Monday, June 27, 2011

Turning Left and Right at NHMS

The Amsoil Nelcar Legends Tour was back at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Father's Day for the second of two road course races for 2011.  The race was a National Qualifier for the Legends Road Course Nationals being held later this year and featured a full field of 26 cars.  It was a day full of exciting racing on the track and the Hooligan Motorsports # 8 scored another Top 15 finish, coming home in 12th.  However, the big talk of the day was the Boston Bruins Stanley Cup Championship and our paint scheme!  Matt had two post-race interviews which resulted in features in the Union Leader and on the NHMS website.

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Being interviewed for the Union Leader and NHMS.com

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Signing autographs for the fans.

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All photos above by Hooligan Motorsports.

Special thanks to Chris at RPM Photography for the following shots...

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Friday, June 24, 2011

Union Leader article

We were featured on the front page of the Sports section of the Union Leader on Monday!  Read the full article here.  (note the photo was captioned incorrectly - that is Matt with his #8 Legends car, not a motorcycle driver posing with it).

Allen Lessels' Motor Sports: Greenwood finishes winning weekend

by Allen Lessels, New Hampshire Union Leader
Published Jun 20, 2011 at 3:00 am

LOUDON -- SCOTT GREENWOOD, a 20-year veteran motorcycle racer from Dunbarton, capped off a productive weekend with a Father’s Day victory and Matt Chagnot lent a timely bit of Black & Gold championship flavor to the finale of the Loudon Classic weekend of races on Sunday.

Legend cars took their turn for a 15-lap race on the New Hampshire Motor Speedway road course in between an afternoon full of motorcycle races and Chagnot, a 40-year-old Legends rookie from Derry, captured 12th place in the race.



His car featured a Boston Bruins color scheme complete with a No. 8 in honor of Hall of Famer and team president Cam Neely.

He’s no Matt-come-lately.

The Bruin theme made it onto his car by early May.

“I had planned it since early December, but it took a little time to get the wrap done,” Chagnot said. “Once we put it on, they started to play great and everything came together.”

It’s been a bit of a whirlwind few days for Chagnot, an electrical engineer, and his girlfriend crew chief, Nichole Burke.

After staying up late to watch the last post-game show following Wednesday night’s 4-0 Cup-clinching win over the Vancouver Canucks, they raced at Beech Ridge in Maine on Thursday night, took the train to Boston for Saturday’s rolling rally and came to Loudon for Sunday’s race.

Greenwood had a winning weekend in Loudon.

His Sunday triumph was his fifth in six tries for the weekend. He had four wins and a third-place finish on Saturday.

“Six for six would have been better,” the 38-year-old teacher/racer said with a smile. “Especially since the third was in the Loudon Classic.”

Greenwood finished behind Shane Narbonne and Eric Wood in the 88th running of the Classic on Saturday afternoon.

Narbonne also won the Classic in 2009 when he passed Greenwood on the last lap.

“That one was a heartbreaker,” Greenwood said.

He got his revenge last year with his second Classic triumph — he won his first in 2003.

Track officials moved the Classic from its usual spot on Sunday to Saturday anticipating that some fans might be leaving the area early because of Father’s Day. The races overall were back on Father’s Day weekend after a few years of being held a week earlier to give the track a little more separation from its first Sprint Cup weekend.

NASCAR adjusted the Sprint Cup schedule and the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 has been moved from late June to its current date of July 17.

Jerry Gappens, executive vice president and general manager at NHMS, did not have final figures on Sunday afternoon, but estimated 7,000 to 10,000 fans came to the racetrack during the weekend.

It’s a far cry from the early ’90s when 35,000, he said, filled the stands in a single day for the Loudon Classic.

Gappens had grand plans for bringing back some of the good old times when he got here three years ago, but has found motorcycle racing a tough sell to spectators.

“It’s been a pretty successful weekend as far as logistics internally and entertaining people and I think everyone’s having a good time,” Gappens said. “But we’re still trying to find the chemistry and the combination to make it work and draw a crowd.”

