Brackett Encouraged by Truck Debut at Martinsville

Despite failing to qualify, Mainer plans 6 more NCWTS events

STRONG, Me. -- Dale Brackett may not have qualified for his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut at Martinsville Speedway two weeks ago, but it doesn't have him down. In fact, he's thinking much more positively now than he was before the event.

"I was in the back of the hauler on the way down to Martinsville, really down on myself and doubting everything," Brackett admits. "But that's gone now."

The 31 year-old Maine racer took what he described as "a huge jump" by breaking into the Truck series. His wife, Valerie, purchased two trucks from Tim Bainey, Jr.'s team with the modest goal of her husband -- a former asphalt racer at Unity (Me.) Raceway and dirt Late Model driver in the Carolinas -- simply qualifying for races and getting approved to run bigger tracks.

During practice sessions in his first attempt at the Martinsville half-mile, Brackett was only about a second off the pace of eventual winner Kevin Harvick and point leader Timothy Peters. Even better, in Brackett's mind, is the fact that his truck was not in faster "qualifying trim" while virtually every other truck was.

Brackett has made some connections that he thinks will help, including former Truck and Nationwide Series champion Johnny Benson.

"My crew chief is Shain Romanoski, and his brother Vern races [ISMA] Supermodifieds. Johnny Benson is into the Supers, and we've gotten to know him pretty well throught that. He's helped us a bit," said Brackett. "We ask a lot of questions. We've got a huge learning curve and the guys on the team are all volunteers. They all bought their own NASCAR licenses at $550 each, they paid for their own drug tests, and they took time off work and used up vacation days just to go to Martinsville."

Brackett fell victim to the NASCAR rulebook when qualifying was cancelled by rain, and as a first-timer with the series and no provisional starting spot to fall back on, he was sent home to Maine.

But, Brackett and his team came back with confidence. "We belong there," he said. "We have good equipment and we ran well. We have a ton of passion, focus, and determination, as corny as that sounds. We're hoping that [NASCAR, teams, and sponsors] will take us as seriously as we take it."

Brackett finshed 12th in the first leg of the five-race Pro All Stars Series National Championship at New Smyrna Speedway in Florida in January, but decided after Martinsville that he will forgo his plans to complete the entire PASS National schedule; he did not make the trip to Hickory, N.C., for last weekend's Easter Bunny 150. Instead, he will focus on returning to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in six more events: Dover Int'l Speedway (May 14), O'Reilly Raceway Park (July 23), Bristol Motor Speedway (Aug. 18), New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Sept. 18), a return trip to Martinsville (Oct. 23), and the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 19.

"We're running Homestead so that NASCAR can hopefully declare us eligible to run the superspeedways," Brackett explained. "I don't want to be a big talker, and it all depends on sponsorship of course, but we're looking at racing the full schedule in 2011."

He said he is still considering running occasional PASS events this season, including the PASS North opener at Speedway 95 in Bangor, Me., on April 18.

Brackett understands that his goals are big, but he says he and his team are willing to work hard to find out what they're made of.

"We're trying to make our own opportunity here. It's a huge jump from where we've been, and we know that. There's no real way to prepare for it," he says. "But you've either got it or you don't."

Stremme to Continue With Latitude 43 at Phoenix

Owner Jenkins encouraged despite Martinsville adversity


PHOENIX, Ariz. -- NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team owner Bill Jenkins of Vermont-based Latitude 43 Motorsports confirmed to Vermont Motorsports Magazine on Tuesday morning that driver David Stremme will continue to drive the #26 Ford at Phoenix International Raceway on April 10. The Subway Fresh Fit 600 will be Stremme's third-straight race with Latitude 43.

Following Boris Said in the first four races of the year, Stremme raced the Air National Guard car for the team at Bristol Motor Speedway on March 21 and at Martinsville Speedway on Monday. After getting caught in a lap-170 crash that forced the team to replace the car's radiator, Stremme retired from Martinsville in 37th place with a broken rear gear. Despite the bad finish, Jenkins was impressed with his driver.

