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Friday 05/18/12
Phil Smith's "Looking Back": Sixty years ago in 1952 rain prevailed at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl for the second week in a row. Fifty five years ago in 1957 Don Collins made it two in a row in Sportsman action at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl. Ted Dean was the non-Ford winner. NASCAR incurred one of its darkest and near tragic days when a Mercury driven by Billy Myers in a Grand National (Cup) event got launched into the grandstand, injuring several people. No fatalities incurred but a few days later the major auto makers pulled out of NASCAR Racing. Fifty years ago in 1962 Hank Stevens captured his second Modified feature win of the year at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl. Ed Moody was the Bomber winner. Ernie Gahan was the Modified winner on the dirt at Stafford. Forty five years ago in 1967 Newt Palm made it four out of five as he won the Modified feature at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl. Ron Emery was the Daredevil winner. SpeedwayLineReport.com-Phil Smith

Ryan Preece Looks To Continue 2012 Hot Streak In TSI Harley-Davidson 125 At Stafford Speedway: For Ryan Preece and the #16 Diversified Metals NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour team, the 2012 season couldn’t have gotten off to a much better start than it has. In the first three races of the 2012 season, Preece and his team have won the pole position for all three events, giving them four consecutive pole positions dating back to the final race of 2011, and they have led 361 of the 534 laps that have been completed thus far. With Preece securing his first victory since joining the #16 team for the last race of the 2011 season last week at Monadnock, he is looking to continue his hot streak when the Whelen Modified Tour returns to Stafford next Friday night for the 22nd Annual TSI Harley-Davidson 125. “We’ve run pretty good, it’s a good season right now, but there’s plenty of races left,” said Preece. “I honestly couldn’t say why we’re running so well. SpeedwayLineReport.com

CarQuest Champions For Charities Driver Spotlight: Bobby Santos, III: Stafford Motor Speedway has again lined up an impressive field of current and former open wheel champions for its CARQUEST Champions For Charities Event as part of CARQUEST Super Saturday on June 30th. During the coming weeks, SMS will offer a profile on each of its championship winning drivers and the charity they will be racing for. This week's CARQUEST Champions For Charities spotlight falls on 2010 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Champion Bobby Santos, III, who will be racing to help raise funds for the USAC Benevolent Fund to support Eric Saunders. Eric Saunders, the son of Hoosier Tire’s Irish Saunders, was injured in a motocross crash while he was practicing for the Steel City National at his home track in 2010 and he is on the road to recovery. The money that Bobby Santos, III raises will go towards helping Eric's family purchase equipment for his rehabilitation. SpeedwayLineReport.com

Racin' with Jason: Palmer's Brian Chapin turns his luck around at Monadnock Speedway:  The way Brian Chapin described it, the incident he was involved in two weekends ago at Monadnock Speedway was almost comical. It’s amazing how winning a week later can make you look back at failure and chuckle at it. Chapin, of Palmer, was leading the Sportsman Modified feature on May 5 when the No. 44 car suffered an oil leak. Chapin spun out in his own fluid, essentially going around and around in one spot on the track like a bumper car caught in a corner. “The fuel pump had a mechanical defect and started (leaking) oil out,” Chapin said. “The guys behind me all actually backed off. I had a half-a-straightaway lead because I was (leaking) oil out. “I spun out in my own oil, and all I could think of was, ‘You stupid son of a ..., spinning around in the infield and you just lost the race.’” Springfield Republican-Jason Remillard

