With warm temperatures and clear skies, Friday night was the picture-perfect night to get some racing in down at Lee USA Speedway in Lee, New Hampshire. The night would be filled with fun racing events, from the track’s weekly action to the 100 lap Granite State Pro Stock Series event, which was followed by a Fourth of July fireworks display.

The action started for the Granite State Pro Stock Series with two 12-lap heat races after the drivers participated in time trials earlier in the day. Joey Doiron took off with the early lead in the first heat, but troubles were brewing for Luke Hinkley further back in the field as he came to a slow and headed into the pits on lap 4. Jeremy Davis was on the move mid-heat, breaking the top 5 on lap 5. Doiron took home the heat victory, followed by Matt Frahm, Ray Christian III and Jimmy Renfrew, Jr.

Brandon Barker, who is the one to beat at Lee USA Speedway lately, pulled away with the early lead in the second qualifying heat as Mike Mitchell nestled into the runner-up spot behind him. Todd Stone was also on the move late race, advancing to fifth after last year’s winner, Joe Squeglia, on lap 9. Brandon Barker was able to hold off the competition, scoring the heat victory. Mike Mitchell, Devin O’Connell and Ryan Green rounded out the top 4.

After the heats were finished, the top 4 finishers from each heat would redraw starting positions for the feature and the winner could elect or decline to take on a “back of the pack” challenge, where they would earn an extra sum of money if they won the race after starting at the tail-end of the field. These results would be revealed during driver introductions for the feature later on in the evening.

After the qualifying heats were completed, Lee’s weekly divisions took to the track for their feature races. Donnie McCaffrey came home victorious in the Pure Stock feature, Adam Knowles scored the Six Shooters victory, Alby Ovitt continued his dominance in the Street Stocks and George Helliwell took home the victory in the 40-lap Sportsmen feature.

Come feature time for the Granite State Pro Stocks feature, it was revealed that Ryan Green scored the pole for the big race after the redraw and elected not to take advantage of the “back of the pack” challenge, sitting pretty in first. Green took off with the early lead as Joey Doiron quickly made his way into the runner-up spot. He was all over Ryan Green for the top spot by lap 7, making his way to Green’s outside the following lap and finally clearing him for the top spot on lap 10. Mike Mitchell went around on the front stretch on lap 10, leading to an early race caution.

Joey Doiron pulled away with the lead on the restart, but trouble was brewing behind the leaders. Matt Frahm took a spin on lap 16 in turn 1, leading to yet another caution. The feature also got off to a rough start for Ray Christian III, who headed to the pits under caution and restarted shotgun on the field.

Ryan Green powered into the lead on the restart as Brandon Barker advanced to third behind the leaders. Brandon Barker continued his pursuit to the front, challenging Joey Doiron for the runner-up spot on lap 20. Mike Mitchell took another spin on lap 25 in turn 2, resulting in another caution. This caution was followed by another incident involving Ray Christian III and Jeff Fagan tangling on the front stretch, bringing out the yellow once more.

Once the field got rolling again, Ryan Green pulled away with the lead once again as Brandon Barker finally advanced into the runner-up spot over Joey Doiron. Kevin Folan came to a slow on lap 30, bringing his car down to the pits. By the halfway mark, there was a 2-car breakaway at the front of the field.

The #1 of Todd Stone blew up on lap 56, which was almost a mirror repeat of what happened to Joey Doiron in turn 1 last year in this very race. This left fluid on the track, causing Ben Rowe to take a spin in between turns 1 and 2. Race leader, Ryan Green, had nowhere to go and slammed hard into Ben Rowe. Brandon Barker and Jake Matheson were also caught up in the incident. The incident led to an immediate red flag so the track crews could check on all drivers involved and begin their extended clean-up efforts. The incident changed the shape of the race completely, but was a heartbreaking end to the day for Ryan Green.

Brandon Barker would have restarted at the front of the field after the caution, but headed down to the pits once the red flag was lifted. Joey Doiron sped away once again as the field went back to green flag racing. Jeremy Davis was all over Jimmy Renfrew, Jr. for third on the restart. Brandon Barker and Dennis Spencer, Jr. on the backstretch on lap 68, but both drivers were able to hold onto it. After battling it out with Jeremy Davis for a handful of laps, Jimmy Renfrew, Jr. took a spin on lap 68 in turn 4, but the field remained green. After his previous troubles, Dennis Spencer, Jr. kissed the backstretch wall again on lap 70 and headed down to the pits that lap.

