Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Star Speedway ~ 5/26/12

reprinted from nelcar.net


Ladyga Dominates For Star Win

The Amsoil Nelcar Legends Tour returned to Star Speedway this past weekend. With the biggest field of the season, totaling 26 cars, and with the competition as tight as its been all season, there were several drivers looking for a big day in the series first run at Star. Last season when the Tour went to Star for the first time ever for an exhibition race, it was won in dominating fashion by Nick Ladyga in the 3 car. He was looking to make it two in a row at the tough quarter mile.

The first of two heat races had defending Nelcar champion Evan Beaulieu on the pole with young driver Joey Parker in the 60 on his outside. On the start, Beaulieu got out to the early lead while Matt Bourgoine and Ladyga worked into the top three. Just a few laps into the race, Parker went for a spin off turn two. He was able to continue on but the 20 of Taylor Martin and the 33 of Alan Smith were involved in the incident as well, which saw Smith head to the pit area early. On the restart, Beaulieu once again got out to the early lead, but with a few laps to go Ladyga ran him down and was able to put the pass and get the heat race win. Beaulieu finished second with Bourgoine in third.

The second heat race would have Kevin Hutchens on the pole with former series champion Bob Weymouth on his outside. On the start, Hutchens was able to get out to the early lead withWeymouthright behind in second. Coming from a ways back however was the 23 of Shawn Buffington trying to work his way to the front. The heat ran incident free, with Hutchens taking the win. Buffington worked his way to second with the 11 of recent standout Steve Miller in third.

The feature lineup was determined by the heat race finishes, giving Ladyga the pole with the 27 of Kevin Hutchens on the outside. On the start, Ladyga was able to take off with the race lead, while Beaulieu followed through to take second. After a few laps in, Buffington was able to work his way into the third spot. It didn’t take long for the leaders to find lapped traffic, and would fight it the rest of the way throughout the caution free event. Ladyga was able to stretch his lead over Beaulieu. At the checkered flag, it was Nick Ladyga picking up his first win of the 2012 season. Beaulieu finished second with Buffington rounding out the podium. Bourgoine finished fourth and Miller rounded out the top five.

The race had cars spread out all across the tight track, and it was amazing job by all the drivers to navigate through the traffic with one an another and showcase why they are some of the greatest Legends drivers in the country. With the second place, Beaulieu has moved his way into a tie with Bourgoine for the points lead going into next weekends big return to Speedway 95 in Hermon, Maine. The Dysart’s Northeast Legends Showdown is set to be a big one, with a major purse up for grabs. Who will be the inaugural winner of what is sure to be a great event? Be at the track next Saturday, June 2nd to find out, racing starts at 5PM! For more info, news and how you can get into the affordable and fun Legends Cars action, visit Nelcar.net!

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

NHMS Photos ~ 5/19/2012

NELCAR took to the Legends Oval at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the first time in 2012 on Saturday.  A 23 car field took the track for two heat races, followed by a caution-filled crazy feature. The #8 Hooligan Motorsports car finished 7th in our heat race and 10th in the feature.  Special thanks to Chris at RPM Photography for these shots...

RPM_4685

RPM_4799

RPM_5203

RPM_5101

RPM_5169

We had a special guest in our pit.... the lovable Babs, a Friends of Retrievers Rescue dog who is crashing at the Hooligan Motorsports household until she finds her FORever home!

Babs_pit_51912c

NicMattBabs_51912

Babs_pit_51912m

Babs_pit_51912i

Monday, May 21, 2012

NHMS ~ 5/19/12

The Hooligan Motorsports #8 took home another Top Ten finish at NHMS on Saturday!


reprinted from nelcar.net

Buffington Becomes First Repeat Winner of 2012

Throughout the first five Amsoil Nelcar Legends Tour races, there had been five different winners. In a season that has shown much more competition than we have ever seen, it was almost like nothing changed in the third Moat Mountain NHMS Series races of the season. Shaun Buffington was once again the fastest car all day, and took the feature win, becoming the first repeat winner of the season. He didn’t get it easily however, as a wild race produced some of the best racing at the front that is now expected due to recent close finishes at NHMS. While practice once again doubled as qualifying, Buffington and his teammate Tom Gray in the 18 car were the two quickest, and would lead each of their respective heat races to the green flag.

