Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

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Show stopping craftsmanship at SEMA 2021

Episode 382

November 21, 2021

Automotive craftsman like cream rises to top again

When I met Garrett Holler at Restoration Performance Motorcars (RPM), Episode 209, April 22, 2018, he was the lead body specialist working on some of the most exotic, expensive cars on the planet. He was in his mid-20’s with more skills than many autobody specialist twice his age. He was like a sponge, getting as much information into his young mind through reading, videos, and talking with the pros.

Peter Markowski owner of Restoration Performance Motorcars, Vergennes, Vermont, on right confers with body restoration specialist/fabricator Garrett Holler on how they will proceed on making the exhaust for this Ferrari road car. April 2018 was when I met Holler. I follow his career to this day.  (HTF Motorsports photo)







Stock car racing back at Spud Speedway in 2022

Episode 381

November 14, 2021

Racing at Spud Speedway to return in 2022

Though on the Pro All Stars series (PASS) 2020 schedule, Spud Speedway had to relinquish the date due to COVID-19 issues with crowd size limits of 200. Few of the large crowd watching DJ Shaw win the 2019 Firecracker 200 would in their wildest dream imagine that the racing world would be joining every other entertainment business with no racing.

DJ Shaw, Center Conway, New Hampshire, takes the checkered flag at the Firecracker 200 Super Late Model race at Spud Speedway Sunday. Shaw was followed by Barre, Vermont’s Nick Sweet in second. Shaw was runner up in the 2018 race. (Lindsay Ellison photo)




Sting Ray signs with Andretti Autosports for 2022

Episode 380

November 7, 2021

Sting Ray Robb signs with Andretti Autosports for 2022

The Andretti Autosports Indy Lights #2 at the Chris Griffis Memorial Test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s 14-turn, 2.439 mile road course. This is the team car driven by Sting Ray Robb next season. (Sting Ray Robb photo)

After completing his first season with Indy Lights, Sting Ray Robb a 19-year-old from Payette, Idaho, got a major career boast. He signed with Andretti Autosports based on Zionsville Road, Indianapolis, Indiana. Robb finished in eighth place in 2021 with Juncos Racing, the team he won the Indy Pro 2000 championship in 2020. Team Andretti Autosports press release contained the following:









Spud Speedway loses big supporter

Episode 379

October 31, 2021

Charlie

“Did you see my post on Spud Speedway Facebook page this morning,” said Troy Haney as I showed up for work last week?

I replied, “I did not look at Facebook this morning”.



County grown snowmobile racing teenager

Episode 378

October 17, 2021

Making of a racer from The County

When a very young Jesse Taggett, Woodland, would tag along with his dad, Rick Taggett, crewman on the Jason Witt Racing Fast Four and Late Model stock car team something seemed to click inside him that triggered a love for loud racers and speed.

When Jason Witts, formerly of Caribou now living in Carmel, went racing Rick Taggett was by his side. Taggett welded the cage and produced multiple chassis tweaks in Witts’ Fast Four. Taggett even changed a left front shock on the front stretch at the Spud 150 at the halfway mark to help cure a too tight race car. Witts had wins at Speedway 95, Unity, and Wiscasset. No win at Spud Speedway. He and his two oldest children will begin racing karts at St. Albans Speedway, Speedway Karting, and Richmond in 2022. (Dave Allen Graphics)









Thoughts about Maine stock car track closing

Episode 377

October 3, 2021

Beech Ridge Superfan

Just before the lights were shut off for the final time, Charlie Sanborn III at start/finish line at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway. (Julie Harrison photo)

