(From team press release)
Vermont-based Latitude 43 Motorsports, LLC, has announced a long-term sponsorship agreement for its NASCAR Sprint Cup Series #26 car with GlobeTrack Wireless, Inc., (GTW) of Austin, Texas.
Latitude 43 Motorsports will represent GTW's very unique line of GPS products which include the SOS 1000 automotive GPS tracking device, as well as personal and pet GPS tracking devices.
About: Globe Track Wireless
GTW’s GPS Products affords many solutions for both the consumer and for commercial vehicle tracking. Now tracking your loved ones, possessions, or employees can be done from your computer or more conveniently your smart phone.
Simply put, in today’s society we all look for levels of protection that allow us in a real-time basis to be reactive almost immediately. The solutions which are available to us are only limited by technology and affordability. GTW has developed products which make these solutions a reality and at the same time are economically feasible. Now, you have the ability to receive accurate location notification among other exciting options. The other options include the ability to know when your vehicle/person enters or leaves a specially designated geographical area known as Geo-Fencing. In order to maintain both peace-of-mind and security in real-time GTW has developed and put together programs which include a substantial savings in devices such as the SOS-1000 which is included FREE with a 36 month contract. The cost of operating the SOS-1000 GPS device can be offset by potential insurance discounts. Additionally, you will also have your own secured website login and password to access your account 24/7. All of these benefits afford you the highest level of security while maintaining real-time knowledge of all of your assets which are under your control.
For further information, GTW encourages you to visit their website www.gtwgps.com.
Showing posts with label Latitude 43 Motorsports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Latitude 43 Motorsports. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Jenkins Making Quiet But Important Mark in NASCAR
Vermonter Bill Jenkins is in his first year as a team owner on the 
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, fielding the #26 Ford for driver David Stremme. Jenkins is an intensely private man, and strives to shift any focus on himself to members of his team, namely Stremme and crew chief Frankie Stoddard, a North Haverhill, N.H., native raised in the pits at Barre's Thunder Road as a crewman for late legend Stub Fadden.
Try as he might, Jenkins does a respectable job staying out of the headlines, but it's becoming time to give credit where it's due.
After winning at Talladega Superspeedway with driver Jamie McMurray last year, Roush Fenway Racing sold the #26 team to Jenkins, a businessman and entrepreneur with a lifelong love for stock car racing. He and wife Sandy renamed their new venture Latitude 43 Motorsports in tribute to their homes in southern Vermont and coastal Maine, each situated along the 43rd latitude line.
Through the first 11 races of its fledgling life, Latitude 43 Motorsports has qualified for nine events, gathered five top-30 finishes, and refuses to be a "start-and-park" team that shows up merely for a paycheck, despite little or no sponsorship. Jenkins contacted the Air National Guard in Washington, D.C., and since mid-March has carried the military branch's colors on his cars as a tribute.
As he waited for a flight at the Manchester, N.H., airport a few weeks ago, Jenkins and a woman in uniform struck up a conversation. As it turned out, the soldier was an assistant to Command Sergeant Major Michael Parker of the South Carolina National Guard. Eventually Jenkins was speaking with CSM Parker himself, and last weekend Parker attended the Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway with four unlikely guests -- a group of teenagers.
CSM Parker is the man in charge of the South Carolina Youth Challenge Academy, a program built by the National Guard for at-risk 16 to 18 year-olds, assisting them in earning their high school diplomas and preparing them for adulthood. As a reward for outstanding achievements at the SCYCA, Parker and Jenkins arranged for an all-access trip to Darlington for four cadets.
"The kids in the Academy have grown up in some challenging situations," said Jenkins. "It was an amazing experience to get to know them. They were all so intelligent, so polite, and you knew they were proud of themselves and how far they'd come. I wanted to give the kids a positive community experience like the one we have every week at the track. That's what racing is about."
Jenkins invited the cadets to participate in everything his team routinely does at the track -- they stood on top of the team's transporter to watch qualifying, they were front-and-center at driver introductions, and they sat on top of the pit box during the race with Jenkins and Stoddard as the team plotted strategies and made pit stops.
Stremme practiced and qualified well throughout the weekend and finished a season-best 24th on Saturday night.
"I didn't do anything special, I just wanted to give some kids a neat experience. They deserve it," he said. "Hearing their stories makes you look at your own life differently. It was very emotional for everyone on the team, and there wasn't a single person around last weekend that those kids didn't touch the lives of. I wish every team in NASCAR had the opportunity to give back like that. As a race team we had our best weekend yet, and I took as much out of meeting those kids as I did from the race itself."
Bill Jenkins may want to stay out of the spotlight, and that's fine. But for the work he's done so far in his short time in NASCAR, he deserves at least a little recognition.
(PHOTOS: 1. David Stremme at speed at Darlington Raceway; 2. Stremme (third from left) and Command Sergeant Major Michael Parker (far right) with SCYCA cadets at Darlington; 3. Crew chief Frank Stoddard (left) makes a call from the pit box with SCYCA cadets looking over his shoulder. Photos by Getty Images for NASCAR: 1. John Harrelson; 2. Jerry Markland; 3. Geoff Burke.)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, fielding the #26 Ford for driver David Stremme. Jenkins is an intensely private man, and strives to shift any focus on himself to members of his team, namely Stremme and crew chief Frankie Stoddard, a North Haverhill, N.H., native raised in the pits at Barre's Thunder Road as a crewman for late legend Stub Fadden.Try as he might, Jenkins does a respectable job staying out of the headlines, but it's becoming time to give credit where it's due.
