By Lou Modestino(for 9/3-9/6/10)
According to reports in the Boston Globe New England Dragway in Epping, NH will join NHRA, the premier drag racing sanctioning body, in 2011. There's also discussion and consideration of bringing in a NHRA National event which includes the biggest names in AA Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stocks. Due to the required $6-$7 million improvements needed at NED, not to mention an estimated five-year time line to do all of the work, it could be a while before New England Dragway announces a NHRA National date.
Barre’s own Nick Sweet claimed the 2010 Thunder Road Late Model “King of the Road” title with his third place finish on Aubuchon Hardware Late Model Championship night on Thursday, August 26. Sweet’s third was enough to edge out Middlesex’s Dave Pembroke by just six points. Sweet went into the final Thursday night event of the season trailing Pembroke by just two points. After winning his heat race, Sweet led Pembroke by eight points going into the final 75 lap feature. The two contenders started the race door handle to door handle with Sweet 13th and Pembroke 14th. They weaved their way through heavy traffic to get to the front by the first caution on lap 43. Pembroke would get around Sweet during the remaining 3 cautions but came up just short of getting around John Donahue for the feature and championship win.
Sweet can add the 2010 Thunder Road Late Model title to his 2007 Thunder Road Bond Auto Tiger Sportsmen title and his 2008 ACT Late Model Tour Rookie of the Year title. He took home two feature wins during the 2010 season. The first was the opening day ACT Late Model Tour Merchants Bank 150 and the second was the Carquest Governor’s Cup in June.
Graniteville’s John Donahue earned his third straight Thunder Road Late Model feature win. Pembroke and Sweet were followed to the line by Grant Folsom and Doug Murphy rounding out the top five. Eric Williams took sixth, rookie Cody Blake was seventh, Phil Scott took eighth, Jamie Fisher ninth and Brooks Clark completed the top ten.
Hinesburg’s Bobby Therrien picked up his second Bond Auto Tiger Sportsmen feature win of the season. He held off Shawn Fleury, John Lambert, Jimmy Hebert and Joel Hodgdon in the top five. George May, David Finck, Jason Corliss, Tony Rossi and Eric Badore completed the top ten.
Hardwick’s Joe Fecteau earned his first Allen Lumber Street Stock win of the 2010 season. He beat 2009 Street Stock Champion Gary Mullen, Gary Bashaw, Bunker Hodgdon and Ron Gabaree rounding out the top five. Mike MacAskill, Eric Johnson, Jamie Davis, Jean Leblanc and Kyle Hess took home top tens.
Cabot’s Ken Christman took home his tenth Junkyard Warrior win of the season. Kevin Wheatley and Fred Schroeder completed the top three.
Thunder Road’s Thursday nights have now come to a close for the 2010 season. The next event will be next Sunday, September 5 for the ACT Late Model Tour Bond Auto Labor Day Classic. The ACT Tour will be joined by a regular event for the Bond Auto Tiger Sportsmen, Allen Lumber Street Stocks and Junkyard Warriors. Post time is 1:30 p.m.
We've heard the the NHMS in Loudon, NH is negotiating with a group of principals about a New England Racing Hall of Fame on the grounds of the Speedway Motorsports Inc. track. This idea was approached before when former owner Bob Bahre was in control of that venue. But, nothing real came of the idea. The SMI crowd seem to be much more interested in this idea and it's at the point where there designs and renderings are being considered.
AMA Pro Hillclimbers competed in round 6 on August 29 in Canaan, N.H. - the first time the series has visited the "Granite State." Shawn Farnsworth won the Unlimited Class with the fastest time of the day in a wild body-flipping crash at the finish line. Nate Redmann scored a win in Xtreme Class and strengthened his lead in the series points. Sixteen year old rookie, John Koester won his second in a row in the Pro Sport Class. In exhibition Verti-Cross, Ryan Thibault took the trophy.
To welcome hill climbers on their first visit, New Hampshire served up the best weather of the summer: clear blue skies, low humidity and an uphill breeze to clear away the dust. Ridge Runner Promotions, the event hosts, created a very technical hill to test the riders' mettle. The flat section at the start line rose to a jump over a rough pit and then got progressively steeper with each jump. The approach to the crest from 300 to 375 feet was a "wall" that made quite an impact with bikes and riders alike.
First up were the Verti-Cross riders with four heats followed by two semi-finals. Colby McCutcheon faced Thibault and Walter "Tiger" Strank raced against Vinny Nuzzolilli. Thibault and Nuzzolilli advanced to the final- held at intermission between pro bike runs. In the final Thibault took the win with a crowd-pleasing style over the crest while Nuzzolilli flipped his bike over backwards at the top in a side by side finish.