Jeremy Davis was all over Devin O’Connell for the runner-up spot on lap 75, making his way to O’Connell’s inside the following lap. After his early race troubles, Mike Mitchell had powered his way back into the top 5 by lap 80. Devin O’Connell and Jeremy Davis were still battling out for the runner-up spot with just 10 laps to go, but were still within close proximity of race leader, Joey Doiron.

Joey Doiron wound up holding off his competitors and scoring the feature victory, which was pure redemption for Doiron after leading the majority of last year’s race, only to lose it all due to a mechanical failure. Devin O’Connell held off Jeremy Davis for the runner-up spot and Joe Squeglia and Mike Mitchell rounded out the top five. After his late race troubles, Brandon Barker took home a sixth place finish.

Doiron celebrated with his friends, family and crew in Victory Lane and praised his teammate and friend, Brandon Barker, for his vigilant efforts at the end of the race. It was a bittersweet moment for Doiron, winning the race after everything that took place last year and earlier this year at Lee USA Speedway.

Overall, the Granite State Pro Stock Series and Lee USA Speedway managed to put on one Heck of a show and at the end of the day, anyone can appreciate a good “comeback” story!

You can catch the Granite State Pro Stock Series next this Sunday, July 14th at Hudson Speedway. Jake Dore will be racing and competing in the #05 Dream Ride Racing machine and we hope to see you all there!

Thank you to my website sponsors, Texas Roadhouse Scarborough, Four Season Synthetic and Drown Excavation, for all of their support!

The post Joey Doiron Scores Redemption at Lee USA Speedway appeared first on Chasing The Checkered.

The 2019 Dream Ride Racing Campaign continues this Saturday at Wiscasset Speedway, where Jake Dore and the #05 team will be competing in the 50-lap Pro Stock feature, which will be the “Spotlight” feature of the evening.

After facing troubles over the course of Lee USA Speedway‘s “May Madness” weekend two weeks ago and ultimately having a lackluster debut, the entire Dream Ride Racing team is excited to regroup and recover this weekend.

This weekend, in particular, is also special for Dream Ride Racing’s organizer, Steve Perry. “Wiscasset Speedway is very special to me. It’s where I first came into contact with Ray Jacques and the Hometown Foundation, which has lead to a great relationship with the Special Olympics. So, hopefully a good run is in store, as we will have over 25 Special Olympian Athletes in the stands cheering on Jake Dore and the #05 team,” says Steve. 

The Platinum Level sponsors for the season are Bosowski Properties, Snyder’s of Hanover, Shady Brook Farms and the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Northern New England, who will be riding with us for the entirety of the Dream Ride Racing campaign.

The Gold Level (donation of $2,000) sponsor this weekend will be Trenton Marketplace, a local IGA store located in Trenton, Maine. The Silver Level ($1,000 donation) sponsorship this weekend will be Main Street Grocery, which is located in Damariscotta, Maine. Both stores will be featured in prime spots on the car and both happen to be IGA locations, who have been tremendous supporters of the Hometown Foundation and the Dream Ride Racing campaign since the beginning.

Kash for Kans Recycling Sanford is also a new Bronze Level Sponsor for Dream Ride Racing, donating $500 to the cause. They are located on Country Club Road in Sanford and collect cans and can tabs for the greater good. They also happen to be a collection location for Can Tabs for Kids, a program that benefits Shriner’s Hospitals across the Nation.

There is still plenty of room on both cars for more Bronze Level sponsors, which is a great way to get your business/team name out there and do good at the same time. These sponsorship’s are $500 a piece and can be paid via payment plan over the course of 10 months. If a Bronze Level sponsorship simply isn’t in the cards for you, please reach out to Steve Perry directly at (207) 229-1449 to see how you can help the cause!

 Wiscasset Speedway also announced on Thursday that the Audet Race Chassis crew has donated an Enduro car to be raffled off in effort to raise money for Special Olympics Maine through Bozzutto’s Inc. and the Hometown Foundation. Raffle tickets are only $20 a piece and can be purchased at Wiscasset Speedway’s Souvenir booth. Tickets can be purchased beginning this Saturday, June 1st.

The winner will be announced on Saturday, June 22nd during intermission and the winner does not have to be present to win. This is perfect for Wiscasset’s next Enduro event, which will be held on Saturday, June 29th. 

We are excited to continue our goal of raising $100,000 through the 2019 Dream Ride Racing campaign. We are over halfway there, raising around $55,000 to date. We can make it the rest of the way with YOUR help!

