Seekonk Speedway 2020 Racing Schedule

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Mike Willis Jr returning home to Claremont Motorsports Park in 2020.

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Mike Willis Jr returning home to Claremont Motorsports Park in 2020.

          Claremont NH – Mike Willis Jr is planning on returning home for the 2020 race season. Willis will compete for the NHSTRA Modified track championship at Claremont Motorsports. Willis is no stranger to the Modified division at the speedway winning both the 2010 and 2011 track championship and has visited victory lane with both the Modified Racing Series and the Tri Track Modifieds at the Thrasher Rd Speed plant. Over the last five years Willis has competed mainly on the Modified Racing series where he was the 2019 series champion.

        When asked why the change Willis stated it was time to race at home and support his local race track and help build the NHSTRA Modified division. Willis stated he believes in the 604 program and he really likes the way things are moving at the speedway. ‘With Mike Parks and his staff taking the reins that was the deciding factor, with what they have been able to do with the Granite State Pro Stock Series hopefully they can bring that type of professionalism to Claremont on a regular basis’.  The class will be stout we have no illusions as Brian Robie, Dana Smith & Kyle Welch will offer strong competition stated Willis.   

      Willis will compete on a regular basis at Claremont as well as selected event with the NHSTRA at Monadnock, Hudson and Lee, as well as selected Tour Type Modified events beginning at New Smyrna Speedway in Fla. for the World Series of Asphalt Racing in February.

   You can catch all the action at Claremont Motorsports Park beginning on Saturday April 25^th at 5pm, you can also follow us in Facebook and www.claremontmotorsportspark.com 

NASCAR; 7 time champion Jimmie Johnson to retire after 2020 racing season.

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

10th. Jimmie Johnson*, 7 Championships in Cup,  84 [83 Cup, 1 Xfinity All-Time total wins.

NASCAR history will always hold Jimmie Johnson in the highest regard, for his hard-charging success on the racetrack and the way he conducted himself as a champion off the track. This remarkable seven-time champion – through his competitive spirit, immense talent and sportsmanship – has made NASCAR a better sport. On behalf of my family and the entire NASCAR community, I thank Jimmie for his dedication to NASCAR and, along with his legions of fans, wish him all the best in his final season. I look forward to watching him race for wins and an eighth NASCAR Cup Championship in 2020.”

– Jim France, NASCAR Chairman and CEO

ROTY award for 2002  #12-Ryan Newman (1) – Jimmie Johnson(3)[CH], Carl Long, Shawna Robinson

Will Ryan Newman announce next ?

Stafford Speedway Schedule Preview: Full Slate of Racing in July, 2020

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

(Stafford Springs, CT)---Summer time in Stafford Springs, CT means action packed racing at Stafford Motor Speedway. The 2020 schedule is set to offer 5 Friday night events in July, giving race fans plenty of chances to get out to the track.

The July schedule kicks off Friday, July 3rd with The Firecracker, a 30-lap Street Stock special event. The night will also be capped off with a Fireworks display to celebrate Independence Day. The event will showcase Stafford’s Street Stock division, which has seen some rule changes entering the 2020 season, including removal of the restrictor plate. Extra laps, extra money, the Firecracker crown will be on the line for the winner of the Independence Day weekend event.

The following week, July 10th, marks one of the biggest events of the season, the Bud Light Open 80 and the TC 13 SK Modified® Shoot-out. This event card has become one of the best value tickets of the summer as race fans are treated to 7 divisions of racing. Both races thrilled fans at the 2019 event where Keith Rocco held off Stephen Kopcik to win the 2nd Annual TC 13 Shoot-out while Ronnie Williams took home his first career Open Modified win in the Bud Light Open 80.

“The Bud Light Open 80 and TC 13 SK Modified® shootout has become a can’t miss event on the Stafford Speedway schedule,” explained Stafford Speedway CEO Mark Arute. “The shootout is an event that every SK Modified® driver wants to qualify for. Last season Keith Rocco held off Stephen Kopcik and I know Keith will be looking to defend his win in 2020.”

The month of July continues with the 3rd Kids Night event of 2020 on Friday, July 17th. All kids 14 & under will be admitted free of charge and Stafford Speedway officials will host Big Wheel races along the front-stretch.

New for 2020, Dunleavy’s Modifiedz Night will move from its traditional May date to Friday, July 24th. The night is highlighted by a 40-lap extra distance race for Stafford’s SK Light Modified division. In its 4th year, the event has become known for thrilling finishes and epic battles. Brett Gonyaw, Marcello Rufrano, and Noah Korner have each recorded a Modifiedz win.

