Modified Racing Series at Albany-Saratoga Postponed

MALTA, N.Y. -- The inaugural "East-West Showdown" for the Modified Racing Series and the Race of Champions Modifieds at Albany-Saratoga Speedway has been postponed by rain.

A tentative make-up date has been set for Friday, May 21.

Showers in Malta, N.Y., halted qualifying during the third of four heat races; RoC regular Pete Brittain of Oakhurst, N.J., won the first heat, with MRS rookie Norm Wrenn of Nashua, N.H., winning the second heat. Modified Racing Series officials reported that a combined 50 MRS and RoC teams were to attempt qualifying.

Ascutney rookie Joey Jarvis finished second to Brittain in the first heat, with his uncle Dwight Jarvis, also of Ascutney, in sixth place. The May 21 program will begin with a complete restart of the third qualifying heat.

CVRA Releases Albany-Saratoga, Sportsman Schedules

Devil's Bowl schedule expected soon

MALTA, N.Y. -- The Champlain Valley Racing Association has released its 2010 schedules for Albany-Saratoga Speedway and the CVRA Sportsman division. The newly-paved, 4/10-mile, Malta, N.Y., track will hold 25 race meets from April through October, including first-ever events for the Race of Champions Modified Tour, Modified Racing Series, American-Canadian Tour, International SuperModifed Association, and the new Modified Tri-Track Series, in association with CVRA sister track Devil's Bowl Speedway in West Haven, Vt., and Airborne Speedway in Plattsburgh, N.Y.

The Albany-Saratoga Speedway season opens on Sat., April 17 with 100-lap Enduro, followed the next day by the RoC/MRS Modified combination event. The ACT Late Models and Tri-Track Series debut on Sat., April 25, and the lightning-fast ISMA series runs on Sun., May 2. Regular Friday-night racing begins on May 7 with the "Grand Re-Opening" event, featuring a 50-lap Pro Stock feature. Other big events include the CVRA.com 100, a Tri-Track event, on July 16, Championship Night on Sept. 10, and the "Halloween Havoc" Enduro 200 on Oct. 16.

The CVRA Sportsman division -- formerly the "Budget Sportsman" class -- will again run weekly at Albany-Saratoga and Devil's Bowl, but will decide its champion in a 21-race series between the two tracks. Albany-Saratoga will host 12 events, beginning May 7, while Devil's Bowl will hold nine races, starting Sun., May 30. The Devil's Bowl Speedway schedule, according to the CVRA website on Tuesday, will be released "within a day or so."

Click here to view the Albany-Saratoga Speedway schedule, and click here for the CVRA Sportsman schedule.

Modified Racing Series to Hold Memorial Day Doubleheader at Airborne, Thunder Road

KEENE, N.H. -- The Modified Racing Series will have a busy Memorial Day weekend in 2010 in the Champlain Valley. Series president and competitor Jack Bateman announced on Sunday at a meeting with competitors and officials that his tour, formerly known as the True Value Modified Racing Series, will make its first stop at Airborne Speedway in Plattsburgh, N.Y. on Saturday, May 29 next season.

The Airborne date creates a two-day doubleheader Memorial Day weekend for the open-wheel series, coupling it with long-time sister track Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl in Barre on Sunday, May 30.

The Airborne race brings the MRS schedule to 19 races. One final event, scheduled for September 10 at a track to be named, is expected to be announced in two weeks, according to an MRS press release.

Bateman said that Thunder Road promoter and former Airborne manager Tom Curley was a key to finalizing the Airborne event, which has been run by promoter Mike Perrotte since 2005.

"We’ve been working on Airborne for three years now, it’s nice that we were able to put it together," said Bateman. "We could not have done it without the cooperation of Thunder Road and Tom Curley. I am pleased with the support they have given us for this special two-day event."

The Airborne Speedway event will be just the second visit for the series to New York; the first will be at Albany-Saratoga Speedway in Malta in April in a combination event with the New York-based Race of Champions Tour. Bateman tested his car on the newly-paved Albany-Saratoga track last month.

MODIFIED RACING SERIES 2010 SCHEDULE (as of December 7, 2009)

#-Day-Date-Track-Location

1. Sat./Sun., March 27/28 -- Waterford Speedbowl, Waterford, Conn.
2. Sat./Sun., April 17/18 -- Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Malta, N.Y. (MRS/RoC combo)
3. Sat., May 1 -- Monadnock Speedway, Winchester, N.H.
4. Sat., May 29 -- Airborne Speedway, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
5. Sun., May 30 -- Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, Barre
6. Fri., June 4 -- Twin State Speedway, Claremont, N.H.
7. Sat., June 12 -- Seekonk Speedway, Seekonk, Mass.
8. Thu., June 17 -- Thompson Int'l Speedway, Thompson, Conn.
9. Sat., July 3 -- Monadnock Speedway, Winchester, N.H.
10. Fri., July 9 -- Lee USA Speedway, Lee, N.H.
11. Sat., July 17 -- Oxford Plains Speedway, Oxford, Me.
12. Sat., July 24 -- Canaan Fair Speedway, Canaan, N.H.
13. Sat., Aug. 7 -- Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, Me.
14. Sat., Aug. 14 -- Waterford Speedbowl, Waterford, Conn.
15. Sat., Aug. 21 -- Seekonk Speedway, Seekonk, Mass.
16. Thu., Aug. 26 -- Thompson Int'l Speedway, Thompson, Conn.
17. Sat., Sept. 4 -- Waterford Speedbowl, Waterford, Conn.
18. Sun., Sept. 10 -- TBA
19. Sat./Sun., Oct. 9/10 -- Seekonk Speedway, Seekonk, Mass.
20. Sat./Sun., Oct. 23/24 -- Lee USA Speedway, Lee, N.H.