Friday 07/30/10
TC Tops in Sunoco Mods Again at Thompson: Ted Christopher of Plainville, CT, continued his domination of the Sunoco Modified division with his seventh victory of the season. A special night for the Mini Stocks found Chris McKinstry of E. Thetford, VT victorious in the Mini Stock Northern Challenge. McKinstry also scored the top honors in the Northeastern Mini Stock Touring season portion of the Challenge. Thomspon’s own Jeff Moffat of Warwick, RI, also shared the limelight. A mid-season drought ends for Derek Ramstrom of Worcester, MA, with a Super Late Model victory on Thursday night. Tommy O’Sullivan of Springfield, MA, returned to his winning ways in the Late Models scoring his third win of the 2010 season. It is a handful of wins for Shawn Monahan of Waterford, CT, who posted his fifth in the Limited Sportsman division win at Thompson. In open-wheel action, R.J. Marcotte of Millville, MA, streaked to his second straight TIS Modified victory. ThompsonSpeedway.com

Brother One-Two Finishes Not Unique in NEMA: Russ Stoehr’s win over Greg in last Saturday’s Shane Hammond Memorial at Waterford Speedbowl marked the 20th time in Northeastern Midget Association history brothers have finished one-two. The Stoehrs take the sibling rivalry to Monadnock Speedway Saturday night. Greg, who has won three of the last six races there, rates among the favorites. Point leader Randy Cabral, Jeff and Mike Horn, Adam Cantor, Jim Miller and Erica Santos are contenders in the extra-distance feature. Cabral, Todd Bertrand, Bethany Viets and Eddie LeClerc head the entries for the NEMA Lites feature. Waterford was the first one-two brother finish since the 1999 Boston Louie at Seekonk, Bobby Seymour the winner over Mike. The Seymours did it on nine occasions, Bobby prevailing five times. SpeedwayLineReport.com

Thompson Speedway: Mini Stocks supply thrills: It was Mini Stock overload on Thursday night at Thompson Speedway as the track hosted not one, not two, but three Mini Stock features thanks to the presence of the Northeast Mini Stock Tour. The tour started a year ago with 72 different drivers running in six events and continues to expand. Thursday night’s race was its third of 10 scheduled for this season. The fans at the track couldn’t have asked for too much more from the tour race itself. Chris McKinstry just edged out Tim Boyle in what was a photo finish. It had to be sorted out for a couple of seconds before a winner could even be identified. “All I did was just touch the gas and, hopefully, we were just going to beat him to the line,” McKinstry said in victory lane. McKinstry, who hails from East Thetford, VT., was making his first trip south to Thompson. Norwich Bulletin-Marc Allard

Pittsfield's John Virgilio gains ground in points chase at Whip City Speedway: John Virgilio is having quite the season at Whip City Speedway. Three victories in the 1200cc Mini-Sprint division is nice, but moving up in the points standings would be better. Virgilio, 18, picked up his third feature win of the season last Saturday and gained ground on points leader Jon Moore at the same time. Moore didn’t lose much ground, however, by finishing second. The win vaulted Virgilio from third to second in the standings, 14 markers behind Moore. Not bad for a car that Virgilio didn’t have high expectations for going in. “We didn’t come out of the box very strong,” said Virgilio, a Pittsfield resident. “We were close. We had been fighting some problems with it engine-wise lately. We had a problem with the car and we fixed it.” Driving to Victory Lane certainly helps turn things around. Springfield Republican-Jason Remillard

Season's headline at Lee USA tonight: The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East ventures to Lee USA Speedway tonight for its only New England short-track appearance of the season. The event will be just the seventh race on the 10-race schedule for the widely traveled series, which opened its season nearly four months ago. The KNPSE points chase started in March at Greenville-Pickens (N.C.) Speedway, followed up a week later with a race at South Boston, Va., and then went on to follow the most laid-back schedule in racing, hitting the track just four times in the next 16 weeks. The anything but hectic calendar consisted of a seven-week break followed by back-to-back stops at Iowa Speedway and Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, three weeks off before the first of two New Hampshire Motor Speedway visits on Cup weekend, and a trip to the series' only road course venue, Lime Rock Park, Conn., on Fourth of July weekend. Seascoastonline.com-Rich Hayes

