Born in Ludlow to Read more Barbara (Cimino) Stefanik Passes at 69 By admin December 21, 2012 Riverside Park Speedway Our qualifying has been just terrible, Moore admitted. Did you miss Kyle Buschs dramatic win at Talladega, or Brandon Overtons $50,000 triumph? NOTE: ANY RACE DATES POSTED ON THIS PROFILE ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE BASED ON WEATHER, TRACK CONDITIONS, AND MANY OTHER THINGS. We were there last Wednesday, with 25 teenagers, and they all | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Accessibility Statement. Sprintcarstats. The arrival of NASCAR established Riverside as one of NASCARs big three modified speedways in New England, along with Stafford and Thompson in Connecticut. The company changed its own name to Six Flags, Inc., and rebranded the park Six Flags: New England for the opening of the 2000 season. Did you miss a thrilling Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte, or David Gravels Tri-City triumph? Later years were with Tom Rosati, Rene Charland, Bob Polverari, Reggie Ruggerio and Jerry Marquis. Agawam, MA Racing on a tight track for 150 laps with 25 veteran competitors can sometimes be an unmistakable comparison to a championship boxing match, toe-to-toe for 15 rounds. The United Stock Car Racing Club events drew 6,000-8,000 fans every Saturday night. If youre thinking of altering your workout routine, youre probably looking for new exercises and equipment to help you reach your fitness goals. Auto Racing Research Assoc. I think I just ran the car too hard and Im very fortunate that I didnt end up in the qualifying race. Moore and his team checked everything on the car after qualifying to ensure that nothing was wrong with the chassis setup. Riverside Speedway was a NASCAR short track that was inside of Riverside Fun Park in Agawam, Massachusetts. |. Auto racing legend Rene Charland, of Agawam, dies at 84. The teams decision to forgo any changes paid great dividends as the Pontiac Grand Prix ran fast and consistent on long runs throughout the evening. by ScottKo in RacingIn News, TRACK INFO UPDATE? Youtube Link . [1] In 2000 when the park re-opened as Six Flags New England, the race track was demolished and the DC Universe themed area (including the roller coaster Superman The Ride) was built in its place. Five-time track champion Bob Polverari won the final race, after which participants started digging up pieces of the track asphalt for souvenirs. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. legend Roland Pappy Lapierre Sr., car and engine builder Jim Jorgenson, 1987 Busch North Series champion Joey Kid Kourafas and Irene Venditti, widow of Seekonk Speedway founder D. Anthony Venditti. He was currently employed at Boardwalk Auto Sales in South Windsor, CT. Moore, the Busch North Series all-time Pole winner, has yet to display his qualifying expertise thus far in 1998. Second place finisher Chuck Bown of Portland, Ore. now drives on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series while third place finisher Dale Shaw of Center Conway, N.H. recently moved to the NASCAR Busch Series. NASCAR North Tour Race Recaps. He stated to me that the race track was no longer holding its own. Riverside Speedway was a NASCAR short track that was inside of Riverside Fun Park in Agawam, Massachusetts . To tell us about track being opened or closed, re-named, or anything else, please, If you know this track to still be in operation or under a different name, please. Riverside Park Speedway Demolition Derby & Figure 8 Racing Agawam Mass has 514 members. Dodge streamlined the modified program, marketed the competitors and started an entry-level street stock division. Following the park's 1999 season, Premier Parks, Inc. made several major changes that directly affected the speedway. by ScottKo in RacingIn News, Rivalry Renewed: Lanigan & Richards Set To Face Off In 2015 As Richards Returns To Full-Time World of Outlaws Competition The future international sports car star Phil Walters, still racing under his midget pseudonym of Ted Tappett, captured 14 of the 28 features, a record that still stood when Riverside finally closed. As Riverside Park Speedway joined NASCAR to celebrate the past 50 years of auto racing in 1998, a new division was rolled out onto the Speedway. Matts father, Mark Wiernasz was a track announcer there, in addition to working for decades as our assignment manager here at 22News. This would have been around 1984. . "I would like to Thank You so much for making Carlys 17th birthday party GREAT!!!! WITH FRIENDS! The 1980s arrived! Rene Charland, affectionately known to many racing fans simply as The Champ could use some well-wishes from his fans. by KyleBrinkmannRacing in KyleBrinkmanRacing, a racer from Elkhorn, WI, Top Tips For Online Race Track Promotion Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Rollie Jacobs (left), former public address announcer at Riverside Park Speedway, inducted legendary car owner Mario Fiore (right) into the New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame on Sunday in East Windsor, Conn. They had a BLAST! The popular competitor, a one time