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Brian Hoar Looks To Make It 2-For-2 To Start The Season

Jay Hall — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 02:22:51 +0000

RPM Motorsports: ACT Late Model Tour
Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl Race Preview

THE STORY

Brian Hoar of Williston, Vt., will try and go 2-for-2 to open the ACT Late Model Tour season when the series competes in the Merchants Bank 150 at Thunder Road International Speedbowl in Barre, Vt., on Sunday, April 29. Hoar, who won his 34th career ACT race in the season opener at Lee USA Speedway two weeks ago, finished fifth in this event last season. Though Hoar has had mixed results at Thunder Road recently – winning the season-ending Milk Bowl last September, but posting his worst finish of 2011 in the Labor Day Classic 200 at the track – RPM Motorsports has dominated the last two Late Model events there. Local driver Nick Sweet won the Labor Day Classic for car owner Rick Paya in September, while Hoar capped his championship year with his second career Milk Bowl.
WHO: Brian Hoar, Williston, Vt.
TEAM: RPM Motorsports No. 37 GossCars.com Dodge
CREW CHIEF: Rick Paya, Georgia, Vt.

BEST CAREER THUNDER ROAD FINISH: 1st (most recently, September 2011)
LAST RACE AT THUNDER ROAD: 1st (September 2011)

WHERE: Thunder Road International Speedbowl, Barre, Vt. (.25-mile banked oval)
WHEN: Practice, 1 p.m., Saturday, April 28; Qualifying, 1 p.m., Sunday, April 29; Race, 4 p.m., Sunday April 29

ACT LATE MODEL TOUR
LAST RACE: Sunday, April 15, NH Governor’s Cup 150, Lee USA Speedway, Lee, N.H. (1st)
NEXT RACE: Sunday, May 6, Spring Green 112, Devil’s Bowl Speedway, West Haven, Vt. (.500-mile oval)
POINTS POSITION: 1st

DID YOU KNOW?

Brian Hoar won six races races in 2011 en route to the ACT Late Model Tour title.
Brian Hoar has led the ACT Late Model Tour standings since midway through the 2010 season.
Rick Paya plans to spend Thursday nights at Thunder Road this season in weekly competition, serving as crew chief for the No. 85 Late Model of Trampas Demers.

Brian Hoar has more race wins (34) than any driver in ACT history, while he and car owner Rick Paya each have a record eight career ACT championships.

Brian Hoar spent the past winter training to run in the Vermont City Marathon over Memorial Day Weekend.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

BRIAN HOAR, Driver of the RPM Motorsports No. 37 GossCars.com Dodge, On his confidence level in returning to Thunder Road this weekend: “It’s such a tough little bullring. We have struggled there. It actually helped a lot when I had Nick (Sweet) as a teammate for the Labor Day race. Going into last year, I considered Thunder Road one of our weak spots. We were still pulling off Top-5s ,but we weren’t contending for wins.

“We were always fast, but I thought we lacked a little bit in our approach to the long-distance part of it – the 150-lap, 200-lap races. We have a new approach now that came from working with Nick, and we made it work for us in the Milk Bowl with the 75-alp segments. I think that was key.

“I’m sure when we unload for practice (on Saturday), we’ll be right on the money. I think we’ve got something for them this year. My confidence isn’t lacking at all.”

On whether he feels like the competition has caught up to him in 2012: “The first year Rick and I were together (in 2009), we went into it with a real open mind. I put my faith in Rick, Rick put his in me, and we came out with a championship. Second year, we went into it and we were confident we could do it again, but we knew some of the guys would be tougher. It was the same thing last year.

“It takes so much to go right to win a championship. It doesn’t take much to take you out of it. I think the competition is still getting tougher every year. They’re getting experience. Joey Pole is a guy, look at him – he’s ready to bust out. But it’s up to the teams and crews to use that experience and get the results. Same with Austin (Theriault). With experience comes wisdom. Same thing with Wayne (Helliwell). Last year, he learned a lot. The guys that have some experience, they either learn from that and stay out of trouble and are right there all year, or they don’t.”
On the key to success at Thunder Road: “When you go to Thunder Road, you’ve got to contend with all the weekly guys. They’re just so strong there – Nick Sweet, Dave Pembroke, Phil Scott, Cris Michaud. There’s a long list. It just doubles the list of ‘to contend with’ guys. It’s going to be a battle.

“I think it’s like anything. To win the championship and finish up front, you’ve got to run good and be good basically everywhere. All the top teams do. I think we all have our favorite places. Look at Joey Pole, Wayne and Austin. They’ll probably struggle more (at Thunder Road) than the Nick Sweets or the guys on the Tour that did run there in the past on a weekly basis.