Late Model Points Leader Dillon Moltz To Skip Stafford Event To Compete In ARCA Race At Pocono Raceway: After two consecutive weeks of weather affected racing cards, officials at Stafford Motor Speedway are hoping they can dodge the rain drops Friday and get in a full show for the first time since July 9. But it will be Stafford Speedway Late Model division points leader Dillon Moltz hoping somehow his division's 30-lap feature gets cancelled. The bright lights and attention of a nationally televised racing event are calling for Moltz this weekend, but because of that, he will miss Friday's event at Stafford. It could end up costing him his first Stafford Motor Speedway championship. Moltz, of Waterford, will attempt to make his ARCA Racing Series debut in Saturday's Weis Markets 125 at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa. He will spend Friday at Pocono Raceway taking part in practice and qualifying for the ARCA event. Moltz, 19, earned the opportunity to compete in the ARCA race by winning the inaugural Richard Petty's Driver Search competition in April. The race will be televised live on SPEED at 3 p.m. Saturday.**Ted Christopher Ready To Teach Ryan Preece A Lesson In Track Manners After SK Mod Race At Thompson **Derek Ramstrom Back On Top In Super Late Models Thursday At Thompson International Speedway**Adding Up: Ted Christopher Looking At Big Numbers Following Another SK Modified Victory At Thompson**Dispute With Track Officials Keeps National Points Leader Keith Rocco Away From Thompson Speedway Thursday**SK Modifieds Back On The Good Side Of The Ledger At Thompson International Speedway**Four Waterford Speedbowl Late Model Drivers Added To Invite List For ACT Invitational Testing At NHMS**The Hartford Courant-Shawn Courchesne

Thursday 07/29/10
Palmer & Thomas win second consecutive events: Waterford Speedbowl competed on Wednesday with another night of Wild ‘n Wacky racing, the first successful night of racing after two consecutive rain-outs. Berlin’s Jason Palmer claimed his second straight win in an exciting Legends Cars race. John Yagmin of Tolland won a tight battle in the Super X-Car event to take the checkered flag. Point leaders Glen Thomas Jr. of Groton and Taylor Martin of New Hampshire won their respective X-Car and Bandolero division races. Rick Ceravolo of Groton was the X-Modified winner. Dennis Pantani started out the 20-lap Legends Cars event with the lead before the first caution waved after just one lap. Pantani continued to lead with Carl Blandina and George Whitney giving Pantani a run for his money, with Whitney overtaking Pantani for the lead on lap three. SpeedwayLineReport.com

Cicconi Rules NEMA Seekonk feature: Lou Cicconi Jr. “knew right from the start” he had the winning car. “You want to pass when it’s the least punishing to the race car,” he explained. Starting seventh, “Liquid Lou” drove the Seymour #4 under Randy Cabral ( Bertrand 4) in traffic on lap 11 and won the Northeastern Midget Association’s 25-lap feature at Seekonk Speedway’s Open Wheel Wednesday. Running consistent 11.3s, Cicconi dominated the final laps, finishing a quarter lap ahead of point leader Cabral. Early leader Mike Horn (Horn 93) was third with Adam Cantor (Cantor 7ny) and Russ Stoehr (Dumo’s Desire 45) following.” Cicconi took second from Horn in the backstretch on lap seven. He quickly closed on Cabral who had taken the lead from Horn with seven gone. SpeedwayLineReport.com

Payne Wins NEMA’s Challenge: Pulling away from a mid-race restart, Joe Payne Jr. won the 20-lap Northeastern Midget Association Challenge of Champions at Seekonk Speedway’s Open Wheel Wednesday. Beating back a brief challenge from Chris Perley, Payne scored a convincing win in the Mikitarian 9. Perley (LeClerc 12) held on for second followed by Lou Cicconi (Seymour 29). John Astle Jr. (Sherman 23) and Vin Annarummo (Scally 4) held up Seekonk’s honor completing the top five. The battle was waged in NEMA Lite cars. Mike Stefanik (Bertrand 48), Ted Christopher (Mucciacciaro 45), Russ Wood Sr. (Wood 51) and Rick Martin (Medeiros 50) followed. “I really wanted this bad,” said Payne who took home the Coastal 181 trophy and dedicated the victory to the late Gene Angelillo. SpeedwayLineReport.com