Stafford Speedway is set to close the month of July with a NASCAR Weekly Racing series event on Friday, July 31st. All 5 of Stafford’s weekly racing divisions will be on hand as the 2020 championship point chases take shape.

Stafford Speedway is set to release the full 2020 schedule on Wednesday, November 13th. Season tickets for 2020 are now available online or over the phone. For more information, visit www.staffordspeedway.com, checkout Stafford Speedway on Facebook or Twitter, or contact the track office at 860-684-2783.Source: Scott Running Stafford Speedway Media Press Release

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour 2020 Schedule....

Posted by Wayne G. Barber and Photos ,Wayne G. Barber Library

Ryan Fearn Wins Late Model NAPA Auto Parts Rookie of the Year Honors at Stafford Motor Speedway

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

(Stafford Springs, CT)---After contending for the Limited Late Model championship with a career best 6 wins in 2018, Ryan Fearn and the #12 SAFCO Foam team made the move into Stafford Speedway’s Late Model division for the 2019 season.  The East Longmeadow, MA native made the most of his rookie campaign by scoring 1 win, 7 top-5 and 12 top-10 finishes to claim the NAPA Auto Parts Rookie of the Year award, the first time Fearn has ever won a rookie of the year award in his racing career.

“It feels pretty great to be the rookie of the year, but it’s not all my own effort,” said Fearn.  “I feel like I’ve been improving as a driver over my tenure at Stafford.  If it wasn’t for all the guys on the crew and the experience and knowledge they’ve built up since Tom [Fearn] started racing back at Riverside, I wouldn’t have been able to do this.  It’s pretty great to have a team effort come together and put up some results like we did this season.  I’ve never won a Rookie of the Year award in any other division I’ve raced in so it felt really good to win that award this season.”

The #12 SAFCO Foam Late Model has a strong contingent of support from sponsors and family.  Some of the sponsors have been a mainstay for this team dating back to Fearn’s Wild Thing Kart racing years.

“I really have to thank SAFCO Foam, Whips Sporting Goods, R.A.D. Auto Machine, Williams Race Gears, Grandma Hamm Chassis, special shout out to Joe Hamm because when we got destroyed in the middle of the year, he came home early from a vacation to help get the car back together.  Also I would like to thank Dave Ferris, Amedeo, Tom, Soper, John G. Powers, Bob, my sister Alexandra and her boyfriend Grant, N.E. Gear Polishing, N.E. Racing Fuel, Hoosier Tire East, the Arute family, Wizard Auto Body, Short Track Baker and my mom, Jennifer, for giving my father permission to allow me to start racing years ago in the Wild Thing Karts.”

Coming into the 2019 season, Fearn had notched at least one victory in each of his five seasons racing at Stafford.  Fearn scored 5 Street Stock wins between the 2013, 2014 and 2016 seasons and he won 7 races from 2017-2018 in the Limited Late Model division.  Fearn continued his streak of winning at least one race a season by winning the biggest Late Model race of the season, the 50-lapper on August 16.  That win was worth a payday of over $3,100 thanks to a $1,200 purse and selecting the winner takes all option from the $1,900 Gaston Racing Enterprises High Roller Challenge.  The victory was extra special to Fearn as he was able to share the winner’s circle with his sister Alexandra, who won the Limited Late Model feature the same night.

“We had 20 opportunities to win a race this year and I knew we had a car that was capable of winning almost every week once we got things figured out and I was surprised our win came in the 50-lapper,” said Fearn.  “It was something else to roll into victory lane that night.  It was really cool to win on the same night as my sister because it’s been impossible to do that since we’ve been racing in the same division for the last 6 or 7 years.  I think the last time we both won on the same night was back in the Wild Thing Karts.  It was really cool to be able to relive something like that especially on a Friday night in front of all the race fans who show up every week and I hope they all enjoyed the show that night.”

With his rookie season now in the books, Fearn is anxious to return to Stafford’s Late Model division even stronger than he was in 2019.  Fearn has a knack for improving his final points standing finish from year to year.  He finished 11^th in his first 2 Street Stock seasons then finished 5^th before heading into the Limited Late Model division.  He finished 9^th as a Limited Late Model rookie and improved to 2^nd in the standings in his second season.  After winning the Late Model extra distance 50-lap race this season, Fearn has his eyes set on winning some regular distance 30-lap events in 2020.

“If I can do what I did this season in 2020, I think we can be pretty strong,” said Fearn.  “Maybe next year we can get a regular 30-lap feature win because Tom Fearn has won a million of those races and I’m still looking for my first one.  There’s still so much for me to learn and the more I learn next year the better we should be.  I’ve got a little more confidence and knowledge of the car and how to race with my competitors.  It’s all going to come down to me being smarter and continuing to learn.”

