by Jay | Aug 5, 2012 | Connecticut, New England, Thompson
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour returns to Thompson International Speedway for the most popular race of the summer season, “The King of Beers BUD 150”, on Thursday, August 9th. The traditional summer race spectacular brings out thousands of race fans for what is traditionally one of the best WMT races of the year.
Following their spectacular race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 14th, fans are really pumped up for a similar performance at Thompson. Seven-time WMT champion Mike Stefanik and defending WMT champ Ron Silk swapped the lead 17 times in the final 48 laps of that event with Stefanik coming out on top by some .003 seconds at the finish line. Both drivers will come to Thompson ready for another great race. Doug Coby, Ryan Preece, Donny Lia, Jimmy Blewett, Rowan Pennink and Ted Christopher, the 2011 race winner, are among the many other challengers expected to be in the hunt for a Bud 150 win.
(more…)
by Jay | Aug 4, 2012 | Massachusetts, New England, Seekonk Speedway
Chris Lima and Henry Lavallee breakthrough for first career wins. Shawn Buffington wins second in 3 days. Austin Blais makes it six in a row; Taylor Bowser widens points lead with second win.
Chris Lima from Dighton MA picked up his first career win in the Pure Stock 25 lap main event. Chris started fourth on the grid, but made quick work of Tom Blackwell, Bill Doyle and Ian Savard, who led the first four laps, and once out front, he was never heeded.
The name of the game for some of the championship contenders was traffic. John Robidoux, Jesse Melberg, Jamie Sally and others had to bide their time and pick and choose their marks, as getting to the front of the field was making thing exciting in the middle of the pack. While they were fighting for every inch of asphalt, Savard and Doyle were hanging on to second and third. As the halfway point hit, Lima was cruising along at the top of the leader board, with Savard, Doyle, Joe Fortin and Salley were sitting in the top five. Salley started 13th and was picking cars off, and by lap 17, was sitting third, and moved past Savard four laps later.
(more…)
by Jay | Aug 4, 2012 | Devils Bowl, New England, Vermont
Roberts, Bell Score in Twin 20s at Devil’s Bowl Speedway
Bushey takes eighth Late Model win in three-wide thriller
Rookie open-wheel stock car driver Joey Roberts broke through for the first NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Bond Auto Parts Modified victory of his career on “Family Fun Friday” at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Friday, August 3. Roberts, of Georgia, VT, won the first of two 20-lap sprint-style feature races for the win.
Roberts, in his first year of Modified racing after a successful full-fender stock car career, started fourth in his Vermont Life Safety/Mansfield Heliflight-sponsored No. 50x Bicknell and quickly jumped out to a large lead. Seventeen year-old Jessey Mueller of Olmstedville, NY made an impressive late-race drive from ninth to reach Roberts’ rear bumper at the finish, but settled for second. Another 17 year-old, Cody Sargen of Greenfield Center, NY, started his two-car team’s outstanding night with a Devil’s Bowl Speedway career-best third-place finish, with teammate Joe Williams fourth. Ron Proctor finished fifth.
(more…)
by Jay | Aug 3, 2012 | Connecticut, Modified, New England, Thompson
Duane Noll dominated the 20-lap New England Truck Series race at Thompson International Speedway Thursday night while Chad LaBastie earned his first career Thompson Modified win in NASCAR Whelen All-American Series action. Other winners included Ryan Preece in the Sunoco Modifieds, Cam McDermott in the Lite Modifieds, John Falconi in the Late Model division, Steve Kenneway in the Limited Sportsman division, and Scott Michalski in the Monster Mini Stocks. Paul LaPlante won the Antique Racers feature event.
Duane Noll put his Thompson experience to use as he dominated the 20-lap New England Truck Series race to take the checkers and extend his point lead in the division. Noll took the early lead from Nate Bubello at the start of the New England Truck Series race with Jason Lafayette close behind in third. The trio pulled away from the rest of the field as Corey Coates moved into the fourth spot more than a second behind them. The first caution flew at lap eight when Mike Ledoux and Daniel McGouran made contact on the front stretch. Noll drove right back out front as Lafayette used the bottom groove to get by Bubello for second. Coates moved into third as Bubello fought unsuccessfully to hold on to fourth. Noll dominated out front as Coates looked for a way around Lafayette – first looking high, and then low. Finally, at lap 17, Coates dropped to the bottom and tried to maneuver his No. 75 machine in alongside Lafayette, but Lafayette shut the door. Noll went unchallenged at the checkers while Lafayette held on for second and Coates in third.
(more…)
by Jay | Aug 3, 2012 | Massachusetts, Modified, New England, Seekonk Speedway
Matt Hirschman picks up Seekonk’s Modified Madness and the $10,000 to go along with it. Seth Carlson is NEMA winner, while Shaun Buffington winds Legends main.
Matt Wentz and Jon McKennedy brought the 25 car field down to the green flag, and it was Wentz who jumped out front. Matt led the first few laps before VMRS Champion Chris Pasteryak took over and started to pull away. Matt Hirschman, who started sixth, quickly moved behind Pasteryak, and put on the chase. Wentz followed in third until the defending Open Wheel Wednesday winner Doug Coby moved past. At the lap 25 mark, McKennedy had moved back into fourth with Louis Mechalidas was fifth.
By lap 40, Todd Annarummo and Ryan Preece had moved into fourth and fifth. While battling for the lead, Pasteryak and Hirschman got together, and both were taken out of the lead pack. Coby was involved as well, as he and Hirschman locked bumpers. This handed the lead over to Annarummo, with Preece, Todd Patnode, Austin Kochenash and Dave Berghman the top five. Kochenash had already pitted earlier in the event, and had worked his way back through the field.
(more…)
by Jay | Aug 1, 2012 | Massachusetts, New England, PASS, Seekonk Speedway, Seekonk Speedway, Touring Series News
NAPLES ME (7/31) It’s no easy deal racing against the Northeast’s Super Late Model super stars. They have the team, the talent and the equipment to take on any speedway’s home town heroes and leave with the checkered flag and the big trophy. But there’s always an exception to any rule, and when the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) North race teams roll into Seekonk (MA) Speedway for a short track Saturday night the drivers that follow the traveling race show all over the Northeast will be out to even the score.
Seekonk has a talent laden field of Pro Stocks (the forerunner to today’s Super Late Models) and they know every inch of asphalt at the historic short track. They’re hard to beat on their home turf; Tom Scully Jr. and Dave Darling are living proof. They’ve both prevailed over the PASS North regulars at Seekonk. In fact it took three trips to the Action Track of the East before six time PASS North Champion Johnny Clark could break the locals’ strangle hold on victory lane.
(more…)