After winning at Talladega Superspeedway with driver Jamie McMurray last year, Roush Fenway Racing sold the #26 team to Jenkins, a businessman and entrepreneur with a lifelong love for stock car racing. He and wife Sandy renamed their new venture Latitude 43 Motorsports in tribute to their homes in southern Vermont and coastal Maine, each situated along the 43rd latitude line.
Through the first 11 races of its fledgling life, Latitude 43 Motorsports has qualified for nine events, gathered five top-30 finishes, and refuses to be a "start-and-park" team that shows up merely for a paycheck, despite little or no sponsorship. Jenkins contacted the Air National Guard in Washington, D.C., and since mid-March has carried the military branch's colors on his cars as a tribute.
As he waited for a flight at the Manchester, N.H., airport a few weeks ago, Jenkins and a woman in uniform struck up a conversation. As it turned out, the soldier was an assistant to Command Sergeant Major Michael Parker of the South Carolina National Guard. Eventually Jenkins was speaking with CSM Parker himself, and last weekend Parker attended the Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway with four unlikely guests -- a group of teenagers.
CSM Parker is the man in charge of the South Carolina Youth Challenge Academy, a program built by the National Guard for at-risk 16 to 18 year-olds, assisting them in earning their high school diplomas and preparing them for adulthood. As a reward for outstanding achievements at the SCYCA, Parker and Jenkins arranged for an all-access trip to Darlington for four cadets.
"The kids in the Academy have grown up in some challenging situations," said Jenkins. "It was an amazing experience to get to know them. They were all so intelligent, so polite, and you knew they were proud of themselves and how far they'd come. I wanted to give the kids a positive community experience like the one we have every week at the track. That's what racing is about."Jenkins invited the cadets to participate in everything his team routinely does at the track -- they stood on top of the team's transporter to watch qualifying, they were front-and-center at driver introductions, and they sat on top of the pit box during the race with Jenkins and Stoddard as the team plotted strategies and made pit stops.
Stremme practiced and qualified well throughout the weekend and finished a season-best 24th on Saturday night.
"I didn't do anything special, I just wanted to give some kids a neat experience. They deserve it," he said. "Hearing their stories makes you look at your own life differently. It was very emotional for everyone on the team, and there wasn't a single person around last weekend that those kids didn't touch the lives of. I wish every team in NASCAR had the opportunity to give back like that. As a race team we had our best weekend yet, and I took as much out of meeting those kids as I did from the race itself."Bill Jenkins may want to stay out of the spotlight, and that's fine. But for the work he's done so far in his short time in NASCAR, he deserves at least a little recognition.
(PHOTOS: 1. David Stremme at speed at Darlington Raceway; 2. Stremme (third from left) and Command Sergeant Major Michael Parker (far right) with SCYCA cadets at Darlington; 3. Crew chief Frank Stoddard (left) makes a call from the pit box with SCYCA cadets looking over his shoulder. Photos by Getty Images for NASCAR: 1. John Harrelson; 2. Jerry Markland; 3. Geoff Burke.)
Thursday, April 15, 2010
The Juice: Practice Was Actually A Lot Of Fun
-by Justin St. Louis
VMM Editor
For most racing folks up where we're located, this weekend is a big one. For Late Model fans, the American-Canadian Tour kicks its 25th season off at Lee USA Speedway on the New Hampshire seacoast on Sunday, while the open-wheel fans can enjoy the first-ever Modified Racing Series/Race of Champions Tour showdown at the all-new Albany-Saratoga Speedway in Malta, New York. A bit further east, the Pro All Stars Series Super Late Models open their North schedule at Speedway 95 near Bangor, Maine.
As much as we'd love to be in two or three places at once, VMM is headed to Lee to find out who the first qualifier for the ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway will be.
Now if only Mother Nature can cooperate.
***
Getting back to Thunder Road for Tuesday's practice session -- strangely enough -- did this soul a whole lot of good. Yeah, we started the season a few weeks ago with an actual race at Waterford, but it was cold, windy, wet, and far from home. In fact, there was a pretty decent snowstorm that we trudged through on the way back north.
But the weather at Thunder Road was pretty close to perfect for mid-April in Vermont, and the ride home was about three-and-a-half hours shorter. In fact, I even got back in time for supper, in time to tell my new puppy, Witten, that no, this was my spaghetti, not his.
We got a pretty-much-complete list of the Late Models and Tiger Sportsmen that were there, but God help me if I was going to get all of the numberless and even paintless Street Stocks and Warriors.
Late Models we counted: Norm Andrews, Joey Becker, Cody Blake, Nathan Brown, Craig Bushey, Brooks Clark, John Donahue (two cars), Aaron Fellows, Jamie Fisher, Grant Folsom, Reno Gervais, Chip Grenier, Brian Hoar, Joey Laquerre, Cris Michaud, Doug Murphy, Scott Payea, Dave Pembroke, Chris Riendeau, Phil Scott, Nick Sweet, Dave Whitcomb, Matt White.
And Tigers: Eric Badore, Mike Billado, Jeff Bousquet, Jason Corliss, Josh Demers, Alex Ferno, David Finck, Shawn Fleury, Neal Foster, Kevin Godfrey, Troy Gray, Jimmy Hebert, Joel Hodgdon, John Lambert, Mike Martin, George May, Derrick O'Donnell, Matt Potter, Tim Potter, Ricky Roberts, Tucker Williams, Mike Ziter.
