Ben Rowe Dominates To Claim Second PASS Easter Bunny 150 Win At Hickory
HICKORY, NC (March 26) – Three-time Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Super Late Model national champion Ben Rowe led 114 laps en route to a dominating win in Saturday night’s 11th Annual Easter Bunny 150 at Hickory Motor Speedway. The Turner, ME, native’s second win in the Easter Bunny 150 was made even sweeter by the fact that it guarantees Rowe a starting spot in this year’s Oxford 250 in August at Oxford Plains Speedway in Maine.
“I just tried to set my own pace, but that kid in the 19 car [Riley Herbst], he was giving me all I wanted, but if I could clear him off turn two I was ok and I can’t think of a better way to travel back home 17 hours than with a win,” said Rowe after his first win in the prestigious race since 2009. “This win is I huge, I mean it’s the Easter Bunny and this is Hickory and it’s a tough place. To be locked into the Oxford 250 is huge too. I’ve seen over 100 cars try to qualify for that race and a lot can happen in the heat races, so to have a guaranteed starting spot is great.” (more…)
McKennedy Take Checkers In Inaugural Southern Modified Racing Series Event At Hickory
HICKORY, NC (March 26) – Jonathan McKennedy grabbed the lead from Brandon Ward on lap 94 and led the race until it was called for rain on lap 108 to win the inaugural Southern Modified Racing Series (SMRS) Presented By PASS event Saturday night at Hickory Motor Speedway. McKennedy’s Easter Bunny 125 win came in an action packed race that saw the lead change hands 11 times among six different drivers.
“It’s great to be here at Hickory, it’s got a lot of history to it and it’s pretty awesome to win down here,” said McKennedy in victory lane. “I knew we had a real good chance to win at about halfway when the other cars started coming back to me. We had a great pit stop and I was able to get the lead, and the rain obviously helped us a little bit too.” (more…)
NEW ENGLAND MOTORSPORTS NORTH For March 27th 2016
By Lou Modestino
The American-Canadian Tour (ACT) opens its 25th season of ACT Late Model racing, along with the 33rd season of racing at Lee USA Speedway, with the New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150 on Sunday, April 10. The traditional ACT season opener often sets the tone for what to watch throughout the season, and the 2016 edition should be no exception.
ACT competition at the 1/3-mile speedway has historically been hard to predict. The previous 13 ACT Late Model Tour events at Lee have seen 12 different winners, with Brian Hoar’s back-to-back Governor’s Cup wins in 2011 and 2012 standing as the only repeat triumph. Former Lee USA Champion Wayne Helliwell, Jr. of Dover, NH became the latest ACT winner at the track when he captured the 2015 Governor’s Cup, the first of his four wins en route to the 2015 ACT Championship. (more…)
Green Mountain Sprint Car Nationals Date Adjusted at Devil’s Bowl Speedway
Sunday, Sept. 25 event reduces scheduling conflicts with surrounding speedways
WEST HAVEN, Vt. – Devil’s Bowl Speedway officials have reached an agreement with the Sprint Cars of New England (SCoNE) and the Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints (ESS) to adjust the date of the second annual Fabian Earthmoving “Green Mountain Sprint Car Nationals” event. The race will now be run on Sunday, September 25 at 5:00 p.m., one day later than originally scheduled, on the 3/10-mile Dirt Track at Devil’s Bowl in West Haven, Vt.
The Green Mountain Sprint Car Nationals, co-sanctioned by SCoNE and ESS, is Vermont’s biggest and richest open-wheel 360 Sprint Car event, with drivers from seven U.S. states and two Canadian provinces entered last year. SCoNE champion Dan Douville won the inaugural race and collected a handsome purse of $4,050 and the coveted “Coastal Cup” trophy from Coastal 181 Publishing. (more…)
Thompson Boasts Star Studded Sunoco Modified Field for 2016
(THOMPSON, CT) – As the start of the 2016 racing season nears on April 9-10 for the traditional Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park Icebreaker, the Sunoco Modified field is shaping up to be one of the most competitive in recent history.
Woody Pitkat returns as the division’s champion in the Stan Mertz owned Sunoco Modified. By virtue of winning the title, Pitkat’s team decided to rebuild the car in time for the championship banquet that was held in December for the first time at Mohegan Sun. Since that time, the car has been ready to race and to begin a title defense.
