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02/15/2014 |
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VALENTI
MODIFIED RACING SERIES
ENTERS
ELEVENTH RACE SEASON
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by
Denise DuPont
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With
little more than a month before the season opener at Waterford, CT,
Speedbowl, March 29th& 30th, Valenti Modified Racing Series officials and
race teams are hard at work preparing for the new season. This will be the
eleventh race season for New England’s premier modified racing tour.
The Valenti Modified Racing Series has a seventeen race schedule planned,
which includes a return to Airborne Speedway Labor Day weekend that has
drawn interest from racers throughout the Northeast. Close to seventy teams
have registered for the 2014 campaign with many first time competitors
securing car numbers. The recently announced roster shows the majority of
last year’s regulars returning, and several new to the series competitors
slated to try the New England based touring division.
Noted car builder/owner Art Barry, a member of the New England Auto Racing
Hall of Fame, and the New York State Stock Car Racing Hall of Fame, will
field a car with the eleventh-year series, a move he is anxiously looking
forward too.
“I like the series, I like the rules package, its low key, and I like that
style. The officials run a good program.” Barry, who has fielded race cars
for well over 50 years for some of the sports best drivers added, “I really
am looking forward to the New York race at Airborne Labor Day weekend.”
The MRS will venture to the Airborne Speedway in Plattsburgh, NY. Labor Day
weekend in September. This is the second visit to the track for the series.
That event has huge interest from many race teams. The event will be
co-sanctioned with the New York based Race of Champions (ROC) tour. Upwards
of 60 cars are expected to enter. Justin Bonsignore will pilot Barry’s racer
this season. Airborne weekend will be a two day show that will include a
short distance no point’s “All-Star Invitational” on Friday night. The top
twenty teams based on social media votes will compete in a 25 lap shoot-out
with a $1,000 purse going to the winner. The second Friday race known as
“The Race of The States” will include the top three drivers from each state
competing in a 25 lap feature event for a $1,000 purse.
On Saturday, Airborne then will host a 35 lap non-qualifier race that is
open to everyone who did qualify. The winner will receive a $750 purse and a
year subscription to Speedway Illustrated Magazine. The main feature of the
weekend will be a 100 lap VMRS and ROC event. All teams will receive $750 to
start the race while the winner will take home $3,000. Twenty-four modifieds
will start the event. There will be no points given to either of the racing
series for race competition on this weekend, but the VMRS teams will receive
50 points making the trip to Airborne. Heat races for the 100 lap feature
event will be held on Saturday.
Series director Scott Tapley was excited to announce the highlights of the
MRS race season particularly the stellar Labor Day race weekend planned with
Speedway Illustrator’s Publisher Karl Fredrickson. “I think with the number
of entries and car registrations received which is the most number that we
have ever had up to this point at this date.” Said Tapley. “I think that it
is encouraging. More and more people are interested in racing with us. I
think that the change in the tire compound going to something similar to
what the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour runs – a harder right rear tire- I
think will just lead to more competition from the drop of the green flag. We
are also going to introduce some bonuses for leading laps and other
improvement will just make it more competitive from green to checker.”
Please check out the VMRS website for more details and updates on the
planned Airborne event.
Do you think that the VMRS racing is threatened
at all with the start of the new Tri-Track series in New England (Star,
Seekonk and Lee USA Speedway)?
Scott Tapley
“Not at all am I encouraged that it is happening. Anything that you can do
for racing is good. We need to be a family, whether it is the Whelen
Modified Tour, MRS, ROC or Tri-Track, it does not matter. We all need to
work together and help ourselves because typically when things do not work
and cars go home, they just stay home. They do not go to another series,
they just stay home. We need to ensure that generations after us are
continuing to race. They think about modified and know that they are the top
form of racing that we all believe that they are.” |
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Source: Denise DuPont / TheChromeHorn.com
Posted: February
15, 2014 |
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