Mid Week Warriors kick off PASS 400 Weekend at Beech Ridge Thursday

Mid Week Warriors kick off PASS 400 Weekend at Beech Ridge Thursday

Naples ME (9/6) Their racing divisions have the best names in the sport;; Mad Bombers, Mighty Trucks, Outlaws, Varsity, Runnin’ Rebels, Beetle Bugs and a whole bunch more. They’re the Mid Week Warriors that take little more than a street car (or truck), add the required safety equipment and go racing. For many competitors they are in their first race car ever, and for others the mid week racing wars are just perfect for their budget. It takes cubic inches and talent to win at this level, not cubic dollars.

Maine’s midweek racers put on some of the most competitive and exciting racing out there and they will be in the spotlight Thursday September 9th when they kick off PASS 400 weekend ay Scarborough Maine’s Beech Ridge Motor Speedway. Depending on car count there’s up to fifty laps of racing and five hundred dollars on the line for the winners. That payday is more than most of these guys and gals can earn in a season, so there’s plenty of incentive to win this one. The back gate at Beech Ridge swings open at noon and practice gets underway at 2:00 PM.

2009 Thursday night feature wins went to Kyle Hewins (Runnin’ Rebel four cylinder), Chad Binette ( MightyTrucks), Jason Curtis (Junior Varsity) and Larry Emerson (Outlaws).

The biggest Maine racing week of 2010 gets started Thursday at 5:45 PM. There’s a full day of practice set for Friday September 10th starting at 12:00 noon. On Saturday September 11th the racing goes green in earnest with qualifying races for the PASS Super Late Models, Mods and Sportsman plus feature racing for the Road Runners, Wildcat/Strictly and Legends divisions.

Then on Sunday its feature racing time with extra distance for every division. There are 50 laps on tap for the PASS Mods, 100 for the PASS Sportsman and a new addition for 2010, a 50 lapper for the New England Mini Stock Tour. Topping off the day will be the sixth annual PASS 300, 300 green flag laps for the super stars in the super cars of the Pro All Stars Series with a cool $10,000.00 on the line for the 300 winner.

Sunday practice gets underway at 11:00 AM and the first feature is set for a 12:15 PM green flag.

Look for all the Thursday night information, schedules, PASS 400 weekend camping info and up to date point standings at www.proallstarsseries.com

http://www.maineracer.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=22896

TV TIMES - By Lou Modestino (for 9/10-9/12/10)

TV TIMES - By Lou Modestino (for 9/10-9/12/10)



Todd Bodine and Kyle Busch went at it in the NASCAR Truck race at Kentucky with Bodine coming out on top with the win. Bodine's comments while in Victory Lane about Busch's "dirty driving" resulted in the latter's rushing over into Todd's face, going toe-to-toe with him - no doubt generating some much-needed publicity for NASCAR's third-tier division!



In the meantime, Hilio Castro-Neves won the IZOD Indy Car race at the same site, long overdue. At Atlanta Tony Stewart won the Sprint Cup event, and he also was due for a win, with Edwards next and then Johnson. Jamie McMurray got to visit the Winner's Circle at Atlanta in the Nationwide race, while Brad Kasalowski still leads the Nationwide point chase by a wide margin over his rival, Carl Edwards.



Robin Miller, who covers the IZOD Indy Cars for SPEED, says there's going to be a shift from ISC-owned tracks to SMI venues owned by Bruton Smith. And as far as the IZOD Indy Cars go, it appears that Milwaukee will be on the 2011 schedule. According to the Atlanta Constitution, Smith was quite vocal about his disappointment of NASCAR ending the Sprint Cup season at Homestead, calling Homestead "North Cuba".



He's still smarting over the fact that ISC wouldn't change the NASCAR Cup finale to Las Vegas which would have resulted in the SMI principal to move one of the NHMS dates to Glitter Gulch. Having the last and deciding Sprint Cup date is a valuable asset. (So what's in it for ISC?) Smith wanted the Homestead single Cup date moved to late February, but ISC and NASCAR wouldn't budge.



It may have been Labor Day Weekend - a time for a little R&R, but there was no holiday for Tomy Drissi and the RSR team as they worked hard to return to the SCCA Pro Racing Trans-Am Series podium at Brainerd International Raceway. Driving the #5 Unstoppable Jaguar XKR, Drissi topped the charts during the morning practice session ahead of qualifying.