“It’s been a weird offseason because the car has been ready to go and I haven’t been to the shop all winter,” said Pitkat. (more…)
Mohegan Sun to Once Again Host Thompson’s Championship Awards Banquet
(THOMPSON, CT) – Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park officials announced on Friday that the Annual Championship Awards Banquet would return to Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT on Saturday, December 17. The venue played host to the Banquet for the first time last December, bringing the annual event to a new level of excellence with music, improved trophies and the Champions’ cars on display.
Woody Pitkat, last year’s Sunoco Modified champion, enjoyed having the event at Mohegan Sun as it reminded him of the past NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour banquets. “It’s a great facility. We used to go there for the NWMT banquet, before it was moved down to North Carolina, and it was always a great time… It’s great knowing that it’s going to be back there this year.” (more…)
Lee, NH – Lee USA Speedway is readying for the 2016 season opener just two weeks from now on April 10, with the annual running of the New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150 American Canadian Tour (ACT) Late Model event. The traditional season-opener will also feature the NEMST Mini Stocks and Northeast Classic Lites doing battle at “New Hampshire‘s Center of Speed“.
Last year’s running of the Governor’s Cup event saw longtime Lee USA regular and eventual 2015 ACT champion Wayne Helliwell, Jr. of nearby Dover take down his first career ACT win at Lee, with Maine racer Brad Babb and hometown hero Eddie “The Outlaw” MacDonald of Rowley, MA rounding out the podium.
Both Helliwell and MacDonald cut their racing teeth on the fast 3/8th’s mile oval back in the 1990’s, with feature wins and track championships coming early and often in their careers. “Junior” has taken home championship titles in the Late Model Sportsman, Late Model, and Supermodified ranks over the years, with the 2015 Governor’s Cup 150 win among his career highlights.
Chase Dowling Looking for Home Track Win in Stafford’s NAPA Spring Sizzler
(Stafford Springs, CT)—After a 2015 season that saw him win Sunoco Rookie of the Year on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, 18-year old Chase Dowling is ready to challenge for his first career victory. What better place for Dowling to collect his first Tour win than at Stafford Speedway in the 45th Annual NAPA Spring Sizzler, where he first sat behind the wheel of an open wheel modified car.
“I’m really excited,” said Dowling. “I have a lot of laps at Stafford thanks to my SK Modified® and SK Light experience and it’s always nice to go back to your home track. It’s really hard to win at the Tour level and we don’t expect to win a ton of races, but we’re going to try our best. What’s better than winning at your home track? It would be an honor to win a race especially at Stafford having grown up there and coming through the SK Light and SK Modified® divisions for both myself and the crew. Everyone on this team deserves to be in victory lane.” (more…)
Austin Dillon, driver of the #3 American Ethanol Chevrolet SS, captures the pole position Friday, March 18, 2016 for a front row start in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Dillon will be joined on the front row with Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Jimmy JohnÕs Chevrolet SS who qualified second. (Photo by Harold Hinson for Chevy Racing)
CHEVROLET SS TAKES FRONT ROW AT FONTANA
Austin Dillon Captures Pole and Kevin Harvick Qualified 2nd
FONTANA, Calif. (March 18, 2016) – Austin Dillon captured his second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career pole position with a lap of 38.200 seconds, 188.482 mph in his No. 3 American Ethanol Chevrolet SS at Auto Club Speedway for Sunday’s Auto Club 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race. The feat was Dillon’s first pole at the 2-mile D-shaped track, which also gave Chevrolet its 12th pole at the Southern California track.
Kevin Harvick, who was last week’s race winner at the Phoenix stop on the West Coast Swing, was second quick in his No. 4 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet SS, putting Team Chevy on the front row for Sunday’s 200 lap, 400-mile race. (more…)
Ben Rowe Dominates To Claim Second PASS Easter Bunny 150 Win At Hickory
McKennedy Take Checkers In Inaugural Southern Modified Racing Series Event At Hickory
Green Mountain Sprint Car Nationals Date Adjusted at Devil’s Bowl Speedway
Thompson Boasts Star Studded Sunoco Modified Field for 2016
Lee, NH – Lee USA Speedway is readying for the 2016 season opener just 
Chase Dowling Looking for Home Track Win in Stafford’s NAPA Spring Sizzler