“We’ve just been in more situations on that tough little bullring than some of the other guys because we’ve run so many laps there.”

UP NEXT

The ACT Late Model Tour returns to Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven, Vt., for the Spring Green 112 on Sunday, May 6… Brian Hoar won the event a year ago, leading the final 37 laps in his first-ever visit to the track after the Spring Green moved from its previous incarnation as a fixture on the Airborne Speedway schedule.

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Photos and Story – Silk Emerges Victor In Wild Modified Tour Finish

Jay Hall — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 01:32:40 +0000

More Photos from Thompson

Story and Results – Silk Emerges Victor In Wild Modified Tour Finish

Visit NERacingForum.Com for latest New England Racing community News and updates.

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CURT BRAINARD READY TO TAKE ON 2012 SEASON AT STAFFORD SPEEDWAY WITH NEW SPONSOR AMMO ZONE

Jay Hall — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 00:54:00 +0000

(Stafford Springs, CT)—When the SK Modified® cars hit the track at
Stafford Motor Speedway for the first time this season, Stafford veteran
Curt Brainard will have a bull’s-eye on his familiar #96. Brainard has
lined up TheAmmoZone.com as his new primary sponsor for the 2012 season, and
with TheAmmoZone.com’s bull’s-eye logo on the side of his car, Brainard will
be hard to miss while he is out on track.

“I came across the AmmoZone.com logo, and I thought it just looked cool and
needed to be on a racecar,” said Brainard. “I gave Bo [TheAmmoZone.com
founder Thibaut, II] a call and we got to talking about sponsoring the car
this season. It was a long shot in the dark for sure, but it worked out and
we’re excited about having TheAmmoZone on the car this season.”
Ammo Zone was founded in the fall of 2009 in Covington, Louisiana by James
“Bo” D. Thibaut, II. Ammo Zone provides all of the top name brand
ammunition, firearms, hunting, camping, and outdoor supplies at an
affordable cost. Ammo Zone’s goal is to provide for the most cost effective
pricing in the market place.

“The popularity of hunting, shooting, and other related sports is at an all
time high and as can be seen in the top divisions of NASCAR retailers and
suppliers are well aware that race fans meet the profile of our target
markets,” said Thibeault. “We are anxious to expand our market and test the
waters relative to motorsports marketing. Curt is providing us the
opportunity to do just that. I hope that this relationship makes us both
winners in 2012!”

“I am proud to be associated with a company the “caliber” of The Ammo
Zone,” said Brainard. “To have a national sponsor is something that I am
very proud of. With the competitiveness of Stafford Speedway you need every
advantage you can get. I certainly look forward to representing Ammo Zone
and I know that their on-line store will be of interest to many of the
fans.”

Ammo Zone offers everything from hunting and camping accessories to
ammunition and firearms. Ammo Zone offers a wide variety of hunting and
camping options ranging from airguns, crossbows, knives, flashlights,
camping gear, food, clothing, electronics, and optics, all the way to
firearms including pistols, revolvers, rifles, and shotguns. With such a
wide variety of hunting and camping gear and accessories available to the
consumer, Ammo Zone is truly your one stop shop for all tactical, hunting,
and shooting needs.

Brainard’s first race with a bull’s-eye will be the 41st Annual CARQUEST
Tech-Net Spring Sizzler on April 27-29. Tickets for the CARQUEST Tech-Net
Spring Sizzler are available and on sale now through the SMS Box Office.
Tickets are priced at $38.50 for adult general admission tickets, $5.00 for
children ages 6-14, and children ages 5 and under are admitted free of
charge when accompanied by an adult. Reserved seating will be priced at
$42.00 for all ages. All ticket prices include 10% CT Admission Tax. As
always, Stafford Motor Speedway offers free parking with overnight parking
available.

Visit NERacingForum.Com for latest New England Racing community News and updates.

Brian Hoar Begins ACT Title Defense At Lee USA

Jay Hall — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 11:04:39 +0000

RPM Motorsports: ACT Late Model Tour
Lee USA Speedway Race Preview

THE STORY
GEORGIA, Vt. – Brian Hoar of Williston, Vt., begins his title defense in search of a fourth straight ACT Late Model Tour championship when the Tour kicks off 2012 with the NH Governor’s Cup 150 at Lee USA Speedway in Lee, N.H., on Sunday, April 15. Hoar owns the ACT career records for both championships (8) and race wins (33), and he is the defending champion of the NH Governor’s Cup 150. Rick Paya, crew chief on the RPM Motorsports No. 37 GossCars.com Dodge, also owns eight championships as a car owner – the last three of which he’s won with Hoar in the driver’s seat. New to this year’s race, ACT will allow teams to change two tires during the event.

