NASCAR: Latitude 43 Signs With GlobeTrack Wireless GPS

(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.

VIDEO: New Hampshire Motor Speedway Press Conference

WARNING: Some of the language in this video may be inappropriate for children!



LOUDON, N.H. -- Vermont Motorsports Magazine took in the 20th Annual Vintage Racing Celebration at New Hampshire Motor Speedway Wednesday. Although it was a bit cold and rainy, there was still plenty going on.

An afternoon press conference brought together NHMS Founder Bob Bahre, NHMS Vice President and General Manager Jerry Gappens, NASCAR Champion Bobby Allison, and New England favorites Ricky Craven and Brad Leighton to remember their favorite moments from NHMS and Bahre's first track, Oxford Plains Speedway.

Stay tuned to VMM for more updates!

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.)

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 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.

Click here to read the article on Jayski.com.

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.

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)

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/.

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.

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.

Hall of Famer Gahan Passes Away at 83

'62 Thunder Road winner was National Modified Champion

CRANBERRY ISLES, Me. -- Modified racing legend Ernie Gahan passed away at his Maine home on Thursday night at the age of 83. Gahan was the 1966 NASCAR National Modified Champion.

Among the many honors bestowed upon Gahan, who began racing in 1948 at a track in his home town of Dover, N.H., were inductions into several Halls of Fame; he was part of the inaugural class of the New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1998, and is also a member of the New York State Stock Car Association Hall of Fame, the Maine Motorsports Hall of Fame, and the Beech Ridge (Me.) Motor Speedway Hall of Fame.

Gahan's 300-plus feature victories included a Triple Crown effort at Barre's Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl on July 19, 1962; he was a frequent competitor there and at the former Catamount Stadium in Milton in the 1960s. Gahan made 11 starts in the NASCAR Grand National (Sprint Cup) Series from 1960-66, and was given the Buddy Shuman Award for outstanding contributions to NASCAR after helping DeWayne "Tiny" Lund rescue driver Marvin Panch from a fiery crash at Daytona Int'l Speedway in 1963.

Gahan's last competitive start with a NASCAR touring series came in 1987 at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway in a Whelen Modified Tour event, finishing 20th with his famous number-50. His son, Bobby, has amassed 15 championships and nearly 400 feature wins in a 40-year career in and around sourthern New Hampshire.

"Ernie was part of the Modified legacy that has helped make NASCAR what it is today. He was a great racer and true New England legend," said Jim Hunter, NASCAR vice president for corporate communications. "On behalf of NASCAR and the France family, our thoughts and prayers go out to Gahan's family and friends."

Services for Gahan will be held Wednesday at Purdy Memorial Chapel, 2 Concord Rd., Durham, N.H. The wake will be from 12-2 pm, followed by the funeral service.

(Photo credit: Howie Hodge/NASCAR)

Ragan to Drive Phil Scott Team Car

MIDDLESEX -- Car owner and crew chief Pete Duto confirmed Saturday that NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver David Ragan of Unadilla, Ga. will compete at Barre's Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl on Thursday in a car prepared by Duto as a teammate to multi-time "King of the Road" Phil Scott.

However, exactly which car Ragan will be in is still up in the air.

"The plan right now is to have (Ragan) in Phil's green car on Thursday," said Duto, who prepares Scott's cars and is the registered owner of the #55NH car run primarily on the ACT Late Model Tour by Brad Leighton.

Scott will drive the green car in a test at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H. on Tuesday, in preparation for the ACT Invitational on Sept. 19.

"Depending on how the test at Loudon goes, Ragan will be in that car," said Duto. "But if we need to make a lot of changes, then we'll put him in Brad's car. But then again, that's not for certain, either; there's a lot of (ACT) racing coming up with Claremont (Twin State Speedway), Labor Day (at Thunder Road), and everything else. We'll know more next week."

Ragan earned his second career NASCAR Nationwide Series win at Bristol Motor Speedway on Friday night.

Thursday's 100-lap Vt. State Employees Credit Union feature at Thunder Road will decide the 2009 "King of the Road." Scott, of Montpelier, enters the event 52 points behind leader Jean-Paul Cyr of Milton. Post time is 6:00pm.

The Juice: New Track, New Seasons, and Nothing's Wrong at Talladega

-by Justin St. Louis

The 2009 season may have opened for us two weeks ago, but this weekend is THE big one! We've got action on both sides of the lake, don't miss it!

