by | Mar 13, 2014 | New England Motorsports North
By Lou Modestino
With the 2014 season lurking, the GSPSS is heading into its third season with some experienced staff members on board, as well as a couple of new faces joining the team.
President Mike Parks is rejoined by core staff Josh Vanada and Jenn Ready. Vanada, the Managing Event Director of the GSPSS, is confident of the staff around him. Vanada states “We are glad to welcome back our talented group of officials, as well as welcome a few new ones. Our staff is the lifeblood of our race day operation, and we are fortunate enough to have a talented and accommodating team.” Ready, the Director of Operations and Race Day Coordinator, is quick to applaud the GSPSS staff as well. “I am personally looking forward to 2014 as we will, quite possibly, have the best touring staff in the Northeast,” declares Ready. The team also welcomes back Handicapper Carrie Kelly, Starter Bryon Callen, and Spotter Official Rich Keator.
Scott Miller and Pete Frappier will be teaming up to oversee the technical staff in the series’ third season. The duo are long time officials in the racing business, and Parks assures they possess the knowledge and drive to keep things running smoothly. Frappier and Miller will be joined by Randy Stefanik, Mike Green, Ken Fowler, and Ray King on the tech pad.
(more…)
by | Mar 6, 2014 | New England, New England Motorsports North
By Lou Modestino
Forty-five days from today when the sound of racing engines and the smell of fresh paint and race fuel will fill the air. Saturday, April 12th is the date scheduled for the season opening PASS North season here at OPS. Ripley and Fletcher Ford of South Paris will be the headlining sponsor for the PASS Super Late Models, PASS Mods, PASS Sportsman and NELCAR Legends. 2pm is the scheduled post time. Rain date for the event is Sunday, April 13th. In event that the track is not ready to open due to wet grounds, Saturday, April 26th has been chosen as an alternate date. If all goes well with Mother Nature, Friday, April 11th from 11am-5pm has been chosen as a practice date for all divisions that race at Oxford.
Oxford Plains Speedway has something that any kind of race fan can enjoy in 2014. For people that like wild and entertaining events there are the $7,000 to win Colossal Carnage 150 Enduro, plus the five event Motor Mayham Series, and a Demolition Derby. If you like the super sleek, ultra fast PASS Super Late Model Series, the PASS Mods and the PASS Sportsman, they will be in competition three times including the season opening April 12th race, July 20th Oxford 250 and the season ending September 27th event.
Late Model lovers will enjoy the brand new PASS Northeast Late Model Series that will see three events hosted here at Oxford. The open wheel machines will be returning to OPS after several years’ absence as the ISMA Super Modifieds invade Oxford on Friday, June 20th for the Bentley Warren Classic. Also returning to OPS on Saturday, July 19th will be the NEMA Midgets and the NEMA Lites.
Don’t forget about the Oxford Championship Series that will be racing every Friday night from early May to September. This Series features the Pro Late Model division which is exploding with numbers and talent. It will be the veterans versus the young guns every week. Joining them will be the Street Stocks, Outlaws and Mini Cup cars. The Wednesday night Oxford Acceleration Series will feature the Outlaws, Runnin’ Rebels, Sport Trucks, Ladies and the return of the six cylinders in the Cruiser division. Last but not least we welcome Go-Kart racing back to OPS. There is something to wet everyone’s palate at Oxford Plains Speedway in 2014.
Our new PASS Tech team of Charlie and Jamie Rockwell are headed to Hawaii in April! Lucky Jamie won the all expense paid trip through a contest on the internet. Jamie can be found quite often surfing the net, and she came across a contest and entered it. Before long she received a message stating that she had won a trip to Hawaii. Concerned about it being a scam, she waited patiently to hear more about it, and lo and behold it was on the up and up. Congrats you lucky people.
Everyone that is planning to race at Oxford in 2014 needs to register their racecar to secure their number. There will be no duplicates and if you arrive at the track with a number that someone has already registered, you will be required to change the number on your racer even if you have had that number forever. Don’t delay, and don’t be upset with us if your number gets taken. You snooze, you lose!
February 28, 2014 is the deadline for 2013 reserved seat, Oxford 250 ticket holders to reserve and guarantee that they will get the same seats for 2014 seats. After 2/28/14, anyone may purchase reserved seats on a first come, first serve basis. To reserve your Oxford 250 reserved seats contact June at the OPS office. Call 207-539-8865.
With the excitement of Speedweeks 2014 behind us, Riverside Speedway is about to embark on its 50th anniversary season. Staff members have worked hard on updating forms and rules for all divisions, sponsors are being signed up and things are starting to progress nicely.
A major change for the 2014 season will be the combination of the Angels and Street Stocks divisions. “We made their rules the same last season and let them race together by choice. Now it just makes sense to combine the two divisions and have a great field of cars,” remarks track promoter Dan Fournier.
Opening weekend will start May 24th with a car show, an open practice and tire day. The following day on Sunday, May 25th.
Jessey Mueller is ready to be a champion. The 19-year-old Modified stock car driver will enter the Spring Green season opener at Vermont’s Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Sunday, May 4 with just one goal: Winning.
Mueller was rather matter-of-fact about his plans: “We’re going to try to win every race – that’s the only reason we show up,” he said.
After winning nine races last summer, including four in the Bond Auto Parts Modified division at Devil’s Bowl, Mueller and his family team have been working in the off-season to improve their program at their Olmstedville, NY home base.
