The Last Party Weekend at the Lee USA Speedway is just around the corner. The 28th Annual Oktoberfest Weekend presented by Haffner’s will commence October 11, 12, &13. Whether it’s gasoline, propane, or home heating oil, “for more than 80 years, Haffner’s has been dedicated to customer satisfaction with quality service and quality products at competitive prices” and has been a fervent Lee USA Speedway supporter for many years.
Over 300 racing cars from all over the northeast are expected to compete in 14 exciting feature events. All four regular NASCAR Whelen Weekly Racing Series divisions will be in action along with four major racing series events, and cars and competitors from many other New England tracks. Oktoberfest Weekend is traditionally Lee USA’s premier autumn classic and a trophy from Oktoberfest is one that every driver wants.
One trophy that every American Used Auto Parts Ironman driver is going to want is the four- footer going to the winner of the 1st Annual Ironman Super Series Race, guaranteed to be the biggest of Oktoberfest Weekend. A nearly $4,000 purse has been posted for this event with $1,000 going to the winner. ABSOLUTELY THE LARGEST PURSE AWARDED TO ANY ENTRY LEVEL DIVISION ANYWHERE. The event will be in two 25 lap segments. The line-up for the first will be determined by heat races, the second will be inverted from the first. The winner will be determined by the lowest point score.
Recently crowned Lee USA Ironman Champ Travis Hollins has to be considered the favorite. In his rookie season, the Milford driver has won three features in addition to claiming the title, but he has faded in the last few weeks of the 2013 season while Tyler Mitchell and Evan Horvath have surged. Both drivers have two feature wins. Evan’s brother Shane Horvath, Wayne Osborne, Zach Washburn, and points chase runner-up Hannah Shaw are among the top Lee USA Ironman contenders.
Others are coming. Floyd Bennett of Stark has already ventured to Lee USA from the Riverside Speedway in Groveton and has won on his first attempt. He will lead a north country contingent searching for Lee USA treasure on Oktoberfest Weekend. Many others are rumored to be in the process of building rides specifically for the Ironman Super Series Race. A large field of cars are expected for the event. Several cars have been made available for sale by the Lee USA Speedway. Those interested can call the track office or Lee USA NASCAR Tech Inspector Joe Bassett at 978-580-7962. The Ironman division has been devised as an affordable racing venue to attract new entries into the sport and to provide the fans with some rough and tumble racing action.
Tommy Tombarello Jr edged Mike Netishen by a mere 7 points to take the Bensons Lumber & Hardware Small Block Supermodified Championship at Lee USA in 2013. Both will square off in their Oktoberfest feature event. The division has seen seven other drivers in victory lane this season including Ricky Wolf, Jake Stergious, Mike Spurling, and Sparky Maciver, who won his first feature event in the last regular season event of the season. All will be after that prestigious Oktoberfest victory.
Grant Aither overwhelmed the Prime Storage Late Model Sportsman field this season with 6 feature wins. JR Baril, Alby Ovitt, and Geoff Rollins are out to get even. Michelle Fushpanski built a new car this season that hasn’t delivered much more than a heaping helping of bad luck until the final Friday night of the season when she won for the first time this year.
Jim Piasecny won three features in the Davd’s Race Cars & Components Hobby Stock Divion, but lost the title to a more consistent Patrick Tanguay. Piasecny is out for revenge in Oktoberfest action. Wade Worcester, Paul Palen, and Billy Clement will be there too. Both these divisions can expect a large field of outside challengers from tracks all over the region.
Returning former Lee USA champion and ACT star Wayne Helliwell Jr. will head up a healthy field of Pro Stocks and Late Models, Granite State Pro Stock Series regulars Bobby Bailrageon and Eric and Jay Sands are coming as well. The winner of the Oktoberfest Late Model feature will be a guaranteed starter in the $10,000 Fall Brawl at the Riverside Speedway in Groveton on October 19. There will also be a wide array of four cylinder racers form all over New England.
The E-Keys for Cars N E Classic Lites return for their fourth and final time at Lee USA this year. George Helliwell has come from the back to win in spectacular fashion twice and plans to do it again. Other local Classic Lites standouts include Chris Sullivan, Eddie Gilman, and Shawn Waite Jr. DJB Trucking will be awarding a $1,000 point fund to the top finishers of their four race Lee USA series. The Classic Lites will run their season-ending feature event on Saturday afternoon with an awards ceremony in conjunction with the spaghetti supper that evening.
The NEMA midgets will also be making their final appearance of the season. Upstart driver John Zych Jr. has won four times on the NEMA Series this seasons and sits on top of the points ahead of midget veterans Randy Cabral and Todd Bertrand. Carl Mederious, Anthony Nocella, and the brother and sister team of Megan and Danny Gugini are among the stars of the junior NEMA Lites Series.
Lee USA Speedway Small Block Supermodified regular Jake Stergious also runs with the Lites and this summer won in both divisions on the same night, a career highlight. However the last time the NEMA Lites ventured to Lee USA, he got caught up in a three car wreck that sent two cars tumbling down the front-stretch. NEMA midget racing is usually a thrill at Lee USA.
The biggest event of Oktoberfest Weekend is clearly the Valenti Modified Series 100 lap event presented by Laticrete, distibutors of a wide variety of flooring, masonary, and waterproofing products. Coastal 181 calls MRS the Best Racing Series in the Northeast and it usually lives up to its billing. Every event guarantees 100 green flag laps of thundering racing action. So far, 11 drivers have gone to victory lane in 14 races.
Rowan Pennick of Huntington Valley, PA is poised to claim his first MRS crown, but the spectacular Tommy Barrett Jr. is second. Both drivers have two wins, however Barrett has developed a knack for laying back in the early stages of any event, saving his stuff for the end. With the laps winding down, Barrett comes charging through the pack.
He tried that tact in the first MRS show at Lee USA last season, but collided with the leader Jon McKennedy with 10 to go triggering a massive pile-up. The altercation got him a suspension, but Barrett came back and did it again on Oktoberfest Weekend. This time instead of crashing, Barrett’s black #9 careened past 10 cars in the later stages and on to his first victory at Lee USA. Look for Barrett to be either a hero or a zero again this year. Chris Pasteryak, Louie Mechalides, Rich Savary, Norm Wrenn, and NEMA ace Anthony Nocella are among the other modified stars headed for Lee USA on Oktoberfest Weekend.
It’s the Last Party Weekend. Breakfast Buffet will be served on Saturday and Sunday at 8AM. There will be a Pub Party on Friday night and the Traditional Spaghetti Dinner and Dancing on Saturday night. Haunted Hay Rides on both nights. On Sunday morning a Walk for Cancer Research will commence at 7:30 AM. We will have a table setup at the admission windows for all to sign up and pledge for donations for this great cause. A Church Service will be held at 10:30AM at the Start / Finish line in the grandstands.
Lee USA will be open Friday at 12PM. Practice for all divisions will run between 3PM and 7PM. The track opens on both Saturday and Sunday at 8AM. Heat races, features for the Classic Lites and the first Ironman Super Series Race segment will run on Saturday. The Driver’s Meeting will be held Saturday morning promptly at 11AM with one round of practice per division to follow. Heat races will begin at 2PM. Sunday’s pre-race activities will begin at 11AM with the first of 12 feature events going off at noon.
We look forward to seeing all of our friends for one last great racing weekend of 2013. For more information please call at 978-462-4252.