***

The off-season hype about Airborne Speedway's facelift took a giant leap toward justification on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons this week, as many teams and fans got their first look at the redesigned Plattsburgh, N.Y. track. A practice session scheduled for Tuesday was rained out, but fans were still encouraged to come to the track and take a slow lap around the new progressively banked (and smartly striped) corners. On Wednesday, the practice went off without a hitch, and reportedly, the results were outstanding for all divisions.

"We had a pit area full of cars, it was like an actual race there were so many people there," said Airborne Promoter Mike Perrotte. "A lot of guys were having a hard time finding a line, but once they find their way around it's going to be great."

Perrotte was particularly impressed with Modified champion Patrick Dupree and Renegade veteran Rob Gordon (car #H20 above - Leif Tillotson photo), who were the class of their respective divisions.

"Pat Dupree moved up the track at the end of the day, and he picked up two or three tenths (of a second per lap)," said Perrotte. "Once we get some rubber on the track, especially in the top groove, they'll really start to venture up there. Rob Gordon has his same old car in the Renegades, and he moved to the high side right from the first practice and almost lapped the field. If you're nuts enough to stick it out there, you can really go.

"Everything was great."

VMM took a ride across the lake on Tuesday to check it out (only to arrive mere minutes after the plug was pulled), and made a lot of mental notes about the place. While walking the track and taking some photos, it became very obvious that the new banking and slightly redesigned radii of the corners will create infinitely more multi-groove racing than the old surface. The pinch and 'natural push' in Turn 2 seem to have been elimintated, while a Thunder Road-like narrowing of the track out of Turn 4 will likely create some excitement, and at least judging from the race track side of the fence, may remind fans of the racing at Canaan Fair (N.H.) Speedway or the old Catamount Stadium, where it feels like the race cars are coming straight at you before turning at the last minute to head down the frontstretch. The entrance to Turn 3 having been moved out a few feet will allow for a more sweeping line, similar to Oxford Plains (Me.) Speedway or the totally circular Adirondack Int'l (N.Y.) Speedway. The multiple grooves and downhill momentum out of the corners is akin to Kawartha (Ont.) Speedway or Toyota Speedway at Irwindale (Calif.).

Speaking personally, having driven two laps around the place (albeit at 25mph), I got that seat-of-the-pants feeling that there was really something special going on with the new surface. It compares in almost no way to the track I competed on for the better part of three years as a kid, and while I miss that old layout, I could very quickly warm up to what I saw on Tuesday if I was still racing there. In fact, I'm quite jealous of the guys and girls that will get to spend their summer behind the wheel at The Big A.

Aside from the track itself, the facility's physical improvements are remarkable: a new media tower, new walls, a new, much more rigid catch fence, a new infield pit road, and a new lighting system should nicely compliment the recent improvements to the outer pit area and concession buildings. Basically, the entire Airborne Speedway property has all of the best elements of some of the finest short track racing facilities in the country, and its owner, promoter, and staff should be complimented by all racers, fans, and sponsors involved in the racing there this year and beyond.

I've said it before, and am confident that it will become fact: Airborne Speedway should prove to be a showpiece in the region for years and years to come. Can't wait for the opener on Saturday.

***

Also can't wait for the opener on Sunday. Thunder Road, of course. Not sure there's anything that can be said in this column space that could make a race fan want to go to Thunder Road any more than all the recent news to come out of the place, but here's a shot at it: Four divisions with anywhere between 120 and 140 race cars, all of which will be paraded through Barre City on Saturday morning and then again through the infield at the track on Sunday afternoon for the traditional 'Class Day' ceremonies, the excitement of the NHMS qualifier from ACT's Merchants Bank 150, the likes of racers from around the region like Laperle, Cyr, Hoar, Payea, Polewarczyk, and Rolfe, local guys like Michaud, Williams, Scott, Pembroke, Fisher, and Donahue, and the true heroes in the Tiger Sportsman, Street Stock, and Warrior divisions.

Thunder Road's season openers are always special, but it's the 50th season this year, so you know it'll be special-special. Be there.

***

If you're in Central Vermont, you know that 107.1 Frank-FM is the #1 spot to turn your radio dial. VMM HQ is a little too far north for the reception to come in all the time, but it's always been a favorite when we're in the right range. Frank-FM has graciously added "The Juice" to the racing page on its website, and will update its page weekly with each new column. Thanks, Frank, and rock on!