Looking for his second pole of the season, the 2009 Trans-Am champion recorded a best qualifying lap at 1:28.198 (102.043 mph) around BIR's 2.5-mile circuit, but fell just short of the pole. Tony Ave was the pole sitter, and Drissi started on the outside of row one. "I believe our chances of success were hampered by traffic," commented Drissi. "Ave got two clean laps and his second lap was the fastest one. My first lap was faster than his first lap, so I think we could have had the pole here and that is just upsetting."
Round 8 took the green flag on Sunday afternoon. Drissi had a good start, but it was Ave who took the lead. Ave and Drissi raced closely through the early stages of the 36-lap race before Ave managed to pull away and take the checkered flag to win by one minute and five seconds over Drissi. "Second place is OK; it is just frustrating to lose to Tony Ave again," said Drissi. "But at the end, he had the better car and deserved it."

"We never had the opportunity to run next to Ave during the weekend before the race to be able to compare our cars on-track. Times were close, but I thought that we had the winning combination this weekend. I think that it turned out that the #5 Unstoppable Jaguar XKR was better in handling and braking, but Ave had more speed on the straightaway. I tried to make up for that in braking and cornering, but I used up my tires. Overall, it was a good day for the team; we finished the race and returned to the podium."

Drissi earned his fourth podium result of the year. He remains third in the Trans-Am driver standings with 834 points, trailing RJ Lopez (in second) by only 55 points. With two races remaining, it is still possible for him to defend his 2009 title. The RSR team will have a quick turnaround for Round 9 of the 10-race season, which will be next weekend at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, VA, September 11 - 12.

The Malaysian GP has secured Petronas as its title sponsor for a further five years as the national oil and gas corporation signed a contract extension with the Formula One Group. The company will also enjoy extensive advertising, branding and promotional benefits until 2015, pushing its international expansion efforts. “Apart from the continuous benefits our businesses and brand receive through the Formula One exposure, our extension of the agreement to partner Formula One reflects our long-term commitment and continued dedication to support efforts to position Malaysia as a major motorsport hub and tourist destination,” said Mohd Medan Abdullah, senior general manager, corporate services division at Petronas.

“As the first modern Asian Formula One venue since Japan, the Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix has since been credited as the catalyst in opening Asia to the sport,” recalled Bernie Ecclestone, Formula One group chief executive officer. Petronas has been involved in international motorsport for the past two decades and has seen a steep increase in its lubricant business internationally ever since.
The Leaders event is to host a “behind closed doors” session for directors from teams, sponsors and broadcasters involved in Formula One.

The gathering will take place on October 6 as part of the event that runs separate conferences for the football, sponsorship and performance industries. Some of the guests already confirmed are Sheikh Salman, CEO, Bahrain International Circuit; Simone Perillo, secretary general, Formula One Teams Association; Rob Montague, CEO, F1 Rocks; Derk Saur, chairman, Moscow City Racing; and Ishmael Pena Munoz, chief director, La Sexta News and Sports.
“Everyone involved is also looking forward to sharing ideas and knowledge with all the other sports attending Leaders in Football and Leaders in Sponsorship in order to further develop new opportunities and business relationships across the sports industry,” said Leaders event chief executive officer James Worrall. The Leaders event takes place at Chelsea FC on October 6 and 7. This came from SportsBusiness.com.

Here's what's going on this weekend: NASCAR moves to Richmond, F1 will be at Monza, Italy, and the Grand-Am Series will perform at Tooele, UT. Check out RaceFanTV.com for all of the details.

David Oliver, Russ Morse, Dan Bean & Natasha Dyer score wins

David Oliver, Russ Morse, Dan Bean & Natasha Dyer score wins;

Dan McKeage, Chris Smith, David Vaughn & Matt Dow Beech Ridge champions.