Fearn will officially be crowned the 2019 Late Model NAPA Auto Parts Rookie of the Year at the 50^th Annual Stafford Speedway Champion’s Awards Banquet, scheduled for Friday, November 15 at Maneeley’s in South Windsor.  Tickets to the awards banquet are $50 and are on sale now.  Tickets can be ordered by calling the track at 860-684-2783 or they can be ordered online at www.staffordspeedway.com.  

Source: Scott Running Stafford Speedway Media Press Release and Photo

Adrien Paradis, III Wins R.A.D. Auto Machine Street Stock Rookie of the Year Honors at Stafford Speedway

Posted by Wayne G. Barber & Photo Supplied by Stafford Speedway Media Press Release

(Stafford Springs, CT)---After running the Sportsman division at Waterford from 2016-2018, Plainville, CT native Adrien Paradis, III came to Stafford for 2019 to try his hand in the Street Stock division.  The driver of the #19 CSB Communications Chevrolet had never previously raced at Stafford but proved that lack of experience wouldn’t be an issue recording a 7^th place finish in his first start.  From there, Paradis finished all but one of this season’s 20 Street Stock races in the top-10, cruising to R.A.D. Auto Machine Rookie of the Year honors over Marvin Minkler.

 

“I missed out on winning rookie of the year when I first started racing at Waterford, so that was one of our main goals for the season,” said Paradis.  “It’s a pretty cool feeling.  I think we went above and beyond our expectations for this season, especially being our first year at Stafford.  Originally we wanted to finish in the top-10 in points and we ended up finishing fifth.  We certainly would have liked to be on the podium a little more than we were, but Stafford is a tough track and it was a totally different driving style than what I was used to, so there was a lot of learning on my part this year.  I really have to thank my entire crew, my parents, Mike Davis, Joe Brockett, and I wouldn’t have been able to do anything without my sponsors CSB Communications, Midstate Air Compressor, KCM, Auto Glass Specialists, and East Coast Packaging.”

With having never previously raced at Stafford, getting to grips with the Stafford half-mile layout was Paradi’s biggest challenge during his rookie campaign.  Paradis had to adjust from the tight confines of Waterford to deal with the longer straightaways at Stafford. In addition to a different track layout the driver of the #19 car had to learn how to race with a restrictor plate which has been used for years in Stafford’s Street Stock and Dare Stock division. After running one full season with a restrictor plate, Paradis may have an advantage entering 2020, as the restrictor plate has been removed from the Street Stock rulebook.

“I think the driving style was the biggest thing for me to adapt to this season,” said Paradis.  “At Waterford, you can drive a lot deeper into the corners where at Stafford you have to back the corner up and let the car roll for a lot longer.  I was overdriving the car into the corners and with the restrictor plate that really hurt us coming off the corner.  With the restrictor plate on the car, any little mistake you make gets amplified because you don’t have the power to overcome it.  I can’t wait for next season with the restrictor plates coming off the cars.”

Paradis’ best finish this season was a third place finish on August 23, his lone podium finish of the season.  With a full season’s worth of experience under his belt, Paradis is excited to get back on track in 2020 and fight for more podium finishes and his first career win.

“I think we’ll be ahead of the game for the start of next season,” said Paradis.  “We changed our setup to try a couple different things at the end of the season to try to get ready for next season and see how the car would react.  Hopefully we can be up front every week and put the car in victory lane.  Our main goal is going to be to win a race or two next season.  I think we have things figured out for the most part and I have a great setup guy so it’s all going to come down to me as the driver.  Obviously I’d love to win the championship next year but if we can go a couple spots better than we were this year and finish in the top-3 in points, that would be good for us.”

With Paradis establishing that he can be a consistent runner this season with 19 top-10 finishes in 20 starts, he will be looking to carry over his consistency to next season and combine his consistency with his year of experience at Stafford to be front runner every week.

“This season was awesome for us,” said Paradis.  “We were pretty fast right off the trailer at the first race and we managed to have consistent finishes with no major wrecks that caused damage to the car.  I think we showed this year that consistent finishes will keep you towards the top and consistency along with winning some races is what is going to win the championship.”

Paradis will officially be crowned the 2019 Street Stock R.A.D. Auto Machine Rookie of the Year at the 50^th Annual Stafford Speedway Champion’s Awards Banquet, scheduled for Friday, November 15 at Maneeley’s in South Windsor.  Tickets to the awards banquet are $50 and are on sale now.  Tickets can be ordered by calling the track at 860-684-2783 or they can be ordered online at www.staffordspeedway.com.  

Source:; Scott Running Stafford Speedway Media Press Release & Photo