***

According to a few folks in the know, Twin State Speedway's season opener went pretty well last Friday night. In its first year running with a Late Model rulebook that is 100% ACT-legal, 14 cars showed up for the opener, including Thunder Road rookie Dylan Smith of Randolph, who is driving for Pete Fecteau this season. Mike Parks, race director at the Claremont, N.H. track, said he felt the racing was good and the division's potential at the track is really beginning to take shape. "Tom Curley was at the track, and the fact that he was there supporting our program adds an instant credibility to what we're trying to do," said Parks. "I think if we had anywhere between two and four Thunder Road cars there each week this year, it would help the division a lot, and give our guys something to work on." Curley, the American-Canadian Tour and Thunder Road President/Promoter, awarded Twin State Speedway a date on his ACT Late Model Tour this season, and the race, of course, is a qualifying event for the ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September. (Photo: #44 Dennis Stange, #29 Aaron Fellows, and #25 Dallas Trombley get after it at Twin State on Friday night - Alan Ward photo)

One of Twin State's top dogs, Guy Caron of Lempster, N.H., won the opening night feature, followed by Ascutney's Chris Riendeau and Mark Merrill of Newport, N.H. Sixteen year-old Smith finished last, 14th, in his first career Late Model start.

Dana Smith of Goshen, N.H. won the Modified main over Arthur Heino, Jr. and second-generation Ascutney racer Joey Jarvis. Mendon's Chris Wilk won the Super Street feature. Other winners included Ben Poland (Strictly Stock), Hartland's Cody Small (Wildcats), and 14 year-old Shawna Wallace (Sportsman).

From the This-Guy-Must-Really-Love-What-He-Does File, Croydon, N.H. standout Aaron Fellows raced in three divisions on Friday, finishing eighth in both the Late Model and Modified features, and finishing second to Wilk in the Super Street event.

***

ACT's Ford engine is still awaiting official approval, and may get it following this weekend's Merchants Bank 150 at Thunder Road. Tom Curley said that representatives from Ford will be at the Merchants Bank 150 to get a first-hand look at the performance of the engine in Cris Michaud's Late Model.

"Hopefully, (the Ford engine) will be optioned into the rule book next week following this weekend," Curley said in an email this week.

Michaud, who has now tested the engine at Thunder Road, White Mountain Motorsports Park, and Airborne Speedway, and finished 15th in the ACT Late Model Tour event at Lee USA Speedway two weeks ago, said he is optimistic about the engine's future.

"We went out and tried some new stuff at Thunder Road (last Sunday), played with the gears, and we picked up a little time on the stopwatch, and Airborne went well (on Wednesday), so that's all good," he said. "We ran well against Brent Dragon and Pembroke and Williams. I've heard that there people waiting to buy the Ford motor as soon as it gets approved."

***

Usually, this website won't cover or even discuss the upper levels of NASCAR's national touring series, but we have formed an opinion about the Carl Edwards crash at Talladega Superspeedway: NASCAR has done exactly what it was morally and legally required to do, and Talladega Superspeedway and its parent company, International Speedway Corp., have done exactly what they needed to do. (Photo: #99 Carl Edwards flies through the air at Talladega as #39 Ryan Newman grinds downt he track - Rainier Ehrhardt/AP photo)

Essentially, everyone that was at the Aaron's 499 on Sunday walked away perfectly safe, except for 17 year-old Blake Bobbitt, who suffered a broken jaw when a piece of debris hit her during the crash. When Edwards' car took a horrifying mid-air turn toward the grandstands at 180+ miles per hour on the final lap of the race, two things could have happened -- hundreds or even thousands of people could have been injured or killed, or Edwards' car could have been kept inside the racing surface and everyone could have walked away basically unharmed.

Thankfully, it was the latter.

Folks, the catch fence did its job, and Carl Edwards' race car did its job. A complete holocaust could have happened and it didn't. Had that race car gone into the crowd, it could have meant an instant end to motorsports as we know it. But it didn't. As recently as five years ago, Carl Edwards at the very least would likely have been killed given the speed and the strange angle at which he impacted the wall and fence, but advancements in driver safety and car construction certainly saved his life. And had NASCAR, ISC, and Talladega not taken measures to provide their fans with the best possible known protection against the variable that is 43 cars traveling at 300 feet per second for four hours, there would have been a major disaster.

Bobby Allison's Talladega wreck in 1987 was bad, way worse than Edwards'. Richard Petty's barrel roll against the fence at Daytona the next year (photo left, courtesy NASCAR), or Dale Earnhardt's crash at Talladega in 1996 could have had tragic consequences for sepctators. Those races were certainly eye-openers in terms of catch fence technology. And when Carl Edwards landed safely back on terra firma on Sunday, rather than in a 140,000+ seat grandstand, it was proof positive that the fence engineers had done their jobs correctly.