The racing action begins at 6:00 pm on Saturday night at Wiscasset and the Schedule of Events is as follows:

Pit gate 2:00pm
Practice 2:40pm – 5:00pm
Grandstand gate 4:00pm
Green Flag 6:00pm
.
HEATS (order)
* SERVPRO OF BIDDEFORD SACO PRO STOCK (10 laps)
* CAHILL TIRE 4-CYL PRO (10 laps)
* ROADRUNNERS (10 laps)
* MAXWELL’S MARKET SUPER STREETS (10 laps)
* THUNDER 4 MINI (10 laps)
.
INTERMISSION
.
FEATURES (order)
* SERVPRO OF BIDDEFORD SACO PRO STOCK (50 laps)
* CAHILL TIRE 4-CYL PRO (25 laps)
* ROADRUNNERS (15 laps)
* MAXWELL’S MARKET SUPER STREET (25 laps)
* THUNDER 4 MINI (25 laps)

As always, grandstand admission is only $5, pit admission is only $20 (all ages!) and children 6 years of age and younger get in for free!

Stop by the #05 trailer, say hi to the team, get yourself a Kayem hot dog and let’s talk Dream Ride Racing!

We hope to see you all there!

The post Dream Ride Racing Rolls on at Wiscasset Speedway appeared first on Chasing The Checkered.

The racing portion of the 2019 Dream Ride Racing campaign kicked off this past weekend at Lee USA Speedway, with Jake Dore and team taking on the Granite State Pro Stock Series 150-lapper, which was the highlight event of the track’s inaugural May Madness event. 

After qualifying in 14th on Saturday, the Bentley’s Saloon/Kayem Hot Dogs-sponsored #05 team was looking forward to improving and making gains during the feature race on Sunday. The team struggled finding speed during practice on old tires, but found their stride with newer tires.

Before going out for the first practice on race day, the team hit a very big snag: the car would not fire up. “Sunday, we started the day losing the ignition system. The team worked hard to change the ignition box and rewire the connectors, as the ignition systems weren’t the same.”, Jake Dore explains, praising his crew for their quick efforts to get the #05 onto the track for some practice laps.

Come race time, Jake had gained 2 spots by lap 14, climbing up to 12th. He was gaining momentum on the track, but came to a slow on lap 18, pulling down to the pits. Turns out, the ignition wires had become disconnected and the #05 machine lost power once again.

“We started the race off with the best car that we had all weekend. I thought that we had a solid top 10 car, maybe even a top 5 if I saved the tires well. Unfortunately, one of our connectors in the ignition system had an internal failure and we lost power to the ignition box”, Dore explains.

There was a window of opportunity for the team to patch the ignition system back together and return to the track, but that would have left the #05 machine more than a dozen laps down. The team elected not to risk getting the car banged up and decided to park the car for the remainder of the feature, a wise decision seeing that the car was still in one piece.

 Although the #05 team did not have the ideal Dream Ride Racing debut, four Special Olympians were at the track, cheering the team on and bringing smiles (and plenty of hearty laughter) to the entire crew. These athletes brightened everyone’s day and made a bad day at the track feel much better. They even helped push the car in the trailer, load the trailer up and met the race winner, Brandon Barker.

“It was really cool to have the athletes at Lee this weekend. They all had a great time at the track, even with our struggles. It was great to see how happy they were on a bad day for us. I can’t wait till we have a good day with them at the track!”, Dore shares.

 Dore is looking forward to the next Dream Ride Racing event in two weeks, the 50-lap Pro Stock feature event at Wiscasset Speedway on Saturday, June 1st at 6:00 PM.

“I’m looking forward to going to Wiscasset. I have had a lot of success there in Legend cars. I’m hoping that we can have that same success with the Super Late Model. My last race there was a DNF due to a part failure. I’m hoping to have a solid run to make up for that.”, says Dore.

There is still plenty of room on both #05 machines for bronze level sponsors. These sponsorship’s are $500, which can be paid via payment plan over the course of the next 10 months or paid as one lump sum and will be featured on the cars for the entirety of the season. If a sponsorship plan is not in the cards for you, any and all donations are MORE than appreciated. Please contact Steve Perry directly at 207-229-1449 if you’d like to become involved with Dream Ride Racing in 2019.

We have still raised over $55,000 to date, but we are still working toward our goal of reaching $100,000 by the end of the 2019 Dream Ride Racing season. Please help us in reaching that goal and going above and beyond for the Special Olympics and the Dream Ride Experience.

Thank you to the Wrenn family, Bentley’s Saloon and Kayem Hot Dogs for their support this past weekend. 

Our sincerest thank you also goes out to the Bobby Webber, Jr. Racing team, who will be donating $1,000 to Dream Ride if they win their feature race this coming Sunday at Wiscasset Speedway. They are looking for donors to match this and so far, the American-Canadian Tour has agreed to donate $250. If you’d like to help match their efforts, please contact Bobby Webber, Jr.

