by | Mar 14, 2013 | Media, NASCAR, New England, Photos, Vermont
Crew Chief Woodward Helps Sophomore’s Late Model Learning Curve
EAST MONTPELIER, Vt. – When 16-year-old Late Model driver Emily Packard buckles into her race car, she might as well be settling into a chair in the front of a classroom at U-32 High School.
For the sophomore Late Model driver, who last year competed weekly at two different northern New England tracks and qualified for her very first ACT Late Model Tour race, she has a veteran presence atop her pit box coaching her through the ins and outs of competing in one of the region’s most competitive stock car racing divisions. Five-time ACT champion crew chief Neal Woodward has been with Packard every step of the way. (more…)
by | Mar 14, 2013 | ACT, New Hampshire, PASS, Touring Series News
HUDSON, NH –Stock car driver Joey Polewarczyk Jr will be competing with his #97 Pole’s Automotive, NH Precision, Riveteyelet.com Ford Fusion in some of the biggest and most prestigious races in the Northeast for 2013.
Joey Pole Racing now has both an American-Canadian Tour (ACT) Type Late Model and a Pro All Stars Series (PASS) Super Late Model in their possession. “We plan on racing most of the big races in the region for both series; we’ve won some great races in the past and we’ll be looking to repeat our previous successes.” Polwarczyk Jr stated.
The twenty-three year old Hudson, NH native will open the 2013 campaign by competing in the ACT’s season opening event at Lee Speedway on April 13-14. Joey will try to become a repeat winner of this event and reclaim the NH Governor’s Cup. (more…)
by | Mar 14, 2013 | ACT, Canada, Modified, New England, Touring Series News
ACT-031313-05
Waterbury, VT – As American Canadian Tour Late Model teams from across New England and Eastern Canada prepare for the biggest showdown of the summer at the International 500 at Airborne Speedway on Sat/Sun, July 20/21, another division prepares for battle: Airborne Speedway’s own Ernie Tool’s Modified division.
The Plattsburgh, NY Speedway’s headline division, which consists of the thunderous 358 Modified cars, will pound the pavement for twin 50-lap events with the lowest point total taking the victory. The winner will take home a cool $3,000: the biggest purse of the Modified’s season at Airborne. It will serve as a key mid-summer points race towards their 2013 championship hopes. (more…)
by | Mar 13, 2013 | PASS
PASS South Series: Austin Theriault
Myrtle Beach Speedway Race Preview
THE STORY
FORT KENT, Maine – Austin Theriault of Fort Kent, Maine, looks to make it two wins in a row in PASS South Series competition in the Bash At The Beach 150 at Myrtle Beach Speedway in Myrtle Beach, S.C., on Saturday, March 16. The driver of the Brad Keselowski Racing No. 29 Checkered Flag Foundation Ford Fusion won the PASS South opener last weekend for his second straight win in PASS-sanctioned competition and his first win in the BKR development program. Now in his second full season with the organization owned by 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski, Theriault tested at Myrtle Beach recently and hopes to make a return trip to Victory Lane in the inaugural PASS event at the .538-mile seaside facility. (more…)
by | Mar 13, 2013 | Connecticut, New England, New England Motorsports South, Thompson
By Lou Modestino
The roar of the engines will once again fill the air at the Thompson International Speedway when the track opens for the first of two pre-season practice sessions on Saturday, March 30th. Each year, the first open practice session is very important to competitors and this year it will be of particular importance to the drivers of the former Thompson Modified division.
Nearly every TIS Modified team has moved to a new division at the track and each will be faced with challenges as they adapt to new cars and drivers in a completely different class of race cars. The Thompson Late Model class has become the division of choice for the majority of the TIS Modified Drivers.
The 2012 Thompson Modified champion, John-Lowinski-Loh, JR is just one of the drivers moving to the Late Models. He recently said that he was really looking forward to competing in a Late Model but he said that he and his team had their work cut out for them. He spoke of the fact that the cars are bigger and that there will be a need to adjust to a different suspension system, different tires and to learn to work with less visibility in the full-body style car. Lowinski-Loh, Jr said, “We will be racing with much more experienced guys but I think there will be close competition. I also think there will be a nice field of cars and that will make for really good racing. We are also looking forward to traveling to other tracks and getting valuable seat time. We are even thinking about going to Loudon,” he concluded. Lowinski-Loh, JR. had a very successful 2012 season. He scored eighteen top five finishes and visited victory lane a total of nine times. (more…)
by | Mar 13, 2013 | Maine, New England, New England Motorsports North, New Hampshire
By Lou Modestino
American Canadian Tour officials have announced that the Inaugural ACT International 500 to be held at Airborne Speedway on the weekend of July 20/21 will exceed a total purse of $140,000, making it the richest event in ACT’s 28-year history.
Airborne Speedway Promoter Mike Perrotte can’t wait to get the weekend started.