Now, what if Edwards' car had been 10 or 12 feet higher in the air? Then we'd have a problem. But if the fence was 12 feet higher, what if Edwards' car went 13 feet higher? There are all kinds of questions that can be asked, answered, then asked again. Nobody ever expected Tracie Bellerose to end up in the parking lot at Thunder Road, but she got there, and now there's a fence in Turn 3 that may likely never be used to keep a race car in-bounds, simply because it takes a lot of things to wrong (or right, if you want to scientific) all at the same time to get a stock car flying through that space.

Can everyone learn from the crash on Sunday? Absolutely, and the fence will certainly be rebuilt stonger, better, and safer for competitors and spectators before the Sprint Cup Series returns in October. But the fact is, there are always unforseen variables that cannot be prevented at automobile races -- three fans were killed at an IRL IndyCar event at Michigan Int'l Speedway in 1998 when an errant tire flew many rows up into the grandstands; a tragic crash at LeMans in 1955 killed 82 people; loose hoods from Cup cars have flown 40 feet above the track and into the grandstands at Daytona Int'l Speedway (Ernie Irvan, 1998, Robby Gordon, 2003), although neither incident was fatal -- and race fans, like drivers and crew members, attend events at their own risk.

Edwards was quick to blame NASCAR's 'yellow line' no-passing rule and the requirement of restrictor plates at Talladega and Daytona for the cause of the crash. "We'll race like this until we kill somebody," he said Sunday, "then [NASCAR] will change it."

Allison, whose '87 wreck was mostly responsible for the implementation of restrictor plates, pooh-poohed Edwards' comments.

"(Racing is) as safe as we see modern entertainment," Allison said in an Associated Press article. "If you're at a hockey game and the hockey puck comes into the grandstands and hits you in the head and kills you, it's not safe. If you're at the football game and the football hits you in the head and kills you, you're not safe. If you're at a baseball game and the baseball hits you and kills you, you're not safe."

Amen to that, Mr. Allison, and kudos to NASCAR and ISC for keeping their fans and drivers as safe as they can.

Ragan Added to Thunder Road Lineup

BARRE, VT -- Add David Ragan to the list of NASCAR drivers that will flock to Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl in Barre this summer. As part of the track's celebration of 50 seasons of racing this year, Ragan will compete in the regular season finale on Thursday, August 27. The second-generation Unadilla, Ga. driver joins two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Tony Stewart, who will compete in the CARQUEST Vermont Governor's Cup 150 on June 25, and former champions Bobby Allison and Richard Petty as a visitor to Thunder Road.

"We wanted superstars from our past, present, and future to highlight our 50th anniversary activities," said Thunder Road co-owner and promoter Tom Curley. "We wanted a racer who we believe is ready for future stardom on NASCAR’s top level of racing. David Ragan is the real deal."

Ragan earned his first NASCAR Nationwide Series victory at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday and is currently third in that series' championship standings. He ranks 26th in the Sprint Cup Series, with a best finish of sixth in February's Daytona 500. Ragan currently drives the #6 Ford Fusion for Roush-Fenway Racing on both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series. His father, Ken Ragan, made 50 starts in the Sprint Cup Series in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Ragan was on the track at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H. during a Goodyear tire test earlier this month at the same time as ACT Late Model Tour drivers Donald Theetge, Phil Scott, and Dave Pembroke; the latter two will compete against Ragan at Thunder Road.

"We were some impressed with their driving, and I can’t wait to get after them at Thunder Road in August," said Ragan. "Thunder Road is one place I have really wanted to run. This will be a hoot."

Thunder Road's 50th season opens on Sunday with the ACT Late Model Tour's Merchants Bank 150.

(Photo courtesy NASCAR)

The Juice: Racing, Debates, and a Major Award

Woo! Racing season! The top two full-fendered touring series in the northeast kick off their seasons on Sunday, and if you're not at a race track, you're missing out.

***

It sure was good to take in some practice action at Thunder Road on Tuesday. A bit chilly toward the end, but still real good. And seeing 70 race cars on a Vermont Tuesday night in April is incredible.

Some of the surprises included Joey Doiron of Berwick, Me., who came to T-Road for the first time. "It was a long haul, but I got to skip school, so it was worth it," he said. Doiron, 17, held his own against the big guns, but more importantly, got some good seat time at a new track. "I actually liked it. People tell horror stories about hitting that wall in Turn 4, but I didn't have any problems. It's a neat place." Doiron will split his time in 2009 between the Pro Series (Super Late Models) at his home track, Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, and the American-Canadian Tour.

