Supporting the Sport That He Loves.

Some people go on various chat rooms, comment on Facebook and voice their opinions at the track about the state of the Modifieds. They discuss car counts, the quality of races, the quantity of races, that the races should be on TV and that Nascar modifed races should pay more money.

Well we got the races on TV, even tracks like Riverhead Raceway will be on Versus TV in HD no less!

Plus one person decided to stop discussing and start doing something about the purse at his home track.

That person is know to many as LImodmaniac but his real name is Jim Schaefer , a school teacher from Riverhead NY. Jim is a long time race fan, especially the mighty modified race cars.

Jim has personally sponsored cars and always supports the races by attending up to 50 or more races a year all over the eastern United States.

Jim's quest started last year at the Riverhead Raceway WMT flash race. Jim dug into his own pocket and added $1,400.00 winner Ryan Preece's payout. Last year Jim was able to round up the base winners purse to a cool $4,000.00 to win. Kids from Jim's class got to go on the track and give the start your engine command, quite a thrill for them I am sure.

After the race Jim started thinking that $1,400.00 was good but $10,000.00 would be better. Jim believed with the help of others he could raise the money.

Right now the goal for the 2010 Riverhead Raceway WMT race on July 31st is to add $300.00 to each position plus an extra $2,100.00 to the winners share for a total of $5,000.00 to win. Jim's total goal is to add $10,500.00 to the purse, plus if he goes over that he would also like to add tow money for the cars that do not qualify.

Jim personally spoke to many of the drivers at Stafford and showed them a copy of the enhanced purse, I believe Jim made many friends at Stafford.

Several friends of the Chrome Horn web page have pledged money including Hossfan, Mod11racer, StoningtonModMania, Axel and Liquid bread. Jim is getting close to his goal but still needs a little help. So if you would like to contibute, contact Jim on the Chromehorn.com or speak to him at just about any modified race between now and July 31st.

Jim will be at the May 15th Riverhead Raceway 100 lap Modifed race supporting is favorite race cars, adding a little money to that race and drumming up support for the July 31st WMT race. Come on down and join him, the first feature race starts at 5:00 o'clock sharp.

From the drivers, team owners and fans of the sport, thank you Jim Schaefer.

See you at the track.

Spring Has Sprung

OK, so we have one MRS and one Whelen race on the books and one rain out. Stafford is up next and hopefully mother nature will let us get this one in.

What have we learned so far?? Well the #4 team is a solid team and with a good driver behind the wheel who is now Bobby Santos the III can win on any track. Ryan Preece has started the year where he left off with another second place finish and looking to move up one spot in the standings. Mike Stefanik looks to be on a mission to show yes he is getting older but that is not going to slow him down. TC fought the race car most of the Icebreaker for a 4th place finish. Todd Szegedy had one his usual solid top 5 finishes.

I think what we may also learn is that while we may not have the largest fields of cars it is a quality field of cars. Walking through the pits at Thompson there are a lot of new and freshened race cars that should make for great racing this year.

Several cars that caught my eye did not finish up front but it was good to see them in action.

Burt Myers from NC looked strong early but faded at the end to a 14th place finish. I think everyone would like to see him back for more. Richie Pallai Jr. finished 21st in his 1st modified start at the track. Johnnny Bush in his immaculate #68 had a crate motor and a GPS from Nascar to keep an eye on it. Teammates Wade Cole and Jake Morosz had there ups and downs but I think it was fair to say most were happy to see 2 of the long time tour supporters at the track.

Jimmy Blewett will give the 14 a good ride this year but is is strange not seeing the Reg at the Icebreaker. Hopefully we have not seen the last of him on the tour. Southern tour champ George Brunnhoelzl III who is a native Long Islander is keeping up a family tradition that dates back to the 1950's of winning races and championships.

So its now its on to Stafford and the 200 lap Spring Sizzler, a race that has been won by the biggest names ever to drive a modified. Lets hope the weather holds off so we can run the 39th annual Sizzler! It all starts with the morning pit party on the track from 11:00-12:00 and ends with 200 laps of modified action.

See you at the track.

Jaws

Its Snowing, So it Must Be Time to Go Racing!!

OK, so it freezing outside and its snowing. That must mean its time to go racing!

While 100,000,000.00+ people are waiting for the Super Bowl, most people I know are looking at Florida not for the Super Bowl but for Speedweeks.

Hundreds of race teams and thousands of of fans are converging on the Daytona Speedway, New Symrna, Volusha and other short tracks around the state. They are there for their love of racing and the annual start of racing in the United States.