"I couldn't be more happy with David," said Jenkins. "He ran as fast as anyone in the field, even with a damaged car. There was no qutting in him, even though the race didn't go that well for us." Jenkins said that Stremme is going to pilot the car at Phoenix, but that Said remains with team: "We're excited for David to race at Phoenix, but Boris is still a very important part of this team. We'll take it one race at a time."

First-year owner Jenkins said that he wasn't happy to have a wrecked race car at Martinsville, but was thrilled with his team's performance under pressure, led by crew chief Frank Stoddard of North Haverhill, N.H.

"Watching Frankie Stoddard and his crew repair the car was a marvel to behold," said Jenkins. "They got the radiator changed and fixed everything else from the crash in about 35 laps, which isn't a lot of time at Martinsville. Nobody quits on this team, they all did an incredible job.

"In building a new team in any sport -- racing, football, whatever -- it doesn't matter how you act in victory, it's how you come together when you're challenged. I learned a lot about the young men on this team after that incident yesterday. There was no give-up in the garage, the pit stops were great all day, and everyone worked well together."

Latitude 43 now ranks 38th in Sprint Cup Series owner points and will have to qualify on speed at Phoenix without the benefit of a provisional starting position. Jenkins doesn't see it as a reason to worry.

"[Monday's race] was a true test to see what this team is made of, and I couldn't ask for more than what they gave," he said. "I'm very proud to know these guys."

(Photo courtesy Latitude 43 Motorsports Facebook page)

Stremme Back in Latitude 43 Car at Martinvsille

MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- An updated entry list on NASCAR.com late Thursday morning places driver David Stremme in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series #26 Air National Guard Ford for Vermont-based Latitude 43 Motorsports, for Sunday's Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway.

Stremme finished 24th in his debut for the team at Bristol Motor Speedway last weekend, registering Latitude 43's best finish of the season. Boris Said drove the car at Daytona, Auto Club, Las Vegas, and Atlanta to begin the season and was listed as the driver of the #26 car for Martinsville until Thursday.

Latitude 43 Motorsports enters Martinsville 37th in owner points, trailing the 35th-place Front Row Motorsports #37 team by 12 points and the 36th-place Robby Gordon Motorsports #7 team by nine points; only the top-35 cars earn guaranteed starting spots in the 43-car field.

Stremme has six career NSCS starts at the .526-mile Martinsville with a best finish of 15th in 2006; Said has never raced on a short track in the Sprint Cup division.

Maine Driver Brackett to Make Truck Debut at Martinsville

MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- Dale Brackett has some lofty goals for the 2010 season, not the least of which include his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday. The Strong, Me., driver will race in equipment purchased from Tim Bainey, Jr.

Brackett made his Pro All Stars Series Super Late Model debut at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway in January, finishing in 12th place. He plans to contest the full five-race PASS National Championship schedule and attempt seven NCWTS events, beginning with Martinsville's Kroger 250.

"I haven't raced much up north since 2006, but I raced a lot up here before I went into the military," said Brackett en route to Virginia. "While I was stationed in North Carolina I raced on dirt and asphalt at places like Clary's Speedway, Orange County, and Wake County." Brackett has made occasional appearances in long-distance events at Unity (Me.) Raceway from 2007-09, and also raced with the former PASS Outlaw series in 2005.

"We came back this year full-bore," he said of his NCWTS and PASS plans. "We're ready to go."

Brackett, slated to drive the #06 Chevrolet, is one of nine drivers scheduled to make their NASCAR Truck debut at Martinsville, including former American-Canadian Tour winner D.J. Kennington of St. Thomas, Ontario.

(Photo courtesy www.brackettfamilymotorsports.com)

The Juice: Spring is in the Air (And some rubber, too!)

-by Justin St. Louis

Well, here we are. The racing season begins this weekend at Waterford Speedbowl on the Connecticut coastline, which means it's time to start writing a weekly "Juice" again. As far as we're concerned, it's awesome. The snow is gone, the fields are flooded, and the smell of burning rubber is soon to fill the air.