Catch this week’s episode of Mainely Motorsports to see footage from the Dream Ride Racing team at Lee USA Speedway, where both Steve and Amy were on-site on Sunday and recapped the weekend’s events, as well as footage from all of the feature races.

The show will air on Friday on YouTube and on television at 5 am Saturday morning. You can also follow Mainely Motorsports on Facebook to follow our progress with Dream Ride Racing throughout the course of the season.

We hope to see you at a Dream Ride Racing event in 2019 and we thoroughly appreciate all of your support. See you at Wiscasset!

The post Dream Ride Racing Week 1: The Only Way To Go is Up appeared first on Chasing The Checkered.

The Granite State Pro Stock Series returned to Lee USA Speedway this past Sunday for the track’s inaugural May Madness weekend.

Joey Doiron earned the pole for the race on Saturday, but the top 8 qualifiers did a re-draw for position, which earned 18-year-old Ryan Kuhn the top starting spot. The Pro All Star Series also cancelled their Sunday race in Groveton due to weather, which allowed Ben Rowe to join the field as a last-minute addition.

Ryan Kuhn pulled away with the early lead as Brandon Barker quickly made his way into the runner-up spot. Pole winner Doiron was also on the move early, moving into third over the #00 of Jimmy Renfrew, Jr.

Jake Dore, who had faced electrical problems over the course of the weekend, came to a slow and brought his #05 machine down to the pits on lap 18 after having troubles with his ignition box. This was a heart breaker for the entire Dream Ride/JRD Racing team, who is running a completely self-funded season with all of their race winnings going to Dream Ride and the Special Olympics.

Ryan Green was on the move in the first half of the race, breaking the top 5 on lap 20. The leaders were also setting a blistering pace, approaching lap traffic on lap 25. Brandon Barker was on a mission, making his way to the inside of Ryan Kuhn on lap 30, challenging him for the top spot. Barker took over the lead the following lap, pulling away from his competitors.

Joey Doiron continued to show speed, advancing into the runner-up spot over Ryan Kuhn on lap 33. Jeremy Davis began his voyage to the top of the leader board on lap 34, breaking the top five. He made his way around Jimmy Renfrew, Jr. the following lap, advancing to fourth.

Jeremy Harclerode faced troubles on lap 55, coming to a slow and bringing his car down to the pits. After showing strength all weekend, Joey Doiron had a right front tire go flat on lap 67 and he came to a stop in turn 3. The yellow came out and Doiron was handed a one-lap penalty for intentionally bringing out the caution.

Jeremy Davis was red-hot on the restart, powering into the runner-up spot. Ryan Kuhn and Mike Mitchell tangled on lap 72 in turn 1, leading to another caution. Jacob Perry was granted the Lucky Dog under caution, earning his lap back. Due to his penalty prior, Doiron was forced to earn his lap back opposed to receiving the wave-around.

Ben Rowe, who had started the feature from the back of the pack, made his way into the top 4 on the restart. Barry Gray came to a slow, heading to the pits on lap 97. Todd Stone followed suit the following lap. Mike Mitchell went around on lap 102 in turn 4, leading to another caution.

Joey Doiron, who had nearly earned his lap back prior to the yellow, was forced to restart in the rear of the field once again, as lapped cars are forced to restart at the tail of the field in the Granite State Pro Stock Series.

Ray Christian III, Jacob Perry, Barry Gray, Joe Squeglia and Ryan Green were all caught up on the restart in turn 2, leading to another caution.

Brandon Barker was on a rail once the field went back green, extending his lead to 1/2 straightaway on lap 120. Ben Rowe was on the move late-race, clearing Renfrew for third on lap 132. 

Barker’s extended his lead to a full straightaway over Jeremy Davis on lap 135. Jimmy Renfrew, Jr. unexpectedly made the right turn down to the pits on lap 137, completely mixing up the top five. Ryan Kuhn took it 3-wide on lap 143 in turn 2, advancing into the top 5.

Brandon Barker was gone and away, scoring his second-straight Granite State Pro Stock Series feature victory at Lee USA Speedway. Jeremy Davis, Ben Rowe, Mike Mitchell and Ryan Kuhn rounded out the top five.

The 2019 Granite State Pro Stock Series season rolls on this upcoming Saturday, May 25th, at Monadnock Speedway with 100 laps of racing action! Will you be there?

Thank you to my website sponsors, Texas Roadhouse Scarborough, Four Season Synthetic and Drown Excavation, for all of their support! It is MUCH appreciated!