“I’m extremely excited to have a race of this magnitude here. It will be without a doubt the biggest event ever held at Airborne Speedway,” said Perrotte. “It’s a big boost to our community. Fans from all over will get to watch more than 500 laps of exciting short track racing from teams all over New England, New York, Rhode Island, Quebec and Ontario. It’s going to be a huge event.”
American Canadian Tour teams on both sides of the border are fired up for a chance at the enormous payday. 8-time American Canadian Tour Champion Brian Hoar and his team see it as a shot at history. (more…)
by | Mar 12, 2013 | TV Times
By Lou Modestino
NASCAR’s Generation 6 Cars are still a big ? even after Vegas
When the black and whites flew at Sin City, it was Matt Kenseth with Kasey Kahne next, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Junior, Martin Truex, Kevin Harvick and Paul Menard before what appeared to be a pretty decent crowd.
In Victory Lane Kenseth admitted that he was nervous because he thought that Kasey had the best car. He blurted, “But we were successful because we did our pit stops without any incidents.” Kahne didn’t exactly agree when he revealed, “I felt that Matt was going to beat us anyway. He was able to run better lines. All things considered, we still had a great day and lots of fun.”
After the race, Kezelowski wasn’t harsh on himself and his crew when he said, “We kept working on the pit stops. It was a good effort, and it was better than what we did in practice. But we just weren’t as fast as Kasey.” Kyle Busch said, “We had tire problems which resulted in having to claw our way back to the front.” Yet he thought that he did well on the short runs. And according to Carl Edwards, “It was knife edge racing all day!” A little dejected, consistent front runner Jimmie Johnson said, “We were flexy and I wish I had more at the end.” But JR seemed positive, “We had a real good race. I enjoyed the racetrack, and I’m pretty happy.” (more…)
by | Mar 12, 2013 | Maine
Dirty Dozen Late Model Series: Reid Lanpher
Southern Nat’l Motorsports Park Race Preview
THE STORY
MANCHESTER, Maine – Reid Lanpher of Manchester, Maine, returns to JR Motorsports this Saturday, March 16, in the Southern National Motorsports Park Twin 100s – the second event in the 12-race Dirty Dozen Cup – in Lucama, N.C. The 14-year-old Lanpher will drive the No. 8 JRM Chevrolet for the team owned by NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the .4-mile banked oval. Lanpher posted a pair of Top-12 finishes two weeks ago at Southern National Motorsports Park in his first career Late Model start, finishing 11th in the first 100-lap race and 12th in the second 100-lap feature. The Dirty Dozen Cup consists of 12 races – six each at Southern National and Motor Mile Speedway in Virginia.
THE FACTS
WHO: Reid Lanpher, Manchester, Maine
TEAM: No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet
CREW CHIEF: Seth Kooika, Mooresville, N.C.
BEST CAREER SOUTHERN NATIONAL FINISH: 11th
LAST RACE AT SOUTHERN NATIONAL: 12th
WHAT: “Dirty Dozen” Southern National Twin 100s
WHERE: Southern National Motorsports Park, Lucama, N.C. (.4-mile banked oval)
WHEN: Saturday, March 16 – 9 a.m., practice; 12:15 p.m., qualifying; 2 p.m., race
Dirty Dozen Cup
NEXT RACE: April 6, Southern National Twin 100s, Southern National Motorsports Park, Lucama, N.C. (.4-mile banked oval) (more…)
by | Mar 12, 2013 | New England, Schedules
Fri. 3/15-3/17/13
Lilac Mall(Rochester, NH)-Lee USA Speedway Car Show, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Each Day
Sunday, 3/17/13
Capeway Rovers(Middleboro, MA)-MotoX, 9 a.m.
Holiday Inn(700 Myles Standish Blvd., Taunton, MA, Ex. 9 Bay St. Off I-495)-Model Car
Exhibition, 9 a.m.
by | Mar 12, 2013 | Maine
BKR Development Driver To Run Own Car In Six PASS Races In Maine
SOUTH PARIS, Maine – Austin Theriault of Fort Kent, Maine, will compete in at least a half-dozen PASS North Series races in his home state in 2013, including the prestigious 40th running of the TD Bank Oxford 250 on July 21.
The Brad Keselowski Racing development driver and most recent winner in the PASS South Series will run the same Crazy Horse Racing chassis that he won races with in New England on both the ACT Late Model Tour and PASS North Series.
“I feel like we can definitely compete up there with this car,” Theriault said. “Crazy Horse puts out a good product, and everybody knows I worked with them for quite a while now. It’s going to be awesome to go back up and be a part of what they’re trying to build.”
Theriault moved to Mooresville, N.C., to work for Brad Keselowski Racing this winter. He won the PASS South Carolina Clash 150 last weekend at Dillon Motor Speedway in the closest finish in PASS South Series history and will race three more times this spring in the BKR No. 29 Checkered Flag Foundation Ford before making his first appearance in New England. (more…)
