October 8, Brockton, MA--- Four drivers, two car owners and two media members make up the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame Class of 2008. Drivers Dave Alkas, Dave Darveau, Dick Batchelder and the late Howie Brown, car owners Joe Brady and the late Mike Scrivani Sr., the multi-talented Dr. Dick Berggren and writer Pete Zanardi will be inducted at the LaRenaissance Banquet Hall in East Windsor, CT on Sunday, January 27th.
 
    Still to be announced are the three selections from the Veterans Committee and the Jack Ratta Memorial Media Award winners. Ticket forms for the 11th annual NEAR Hall of Fame banquet will be available on the New England Antique Racers website (www.near1.com) in the near future.
 
     A true “Saturday night racer,” Alkas was a Southern New England powerhouse from the late 1960s through the 80s. Centered at Connecticut’s Plainville Stadium (where he won five championships) he was also a factor at Riverside Park, Eastern State Fairgrounds and Monadnock Speedway.
 
    Batchelder, born in North Hampton, NH, was a New England Super Modified Racing Association stalwart, winning the 1979 championship. Winning his first feature at Dover, NH in 1960, he went on to well over
50 triumphs from Canada to Florida. He had a pair of Star Speedway championships and twice captured the prestigious Star Classic.
 
   Berggren, a Manchester, CT product, has driven race cars, wrote about them, talked about them and took their pictures, the latter three on the highest of levels. Starting out at Arundel (ME) Speedway, he is presently one of the most recognized TV announcers in the country. His writing career has gone from local publications to editorship of Speedway Illustrated
 
     A Brockton  native Brady has teamed with a host of accomplished drivers – Leo Cleary, Bobby Santos, Bugs Stevens, Steve Park, Ted Christopher – to win over a 100 features and at least 10 championships over five decades. Starting in 1960, Brady, among the most accomplished “low buckers,” won championships at Norwood, Thompson, Westboro and Seekonk Speedways.
 
    Known as the Epping Express, Brown raced for 40 years. He raced and won in modifieds, late models and bombers but was best known for his Super Modified exploits that included three NESMRA titles and three Star Speedway crowns. A champion at The Pines and Hudson, he won over 130 races, 93 in NESMRA action.
 
    A driver/owner for almost 40 years, Darveau collected a host of victories and 10 championships across his native Maine. He began at Unity Raceway in 1952 and won his first championship there in ’55. A multi winner at Wiscasset, Oxford and Beech Ridge as well, he won his last title at Unity in ’83 and retired soon after.
 
     A larger-than-life character, Scrivani’s participation with racing started in the late 1930s. A stock-car pioneer in the late 1940s, he switched back to Midgets and won NEMA and ARDC championships with Butch Walsh and Nokie Fornoro. Back to the Modifieds, his M-2 was driven by Hop Harrington and Leo Cleary, the latter winning Norwood and Thompson championships.
 
     Zanardi, a Connecticut native, has spent 40 years as an auto racing writer/media coordinator. He brought “basic journalism” to the coverage of auto racing at the Hartford (CT) times in the 1960s. While working for Stafford Motor Speedway and Waterford Speedbowl, he continued to write for national and local publications.
 
        It is a racing weekend like no other. Thompson International Speedway’s World Series of Speedway Racing brings together just about every type of racecar to be found in the northeast for a three-day racing extravaganza that includes over five hundred racecars and fourteen different divisions. It all happens this Saturday through Sunday , October 12, 13 and 14. 
 
            The 34th annual World Series of Speedway Racing, presented by Whelen Engineering and XTRAMART, is the largest and most diversified racing weekend held anywhere in the country. Race teams and race fans from over a dozen states and two Canadian provinces make their annual pilgrimage to this incredible event which is as much a huge party as it is a non-stop race weekend.  
 
         The ultra-fast, winged Super Modifieds of ISMA, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and the mighty Midgets of NEMA are only three of the fourteen divisions of racers that are part of this annual, season-ending celebration. Add the “super six” NASCAR Whelen All American Series divisions that are part of the exciting weekly race programs at Thompson, The American Race Trucks, Pro Four Modifieds, and Outlaw Minis, Outlaw Strictly Stocks and Outlaw Late Models and you have a three-day race program that offers something for just about every race fan.

       The huge Thompson International Speedway complex is packed from end to end with campers and racecars. Many arrive as much as a week ahead to be part of the fun-filled atmosphere that surrounds this annual event. Championships are on the line in several of the divisions and each race team will want to wrap up its 2007 racing season with a stellar performance. This makes for incredible competition in each and every division. Fans will be treated to practice and qualifying races for eight divisions on Friday. Those same divisions will compete in feature event races on Saturday night. The remaining six divisions will qualify on Saturday afternoon and race in their feature events on Sunday afternoon. It’s a race fans dream come true weekend. 
 
      Rob Janovic Jr., a homegrown product, is the 2007 Waterford Speedbowl SK-Modified champion. The crown comes after a dozen campaigns at the oval where he literally grew up. One of three “first time” champions, Janovic took the lead at midseason and that fought off a determined effort by Dennis Gada, the 2006 king who was seeking a record seventh championship. Janovic, who won three times, was never out of the top 10 in 23 starts.
 
     Janovic will share center stage at the January 12 ’07 Awards Banquet (at the Groton Inn and Suites) with four other champions Bruce Thomas Jr. (Late Models), Dwayne Dorr (Sportsman), Ken Cassidy Jr. (Mini Stock) and Michael Gervais Jr. (Legends).
 
