Sno Bowl
The Ultimate “Nor’easter”…the Inaugural New Hampshire Motor Speedway Sno Bowl presented by Ski-Doo.
RMR Snocross News: Farmington, NY Event Recap
Poirier sweeps Pro finals at Eastern Nationals for Rock Maple Racing snocross series
FARMINGTON, N.Y. (Feb. 8, 2010) – It might be an old, well-worn cliche, but the fact you can’t keep a good man down for long sure is accurate for veteran racer Danny Poirier.
After going winless in the season’s first four events, the famed ‘Canadian Blast’ swept the Pro finals as Rock Maple Racing (RMR) completed Round 5 of its 2009-10 snocross schedule at the ISOC Eastern Nationals Saturday evening at the Finger Lakes Gaming Center and Racetrack.
Fans at the Eastern Nationals were treated to points races for both the ISOC national and RMR regional circuits. The program began Friday afternoon and featured ski-to-ski action from the nation’s top racers. In his final race of the season, Tucker Hibbert (Monster Energy/Arctic Cat) notched his 54th and 55th career wins when he swept the ISOC Pro finals.
Poirier (Hulten Speed Sports/Polaris) went flag-to-flag in the 20-lap Pro Stock final, grabbing the holeshot and running off to a huge 10-second victory over runner-up Mathieu Morin and third place Jason Boron. Bobby LePage made contact with Jason Stone, and after the ensuing collision, both riders failed to complete the race.
In Pro Open, Morin (Ingles Performance/Ski-doo) blasted off the line and led the first 12 circuits. Morin’s sled suffered a rare mechanical failure as he worked the 13th lap, while Poirier, who had slotted into second at the start, inherited the lead and never looked back. LePage kept his JoJo Energy Drink No. 244 on-track and brought it home second, while Canadian sensation Iain Hayden claimed third on his factory-backed Yamaha.
Defending Plus 35 Pro Am champion Joe Lemieux held off Greg Weaver and Michael Berghorn to claim Friday night’s final, while daughter Steffanie out-gunned RMR veterans Martha Wells and Paige Calderwood for top honors in the Pro Women final.
In Semi-Pro action Saturday, Nick Pattyn and Lincoln Lemieux both earned final round wins. Pattyn, of Ravenna, MI, rode his Arctic Cat to victory in the Super Stock 600 final, with Brett Nastala second and Corin Todd making a late-race charge up to third. Lemieux, of St. Johnsbury, VT, used superior horsepower and aggressive riding to chase down Pattyn and score his first career Semi-Pro victory in the Open final. Pattyn settled for second while Justin Ochsner (New London, MN) came home third.
Action in the Sport division was also intense at the Eastern Nationals. Jake ‘The Snake’ Scott powered his Hulten Speed Sports Polaris to victory in the first Stock final, while Joe Bishop took top honors in the second tilt. Bishop also won the Stock 500 final to cap a great day.
In Junior division action at Farmington, Edward Bandel led the way with a pair of wins. Montana Jess, Tyler Adams and Leo Patenaude also earned final round wins in front of a packed house. From the youngest junior riders to the rising stars of RMR’s Sport classes, they all got to showcase their talents in front of the sport’s top riders and high-profile team owners.
RMR would like to thank ISOC and the staff at the Finger Lakes Gaming Center for hosting such a world class event. With nice amenities for fans, strong competition and a great track, it was an honor to be part of the show.
For complete results in all classes from the Eastern Nationals, visit the ISOC Web site at www.isocracing.com. Teams and officials from both ISOC and RMR will join forces again this coming weekend, Feb. 12-14, for the inaugural HK Powersports New England Nationals at historic Rockingham Park in Salem, New Hampshire.
To learn more about Rock Maple Racing, go to www.rockmaple.com.
Beech Ridge racers look forward to Racin’ Preview 2010 at the Portland Expo
Beech Ridge racers look forward to Racin’ Preview 2010 at the Portland Expo
Portland, Maine – Beech Ridge Motor Speedway will be well-represented by a wide variety of oval track racers at Racin’ Preview 2010, set for Friday and Saturday, February 19-20 at the Portland Expo.
Scarborough’s Beech Ridge Motor Speedway is in its’ seventh decade of providing outstanding family entertainment, these days both with the traditional Saturday night racing program – dubbed NASCAR Nites – and their groundbreaking Thursday Thunder program, successfully imitated by many other Northeastern tracks after being pioneered by track operator Andy Cusack well over a decade ago.