Speedbowl: Eager Martin takes Bandoleros victory: After two weeks of rain-outs, Taylor Martin couldn’t wait to see the green flag in Wednesday’s Bandoleros race. From the seventh starting spot, Martin jumped past the cars in front of her at the Waterford Speedbowl before reaching the start-finish line. She reached the lead by lap two, but was penalized two positions during the next caution for her premature start. It didn’t matter. Martin restarted in third, but was back in the lead by the third turn. Nicholas Sowa road on her bumper for the final 10 laps, but couldn’t get around the 12-year-old, who held on for the win as part of the track’s Wild ’N Wacky Wednesday program. Norwich Bulletin-Brett Poirier

Keith Rocco's Lead At The Top Of Whelen All-American Series National Short Track Standings Continues To Slim: The month of July hasn't been friendly to NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national points leader Keith Rocco. Rocco, of Wallingford, had 14 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Modified victories through the first three months of the season, but has recorded just two victories in the month of the July, and the lack of trips to victory lane for Rocco is beginning to show in a big way in his lead at the top of the standings. What was a 96-point lead as of July 8 has been cut to 31 points by Nebraska dirt Late Model driver Craig Preble. Preble won two more events last week to cut into Rocco's lead by 21 points in this week's standings. Preble, of Yutan, Neb., who competes in a dirt Late Model at I-80 Speedway in Omaha, Neb. and at Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Neb., has 17 victories and 26 top-5's in 26 starts this year, good for 757 points.**Picture This: Checking Out The Junk From The 24 Hours Of LeMons At Stafford Motor Speedway**The Hartford Courant-Shawn Courchesne

Wednesday 07/28/10
Dave Dykes "Racing Through Time" Yet More Archival Offerings…. Known early-on as “The Kid from Fitchburg”, the guy seen here went from wheeling cars like this Camaro at the Massachusetts 1/3-miler known as Seekonk Speedway to winning the NASCAR Winston Cup Talladega 500 during his rookie season in 1981. Ronnie Bouchard began his career at age-14 at the old Brookline Speedway in New Hampshire. Before going Cup’ racing in 1981, he’d scored over 200 victories in the Modifieds, becoming one of the dominate drivers during what many consider to be the most-competitive era of the division. Bouchard was among the first drivers inducted into the New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1998. Like so-many of the racers from his generation, the late Maynard Forrette saw no boundaries in the difference between running on dirt or asphalt. A big winner on both, he’s probably most fondly remembered for his stunning dirt-slingin’ drives on the daunting Syracuse Mile where during the later stages of his career, he often bested competitor’s half-his-age. SpeedwayLineReport.com-Dave Dykes

ESPN Report: New Hampshire Motor Speedway's Two Sprint Cup Series Dates Safe For 2011?: Since the Sprint Cup Series made the first of two annual visits to New Hampshire Motor Speedway in late June, speculation has been overwhelming that the facility would likely lose one of its two Sprint Cup Series weekends in 2011. Many in the national media have made it sound as if New Hampshire Motor Speedway losing one of its dates after this season was all but a done deal. It was expected that Speedway Motorsports Inc., the company that owns New Hampshire Motor Speedway, would do some date swapping within the family of facilities it controls. It was thought that SMI officials would pull one date from Atlanta Motor Speedway and one from New Hampshire Motor Speedway and uses those changes to put a Sprint Cup Series event at Kentucky Speedway and have a second date for Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The Hartford Courant-Shawn Courchesne

Tuesday 07/27/10
Phil Smith's "Champ Trail": Rain forced postponement of Seekonk Speedway's 6th Annual Open Wheel Wednesday. The event will be run this coming Wed. July 28. The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Series enjoyed a week off before making their annual trek to the 1/4 mile Riverhead Raceway on Long Island. Bobby Santos currently leads the point standings as he has won three of the seven events run so far this season. Santos holds a 56 point lead over Ted Christopher. Christopher has two wins to his credit. Todd Szegedy, Mike Stefanik and Ryan Preece round out the top five. Sixth through tenth are Ron Silk, Justin Bonsignore, Woody Pitkat, Eric Rudolph and Chuck Hossfeld. The Riverhead event will be televised on Wednesday, August 4, on the VERSUS cable network. The event will be rebroadcast on Sunday, August 8, at 11:00pm. The Thompson International Speedway hosted the Pro All Star Series on Thursday night along with their regular Thursday night Thunder venue. SpeedwayLineReport.com-Phil Smith