      Dorr was the only defending champion to succeed. Thomas’ title goes along with his 2001 Mini Stock crown. Cassidy, Gervais and Janovic will celebrate their first championships.
 
     Four of the championship runs went to the final event, three of those going to the final checkered. That Saturday night produced 37 winners, the SK leading the list with 10.
 
     Gada, the SK win leader with seven including the Finale, came up strong over the final weeks and wound up 10 behind Janovic in the final rundown. Jeff Pearl, who won two of three extra-distance events, was third in points. 
 
    Thomas was the top winner, collecting 12 checkers in dominating the Late Model division. Other division leaders included Dorr six Sportsman wins, Cassidy, with six Mini wins, a Mark Bakaj with five Legend wins.
 
     Danny Field, who was seeking a record third-straight Mini title, gathered steam at midseason and came within 18 points of Cassidy. Field, Joe Godbout III and Phil Evans all had five wins. Ernie Bertrand enjoyed an excellent season finishing second ahead of a battle for third that eventually went to Ed Reed Jr. over teammate Larry Goss.
 
     Al Stone III kept Dorr from running away while Jim Procaccini nipped Jack Aquilina in a season-long battle for third in the Sportsman standings. Gervais, who won twice, made consistency pay finishing 30 in front of Chris Bakaj. Wild n’ Wacky Wednesday champ was third.
 
     Stafford (CT) Speedway's Fall Final had some surprising results. RI's Mike Stefanik won his first Whelen Modified Tour event after a long drought. Don Lia was able to clinch the WMT Championship with just one race to go with a strong finish. Tony Hirschman drove the Mike Boehler entry out of E. Freetwon to a runner-up position.  Franklin's Bob Santos came in ninth while Marshfield's Bob Grigas placed 13th with Rick Savary of Canton 17th and Dick Houlihan of Bridgewater next. Jerry Marquis had an accident in the Brady Bunch car out of Brockton and was awarded 31st.  
 
     At the Seekonk Speedway's D. Anthony Venditti Memorial a record 232 entries in ten divisions jammed the pit areas. When it was all over on Saturday Jeff Zuidema of Brookfield won the Pro 4 main with Easton's Rob Richardi , Jr. coming in fourth while Canton's Rick Savary was eighth. Dave Richardi, also of Easton, was 12th and Plymouth's Corey Cleary ended up 16th. The Sport Truck main went to hometown driver Mike Cavallaro with Quincy's Steve Dumas taking sixth and Brockton's Daryl Church cracked the top ten followed by Karl Brimlist of E. Wareham. Zach Tucan of Taunton ended the day in 15th. Kingston's Nick Ribbe won the USAC Ford Focus feature with Paul Luggelle of Holbrook took fifth with Plymouth's Randy Cabral next with Matt Bettencourt of Taunton scored an eighth place at the checkered flag.   Amy Arsenault of Attleboro won the Pure Stock feature. Frank Perry, another Holbrook driver, won the SYRA 750 (Mini Cup) feature and was chased to the stripe by Jeriah Rodrick of E. Taunton. Nick Laydga of Conn. won the SYRA 600 main event while Chris Igo of Easton ended up third.
 
      Sunday's DAV Memorial at the Cement Palace had another five features going off for some non-stop racing action. John Hanifin of Quincy won the 30 lap Street Stock main while E. Freetown's Frank Duqette was 11th followed by N. Dighton's Chris DeMoura, Greg Perry and Mike Lema both from Taunton. Kyle Casper ended up winning the Late Model feature with Denny Stampfl of Norwood scoring his best finish ever at the Cement Palace with a fourth. Barry Shaw of Holbrook was next while John Dumas of Brockton was 11th.  Joey Payne took the NEMA Midget main event with defending series champ Ben Seitz of Monument Beach coming in third followed by Erica Santos of Franklin and Greg Stoehr of Bridgewater. Plymouth's Randy Cabral was 14th, Ranyham's Paull Scally took 19th. Shawn Torrey of Marshfield came in 21st followed by Paul Luggelle of Holbrook and Shane Hammond of Halifax.
 
      Matt Hudon the 18-year old driver played cat-and-mouse with Dave Dion for the entire 100 lap Pro Stock feature with Hudon coming out ahead of the veteran Busch Series driver. W. Bridgwater's John Dubrowski, the racing lawyer, came in sixth while Rob Murphy of Rochester took eighth. Scott Dion of Taunton ended up 20th while Assonet's Dean Pettey was 22nd. Vinnie Annarummo seems to have the home court advantage when he races his True Value Series Modified car at the Rt. 6 oval. He was in the hunt for the entire race and took over the lead close to the end of the 100 lapper. Dick Houlihan of Bridgewater came in third while Canton's Rick Savary was seventh.  Jimmy Kuhn, Jr. of W. Bridgewater ended his day in 17th while Tom Cravenho of Raynham placed 23rd.
 
    As the 2007 racing season continues to wind down here's what else is going on in southern New England and elsewhere. On Saturday night Whip City in Westfield offers Mini Sprints and support classes at 6 p.m. On Sunday both the Nutmeg Speedway in Shelton, CT and Pomfret Raceway, also in CT, plan karting events all day Sunday. Stafford (CT) Speedway will host a big motorcycle swap meet on Sunday. The Quoboag Riders in Monson plan a 4x4 Hillclimb and drag racing starting at 9 a.m. that day. For the drag crowd New England Dragway in Epping, NH plan Import Wars on Saturday and then testing all day Sunday. NHIS hosts the WKF/NEI Kart Regional all weekend. The Capeway Rovers in Middleboro continue on with the NCSC Fall Series MotoX on Saturday.

    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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