Not only is Beech Ridge Motor Speedway the lone NASCAR Whelen All-American Series racetrack in Maine, it’s also the Pine Tree State’s only oval hosting weekly competition at the Super Late Model division level. Future Maine Hall of Famer Mike Rowe is the reigning champion of that top-tier division, the NASCAR Pro Series.
At least a half-dozen of the sleek powerful NASCAR Pro Series cars will anchor the Beech Ridge Motor Speedway display at Racin’ Preview 2010. Several other divisions from the entry-level Whiz Kidz class up through the ultra-competitive NASCAR Sport Series will be well-represented at the Expo show.
A dozen or more other racetracks and touring series will join Beech Ridge Motor Speedway at Racin’ Preview 2010, including the touring Pro All Stars Series Super Late Models and the open-wheel Modified Racing Series, which will both be in action at Beech Ridge during the 2010 season.
Unity Raceway, Wiscasset Raceway, Speedway 95, Lee USA Speedway, Big Daddy’s Speedbowl, Canaan Fair Speedway and Bear Ridge Speedway displays showcase both dirt and asphalt weekly racing competitors and their racecars, scheduled to test the local tracks just a couple of months following Racin’ Preview 2010.
If stock cars from the oval track wars aren’t enough, Racin’ Preview 2010 will also feature Karting stars and cars from Richmond Raceway and racing lawnmowers from two Maine-based facilities: Redneck Raceway and Saco Pathfinders.
Along with today’s racers and their machines, an excellent display of Maine’s racing past will be presented by the Maine Vintage Race Car Association, with a salute to late NEAR and MVRCA Hall of Famer Homer Drew featured.
Doors at the Portland Expo open at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, February 19, with several autograph opportunities and other activities ongoing through 10:00 p.m. Saturday show hours are 9:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. A limited amount of commercial display space remains available.
For further information please call (603) 447-4251 or email [email protected]
Current associate sponsors of Racin’ Preview 2010 include Racin’ Paper, Pave Tek Motorsports of Kennebunk, Redneck Raceway of Acton, Saco Pathfinders, R & D Racing and Fabrication of Limerick, and Wayne Elston’s Speed Shop of Carmel.
Florida Trip Brings Rowe, Team Together
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — Ben Rowe could have left Florida in a bad mood. Instead, he left encouraged.
A twice-wrecked race car during the 4-time PASS North Series champion’s first voyage with Mulkern Racing did cast a mild pall over the trip to New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway last week, but Rowe saw the silver lining.
“I’m really happy, and I can tell you I’m excited about the season,” Rowe said after finishing 14th in the Winterfest 150, the first of five races in the PASS National Series for 2010. “We had a good run going, the entire team worked really hard and we’re going to be ready for the start (of the PASS North season).”
Rowe was fastest in the final practice, qualified eighth in the 22-car field and was the leader of the race at the halfway break — all in his first race with his new team and in his first race at New Smyrna’s fast half-mile track.
He took the lead in the No. 48 Community Pharmacies Chevrolet on lap 65 and held it until a lap 76 restart.
Rowe, of Turner, Maine, watched as leaders Johnny Clark and Brad Leighton moved ahead early in the second half of the event, planning to let them burn through their equipment while waiting to make a late-race run for the lead. Instead, he was caught up in a wreck on lap 104 that was a harbinger of things to come.
Rowe saw Leighton wave his hand out the window to indicate he was slowing down for an apparent caution flag — but as Rowe checked up, he was hit from behind and ended up in the turn one wall.
“It was just miscommunication between (Leighton) and his spotter,” Rowe said, noting that the race director never called for a caution. “I talked to Brad after the race, and he felt bad. He thought he’d been told there was a caution out.”
Just three laps later, after restarting at the rear of the field with what was largely cosmetic damage, Rowe was involved in a second incident — this time a much harder hit into the frontstretch wall that ended the No. 48’s day.
“I was just racing with guys I should never have been back there racing with,” Rowe said.
Still, after the disappointment of seeing a possible winning car sidelined, Rowe was excited.
“I was real happy,” said the reigning PASS National and PASS South champion. “The entire team — Tony Ricci, Scott Chubbuck, Mark Lyden, Shawn Plowman, every single one of the guys — all worked their tails off… There wasn’t anything anyone could have done different, it was just one of those deals that happens.