Will Jimmy Johnson make it 5 in a row, will Dale Jr. be the driver all him millions of fans want him to be, does Ken Schrader belong in the Bud Shoot out?

All good questions but most of my friends are asking different questions. How many cars are going to show up at New Symrna, will they all come home in one piece, who will win the championship that has been won by so many great drivers over the years? Who will win the Richie Evans memorial race?

For a week of racing that does not pay much beyond the 1st and 2nd place cars it has always attracted the best drivers and teams. Steve Park, Richie Evans, Jimmy Spencer, Tom Baldwin, Ted Christopher, John and Jimmy Blewett, Reggie Ruggiero, Donny Lia, Jan Leaty, Jamie Tomino, Tony Jankowiak and hundreds of others have tried their hands at one of the fasted short tracks in the country.

While a bad night at New Symrna could ruin your season, a good week could make your year. Many a driver has destroyed a car and never recovered the rest of the year. Others have open some eyes with one or two win in Fla.

Well unfortunately the years first race had to wait another day as heavy rains postponed night 1 but hopefully they get in night 2. But there are 7 more races to go including Wednesdays John Blewett Memorial and Fridays Richie Evans Memorial races.

Let hope for good weather and safe races for the rest of the week.

Until we meet at the track.

Jaws

The 2009 Season in Modified Racing.

Well here we are 8 months after it all started at the Icebreaker. Only one race remains on the 2009 calendar, the Turkey Derby at Wall Stadium.

I was a good year on the WHT 13 races at 7 tracks in 5 states. I know that 13 races is not enough for some people but except the Spencer Speedway race the tour raced in front of good or great crowds all year long. The crowds at Bristol and New Hampshire we huge, seeing the mods at Thunder Valley and on TV was quite a thrill. The road trip to Bristol with Teds Race Tours was quite a trip. If you ever get a chance to travel with Ted do so as it is 40 dedicated race fans for anywhere from 1- 3 days on the big green bus.

The point race got very exciting after Bristol and went down to the wire. Donny Lia charge up the standings all summer and Fall was exciting to watch. Plus Donny had #3 team with Ryan Preece in tow all summer. No matter what was thrown at Donny, he and the team rose above it. The charge from the back 3 times at NH in September are what legends are made of.

Ted Christopher's decent in the standings after starting the season with 2 wins and a second was almost as startling as 2009 champ Donny Lia's climb to the top. Just one or 2 small breaks and Teddy might have been be the 2 time champ.

All told 2009 saw 61 different WMT drivers hit the track. Not the largest amount in history but with tough economy that was not too shabby. The True Value Tour had 69 different driver in action this year, the ROC had 57 drivers in only 8 races and while the Southern tour which only averaged 12-20 cars per race saw 43 drivers race at least once. Even the shortened season of the ASA tour saw 27 drivers this year.

With the ROC, WMT, WMST and True Value Series there were probably 125-150 different teams in action this year. Now if we could get them all in action at the same track like the old Race of Champions, that would be a sight to see.

In addition to tour tracks the independent track Shangra La II opened to good crowds and growing car counts. Lets hope they can keep the growth going with the installation of the rest of the grandstands, lights and the completion of the infield pit area. This would be a tremendous track to the ROC, WMT and maybe the Race of Champions some day.

This year I got to travel a lot more than I had planned and got to see a wide variety of tracks, I really enjoyed getting back to Oswego on 2 occasions. The steel palace has lost some its luster from when I first went there but it is still a big time track that puts on a great show. Labor day weekend it was packed with tons of cars, campers and fans. I also got to see the winged supers. for a special show in July.

Some of the more interesting news in the early off season is the paving of Albany Saratoga and Devils Bowl in Vermont. Those 2 tracks along with Airbourne Speedway may give the mighty mods 3 more quality tracks to race. Those and the WMT traveling to Lime Rock Park next year gets me excited already. The ROC and MRS racing series has already booked a race on April 18th 2010.

Add in the 10 rumored Speed TV races for the WMT series and it is shaping up to be another great year of open wheel racing all up and down the east coast.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

I can be reached at Mjaworecki@gmail.com

Can Ryan Preece win his 3rd in a row at Thompson?

It's almost like watching Joey Logano blossom on the Sprint Cup level, Ryan Preece is moving to the top of the pack on the Whelen Mod Tour.

At only 18 years of age and just out of high school, Ryan has really taken off this year. Starting with a solid 4th in the Icebreaker it has been almost all top 10's including 2 wins. The lone poor finish was a 24th at the New Hampshire Speedway. Ryan currently sits in third place in points behind Todd Szegedy and Ted Christopher only 27 points out of first place.