WHO: Brian Hoar, Williston, Vt.
TEAM: RPM Motorsports No. 37 GossCars.com Dodge
CREW CHIEF: Rick Paya, Georgia, Vt.

BEST CAREER LEE USA SPEEDWAY FINISH: 1st (April 2011)
LAST RACE AT LEE USA SPEEDWAY: 1st (April 2011)

WHAT: ACT Late Model Tour NH Governor’s Cup 150
WHERE: Lee USA Speedway, Lee, N.H. (.375-mile oval)
WHEN: 2 p.m., Sunday, April 15

ACT LATE MODEL TOUR
NEXT RACE: Sunday, April 29, Merchants Bank 150, Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl, Barre, Vt. (.25-mile oval)
FINAL 2011 POINTS POSITION: 1st

DID YOU KNOW?

Brian Hoar won six races races in 2011 en route to the ACT Late Model Tour title.
Brian Hoar has led the ACT Late Model Tour standings since midway through the 2010 season.
Rick Paya has 26 career victories as owner and crew chief for RPM Motorsports.
Brian Hoar spent the past winter training to run in the Vermont City Marathon over Memorial Day Weekend.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

BRIAN HOAR, Driver of the RPM Motorsports No. 37 GossCars.com Dodge, On returning to Lee USA Speedway to begin the 2012 season: “I’m looking forward to it. We’ve got a really good setup there, and we’ve always run well there in the past. I really enjoy that kind of track. It eats up tires and it makes multiple grooves as the race goes on, so you can pass people inside and outside and run two- and sometimes three-wide there.

“It’s always a clean slate every time you go (back to a track). Winning there last year was cool, it was a great event, but it doesn’t mean anything this time around. I know we’ll have a good setup – I’m sure other guys will, too, but I believe we’ll be better than most. The The pit stop strategy is really going to be a big thing. It will be interesting to see how it works. Sometimes Lee goes for long runs of green, so it will be interesting to see how it plays out (late in the race).”

On the importance of getting off to a good start to the season: “Every year you know you’re going to have a bad event or two or three during your championship run, but I guess I’d rather always put those off to the end. It’s kind of like an insurance policy. If you’re going to have to use it, you want to be able to use it later on.

“I’d rather go and lose (a big points lead) at the end of the year than try to climb out of a hole every week. We haven’t been in that position the last three years, but it’s happened to me before. I’d rather start off strong and get the ball rolling – momentum, chemistry, all the guys staying positive. It’s important for everybody to come out of the season-opening events really strong.”

On staying motivated to win another ACT championship: ““There’s lots of guys that are going to try and knock us off the pedestal again this year, but that’s part of what motivates us. It’s a challenge, and we can’t wait for it.

“You either have the passion for the sport, or you don’t,” Hoar said. “It’s that simple. You want to be part of the sport, or you don’t. It seems like a silly question. It’s not like I’m going to hang my hat up now.”

RICK PAYA, Owner and crew chief of the RPM Motorsports No. 37 GossCars.com Dodge, On the keys to winning the ACT Late Model Tour championship: “Really, it’s all about consistency. I know we’re consistent now, but you can always make yourselves better. Every time we go to the race track, we’re always learning. Every race. We motivate ourselves to do better and better and better. Our motivation is to be better than we were last time out.”

UP NEXT

The ACT Late Model Tour heads to its up at Thunder Road International Speedbowl for the Merchants Bank 150 on Sunday, April 29… RPM Motorsports won the final two events of the season at Thunder Road in 2011, with Nick Sweet winning the Labor Day Classic 200 and Brian Hoar winning the season-ending Milk Bowl.

Visit NERacingForum.Com for latest New England Racing community News and updates.

Big scientific discovery

Jay Hall — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 02:44:26 +0000

Steve makes a big scientific discovery while filming show.

NICK SALVA LOOKING TO MAKE MARK IN STAFFORD’S SK LIGHT MODIFIED DIVISION IN 2012

Jay Hall — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 22:04:40 +0000

Stafford Springs, CT – After several seasons in Stafford’s DARE Stock
division, Nick Salva is ready to make the move into the SK Light Modified
division. As Salva makes the move into the open wheel ranks for the first
time in his career, he has help from a face that is very familiar to
modified fans at Stafford. Salva’s uncle is none other than 3-time SK
Modified® champion Bo Gunning and it was a call from Gunning that led to
Salva’s landing in the SK Light division for the 2012 season.

