by | Apr 10, 2014 | Connecticut, Thompson
Thompson, CT- Dillon Moltz and Brad Babb took the checkers in their respective heat races at the Icebreaker at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park (TSMP).
Greg Nanigian and Moltz kicked off the season for the Granite State Pro Stock Series (GSPSS) as they brought the field to green in the first heat, where the RB Performance Chevrolet of Moltz jumped to the lead. The field checked up when Ron Smith spun coming off turn 4, letting Moltz go uncontested until Mike Parks brought out the caution with a spin off the same corner. Moltz had a new dancing partner with Larry Gelinas at his door on the restart, but the result was still the same as Moltz lead start to finish to record the youngster’s first checkered flag in the series. After qualifying, Moltz added “The car is real good. We’re only going to make a small adjustment for Sunday, but overall the race went well.” Gelinas would hold off a hard charging Mike O’Sullivan, who started dead last on the field to finish third. Two-time defending ACT champion Wayne Helliwell, JR, who was fastest in second practice took the fourth spot, while last year’s Icebreaker winner George Bessette settled into fifth.
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by | Apr 9, 2014 | Connecticut, Stafford
(Stafford Springs, CT)—For Somers native Todd Owen, NAPA Victory Lane at Stafford Motor Speedway has been an elusive piece of real estate. Owen has 5 career SK Modified® feature wins at Stafford to go along with 7 ProStock wins. Although Owen was winless in 2013 and his feature win in 2012 was his first since the 2006 season, Owen is determined to drive his #81 into the winner’s circle this season.
“I feel confident going into the NAPA Spring Sizzler,” said Owen. “We have Cooker Construction back on board along with Barnes Pools and we just gained Start/Finish Motorsports as a sponsor. It’s been such a cold winter that we got a late start with the car. We just got the car back from the powder coater and we’re ready to go. We’ve gone through the car completely and made some changes to it. We’re starting off with a fresh motor and we need to be more consistent than we were last year. It’s going to be tough with my MRS schedule since we’re going to miss a couple of races but last year the two races I was supposed to miss it ended up raining so I was able to run at Stafford. I’m looking forward to the warmer weather and getting back to the weekly grind. My goal is to finish races. We had a bad wreck towards the end of the season and the car seemed like it didn’t come back like it was before that, so that’s why rebuilt it.”
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by | Apr 8, 2014 | Connecticut, Stafford
(Stafford Springs, CT)—In the 8 NAPA Spring Sizzlers run since 2006, only 4 drivers, Doug Coby, Donny Lia, Ted Christopher, and Doug Coby, have visited victory lane. But one driver who has quietly put in some great Sizzler performances and is on the verge of breaking into that Sizzler winners club is Huntingdon Valley, PA native Rowan Pennink. In only 6 career Sizzler starts, Pennink has accumulated 3 top-5 and 4 top-10 finishes with a career best finish of second in 2011. Coming off a win in the 2013 season ending race, Pennink is feeling good about his chances of putting his #93 Monk Mechanics Hand Cleaner Chevrolet into NAPA Victory Lane.
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by | Apr 8, 2014 | Connecticut, Thompson
Thompson, CT –17 year-old racer Derek Griffith is hoping to make his Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park debut a memorable one.
The Hudson, NH native arrived at the historic 5/8th mile oval with a new car and renewed aspirations to starting off the 2014 season in the same fashion, as the youngster started off the 2012 season. At that time, the 15 year-old Griffith streaked out an impressive second place finish in the season opening race, held at Mondanock Speedway and continued on for a season ending top-10 points standing.
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by | Apr 2, 2014 | Connecticut, Lime Rock Park
Lime Rock Park Joins Drive to End Hunger, Names AARP Foundation its 2014 Charity
NASCAR’s Jeff Gordon, AARP Foundation and Lime Rock together help the fight against older adult hunger
LAKEVILLE, Conn. (April 1) – Lime Rock Park today announced its selection of AARP Foundation as its 2014 official charity to support Drive to End Hunger, a multi-year initiative to fight the risk of hunger for Americans age 50+.
Nearly 9 million Americans age 50+ are at risk for hunger every day – a 79 percent increase in just 10 years. Drive to End Hunger is AARP Foundation’s multi-pronged approach to solve this problem; it works to combat hunger among people 50 and older through raising awareness – especially through its relationship with Jeff Gordon, four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet SS for Hendrick Motorsports – as well as building philanthropic support and developing long-term, sustainable solutions.
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by | Mar 28, 2014 | Connecticut, Thompson
Thompson, CT- The Icebreaker, presented by Town Fair Tire, will mark the beginning of Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park’s 74th season of operation. The 2014 running of the event will mark the 40th time it has been held. The traditional season-opening event will feature nine divisions, headlined by the first championship race for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (NWMT).
Defending NWMT Champion, Ryan Preece, will begin his title defense behind the wheel of the Eric Sanderson-owned No. 16, but it won’t be without some stiff competition. Doug Coby headlines an impressive list of drivers who will be behind the wheel of another car this season. Coby teamed up with Mike Smeriglio, III to drive the Dunleavy’s Truck & Trailer Repair Chevrolet. Another driver on the move this year was nine-time NASCAR regional touring series champion, and defending Icebreaker race winner, Mike Stefanik. The Coventry, RI-native has teamed up with car owner Ed Marceau to drive the No. 1 entry. Tommy Barrett, a standout on the Valenti Modified Racing Series, replaced Stefanik in Chris Our’s No. 22 Chevrolet. The young driver will look to make his third start on the NWMT. Defending TSMP Sunoco Modified Champion, Keith Rocco, has entered the No. 48 car, which he will be driving for John Rufrano.
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