The Modified Racing Series opens its seventh season at the Budweiser Blastoff 100 on Sunday with new entitlement sponsorship from BobValentiAutoMall.com, and don't be surprised if it's one of the more exciting races the series has thrown off. Among the race's 32 entrants are former MRS champions Dwight Jarvis of Ascutney, Chris Pasteryak, and defending titlist Jon McKennedy. But add in seven-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champ Mike Stefanik, Race of Champions Tour king Matt Hirschman, and hotshots Doug Coby and Rowan Pennink, and it's shaping up to be a solid show.

And by the way, those 32 drivers? Their entry fees have been paid by Bob Valenti Auto Mall. Talk about a sponsor that's in it for the drivers, we give a thumbs-up to the Valenti gang. Click here for a schedule of the weekend's events.

***

OMG -- Did you see this extraordinary find by our good friend Jeremy Carpenter?

In case you don't know, the Kalomiris fellow in the video is the schlub that brought Thunder Road to the brink of extinction in 1978. Too bad we couldn't find this during the writing of "Fifty Years of Excitement" last summer.

***

We caught up with Phil Scott recently, and he comfirmed to us what many hoped he would: Expect him to challenge for his fourth Thunder Road track championship in 2010.

The Washington County Senator is running for the seat of Lieutenant Governor of Vermont this year, and was rumored to be taking some time off from racing to focus on his political career, if not hanging up his helmet altogether. Scott says that running every Thursday night at Thunder Road is the farthest thing from being a hinderence to his campaign schedule.

"It is absolutely part of my campaign," he said. "Running [the ACT Late Model Tour] out of state isn't something I have time for, but Thunder Road is close to home and is important to the campaign." Thunder Road was a key part of Scott's December speech announcing his candidacy for the 2010 election.

Scott was first voted to the State Senate in 2000, due largely to his popularity and success as a stock car driver. Scott was the Thunder Road track champion in 1996, 1998, and 2002, and the runner-up in each of the last two seasons. He also swept the ACT Late Model Tour and Airborne Speedway championships in 2002, and is third on Thunder Road's all-time winners list with 25 victories.

***

If there's a guy that deserves a break, it's Jimmy "Scruffy" Linardy. Short track racing has never had a friendlier group of people than the one Linardy brings to the pits, and Scruffy himself is one of the all-time characters of the sport. Linardy owns and operates a busy, heavy duty towing company near Boston, and works hard to get his race cars to the track when he has any sort of precious free time.

When he does get to the track, he's more often than not one of the cars out back, qualifying for -- by our best count -- four career ACT Late Model Tour races in six years. But he's always got a smile on his face, a handshake and a pat on the back for anyone who stops in to say hello, and he's thankful for the opportunity to even be in the pits.

In 2007, Scruffy and I were having a conversation with ACT boss Tom Curley. "We're just hoping to get into a couple this year," he said with a bit of a giggle. It was, without question, the most shining example of a racer just being there for the fun of it that I've ever witnessed. It took all year, but he reached his goal of "a couple": he raced in the Spring Green at Airborne (when only 25 cars showed up and everyone qualified), and again in the season finale at Oxford. Half of his career starts in one season, leaving just two more to spread out over five more years. And he keeps coming back. He also races most of the events at Lee USA and Waterford during the year, simply because he loves to drive race cars.

Linardy and his wife, Cindy, lost their son, 24 year-old James E. Linardy, Jr. -- "T.J." -- last week. And this follows the passing of Linardy's parents, just 11 weeks apart, in 2008.

If we're pulling for anyone this year, it's Scruffy. Hang in there, buddy.

***

We'll thank Bill Jenkins now for giving us a reason to turn the television on on Sundays. It's fun to root for the Latitude 43 Motorsports car, because it's one of our own racing at the highest level of stock car racing.

Vermonters will need to root a little harder than usual for Boris Said when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to tiny Martinsville Speedway this weekend, as Jenkins' #26 car is 37th in owners points and will have to qualify for the Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 in time trials without the benefit of a top-35 provisional.

