Here’s the latest Track Talk column from journalist Lou Modestino, who covers local New England motorsports for us:
track talk
Shaw, Clement, & Waterman Score NAPA Auto Parts Duel Feature Wins at Stafford Speedway
(Stafford Springs, CT)—Stafford Speedway kicked off its 2023 race season with the NAPA Auto Parts Duels as part of the 51st Annual NAPA Spring Sizzler® Weekend. Feature races were held for the American Canadian Tour, Limited Late Models, and Street Stocks along with two 40-lap NAPA Duel races that set the top-20 lineup for Saturday’s 100-lap NAPA Spring Sizzler® main event.
ACT Announces Brookside Equipment Southern New England Triple Crown Point Fund
Barre, VT — After announcing that Brookside Equipment Sales has come on board as title sponsor to the Southern New England Triple Crown for the next two seasons, American-Canadian Tour officials have released the point fund for the three-race series.
Track Talk – Star Speedway Classic will be aired on MAV-TV
EPPING, N.H. — Star Speedway announced on Wednesday the addition of the Star Classic to Speed51’s Short Track America lineup on MAVTV for the 2021 season. The prestigious three-day weekend, scheduled for September 17-19, will include 14 different divisions, with some of the most intense short-track action New Hampshire will see all season.
The Classic will once again air live to viewers on Speed51.TV, and the enhanced MAVTV broadcast of the ISMA Supermodifieds will be tape-delayed and air at a later date. The broadcast will include multiple camera angles, a pit reporter, on-board cameras and more. (more…)
Track Talk – ACT and PASS announce Icebreaker Slate for Thompson Icebreaker
Waterbury, VT and Naples, ME — American-Canadian Tour (ACT) and Pro All Stars Series (PASS) officials have announced the slate of racing for the 46th Thompson Icebreaker on Saturday, April 10 and Sunday April 11. The 82nd season opener at Connecticut’s Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park currently consists of a nine-division card highlighted by the $10,000-to-win Icebreaker 125 for the Thompson Outlaw Open Modified Series. (more…)
Track Talk – Entry Form for ACT/PASS Thompson 300 Released
Waterbury, VT — The American-Canadian Tour (ACT) and Pro All Stars Series (PASS) have released the official entry form for the Thompson 300 at Connecticut’s Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park on October 9-10. More than $100,000 in projected awards are posted for the return of the historic event as part of the 59th World Series of Speedway Racing.
As previously announced, the 300-lap event will pay the winner a guaranteed minimum of $20,000. Second place receives $7,500 with $5,000 for third. Everyone who takes the green flag will bring home at least $1,200. Thirty-six starting positions have been posted with a total of $85,475 in base purse money. (more…)
Track Talk – New London-Waterford Speedbowl Releases 2021 Event Schedule
The Saturday Championship Race Season begins on May 8th with the traditional Blast-Off 2021. Saturday racing continues into October ending on the weekend of October 15th-17th with The Finale.
Highlights of the schedule include a new SK® Modified Fast Five Series. Drivers who compete in each of the extra distance races will earn extra money, and points will be accumulated to crown a champion at the end of the five races.
Also new this year is the three-race Triple Threat Series. This series of three races will be held on June 12th, August 21st, and the final on October 21st. Details about those two programs will be finalized in the near future and additional information will be released. The Open Street Stocks return for five events during the Saturday Championship Season. This season the Open Street Stocks will be following a rules package very much like what was used for the Northeast Street Stock Championship Event, which was held at Smacktoberfest this past season. The Pro-4 Modifieds return for five events in 2021. Also, NEMA and the Granite State Pro Stock Series will return for events. As always you never know what else may be added as we get closer to the start of the 2021 season.
The Wild n Wacky Wednesday race program returns this year beginning on Wednesday, May 19th, and finishing with Championship Night on September 1st. As always, Wednesdays will feature the Super-X Cars, X-Cars, Bandoleros, and Legend Cars. The Vintage Midget Racing Series will join the Wednesday night events on seven occasions this season. In addition to Wednesday nights, the Super-X Cars, X-Cars, and the Bandoleros can be found competing on select Saturday events during the season.
Finally, there are two Family Fun Events scheduled this season. The first one is slated for Sunday, May 23rd, and will feature Spectator Drags, Ladies Enduro, Truck/SUV Enduro, and Round 1 of the Compact Enduro Championship. New this season, the top 10 finishers in each event of this five-race series will earn points towards a championship that will be crowned at Smacktoberfest. There will be three other events held on Saturdays during the season for the Compact Enduro cars.
For competitors, 2021 Number Registration forms and the remainder of the divisional rules for 2021 will be released in the upcoming weeks.
We look forward to an exciting 2021 season!!!
Thank you all for the support in 2020,
Mike Marfeo
General Manager New London Waterford Speedbowl
Track Talk – Connecticut’s Stafford Speedway leaving NASCAR in 2021
(Stafford Springs, CT)—After a 60-year partnership working with NASCAR as a sanctioned short track, Stafford Speedway will not operate under the NASCAR Weekly Series banner for the 2021 season due to a conflict regarding ownership of streaming and broadcast rights of weekly racing events. (more…)
Track Talk – NASCAR Champ Joey Logano Shows Off His Car Collection
Middletown, CT’s NASCAR champion racing driver Joey Logano’s garage might not be as expansive or famous as former Tonight Show host Jay Leno’s garage, but he definitely has some interesting rides. (more…)
Track Talk – Steve Letarte Serving as Consultant for Spire Motorsports
Steve Letarte of Cornish, ME relishes his role as a NASCAR analyst for NBC Sports but he has also found a way to remain “relevant” on the competition side. (more…)