***
John Donahue had both of his cars at Thunder Road, including one with the new Ford crate engine. Donahue was happy with the switch and basically echoed the thoughts of others that have tried out the new powerplant.
"It's got a longer power curve," he said. "I feel like all my speed is at the end of the straightaway, rather than out of the corner with the Chevy motor." Donahue said he thinks it will be very interesting at shorter tracks like Thunder Road. He also practiced the engine at White Mountain Motorsports Park last week and was pleased with the performance of it there.
***
Our favorite Tweet of the week: "@LaxSpeedway: We are proud to announce that Festival Foods' Oktoberfest Bratwursts are the Speedway's official Bratwurst this year."
Gotta hand it to LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway for constant promotion. The Wisconsin track's annual Oktoberfest is a national short track happening, and to me, the Bratwurst thing seems like a fantastic year-long reminder of that event. (And honestly, who wouldn't want to eat a couple of those every Saturday night at the races?) Good work, LaCrosse.
It's been suggested that VMM should sign some sort of endorsement deal for an official food.
I wonder if I can get Mike Perrotte to get on board with this. Eight Airborne Speedway Michigan Dogs a week and you've got a deal.
***
Check out these cool videos produced by the Air National Guard in association with Vermont's own Latitude 43 Motorsports. And while you're at it, check out some cool videos we put together from Thunder Road.
***
An interesting deal: Jay Webb will be back behind the wheel of a Tiger Sportsman car this season. Webb struck a deal with car owner Chris Burnett that brings a new engine under the hood of the #19 car driven weekly at Thunder Road by Neal Foster in exchange for a seat in the car at the four ACT Tiger Sportsman Series races at White Mountain, Canaan, Thunder Road, and Riverside. Webb will also turn some wrenches on the car when Foster drives.
The Milton racer won the 1997 Renegade championship at Airborne and was one of the Tiger division's top racers in the early 2000s with six feature wins there and in long-distance series events. He and Burnett have each spent the last few years as crew members for RPM Motorsports on the ACT Late Model Tour, winning titles with both Jean-Paul Cyr and Brian Hoar.
I'll say it now: it wouldn't surprise me a bit to see Jay Webb snare a win or even contend for the Tiger Sportsman Series championship this year. On top of that, Foster made big gains at the end of last year, and his program should improve quite a bit more this season with Webb in the pits.
***
Notably absent from Thunder Road Late Model practice: Jean-Paul Cyr, Tracie Bellerose, Brent Dragon, Eric Chase, Mike Bailey, Tony Andrews, Rich Lowrey, Dylan Smith, and Tom Tiller.
That's right, Tom Tiller was not there. Come to think of it, he's missed the last few practices, too. Hmm.
***
The best moment from practice was a conversation with Cris Michaud, who has become a gold mine for instantly classic quotes. You see, Michaud is as much a hockey fan as he is a racer, loving specifically the Montréal Canadiens. (He's a smart man. Habs over Washington in six. Ovechkin who?)
While we can't reprint everything from the conversation, it started something like this:
VMM: "Hey Cris, how are ya?"
Michaud: "(Expletive) Canadiens... They can't (expletive) get one (expletive) win before the (expletive) playoffs?"
...and it went on from there. We feel your pain, Cris Michaud, we feel your pain. Hang on to 1993. It could happen again.
***
THIS WEEK:
Saturday, April 17
Airborne Speedway, Plattsburgh, N.Y. -- 1:00pm (Open Practice)
Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Malta, N.Y. -- 12:00pm (Quarter-Midgets, NETS Trucks, Enduro)
Canaan Fair Speedway, Canaan, N.H. -- 9:30am (Tire Sale)
Monadnock Speedway, Winchester, N.H. -- 12:00pm (Open Practice)
Sunday, April 18
Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Malta, N.Y. -- 1:00pm (MRS/ROC Modifieds)
Big Daddy's Speedbowl, Rumney, N.H. -- 12:00pm (Car Show)
Lee USA Speedway, Lee, N.H. -- 1:00pm (ACT Late Model Tour)
Twin State Speedway, Claremont, N.H. -- 12:00pm (Open Practice)
TOURING SERIES:
ACT Late Model Tour: Sun., April 18 -- Lee USA Speedway, Lee, N.H. (1:00pm)
Modified Racing Series: Sun., April 18 -- Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Malta, N.Y. (1:00pm)
Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Series: Sat., April 17 -- Can-Am Speedway, LaFargeville, N.Y. (4:00pm)
NASCAR Nationwide Series: Sat., April 17 -- Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Tx. (9:00pm)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Sun., April 18 -- Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Tx. (3:00pm)
Pro All Stars Series: Sun., April 18 -- Speedway 95, Hermon, Me. (1:30pm)
VMM Editor
For most racing folks up where we're located, this weekend is a big one. For Late Model fans, the American-Canadian Tour kicks its 25th season off at Lee USA Speedway on the New Hampshire seacoast on Sunday, while the open-wheel fans can enjoy the first-ever Modified Racing Series/Race of Champions Tour showdown at the all-new Albany-Saratoga Speedway in Malta, New York. A bit further east, the Pro All Stars Series Super Late Models open their North schedule at Speedway 95 near Bangor, Maine.
As much as we'd love to be in two or three places at once, VMM is headed to Lee to find out who the first qualifier for the ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway will be.
Now if only Mother Nature can cooperate.
***
Getting back to Thunder Road for Tuesday's practice session -- strangely enough -- did this soul a whole lot of good. Yeah, we started the season a few weeks ago with an actual race at Waterford, but it was cold, windy, wet, and far from home. In fact, there was a pretty decent snowstorm that we trudged through on the way back north.