“But I’m really, really looking forward to going to the track again with those guys.”
When that will be exactly Rowe isn’t sure.
“There’s some things we want to do to the car,” he said. “It was my first time in a Junior Hanley car. My first time with bump stops like that. Maybe we can get to another (National or South) race before the North season starts, but we’ll just have to see how much we can get done.”
GOODYEAR ACT LIMITED LATE MODEL TIRE TEST SUCCESSFUL
GOODYEAR ACT LIMITED LATE MODEL TIRE TEST SUCCESSFUL
Waterbury, VT – Officials of the Goodyear Engineering and Racing Division and the American Canadian Tour (ACT) have announced that the final test of their new tire designed for a Limited Late Model was very successful.
Veteran racer Joey Laquerre from Barre, VT took his ACT Tiger Sportsman car to Hickory Speedway in North Carolina last week to assist with the test of the D2637 – 7.5” treaded tire designed for a Limited Late Model, or +/- 3000 lb ‘street stock’ division type race car. Laquerre originally tested the Goodyear D2635 tire for the ACT Sportsman division in 2008. He was instrumental in helping to get the modifications made resulting in a revolutionary tire for these kinds of race cars throughout the country. Laquerre also did extensive testing on the ACT Late Model tire in 2004, which led to present use by a dozen tracks, and both ACT Touring divisions in the US and Canada.
“The test went really well, and working with Joel (Reichert, a development engineer for Goodyear racing) is always interesting. He listens to what we as racers think might help the product. Goodyear really improved the tire with the added half inch, creating a better contact patch, and I was very pleased that after 150 laps of testing the tire was still performing within a tenth or two of where we had been 100 laps earlier,” said Laquerre.
The American Canadian Tour has been involved with development of short track tires in conjunction with Goodyear for over 20 years. “ It is great to have the world’s highest profile racing tire company work with us for the betterment of short track racing,” said Tom Curley, President of the American Canadian Tour. “We started out working on a treaded tire back around 1990. A few years ago we saw a need for an upgrade on the 8” Late Model slick, and Goodyear allowed us to work with them to produce the state of the art 8” slick which has become very popular nationwide and is used by our affiliate tracks and both our US ACT and Canadian Castrol tours. Now with the development of the 7.5” D2637 treaded tire, we have come full circle.”
The American Canadian Tour, which is a 25-year old sanctioning body for short track events throughout the Northeast is also working with Goodyear on a cost-effective four-cylinder tire. Additionally, Goodyear will be providing ACT competitors with a special tire for their second ACT INVITATIONAL to be held at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 18, 2010.
Scott Junod, Goodyear Sales Manager, Short Track Racing, said, “Working with the competitors at ACT is always a very positive and rewarding experience for Goodyear. We have done a lot of testing with them over the past few years, and all of us in Engineering and Sales have really enjoyed the relationship. We are especially grateful to Joey (Laquerre) and appreciate all the help and input he has given us in development of this new tire for the Limited Late Model (ACT Tiger Sportsman) type car.”
The ACT Tiger division has been popular since 1966 at the flagship track, Thunder Road Speedbowl in Barre, VT. Annually, there are over forty (40) teams that compete weekly. Airborne Speedway in Plattsburgh, NY has seen continued success with the division for twenty years, and in 2010, White Mountain Motorsport Park in Lincoln, NH and the Devil’s Bowl Speedbowl in Fair Haven, Vermont will adopt the ACT rules for the ACT Tiger Sportsman division.
The Bond Auto/Wix “Tiger Sportsman Tour” will be expanding in 2010 to include events at both Thunder Road and White Mountain, as well as Riverside Speedway in Groveton, NH and Canaan Fair Speedway in Canaan, NH.
Tracks from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York and Ontario have indicated they will run the new Goodyear tire in 2010 following the testing results from Hickory.
FORD RACING ANNOUNCES $35,000 CONTINGENCY FOR 2010 ACT TEAMS
Waterbury, VT – Ford Racing announced an aggressive $35,000 contingency plan for the American Canadian Tour (ACT) for the 2010 campaign. The contingency program, tailored to support those teams that have chosen to compete in 2010 with the Ford powered S347JR engine in any ACT affiliate track weekly events, as well as the touring programs under the ACT sanction, is the largest contingency plan offered in the 25-year history of ACT.