Gappens reached out to the American Motorcycle Association, the organization that sanctioned the races during the successful days here, with the idea of bringing the series back but nothing appears imminent on that front.

The AMA left over safety concerns at the track. Greenwood said he doubts the series would return because of similar concerns, which, he said, are pretty much inherent when running the higher-powered bikes of the AMA’s top divisions on a circuit that combines a road course with an oval.

The Loudon Road Racing Series competes monthly at NHMS and Greenwood said he thinks safety is less of an issue here than at other places he has raced and he appreciates what management has done to improve things at the track.

“It’s been a nice weekend,” said Greenwood, who stayed with his family in an RV in the garage area from Tuesday through the weekend. “But I do miss the glory days when the AMA came in and it was a full paddock with the big semi trailers and crews. They’d come to town and it was a big show. But in the end, we put on a good show and motorcycle racing enthusiasts get their money’s worth.”

As for Gappens, he’ll continue to tweak the motorcycle weekend and try to build the crowds back. The Loudon Classic, despite some struggles, is here to stay, he said.

“I wouldn’t want to be the guy who ends the longest running motorcycle race,” he said.

Allen Lessels covers motor sports for the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News. He may be reached at alessels@unionleader.com.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

NHMS ~ 6/19/11

Read the NHMS race recap and see video here on the NHMS website.

the following is reprinted from http://www.nelcar.net/

Buffington Remains Undefeated at NHMS With Win on the Road Course

The Amsoil Nelcar Legends Tour was back at the famous New Hampshire Motor Speedway this past week, once again turning right and left on the difficult road course. Not only was this a regular points race, but it was a National Qualifier for the Legends Road Course Nationals being held later this year. 26 Legends Car drivers, mostly oval regulars, took to the track for what would be an excellent race.

Practice doubled as qualifying, along with a random invert afterwards. Once the invert was drawn, it was the 99 of Mike Alton on the pole with the 38 of Matt Bourgoine on the outside. When the green flag flew, Alton was able to take off while the 23 of Shaun Buffington, who so far is undefeated at NHMS, moved to the second spot early from his sixth starting spot. Alton was able to lead the field around the first lap, but Buffington made his move on the second lap and took over the race lead. While Buffington was able to get away from the field, Alton, Bourgoine, the 56 of Evan Beaulieu, the 18 of Tom Gray and the 399 of Bob Weymouth were all locked in a tight battle for the second spot, one of the many battles on the track. The race was clean until lap eight, when the 6 of Joey Parker went off the track in “the bowl.” The incident would end Parker’s day early.

On the restart, it was Buffington still holding the lead with Beaulieu lined up right behind him. The two stayed locked together through the first half lap until the next yellow came out for the 20 of Taylor Martin and the 81 of Dan Winter getting together coming out of turn two. Buffington held onto the race lead while it was Beaulieu, Bourgoine, Gray and Weymouth right behind.

Buffington was able to get away on the final restart, leaving Beaulieu to hold off Bourgoine and Gray for the second spot. During the final laps, Buffington made it known why he’s one of the best Legends Car drivers in the country as he was able to take home the victory and the granite trophy with it. Bourgoine made a bid on Beaulieu going through turn three, but Beaulieu was able to get back around and take the second spot. Gray finished fourth while Weymouth rounded out the top five.

Buffington was the qualifier in the Pro class, while Bourgoine got the Semi-Pro qualifier and Tom Gray was the Masters qualifier for the Road Course Nationals in the fall. The next Amsoil Nelcar Legends Tour race is this Thursday, June 23rd at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway for round two of Thursday Thunder. The next time the Tour heads to New Hampshire Motor Speedway is on July 19th, the morning of the Nascar Sprint Cup Series race, which is guaranteed to be a great race! For more news, info, and how you can get in a Legends Car and race with the best, visit Nelcar.net.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

TNT Kick-off at Beech Ridge

Thursday Night Thunder (TNT) kicked off at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway on June 16th with a full field of 21 NELCAR Legends cars.  The #8 added another Top 15 finish to the books, coming home in 14th.  We're getting faster each week and the season is looking up!