But the weather at Thunder Road was pretty close to perfect for mid-April in Vermont, and the ride home was about three-and-a-half hours shorter. In fact, I even got back in time for supper, in time to tell my new puppy, Witten, that no, this was my spaghetti, not his.
We got a pretty-much-complete list of the Late Models and Tiger Sportsmen that were there, but God help me if I was going to get all of the numberless and even paintless Street Stocks and Warriors.
Late Models we counted: Norm Andrews, Joey Becker, Cody Blake, Nathan Brown, Craig Bushey, Brooks Clark, John Donahue (two cars), Aaron Fellows, Jamie Fisher, Grant Folsom, Reno Gervais, Chip Grenier, Brian Hoar, Joey Laquerre, Cris Michaud, Doug Murphy, Scott Payea, Dave Pembroke, Chris Riendeau, Phil Scott, Nick Sweet, Dave Whitcomb, Matt White.
And Tigers: Eric Badore, Mike Billado, Jeff Bousquet, Jason Corliss, Josh Demers, Alex Ferno, David Finck, Shawn Fleury, Neal Foster, Kevin Godfrey, Troy Gray, Jimmy Hebert, Joel Hodgdon, John Lambert, Mike Martin, George May, Derrick O'Donnell, Matt Potter, Tim Potter, Ricky Roberts, Tucker Williams, Mike Ziter.
***
John Donahue had both of his cars at Thunder Road, including one with the new Ford crate engine. Donahue was happy with the switch and basically echoed the thoughts of others that have tried out the new powerplant.
"It's got a longer power curve," he said. "I feel like all my speed is at the end of the straightaway, rather than out of the corner with the Chevy motor." Donahue said he thinks it will be very interesting at shorter tracks like Thunder Road. He also practiced the engine at White Mountain Motorsports Park last week and was pleased with the performance of it there.
***
Our favorite Tweet of the week: "@LaxSpeedway: We are proud to announce that Festival Foods' Oktoberfest Bratwursts are the Speedway's official Bratwurst this year."
Gotta hand it to LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway for constant promotion. The Wisconsin track's annual Oktoberfest is a national short track happening, and to me, the Bratwurst thing seems like a fantastic year-long reminder of that event. (And honestly, who wouldn't want to eat a couple of those every Saturday night at the races?) Good work, LaCrosse.
It's been suggested that VMM should sign some sort of endorsement deal for an official food.
I wonder if I can get Mike Perrotte to get on board with this. Eight Airborne Speedway Michigan Dogs a week and you've got a deal.
***
Check out these cool videos produced by the Air National Guard in association with Vermont's own Latitude 43 Motorsports. And while you're at it, check out some cool videos we put together from Thunder Road.
***
An interesting deal: Jay Webb will be back behind the wheel of a Tiger Sportsman car this season. Webb struck a deal with car owner Chris Burnett that brings a new engine under the hood of the #19 car driven weekly at Thunder Road by Neal Foster in exchange for a seat in the car at the four ACT Tiger Sportsman Series races at White Mountain, Canaan, Thunder Road, and Riverside. Webb will also turn some wrenches on the car when Foster drives.
The Milton racer won the 1997 Renegade championship at Airborne and was one of the Tiger division's top racers in the early 2000s with six feature wins there and in long-distance series events. He and Burnett have each spent the last few years as crew members for RPM Motorsports on the ACT Late Model Tour, winning titles with both Jean-Paul Cyr and Brian Hoar.
I'll say it now: it wouldn't surprise me a bit to see Jay Webb snare a win or even contend for the Tiger Sportsman Series championship this year. On top of that, Foster made big gains at the end of last year, and his program should improve quite a bit more this season with Webb in the pits.
***
Notably absent from Thunder Road Late Model practice: Jean-Paul Cyr, Tracie Bellerose, Brent Dragon, Eric Chase, Mike Bailey, Tony Andrews, Rich Lowrey, Dylan Smith, and Tom Tiller.
That's right, Tom Tiller was not there. Come to think of it, he's missed the last few practices, too. Hmm.
***
The best moment from practice was a conversation with Cris Michaud, who has become a gold mine for instantly classic quotes. You see, Michaud is as much a hockey fan as he is a racer, loving specifically the Montréal Canadiens. (He's a smart man. Habs over Washington in six. Ovechkin who?)
While we can't reprint everything from the conversation, it started something like this:
VMM: "Hey Cris, how are ya?"
Michaud: "(Expletive) Canadiens... They can't (expletive) get one (expletive) win before the (expletive) playoffs?"
...and it went on from there. We feel your pain, Cris Michaud, we feel your pain. Hang on to 1993. It could happen again.