Julie Harrison, North Waterboro, posted the following on Facebook which seemed like a typical response to what could be the last stock car race at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, September 27, 2021. “Last night was about just watching and taking it all in. Jeff (Walker) taking his final laps around the famed 1/3 mile known as Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, to watching countless other friends take their final laps as well. Being under the lights makes it even more memorable.”
“It didn’t matter that at 12am, we were still standing there watching the hustle and bustle of everyone loading up one last time. The memories and stories will live on forever and last night we all added to our stories and memories.”
“Today was tough for me. Gram and Grampa Harrison and our uncles called The Ridge home for decades and generation-after-generation of Harrison family members have done the same. To know the Harrison family and the bond we all have is one that is deep rooted and racing draws us all together near and far.”
“We no longer have our grandparents. Beech Ridge gave us closeness to them sitting right between Turn 5 and the refreshment stand watching our family members chase their racing dreams with the Johnson Family right across from us. I remember that because Gram Harrison never held back her feelings!”
Some of her favorite memories include:
Sleeping on those bleachers as a kid.The endless racing parties and celebrations in the parking lots.The red and blue firesuits Gram made us.The wins, the losses, the wrecks, the championships…the memories and friendships.Beech Ridge is where I had my last conversation and gave my final hug to Jason Fowler.PASS weekend is where I met my soon to be husband. A random night there led me to my best friends Becki Webster.The list can go on but so many memories that changed me, saved me, made me who I am today.

“I never was the school sports type growing up and racing was my thing. From being the babysitter to my younger cousins Jairet and Chanler, to then helping Kenny Harrison for many years. Barry ‘Buzzy’ Cain was well known at the Ridge but what many do not know is he was pretty much one of our family members. My uncles took him under their wings many years ago and Buzzy fit right on in with the Harrisons.”













Snowmobile racing action in the County

Episode 376

September 19, 2021

Motorsports activity in Ashland proves a point

This summer Aroostook County experienced several motorsports events including RC racing at Loring, two Loring Timing Association races, Cumberland Motor Club Mega Autocross at Loring, and the Northern Maine Fair. After witnessing the Big Woods Grass Drags put on by Ashland Snowmobile Club and Portage Lakers, I was thoroughly impressed with the preparation put into the venue and the race personnel. (And unlike winter racing, I did not freeze my tail off!)

Aerial view of the beautiful grass drag facility with its 500-foot track and 1,000 foot stopping space at end of the track. A 100-foot clay starting line yielded some fast times for racers. in Ashland put together by the Ashland Snowmobile Club and the Portage Lakers Club. A large crowd was on hand to watch some good racing action on the grass track. (Kris Collier photo)












Only three active stock car tracks left after weekend announcement

Episode 375

September 12, 2021

Sad day for stock car racing in Maine

This morning, Spud Speedway owner Troy Haney sent me a Facebook message asking if I heard about Beech Ridge closing? I thought that could not be true. The track seemed to be doing well.

He sent me this link from RACE DAY CT written by Shawn Courchesne reporting that, “Andy Cusack (Beech Ridge owner) addressed competitors and fans at the track Saturday night following feature events and announced that he has signed a contract to sell the property to a developer.”








Land speed racers set records in Maine

Episode 373

September 5, 2021

Loring Timing Association Harvest Event 2021

According to race official Joe Daly, the number of entries for the fall race was in the 30’s. He felt the low number was due to lack of Canadian entries, COVID concerns, and a weather forecast that was not great. Though the number of entries may have been down, I enjoyed talking to almost every team and the stories were interesting.

My most impressive car was the 2021 Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500 belonging to Madawaska’s Kraig Dumais. This was his 13th Mustang and was according to him, was the most impressive. I have limited first-hand experience with these types of ultra-high-performance street cars so you may argue that other cars accelerate harder.






















Racer with Maine roots wins IMSA Road America race

Episode 372

August 29, 2021

IMSA racer with Maine roots wins at Road America

CORE Autosports’ Colin Braun, left and Jon Bennett celebrate in Victory Circle at Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. They won the IMSA LMP3 class Sunday with a 22 second margin. CORE Autosports must like the track because in 2018 the duo won the overall race when they ran their LMP2 car. (CORE Autosports photo)

Drivers Jon Bennett and Colin Braun teamed up to win the prestigious International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) Weather Tech Sports Car Championship race at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Bennett has family ties to Aroostook County which is almost like his second home.
