“We want short track supporters across North America to know that we are very supportive of their efforts. Short tracks have been the backbone of stock car racing for over 50 years, and Ford recognizes their importance. We believe the contingency program that we have offered the ACT competitors and supporters reflects our support,” said Mike Delahanty, Program Manager-Sportsman Circle Track Racing for the Ford Racing Technology division of Ford Racing.
The Ford spec engine program was begun as a joint venture between Ford engineering and ACT in 2008. After months of research and development to make the Ford compatible with the existing motors that were exclusive in weekly and touring Late Model racing throughout the Northeast, the approved product was introduced at the beginning of the 2009 season. Long-time ACT competitor, and three-time King of the Road Champion at Thunder Road Speedbowl in Barre, VT, Cris Michaud, brought Ford Racing their first crate victory in mid-summer last season. 2009 Lee USA Track Champion Wayne Helliwell, and ACT regular young gun Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. from Hudson, NH, among others, have switched over to Ford for their 2010 campaigns.
The FORD Racing Blue Oval Challenge Program will offer several contingency programs to registered and approved competitors who compete in ACT Tour (US) events; ACT Castrol Série events, two ACT special events: the New Hampshire Motor Speedway Invitational II and the Vermont Milk Bowl at Thunder Road. The contingency program will award the following:
I ACT TOUR & ACT Castrol Série
Win $500
2nd $250
3rd $100
II ACT Special Events, NHMS ACT Invitational II, VT Milk Bowl
Win $1000
Best FORD $ 500
III ACT Ford Racing Blue Oval Cup
(A season-long point program encompassing all Ford participants throughout the ACT Tour, ACT Castrol Canadian Series, and all ACT affiliate weekly tracks. An end-of-season point tally will reward Ford-powered competitors finishing in the top 10 as follows):
1st place- $3000 6th place- $ 600
2nd place- $1500 7th place- $ 500
3rd place- $1000 8th place- $ 400
4th place- $ 800 9th place- $ 300
5th place- $ 700 10th place- $ 200
A total of 43 ACT events will be eligible for contingency during the 2010 race season, and all ACT affiliate weekly programs will be eligible including: Thunder Road in Barre, VT; Lee USA in Lee, NH; White Mountain Motorsport Park in Lincoln, NH; Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford, ME; Seekonk Speedway in Seekonk, MA; Waterford Speedbowl, in Waterford, CT; Twin State Speedway in Claremont, NH; Kawartha Speedway in Peterborough, ON; and Capital City Speedway in Ottawa, ON. Other tracks may be added and eligible number of point-counting events and further details will be forthcoming from the ACT office to registered competitors.
“This program, designed by Ford, validates the vision we have been working on over the past decade at ACT,” said Tom Curley, President of ACT. “We have tried to bring one region of the country under a ‘universal’ set of rules that was cost efficient for race teams, promoters, and fans. The idea was to have a strong, cost effective race car for weekly racing that was still exciting to watch and also capable of running touring events in the region. Recent events like the TD Bank 250 at Oxford and the ACT Invitational at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway have certainly showcased how successful the format for these times has been. The Ford vs. Chevrolet rivalry is now officially re-established.”
The sensational young star of ACT racing, Joey Polewarczyk, Jr., said, “We made the switch to Ford for the 2010 season for a couple of reasons. We needed to try something different to compete with teams like Brian Hoar, Brent Dragon, and Brad Leighton in order to get an ACT Championship, which is our goal. If we are successful, we are hoping that Ford might also help us with some future goals we have in racing. This contingency incentive program is just great–not only the money involved, but racing against all the other potential Ford teams in a region gives our competitive juices just one more goal to go after.”
The ACT season opens on April 18, 2010 at the Lee USA Speedway in Lee, NH with the annual running of the NH Governor’s Cup 150. This will also be the first opportunity to lock in an invitation to the ACT Invitational II at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 18, 2010.
Additional information contact the ACT office at 802.244.6963 or [email protected]
Salute to Hall of Famer Homer Drew highlights Racin’ Preview 2010 at Portland Expo February 19-20
Portland, ME – Legendary Maine racer Homer Drew will be the focus of an extensive Maine Vintage Race Car Association display at Northern New England’s biggest and best wintertime stock car racing showcase, Racin’ Preview 2010, set for Friday and Saturday, February 19-20 at the Portland Exposition Building on Park Street (U.S. Route 1).
