May 8--- Nice going by Seekonk Speedway in their effort to support the US Military next  Saturday night, May 19. Track GM Francis Venditti called to  tell us that the track is planning a major salute to the men and woman of the military on Armed Forces Day. He's also invited the RI and MA Governors, adjoining towns Board of Selectman, State Senators and Representatives to the track that night. Also, in the invitation  list are the MA and RI National Guard plus Sailors and Marines from the nearby bases. All members of of the US Armed Services will be admitted Free with a valid ID and their dependents will get a $5 ticket discount.  Also, on the invitation list is the Seekonk Police Color Guard plus there will be US Military displays on the midway.
 
       The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour competitors seem to preoccupied with an additional worry these days. At the beginning of the season they work extra hard to get their teams and drivers into a winning rhythm. But, this year with a slim schedule and escalating costs to book these races, the major concern is the future of the WMT. Because the majority of the WMT
series races are booked in the Connecticut Valley and adding new events has become a major struggle for NASCAR. Almost like a a mirror image of what happened to the NASCAR Busch North Series which ended up being morphed into the NASCAR Busch East Series and combined with the NASCAR Busch West Series.  The biggest problem for the WMT is the cost to the track operators to make a profit from one of these big ticket price events.
 
      This is an event that should peak some interest in the WMT as there isn't a conflicting racing that weekend. The time is drawing near for a pavement Modified race like no other. It is a race where the lead is the place to be, not just on the final lap, but on every lap. The new All-Star Speedway, formerly Star Speedway in Epping, New Hampshire is the site of the 1st Annual USG Modified Thunder 150 on Saturday, May 12. With no other Modified touring series race scheduled in New England on the weekend of this event, drivers are faced with a choice to race for a chance to win over $19,000, or to not race at all in New England.
 
      Andy Seuss, Les Hinckley, Bobby Grigas of Marshfield, Charlie Pasteryak, Louie Mechalides, Ted Christopher, Tony Ricci and Robbie Summers are among the drivers who have chosen to race.  That list of entries is comprised on WMT and True Value Modified Series drivers. New speedway owner Bobby MacArthur has been busy making improvements to the facility in preparation for the new season. Fans and competitors will quickly notice them.
 
        MacArthur stated, "I could have had a Whelen Tour "Flash" race, or three True Value races for less purse money, but I wanted to have a race that stands out. A race that drivers and fans would look forward to, and remember for a long time. A race that is open to all Modified drivers to compete in. And a race that will get bigger and better each year." The prestigious event will be 150 laps in length, with a ten minute break at lap 75 for fuel, and adjustments. Caution laps will not count.  That's a good idea considering that MacArthur took over a track with a less than stellar reputation. A successful event like this will certainly get the race fans attention.
 
       MacArthur reasoned, "If I'm going to be handing out $100 bills for each lap, they are going to have to race for the money, not ride around on a pace lap." A minimum of 24 Modifieds will qualify through heat and consolation races.  Provisionals will be added to the field as well. The highest in points from the Whelen and True Value Series tours not already in the field of 24 will be added.
 
      The race will also be a North-South Shootout Qualifier, and will pay $4000-to-win plus $15,000 in lap money available. Adding to the excitement will be a full NASCAR Whelen All-American Series program, featuring the Super Late Model/Pro Stocks. Gates will open at noon, with NASCAR qualifying tentatively scheduled for 5 p.m., and Modified heats starting no earlier than 6 p.m. The main event is slated to start around 8:30 p.m. Admission is just $20. The rain date is June 16.
 
          "I just turned 50 and this is going to be my last year in racing, " said Dick Houlihan of Bridgewater in the pit area at the Thompson Speedway in CT just prior to the recent Icebreaker weekend. "I've been doing this racing thing for over 30 years and I really have to thank my sponsors like Joe Viverios (Insurance) and Bob Katon (Berkley) for giving me a great running car.  I'd also like to leave this sport by cracking the top 10 in points in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. I just hope we have a good year racing because it's going to be my last." Houlihan's career started when he began racing on the old Lakeville Speedway's dirt track then he moved into the Pro 4 Modifieds. From there he moved onto the very competitive Pro Stocks at Seekonk where he earned a few track championships.
 
       Drivers are the ones in the spotlight when they climb out of the car in Victory Lane. But any driver will tell you they couldn’t get there without the guys who work on the car all week. Now it’s the drivers’ chance to say thank you in a big way, by voting for their favorite mechanic, as NASCAR and Craftsman Tools will once again team up to recognize the top mechanics in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.
 
      “The drivers, crew members and fans of the NASCAR Whelan All-Star Series are some of the best Craftsman customers,” said Scott Howard, manager, sponsorship and sales promotion for Sears. “It’s a pleasure to build this award around this great weekly series. We’re trying to bring attention to the mechanics – the behind-the-scenes people who make sure the drivers are ready to race week-in and week-out.”
 
    The mechanic at each track who receives the highest number of votes will earn the distinction of Craftsman Mechanic of the Year track champion. The three mechanics who collect the most votes will be invited to attend the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series banquet in Las Vegas, where the national champion will be announced. In addition, one of the three will be selected at random to be an honorary crew chief on a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team at the final race of the season at Miami-Homestead Speedway.
 
      “NASCAR racing at every level is a team sport, and this is particularly true of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series,” said George Silbermann, managing director of racing operations for NASCAR. ”The 2007 Craftsman Mechanic of the Year program recognizes the significant contributions of the men and women who prepare the racing machines at NASCAR home tracks across North America. We appreciate Craftsman’s continued support of this important program.”
 
