April 29, Brockton, MA--- Riverside Speedway General Manager, Dick Therrien is pleased to announce the return of the Super Fan Card at the track for the 2008 racing season. The Super Fan Card is a popular way for fans to earn free tickets at the track. Last year over four hundred race fans earned free tickets to Riverside Speedway.

This year the Super Fan Card will be sponsored by the Front Row Sports Tavern in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. Here is how it works. Simply ask the general admission ticket seller for a FREE, Front Row Sports Tavern, Super Fan Card. Each time you go to the races at Riverside Speedway and purchase an adult, junior or senior citizen ticket, you will receive a free punch on your card. Accumulate ten punches and you will receive a free general admission ticket good for the next time you visit the Speedway. Free tickets are not valid for P.A.S.S. events, however you will receive a punch on your card for attending a P.A.S.S. race. As an added bonus, courtesy of the Front Row Sports Tavern, each card will come with one free bonus stamp, which means you will receive a free ticket after accumulating only nine punches.

“This Super Fan Card is a great way to help out our race fans. We have many super fans, young and old, that come to the races weekly. This bonus will reward them for their support, and hopefully keep a few dollars in their pockets. I want to thank Dan Zentz and the gang at the Front Row Sports Tavern for stepping up and helping support the super fans of Riverside Speedway”, stated Dick Therrien, General Manager of Riverside Speedway.

The Front Row Sports Tavern is located on Railroad Street in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, and is a great adult entertainment center that features the hottest live bands in the area, live DJ’s, Comedy Nights, pool tournaments, darts, and all your favorite sporting events on the big screens! Stop in to the Front Row Sports Tavern and present your Super Fan Card for a special discount, and make sure you thank them for their sponsorship.

Riverside Speedway will open the doors on Saturday, May 3 for the Eastman Trophy / NAPA All Star Car Show and test and tune day. The car show will be from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., with awards to follow and then the test and tune will be held from 1-3 p.m.. Then on Saturday, May 10, the P.A.S.S. Outlaws and P.A.S.S. Mods will invade Riverside Speedway along with Riverside’s Super Stocks, Street Stocks, Daredevils and Dwarf Cars. Post time for this event is 5 p.m.

Some weeks ago Unity Raceway track owner Ralph Nason announced that he wasn't going to open his venue in 2008. However, a couple involved in the sport came to an agreement with Nason. According to the track's webpage Unity Raceway announces George and Sherri Fernald will be the track operators this year. The husband and wife team have been fixtures around that oval for several years. George has also seen his share of competition in various divisions at the oval over the years.

Racecars from all eight divisions will be on display at the Speedway beginning at 10 a.m. , and will be shown until 12:30 p.m.. At that point the “Best Appearing” entries, the top three cars from each division will receive their hardware. Also for the second straight year, The Jake McDowell Memorial, “Best of Show” trophy will be presented for the most outstanding looking racecar. Following the awards presentation, the teams will get their first opportunity to shake down their racecars in preparation for the May 10th season opener featuring the P.A.S.S. Outlaw Late Models, P.A.S.S. Mods, featuring 13 year old Sami Gooden from Whitefield, New Hampshire, plus Riverside’s own Super Stocks, Street Stocks, Daredevils and Dwarf Cars.

Heluva Good!, a leading producer of real sour cream dips, cheese, and condiments, will sponsor the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pole Days and the NASCAR Camping World Series East races on Friday, June 27, 2008 and Friday, September 12, 2008 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Both Fridays will be designated as the "Heluva Good! Pole Days". The NASCAR Camping World Series East events will be named the Heluva Good!® 125 in June and September. "With such an enormous following and loyal fan base, teaming up with New Hampshire Motor Speedway was a perfect fit," said Lynne Bohan, Heluva Good! spokesperson. "Whether it's just a few friends in your living room, or you're at the track among thousands of fellow race fans, Heluva Good! always makes the best parties even better." "We are delighted this well-respected, New England-based company recognizes the marketing power of NASCAR racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway," said Jerry Gappens, Executive Vice-President and General Manager of New Hampshire Motor Speedway. "We look forward to working closely with Heluva Good! in this new partnership and helping them deliver their message to the hundreds of thousands of our brand-loyal race fans." Tickets for the NASCAR events at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, including the June 29 LENOX Industrial Tools 301 and the September 14 SYLVANIA 300, are on sale and can be obtained online at www.nhms.com or by calling the ticket hotline at 1-603-783-4931.

Point leader and defending series champion Kirk Alexander, Swanzey, NH., returned to his home race track last Saturday night, started last in a 26 car field, passed cross town rival Rob Goodenough on lap 86, to win the” Bond Auto Parts 100” in front of a near capacity crowd at Monadnock Speedway. The True Value Modified Racing Series event was Alexander’s 28th career victory and his third season opening win at the track known as “The Dog.”