Waterford Speedbowl Emerges From Chapter 11 Bankruptcy: Officials from the Waterford Speedbowl learned Thursday from bankruptcy court in Hartford that they have emerged from the Chapter 11 bankruptcy the track filed for about two and a half years ago. “The court approved final decree to end our Chapter 11 bankruptcy,” track owner Terry Eames said. “We’ve reorganized the company in agreement with the creditors and we live to fight another day. We have a plan of reorganization that is in effect and we’re working the plan. It was billed as a triumphant moment by my attorney. We have no pending foreclosures or adversarial actions going forward.” Facing a foreclosure on the Speedbowl property, Eames filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Oct. 2009. In July 2007, Southbury businessman and local racing supporter Rocco Arbitell, along with business associate Peter Borrelli, stepped in to offer Eames and his ownership group, 1080 Hartford Road LLC, financing to avoid a foreclosure action being taken against them by former mortgage holder Washington Mutual Bank.**Sid’s View Little League Night On Tap Saturday At The Waterford Speedbowl**Jon McKennedy With Hillbilly Racing For Next Two Whelen Modified Tour Events; Team Hoping For More**Shawn Courchesne-Hartford Courant

Thursday 05/17/12
Matt Pappa takes Wild ‘n Wacky Wednesday Legends Feature: Waterford Speedbowl returned to action Wednesday evening with Wild ‘n Wacky Wednesday under seasonable weather after skies cleared from the early week rain.  Taking victories during the program included Matt Pappa of Nassau, NY in the Legends Cars feature, Rachel Forte of Douglas, MA in the Bandolero feature, Scott Limkemann of East Lyme in the night’s X-Car race and Dan Butler of Waterford in the Super X-Car event.  Christopher Lee of Uncasville won the night’s Wacky event, a Flag Pole Race for the X-Cars. Pappa persevered in the 20-lap Legends Cars feature to come out on top for the second time in as many Wednesday events on the year.  He was involved in a lap-2 incident that involved multiple cars then rallied back to the win. SpeedwayLineReport.com

Wednesday 05/16/12
Dave Dykes "Racing Through Time": Wednesday Means More Modified Memories…. This shot captures Bobby Rich at Connecticut’s former West Haven Speedway. Rich was one a top-competitor at the track fondly recalled by locals as “The Rock” (a nod to the adjacent Savin Rock amusement park). It was an oddly-shaped 1/5-mile oval set within the confines of a baseball stadium and one of a number of raceways sanctioned by the once-powerful United Racing Club led by the Tattersall family. Like so many other New England speedways that flourished during the years following World War II, West Haven succumbed to rising property values and the urban renewal movement of the 1960s. Here’s a neat 70s-era color shot of Plainville Stadium competitor, Bob Vivari. A big-winner at the The Stadium’ for many seasons, he was one of the first at the late Connecticut ¼-miler to successfully campaign a Modified sporting “late model” sheet-metal. SpeedwayLineReport.com-Dave Dykes

Sprint Cars of New England Open Season at Canaan Friday: The Sprint Cars of New England will open their 2012 season with a full program of qualifying races and a 25 lap feature at the Canaan Dirt Speedway this Friday night, May 18. Also on the card will be the Bombers, the Super Streets and a non-points race for the Modifieds- a class that drew 23 cars last week. Defending SCoNE champ Dan Douville of Bridgewater hopes to be on hand for opening night after blowing an engine during time trials at the Can Am Challenge in Granby, Quebec last weekend. “We were able to knock some rust off and the car felt really good in hot laps until that awful sound during time trials,” Douville said. Other past champions expected to compete with SCoNE this season include Chris Donnelly (2010), Tunk Berry (2009), Chad Dow (2008), Shawn Lawler (2007), and Mark Cole (2002-2004). SpeedwayLineReport.com

Rumors about SPEED becoming an all sports channel come true: The rumors that abounded recently about the Speed Channel's change to an all-sports channel came true. Following the F1 race this past Sunday morning, its usual motor head programming was replaced by a game of the English Premier Soccer League. That eliminated the F1 post race coverage which used to comprise of traditional interviews with drivers who were able to make the podium. Bet that didn't make USA followers of F1 very pleased. We surmise that Fox Sports, owners of the Speed Channel, is making a transition from all motorsports to a sports buffet similar to the old Versus Channel renamed the NBC Sports Channel. Comcast bought NBC last year, hence the change. ESPN and ESPN2 have the same all-sports format as well. Brockton Enterprise-Lou Modestino