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All photos by Hooligan Motorsports

Beech Ridge ~ 6/16/11

reprinted from http://www.nelcar.net/

Weymouth Takes Second Straight Thursday Opener


The Amsoil Nelcar Legends Tour was back at one of the best race tracks in America on Thursday night, Beech Ridge Motor Speedway for round one of Thursday Thunder! It was the start of the 15th year of Thursday Thunder, and the Legend Cars have been a part of the popular midweek event since the very beginning. 21 of the best drivers in New England were ready to race on the 3/8th mile oval, and as always, their show didn’t disappoint.


For the feature event, it was the 1 of Aaron Lewis and the 81 of Dan Winter on the front row. Lewis was able to grab the early race lead and pull away a bit before the 399 of defending champion of Bob Weymouth was able to grab the race lead. On lap three, the 56 of Evan Beaulieu and the 70 of Tylar Braunschweig made slight contact running side by side for position off turn two, resulting in Braunschweig spinning, collecting the 2 of Ryan Hammar, the 17 of Terry Kirk and the 49 of Pete Cannel, ending Cannel’s evening.


For the next restart, it was Weymouth being able to get out to the race lead early and pulling away. The 10 of Ed Getty was in second place, right on the back bumper of Weymouth. Those two were able to pull away before the second caution of the evening came out on lap 13 for the 25 of Larry Poirer going for a spin in turn three.


It was Weymouth and Getty again on the restart, and once again those two were able to break away from the pack while the two veterans ran each other really hard for the lead. Behind them though, there way hard racing as the 14 of Beech Ridge Pro Series regular Trevor Sanborn, the 56 of Evan Beaulieu and the 27 of the most recent Beech Ridge Legends winner, Kevin Hutchens were on their way to the front of the field. As they cracked into the top five, the final yellow came out for the 5 of Gary Modugno blowing a motor.


The final restart of the evening was set with just five laps to go. Weymouth was able to jump out to the lead while Sanborn and Getty made slight contact for second, with Sanborn getting the position. Sanborn gave it all he had on the outside of Weymouth while Getty was able to sneak by and take second back. At the finish of the wild finish, Weymouth was able to take the victory with Getty finishing second and Sanborn third. Hutchens and Beaulieu rounded out the top five.


After an issue in tech, Sanborn was disqualified from the event, moving everyone behind him up one spot. This means that Weymouth, Getty and Hutchens will be coming from the rear next week for round two of Thursday Thunder. The next Amsoil Nelcar Legends Tour race is this Sunday, June 19th at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, on the road course once again. Not only is the race a National Qualifier for the Legends Road Course Nationals, but it also a part of the very popular Loudon Classic Bike Week. For more information, news and how you can get into a Legends Car, visit Nelcar.net.

Unity Raceway ~ 6/4/11

reprinted from http://www.nelcar.net/ 

Hutchens Holds Off Late Race Charge To Win At Unity

The Amsoil Nelcar Legends Tour made the trip up to Unity Raceway for the second straight race at the tricky oval this past weekend. It was set to be a great race with a mix of rookies and veterans in the field, with the top three from last weekend starting at the rear of the field, trying to make their way to the front in just 25 laps. The Unity stands were once again packed with eager race fans, the sun was out and it was set to be a great night of racing.

For the first heat race, it was a pair of rookies on the front row. Matt Chagnot in the 8 car started on the pole with the 81 of Dan Winter on the outside. On the start, Chagnot was able to grab the race lead, but the 10 of Ed Getty was not far behind as he moved around the rookie driver for the race lead. Getty was able to open up a bit of a lead, but the 27 of past Unity winner Kevin Hutchens was making his way to the front, and he got the lead just before the halfway point. Hutchens was able to pull away and take the heat win, with the 39 of Canadian driver Darren Sherwood in second and Getty rounding out the top three.