NEMA Heads Back To Seekonk: The Showdown of Champions and a budding point battle share center stage Wednesday as the Northeastern Midget Association returns to Seekonk Speedway’s Open Wheel Wednesday. Rain washed out the race a week ago. NEMA shares the busy agenda with a 100-lap Modified event. Less than 30 points separate defending two-time champion Randy Cabral (Bertrand 47) and Russ Stoehr (Dumo’s Desire 45) atop the points. Stoehr comes to Seekonk off a victory in the Hammond Memorial at Waterford last Saturday. The Challenge puts a collection of stars including trio of Seekonk stalwarts – Vinny Annarummo, Fred Astle Jr. and Rick Martin – into a 25-lap battle in NEMA Lite cars. The field also includes NASCAR Modified Champions Mike Stefanik and Ted Christopher and a quartet of open wheel giants – Russ Wood Sr., Chris Perley, Joey Payne Jr. and Lou Cicconi Jr. SpeedwayLineReport.com

Whelen Modified Tour Set To Take On Riverhead Quarter Mile: The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour's mid-season bullring swing will continue with the Riverhead 200 and the annual appearance at Riverhead Raceway on New York's Long Island. A Modified track since well before the formation of the Whelen Modified Tour, Riverhead has been on the schedule in each of the Tour's 26 years of existence. Only Connecticut's Thompson International Speedway can claim the same distinction. After competing at the Monadnock Speedway quarter mile in New Hampshire on July 17, the Whelen Modified Tour's next stop will also be at a .25-mile oval. Aside from the distance, there are few similarities as Riverhead has less banking and is more narrow than Monadnock. hometracks.nascar.com

Monday 07/26/10
Randy Cabral Scores Hammond Memorial NEMA Lites Feature at Speedbowl: Randy Cabral won the Northeastern Midget Association’s Shane Hammond Memorial Lites feature at the Waterford Speedbowl on Saturday evening. Coming from deep in the field, Cabral passed early leader Chris Haskell with 16-laps remaining to capture his first Lites victory of the season. The race included a handful of cautions and a red flag period when Tom Fox spun coming out of the second-turn and was violently collected by David Moniz. Both drivers were uninjured. Once in command, Cabral stretched his lead winning the event far ahead of runner-up Haskell. “The car was perfect,” stated Cabral in victory lane. “We put four new tires on tonight for the first time this season. That, along with the guys getting the set-up just-right, made it easy to drive. I’m just glad to get my first Lites win this year. This one was extra-special as Shane was a very-close friend. SpeedwayLineReport.com

$5,500 up for grabs in Seekonk’s Late Model 75: On Saturday, July 31, the Late Models will take center stage and compete in their longest event since 2000. The winners’ share of the $5,500 purse will be $1,200, making this one of the largest Late Model payouts in Seekonk Speedway history. In 2010, the rules package for the Late Models at Seekonk Speedway was adjusted to allow competitors from throughout New England, which had adopted the ACT rules package, to be able to compete at the 1/3 mile oval without having to make changes in their cars. Also, management has waived the temporary license for this event, hoping to attract cars that are idle for the night from their regular programs. Also on the card will be a full night of action with the ARC Pro Stocks, Street Stocks and Sport Trucks. SpeedwayLineReport.com

Sunday 07/25/10
Pearl back in SK Mod Winner’s Circle: Waterford Speedbowl beat the evening’s heavy downpours from Mother Nature to complete Nostalgia Night featuring exhibition racing from vintage racing groups, the Shane Hammond Memorial event for the NEMA Midgets plus four-divisions of NASCAR Whelen All-American Series racing. Salem’s Jeff Pearl returned to the winner’s circle to claim his 33rd career SK Modified® win. Tim Jordan of Plainfield and Dan Field of Deep River used wins in the Bob Valenti Auto Mall Late Model and Norwich Bulletin Mini Stock feature races to stay out front in their respective division point battles. Andover’s Norm Sears won his second Street Stock race in dominant fashion, while Massachusetts drivers Russ Stoehr and Randy Cabral split the NEMA Midget and NEMA Lite Shane Hammond Memorial races. SpeedwayLineReport.com