Scarborough,Maine-The final night of the racing season saw some of the division championships settled on the final lap as Beech Ridge Motor Speedway closed the curtain on the 2010 NASCAR Whelan All American Series. The NASCAR Pro Series division entered the night with Dan McKeage holding an 11 point lead over Mike Rowe and a 16 point lead over David Oliver. Charlie Colby blasted into the lead at the drop of the green flag and checked out on the field. A caution flag on lap 6 came out as a result of point leader Dan McKeage exploding a tire in turn 2. Colby went back to the lead and easily held the top spot until another caution flag waved on lap 23. Colby went back in front but David Oliver was working the bottom as Bill Rodgers and Mike Rowe race side by side behind the leaders. Lap 32 Oliver took the lead but Colby came back on lap 38 with just 2 laps remaining. Oliver charged back in front on the white flag lap and got to the finish line 3 feet in front of Colby for the win. Rodgers was third and Rowe was fourth with Mike Landry in fifth. Dan McKeage finished seventh to claim the title by just 2 points over Oliver. Chris Smith entered the final Sport Series race with a seemingly comfortable 24 point lead over Don Colpritt. At the start of the race Marcel Chauvette took the lead until Bobby Nadeau powered past on lap 11. Nadeau stayed in front until 18 when Russ Morse went to the lead. The caution flag on lap 29 set the stage for a 5 lap showdown for the win. Nadeau nosed in front of Morse on the restart but Morse held the inside lane. On the final lap, contact between Morse and Nadeau sent Nadeau spinning down the backstretch scattering the point leaders. Morse took the win with Don Colpritt second and Doug Wolf third. Nate Leavitt and Reggie Leeman were fourth and fifth. Chris Smith finished 9^th and claimed the division championship. The Wildcat division was the tightest of all as David Vaughn, Dan Wink and Alby Ovitt entered the night separated by just 3 points. Andy Ayers led the opening 5 laps before yielding to Dan Bean who later handed the lead over to Brian Caswell on lap 10. Caswell was cruising opening up a comfortable lead when suddenly on lap 22 he headed to the pit area with a mechanical problem giving the lead back to Bean. Bean had to hold off Matt Hodgdon for the win with Paul Lund taking third. Cole Watson and Keith Stuart were fourth and fifth. David Vaughn finished 7^th to claim the division championship. Matt Dow only needed to show up to secure the Road Runner championship last week. Natasha Dyer led the field to the green flag and quickly took command of the race. Dyer led all 20 laps to easily secure the win with Matt Dow finishing second and taking home the championship. Dave Turner was third with Ryan Phillips and Taylor Lampron fourth and fifth.

Austin Theriault: ACT Late Model Tour - Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl Race Preview

Austin Theriault: ACT Late Model Tour
Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl Race Preview

Austin Theriault of Fort Kent, Maine, returns to one of the northeast's trickiest tracks for the ACT Late Model Tour Bond Auto Labor Day Classic 200 at Thunder Road International Speedbowl in Barre, Vt., on Sunday, September 5. The 16-year-old high school junior made his debut at the track an impressive one -- finishing seventh in the non-points Vermont Governor's Cup 100 in late June. Theriault enters the weekend having finished fifth last time out in the all-star "Showdown at Chaudiere" and having been named as one of the 43 drivers who will be in the starting field for the 2nd annual ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway later this month. Ninth in the overall ACT standings and leading the Rookie of the Year race by five points with three races remaining, Theriault has five Top-10 finishes in eight starts.

WHO: Austin Theriault, Fort Kent, Maine
TEAM: No. 57 Varney Insurance Ford Fusion
BEST CAREER THUNDER ROAD FINISH: 7th (June 2010)
LAST RACE AT THUNDER ROAD: 7th (June 2010)

WHAT: ACT Late Model Tour Bond Auto Labor Day Classic 200
WHERE: Thunder Road International Speedbowl, Barre, Vt. (.25-mile oval)
WHEN: 1:30 p.m., Sunday, September 5

ACT Late Model Tour
LAST RACE: Saturday, Aug. 28, Showdown At Chaudiere, Vallee-Jonction, Que. (5th-place)
NEXT RACE: Sunday, Sept. 12, Mohawk Casino 300, Airborne Speedway, Plattsburgh, N.Y. (.500-mile oval).
POINTS POSITION: 9th

**********************

AUSTIN, WHAT'S BEEN THE KEY TO THE SECOND HALF OF THE SEASON FOR YOU?

I just think we're better organized as a team than maybe we were at the start, and we're all better understanding each other and what each person's role is. Being a team can be difficult at times, especially when you're just starting out. Even now, we're still a new team compared to the teams that Brian Hoar and guys like that have, but we're getting better.

We're learning all the time, and we've become a lot better since we entered into ACT Tour racing.

WHAT WAS IT ABOUT THUNDER ROAD THAT MADE FOR SUCH AN IMPRESSIVE DEBUT THERE BACK IN JUNE?

It's all about being patient there. You can't take any more than the track gives you. You can really ruin your night in those corners if you try to do too much. That place can bite you in a hurry.

I don't know, but it's already one of my favorite tracks. It's very hard to compare it to anywhere else that we go. That place just has a mind of its own.

I know it's a huge race there this weekend, and I think how we run this weekend will set the tone for the remainder of the year as far as the Rookie of the Year (battle) goes. If we can pull off a good finish this weekend, it should set us up for the final two races.

ARE YOU GUYS CLOSE TO WINNING THAT FIRST ACT RACE?

I don't know. I don't want to say too much about that and jinx anything. Honestly, it could come at any time -- we're right there. If things work out it would be great to win, but our goal right now has to be to finish off the Rookie of the Year. It's still a pretty close race with Brad Babb, and hopefully we can come out on top of that.

Rowe Keeps Title Hopes Alive With Top-5 Finishes

Rowe Keeps Title Hopes Alive With Top-5 Finishes

FALMOUTH, Maine -- Ben Rowe sits just a handful of points out of the PASS North Series championship lead as the tour barrels down the homestretch.