For the first heat race, it was Buffington on the pole with the 56 of Evan Beaulieu on the outside. For the start, it was those two who took off in the top two positions with the 38 of Matt Bourgoine in third. The yellow flag game out at the halfway point in the heat for a solo spin by the 49 of Pete Cannel. On the restart, Buffington was able to get away while Bourgoine worked his way around Beaulieu for second. At the finish it was Buffington over Bourgoine while Beaulieu rounded out the top three.

Tom Gray was on the pole for the second heat race with the 11 of Steve Miller on his outside. Gray was able to get the lead early, and opened up a bit of a lead on Miller. The heat ran caution free with Gray picking up the win, with the 59 of last week’s winner Reid Lanpher in second and Miller rounding out the top three.

It was the teammates Buffington and Gray bringing the 23 car field to the green flag for what was set to be an exciting race. On the start, it was all Buffington as he opened up a lead while there was a scramble behind him for second. On lap three, the 60 of Joey Parker and the 33 of Alan Smith had an incident in turn one, bringing out the races first red flag for cleanup.

Buffington once again had the lead on the restart, but going into turn one, it was Tom Gray who was able to get the lead around the outside and take command. The second yellow flag came out at the races halfway point contact between the 8 of Matt Chagnot and the 20 of Taylor Martin sent Martin for a spin, ending her day early, other cars were involved but were able to continue on. On the restart, Gray held the lead, but it didn’t take long for Buffington to fight his way around on the outside to grab the race lead once again. The top four cars spread out a bit, until with just a handful of laps to go, the 81 of Dan Winter knicked the wall off turn two and got airborne as Winter was in for a wild ride down the backstretch. The quick safety crews at NHMS were able to flip the car back over, and Winter climbed out without a mark on him to a standing ovation from the crowd.

On the final restart, it was Buffington who once again got out to the lead, with Beaulieu able to grab the second spot away from Gray as the top three cars were nose to tail racing for the win. Beaulieu made a couple looks under Buffington, but through the lapped traffic Buffington was able to distance himself and take his first win of the season in the Moat Mountain NHMS Series! Beaulieu held off Gray for the second spot, while Bourgoine and Miller rounded out the top five.

With the win, Buffington was able to grab the points lead from Beaulieu in the Moat Mountain NHMS Series by one point. Buffington is also the first repeat winner on the Amsoil Nelcar Legends Tour this season. The next race for the Tour will be Saturday, May 26th for their first trip to Star Speedway inEpping,NH of the season. Racing starts at 5 PM! For more news, info, and how you can get into a Legends Car, visit Nelcar.net.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

NHMS Photos ~ 5/13/12

The NELCAR Legends spent Mother's Day on the road course at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.  The 24 car field took the green flag early in the evening on Sunday and the #8 Hooligan Motorsports was making it's way to another Top Ten finish when the #56 spun and caused a multi-car pile up behind him.  The wreck ended our day early and resulted in a 19th place finish. Special thanks to Chris at RPM Photography for these shots...

RPM_4263

RPM_4280

RPM_4341

DSC_4521

DSC_4522

savedfromwebdsc_4554

Monday, May 14, 2012

NHMS ~ 5/13/12

The Hooligan Motorsports #8 got caught up in a late race multi-car incident after leader Evan Beaulieu spun in Turn 3.  While Beaulieu corrected and raced on, several cars got together trying to avoid the spin.  This resulted in an 18th place finish for the #8.  Congrats to Reid Lanpher on his first NELCAR win!

Untitled
#8 on track for practice

reprinted from nelcar.net

Lanpher Made His Move Late, Grabs First Win At NHMS!

Going into the fifth of the Amsoil Nelcar Legends Tour season at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the last four races had produced four different winners. The pack has been getting tighter and tighter and that was never so evident as it was on the 1.6 mile road course. While the normal cast of characters, Shaun Buffington, Evan Beaulieu and Matt Bourgoine fought for the lead for much of the race, it was the young sophomore driver Reid Lanpher who was able to take the lead late, and pick up his first ever Legends Car win. The 24 car Legends field took to the track in what was going to become one of the wildest races of the season.

It all started per usual in qualifying, where Buffington was the fastest in the field. Bourgoine was able to get the second fastest lap and therefore would start on the outside of the front row on the start. On the start, Buffington was able to get the jump and the lead into turn one, with Bourgoine and Beaulieu right behind. Those three got away from the rest of the field for a bit as they ran each other hard for the race lead. Just as a battle was setting up once again for Beaulieu and Buffington for the lead, the races first yellow came out for Nick Ladyga finding the tire pile in turn three.