***
THIS WEEK:
Saturday, April 17
Airborne Speedway, Plattsburgh, N.Y. -- 1:00pm (Open Practice)
Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Malta, N.Y. -- 12:00pm (Quarter-Midgets, NETS Trucks, Enduro)
Canaan Fair Speedway, Canaan, N.H. -- 9:30am (Tire Sale)
Monadnock Speedway, Winchester, N.H. -- 12:00pm (Open Practice)
Sunday, April 18
Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Malta, N.Y. -- 1:00pm (MRS/ROC Modifieds)
Big Daddy's Speedbowl, Rumney, N.H. -- 12:00pm (Car Show)
Lee USA Speedway, Lee, N.H. -- 1:00pm (ACT Late Model Tour)
Twin State Speedway, Claremont, N.H. -- 12:00pm (Open Practice)
TOURING SERIES:
ACT Late Model Tour: Sun., April 18 -- Lee USA Speedway, Lee, N.H. (1:00pm)
Modified Racing Series: Sun., April 18 -- Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Malta, N.Y. (1:00pm)
Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Series: Sat., April 17 -- Can-Am Speedway, LaFargeville, N.Y. (4:00pm)
NASCAR Nationwide Series: Sat., April 17 -- Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Tx. (9:00pm)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Sun., April 18 -- Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Tx. (3:00pm)
Pro All Stars Series: Sun., April 18 -- Speedway 95, Hermon, Me. (1:30pm)
Monday, April 12, 2010
Sacred Power Finds Value with Latitude 43
(From Jayski.com)
Sacred Power Corp. is riding NASCAR into the big leagues. This year, the Albuquerque solar energy company became the first American Indian-owned firm and the first solar enterprise to sponsor a NASCAR team.
Sacred Power Corp. is riding NASCAR into the big leagues. This year, the Albuquerque solar energy company became the first American Indian-owned firm and the first solar enterprise to sponsor a NASCAR team.Sacred Power logos adorned the #26 Ford in five of the top Sprint Cup Series races in February and March after striking a barter deal with Latitude 43 Motorsports, a NASCAR team owned by Vermont businessman Bill Jenkins.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
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)
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)
Thursday, March 25, 2010
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.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
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)
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)
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
BREAKING NEWS: Stremme, Latitude 43 to Carry Air National Guard Tribute Scheme at Bristol
(From team press release)
NASCAR Sprint Cup series owner Bill Jenkins of Latitude 43 Motorsports announced today that his team will be campaining the colors of the Air National Guard as a tribute to the men and women serving our country.
The Latitude 43 Motorsports #26 Ford and driver David Stremme will pay tribute to the Air National Guard at the Food City 500 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway on March 21; the race will be nationally televised on FOX at 1:00pm.
Jenkins, along with Stremme, crew chief Frank Stoddard, and primary Latitude 43 Motorsports driver Boris Said, are very pleased that the #26 team can pay tribute to the valiant airmen of the Air Guard.
Latitude 43 Motorsports has also announced a brand-new team website on Wednesday. For more information, visit http://www.lat43.com/.
NASCAR Sprint Cup series owner Bill Jenkins of Latitude 43 Motorsports announced today that his team will be campaining the colors of the Air National Guard as a tribute to the men and women serving our country.
The Latitude 43 Motorsports #26 Ford and driver David Stremme will pay tribute to the Air National Guard at the Food City 500 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway on March 21; the race will be nationally televised on FOX at 1:00pm.
Jenkins, along with Stremme, crew chief Frank Stoddard, and primary Latitude 43 Motorsports driver Boris Said, are very pleased that the #26 team can pay tribute to the valiant airmen of the Air Guard.
Latitude 43 Motorsports has also announced a brand-new team website on Wednesday. For more information, visit http://www.lat43.com/.
Monday, March 15, 2010
BREAKING NEWS: Stremme in Latitude 43 Car at Bristol
Driver change comes at Said's urging
BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Vermont-based Latitude 43 Motorsports will see its first-ever driver change as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series hits Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend. David Stremme, a veteran of 108 NSCS starts, will take over for Boris Said at the controls of the #26 Ford for Latitude 43 at the Food City 500.
The Food City 500 is the fifth race of the season, and Jenkins sits 37th in owner points, just 24 points out of 35th place; after Bristol, all cars outside the top-35 will have to qualify on speed during time trials without the benefit of a provisional.
South Bend, Ind., native Stremme, an accomplished short track racer, has been tabbed to drive the car at the treacherous Bristol half-mile. The change, says Jenkins, was Said's idea.
"Boris came to me last week and said he thought we needed a different driver for Bristol," Jenkins told Vermont Motorsports Magazine. "Boris is as big a part of this team as anyone, and I can't thank him enough for his willingness to help the whole program. We need to put all of our chips on the table at Bristol, and we need to come out of there strong and inside the top-35. Boris thought putting Stremme in the car was the right move, and I stand behind his decision."
Stremme, who has been idle in NASCAR's three national series since being released from Penske Racing's #12 NSCS Dodge last November, has an average finish of 22.8 in six NSCS starts at Bristol, and his most recent top-five finish in the NASCAR Nationwide Series came at the track in 2008.
Said has a best finish of 25th in the season-opening Daytona 500. In 39 career Sprint Cup starts, Said has only raced once at a track shorter than 1.5 miles in length, at Loudon, N.H., in 2007.
BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Vermont-based Latitude 43 Motorsports will see its first-ever driver change as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series hits Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend. David Stremme, a veteran of 108 NSCS starts, will take over for Boris Said at the controls of the #26 Ford for Latitude 43 at the Food City 500.The Food City 500 is the fifth race of the season, and Jenkins sits 37th in owner points, just 24 points out of 35th place; after Bristol, all cars outside the top-35 will have to qualify on speed during time trials without the benefit of a provisional.
South Bend, Ind., native Stremme, an accomplished short track racer, has been tabbed to drive the car at the treacherous Bristol half-mile. The change, says Jenkins, was Said's idea.
"Boris came to me last week and said he thought we needed a different driver for Bristol," Jenkins told Vermont Motorsports Magazine. "Boris is as big a part of this team as anyone, and I can't thank him enough for his willingness to help the whole program. We need to put all of our chips on the table at Bristol, and we need to come out of there strong and inside the top-35. Boris thought putting Stremme in the car was the right move, and I stand behind his decision."