Higgins upsets the favorites in New England Forest Rally

Episode 371

August 1, 2021

Upset in the Maine Woods

Back after a two-year hiatus, David Higgins, with folded arms, paired up with co-driver Craig Drew in the 2011 M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC pulled of the upset victory in the 2021 New England Forest Rally. His consistency combined with car placement brought the Ford home with a 36.8 second lead. (Photo by Bonny Thibeau Rollender)

David Higgins was not on the Subaru roster in 2019. The reason for his losing the ride I do not know. I suspect however, that he was very pleased with the results of the 2021 New England Forest Rally (NEFR). Former Vermont Sports Car team-mate Travis Pastrana, was leading the rally until SS12 when he hooked a tire on the edge of the road and flipped his Subaru only ¼ mile from the finish of the stage. He and co-driver Rhianon Gelsomino were not injured in the crash.



















Bangor team heads up Maine rally racers

Episode 370

July 26, 2021

Father/Son duet tackle New England Forest Rally

John Cassidy IV and his son John Cassidy V will be taking on the trials and trails at the New England Forest Rally 2021 in Newry, Maine July 30 and 31st. Joining this father son team will 82 other entries competing at the regional and national level.

Vermont Sports Cars, Milton, Vermont will be fielding two Subaru Motorsports USA 2020 WRX STI Subaru, #199 for Travis Pastrana and #180 for Brandon Semenuk. Hoonigan’s Ken Block will be in the #43 2021 version of the WRX.








Keselowski only three tenths short of record

Episode 369

July 18, 2021

“Oh, so close” was what ran through my mind as I heard the word from a racer at the Loring Timing Association (LTA). He said that Bob Keselowski not only broke his personal speed record of 264 mph set earlier in the week but ran 269.332 mph. The record is held by New Hampshire’s Jason White in his RecMech Corvette set August 31, 2019 at 269.673 mph.

This .341 mph different is amazing considering all the inputs that go into land speed racing. I suspect Keselowski is pondering where to get that extra speed. Amazing performance considering he is using an older model NASCAR Dodge Charger from an earlier era when Dodge was actively racing. The R5 Dodge racing engine is a single four barrel carbureted 358 cubic-inch with nitrous injection. It has the reputation of producing nearly 900 horsepower at 9,000 rpms without nitrous.

Team owner Brian Keselowski (BK Motorsports) the son of Bob Keselowski mentioned that the older NASCAR cars are the lowest cost way to go land speed racing. Many cars are available on the used car market with even more possibilities of purchasing cars after NASCAR goes to the newest generation of Cup racer cars next year.









County man crew chief on Harley Davidson bagger race team

Episode 368

July 11, 2021

It is a long way from Van Buren, Maine to WeatherTech Raceway in Laguna Seca, California, however, one of the County’s native sons made the trip this week as the crew chief for the Rossmeyer Harley Davidson Bagger Racing Team. Kurt Dumond, (44) son of Doug and Linda Dumond turns wrenches with the newly formed race team.

Mission King of the Baggers is a Moto America sanctioned series dedicated to one of the most popular models of road touring type motorcycles the V-Twin Indian and Harley Davidson. The racing from Laguna Seca Raceway this weekend was featured on Fox Sports, FS1 and FS2.

Dumond, a 1995 Van Buren High School graduate, got his Automotive Technology degree at Northern Maine Community College in 1997. A self-described snowmobile guy, he went to work at Plourde and Plourde Skidoo, Arctic Cat and Harley Davidson dealership in Caribou, Maine in May of 1999. He attributes a six-week Harley Davidson school and hands on learning for the depth of knowledge that eventually led him in February 2020 to land the service manager position at Bruce Rossmeyer Harley-Davidson, Daytona, Florida. Rossmeyer Harley is known for its 109,000 square foot showroom with over 1,000 motorcycles sold annually.









New Brunswick track Pro Stock youth movement

Episode 367

June 27, 2021

New Brunswick youth racers at Speedway 660

Even though we, on the USA side of the Canadian border, are unable to attend the races at Speedway 660 in Geary, New Brunswick, racing goes on. Drew Greenlaw Racing, a Late Model Sportsman team based in Eastport, as of now cannot yet race at Speedway 660 which they consider their home track.

Once again, this season, UpNorth Motorsports will be following the exploits of Greenlaw and a couple New Brunswick racers also in their early 20’s who call Speedway 660 home. They are Ryan Messer, Harvey, N.B. and Ian Rasmussen, New Denmark, N.B. Both used to race at Spud Speedway in Caribou, Maine. Messer competed in special races and Rasmussen in the weekly series.








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