Russ wins Stoehr battle at Hammond Memorial: Russ Stoehr passed brother Greg on a restart with 13 laps remaining and went on to win Saturday night’s Northeastern Midget Association’s inaugural Shane Hammond Memorial at Waterford Speedbowl. Emotion ruled as the brothers dominated the race memorializing Hammond who died at Thompson Speedway in 2008. “The car (Dumo’s Desire 45) was wicked good on the outside. I knew we could pull it off,” Russ said of the winning move. He was actually battling Chris deRitis (deRitis 75) for second several car lengths behind Greg (Stoehr 26b) when the yellow flew. Randy Cabral (Bertrand 47) filled out the podium after a late battle with deRitis. Early leader John Zych Jr. (Zych 9) claimed fifth. Starting 14th, Cabral did win the Lites feature, taking over with 16 laps remaining from eventual runner up Chris Haskell. SpeedwayLineReport.com

Goodale Nabs First Modified Racing Series Win at Canaan: Starting third in a 24 car field, Eric Goodale of Wading River, NY, took the lead on lap 13 and went on to win the Modified Racing Series, sponsored by Bob Valenti AutoMall.Com, 112 lap, Ricky Miller Memorial Race, Saturday night, at the Canaan Fair Speedway, Canaan, NH. It was Goodale’s first win with the series. He also became the ninth different winner in ten races this season. Pole sitter Jon McKennedy East Chelmsford, MA., led the first 12 laps giving up the lead position to Goodale on lap 13. Goodale was pursued by Steven Masse, Bellingham, MA., for several laps, Mike Holdridge, Madison, CT., and then Dwight Jarvis, Ascutney, VT. The race was slowed on lap 101 for a caution period that closed up the field. On the restart, Jarvis tried every move possible to get by the race leader but Goodale was equal to the task. SpeedwayLineReport.com

Auto Racing: Brothers battle at Speedbowl: Brotherly love was replaced by outright desire on Saturday night at the Waterford Speedbowl. All 16 participants in the Northeast Midget Association’s (NEMA) first Shane Hammond Memorial race had one thing in common in the 27-lap feature. They wanted to win this one for Hammond, who died from injuries suffered in an April 2008 crash during the running of the NEMA race at Thompson Speedway. But, obviously, only one driver could do it and it turned out to be Russ Stoehr who got by his brother, Greg, on a lap 14 restart. After that, Russ Stoehr sailed to the win, over Greg, Randy Cabral and Chris Deritis. “Being at Thompson Speedway the day that Shane died was the saddest day in my life,” Russ Stoehr said. “That kid had such a great future in our division. He had that infectious smile. Norwich Bulletin-Peter Vander Veer

Auto Racing: Points draw Southern drivers to Thompson: Why would a North Carolina driver make a 12 1/2 hour drive north to race in Connecticut? The reason is pretty simple — points. The 75-lap Pro All-Star Series feature at Thompson Speedway Thursday night not only had its Northern component, generally comprising Maine and Massachusetts drivers, but also a pair of outsiders from the southern division. Preston Peltier from Harrisburg, N.C., and Jay Fogleman from Durham, N.C., both made the trip north to compete. Peltier is first in the National Series points battle, Fogleman second. Fogleman ran the race at Thompson a year ago, although he didn’t experience success in his first trip north. A mechanical malfunction took him off the track early. “We’re trying to chase those points,” said Fogleman, who was polishing his car in the Thompson pit area prior to the race. Norwich Bulletin-Marc Allard

Charlie Mitchell's Auto Racing column: Paul Baker, one of the true gentlemen in auto racing, is hurting. Baker is slowed a bit after a fall earlier this week that left the popular "Voice of The Racearena" with a cracked rib. Baker said Friday he plans to be at the Danbury Racearena Reunion taking place today from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., if only for a short time. His latest book is at the printers and Baker has been promised his memories of 23 years behind the Racearena microphone will be available at the reunion taking place at the O'Neil Center on the West Side Campus of Western Connecticut State University (exit 4 off I-84). The cost of the book is $10. It wasn't a banner week for the Baker bunch. Paul's son, Joe, who heads ESPN's on-site coverage of Sprint Cup action, may miss Indy. His wife was taken ill and was in the same hospital as Paul was. Norwalk Hour-Charlie Mitchell

