March 3, Brockton, MA--- Marshfield's Bob Grigas, III has picked up a lot of respect especially from one top senior Modified driver. He's gone from a top Late Model driver at Seekonk to contender, in just three seasons, in the very competitive NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. According to Ted Christopher, he's taken the local driver, among others, under his wing. It appears that Grigas seems to have made an impression on TC who is one of the most aggressive and successful drivers in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, True Value Modified Tour and several other divisions that he's tried. Having TC as a mentor will help the local driver more in his efforts on the WMT. Bob is also expected to compete in some True Value Modified events this year.

We ran into Grigas at last weekend's Speedway Expo at the Big E in W. Springfield. "Yes he (TC) does give me advice. But, when your racing with him he's very aggressive. When he's behind you and wants to get by he'll do every thing he can to pull it off. He's not afraid of banging tires, either.,” said Bob.

And speaking of Ted, he recently took on some dirt track action at the MotoTown indoor track in Windsor, Conn. and managed a respectable finish in the Mini Sprint winter series at that venue. All that in spite of the fact that Christopher's wealth of experience has been developed on paved tracks. TC also let us know that he'll team up with Joe Brady of Brockton for an upcoming Modified race in Caraway, NC on March 22.

Jimmy Rosenfield of Middleboro revealed that he'll have a diverse racing schedule this coming season with his Outlaw Late Model. " I don't plan to do a lot of racing in northern Maine because of the steep fuel prices. I'm planning on some selected races on the PASS Tour, Thompson (Conn.) and the Opens at All-Star (Epping, NH).

Unlike last season, Plymouth's Corey Cleary will focus more on his Pro-4 Modified driving assignment rather than the NEMA Midget Series. Franklin's Bobby Santos, III has seen his NASCAR Development Program stalled. His deal with Bill Davis Racing fell apart. It's expected that he'll continue to race in the Whelen Modified Tour for Mike Boehler of Freetown plus some USAC Sprint and Midget events plus some NEMA Midget events. Sponsorship plus many open wheel drivers moving into NASCAR's three top tier divisions are a factor in Bob's situation.

We got some real insight on what's going on, behind the scenes, at New Hampshire Motor Speedway from a knowledgeable source. There have been various news stories speculating major changes at NHMS. Most of them are not true. New events will be added very carefully. New construction to improve the venue will be done over a five and ten year plan in order to not to make any mistakes. It's an effort to do the job right the first time. Every season fans will see changes. There's also a movement to get back to earlier race starting times for the Sprint Cup Series. As far as losing a race to another track like Las Vegas, that's not expected to happen. We also saw a widely circulated story that Bruton Smith, the new owner of NHMS, is requesting a new date from NASCAR. "Moving a race from another track in our corporation (Speedway Motor Sports) is not a consideration," said Smith. On the Indy Cars and a motorcycle event returning to NHMS a lot of factors will have to be considered before that happens. Bruton Smith's intention is to make NHMS the Bristol of the North. And any previous agreements NHMS had with neighboring town are expected to stand.

Reigning Waterford Speedbowl SK-Modified champion Rob Janovic Jr. admits to having “a little extra “spring in his step” these days. The realization of his name being among decades of Speedbowl modified champions has finally sunk-in. “When you’re in the middle of the battle, you really don’t think about what the outcome is going to feel like. You’re too busy just trying to win the war,” says Janovic.

Janovic will be begin defense of his title April 12-13 in the SK-150, the headliner of the season-opening 12th annual Budweiser Modified Nationals. The weekend also includes the NASCAR Whelen All American Series Late Models, Sportsman, and Mini Stocks. The NEMA Midgets, NEMA Lites, Legends, All-Star Race Trucks, Pro4 Modifieds and Allison Legacy Cars are on the agenda.

The team plans a dedicated defense of the title beginning with the SK-150. A win in one of the biggest SK races would fit nicely on a resume that includes 23 total wins, 17 including the 2006 Fall Finale 100, in the SKs. “No matter how things go,” he says, “I’ve got the whole year to savor being the defending champion and that’s a great feeling to have going into a new season.”

Janovic edged six-time SK champion Dennis Gada by a scant ten-points in one of the closest battles in recent memory. “Honestly, I never placed all my emphasis on becoming a champion,” he continues. “It’s not like my racing career wouldn’t be complete without it. We always tried to be competitive on a week-to-week basis and let the chips fall where they may at the end of the season.“

The title has changed things. “I think about it now, and it’s like wow,” he says. “I’m there with all the drivers I watched growing-up. Being in the same category with racers like Bob Potter, Jerry Pearl, Mark LaJeunesse, and of course, Dennis Gada, it’s really an honor.”

A Waterford native, he started racing back in the 1980s in the Late Model division. He took a few years off to attend college and returned to a division that has progressed immensely from a technical standpoint.” “I can remember just driving around looking in people’s yards to see if there were any 69’ Chevy’s sitting around that I could buy to part-out for my race car,” he recalls. The advancement of the class, however, made the jump to the SK’s easier. The divisions share a lot more in common now, notably set-up and chassis geometry.”

Bike Week got an early start at Oglethorpe Speedway in Savannah, GA with Ken Coolbeth of Morris, Conn. getting a runner-up spot behind Chris Carr of Penn. in the 750/1000 Expert class. Carr leads the points with Coolbeth next. Coolbeth, though, managed to pull off a win in the 450 Division. Bettencourt Honda/Suzuki of W. Bridgewater sponsors Ken. Carver's Asa Irish ended up 12th in the 450 Pro Sport race and is another Bettencourt backed rider.

The flat track bikes moved onto Barberville, Florida where Coolbeth ended up ninth in the Hot Show 750 event. He did better in the 450 and took a third. Asa Irish ended up ninth in that one. Coolbeth leads the point standing after the first Barberville round last weekend.

Checking the action in southern New England this weekend indicates the following. MotoTown in Windsor, Conn. has a triple-header with Mini Sprints on Friday night and all day Saturday with a changeover to Stockcars on Sunday afternoon. Also on Sunday the Capeway Rovers in Middleboro, MA host the first round of the Jack Frost MX Series all day long. The Hamilton Rod and Gun Club in Sturbridge will host the NEDTS Flat Track Motorcycle Series on the ice.

    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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