Tuesday 05/15/12
Phil Smith's "Champ Trail": The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Series went "Up Country" to the Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, NH. Thanks to the efforts of Ted Hebert and Teddy Bear Pools & Spa $5000 in extra money was added to the WMT purse. This money was paid out to the drivers from positions 12 to 26. Last place paid out $810. Ryan Preece led from pole to pole to win the 175 lap event at the New Hampshire oval. Preece withstood 10 restarts to take the win where his grandfather, Bobby Judkins had fielded winning mounts at the track in years past. It took an extreme amount of concentration on the part of Preece as he was repeatedly pressured and dogged by runner-up Doug Coby and Ted Christopher. Coby, who started second was kind of the meat in the sandwich as he had third place starter Todd Szegedy on his bumper for a good part of the distance. SpeedwayLineReport.com-Phil Smith

Valenti Modified Racing Series Invades Thompson Sunday: The Valenti Modified Racing Series returns to action this weekend visiting the Thompson International Speedway, Thompson, CT., for the first of two events this season. The Sunday race, May 20,will feature a 75-lap race for the open-wheel modifieds with a strong field of drivers expected. Defending series champion, Chris Pasteryak, of Lisbon, CT., leads the list of entries including several former VMRS winners and several looking for their first series win at the historic oval. Les Hinckley III, of Windsor Locks, CT., leads the list of past winners. Todd Owen, of Somers, CT., Louie Mechalides, of Tyngsboro, MA., Andy Seuss, of Hampstead, N.H.., and Rowan Pennink, of Huntingdon Valley, PA., all former Thompson winners, hope to find their way to victory lane. SpeedwayLineReport.com

Seekonk Speedway’s Hometown Hero’s program returns on May 19: For the second year, Seekonk Speedway is giving fans from all over Southeastern New England a chance to check out the action at Seekonk Speedway for free. All you need is an ID to show proof of residence from the town/city being showcased, and you are in. The first of 9 consecutive weeks begins on May 19th. The tickets are for general admission only. Seekonk does not have assigned or reserved seating, so there is not a bad seat in the house. For the $12.00 savings, you can even bring a friend or two. And of course, as always, children 12 and under are FREE. On May 19, the focus is the Cape and surrounding towns. All of Cape Cod, that’s from Provincetown to Bourne will be admitted at no charge. Also included for admission on this night is Plymouth, Carver, Wareham, Mattapoisett, Duxbury, Hingham, Weymouth, Hanover, Rockland and Abington. SpeedwayLineReport.com

Monday 05/14/12
Brian Danko-Profile, Southington's Jeff Zarrella: Jeff Zarrella of Southington has been around racing nearly his entire life and his career has taken him from the modified series to the NASCAR pinnacle, the Sprint Cup series and the veteran crew member has never regretted his decision to get into racing. Zarrella, who is the tire specialist for driver Ryan Newman, which is part of the Stewart-Haas Racing team, he has been to victory lane many times in his career but when he stepped into Victory Lane at the Martinsville Speedway in April, it may have been the most rewarding time ever. “When you talk about Martinsville, you talk about tradition. I have been going there for a long time and to win in the Sprint Cup series with Ryan at a track that is so special, it’s something you’ll never forget.” The modifieds for years made several trips south to compete at the Martinsville Speedway and it became a second home track for many of the teams. The speedway was happy to have them and equally so were the fans who flocked there for their traditional season opening and season closing races with the then Busch series. SpeedwayLineReport.com-Brian Danko

Valenti Modified Racing Series This Sunday At Thompson: The Valenti Modified Racing series will be the featured division this Sunday afternoon, May 20th, at the Thompson International Speedway. The VMRS has become one of the most popular touring series in the northeast and always brings a great crowd and a great race to Thompson. VMRS racers will qualify for their 75 laps of green flag racing through heats. Their finishes in the qualifying races will determine their starting spots in the main event. Heat races have been a popular feature in the VMRS program. The defending VMRS champion, Chris Pasteryak, will head the field of open-wheel Modifieds at Thompson which is the largest and fastest track on the VMRS schedule. The pressure, however, is on two-time champion, Jon McKennedy. In the first two VMRS races, McKennedy has been victorious. He won at the Waterford Speedbowl and at Monadnock and will try to make it three in a row when the VMRS rolls into Thompson. SpeedwayLineReport.com