Jeff Pearl Gets Second SK Modified Victory Of The Season At The Waterford; Second Place Diego Monahan DQ'ed: Jeff Pearl inherited the lead with six laps remaining and then held off Diego Monahan on two late restarts to win the 35-lap NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Modified feature at the Waterford Speedbowl. It was the second victory of the season for Pearl, of Salem. After finishing second on the track, Monahan, of Quaker Hill, was disqualified from the event. Todd Ceravolo looked to have the car to beat, driving away from the field after taking the lead from Monahan with 15 laps to go, but with six laps remaining Ceravolo slowed off turn four and went to the infield with electrical issues. "Diego is such a tough competitor," Pearl said. "I was trying to be patient with him and he was giving me just enough room. I saw that he was really tight and I didn't want to wreck him and get put to the rear. I was just trying to be a little patient and then at the last minute I just got such a good run off the corner."**Russ Stoehr Wins Brotherly Battle In Shane Hammond Memorial NEMA Midget Race At The Waterford Speedowl**Tim Jordan Back In Late Model Victory Lane Saturday At The Waterford Speedbowl**Memorial Event Makes For Bittersweet Night For Mother Of Late NEMA Midget Driver Shane Hammond  **Drying Out At The Waterford Speedbowl**Video View: The Bad Boys Of The 24 Hours Of LeMons Saturday at Stafford Motor Speedway**Where's The Fowl? Getting The Live Chickens Through The Inspection Line, Only At The 24 Hours of LeMons**The Hartford Courant-Shawn Courchesne

Saturday 07/24/10
Phil Smith's "Looking Back": Fifty years ago in 1960 Tommy Fenley, one of the all time greats that raced at the Kingston Fairgrounds in Southern Rhode Island made it three in a row at Stafford Springs on Friday night. Ted Stack was the Wednesday night Modified winner at what was then called the New London – Waterford Speedbowl. Dick Beauregard was the non-Ford winner and Newt Palm was the Bomber winner. Don Collins was the Saturday night Modified winner at the shoreline oval. Stack was the non-Ford winner and Palm repeated in the Bombers. Forty five years ago in 1965 Bill Wimble kept the locals at bay as he took the Modified feature at Stafford on Friday night. Don Collins was the Modified winner at Waterford. Bill Scrivner made it two in a row in the Bombers. . Dick Dixon was the 25 lap Modified feature win at the Albany-Saratoga Speedway. Bill Gurney was second with Lou Carangelo, third. Lou Lazzaro won a 100 lapper at the Fonda Speedway while Nathan “Smokey” Boutwell was cleaning house at Norwood. SpeedwayLineReport.com-Phil Smith

Hammond Memorial Tonight At Speedbowl: He rose skyward, both arms extended, both hands pointing up . It seemed Randy Cabral, who had just won the first race following his best friend Shane Hammond’s death, was being pulled by some supernatural force. It is hard to recall a more emotional Northeastern Midget Association result than Cabral’s triumph at Waterford Speedbowl on that wet Sunday in 2008. It came exactly a week after Hammond perished at Thompson Speedway. It remains a classic photo, testimony to the bond between fellow warriors who were also best friends. Emotions will be evident again Saturday night, July 24th, for the inaugural Shane Hammond Memorial Race. A number of financial incentives await what is expected to be an impressive field. The NEMA Lites will help in the celebration as well. SpeedwayLineReport.com

Over $25,000 Up For Grabs In Stafford's 7th Annual CarQuest SK 150: The 7th annual CARQUEST SK 150, which has been rescheduled for Friday, July 30th at Stafford Motor Speedway, will feature a purse of $24,750. Contingency money brings the total posted awards for the CARQUEST SK 150 to over $25,000, making the event one of the most lucrative races anywhere in the northeast for the 2010 season. The winner of the 7th Annual CARQUEST SK 150 has the potential of walking away with $4,000. The winner's share of the purse is $3,500 with $500 in first place contingency money available from CARQUEST Auto Parts, The Davidson Company in memory of Dave Rowe, and Valvoline. Additional contingency bonuses of $125 for second place will be paid by Call Before You Dig, and New England Race Fuel will supply a $50 product bonus to the third place finisher and a $25 product bonus to the top-3 finishing cars using the Stafford Speedway SK Modified® Spec Engine, bringing the total posted awards for the 7th Annual CARQUEST SK 150 up to $25,500. SpeedwayLineReport.com