Stremme, who has been idle in NASCAR's three national series since being released from Penske Racing's #12 NSCS Dodge last November, has an average finish of 22.8 in six NSCS starts at Bristol, and his most recent top-five finish in the NASCAR Nationwide Series came at the track in 2008.
Said has a best finish of 25th in the season-opening Daytona 500. In 39 career Sprint Cup starts, Said has only raced once at a track shorter than 1.5 miles in length, at Loudon, N.H., in 2007.
Friday, February 26, 2010
The Juice: Where Were YOU?
-by Justin St. Louis
JFK. The first moon landing. The Miracle On Ice. The Challenger space shuttle. September 11.
And now, electronic scoring.
Where were you when these life-changing events took place? I'll never forget where I was yesterday, messing around at my "real" job, reading Twitter on my phone, when messages came across from ACT and Thunder Road that the organizations would be switching to electronic scoring systems for 2010. I'm telling you I almost dropped my Blackberry right there.
I had to read it again. And again. Then I read the actual press release itself. Could this really be happening?
Since the dawn of its existence, Thunder Road has been very steadfast and proud of its traditional tape-scoring procedures. Hand-written scoresheets scribbled hastily each and every lap by as many as five or six people for as many as 200 laps. The practice was perfected at the Barre track in 1963 by Dr. Gordon Nielsen, and techniques and systems were developed there and spread to the masses at race tracks across the country, from tiny Vermont bullrings to the wide-open spaces of Daytona. But tape scoring is becoming a forgotten art, and yesterday it lost another battle in its war of surivial.
In an age where everything is done by computers (and here I am), Thunder Road and ACT -- or, more specifically, front man Tom Curley -- have been deadset against implementing electronic scoring, citing its many faults. In person, I have heard Curley go on maybe a dozen times in as many years about the disadvantages of electronic scoring. I agree with many of his arguments, including the dreaded "glitch" that seems to happen only in the most important of moments.
Many fans may not know this, but the first Modified Racing Series event at Thunder Road in 2008 was a nightmare for the electronic scoring system used that day. I have also witnessed first-hand several scoring-related delays at places like Oxford Plains and Lee USA speedways, transponders either not registering or simply "missing" a random lap at many other tracks, and myriad other problems.
As I understand it, each race car's transponder is in the same pre-determined location, so many inches or feet from the front edge of the front bumper, with a scoring loop buried in the racing surface the same number of feet or inches in front of the start/finish line. This means a car's transponder crosses the scoring loop at the same time the front bumper crosses the start/finish line. (For the record, the NEKC go-kart series has used electronic scoring at Thunder Road for many years, and the scoring loop wires are clearly visible in the asphalt about four to five yards before the start/finish line at the track; MRS has used this same system in both of its appearances at the track, and NASCAR used the system with its Busch North Series events in the late 1990s and early 2000s.)
But at most tracks, the scoring loop travels only a couple of feet into the infield, if at all. What if a car has to go through the infield for some reason and misses the loop, but is able to continue? Is the car not scored that lap?
How about this scenario, and say for the sake of the argument that the transponders are located on the rear frame rail of each car (which is quite common): What if two cars are racing for position coming to the line, and Car A spins but Car B continues, yet Car A -- now facing backwards -- has its transponder cross the line before the Car B, which although its nose may have crossed the finish first, its transponder is scored behind Car A's. Yeah, I made a diagram. According to the transponder, Car A is the winner, but according to everything else logical, Car B is the winner. In theory, you would think such a decision could be easily overturned by a race director or anyone else that physically witnessed the incident.
In a situation where there are between three and six human scorers watching every single car with their own eyes and writing everything down as it happens, it'd be a moot point and Car B would win every time. In this case, where transponders have replaced humans (and the impression that the official press release gives is that there won't be as many people sitting in the scoring tower as there used to be, meaning less eyes watching), it's plausible that such a scenario could be missed if it was to happen somewhere in the middle of the pack rather than at the front.
Is that a likely thing to happen often? Probably not. Am I reaching a little bit to try and prove a point? Absolutely. But it's entirely possible. And a computer error could ultimately cost someone a championship.
Here's why I feel I have some ground to stand on: I was a tape scorer for ACT in 2008. I worked the position at each Série ACT-Castrol event that year as well as ACT Late Model Tour races at Waterford, Kawartha, and White Mountain, the Showdown at Chaudière, and a handful of weekly races at Thunder Road, probably 15 events in total. Am I an expert? Of course not, but I did take a crash course with a very steep learning curve, and I now feel like I could get the job done at any track anywhere.
Tape scoring is without question the toughest job in racing, and I don't care who you ask. This media stuff is easy, trust me. Tape scoring is the dumps. You need 100% focus and concentration every second of every lap. You have to change your techniques all the time, even once a lap. You have to be able to anticipate, react, and get it right in the blink of an eye. You don't even get to watch the race, but rather focus on a group of six or eight or fifteen cars. But you feel damn proud of yourself when the night is over and nothing got totally botched.
Try scoring a 30-lap Tiger Sportsman feature at Thunder Road, when the pack never breaks up from side-by-side racing. And under those horrendous 60-watt lights hanging over the track. I've done it. It's hard and it totally sucks. But when that happens this year and one of those guys twitches out of Turn 4 and someone goes through the infield -- and I know you can picture it in your head -- and he misses the scoring loop, he's gonna be real mad when he recovers to finish seventh only to discover he never crossed the "line" on lap 13 and really finished in 26th, one lap down. And when titles come down to 13 points over the top three drivers like the Tigers saw in 2009, it will make a HUGE difference.