“I’ve always wanted to be in the modified division and I came home from work
one Sunday and my Dad told me to call Uncle Bo,” said Salva. “I called Bo
and he said that he had a car that was just sitting around and he asked me
what I had planned for the 2012 season and we decided to put an SK Light car
together.”

The car that Salva will drive during the 2012 season will be a familiar
sight to the fans of Stafford’s early days of SK Modified® racing as the car
will be numbered #98 and painted in the same scheme that Gunning had on his
#98 car in 1983 when he won the first of his three SK Modified®
championships at Stafford.

“The car will have the same paint scheme that Bo had on his first
championship winning car,” said Salva. “It brought him a lot of luck, so
hopefully it will bring me some luck too. Having the number 98 on the car
means a lot to me, it has a lot of history at Stafford with Bo. Every time
I see my name and that number in the team listing on the Stafford website I
have to pinch myself.”

While Salva won’t make the season opening event, his plans are to race the
remainder of the 2012 schedule and pick up on the momentum he established
while racing in the SK Light feature event during last year’s CARQUEST Fall
Final. Salva started last in the 22-car field and he ran as high as 10th in
the #31 car before finishing 14th after his power steering failed.

“We have a few odds and ends left over to convert the car from an SK to SK
Light,” said Salva. “We should be ready to go around the end of May or
early June. We bought Kyle Spencer’s engine and everything on the car was
relatively new and straight, so we feel like we have a good shot at doing
well this year. We’re going to bring the car to John Jensen and check the
front clip and we’re looking forward to having some fun this year. The Fall
Final last year was my first time in a modified and we got as high as 10th
before we lost the power steering a couple of laps from the end and I had to
settle for 14th. All in all, it wasn’t a bad start for our first time out.”
In addition to good equipment, Salva has a three-time champion to lean on
for tips on how to get around Stafford the fast way as well as his crew
chief Bob Buffinton and his father, Tom Gunning.

“It’s great to have someone like Bo as a mentor,” said Salva. “Last year at
the Fall Final we went from about 1.5 seconds off the pace up to 8th or 9th
in the practice session for the SK Lights, and that was after just talking
with Bo about how I was driving the car. Bob Buffinton, my crew chief, he’s
been around for a while and he really knows his stuff and my Dad has been
around just as long as Bo has. Bo is probably more excited about the season
than I am, so we’re really excited about the season.”

The 2012 SK Light Modified season will kick off with the 41st Annual
CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler on April 27-29. Tickets for the CARQUEST
Tech-Net Spring Sizzler are available and on sale now through the SMS Box
Office. Tickets are priced at $38.50 for adult general admission tickets,
$5.00 for children ages 6-14, and children ages 5 and under are admitted
free of charge when accompanied by an adult. Reserved seating will be priced
at $42.00 for all ages. All ticket prices include 10% CT Admission Tax. As
always, Stafford Motor Speedway offers free parking with overnight parking
available.

Visit NERacingForum.Com for latest New England Racing community News and updates.

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2012 Home Track 101.wmv

Jay Hall — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 18:18:54 +0000

NASCAR Home Tracks are about community and neighbors; they’re about late nights in the garage tuning a motor and a get together with your family. Those late nights and get togethers are all across North American and Europe at NASCAR Home Tracks.

SID’S VIEW (2012) – This is Gonna Be Ugly

Jay Hall — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 09:44:10 +0000

Our second webisode from April 7, 2012 events at the Waterford Speedbowl featuring the Late Model race won by Dillon Moltz and the Street Stock race won by Corey Hutchings. Includes grandstand commentary from Sid & his friends plus in-car camera footage from inside Jeff Smith’s #15 car during the Late Model race

SID’S VIEW (2012) – You Want Some of This

Jay Hall — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 06:57:47 +0000

The SK Modified event at the Waterford Speedbowl from April 7, 2012 won by Justin Gaydosh and featuring a wild wreck that including Tom Abele Jr, Tyler Chadwick and Harry Rheaume in turn 2. Also features replay from inside Joe Gada’s #6 who was right behind the wreck and Sid walking thru the pits earlier in the day.

Speedbowl Documentary Nuggets: Part 4 – The Next Generation.avi

Jay Hall — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 18:51:25 +0000

Our fourth online video about Waterford Speedbowl history focusing on the late 70′s when Harvey Tattersall Jr bought the track, some of the modified stars of the day, the dissolution of the Grand Americans and the debut of the Street Stocks in 1977. Includes interviews with 8 different people from throughout the Speedbowl’s history