Pole sitter Chris Pasteryak, Lisbon, CT., set a torrid pace holding off the constant challenges of 2007 Rookie of the Year, Peter Jarvis, Acutney, VT., Jarvis stayed within striking distance of Pasteryak with Bryan Shumway, Belchertown, MA., last years winner, Les Hinckley, Windsor Locks, CT., and 2006 champion Dwight Jarvis, Ascutney, in hot pursuit.

By lap 20, Danbury CT’s Ed Dachenhausen worked his way into fifth and ran strong until a late race mishap would force him to the sidelines. The race pace was fast early on with the first of six caution flags not displayed until lap 38 for a Chris Wenzel spin. The Holyoke, MA. veteran was able to rejoin the race which stayed under green until lap 54 when a David Pinkham, Buxton, ME, and Jon McKennedy, Chelmsford, MA spin drew the caution.

On the restart, Peter Jarvis vaulted into the top spot and held it until lap 66 when Goodnough powered by. At this point, Alexander was fast making his move to the front and by the lap 70 marker, the three-time champion was in third and quickly closing in on Jarvis.

Lap 73 saw Alexander pass Jarvis setting up a great battle with Goodnough for the top spot. A caution period slowed the pace on lap 85 resulting in Alexander motoring by Goodenough on the restart lap. The two former Monadnock pro-stock standouts raced hard and clean often side by side bringing the crowd to it’s feet several times. When the checkers dropped on the 100th circuit, Alexander’s margin of victory was a car length and a half over Goodenough. Goodenough, Pinkham, Dwight Jarvis, Peter Jarvis, Hinckley, Mike Holdridge, Madison, CT., Pasteryak, Dale Evonsion, E. Hartland, CT., and Rookie of the Year contender Kenny White. Jr, Weare, NH., rounded out the top ten. Qualifying heats were won by Pasteryak, Shumway, and Peter Jarvis.

We hear at WWWUB Networks New England are reaching out to racing fans here in New England and as far away as England, to ask for your support. Our community is by the biggest community in any sport. Project Bread is holding their 40th Walk for Hunger on Sunday, May 4, 2008. That's this coming Sunday, RAIN or SHINE. It's a 20 mile walk through the streets of Boston, Cambridge and Brighton. This event is MBTA accessible from the Park Street Station (RED LINE) or T Stop. The network will have their camera's rolling at this event.

Home track stock car favorite Ricky Rolfe of Albany Twp., ME held off a fast-closing Jean-Paul Cyr to win the American-Canadian Tour (ACT) New England Dodge Dealers 150 at Oxford Plains (Maine) Speedway on Saturday. Cyr’s late charge was enough to bring him alongside Rolfe’s Race Basics/Swasey Excavation #51 Ford with less than ten laps remaining, but the former track champion won by about two car lengths. “We lapped a lot of cars early, but when the field started to catch up, I had to try some new lines around the track,” said Rolfe. “We found that the upper groove was the place to be, and it worked. ”Cyr recovered from a lap 49 spin with John Donahue to earn his podium finish. Both drivers spun in oil dropped on the track by another car, and were given their running positions back by race control during the caution period. Rolfe earned a “+5” handicap to earn the pole starting position.

Seven-time and defending ACT Late Model Tour Champion Cyr, of Milton, VT, started fifteenth in the field of 33 cars. Brent Dragon, also of Milton, VT, drove from 24th place to finish third. Rowley, MA driver Eddie MacDonald and Donahue, of Graniteville, VT, rounded out the top five. Unofficially, the top ten was completed in order by Turner, ME’s Shawn Martin, Montreal driver Patrick Laperle, Quebec City’s Donald Theetge, Cris Michaud of Northfield, VT, and Ben Rowe of Turner, ME. The ACT Late Model Tour victory was the second of Rolfe’s career, his first since 2002. Only two caution periods slowed the New England Dodge Dealers 150, which was completed in just over 54 minutes. Fifty Late Model cars from four U.S. states and two Canadian provinces attempted to qualify. The ACT Late Model Tour travels to Barre, VT’s Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl for the 10th Annual Merchants Bank 150 this Saturday and Sunday.

Let's see what's going on in northern New England for racing action this weekend. This Friday night Lee USA Speedway is celebrating Cinqo De Mayo and fans are encouraged to wear sombreros because they will be eligible to win prizes. The same night Twin State in Claremont, NH offers five divisions of racing. On Saturday take your pick it's Big Block Super Modifieds at All Star in Epping, NH, Canaan Fairgrounds in NH offers practice for all divisions starting at noon. Monadnock in Winchester, NH adds the NEAR antique racers to its already busy card agt 6 p.m. Up in Maine Speedway 95 in Hermon hosts the PASS Tour plus support classes while Wiscasset Speedway opens up for the season. Drags are on all weekend at New England Dragway in Epping, NH and Oxford Dragway in western Maine goes off on Saturday. Winterport Dragway in Maine also holds a drag meet on Sunday. Beech Ridge in Scarborough, Maine is another oval track opening up this one on Sunday afternoon. Wachusetts Valley in Winchendon, MA has an open house and a swap meet on Sunday for the flat track bike crowd.

    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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