field’s younger brother Eddie paced the Mini Stocks with an honorary pole-position behind the wheel of his brother’s #18 machine, pulling off the track before the start of the race.
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by | May 9, 2014 | Connecticut, Stafford
(Stafford Springs, CT)—Stafford Motor Speedway is hosting a field of accomplished current and former championship drivers for this year’s 4th annual Champions for Charities event, which will take place on Friday, June 27th. In the up coming weeks before the event, Stafford Speedway is providing a profile on each of the championship drivers. This week, the spotlight is on both Richie Pallai, Jr., the 2009 Spring Sizzler SK Modified® Champion and 2013 Champions for Charities winner, and David Arute, the 2011 Wild Thing Karts Senior Outlaw Champion. Pallai will be racing for The Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary, and Arute is racing for the Ben Was Here Foundation.
Both Arute and Pallai are competing in the 4th Annual Bill Tamburro, Jr Memorial Golf Tournament to benefit their charities. The Golf Tournament to benefit both foundations, as well as the Lustgarten foundation, will be held at Hawk’s Landing Country Club in Southington, CT on Monday, May 19, 2014 starting at 7:30 AM.
Pallai’s charity, The Catherine V. Hubbard Animal Sanctuary, started as a collaborative labor of love between the Hubbard Family and The Animal Center in Newtown to recognize Catherine’s dream. Catherine, a first grader lost in the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, had a passion for animals and insects alike and often created special “homes” for the animals she encountered each day. Possessing strength and kindness beyond her years, at the end of each day Catherine would send her special friends off with a kiss and whispered request of, “Tell your friends I am kind,” in the hope that they would return.
To carry on Catherine’s legacy of providing homes for animals in need, the Foundation is working with the Animal Center in Newtown to build the CVH Animal Sanctuary. The Sanctuary will provide a loving, nurturing environment for all animals in need of a home, featuring a dog and cat adoption area, a farm animal rescue, and a wildlife rehabilitation center. Visitors can also participate in humane education programs through the learning center, spend time surrounded by beautiful butterflies in the butterfly garden, and tour a gallery featuring Catherine’s artwork.
Arute will be racing for the Ben Was Here Foundation, in memory of his cousin, Ben Buckley, who passed away as a result of a severe asthma attack in January of this year. Ben was in the 2nd grade and was an aspiring artist who enjoyed baseball as well as building Lego’s. The Buckley family has established this educational scholarship fund in his memory.
Both Arute and Pallai plan on trumping the competition in their fundraising efforts once again after Arute raised $7,205 for the Lustgarten Foundation, earning him the pole position, and Pallai raised $4,246 for the Catherine V. Hubbard Animal Sanctuary. Both drivers have competed in the Champions for Charities event since it started back in 2011. Pallai is the reigning champion of last year’s event, and both he and Arute look forward to being competitive on the mini-mile track.
Having had years of experience in the Wild Thing Karts Program on Monday nights, as well as being the 2011 Senior Outlaw Champion, Arute is looking forward to running in the 4th year of this event.
“After my little cousin passed away in January I wanted to find a way to help his family in their efforts to get word out about asthma,” said Arute. “So when the family established the Ben Was Here Foundation I knew that racing in the Champions for Charities race to raise funds for the Foundation would be a perfect tribute to Ben. I’m looking forward to the golf tournament on May 19th in which the proceeds will be donated to Ben’s Foundation and the CVH Animal Sanctuary. The Champions for Charities race will be held on Friday June 27th and I’m hoping my car will be hooked up so that I can make a good run in memory of Ben. I think champions have gotten used to the karts and racing on the mini-mile and it should be an exciting race again this year with 3 and 4 wide racing.”
After winning last year’s race, Pallai is ready for the chance to have a second consecutive victory. The 2009 Spring Sizzler SK Modified® Champion is eager to get back into a Senior Outlaw kart and race with fellow open-wheeled champions for the title.
“Outside of family and sports, animals are my next love,” said Pallai. “Raising as much money as we did last year for the CVH Animal Sanctuary and then winning the race was pretty cool. My relationship with the Hubbard family has developed into a friendship since I first met the Hubbard family. At first, I wasn’t really sure how to approach it with all the family had been through, but I talk with Jenny Hubbard at least once a week. It’s turned into a really great friendship. Their son Freddy is just old enough to understand about racing and he is a big fan of mine and I was able to find a go kart over the winter that I got running and I’m going to bring it up to him. I know it’s only a charity race but it was really nice to win the race last year for Pete and Fran Lawlor, who let me use their Senior Outlaw Kart. And being able to win the race when the Hubbard family was there at the track watching me was a huge bonus in addition to the money that we raised.
The Champions for Charities event will take place around the Stafford Mini-Mile track for a 15-lap feature during the Friday June 27th race program.
by Jay | May 8, 2014 | Connecticut, Stafford
(Stafford Springs, CT)—This Friday night, May 9th, will kick off the 5-race Xtra Mart Xtra D Series at Stafford Motor Speedway. Stafford Speedway’s Late Model drivers will duel this Friday night in a 60-lap feature with the race winner taking home total posted awards of $1,475. The 60-lap Late Model feature event will carry a larger purse with the winner’s check paying out $1,125 and there is $1,000 in bonus money from Xtra Mart Convenience Stores that will be split evenly among the top-5 finishers. Add in the $125.00 in contingency money from CT Trailers and a $25.00 gas certificate from New England Racing Fuel, and the winner of Friday night’s 60-lap Late Model Xtra Mart Xtra D feature event will take home $1,450 in cash and a $25 gas credit from New England Racing Fuel.
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by | May 8, 2014 | Connecticut, Waterford
Waterford, CT (May 7, 2014) – Waterford Speedbowl hosted its opening Wild ‘n Wacky series racing card of the year Wednesday evening. A quick paced and fiercely competitive night of motorsports entertained a hearty crowd
that turned out. There were no opening night jitters for Mike Christopher Jr. of Wolcott, who used a thrilling final lap move to checker the INEX Legend Cars feature. Hometown driver Dan Butler came out on top in the Super X-Car feature, Rich Nye of Stonington won his first-ever race in the night’s X-Car feature and Groton’s Marc Shafer won the Wacky Toll Booth Race. The INEX Bandolero feature was won by Jonathon Puleo of Branford.
Christopher showed patience over the first half of the 25-lap INEX Legend Cars feature then came on strong in the closing stages. Veteran driver and former champion George Whitney was the second leader of the race, taking command on lap-3 from Michael Blaskey. Whitney benefitted by an intense battle for second position over the middle of the race between Blaskey and Christopher. The pair traded the spot as Christopher tried numerous times to unseat Blaskey’s hold of the runner-up position. Christopher took advantage of a bobble by Blaskey on lap-19 to grab the spot and immediately went on the attack. He quickly ran down Whitney’s slight advantage, tailing him for the next five laps pressing for the lead in a classic battle to the finish. Christopher used a timely tap to Whitney’s rear bumper in in turns three and four on the final lap to dart to his inside, setting up a sprint off the final turn to the checkered flag. Christopher won his second race of the year by just a half car length in exciting fashion with his charge, besting Whitney. Last year’s division champion Joey Ternullo finished third. (more…)