In the first run of the Xtreme Class, the advantage clearly went to the early draws. Redmann drew third, picked a good line and held on for a 5.922 second ride that set the bar for all who rode later. Phil Libhart and Robby DeBusk followed and both rode in the high sevens. Then Alex Benner exhibited his all-out style for a 6.901 second ride- propelling him solidly into second at the half. Thibault edged Libhart out of third with a 7.488 second ride in the middle of the order.
The Xtreme Class order did not change in the second half, but not for lack of trying. Six riders bettered their performance, most notable was Thibault who shaved three tenths off his time- better, but not enough to move up. Redmann sat out and watched as no one came close to his time. The finish was Redmann, Benner and Thibault in 1,2,3 on the podium.
Points leader, Josh Lingle, lead off the Pro Sport class with a 9.026 E.T. Koester followed with an 8.674 second time to jump ahead. Ian Lau laid down a respectable 8.889 second ride for second at the half.
In second half Pro Sport action, like Xtreme Class, the order remained the same. Koester sat out and never needed to defend his position. The Pro Sport podium had Koester on top, Lau in second and Lingle in third.
Thibault blasted to the top of the hill and the front of the Unlimited Class in the first run with a 6.800 second ride. Jay Sallstrom crested very smoothly in 6.947 seconds, just behind Thibault. Shane Green let it all hang out for a 7.090 second ride with an over-the-bars inverted flip at the finish line. The impact broke half the spokes in his rear wheel forcing him to scratch for the second half.
Second half Unlimited action sure lived up to its name. Riders, desperate for a win, threw caution to the wind and one after another hit the "wall" at 350 feet until it and they bore the scars to prove it. Matt Luna crashed over the finish line, temporarily in second with a 6.920 ride. Shawn Farnsworth hit, crashed, flipped and landed on his feet over the line for fast time of the day at 5.676 seconds. Sallstrom battled back into second place with a 6.613 E.T. Then, late in the order, Benner stopped the clock at 6.126 seconds to snatch the number two spot from Sallstrom. At the finish it was Farnsworth, Benner and Sallstrom in 1,2,3 for the Unlimited Class.
Series points leaders, first through third, are: Unlimited- Colby McCutcheon, Benner and Scott Campbell; Xtreme- Redmann, Libhart and Chris VanHyning; and Pro Sport- Lingle, Hoke and Mosko.
Round 7 of the AMA Pro Hillclimb will be hosted by the Bushkill Valley MC at Freemansburg, PA on September 12.
Results
U/L: 1. Shawn Farnsworth (H-D); 2. Alex Benner (Hon); 3. Jay Sallstrom (Yam); 4. Ryan Thibault (Hon); 5. Matt Luna (Kaw).
Xtreme: 1. Nate Redmann (Yam); 2. Alex Benner (Hon); 3. Ryan Thibault (Hon); 4. Phil Libhart (Tri); 5. Robby DeBusk (Yam).
Pro Spt: 1. John Koester (Suz); 2. Ian Lau (Hon); 3. Josh Lingle (Yam); 4. Scott Hoke (Suz); 5. John Mosko (Hon).
Verti-Cross: 1. Ryan Thibault (Hon); 2. Vinny Nuzzolilli (Hon); 3. Colby McCutcheon (Hon).
Owner and fabricator Charlie Benton sets out to chase a couple of 40 year old land speed records with the help of 2009 650 twin record holder James Rispoli, formerly of Londonderry, NH. Benton who is a veteran tuner relies on his experience and knowledge that dates back to the glory days of NASCAR. Benton continues to use the same competitive spirit when working in his own Southport, NC race facility.
In 2007 Benton built and tuned the race bikes for the Pair of Nines Moto-ST race team of Hall of Famers Gary Nixon, Jay Springsteen and Jimmy Filice. On March 2, 2008 Benton’s team of Rispoli and Cobb took home first place gold at the legendary Daytona speedway winning the Daytona 300 Moto/ST. In 2009, his first time on the Salt Flats, Benton and rider James Rispoli set a new AMA Land speed record in the 650 twin class. In 2010 Benton sets his sights on crushing the 750 twin land speed record in both the open bike classes and the streamliner class that have been standing since 1969 and 1974. To attack the records Benton has again chosen pro road racer and pro flattracker James “the Rocket” Rispoli to get the job done.
“I am so excited to be going back to Bonneville after some records that have been standing for better than 40 years,” said Benton. “We spent time in the wind tunnel after last years record breaking and learned a lot. I built a new 750 cc class twin on a modified chassis and we think we have a great shot a new record. I’m confident James will do his job and now with some experience under the team’s belt, we are better prepared than ever.”