TRACK TALK: Randy Cabral & Co. to honor the late Shane Hammond: He rose skyward, both arms extended, both hands pointing up. It seemed Randy Cabral of Plymouth, who had just won the first race following the death of his best friend, Shane Hammond, was being pulled by some supernatural force. It’s hard to recall a more emotional Northeastern Midget Association result than Cabral’s triumph at Connecticut’s Waterford Speedbowl on that wet Sunday in 2008. It came exactly a week after Hammond, from Halifax, perished at Thompson Speedway in Connecticut. It remains a classic photo, testimony to the bond between fellow drivers who were also best friends. More than likely, similar emotions will be evident again tonight for the inaugural Shane Hammond Memorial Race. Brockton Enterprise-Lou Modestino

VETERAN PRESENCE: Szegedy's Role Changes With Passing Of Time: Without missing a beat, Todd Szegedy offers his opinions on everything from the health of NASCAR to the future of the Whelen Modified Tour, from his fellow competitors to the variety of tracks where Modified racing succeeds. He's on point with virtually all of them, too, but there is apparently one topic that gets him to clam up. "Do you remember a point in your career where you realized you'd become a veteran voice in Modified racing?" Szegedy is asked as he pokes at a plate of pasta salad between practice sessions at Monadnock Speedway recently. He pauses, and looks up. "What I don't like is being called a veteran. I think that's crazy," Szegedy said. "I haven't earned the right to be called a veteran yet. hometracks.nascar.com

Friday 07/16/10
Update on Gene Bergin: Email Received from Gene's Grandchildren: Thank you so much for everyone's care, concern and prayers. We wanted to provide our Grandfather's friends and fan with an update on his status. He has taken an unfortunate turn for the worse and has been moved to the ICU at Florida Hospital in Ormond Beach. He is receiving excellent care and is slowly improving. Please continue to send your positive thoughts and prayers as he has a long, tough road to recovery ahead of him. Thank you again. The new address for cards to Gene Bergin: Gene Bergin, c/o Elizabeth McLaughlin, P.O. Box 2334, Flagler Beach, FL 32136 SpeedwayLineReport.com

Dave Dykes-Plainville Stadium Reunion A Huge Success & Photo Gallery: With the local racing season winding-down, there were plenty of events for fans to attend last Saturday. However, perhaps the biggest show of the weekend focused on a Connecticut ¼-miler that’s been shuttered for nearly three-decades. Joe Tinty’s Plainville Stadium hosted some of the best short-track racing in New England. Thanks to the efforts of the Berlin Lions Club and the Nutmeg Kart Club, a great deal of the excitement was again relived at the “First Annual Plainville Stadium Reunion.” Throughout the day, a steady-stream of fans of the former oval converged on the Berlin Fairgrounds to meet the drivers that were a staple of the excitement that was “The Stadium”. Along with a host of former “Saturday Night Heroes,” there was an assortment of historical artifacts that included everything from antique race cars to a huge photo selection from official track photographer, Phil Hoyt. Renowned racing photog Steve Kennedy, who got his start at the Stadium as a young shutterbug, was present to record the day’s activities. Media personalities included award-winning racing journalist and New England Auto Racing Hall of Famer member Pete Zanardi as well as the brothers Danko, Gary and Brian. SpeedwayLineReport.com-Dave Dykes

Tom Ormsby's "Racing Remembrances": Drive Profile: Billy Harman On Sunday April 15, 1951 a 7^th grader watched the first ever race at the New London /Waterford Speedbowl. That 7^th grader was also attending his first race. Bob Swift would go in the record books as the first winner at the new racetrack. Young Billy Harman would become hooked on racing after that first race, never to miss a Wednesday or Saturday race for many years to come at the Speedbowl. Like many a youngster after attending their first race, Bill knew he wanted to be a race driver. In his sophomore year of high school Bill would build his first race car in the high school’s shop class, a 1938 six cylinder Chevy Coupe. After school Bill would take the 38 Chevy to the Morgan Farm, about a mile from the Speedbowl. There were some weekdays Bill would drive the car from the farm to the Speedbowl and sneak on the racetrack. Bill recalls, “This was my first opportunity to drive the race car”.**Don Rounds Victor At New London Speedbowl-1951**Mordino, Hill Win At Plainville-1971**New Breed Strikes At Stafford Springs Again - 1972 SpeedwayLineReport.com-Tom Ormsby