Next up is the 8th race of the season, the Bud 150 at Thompson International Speedway Thursday August 13. Can Ryan make it 3 wins in a row? I think a good starting spot could help and Ryan has been timing well recently.

Will winning 3 in a row for Ryan be easy, no. There are several drivers that always run well at Thompson and are always a threat to visit victory lane.

Those drivers include Jimmy Blewett, Tedd Christopher, Donnie Lia plus Mike Stefanick is due for a win, Todd Szegedy has been so close this year and would like the point lead back .

Then there are several local drivers who always seem to be near the front of the pack including Eric Bernt who took the pole at Stafford last Friday, Chris Pasteryak, Woody Pitkat, the Reg, Reggie Ruggerio plus always strong running Ronnie Silk in the immaculate Hill billy #79. Jamie Tomanio ran real strong in April at the Icebreaker and could be a threat to win.

Time trials start at 5:30 followed by a 6:15 autograph session, Thompson's 6 regular divisions then take to the track followed by the Bud 150 at 8:45.

Thompson Speedway is located at 205 East Thompson Road, Thompson, CT 06277 , exit 99 off of rt 395.

Ryan Preece Wins at Riverhead Raceway.

OK , so as one of my friends calls it Christmas is over. Ryan Preece came to Long Island and swept the entire day. The teenage Nascar driver got is first "official" win on the WMT.

That is now 2 races in a row with teenage winners. I not sure if that has ever been done before. There were many younger drivers in the race which bodes well for the future of the tour.

As many people commented Saturday was a beautiful day, sunny and warm with bright blue sky's. Steve Lombardo claimed he brought the weather from his California home. Steve had the honor of driving the Charlie J coupe before the feature.

32 Nascar modified cars filled the pits. Teams from about 5 states converged on the tight 1/4 mile track. Long Island was well represented with 13 of the 28 starters based on Long Island.

Practice was uneventful except a small incident between Wade Cole and Erick Rudolph.

Qualifying was a surprise with the #3 of Ryan Preece taking his first pole at Riverhead. The 25 lap heat was pretty uneventful with most cars finishing where they started. The one surprise was the 59 of Erick Rudolph who could not get the car to handle all day, so the Spencer winner went home early.

The race itself was decent except for the 3 red flags that were thrown for incidents on the track, the lap 2 pile up in turn 2 being the biggest incident involving 6 or 7cars.

Several drivers did not fare well. They included Ted Christopher who got a flat on a restart. TC tried to stay out to draw a caution but touched the 79 of Ronnie Silk and pounded the wall. Ronnie was also in and out of the pits all night finishing 27th. Several cars had engine problems including Donnie Lia, and John Fortin who overheated and dropped out.

Other drivers having a less than enjoyable race were Ken Heagy who dropped out with front end damage, as did Frank Vigliarolo. Kevin Goodale had a top 3 run going and was strong all night. The 51 of Justin Bonsignore touched the 33 when lapping him and spun the 50 of Kevin to the infield. It would have been his best finish on the tour, Kevin finished 13. Kevin's brother Eric got caught up in a lap 2 pile up and finished 17th.

Several drivers had very good runs,Jamie Tomanio started 27th and finished 7th, quite a turn around from the blown engine at Spencer. Glen Reen started 22nd and finished 5th, one of his best runs on the tour. Eric Beers started 26th and finished
6th and Todd Szegedy started 24th and finished 8th. Long Islanders Howie Browdie, Dave Brigati and Justin Bonsignore came home 2,3 and 4.

But in the end it was all Ryan Preece, Ryan had his best day on the tour since his Martnsville win. Ryan, his crew and family could not stop smiling after the win. In a short time Ryan has shown he can run well at any track where the tour visits.

The points have now changed a bit. TC is now second with Todd Szegedy leading and Ryan is now 3rd.

Even with 3 reds, the race was run in a reasonable 52 minutes 49 seconds.

See all the action from Riverhead here: http://jaws17.zenfolio.com/p56556202

Up next Stafford Speedway Friday night August 7th which is the second of 5 races in the busy month of August.

See you there.

Next Up Long Island

Well this week the modified tour hits Long Island. Probably 30-32 teams from all over the northeast will converge on Riverhead Raceway.

After trips to the far reaches of New York State, Connecticut and Pa. it will be nice to make the short trip to Riverhead.

Favorites this week have to include Jimmy Blewett, Ted Christopher, Todd Szegedy and Donny Lia plus locals Bill Park and Chuck Steuer should give the tour drivers a run for their money.

The day starts with a drivers meeting at 1:00PM, practice from 2-3, time trials at 4:30 and the 25 lap qualifying heat at 6:00.


