North East Street Stock Tour at Lee USA Speedway

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

  Bob Bonser first opened Lee Raceway in 1964.  The track was a 1/3 mile dirt tri-oval, and had two different elevation changes, uphill and downhill.

-              In 1965, Bonser paved the dirt track, in hopes of bringing the NESMRA (New England Super Modified Racing Association) to the facility, and did so in 1965, making Lee Raceway their “home track”. 1965 also featured the only winter snow race in the history of the facility.

-              Due to financial concerns, Lee Raceway was closed in 1979.  It reopened in 1984, under a trio of owners (Kenny Smith, Russ Conway, and Charlie Elliott), who had owned Star Speedway, and Hudson International Speedway, as well.  The trio renamed the oval Lee USA Speedway, running the first oval race on July 4, 1984.

-              The first ever Oktoberfest, the track’s marquee event, was held in October of 1984, with Paul Richardson winning the first-ever Super Modified feature at the inaugural event.  The event was one of the largest in New England short track racing history, with over 300 entrants, and well over 7,000 fans in attendance.

-              Running special events only, the track was sold to the MacDonald family in December of 1986. The MacDonald era began in 1987, as weekly racing at Lee USA Speedway became a staple, and the track has hosted weekly action since.

-              Lee has hosted some NASCAR drivers at the facility.  One being a 19-year-old Jeff Gordon, who tested one of Red MacDonald’s Super Modifieds at the track.  Others were part of the “Budweiser Shootout”, which came to Lee USA Speedway in 1985 and 1986, featuring the stars of the top series in NASCAR at the time, including Terry Labonte, Buddy Baker, Tim Richmond, and Dale Earnhardt Sr.

LEE USA SPEEDWAY DATA:

TRI-TRACK SERIES INAUGURAL EVENT:  Race 1 (non-championship points) of 10 on 2015 season

LENGTH:  .375 mile oval

BANKING:  12 degrees in the turns, 8 degrees on the front and back stretch

RACE LENGTH:  35 laps

 

DRIVER NOTES

 

#73 Larry Barnett

-              Career wins leader at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park (56).

-              Four-time Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park champion, including winning consecutively in 2009-2010. 

-              Former modified driver.

 

#33 Geoff Rollins

-              One win in one attempt at Lee USA Speedway in the Hobby Stock Division in 2014.

-              Second-generation driver, can be easily recognized from having orange on his race car.

-              Raced at Lee, Monadnock Speedway, Hudson International Speedway, and Star Speedway in 2014, in everything from a Hobby Stock to a Pro Stock.

 

#79 Patrick Tanguay 

-              Champion at Lee USA Speedway in the Hobby Stocks in 2014.

-              Finished with two wins, eleven top 5’s, and fourteen top 10’s in fourteen starts, with an average feature finish of 3.69.

 

#14ME David Brannon 

-              Picked up a feature win at Oxford Plains Speedway, in five starts.

-              In five starts at Oxford Plains Speedway, finished in the top 5 four times

 

 

 

LEE USA SPEEDWAY DATA:

TRI-TRACK SERIES INAUGURAL EVENT:  Race 1 (non-championship points) of 10 on 2015 season

LENGTH:  .375 mile oval

BANKING:  12 degrees in the turns, 8 degrees on the front and back stretch

RACE LENGTH:  35 laps  Source P/R Media