Vintage race cars take over New Hampshire Motor Speedway: All types of vintage race cars came to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the annual Vintage Celebration, a two-day event, in spite of cloudy and cool weather. We got a good look at these cars - dirt and paved track Modifieds, Late Models, Cut Downs, Indy Cars, Sprint Cars, Super Modifieds and even some old Grand Nationals - racing around the one-mile oval. Also noticed some "For Sale" signs on these restored race machines. Mark Hann of East Granby, Conn., owner of one of the restored racers, is a member of the Racers Preservation Group. "The organization is responsible for preserving old race cars. "We're concerned that these race cars will get lost," said Hann. His organization, as well as others, would like to see a Northeast Auto Racing Museum built on the grounds of NHMS. Some include Ipswich's Dick Berggren, a pit reporter of NASCAR events on the Fox Sports Network. Brockton Enterprise-Lou Modestino

Sunday 05/13/12
Preece Rolls At Monadnock: Ryan Preece converted his third Coors Light Pole Award into his first win of the season Saturday night with a victory in the Whitcomb 200 presented by Mobix & Town Fair Tire at Monadnock Speedway. Preece led every lap of the season's third race and took the checkered flag 1.423 seconds in front of runner-up Doug Coby. Todd Szegedy, the 2011 race winner, finished third. Justin Bonsignore and Ron Silk finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Silk, the points leader, maintained a one-point advantage in the standings over Coby. Preece is four points behind Silk. It is Preece's fourth career win and earned him a locked-in spot at the UNOH Battle At The Beach on the .400-mile oval at Daytona International Speedway next February. SpeedwayLineReport

Tyler Chadwick Takes 2nd Win of the Year in SK Mods at Waterford: Racing returned to Waterford Speedbowl Saturday night with a special 60th anniversary event for the Northeastern Midget Association plus NASCAR Whelen All-American Series racing.  The Northeastern Midget Association (NEMA) is one of the nation’s oldest racing series, with roots at Waterford going back to its beginning.  Greg Stoehr of Bridgewater, MA took home the prestigious win in the night’s NEMA Midget feature while Brandon Igo of Bondsville, MA won the companion NEMA Lite race.  In Saturday night NASCAR action, Ledyard native Tyler Chadwick took the checkered flag in the SK Modified® feature, his second on the year, while defending Bob Valenti Auto Mall Late Model champion Jeff Smith of Old Lyme returned to the winner’s circle for the first time in 2012. SpeedwayLineReport

Greg Stoehr Grabs Rifchin Trophy, Igo NEMA Lites Winner at Speedbowl: Absolutely dominating the second half of the race, Russ Stoehr captured the 30-lap Marvin Trophy race Saturday night at the Northeastern Midget Association’s Diamond Anniversary Race at Waterford Speedbowl. Grabbing the lead on a lap 13 restart, Stoehr, in the family 26b, went on to a 1.450 seconds win over Randy Cabral (Bertrand 47). John Zych (Zych 9), Russ Stoehr (Dumo’s Desire 45) and Todd Bertrand (Bertrand #39) completed the top five. Stoehr assumed control when early leader Anthony Marvuglio (Bordeau 38) suffered a flat left front tire on caution. After a brief side-by-side battle with Cabral, he quickly assumed a commanding advantage in a car built over the winter to replace a car that was destroyed last summer at Waterford. Daughter/crew chief Kathryn, Stoehr said, deserved a lot of the credit. Despite a sizzling performance in his heat, Stoehr wanted to make changes. SpeedwayLineReport