After this first caution, business began to pick up for the final five laps. As Buffington and Beaulieu came down through the first set of corners side by side bouncing off of one of another, Beaulieu was able to wrestle the race lead away in turn three. It wasn’t over however, as Bourgoine was right behind to take second. The next lap, contact between the two leaders sent Beaulieu into a spin, and created a melee behind them as a few cars got wrecked in the blocked racetrack.

Beaulieu was able to hold the lead however, as he just did a self spin and was able to continue on, meaning as the race went back to the last completed lap, and he was scored as the race leader with Bourgoine on the outside. The two got the green once again, and Beaulieu was able to grab the lead as Lanpher fought his way into second spot. With two laps to go, the final caution of the race came out, as rookie TJ Bleau spun into the tire pile in turn ten. That would set up a green white checkered where this time, Lanpher was lined up to the outside of Beaulieu. The two drove it hard into turn one, but Lanpher was able to grab the lead. Beaulieu stayed right behind and tried to give one last good run, but it wasn’t enough as Lanpher took his first Legends Car win! Beaulieu was second with Buffington third. Bourgoine was fourth while Nick Ladyga rounded out the top five.

Lanpher has enjoying a lot of success in the races he is old enough to compete in this season, as he has had solid finish after solid finish and the pit area knew that his first one was coming right around the corner. After five races now, there have been five different winners on the Amsoil Nelcar Legends Tour. Will we see winner number six next weekend when the Tour returns to NHMS for the first oval race at the track for the season? It will be an interesting race for sure. Racing is set to start around 4pm on Saturday, May 19th. You won’t want to miss it as this season has proven to be one of the most competitive with a new driver up front each week. For more info, news and how you can get into a Legends Car, visit Nelcar.net.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Seekonk Photos ~ 5/5/12

The NELCAR Legends returned to Seekonk Speedway this past weekend as part of the track's opening day program.  The 24 car field took the green flag in the late afternoon on Sunday and the #8 Hooligan Motorsports car came home an 13th place finish! Special thanks to Chris at RPM Photography for these shots...

RPM_3634

RPM_3804

RPM_3692

RPM_3901

RPM_3666

Seekonk ~ 5/6/12

Untitled

reprinted from nelcar.net

Matt Pappa Wins in First Nelcar Start

Matt Pappa has won races all over the East Coast in Legends Cars, and made his debut in the Amsoil Nelcar Legends Tour a memorable one at Seekonk Speedway. This past Sunday was the season opener for all Seekonk Speedway divisions, including the newly formed Nick’s Pitstop Friday Night Legends Series. Not only was it their first race but it was also the fourth Amsoil Nelcar Legends Tour race, with a tight point’s battle. 26 Legends Cars were on tap for what was set to be yet another exciting Nelcar race.

The heat races were determined by time trials earlier in the day, and for the first heat race it was Pappa on the pole with the 3 of Nick Ladyga on the outside. Those two were able to take off from the start with Pappa opening up with the early lead. That would be how the finish ended up, with Pappa running away with the heat win. Ladyga was second with the 56 of Evan Beaulieu rounding out the top three.

In heat race number two it was the 18 of Tom Gray on the pole with his team mate Shaun Buffington to his outside. Those two ran side by side until the first yellow of the day came out for a spin by the 60 of Joey Parker. Parker was able to continue on. On the next run, it was still the Gray and Buffington show at the front while the 38 of Matt Bourgoine and the 89 of Nick Lascoula followed. At the finish, Buffington was able to beat Gray by .007 of a second and picked up the heat win.

Untitled


After their wins in the heat races, Pappa would start on the pole with Buffington on the outside. Pappa was able to get the early lead, but a quick caution came out as the 21 of “” went for a spin in turn one. After the track got clear, the green was back out with Pappa and Ladyga this time leading the field. The green didn’t stay out long again though, as the 87 of Anthony Pagliarulo suffered a mechanical issue, bringing out the yellow flag. The track was cleaned one more time, and this time the field was able to get some green flag racing in, but it was the same story up front as Pappa was able to distance himself from the rest of the field. On lap nine, the 96 of Legends Car rookie Wyatt Alexander, and the 13 of Carl Blandina made contact in turn three, sending Blandina for a spin and ending his day early. For the final restart of the day, it was once again Pappa who got up front, while behind him there was a huge scramble for positions as the 59 of Reid Lanpher came out on the winning end of that fight and found himself in fourth. The race would finish without any interruption, as Pappa picked up his first Amsoil Nelcar Legends Tour win! Ladyga finished second, with Buffington rounding out the podium. Lanpher and Gray rounded out the top five.