Short track specialist David Stremme took control of the car at Bristol last weekend -- with a tribute paint scheme honoring the Air National Guard -- and brought Latitude 43 its best finish in 24th place. Mike Bliss and the Tommy Baldwin Racing #36 team entered the race tied for 35th place with the Front Row Motorsports #37 usually driven by rookie Kevin Conway, with the Jenkins car 24 points behind.

Fortunately for Jenkins, Bliss failed to qualify. Unfotunately for Jenkins, however, Conway finished 28th, and Robby Gordon's #7 finished 22nd -- each a season-best result. While TBR #36 dropped to 38th place, FRM #37 held on to 35th and Gordon passed Jenkins to take over 36th. Latitude 43 cut the defecit in half to just 12 points behind 35th place and the coveted "locked-in" spot for Martinsville, but alas, is still a "go-or-go-homer" this weekend. (Note that Conway and David Gilliland have swapped their #37 and #38 rides, respectively, for FRM this weekend; the #38 car ranks 32nd in standings and will be safely in the field. Conway has never raced at Martinsville, while Gilliland has seven Sprint Cup starts there and is a likely bet to get the #37 qualified on time.)

With road course ace Said back in the Latitude 43 car at Martinsville, the pressure is certainly on. Boris finished 18th in his only career Nationwide Series start at the track in 2006, and qualified fifth for a Camping World Truck Series event there in 1998.

Here's the tale of the tape for Martinsville:

Sam Hornish, Jr./Penske Racing #77 Dodge -- 33rd in owner points (392 points)
4 NSCS starts at Martinsville
Avg. Fin.: 33.0
Best Fin.: 28th, 2008 Goody's Cool Orange 500
Last Martinsville NSCS race: 36th, 2009 Tums Fast Relief 500
Note: Finished 9th at Martinsville in only career NCWTS start

Travis Kvapil/Front Row Motorsports #34 Ford -- 34th in owner points (374 points)
8 NSCS starts at Martinsville
Avg. Fin.: 27.9
Best Fin.: 18th, 2008 Goody's Cool Orange 500
Last Martinsville NSCS race: 43rd, 2009 Tums Fast Relief 500
Note: 12.3 avg. fin. in 9 NCWTS starts at Martinsville

David Gilliland/Front Row Motorsports #37 Ford -- 35th in owner points (355 points)
7 NSCS starts at Martinsville
Avg. Fin.: 31.9
Best Fin.: 24th, 2008 Goody's Cool Orange 500
Last Martinsville NSCS race: 39th, 2009 Tums Fast Relief 500
Note: 16 of 23 career K&N Pro Series West Top 10s came at short tracks

Robby Gordon/Robby Gordon Motorsports #7 Toyota -- 36th in owner points (346 points)
19 NSCS starts at Martinsville
Avg. Fin.: 34.6
Best Fin.: 20th, 2005 Advance Auto Parts 500
Last Martinsville NSCS race: 37th, 2009 Tums Fast Relief 500
Note: Former NNS short track winner at Richmond

Boris Said/Latitude 43 Motorsports #26 Ford -- 37th in owner points (343 points)
3 combined NNS/NCWTS starts at Martinsville
Avg. Fin.: 24.3
Best Fin.: 18th, 2006 Goody's 250 (NNS)
Making first Martinsville NSCS attempt Sunday
Note: Qualified 5th in NCWTS event at Martinsville in 1998

Mike Bliss/Tommy Baldwin Racing #36 Chevrolet -- 38th in owner points (307 points)
9 NSCS starts at Martinsville
Avg. Fin.: 31.1
Best Fin.: 14th, 2002 Old Dominion 500
Last Martinsville NSCS race: 39th, 2008 Tums QuikPak 500
Note: 6 Top 10s in 11 NCWTS starts at Martinsville

(PHOTOS: 1. The Modified Racing Series gets after it at Waterford on Sunday; 2. Senator Scott (left) shares a laugh with Governor Jim Douglas (right) at Thunder Road last June; 3. Scruffy Linardy at Oxford, Me., last October. All photos by Justin St. Louis/VMM)