Ryan Vanasse picks up second career Pro Stock feature: Warwick RI’s Ryan Vanasse has been one of the hottest drivers at Seekonk Speedway over the past three plus seasons. In that time, he has won two Late Model Championships, as well as over 15 feature wins, including a division record of 11 in 2011. This year, Ryan made the full time move back to the Pro Stocks, and has continued his momentum. Ryan moved into the lead early on, after a hard fought battle with Tom Scully Jr, and held on to win the Pro Stock main event. His win was not without concern, however. While leading, he made contact with the lapped car of Danny Cabral. Many thought that he may have bent something in the front suspension. No damage was done, and he was able to hold on through a couple of late race restarts. Tom Scully Jr of Cranston RI held on for second, with Rehoboth’s Dave Darling, Westport’s Fred Astle Jr and Kevin Casper of Somerset rounding out the top five. SpeedwayLineReport

Chris Meyer is tops in Street Stocks at Speedbowl: It’s a statistic that only a race director could keep track of: 46 percent of the penalties issued by Scott Tapley at the Waterford Speedbowl this season have come from the Street Stock Division. “Those penalties have cost a lot of guys their handicap spots so even though we’ve been finishing well, we started fifth (Saturday) — more toward the front — because we haven’t had a penalty in a while,” North Franklin driver Chris Meyer said. Meyer used that start near the front to his advantage, taking the lead on the 13th lap of the 25-lap feature Saturday to become the first two-time winner in the division this season. Meyer said while the penalties have taken their toll on some drivers, it’s something that really hasn’t affected him personally. Outside of an altercation with Shawn Monahan in the first two weeks of the season — that has dissipated since Monahan no longer runs in the division — Meyer thinks things have been pretty calm. Norwich Bulletin-Marc Allard

ACT Tour moves to Oxford Plains on Sunday, May 20: The American Canadian Tour heads to Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford, ME for the Oxford 150 next Sunday, May 20. For most teams, it serves as the fourth point counting event on the American Canadian Tour series and the last long distance event before the legendary Oxford 250. For a few, it is a return home. Turner, ME’s Shawn Martin will be making the trip to Oxford in an effort to claim his third ACT victory. His resume at Oxford Plains Speedway stands out with two ACT victories, 11 weekly feature wins, and a 2004 Track Championship. Ricky Rolfe of Albany Township, ME is a multi-time champion of Oxford Plains Speedway and also owns two ACT victories at the track, most recently in 2008. Brockton Enterprise-Lou Modestino

Tyler Chadwick Drives Away With SK Mod Win At Waterford; Nichole Morgillo Records Historic Finish: Chadwick drove away from the field over the closing laps to win the 35-lap NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Modified feature Saturday at the Waterford Speedbowl. It was the second victory of the season for Chadwick. Nichole Morgillo of Wallingford had a career best second place finish and Kyle James of Ashaway, R.I. was third. After the race, Chadwick didn’t want to talk much about the fact that the win came on a night when Keith Rocco wasn’t in the field. Rocco has been the most dominant driver in the division over the last four years at the track. Rocco is in his first season driving full-time on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and was competing at Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, N.H. on Saturday night. Rocco and Chadwick have built up a fiery rivalry over the past three seasons.**Getting It Done Clean: Ken Cassidy Keeps Up Sparkling Mini Stock Domination At Waterford**Closing The Deal: Ryan Preece Rides Pole Position To Whelen Modified Tour Victory At Monadnock Speedway**Jeff Smith Holds Off Dillon Moltz For Late Model Win In Last Lap Battle At Waterford**Greg Stoehr Rolls To Northeastern Midget Association Victory At Waterford**Shawn Courchesne-Hartford Courant

Saturday 05/12/12
Hill Wins Xtra Mart Late Model Xtra D Feature At Stafford: Stafford Speedway was back on track with the Xtra Mart Late Model Xtra D program on Friday night, May 11th. J.J. Hill was the winner of the extra distance 40-lap Late Model feature, Eric Berndt got around Ted Christopher on a green white checkered restart to pick up his first win of the 2012 in the 40-lap SK Modified® feature, Dylan Kopec was the winner of the 20-lap SK Light Modified feature for the second consecutive week, Josh Wood also won for the second consecutive week in the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature, and Albert Saunders drove to victory in the 15-lap DARE Stock feature with a late race pass on Austin Bessette. In the 40-lap SK Modified® feature event, Frank Ruocco took the lead at the drop of the green to take the early race lead. Woody Pitkat was glued to Ruocco’s back bumper while Eric Berndt was running a close third. Behind Berndt was Ryan Preece, Keith Rocco, and Ted Christopher. SpeedwayLineReport