Rowe, of Turner, Maine, posted back-to-back Top-5 finishes at Seekonk Speedway in Seekonk, Mass., and Spud Speedway in Caribou, Maine to position himself just 13 points out of the PASS North Series lead with two races remaining.

"Everybody's still working really hard," Rowe said of the No. 48 Community Pharmacies team. "We're getting close. And we're still in the hunt for the championship -- so we may not be quite where we want to be, but we're not that far off, either."

Rowe finished fourth at Seekonk Speedway on Aug. 14. Just one week later, he ran fifth in the series' inaugural visit to Spud Speedway.

In both cases, Rowe said he had a competitive car early on.

"The car seems to be really fast for the first few laps, but it drops off pretty quickly for some reason," said Rowe, who has two wins and nine Top-5s through the first 11 races of the year. "Obviously, if we can figure out why that happens and fix it, we're going to be really good."

The series returns to action in the PASS 300 at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, Maine, on September 12 -- the longest race of the season -- and concludes with a final PASS 150 at White Mountain Motorsports Park on September 17.

The PASS 300 is also the fourth of five PASS National Series events. The 4-time PASS North champion Rowe sits third in the National standings, just 27 points out of the lead in that series. He is the reigning PASS National and PASS South Series champion.

http://www.maineracer.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=22806

NEW ENGLAND MOTORSPORTS NORTH - By Lou Modestino(for 9/3-9/6/10)

NEW ENGLAND MOTORSPORTS NORTH
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 13^th and Pembroke 14^th. 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 30^th – 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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PASS 400 week end just around the corner

PASS 400 week end just around the corner

Naples ME (8/31) While the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) super late model race teams are prepping for the return of oval track racing to North Wilkesboro (NC) Speedway this weekend, there’ another big weekend of racing on the horizon when the PASS Super Late Models, Mods and Sportsman take to another history-laden venue in the form of Maine’s Beech Ridge Motor Speedway on September 11 and 12.

It’s the sixth edition of PASS 400 weekend, a four day motorsports extravaganza that’s become a must attend event for racers and race fans from all over the eastern seaboard. It’s the longest race of the season for all three PASS North touring series, and there’s track time for almost every circle track division one can find in northern New England.

There’ll be a full field of super late models on hand to try and break the Rowe stranglehold on the 300 lap grind. Mike and Ben Rowe finished 1-2 in the inaugural PASS 300 and Ben earned the victory in 2006. Ben’s dad was back in victory lane in 2007 but Johnny Clark broke the Rowe win skein in 2008. Mike Rowe came back in 2009 to score his third PASS 300.

So will the Rowe family dominance continue in 2010, or will a new face grace victory lane? Certainly there’s plenty of worthy challengers. Johnny Clark has already proven he can get the job done. Adam Bates would like nothing better than to reclaim his Beech Ridge dominance in the 300. Bates has had a tough season but there’s no question he and his team are capable of putting together a winning performance at the Cusack family’s immaculate oval. Beech Ridge regular Bill Rodgers scored a big PASS win in July, and he knows the secret to being around at the end of distance races. Kelly Moore is due at the Ridge, and the veteran racer still has all the necessary tools to score in the 300. Cassius Clark is third in the series standings, but he hasn’t stood atop the podium in 2010. Beech Ridge might be the perfect opportunity for Cash to cash in.

What about Trevor Sanborn? He’s won in both PASS North and South, he’s a multi-time weekly Pro Series winner at Beech Ridge, but a PASS win on his home track continues to elude him. He’s come close on many occasions, but he has all the pieces to the puzzle now and 2010 may be his year to capture the big one.

The list of potential winners goes on and on, and the fact that the PASS 300 is race four of the five race PASS National Championship series will likely add PASS National and PASS South point leader Preston Peltier and his nearest National Championship challenger Jay Fogleman into the mix as well.

The four day racing party gets started Thursday at 5:45 PM with the Little Guy’s PASS mid-week open (more on that next week!), and there’s a full day of practice set for Friday September 10^th , starting at 12:00 noon. On Saturday September 11^th the racing goes green in earnest with qualifying for the PASS Super Late Models, Mods and Sportsman plus feature racing for the Road Runners, Wildcat/Strictly and Legends divisions.

Then on Sunday September 12th its feature time: 50 laps for the PASS Mods, 100 for the PASS Sportsman and a new addition for 2010, a 50 lapper for the New England Mini Stock Tour. Topping off the day will be the sixth annual PASS 300, 300 green flag laps for the super stars in the super cars.

Sunday practice gets underway at 11:00 AM and the first feature is set for a 12:15 PM green flag.

Look for more information as the big weekend approaches at www.proallstarsseries.com and www.beechridge.com

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