The second heat race quickly followed, with the 2 of rookie Ryan Hammar starting on the pole with the 49 of Pete Cannell, who is one of few drivers who have run Unity as both a dirt and asphalt track, on the outside. At the start, Hammar was able to get the race lead, but it wasn’t long before the 38 of Matt Bourgoine to make his presence shown as he took the lead with the 56 of Evan Beaulieu closely behind. In a replay of last weekend, Bourgoine and Beaulieu fought hard for the lead, but Bourgoine was able to get the win with Beaulieu finishing closely behind in second. The 399 of Bob Weymouth was able to round out the top three.

As the sun began to set, the Legend Cars took to the track for their 25 lap feature event. It was set to be an interesting start with the rookies of Winter and Chagnot on the front row. The two rookies fought hard for the lead, but Alan Smith in the 33 was able to make quick work and take the race lead shortly after. As Smith tried to pull away, Hutchens was able to make his way through the traffic and he grabbed the lead on lap five. The next lap, a bolt in the rear end of Smith’s car sheared off and sent Smith for a spin off the backstretch, bringing out to the caution flag and ending Smith’s strong run early. For the restart, it was Hutchens leading the field with Sherwood on his outside. Hutchens was able to get the lead as Sherwood tried to hold off Beaulieu, the two would fight for a few laps and Beaulieu got second, a straightaway behind Hutchens. As he began to reel in Hutchens for the lead, Bourgoine grabbed third and was reeling both of them in. The three drivers were in a dead heat for the final five laps as Hutchens worked his way through lapped traffic and tried to hold the two hard chargers off. As Bourgoine made a bid on Beaulieu for second on the final lap, Beaulieu tried one more shot at Hutchens, but it wasn’t enough as Hutchens grabbed his second win of the 2011 season. Beaulieu finished second with Bourgoine finishing third. Weymouth and Sherwood rounded out the top five.

After seven races, Weymouth still holds the points lead over Terry Kirk, but there is still plenty of racing to go this season! The next race for the Tour will be on June 16th at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway for the start of the popular Thursday Night Thunder! Gates open at 2PM and pit fee is only $8 with grandstand tickets only $4, racing starts at 7PM! For more news, info and how you can get behind the wheel of a Legends Car, visit Nelcar.net.

Monday, June 20, 2011

MaineRacing.com interview

Matt was recently interviewed by Chris Roy for MaineRacing.com.  You can check out the article here and read about Matt's thoughts on getting into the NELCAR touring series, NHMS, safety, and of course, our Bruins paint scheme!

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Way to Go B's!

Hooligan Motorsports couldn't be prouder to be Bruins fans!

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Zeus, Chief Crew Dog, showing his black & gold pride...

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Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Welcome Customized Stickers!

We are pleased to announce Customized Stickers as the official sticker of Hooligan Motorsports!

Sticker

Customized Stickers, a Magnets.com company, is a leading producer of custom, high quality American made stickers including bumper stickers, vinyl stickers, labels, decals, and window stickers. 

If you're looking for stickers to promote your business, Customized Stickers is the place to go! Logo stickers help promote our businesses and race teams, so why not stock up and have a fun giveaway on hand to give out at the race track, events, your store, etc!  Kids love them.... and adults will remember how to find your website.

Customized Stickers offers 1, 2, 3 and full color printing in several sizes and shapes. They include FREE set-up, digital proofs, artwork and design, as well as consultation with every order.  Plus, you don't pay until you approve the art! You can even get free shipping on your first order by using the promo code NOSHIPPING.

Check out CustomizedStickers.com today and see how quickly you can be promoting your business with beautiful, high quality stickers now!

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Another Great Day at Unity

The Amsoil Nelcar Legends Tour stopped at Unity Raceway for the second week in a row on June 4 and it was another action packed day of racing. The Hooligan Motorsports car was faster than ever, and much better than our eventual 12th place finish.

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All photos above by Hooligan Motorsports.

Special thanks to Chris at RPM Photography for the following shots...

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Wednesday, June 1, 2011

First Trip to Unity Raceway

The Amsoil Nelcar Legends Tour stopped at the rough and tough Unity Raceway over Memorial Day weekend.  This was Hooligan Motorsports first outing at Unity, netting a 10th place finish.

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All photos above by Hooligan Motorsports.

Special thanks to Chris at RPM Photography for the following shots...

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