After four races, there have been four different winners and the competition has never been stronger on the Amsoil Nelcar Legends Tour. The season is off to a great start and it will only get better as the season continues on. The Tour is back in action next Sunday, May 13th at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, once again on the road course. Beaulieu and Buffington put on a great show for the fans the last time the Tour was turning right, and this next race will produce more of the same quality racing. For more information, news and how you can get into Legends racing, visit Nelcar.net.


All photos by Hooligan Motorsports

Monday, May 7, 2012

Beech Ridge ~ 5/5/12

Untitled

BeechRidge_5512zj

reprinted from nelcar.net

Buffington Finally Gets Elusive Beech Ridge Win

For Shaun Buffington, success at one of the premier race tracks in New England has never come easy. Buffington has won races all over New England, but had never picked up a win at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway. That all changed during the Pro All Stars Series, Southern Maine Motors 150 weekend. The Amsoil Nelcar Legends Tour was one of many events on an action packed day of racing at “The Ridge,” and Shaun Buffington was finally able to get that monkey off his back when it came to racing on the fast 3/8s mile oval.

BeechRidge_5512b

Constant rains throughout the week set the stage for a fresh track for the Legends Car on Saturday, and it all started with the first heat race that had the 81 of sophomore driver Dan Winter. On the start, Winter was able to get out to the lead, and held on for two laps until the 17 of Terry Kirk showed his experience at Beech Ridge and took over the lead. The 38 of Matt Bourgoine was on the move though, and it wasn’t long before he took the race lead and set sail. Bourgoine took the heat win over the 2 of Ryan Hammar and Winter rounded out the top three.

BeechRidge_5512za

For the second heat race it was another sophomore driver on the pole, this time the 64 of Jim Karatsanos with defending champion, Evan Beaulieu on the outside. When the field took the green, Beaulieu was able to grab the lead into turn one, but behind him the 18 of Tom Gray and Karatsanos made contact racing for position, sending the 64 machine for a machine and collecting Buffington and the 33 of Alan Smith. On the next restart however, Buffington was wasting no time making his way back to the front, as he used the outside lane to his advantage. Beaulieu held on to the lead when with two laps to go, the rear gear blew in the car. Buffington was able to get by on the outside and take the heat win. Beaulieu was able to limp the car home in second while Gray rounded out the top three.

BeechRidge_5512c

For the feature, it was Hammar on the pole with Buffington to his outside. When the green flag waved for the 35 lap feature, Buffington was able to continue to use the outside to his advantage, and took the lead early. On the second lap, there was contact in the middle of the field, sending the 8 of Matt Chagnot for a spin in turn one. He was able to continue on but not without bringing out the races first yellow flag. On the next restart, Buffington was able to pull away once again. Early on it was the 12 car of Charlie Buxton and the 1 of Bobby Timmons who were able to make their way to the front of the field as they filled into the top three spots trying to run down Buffington. Halfway through the race came the second yellow flag, when the 84 of Legends rookie Matt Grant went for a spin in turn three and couldn’t get back going, ending his day early. On the final restart, it was Buffington who once again was able to pull out to the lead, while Timmons and Buxton followed behind. Meanwhile coming from the rear of the field were the 27 of Kevin Hutchens and the 38 of Matt Bourgoine, who made their way through the field and were challenging for positions inside the top five. At the end of it all however, it was Buffington who was able to pick up that elusive Beech Ridge win. Timmons finished second with Hutchens in third. Tom Gray and Charlie Buxton rounded out the top five.

BeechRidge_5512zf

Three races in the books, and it’s been three different races as Bourgoine, Beaulieu and Buffington have showed early on this season that they have what it takes to take the Amsoil Nelcar Legends Tour championship. The next race for the Tour is at Seekonk Speedway on Sunday, May 6th, as the division is part of the first race for the Nick’s Pitstop Friday Night Legends Series. For ore information, news and how you can get in a Legends Car, visit Nelcar.net.

BeechRidge_5512zn

All photos by Hooligan Motorsports.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

NHMS Photos ~ 4/28/12

The NELCAR Legends took to the Road Course at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this past weekend and the #8 Hooligan Motorsports car took home an 8th place finish!  Special thanks to Chris at RPM Photography for these shots...

RPM_1777

RPM_1905

RPM_1754

RPM_1970

RPM_1996