On the competition side, Mueller has studied under NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour crew chief Phil Moran and was part of the team that won the “UNOH Battle at the Beach” event at Daytona International Speedway in February. On the sponsorship end, Mueller’s No. 19 cars will carry new backing from MacMillen Construction, Precision Auto, and Liquor & Wine Warehouse to join longtime sponsors Mueller & Sons Heavy Duty Towing and Freihofer’s distributors Eric and Sherry Laundry.
Often donning a 10-gallon hat with the nickname “The Warren County Cowboy,” Mueller is hopeful that his goal of winning races may also pay off with championships at Devil’s Bowl Speedway and Airborne Park Speedway in Plattsburgh, NY, along with NASCAR Whelen All-American Series honors.
“I’m pretty excited to go after the championships,” Mueller said. I’ve learned a lot about how to make the cars work, and I feel pretty fortunate to have some new sponsors this year. For me, winning at the short tracks is what I want to be doing, and it feels like the season can’t start soon enough.”
Mueller is part of a strong contingent of drivers gunning for the Devil’s Bowl title. Veterans Ron Proctor, Leon Gonyo, and Vince Quenneville, Jr., are expected to challenge defending champion Todd Stone, along with emerging stars Dave Snow and Cody Sargen.
The season opens on Sunday, May 4 at 1:30pm with the historic Spring Green event for the American-Canadian Tour Late Models and the Bond Auto Parts Modified, Renegade and Central Vermont Motorcycles Mini Stock divisions of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway is located on Route 22A in West Haven, VT, four miles north of Exit 2 on U.S. Route 4.
by | Mar 3, 2014 | New England, New England Motorsports North
EASLEY, SC (March 1) – Daniel Hemric came back from nearly a lap down and benefitted from a late caution to take the lead from Randy Gentry with 10 laps to go and win the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) South Super Late Model season opener Saturday night at Greenville-Pickens Speedway. Hemric’s win in the Fox Carolina 150 was his third career PASS South Super Late Model triumph and his second behind the wheel of car owner Dickie Woodman’s Ford.
“The plan was to just stay in front of the leaders and stay on the lead lap,” said Hemric in victory lane. “I thought I had saved enough and I told them I could go, but I couldn’t have caught them if I didn’t have a caution. We knew if we could get to lap 130 and have a shot that we thought we had the best car here.”
2013 PASS North Super Late Model Champion paced the 33 car field in qualifying with a lap of 89.597 miles per hour around the flat half mile for his third career fast qualifying time in PASS South. Clark would be relegated to the fifth starting position after the top 10 redraw while Garrett Campbell and Randy Gentry would move up to the front row.
(more…)
by | Feb 26, 2014 | New England Motorsports North
By Lou Modestino
Frank Marratta’s Auto Show and Racearama moves into the Big E in W. Springfield for that second annual event starting Saturday at 10 a.m. and continues all day Sunday. Lots of exhibits from various venues, tours and other related motor sports will be featured.Many southern and northern New England tracks will be on hand to give out schedules and promotional materials.
As the 2014 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series season draws ever closer to taking the green flag at Stafford Motor Speedway, the big news continues to pour out of the half-mile track. Last season, Don Wood from R.A.D. Automachine instituted the very first Rookie of the Year award for the DARE Stock division, which was worth a $400 bonus. For the 2014 season, Wood and R.A.D. Automachine have stepped up their involvement in the rookie department with the announcement that they will be providing not only a DARE Stock rookie award, but a Limited Late Model rookie award as well. The Limited Late Model award will be worth a cool $1,000 to the top finishing rookie driver and the DARE Stock rookie award will be worth $500 for a total of $1,500 up for grabs.
(more…)
by | Feb 26, 2014 | New England Motorsports South
By Lou Modestino
Frank Marratta’s Auto Show and Racearama moves into the Big E in W. Springfield for that second annual event starting Saturday at 10 a.m. and continues all day Sunday. Lots of exhibits from various venues, tours and other related motor sports will be featured.Many southern and northern New England tracks will be on hand to give out schedules and promotional materials.
As the 2014 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series season draws ever closer to taking the green flag at Stafford Motor Speedway, the big news continues to pour out of the half-mile track. Last season, Don Wood from R.A.D. Automachine instituted the very first Rookie of the Year award for the DARE Stock division, which was worth a $400 bonus. For the 2014 season, Wood and R.A.D. Automachine have stepped up their involvement in the rookie department with the announcement that they will be providing not only a DARE Stock rookie award, but a Limited Late Model rookie award as well. The Limited Late Model award will be worth a cool $1,000 to the top finishing rookie driver and the DARE Stock rookie award will be worth $500 for a total of $1,500 up for grabs.
(more…)
by | Feb 20, 2014 | New England Motorsports South
By Lou Modestino
At the Racer’s Expo in Marlboro 16-year old Kaz Grala of Westboro told is that he’s going to race in the NASCAR K&N Series. He’s got a ride with Turner Scott Motorsports based in Mooresville, NC. His previous experience was driving a Late Model at Waterford Speedbowl in CT. Also, the VARA and NASCAR Late Model circuits down in the Carolina’s.
We talked to two time NASCAR Nationwide Champion Randy Lajoie formerly of Norwalk, CT. Lajoie is currently retired and is a mentor to his son Corey who raced in the K&N Series East. Corey had to settle for second best in that series last year. Corey, though, is on the payroll of Petty Motorsports and is expected to run in a few major ARCA Late Model race for that team. He’s may also snag a NASCAR Nationwide ride for Petty this year if things jell for him. Randy Lajoie is currently the principal of The Lajoie of Seating. He designs custom racing seats and also has off the shelf seats for drivers on all of the racing circuits.
(more…)