What about the practice of going back to the last complete green-flag lap when there's a wreck? Will that change? Will partial laps be deleted or not scored?
There are many, many advantages to electronic scoring, including better accuracy, instant results, lap-by-lap breakdowns, and more. Transponders take the inevitable and cruicial guesswork out of photo finishes or tight-quarters racing, and are usually able to handle an entire race without issue.
But when things are running smooth, it's no big deal. It's those freak incidents that get people up in arms.
I hope for everyone's sake that the transition to electronic scoring goes well. Because I'll certainly rememeber where I am if it doesn't.
***
We've heard encouraging news that the region's three dirt tracks are thinking about working together this season toward a common, successful goal. We've learned of an upcoming meeting between promoters Butch Elms of Bear Ridge Speedway in Bradford, Dick Therrien, new boss at New Hampshire's Canaan Dirt and Canaan Fair Speedways, and first-time track operator Mike Rivers, who has completely rebuilt the track in Rumney, N.H., now known as Big Daddy's Speedbowl.
Wouldn't a Friday-Saturday-Sunday circuit be just awesome for the dirt racers around here? Cross your fingers, kids.
***
Joey Doiron is making a big mistake. At just 18 years old, he has decided to move from ACT to PASS in an attempt to win back-to-back Rookie of the Year titles. In a press release earlier this week, Doiron said he is looking forward to "going against guys like Richard Moody Racing, Scott Mulkern's team and Johnny Clark on all those different tracks with PASS this year," and eventually maybe moving up the NASCAR ladder.
Doiron is a likeable kid with some obvious talent. His parents have poured their hearts and souls into building a small-but-solid race team around their son. They have a huge behind-the-scenes ally in chassis man Dale Shaw, and could really turn some heads this year if they stuck with ACT. Moving to PASS is certainly not a bad thing, but the timing simply isn't right. Last year Doiron ran well in his first PASS start at his home track, Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Maine, and started to get his ACT legs under him late in the season with impressive runs at Waterford, Twin State, and the ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, but that's only four races. Out of 15. He also failed to qualify at Lee, Thunder Road, and the Oxford 250, and struggled in races at Airborne, White Mountain, and Beech Ridge.
Doiron's late-season progress showed that he'd have certainly been ready to be in the top-five consistently in 2010, up a bunch from his 14th-to-24th-place runs earlier. Instead, he'll have to start over in a different series with a different car, and the learning curve goes instantly back to where it was at the beginning of last year.
What Doiron needs to do is focus on staying consistent, becoming a threat week in and week out in ACT, get some seat time out front, maybe win a race or two, and then make the jump. And running four or five PASS events on ACT off-weekends would be a great idea in the mean time.
While he is generally easy on equipment, he still has an average of only two crew members -- his parents -- at each race. He needs to establish himself, recruit some more help, and get comfortable racing against the likes of RPM Motorsports, Brent Dragon, John Donahue, the Pete Duto #55NH team, Joey Pole Racing, and the powerhouse ACT teams that are pound-for-pound every bit as good as the PASS-based Moody, Mulkern, and Clark organizations.
We just think Doiron would be better off running in fourth place in ACT than running 12th in PASS. If he had one year of solid consistency in ACT and then went to PASS, the momentum alone would give him a better shot at doing well in PASS right off the bat.
***
We're watching our TVs a bit more this year than we did last year, with eyes on Shelburne's Kevin Lepage in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and Boris Said in the Sprint Cup ranks.
You might recall a sharp-tongued column from last summer about Lepage's recent disappointments, but maybe he's found something better this year in Jack McNelly's #56 Start Energy Drink Chevrolets. Last weekend at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., Lepage practiced and qualified at around 25th place before falling out with a bad wheel bearing on lap 40.
Is this a start-and-park operation? It's hard to tell, but we don't think it will be. McNelly didn't run any races last year, and ran just four times in 2008 with drivers Danny O'Quinn and Travis Kittleson. We're going to wait and see on this, but the car has what appears to be decent sponsorship, and past results with McNelly's cars don't indicate a start-and-parker. Lepage may not win any races in the car, but it seems like a much better deal for Lepage than what he had with Derrike Cope and Jimmy Means last year.
Said, of course, is the pilot of Latitude 43 Motorsports, owned by new guy Bill Jenkins of West Wardsboro. Said finished 25th in the Daytona 500 on the lead lap despite two crashes, but fell out of Fontana in 38th place with a broken rear gear after chasing ignition problems all weekend.
Jenkins has made it clear that he fully intends to run the #26 Ford at every event on the Sprint Cup schedule this season, and is still locked into the lineup (based on last year's top-35 in owner points; the #26 points were purchased from Roush-Fenway Racing) for Las Vegas this weekend, Atlanta next weekend, and Bristol on March 21 before the team will have to worry about qualifying. With little in the way of sponsorship, but a talented team in Said and crew chief Frankie Stoddard, Jenkins remains confident that his team will succeed.
Said ranks 32nd in driver points with Jenkins 33rd in owner standings, 20 points ahead of 36th-place Bob Germain's #13 car and driver Max Papis.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
BREAKING NEWS: Vermonter Jenkins Enters NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
West Wardsboro man buys #26 points from Roush-Fenway; Stoddard to serve as crew chief
WEST WARDSBORO -- NASCAR is coming to Vermont. Or rather, Vermont is headed to NASCAR.