Other Late Model young guns on the track included Kyle Caron, who at 18 looked like an elder statesman, and 16 year-olds Dylan Smith and Steven Legendre. Smith spun twice, while Legendre left a donut on the door of Brooks Clark's car after some close-quarters action.
We didn't bring a stopwatch, but the word on the street is that Nick Sweet might give the Thursday-night crowd a pretty good go at it this year, according to yesterday's unofficial lap times. Dave Pembroke and Brent Dragon were also at the top of the charts.

A nice-looking field of Tiger Sportsmen, Street Stocks, and Junkyard Warriors was also on hand. If you want our opinion, there may not be a better looking race car in the pits this year than David Allen's #11 Street Stock (right). David Greenslit's #20 car is pretty sharp, too. Check out Leif Tillotson's VLFPhotos.com gallery here.

***

Man, are they getting it done at Airborne. The progress is incredible - look at those banks!

***

Why am I getting into dirt racing this year? Because of pictures like this. That's Orwell driver Tim LaDuc at Albany-Saratoga Speedway at a recent practice. (Dave D'Alessandro/CVRA photo)

***

Thanks to Jason Schoellen and Bill Kimm, there's a raging debate on the message boards of nascar.com about whether or not the Sprint Cup Series should have more night races. In what began as one of the website's 'Head2Head' features, Schoellen was in favor of the idea, citing the fact that "Saturday night races hold true to the racing roots of local short-track events. It's what most drivers, especially those raised on dirt, are used to. Fans could watch the Cup race at night like they would at home and still be back in time for church on Sunday and work on Monday."

Kimm was agin the idea: "When I think NASCAR, I think Sunday afternoons with my dad ... I don't think about racing under the lights until well past midnight. Bristol ... remained the only nighttime event until the early '90s when Richmond and Charlotte added lights. Now, with money the driving force and TV ad time premium in the prime-time hours, we are seeing more and more nighttime events. Do we need more? Absolutely not."

As it is now, there are 12 such races on the schedule including the non-points Budweiser Shootout and Sprint All-Star Race, with nine of them running during primetime on Saturday nights between April 18 (Phoenix, this weekend) and October 17 (Charlotte), or, short track racing season.

It is this writer's opinion (and that of many on the nascar.com forum) that Saturday-night TV races do nothing to help the sport of auto racing as a whole. As Schoellen suggested, it is a proven fact that race fans often stay at home on the loveseat to watch the Sprint Cup Series under the lights, rather than attending a local short track that they regularly visit, like Bear Ridge or Riverside or Airborne. And if Schoellen was really concerned about "holding true" to the roots of short track racing, he would see that and understand that those TV events hurt the short tracks.
Kimm, and a lot of forum participants, touched on the long history of NASCAR running on Sunday afternoons. "Don't get me wrong, I like night races," Kimm wrote. "There's something to be said about seeing the cars sparkle under a fluorescent glow at tracks like Bristol and Daytona. But it should be a special event, not the norm - it takes away the uniqueness."

Poster 'Chevyfan41' agreed, also bringing up the short track thing: "NO! Saturday night is historically local dirt track night. Sunday afternoon is when Cup races should be!"

Followed in the very next post by 'kenhow8': "Yes, they should race as many as possible! The Sunday afternoon races are getting boring since they started racing (the) COT."

(Someone should probably inform 'kenhow8' that the cars, tracks, drivers, and therefore races, won't change whether the sun is out or not.)

One thing that bothers me is the idea posted by many that they grew up on Saturday-night racing at their local short track, and therefore that's where NASCAR belongs. I ask the question: If you enjoy the local track so much, why don't you continue to support it? I mean, TiVo and DVR have been around for a while now, and you can always fall back on the ol' reliable VCR if you need to. Tape the NASCAR race, go out and cheer on some local heroes. That's what I do, anyway.

Whether I'm right or wrong - and I'm probably wrong - the debate is interesting. There are positives to running the night races - increased TV exposure and advertising for the sponsors that support the upper levels of NASCAR, and some of the hosting tracks do see an increase in attendance - but surely as many negatives that affect more than just the top-tier NASCAR teams. Let 'em know what you think.

***

Montréal in 6. That's all I'm saying.

***

The ACT/Ford crate engine test went as well as expected, says Cris Michaud. He and Eric Williams took part in a practice session designed specifically to test the new Ford R&D powerplant on Tuesday afternoon at Thunder Road, to directly compare on-track performance against the exisitng Chevrolet 'spec' engine currently used in ACT racing.

Michaud and Williams raced each other at speed in several situations, including Michaud running in front of and behind Williams, and on both inside and outside lanes. Like his previous test with the engine at White Mountain Motorsports Park, Michaud was pleased with the results.

