by Jay | May 16, 2011 | Bear Ridge, New England, Vermont
BY MARK McKEON
BRADFORD, VT Usually, New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame member Denny Zimmerman likes nothing better than spending quality time behind the wheel of one of Skip Matczak’s Midgets, slinging dirt down the straightaways and power sliding through the turns. But Zimmerman isn’t scheduled to race when the USAC Dirt Midget Association debuts at Bear Ridge Speedway on Saturday May 28; instead he plans to be in Indianapolis as an honored guest at the 100th Anniversary of the Indianapolis 500.
Every living driver who ever competed in the Indy 500 has been invited to attend a series of celebrations, including what’s being billed as the world’s largest autograph party. In 1971, Zimmerman finished eighth and was named Rookie of the Year, so he’ll have special status at the anniversary celebrations and has been invited to give a speech.
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by Jay | May 8, 2011 | Bear Ridge, New England, Vermont
Joe Krawiec Takes Dirt Midget Ass’n Opener at Bear Ridge Speedway
BY MARK McKEON
BRADFORD, VT – What was scheduled to be a test and tune session for five of the 20 cars registered with the Dirt Midget Association turned into an impromptu competition, when Bear Ridge Speedway promoter Butch Elms surprised the group by hosting a 10 lap exhibition race.
Joe Krawiec, the 2010 Midget Champ at Whip City Speedway, continued his winning ways by claiming victory in the event, which ran from green to checkers without a yellow flag. NEMA Midget competitor and former stock car driver Jeff Horn was second, New England Auto Racing Hall of Famer Ray Miller came home third in his Midget debut, Speedway Illustrated Magazine editor and frequent Valenti Modified Racing Series competitor Karl Fredrickson finished fourth and 2009 Waterford Speedbowl X-Modified champ Dean Christensen was fifth. (more…)
by Jay | Apr 4, 2011 | Bear Ridge, New England, Vermont
Dirt Midget Association Schedules Five Races at Bear Ridge Speedway
BY MARK McKEON
ELLINGTON, CT – The Dirt Midget Association (DMA) has reached an agreement with Bear Ridge Speedway owner and operator Butch Elms for a five race schedule at the legendary Bradford, VT dirt track.
“We’re thrilled that Bear Ridge is taking us in,” said DRA member Skip Matczak. “Butch Elms is a racer’s racer and we appreciate his confidence in our efforts. We have 19 cars registered so far and we’re looking forward to putting on a great show for the fans at Bear Ridge.”
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by Jay | Jan 30, 2011 | Bear Ridge, New England, Vermont
Bradford, Vt. January 30, 2011
Bear Ridge Speedway “the fastest dirt track in Vermont” is proud to announce the return of Wells River Chevrolet as part of the 2011 “99ROCK WFRD” Weekly Racing Series sponsoring the Sportsman Coupes.
The buzz on the street continues with anticipated excitement for this year’s Wells River Chevrolet Sportsman Coupe division as once again it looks like there will be a fine field of rookies doing battle in this ever popular division run first here at the Ridge and continuously every year for the past 43. Not only will there be new faces, as well as last year’s contenders on hand, there will also be the return of some “seasoned” veterans, who will once again be seen doing battle in this division. One such contender Bobby Shepard, who definitely will not be able to compete for rookie of the year, suggested we start a “senior class award”. Who knows maybe we will, as we suspect we would be able to get a few drivers out there who would qualify even if they didn’t want too!
The Coupes have always called Bear Ridge Speedway their home, and this year will be no exception. As with anything, this division has ebbed and flowed with the times and has NEVER been told they were not welcome. This has paid off for them as this past year saw a rise once again in the car count, and 2011 is expected to be even greater. Will their numbers exceed 20 on a weekly basis as they have in the Bond Auto Sportsman Modifieds? Mark your calendars for every Saturday night starting May 7th to find out for yourself!
Everyone is anxious to see the 2011 season kick into gear, which will begin this year with the annual car show at the Jiffy Mart ~ Bradford Mini Mart followed by a free general admission practice session on Saturday May 7th. The 99ROCK wfrd weekly racing season will then see weekly competition in all five divisions starting that same night May 7th . Racing will kick into gear at 6:30 pm, based on track conditions.
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by Jay | Jan 23, 2011 | Bear Ridge, Vermont
Bradford, Vt. January 23, 2011
Bear Ridge Speedway “the fastest dirt track in Vermont” is proud to announce the return of Bond Auto as part of the 2011 “99ROCK WFRD” Weekly Racing Series sponsoring the Sportsman Modifieds.
There is a lot of buzz on the street with anticipated excitement for this year’s Bond Auto Sportsman Modified division and one can only ask, will this be the year when “B Mains” will be run, due to the outstanding car counts on a weekly basis? The 2010 banquet heard many a driver saying they wanted to lay claim on the 1st place trophy in 2011, which can only lead one to believe that competition will be fierce and exciting for this headliner division. Gary Siemons is eager to reclaim the thrown, and is prepared to do battle with the young gun Adam Pierson. Jason Gray no stranger to victory lane, but having yet to claim the thrown will surely be a contender as will many of the other drivers who finished in the top ten in 2010.
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