The post Brandon Barker Dominates the GSPSS 150 at Lee USA Speedway appeared first on Chasing The Checkered.

After a trip to last year’s Dream Ride in Farmington, Connecticut, Mainely Motorsports’ Steve Perry became inspired to create a campaign in 2019 that would raise money to benefit both the Dream Ride Experience and the Special Olympics. 

The Dream Ride is an annual weekend-long event that features a 12-mile ride for both motorcyclists and vintage car enthusiasts, where Special Olympian athletes get the opportunity to ride along the route in some of the most exotic vehicles such as Jaguar’s, Porche’s, Bentley’s, etc, gifting them with the ultimate red carpet treatment.

As stated on Dream Ride’s official website, “The Experience honors these men, women, and children living with intellectual disabilities in our communities and highlights their determination and willingness to persevere, overcome challenges, and shatter stereotypes”.

Steve had the idea to merge racing and the Dream Ride Experience together, hatching the idea to run a completely self-funded race season with Jake Dore, who is both accomplished and experienced behind-the-wheel in both the Super Late Model division and the Modified division, as his driver.

Jake would race 9 select events over the course of the season throughout Maine and New England in both a SLM and a Modified. All race winnings and donations collected would go directly to the Dream Ride Experience, no questions asked.

The campaign kicked off in January at the Augusta Civic Center with a full Modified build of the #05 machine, which came into the Civic Center as a bare chassis and left the building at the end of the weekend as a race-ready machine. Teams of Special Olympian’s assisted with the build throughout the course of the weekend, creating long-lasting memories for these participants.

The original goal was to raise $70,000 over the course of the 2019 season for the Dream Ride Experience, but, with the overwhelming generosity of many individuals and sponsors, Steve has raised this goal to $100,000. With more than $55,000 raised to date without ever hitting the track, we are well on our way to reaching this goal.

The racing action finally kicks off this weekend at Lee USA Speedway. Jake will be behind the wheel of his SLM in the Granite State Pro Stock Series. The two-day event is Lee’s kickoff event to the 2019 season, featuring 8 different divisions and 9 different feature events. Racing kicks off at noon on both days.

The Gold Level sponsor this weekend is Bentley’s Saloon in Arundel, which will be featured on the rear quarter panels of the car. This sponsor is courtesy of the Wrenn Family, who purchased the Gold Level major sponsor for $2,000, but decided to pay it forward to a business that helps local racing in so many different ways.

The Platinum level sponsors for the season are Bosowski Properties, Snyder’s of Hanover, Shady Brook Farms and the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Northern New England, who will be riding with us for the entirety of the Dream Ride Racing campaign.

Kayem Hot Dogs has also jumped on board as a Silver Level sponsor this weekend and has donated $1,000 as an associate sponsor and hot dogs for the course of the race season, helping to feed our hungry crew members. If you are strolling around the pits this weekend, stop by the #05 trailer to chat about the Dream Ride Experience and get yourself a hot dog!

There are still spots left for Bronze Level Sponsors. These sponsors are $500 and can be paid via payment plan over the course of the next 10 months.They will also be featured on the deck lid and other areas of the car(s) over the course of the season. Current bronze level sponsors include Southern Maine Pools, Fast Laps Raceway, Speed51.com, Saco House of Pizza and Do Do’s Hot Rods, among many others.

If a Bronze Level sponsorship is simply not in the cards for you and you’d still like to donate to the Dream Ride  Racing team, a donation tire will be set up for donations at the track and/or feel free to reach out to Steve Perry to discuss becoming involved. Any and all donations are more than welcome and help us get closer to reaching the ultimate goal!

Tune into Mainely Motorsports TV every Saturday morning or every Friday morning on YouTube to follow along with team updates as we keep working toward the goal and continue to raise money for the Special Olympics and the Dream Ride Experience.

Special thanks go out to New England Racing Fuel and local IGA stores for their support.

Thank you to Bozzuto’s, Inc. and Advanced Gas Distributors for all of their support and many thanks to the Bobby Webber, Jr. Racing Team, who has volunteered to donate a portion of their race winnings this season to Dream Ride Racing.

We hope to see everyone at Lee USA Speedway this weekend for the kickoff of the 2019 Dream Ride Racing campaign!

If you can’t catch us this weekend, our next Dream Ride Racing event will be Saturday, June 1st at Wiscasset Speedway.

Please help support the Dream Ride Experience and the Special Olympics and help us reach our goal!

The post Dream Ride Racing Kicks Off Sunday at Lee USA Speedway appeared first on Chasing The Checkered.