"Again, the lap times were the same here at Thunder Road as last year," he said. "The horsepower is exactly the same as the Chevy motor on the (dynamometer) sheet, but the torque is a bit different. There is definitely more high-end torque with the Ford, where the Chevy has better low-end power."

Williams said he thought Michaud's car performed as well as it would have with the Chevrolet engine, although he factored Thunder Road itself into the equation.

"It's hard to tell at Thunder Road, Thunder Road's not a motor track, so I wouldn't judge anything from it," Williams said. "I've run here with a plug wire off and run better than I did with it on. I ain't taking much from it."

Williams also thinks Michaud might have been playing a game of possum. "They're playing their cards," he suggested. "You know what I mean? Come on, they didn't start racing yesterday. They're better than they showed, and they were good."

It looks like the true test will be on Sunday at the ACT Late Model Tour opener at Lee USA Speedway on the New Hampshire seacoast. Michaud will be running the Ford engine in a race for the first time.

***

Going quickly back to last week's piece on car counts, we've got some good news to report: The NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour attracted 25 cars for its event last Saturday night at Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, N.C., while the PASS South 'Easter Bunny 150' brought 42 Super Late Models to Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway. The WSMT's previous season high had been just 20; the PASS event was only the second race on the series' schedule, but still more-than-doubled it's opening day count.

***

Do you know what that is? Do you? That's a major award. And it's mine. On the fridge. (Nevermind the Lightning McQueen magnet, here, focus.)

What's it for? It's the Pac Man Award.

What's the Pac Man Award? Uh... well, actually, most dodgeballs to the face.

...But it's mine.

***

Okay, race fans, here's your assignment: This weekend, get out and enjoy some racing. It doesn't matter if you go to Lee USA for the ACT race, Speedway 95 for the PASS North race, or if you clear out a track in your hayfield. It's the official beginning of spring!

King Richard Returning to Thunder Road

Thankfully, Ken Squier and Tom Curley don't know when to quit.

The co-owners of Barre's Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl have announced that Richard Petty, NASCAR's all-time leading race winner and champion, will return to the track on Thursday, July 30 to help celebrate its 50th anniversary season. "The King" last visited the track in 1992 as part of his Fan Appreciation Tour prior to his retirement from driving later that year. Few spectator crowds at Thunder Road have been comparable in size before or since.

"Richard set the bar not only as a driver but as the sport’s spokesman, and still does today", said Squier. "No one made themselves so available to fans or to the press as Richard. You could find him signing autographs hours after a race. He even created a signature that took an extra moment to write as he wanted to look a fan in the eye, and thank them for their support."

Petty won 200 races in what is now the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series during a career that began in 1958, including 10 consecutively and 27 overall in 1967, records that will likely never be broken. He is tied with the late Dale Earnhardt for most championships on the series at seven, won between 1964 and 1979, and continues today as a co-owner in the newly forged Richard Petty Motorsports with drivers Kasey Kahne, Elliott Sadler, Reed Sorenson, and A.J. Allmendinger. It was recently revealed that Petty will make his first foray into open-wheel racing with John Andretti behind the wheel of a Richard Petty Motorsports entry at the Indianapolis 500 in May.

Thunder Road officials announced that Bobby Allison, Petty's chief rival for most of his career, would be visiting the track on June 18, with two-time NASCAR Champion Tony Stewart competing in the CARQUEST Vermont Governor's Cup 150 on June 25. Officials have also repeatedly dropped hints at another current NASCAR driver competing at Thunder Road this season.

Thunder Road's 50th season unofficially begins with a practice session for its American-Canadian Tour Late Model, NAPA Tiger Sportsman, Allen Lumber Street Stock, and Power Shift Online Junkyard Warrior divisions on Tuesday, April 14 from 4:00-7:00pm. The official opening event is Sat./Sun., May 2/3 with the ACT Late Model Tour's Merchants Bank 150 and annual car show in downtown Barre.

Bobby Allison Returning to Thunder Road

NASCAR legend Bobby Allison will return to "The Nation's Site of Excitement," Barre's Thunder Road, on Thursday night, June 18, to help celebrate the track's 50th season of racing. Allison was the 1983 NASCAR Winston Cup (now Sprint Cup) Series Champion, and officially ranks in a third-place tie with Darrell Waltrip with 84 career victories on the series.

Allison previously visited Thunder Road in 1999 as part of the track's 40th Anniversary celebration.