Rispoli said, “To have this opportunity again with Charlie this year is even more special than last years Bonneville run. Charlie has built a crazy fast 750 motor and I can’t wait to ease it down the measured mile in hopes of capturing a world record. Last year was incredible, but this year should be the best. My mechanic Dustin will join me in support of our efforts and it will be a great experience for all of us again.” Cycle Dynamics will be on the salt August 30th – September 1st.
DJ Shaw of Center Conway, NH had to face a lot of hurdles at Gresham Motorsports Park Saturday night. He wrecked in practice, had a battery problem that further limited practice time, and then struggled with a tire problem throughout the second half of the American Fence Association 150. Despite being three laps down at one point, the 20-year-old Rookie-of-the-Year candidate was able to rally in the last five laps of the race and bring home a ninth place finish in his No. 60 Precision JLM Chevrolet. "It was a good recovery from the day," admitted Shaw. "It's pretty exciting though. We were three laps down with 17 to go and I got all those laps back before the last green flag with five to go. No one gave up on this team today and I have to thank my guys. They worked really hard all day."
Fadden Racing of N. Haverhill, NC experienced a roller coaster day at the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East debut at Gresham Motorsports Park this weekend. Development driver and Columbia native Julian Albarracin was well on his way to a top-15 finish when he spun the No. 54 AAIC Chevrolet and hit the wall off of turn two at lap 90. The damage was too extensive and the team made the call to park the car for the remainder of the event. Tyler Laing, who was making his series debut in the No. 61 Ultimate Fish Scaler/Myachi.com Chevrolet, posted an impressive 11th place finish. Albarracin, who never even tested at Gresham Motorsports Park, used the first practice session to become familiar with the track and improved steadily throughout the day. He posted his quickest lap during time trials and earned a 23rd place starting position.
Defending Unity Raceway Late Model champion Frank Moulton of Burnham took another big step toward his third straight championship in the premiere division at Maine’s Toughest Racing Oval Saturday night, posting his fifth straight victory in the 35-lap feature race.
Other racers visiting victory lane before one of the season’s best crowds included Brad Bellows (China Village), Chris King (Burnham), Corey Walker (Augusta), Mike Wilson (Chelsea), Justin Moore (Madison), Mika Wilson (Chelsea), Jason Bosworth (Cornville), Ryan Chadwick (Wiscasset) and Dan Snow (Pittston).
The American Canadian Tour (ACT) has announced the first group of invitees to the second annual ACT Invitational to be held Saturday, September 18, 2010. The region’s greatest triple header of the year at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway will have the ACT Invitational joining the NASCAR Whelen Modified division and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in an event with added laps and additional teams for the 2010 version.
“The second ACT Invitational is one of the most anticipated events of the year for short track teams from throughout New England and the provinces of Quebec and Ontario. We had two great days of testing this month, with over 70 teams spending two days at the ‘Magic Mile’. Now the hard part of determining who will make up the 43-team roster begins. This first group is mostly made up of those that have gotten invited by winning races in 2010 or a few ‘at large’ bids for those that are having outstanding seasons and have been supporters of ACT racing,” said Tom Curley, President of the American Canadian Tour.
The following is a list of the first 20 teams that have been invited to participate in the second ACT Invitational at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 18, 2010. The additional 23 teams will be announced on Tuesday, September 06, 2010 and the final few on Monday, September 13, 2010:
(* Indicates winners of ACT US or ACT Série Castrol events)
8NH Guy Caron Lempster, NH 51ME Ricky Rolfe Albany Twnshp, ME
02NH Randy Potter Groveton, NH 52NH *Miles Chipman Epping, NH
3ME Dennis Spencer, Jr Oxford, ME 55VT Brent Dragon Milton, VT
17MA *Eddie MacDonald Rowley, MA 57ME Austin Theriault Fort Kent, ME
26VT John Donahue Graniteville, VT 71ON Dan McHattie Cavan, ON
36QC Alex Labbe Ste Albert, QC 77NH *Mark Hayward Newport, NH
37VT *Brian Hoar Williston, VT 80QC Donald Theetge Quebec City, QC
44VT *David Pembroke Montpelier, VT 88VT *Nick Sweet Barre, VT
47CT Tim Jordan Plainfield, CT 91QC *Patrick Laperle Montreal, QC
48QC *Karl Allard Ste Felicien, QC 97NH *Joey Polewarczyk, Jr Hudson, NH
The next event on the American Canadian Tour is over Labor Day weekend with the Bond Auto Labor Day Classic 200 at Thunder Road Speedbowl in Barre, VT. This traditional summer closing event will award a starting spot in the ACT Invitational to any new winner of the event. Post time Sunday, September 5 is at 1:30 p.m.
A "New Breed of Speed" stormed into New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Tuesday, August 31, when two of the top teams from the IZOD IndyCar Series completed the first official testing laps in preparation for next year's return of IndyCar racing to New England.