In addition to the tour Riverhead will feature 2 local divisions, the Chargers and the Blunderbusts. Both will be running double point time trial shows, which usually bring out nice fields.

1st Time Modified Winner in Western New York.

Well, it may be old and it may need a few things (Including an extra port-a-potty or 2) Spencer Speedwayin Williamson NY played host to a pretty good modified race on Sunday. Originally set for Saturday night rain changed that by flooding the infield where the cars were to pit.

27 teams made the trip west, including the back up 2 re-numbered 90 for Renee DuPuis for what really looked like a start and park. Buck Catalano substituted for Jake Morosz and I believe his familiarity with the track served the team well as he brought the maroon 9 home in 15th place.Doug Colby was in the 79 back up machine re-numbered to his familiar 19 but dropped out with front end damage.

The heart breaker of the day was the 99 of Jamie Tomanio blowing the engine in practice and parking it for the event. Glenn Tyler graciously offered his back up car but Jamie chose to skip the event.

Drivers with problem using the race included, Johnny Bush "The Bushman" who lost a transmission late in the race and retired, Glen Reen who was having troubles all day also dropped out before the races end along with Jimmy Blewett who retired with damage to the car. Wade Cole had pit road problems when he left too soon before all or any of the lug nuts were secured and lost a right rear on pit road.

Ken Heagy was having a decent day until a trip off turn 3 left his car on the double hook although he recovered to an 18th place finish. Eric Beers blew a gasket or an oil line and spun by himself on the back stretch loosing time in the pits. Chris Pasteryak struggled all day with nerf bar damage and a damaged left front tire. Woody Pitkat slid back from a 5th place start to an unlucky 13th place finish.

The strangest incident occurred before the race started. Ted Christopher after inspection was driving down the infield access road, hit a pot hole and damaged a bunch of the front end sheet metal. Repairs were made before the feature started and it did not hinder his day. A loose handling race car left him in 10th place.

Enough with the bad how about the good. Second place Todd Szegedy was strong all day leading many laps early in the race and it he had a a few more laps may have been in victory circle.

Third place Chuck Hossfield from western New York made a pretty good return to the series, for a while it looked like he was the fastest but may have run out of tires at the end.

Fourth place Rowan Pennink was solid all day.

Ryan Preese was near the top all day, including leading a few laps but faded to 5th. Ryan had the back-up car ready to go as the team fought electrical problem during practice and the heat.

Usually 6th place is not what a driver aspires for but with all the troubles Donny Lia had Sunday, not too bad a finish. Donny had on a fire suit the promoted Autism research, a cause near and dear to my heart.

Rookie Eric Goodale is really getting comfortable with driving a full blown modified after racing SK's off and on the last couple of years. Eric is going to be in victory lane before too log. Eric had a fine 8th place finish after leading in the NH race and finishing 17th.

Now we save the best for last. Winner Erick Rudolph started 25th and passed a bunch of cars to win his first NASCAR Tour race. At the age of 17 years 3 months it was quite an accomplishment. Erick has continued a winning tradition started by his grandfather many years ago and continued by his father Charlie farther who was a winner on pavement and dirt. I think now that he has is first win, in the 1st race he finished this year there could be many more to follow!

The tour has a couple of weeks off, then its off to Long Island and Riverhead Raceway for the only stop there in 2009.

NH how we love thee!

Well unless you are footing the bill for a bent race car.

Once again the WMT goes to NH and once again the crowd goes away very satisfied. This race had everything, passes back and forth for the lead, plenty of drafting, a new driver at the front, controversy, hot tempers, 39 very good looking cars and a nice crowd.

First of all congratulations to Donnie Lia on his first win since coming back to the tour, a nice run by Ed Flemke with a second place, Ronnie Silk finished a fine third and in post race comments took the blame for the last lap crash, other great finishes, Rowan Pennick in 4th and TC in 5th on 3 tires. I understand the 36 is a complete write off. Also seeing rookie Eric Goodale in the lead shows that there are up and coming drivers on the tour.

Further down in the field a top 10 for Glenn Tyler, its nice to see Glen in the top 10 at the tours biggest race. Also a great finish for the 18 of Ken Heagy in 13th after a 34th place start. Ken is one of the tours low budget teams but shows up each week with a nice looking machine.

OK and now the blame game and there was plenty of it going around, even an article that make TC "Public enemy#1", I think we are over dramatic on that one since another driver took the blame.

Next up Spencer Speedway in upstate New York, the furthest west race of the year since Mansfield is off the schedule. Then on to the only race on Long Island on August 1st at Riverhead Raceway.