"The track’s intention is to honor the greats from the '60s to today, national stars and Thunder Road’s own greats," said Thunder Road founder and co-owner Ken Squier. "Actually we’re planning to present another NASCAR star driver for the future who will compete against Thunder Road regulars later this season," said Squier. "No one better represents the spirit of racing. Bobby raced four and five nights a week. He said for him it was his golf game and he loved the short tracks as much as the Super Speedways."

The patriarch of the famed "Alabama Gang," Allison began racing short tracks near his home in Hialeah, Fla. in the 1950s with brother Donnie. After relocating in the 1960s, the two drivers, along with Red Farmer, Neil Bonnett, and Bobby Allison's son, Davey and Clifford, put Hueytown, Ala. on the world's auto racing map.

Bobby Allison won the NASCAR National Modified championship in 1964 and 1965 before taking his first Sprint Cup Series victory at Maine's Oxford Plains Speedway the following season. Allison was involved in perhaps the sport's most important moment - "The Fight" at the 1979 Daytona 500, which also involved brother Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough - with Squier leading the call on CBS television.

Allison's driving career ended in 1988 after a horrific crash at Pocono, Penn. left him with critical injuries. Just months earlier, Allison beat his son, Davey, in a 1-2 finish at the Daytona 500, the final victory of his career. Following his recovery, he continued in the sport as a car owner until 1996.

BREAKING NEWS: Stewart to Drive Polewarczyk Team Car at Governor's Cup

Vermont Motorsports Magazine has learned that the American-Canadian Tour is expected to announce later today that two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Tony Stewart will drive a car prepared by the team of ACT Late Model Tour star Joey Polewraczyk, Jr. at the CARQUEST Vermont Governor's Cup 150 at Barre's Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl on June 25.

Stewart's appearance in the race was announced last Tuesday. The race is the first of four special events that will award qualifying positions for the inaugural ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September.

Curley Happy with NHMS Test

Tom Curley can breathe a little easier now.

The American-Canadian Tour President was part of a two-day closed-session test for Goodyear at the 1.058-mile New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H. with two of his touring series' teams, and was very pleased with the results he saw. A trio of former ACT champions, Phil Scott, Donald Theetge, and Dave Pembroke, tested cars on Tuesday and Wednesday in preparation for the inaugural ACT Invitational on NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sylvania 300 weekend in September.

"We ran a 50-lap simulated race today, and it went great," Curley told Vermont Motorsports Magazine on Wednesday afternoon. "The tires were fabulous, the lap times were terrific, it really was something."

Québec's Theetge, the 2006 Série ACT-Castrol Champion, and Middlesex driver Pembroke, the 2007 Champion at Barre's Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl, took part in the 50-lap session. Scott, the 2002 ACT Late Model Tour Champion, made history on Tuesday as the first driver to turn a Late Model car around the superspeedway following rain showers that wiped away much of the day. Due to his obligations as a Vermont Senator, Scott was unable to return to Loudon on Wednesday to take part in the second session; his car remained at the speedway for Pembroke to drive. Four Sprint Cup Series teams - those of Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, David Ragan, and David Stremme - were also on hand testing for Goodyear.

Goodyear designed Wednesday's 50-lap test to simulate race conditions with two 20-lap segments and a final 10-lap run, in order to allow the tires to heat and expand, cool and shrink, and react the way they might in a real race.

"David (Pembroke) found a new line and was a half-second faster in the last 20 laps he ran than he was in the first 30, which is a great sign," Curley said. "Overall our (ACT) cars were about a second and a half slower than the Cup cars, which is really pretty good."

Curley said one of the highlights of the day came near the end of the session.

"Goodyear ran our cars at the same time as the Cup cars, and Pembroke got to race about 10 hard laps at the end with Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch, which was a great thrill for everyone," said Curley. "He did great in the corners - he was actually faster than they were in the corners - but their 800 horsepower went right by him on the straightaways. It was pretty neat, though."

Aside from the fun, Curley said that the purpose of the test - to learn not only about the Goodyear tires, but also about how the Late Model cars would withstand straightaway speeds of over 140 mph, and whether or not corner braking would be an issue - was a huge success.

"The aero issues, the brake issues that we were worried about, were non-factors. I was concerned with the spec motor being a bit doggish off the corners, but it had plenty of zip and the cars looked pretty fast coming out," Curley said. "Donald Theetge went just about as good as Pembroke, and they feel there will really be an opportunity for a lot of side-by-side racing on race day. The next test in August should be a very good overall experience for everyone, and we're very happy."

Scott echoed Curley's thoughts, and said that the ACT spec engine performed well on the superspeedway.