Brian Hoar and Wayne Helliwell are locked in an ACT Tour point battle very early in the season: On Sunday, May 6 Brian Hoar of Williston, VT relinquished the American Canadian Tour point lead to Dover, NH’s Wayne Helliwell, Jr. Helliwell dominated the second half of the Spring 112 at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on his way to his first ever ACT victory, while Hoar struggled early and came home 11th. The finish seemed uncharacteristic of Hoar, known for his eight American Canadian Tour Championships and “ice cold” driving style, but uncharacteristic hardly describes the historic run that was shattered on Sunday. Hoar’s 11th place finish marked just the third time he has finished outside the top ten in a point-counting event in his last 35 ACT starts. More impressive than that was the streak in which Hoar sat atop the points list. Brockton Enterprise-Lou Modestino

Lost In Transmission: Eric Berndt Takes High Gear To Dramatic SK Modified Victory At Stafford: Getting through a restart clean with a broken transmission is a feat no racecar driver wants to think about dealing with. That said, making a pass for the win on a restart with a broken transmission is the stuff of fantasy land dreaming. Friday at Stafford Motor Speedway, Eric Berndt lived the fantasy in ultra-dramatic style. Berndt, of Cromwell, passed Stafford’s all-time winningest driver – Ted Christopher - on a green-white-checker restart to win the 40-lap NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Modified feature at the track. “It’s real special,” Berndt said. “Anytime you can race Ted side-by-side, for the win on top of it, you could probably count on your hands how many times something like that has happened. To beat him, it’s like you’re racing in the [Sprint] Cup Series and you beat Dale Earnhardt. He’s the master here. Against Teddy, it’s special.” It was the 11th career SK Modified victory for Berndt at Stafford, 84 fewer than Christopher’s all-time division leading 95 wins. Christopher, of Plainville, held on for second and Michael Gervais Jr. of Southbury was third.**End Run: JJ Hill Survives A Wild Closing Stretch To Win Late Model Feature At Stafford**Perfect Still: Two Starts, Two Wins For Stafford Limited Late Model Rookie Josh Wood**Shawn Courchesne-Hartford Courant

New York Racing Legend Don Diffendorf Passes at 83: Donald J. Diffendorf, Sr., 83, passed away on April 21, 2012. He was predeceased by his parents, Marchie and Beatrice Diffendorf; and sisters, Betty Jean and Shirley Louise Diffendorf. He is survived by his loving wife, Shirley; his children, Sharon Murray, Susan and James Brigham, Beatrice and Timothy Goff, Margaret and David Pitel, Donald Diffendorf Jr. and Michelene, and Steven Diffendorf; 9 grandchildren, 2 great-grandchildren; stepchildren, Susan and Michael Agati, James and Kerry Bopp; 3 step-grandchildren; brother and sister-in-law, William (Sr.) and Dorothy Diffendorf; sisters, Doris Hedges, Beverly Rounds, Betty Lou Kelly, and Virginia Pompeii; and several nieces and nephews; his pets, Mackenzie and Andre. He was the owner of Diffendorf Trucking. Don was a well-known modified race car driver (Grey Fox) competing in races all up and down the East Coast with his famous S/360, having won many races and earned countless achievements on dirt and asphalt tracks. He enjoyed his trips to Tioga Downs and Mohegan Sun. SpeedwayLineReport.com