Drew, a Raymond native who passed away shortly after his two Hall of Fame inductions, is considered to be Maine’s greatest stock car racer ever by most observers fortunate enough to witness his incredible talent behind the wheel of an oval track machine – no matter what kind of car, or what racing surface was under it. Drew was one of twelve inaugural inductees into the Maine Racing Hall of Fame. He had previously been inducted into the prestigious New England Auto Racers (NEAR) Hall of Fame.
At least four restored racecars instrumental in the long legacy left behind by Drew will be on display at the Portland oval track showcase. The display will feature one of the most revered cars in the history of Maine racing on asphalt tracks, the J-2 Camaro, then-owned by another Maine Hall of Famer, Jerry Seavey of Windham. With that famed ‘Playboy Racing’ machine Drew dominated the 1973 Getty Open series at Bob Bahre’s Oxford Plains Speedway against unmatched fields of talented racers in that era, or perhaps any since. Portland firefighter and Maine vintage race car guru Steve Pellerin of Gorham quarterbacked efforts to restore the Drew racecars.
The salute to legendary Maine racing Hall of Famer Homer Drew joins displays from most of the premiere racetracks and touring series competing throughout New England at the region’s only off-season show dedicated to oval track racing. The vast majority of racetracks and touring series operating throughout Maine and New Hampshire will be represented at the annual celebration, with hundreds of door prizes including dozens of free race event tickets to be handed out to lucky show ticketholders.
The extensive historical display by the MVRCA will be joined by dozens of current racecars in competition throughout Northern New England, including NASCAR Whelen All-American Series tracks like Scarborough’s Beech Ridge Motor Speedway and New Hampshire’s Lee USA Speedway along with many independent tracks from throughout the tri-state area.
Super Late Models, dirt and asphalt Modifieds, Sprint Cars and many other types of weekend warrior racing hardware will be on display representing tracks and touring series operating throughout Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.
Doors at the Portland Expo open at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, February 19, with several autograph opportunities and other activities ongoing through 10:00 p.m. Saturday show hours are 9:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. A limited amount of commercial display space remains available.
For further information please call (603) 447-4251 or email [email protected]
Current associate sponsors of Racin’ Preview 2010 include Racin’ Paper, Pave Tek of Kennebunk, Redneck Raceway of Acton, Saco Pathfinders, R & D Racing and Fabrication of Limerick, Wayne Elston’s Speed Shop of Carmel, Big Al’s Photos and Maineracing.com.
Holiday Message
Happy Holidays from New Hampshire Motor Speedway!
SYLVANIA 300 NASCAR Newscast
SYLVANIA 300 NASCAR Newscast from the Sunday, September 20, 2009.
Solid Effort Gets Clark’s Season Off On Right Foot
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — Johnny Clark Motorsports got its 2010 racing season off to a great start on Sunday, with a dominating effort en route to a 2nd-place finish in the PASS Winterfest 150 at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway.
The race was originally scheduled for Saturday evening, but bad weather forced its postponement until Sunday afternoon.
Clark enjoyed a full straightaway lead with just five laps remaining and appeared to have a win in hand. But a late caution flag bunched the field to set up a race restart with just five laps remaining.
“I was pretty bad on restarts all day,” said Clark, of Farmingdale, Maine. “I was just a sitting duck.”
Brad Leighton of Center Harbor, N.H., capitalized by taking the lead and then the victory.
“It would take me four or five laps to catch the guy in front of me (on restarts),” said Clark, noting that the outside lane was the preferred groove on the fast, half-mile track. “I just didn’t have enough time at the end to get the lead back.”
Clark led a total of nearly 90 laps in the first of five PASS National Series races scheduled for 2010. The 4-time PASS North Series champion was the quickest of 24 cars in time trials earlier in the afternoon and lined up fourth on the starting grid following a re-draw of the fastest qualifiers.
He was disappointed not to have won after leading on a number of different occasions Sunday, but he conceded it was a great start to the new year.
“Absolutely,” Clark said. “We were awesome all weekend. Considering we didn’t even have a race car together two weeks ago, I think this said a lot about our team. We didn’t even know we were coming to Florida until the last-minute, but we proved that we’re ready to go.”
Clark anticipates that his next start will come in round No. 2 of the PASS National Series — in the Easter Bunny 150 at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway on April 3.