      Each champion at the 59 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series tracks throughout the United States and Canada will receive a $100 check and a $450 Craftsman Tool credit. The three mechanics with the highest total number of votes will earn an all-expense paid trip to the banquet and, in addition to their track champion award, will receive a $2,000 check and a 36-inch professional Craftsman tool chest valued at over $2,500. The national champion will receive an additional $6,000 check.
 
      Voting will begin in early June, coinciding with Craftsman Weekend at the Races when Sears and Craftsman will hold special promotions at many of the Whelen All-Star Series tracks, and run through Sept. 27. Voters must be NASCAR Members. Official Mechanic of the Year ballots will appear in the NASCAR Magazine section of Speedway Illustrated and will also be available at NASCAR Whelen All-American Series tracks.
 
      Stafford Motor Speedway kicked off its 2007 Friday night schedule with N.E. Dodge Dealers Night.  Driving to victory lane were Frank Ruocco in the 40-lap SK Modified feature, Scott Foster, Jr. in the 30-lap Late Model feature, Glen Reen in the 20-lap SK Light feature, Andrew Durand in the Limited Late Model feature, and Robert Thompson in the 15-lap DARE Stock feature. The 40-lap SK Modified feature event saw defending track champion Frank Ruocco start the race from the pole and lead all 40-laps to rebound from a blown engine that relegated him to an 18th place finish last Sunday during the Spring Sizzler.  Ruocco’s win was not an easy win by any means.  Kerry Malone worked his way through traffic to come up to second, and he hounded Ruocco for the final 10 laps, but came just up short at the checkered flag. Todd Owen finished third, with Keith Rocco fourth and Jeff Baral rounding out the top-5.
 
      The 30-lap Late Model feature saw Scott Foster, Jr. making aggressive passes to get to the front, and he took the lead from early leader Ed Ricard on lap-7.  From there, he drove away from Jim Peterson and Ryan Posocco, who were locked in a duel for second for the second half of the race, and took his first win of the season.  Peterson bested Posocco at the checkered flag to take second, with Tom Butler and Wayne Coury, Jr. rounding out the top-5. The 20-lap SK Light feature event came down to a two-car duel for the win between Chris Matthews and Glen Reen.  Matthews took the race lead on a lap-5 restart and held the lead until a caution came out with 15-laps complete.  On the restart, Reen moved to the high side of Matthews and took the lead.  The caution came out the next lap, and due to an extended number of caution periods, the race was yellow/checkered with 16 laps complete, making Reen the winner.  Matthews finished second, with Mike Sweeney, Jr., Josh Sylvester, and Tony Santangelo rounding out the top-5.
 
      The 20-lap Limited Late Model feature looked like it was going to be a Foster double header in victory lane as Sean Foster moved out front on lap-7 and began to pull away from the field.  But Andrew Durand, who was third when Foster took the lead, also moved past early race leader Joey Ferrigno and ran Foster down, taking the lead on lap-13.  From there, Foster was unable to mount a challenge to Durand as he took his first feature win of the season.  Foster held on for second, with Rick Lanagan, Joey Ferrigno, and Charlie Newman rounding out the top-5.
 
       The 15-lap DARE Stock feature came down to a duel between Robert Thompson and Jesse Hinze, who spent much of the race battling for the top spot. Thompson held Hinze off lap after lap, and on the final lap of the race, Norm Sears made a bold three-wide pass to get around Hinze and take a run a Thompson, but he came up just short at the checkered flag.  Hinze
finished third, with Barry Fluckiger and Rob Lawrence rounding out the top-5.
 
   Rob Janovic Jr. took advantage of opportunity during a late-race restart to claim his first victory of the season in the Speedbowl’s 35-lap SK Modified feature Saturday evening.   Other winners were Tim Jordan (Late Model), Bill Gertsch Jr. (Sportsman), Ken Cassidy Jr. (Mini Stock), and Michael Gervais Jr. (Legends).
 
    Janovic found himself lined-up next to leader Dennis Charette after a tangle involving several front-runners prompted a caution with only four circuits remaining.  After two laps of side-by-side action the yellow waved again, with Janovic pulling ahead at the stripe. Getting the edge over Charette on the final green, he went on to win by a scant car-length.
 
      “We weren’t handling tonight. I was concerned about falling-back and getting eaten-up during those restarts,” Janovic said. I didn’t think my car would go well up on the outside, but it did and that was a key factor. When I lined up in the lead next to Dennis on the last restart, I wasn’t worried about racing him, he ran me clean like always. Talk about luck, had I not been in the lead on the final green, I don’t think I would have won. Dennis is tough and deserves a victory.”
 
       Connecticut's Les Hinckley won the True Value Modified Series race at Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, NH last weekend while Jim Kuhn, Jr. of W. Bridgewater came home fifth at the checkered flag.
 
      The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour was at Wall Stadium in NJ last weekend. Jimmy Blewett won the event while Rhode Island's Mike Stefanik came in fifth. Jerry Marquis driving the Brady entry out of Brockton came in 13th. Bridgewater's Dick Houlihan was 25th, Marshfield's Bob Grigas had an accident and was awarded 29th. Canton's Rick Savary also had an off day and was 30th.
 
     Let's see what's happening in the world of racing this weekend in southern New England.  On Friday night Stafford Speedway in CT kicks off the weekend with a NASCAR card. On Saturday night Waterford (CT) Speedway adds the Pro 4 Modifieds to the already busy card. Whip City Speedway in Westfield goes with dirt track action the same night.  The draggers have Saturday action at New England Dragway in Epping, NH.  The bikers can head to NHIS in Loudon, NH where the Loudon road Racing Series all weekend.

    Lou Modestino is a long-time columnist and Public Relations person, working for numerous tracks in the northeast, and now writes for The Enterprise in Brockton, MA.  He may be reached at lmodestino@hotmail.com. 

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