Hall of Famer Billy Harman's Wife Donna Passes At 68: Donna M. Harman, 68, of Niantic and Port Orange, Fla., passed away peacefully on Tuesday, April 17, 2012, at Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Fla., after a courageous battle with cancer. Her husband of 28 years, William, was by her side throughout every stage of her illness and when she gently slipped into the arms of God. Donna was born on Sept. 15, 1943, in New London, the daughter of late Herbert B. and Katherine C. King. She graduated in 1961 from New London High School. On May 23, 1983, she married William Harman on Valencia Island, County Kerry Ireland in the presence of the cousins she had never met. Donna retired in 2002 from The New London Day Publishing Company after 30 years of loyal service. She was a former member of The New London Country Club in Waterford and together with her husband, served as club historian. She was a member of River Bend Golf Club, Indigo Lakes Golf Club, and The Moose Club, all of Ormond Beach, Fla. SpeedwayLineReport.com

Dave Myers Crew Chief of the Late Jay Miller 09 Modified & Son of Former Car Owner Bill Myers Passes: Dave Myers died Saturday night when his car struck a utility pole on Saturday April 14th in East Granby at 6:30 P.M. Dave was the Crew Chief on the late Jay Millers 09 Modifieds and his father Billy is a former Modified Car Owner and Builder of the #7 driven by Ray Miller, Jay's father. We send our condolences to the Myers family. David James Myers, 35, of East Granby, beloved son of William and Nancy Myers of East Granby, passed away unexpectedly Saturday, (April 14, 2012). Born May 26, 1976 in Hartford. He had lived in East Granby all his life. At an early age, he found his love for cars. He was an avid NASCAR fan and was the crew chief of the championship team at Riverside Park for modified racing. Besides cars he enjoyed fishing and spending time with family, friends and his best companion "Daisy." Besides his parents, William and Nancy Myers; he is survived by a sister, Tracy Bennour of East Granby; a niece, Alexis Bennour of East Granby; his best friend, Scott Lennon; and many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. He was predeceased by his good friend, Jason Miller. SpeedwayLineReport.com

My Dad Founded NASCAR – An Interview With Little Red Vogt: It all started with a discussion about who belongs in NASCAR’s Hall of Fame. Since opening in 2010 and inducting the first class of inductees, race fans have debated who belonged in the racing shrine first. The arguments can get heated, especially in the social media sites and message boards where supporters of the drivers debate the issue. Three years later and the debates continue to rage on, perhaps even exacerbated by the miniscule number of inductees each year. One of these online debates caught our attention. We contacted the source identified in the debate and in short order, we were given a complete history lesson on some of the greatest legends in stock car racing by a man that was there when NASCAR started. We contacted C. Thomas Vogt, son of NASCAR’s legendary mechanic, Louis Jerome “Red” Vogt, and talked to “Little Red”, as he is known to the fraternity of early Nascar racers and fans. OneDirt.com-Bobby Kimbrough 

From Sid's Vault
Speedbowl Documentary Nuggets - Part Two: Back Then

From Sid's Vault
Speedbowl Documentary Nuggets - The Beginning

Tom Ormsby's "Racing Remembrances": Driver Profile: Billy Harman On Sunday April 15, 1951 a 7^th grader watched the first ever race at the New London /Waterford Speedbowl. That 7^th grader was also attending his first race. Bob Swift would go in the record books as the first winner at the new racetrack. Young Billy Harman would become hooked on racing after that first race, never to miss a Wednesday or Saturday race for many years to come at the Speedbowl. Like many a youngster after attending their first race, Bill knew he wanted to be a race driver. In his sophomore year of high school Bill would build his first race car in the high school’s shop class, a 1938 six cylinder Chevy Coupe. After school Bill would take the 38 Chevy to the Morgan Farm, about a mile from the Speedbowl. There were some weekdays Bill would drive the car from the farm to the Speedbowl and sneak on the racetrack. Bill recalls, “This was my first opportunity to drive the race car”.**Don Rounds Victor At New London Speedbowl-1951**Mordino, Hill Win At Plainville-1971**New Breed Strikes At Stafford Springs Again - 1972 SpeedwayLineReport.com-Tom Ormsby

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