The teams, with drivers Tony Kanaan and Scott Dixon, are participating in a two-day Firestone Tire Tests. The test wraps up Wednesday. In just a little less than a year, the IZOD IndyCar Series will race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on August 14, 2011.
"The track is very suitable for these cars," said 2008 Indianapolis 500 winner Scott Dixon, driver of the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car, during a break in testing. "I think we are already averaging over 160 mph. The racing here is going to be unbelievable."
Sharing the testing responsibilities with Dixon is 2004 IZOD IndyCar Series Champion, Tony Kanaan, driver of the No. 11 Team 7-Eleven car. While he is looking forward to next year's race, Kanaan knows how important his role is during the two-day Firestone Test. "For now, we have a big responsibility to get a good package for next year," said Kanaan during the first day's lunch break.
Tuesday's Firestone Tire Test session was open free-of-charge to fans. Wednesday's testing will be closed to the public. IZOD IndyCar Series Technical Director Kevin Blanch is one of the many people in the IndyCar community who is excited to return to the New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Blanch's enthusiasm for the event cannot only be attributed to the great racing he expects to see, but also to experience the natural beauty that New Hampshire has to offer.
When he was last at NHMS in 1998, Blanch was the crew chief for Panther Racing and driver Scott Goodyear. Blanch was telling Lake Winnipesaukee fishing stories on pit road during a break in testing. "I rented boats each night for the crew, and there were guys catching big smallmouth (bass) who had never fished before. Each night, we'd lose count how many we were catching."
Firestone tire engineers brought more than 400 tires for the two-day test. More than 20 different combinations of compounds will be tested. The first set of tires Kanaan and Dixon used was the same compound used at the 2009 race on the one-mile oval in Milwaukee.
"We came here with the Milwaukee (aero) numbers and out of the box we were very close," said IZOD IndyCar Series technical director Kevin Blanch. "In qualifying, with the package we have now, the drivers can probably get flat (around the 1-mile oval) if the car is really good. In the race, there will be no way you're going to get flat. They'll have to constantly work the throttle, which is what you want. We're also learning here, with the progressive banking, that if the car isn't quite right, they (the drivers) can just change to the next lane and that helps the car. The track is going to lend itself to really good racing when we get the numbers right on the downforce."
Both Dixon and Kanaan confirmed this Firestone Test was the first trip to "The Magic Mile" for each. "It's kind of refreshing to come to a place that you have never been before," Dixon said. "It's nice to branch out to new places and the (fan) following for racing is already tremendous as you can see by the Cup races they have here."
For Kanaan, his first trip to NHMS was not without its detours. "This morning I got here late because I realized I didn't know how to get here," said Kanaan. "I am not good at directions, so I had to ask at the hotel. I had to stop at the gas station to ask for directions too!" The next major event scheduled for NHMS is the SYLVANIA 300, September 16-19.
Here's what else is happening in the North Country over the Labor Day weekend. New England Dragway offers Street Night on Wednesday and Friday at 5 p.m. The Champlain Valley Fairgrounds in Essex Jct., VT offers a Demo Derby on Thursday night. On Friday stockcar racing is on at the Canaan (NH) Fairgrounds, Lee (NH), Twin State in Claremont, NH, Unity Raceway in ME, all at 7 p.m. . The Pathfinders Snowmobile Club in Saco, ME plans lawn mower races with the Richmond Raceway in ME offering kart action at the same time. Downtown Manchester, NH plans cruise nights on Friday at 5 p.m. and all day Saturday. Owls Head in ME offers a vintage motorcycle and airplane show on Saturday and Sunday at 9 a.m. each day.
Saturday is very busy with Bear Ridge in Bradford, VT, Beech Ridge in Scarbrough, ME, Big Daddy's in Wentworth, NH, the Canaan (NH) paved track, Monadnock in Winchester, NH, 95 in Hermon, ME, Spud in Limestone, ME, Unity, ME and White Mountain in N. Woodstock, NH going with stockcar action at 6 p.m. Oxford Plains (ME) offers Motor Mayhem at the same time. Sunday stockcar action is on at Devil's Bowl in W. Haven, VT, Hudson in NH and Wiscasset in ME. all around 5 p.m. New England Dragway plans ET racing at 8 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Car and Truck shows go at Atkinson, NH, Mexico, ME Recreation Park and the Trade Center in Portsmouth, NH at 9 a.m. Sunday. On Monday Hudson comes back with stockcars and a Figure 8 program at 1 p.m. Earlier in the day NHMS in Loudon, NH has championship motorcycles all day long while the Rutland (VT) Fairgrounds plans a Demo Derby. All this provided the weather co-operates.
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