Anticipation is High for Racers Honoring Racers 100 at Claremont

While last week’s rain may have dampened the pavement at Claremont Motorsports Park, it certainly hasn’t dampened enthusiasm heading into this Friday night’s Racers Honoring Racers 100.

Inclement weather forced the postponement of the all-star showdown by one week, but the track-record $15,000 winner’s purse awaits at the end of the rainbow for whoever stands before the New Hampshire track’s hillside grandstands on Friday evening.

And the best Tour-type Modified racers from the Northeast are primed for the challenge.

Friday’s entry list features top names from the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series, the New Hampshire Short Track Racing Association and weekly Modified programs from across the region.

One racer taking advantage of the postponement is Ron Silk, the 2011 NASCAR Modified Tour champion and the current point leader. A schedule conflict made participation last week an impossibility, but the rescheduled race is on an open weekend for Silk and the Haydt Yannone Racing team. Silk will draw on his past success at Claremont to prepare for Friday’s last-minute trip, and get some extra laps ahead of the July NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour stop at Claremont on July 29.

Silk will need his experience to counter the momentum of Matt Hirschman, Doug Coby, and other heavy hitters hauling north for a shot at the big jackpot.

Hirschman, the presumptive favorite, has won in multiple touring series this year and is set to represent the Northeast in July when the Superstar Racing Experience visits Stafford Motor Speedway in Connecticut. Coby, running selected races this season, scored back-to-back NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour wins in a relief role driving for Tommy Baldwin Racing.

Woody Pitkat and car owner Stan Mertz headed to Vermont’s Thunder Road Speedbowl Sunday, finishing sixth in a tune-up for their final race together at Claremont.

Brian Robie, Matthew Kimball, Les Hinckley and others were also in Vermont last weekend, and all figure to be in the mix in the final laps of Friday’s feature.

Last week’s rainout was an opportunity for repose and regrouping for some and an opening to build momentum for others. And which path leads to victory will be clear after one hundred green-flag laps Friday night, with $15,000 on the line.

Ron Bouchard’s Auto Stores, Maurice Enterprises and The Racing Guys proudly present Friday night’s Racers Honoring Racers 100 at Claremont Motorsports Park. The 100-lap, $15,000-to-win Modified feature headlines a full Friday-night racing card featuring Claremont’s In City Sugar Shack Mini Stocks, R.E. Hinkley Street Stocks, Avery Insurance Six Shooters and LaValley Building Supply Pure Stocks. Gates open at 5:00pm, with racing starting at 7:00pm. Tickets are available exclusively at the gate for Friday’s race. Adult admission is $30.00, seniors are $20.00, children 6-12 are $5.00 and kids 5 and under are free.

For more information, please visit Claremont Motorsports Park at www.claremontmotorsportspark.com or find us on Facebook.

-Story by: Jeff Brown, Souza Media