"The engines were... I don't want to say the word 'numb' because that's not right, they kept pulling (down the straightaways). I think we'll have chassis looseness, but we won't have any problems spinning off the corners from traction breaking loose. It was a very good combination for the track."

Theetge suffered a power steering failure early in Tuesday's session, but made significant gains on Wednesday.

"It went very well, especially for the first time on the track with a brand new car," Theetge said. "It's too bad we had a problem on Tuesday, but we were much quicker today. I think we realized after the two days were over that it's not so difficult to drive the track like we thought it would be. I think we're going to have a great show with 36 cars out there. All those people that come see us will have a great time."

Scott was pleased with the results he saw behind the wheel.

"We got to make three or four runs (after the rains cleared on Tuesday), and it went really well," said the Montpelier driver. "The car was awesome, very stable. I got used to the track - I wouldn't say quickly - but I became very comfortable. It's a nice track to drive, there are a lot of different lines we were able to run. It reminded me a lot of Sanair, it has the same flavor, the same feel, and I really enjoyed racing up there. I think our cars are going to adapt nicely (to NHMS), and I really look forward to going back down there."

Scott said that there was a lot of interest in the ACT cars, chiefly from Jeff Gordon and David Stremme.

"It was sort of a funny thing, and maybe it because of the weather, but we got down to the point where we were (turning lap times) within a second of the Cup cars on Tuesday," said Scott. "We parked our cars in the same garage as the Cup teams, and they paid attention to what we were doing. David Stremme is a great guy, he came over and introduced himself and climbed under the cars, he was very interested in them. He seemed impressed with the cars, the only thing he was concerned about was the brakes. But we didn't have any brake problems."

The cars were strong enough at the track, Scott says, that many people took notice.

"Jeff Gordon was standing on top of his trailer watching us (Tuesday), and he came over a couple times during the day to talk. Fred Neergaard (NHMS Communications Director) was really enthusiastic. Tom Curley was a little nervous at the start of the day, but I think he was very happy with the results.

"All in all, it was a very positive day."

Scott reflected on the test and took pride in the role he, Theetge, and Pembroke played in making history for the 'little guys' of the northeastern short track world.

"I never would have thought this would have happened," he said. "To be the first ones of our group on the track is pretty special. This is such a strong NASCAR track, and I never thought it would be possible for us to race here."

Curley said that he has "no qualms at all" about the ACT Invitational in September. "Goodyear is tickled to death, New Hampshire is happy, and so are we," he said. "The tires were great, the cars were great, and we're really looking forward to coming back."

Scott Eager for NHMS Tire Test

Phil Scott of Montpelier and Donald Theetge of Boischatel, Que. will make short track racing history on Tuesday as the first American-Canadian Tour Late Model competitors to drive their cars around the 1.058-mile New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., in a private test held by Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.

In a closed, two-day session on Tuesday and Wednesday, Scott and Theetge will gather information for the tire maunfacturer, chassis builders, competitors, and the track, in preparation for the inaugural ACT Invitational on NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sylvania 300 weekend in September.

"It's certainly an interesting proposal, being invited to participate in this test," said Scott, the 2002 ACT Late Model Tour and three-time Thunder Road Int'l Speedbowl champion. "Getting an opportunity like this is kind of cool, being the first ACT drivers on the track. I'm anxious to see how the cars perform, and testing for Goodyear is something you don't get to do every day."

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, David Ragan, and David Stremme will also be a part of the test. Scott offered a "No comment," when asked if there will be any information shared between the Cup teams team and those of Scott and Theetge.

"I'm sort of sworn to secrecy, which I believe is probably a standard policy put in place by Goodyear," Scott said. "And truthfully, I'm not really sure what will happen anyway."

Scott did say that he would like to share information with his fellow ACT competitors, however.

"The list of people allowed into the test was fairly strict. I know Donald is bringing (Race Basics chassis builder) Dave Smith along to gather information, and I'm sure they will help out the Race Basics teams with what they learn," Scott said. "I haven't spoken with Pete (Duto, Scott's crew chief) yet about his take on sharing. I personally want to share information with everyone, especially if it's something that will help us all put on a better show and be more competitive." Scott will drive a chassis built by Dale Shaw Race Cars of New Hampshire.

Although a rookie in the ACT-type Late Model at the superspeedway, Scott does have a bit of seat time at NHMS, having practiced a NASCAR Camping World Series East car there in 2003.

"I am concerned with the brake issue in the long run," he said. "But the straightaways are fairly long and should give the brakes some good cooling time. I imagine that it will be similar to running at Sanair (a 9/10-mile track in Québec) and there shouldn't be much of a problem. We'll know more in a day or two."