The Chrome Horn - Champ Trail with Phil Smith

Champ Trail - April 19, 2016


  Coming up this weekend is the 45th Annual NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler at the Stafford Motor Speedway. Originally conceived by Dick Berggren, Bruce Cohen and Lew Boyd as an early season, high paying open competition event in 1972 the event has grown from its original 80 laps to a 200 lap NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Series event sanctioned by NASCAR. Jack Arute bought the rights to the event and it has evolved into the greatest event in the history of spring. The Whelen Modified Tour 200 will be joined by the SK Modifieds for 40 laps, Late Models for 30 laps, SK Lights for 20 laps, Limited Late Models for 20 laps, Dare Stocks for 15 laps, US Legend Cars for 20 laps and Mr Rooter Trucks for 25 laps.
  NAPA Spring Sizzler® action gets underway this Friday, April 22 with a practice session for Stafford’s weekly divisions and the Mr. Rooter Trucks. The practice session will be open to the public at no charge. Action continues on Saturday, April 23 with Coors Light Pole Qualifying for the Whelen Modified Tour cars, along with heat and consolation races for Stafford’s weekly divisions, the U.S. Legend Cars, and the Mr. Rooter Trucks. Saturday will wrap up with feature events for the SK Light, Limited Late Model, DARE Stock, Legend Cars, and Mr. Rooter Trucks.
Spring Sizzler® action continues on Sunday, April 24 with the NAPA Auto Parts Pit Party from 11am-noon followed by Stafford’s SK Modifieds® in a special 45-lap feature and Late Models joining the Whelen Modified Tour in feature action.
Ted Christopher is the track’s all-time winningest driver with 122 feature wins and is also the winningest driver in NAPA Spring Sizzler® history with 6 wins. Christopher missed the 2016 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season opener at Thompson Speedway, but he will be at Stafford with the #00 Jerry & Jerry sponsored machine that is owned by the Brady family on April 23-24.

  In NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour action at the Caraway Speedway in North Carolina, Burt Myers, who recorded only two wins in his previous 54 starts at the speedway, was able to hold off his brother Jason on a green-white-checkered finish to score his second straight win at the track.
  Danny Bohn won the Coors Light Pole Award and led the first six laps of the race before Burt Myers was able to get past him and stay out front until he made a pit stop during the first caution of the race on Lap 107. After pit stops Burt Myers remained in the top-five until he was able to pass Bohn once again for the lead on Lap 145 just before Bryan Dauzat brought out the third and final caution of the race on Lap 146 to set up the finish.
  Burt held a slight led over Jason after they took the white flag as Dauzat spun in Turn 3 ending the race. Bohn came home third with Andy Seuss and George Brunnhoelzl III completing the top five. Rounding out the top-10 was Kyle Bonsignore, J.R. Bertuccio, Kyle Ebersole, Bobby Measmer Jr. and Dauzat.
  There were 14 cars on hand. The Southern Modified Tour goes on "Spring Break" before returning to Caraway Speedway on July 1.

  Ryan Preece scored his second top-20 finish of his first Xfinity Series season Saturday, coming home 19th in the Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

  The New London - Waterford Speedbowl opens its 66th season Saturday, May 7, with the Blastoff, featuring the SK Modifieds, the Magnus Racing Products SK Lights, Limited Sportsmen, Mini Stocks,The Joie of Seating Legend Cars, X-Cars, Super X-Cars, the Microblue Bandoleros and the New England Race Trucks. Coming onboard with her public relations skills is Olivia Bouchard. Bouchard is the daughter of Kenny Bouchard and has a vast amount of auto racing experience and will be a definite asset to the staff at the shoreline oval.