West Wardsboro businessman Bill Jenkins has purchased the car number, owner points, and equipment from the #26 team formerly campaigned by Roush-Fenway Racing and driver Jamie McMurray in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Jenkins plans to contest the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule beginning with next month's Daytona 500 at Daytona Int'l Speedway in Florida.
"I'm a huge race fan and I've always wanted to do this," Jenkins told Vermont Motorsports Magazine on Tuesday. "The opportunity presented itself, and I took it."
Jenkins and his wife, Sandy, are the owners of Latitude 43, an organic soap company.
Originally from New York City, Jenkins moved to New England in 1990 and has homes in Vermont and Maine. He plans to keep strong ties to the northeast with his new adventure, starting with the core of the team; Jenkins has hired North Haverhill, N.H. native Frank Stoddard as crew chief. Stoddard won 17 Sprint Cup Series races with Roush-Fenway Racing and driver Jeff Burton in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
"We have a shop in Concord, N.C. and we could do all of our business down there, but we're staying true to Vermont," said Jenkins. "I consider Vermont my home, and I have for almost 20 years. There are a lot of race fans here in Vermont, and I'd like to think this may be a big deal for them and give them something to cheer for. We will do all of our banking through Vermont and try to focus on the state as much as we can."
McMurray drove the #26 to 22nd place in Sprint Cup Series point standings in 2009, locking the car into the first five events of the 2010 season under NASCAR's owners points system. The team won the AMP Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway in November. Roush-Fenway was forced to cut the team from its organization in accordance with NASCAR's new policy limiting race teams to four cars. Roush-Fenway Racing will continue to field the #6, #16, #17, and #99 cars for David Ragan, Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, and Carl Edwards, respectively.
Jenkins said that he realizes there is a lot of work to do before the season starts on Feb. 14 in the biggest stock car race in the world. "We don't have any sponsors, and I realize that we will be the only blank canvas in the top-35 at Daytona," he said. "We've been contacted by several companies that otherwise couldn't become involved in NASCAR for various reasons, and we think we'll find something soon."
The 61-year old said he drew inspiration from a close friend, Middlebury car dealership mogul and veteran Devil's Bowl Speedway racer Gardner Stone, before he made the transaction with Roush-Fenway: "One of Gardner's favorite sayings is 'Life isn't a dress rehearsal.' I've been around racing since I was a kid. I remember guys driving around with cigarettes in their mouths and their arms hanging out the window. Now, all these years later, I finally have a chance to get involved.
"It's all very exciting. I celebrated for about ten minutes when we signed the deal, but then I put my head down in the ditch and got to work."
Jenkins expects to name his team's driver in the coming days.
WEST WARDSBORO -- NASCAR is coming to Vermont. Or rather, Vermont is headed to NASCAR. West Wardsboro businessman Bill Jenkins has purchased the car number, owner points, and equipment from the #26 team formerly campaigned by Roush-Fenway Racing and driver Jamie McMurray in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Jenkins plans to contest the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule beginning with next month's Daytona 500 at Daytona Int'l Speedway in Florida.
"I'm a huge race fan and I've always wanted to do this," Jenkins told Vermont Motorsports Magazine on Tuesday. "The opportunity presented itself, and I took it."
Jenkins and his wife, Sandy, are the owners of Latitude 43, an organic soap company.
Originally from New York City, Jenkins moved to New England in 1990 and has homes in Vermont and Maine. He plans to keep strong ties to the northeast with his new adventure, starting with the core of the team; Jenkins has hired North Haverhill, N.H. native Frank Stoddard as crew chief. Stoddard won 17 Sprint Cup Series races with Roush-Fenway Racing and driver Jeff Burton in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
"We have a shop in Concord, N.C. and we could do all of our business down there, but we're staying true to Vermont," said Jenkins. "I consider Vermont my home, and I have for almost 20 years. There are a lot of race fans here in Vermont, and I'd like to think this may be a big deal for them and give them something to cheer for. We will do all of our banking through Vermont and try to focus on the state as much as we can."
McMurray drove the #26 to 22nd place in Sprint Cup Series point standings in 2009, locking the car into the first five events of the 2010 season under NASCAR's owners points system. The team won the AMP Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway in November. Roush-Fenway was forced to cut the team from its organization in accordance with NASCAR's new policy limiting race teams to four cars. Roush-Fenway Racing will continue to field the #6, #16, #17, and #99 cars for David Ragan, Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, and Carl Edwards, respectively.
Jenkins said that he realizes there is a lot of work to do before the season starts on Feb. 14 in the biggest stock car race in the world. "We don't have any sponsors, and I realize that we will be the only blank canvas in the top-35 at Daytona," he said. "We've been contacted by several companies that otherwise couldn't become involved in NASCAR for various reasons, and we think we'll find something soon."
The 61-year old said he drew inspiration from a close friend, Middlebury car dealership mogul and veteran Devil's Bowl Speedway racer Gardner Stone, before he made the transaction with Roush-Fenway: "One of Gardner's favorite sayings is 'Life isn't a dress rehearsal.' I've been around racing since I was a kid. I remember guys driving around with cigarettes in their mouths and their arms hanging out the window. Now, all these years later, I finally have a chance to get involved.
"It's all very exciting. I celebrated for about ten minutes when we signed the deal, but then I put my head down in the ditch and got to work."
Jenkins expects to name his team's driver in the coming days.
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