  The 12th annual Norwood Arena/New England Dragway South Reunion has been set for Sunday, June 5, 2016 at Bezema Motors on the Auto Mile, Route 1, in Norwood Mass. Located just north of the original site of the renowned Norwood Arena racing complex. The event goes rain or shine from 10 am to 3 pm.
  Held annually on the first Sunday in June, drivers, fans and officials turn out for this anticipated gathering of the faithful every year. All attendees are encouraged to bring pictures, scrap books, posters and collectibles for possible autographs. There is no admission charge for this event. Collectible vendors are also encouraged to attend and exhibit their wares that are motor sports oriented at no charge. Also, the Bezema family offers a light lunch to those in attendance at approximately 1 pm.
  Norwood, a fast-banked 1/4 mile speedway served as a springboard to many who went on to national prominence including Daytona 500 winner Pete Hamilton, NASCAR National Modified and Sportsman Champions Bugsy Stevens, Fred DeSarro Ernie Gahan and Don MacTavish and a host of others including Leo Cleary, Bill Slater, Eddie Flemke, George Savory and Mario Fats Caruso.

  On the speedway stock market scene last week two of the three speedway stocks were down. Dover Entertainment went up 0.09 to 2.39 while Speedway Motorsports dropped 0.23 to 18.20 and the International Speedway Corporation dropped 0.20 to 34.40. NASCAR cup sponsor Sprint went up 0.09 to 3.59 while NASCAR fuel supplier Sunoco (Energy Transfer) went up 0.41 to 32.88 and NASCAR tire supplier Goodyear went up 1.04 to 32.00. The car manufacturers had a positive week as Ford went up 0.39 to 12.94, General Motors went up 1.19 to 30.56 and Toyota went up 3.08 to 103.68. In the home improvement sector Home Depot went up 1.39 to 135.01 and Lowes went up 2.28 to 77.31. With the exception of Coca-Cola which dropped 4.33 to 161.58 and McDonalds which dropped 0.18 to 127.78 the big team sponsor's stocks did fairly well. Target went up 1.72 to 82.60, Aarons Rentals went up 0.73 to 27.07 and Fedex went up 2.48 to 165.40.

  On the tube this week:

  Thursday, April 21

12:30 PM, How It's Made - NASCAR Car Bodies, SCIENCE
12:30 PM, I Love Kellie Pickler - I Love NASCAR, CMT
5:00 PM, NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports1
5:00 PM, NASCAR America, NBC Sports Net

  Friday, April 22
11:00 AM, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Richmond Practice, FS1
12:30 PM, NASCAR Xfinity Series Richmond Practice, FS1
2:00 PM, NASCAR Race Hub - Weekend Edition, FS1
3:00 PM, NXS Final Richmond Practice, FS1
4:00 PM, NSCS Richmond Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FS1
5:00 PM, NASCAR America, NBCSN

  Saturday, April 23
3:00 AM, NXS Richmond Practice re-air, FS1
4:30 AM, NXS Richmond Final Practice re-air, FS1
5:30 AM, NSCS Richmond Practice re-air, FS1
7:00 AM, NSCS Richmond Coors Light Pole Qualifying re-air, FS1
8:30 AM, NSCS Richmond Practice, FS1
9:30 AM, NXS Richmond Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FS1
10:30 AM, NASCAR Race Hub - Weekend Edition, FS1
11:00 AM, NSCS Final Richmond Practice, FS1
12:00 PM, NASCAR RaceDay: XFINITY, FS1
12:30 PM, NXS: ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond, FS1

  Sunday, April 24
12:00 AM, NSCS Richmond Practice re-air, FS1
10:30 AM, NASCAR RaceDay, FS1
1:00 PM, NSCS: Toyota Owners 400 from Richmond, FOX

   That’s about it for this week from 11 Gardner Drive, Westerly, and R.I.02891. Ring my chimes at 401-596-5467.
E-mail: smithpe_97_97@yahoo.com.

Phil Smith has been a columnist for Speedway Scene and various
other publications for over 3 decades.
 

Source: Phil Smith / Champ Trail
Posted: April 19, 2016

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