Florida racer and crew chief for noted car owner/builder Mario Fiore, would also win the last Whelen Modified Tour race at the famed Riverside Park Speedway, Agawam, MA., and claim that tracks final championship for the modified division prior to its 1999 closing. Beckley Speedway USA. Park owner Edward J. Carroll demolished the dance hall that had burned down that year and in its place rose a 1/5 mile nearly flat paved oval track. The Rollaway, Riverside Park, Agawam, Massachusetts Babb's, Congamond Lakes, W Suffield, Connecticut Clark, Bill by ScottKo in Profile Tips For Users, SRW Winternationals Weekend now a Qualifying race for ALL Classes! Matt Wiernasz is an auto racing journalist and photographer himself, and has fond memories . He started his interest in racing with Leo Matte at. The first top-5 finish for the Tic-Tac Pontiac Grand Prix team pushed Moore, the 1995 Busch Grand National North Series champion, up 14 spots to 13th in the championship point battle, a mere 88 points out of the top spot.For the 2nd consecutive week Moore was unable to crack the top-10 in qualifying, this evening he was 16th fastest among the 30-car field. NASCAR adopted the tour-type format and Riverside was a regular stop for 200-lap modified mains. Rt 305, 307 and 322 streets will detour due to an event in Forest Park. No Reservation Required Discussion. The facility was incredible, the staff was engaging, and our entire group had a blast! Riverside, both the amusement park and speedway, was an institution in its community. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Riverside Park Speedway ("The Park") was built in 1948. Jackson County Speedway. Gary worked for many years at Germano Auto Sales before owning Garys Service Center in Agawam, which he sold two years ago. This one is Riverside Park, Agawam, Ma. The facility is fabulous - lots of space to spread out, clean and well maintained, and the . His sons then managed the park and speedway while becoming active in racing themselves, with a new crew of helpers. I was just a kid and my favorite was Art Rousseau out of Keene, N.H.. Invaders that raced at "The Park" seeking NASCAR National Modified Championship points included Richie Evans, Jerry Cook, Geoff Bodine, Jim Spencer, John Blewitt Jr and "Captain Sizzle" Mark Malcuit from Ohio, some would go on to become champions in several of NASCAR's top series. He declined, citing his growing family, and the seat was offered to an up-and-comer from Missouri named Rusty Wallace. While Riverside Park Speedway is gone, local racing fans do have plenty of options to see live racing. The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. You knew Rene Charland was the bad guy and Buddy Krebs was a good guy. The natural athlete, Gene Bergin, was another star. He started his interest in racing with Leo Matte at Riverside Park with the likes of George Lombardo, Ed Patnode and Labbee Brothers Racing. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. The pit area was alongside theConnecticut River with large Grandstands being built on the hill leading from the amusement park down to the race track. Wisconsin. Six of the eight people inducted Sunday into the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame's class of 2012 had some sort of ties. In addition to that, the purses were increased. Riverside Park in Agawam, Massachusetts began as a trolley park in 1840. I think I just ran the, NASCAR Busch North: New England Ford Dealers 125 Notes, Kelly Moore Earns 2nd Place Finish at Riverside Park Speedway. Next, widening and steepening the corners to a full quarter-mile. Riverside Park Speedway memories abound at . Jocko Sr. won 31 feature races and multiple championships at Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam, Mass., and won the track's biggest event, the Riverside 500. The Carroll family added a speedway, brought in musical acts and added many new rides in the decades that followed. First, let me tell you how The speedway was closed, and razed, after Polverari copped the final modified feature in 1999. During this time Six Flags permanently closed the track to make way for a spectacular new roller coaster, Superman: Ride of Steel (was Bizarro from 2009-2015). Bobby Dragon of Milton, Vt. won the first NASCAR Busch North Series event at Riverside Park Speedway on August 29, 1988. He was born in West Spring-field, son of the late John and Mafalda Mich-novetz and graduated from West Springfield High School Class of 1962. The fans streamed, literally, straight from the rides to the bleachers. Riverside Park. MattWiernasz is an auto racing journalist and photographer himself, and has fond memories of watching the races at Riverside. For the 2nd consecutive week Moore was unable to crack the top-10 in qualifying, this evening he was 16th fastest among the 30-car field. Private group 6,043 Members. Rene Charland - AKA "The Champ" - won three NASCAR national Modified titles in the 1960s. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 4/4/2023), Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/26/2023). Jocko Jr., followed a different path, racing sportscars with the SCCA. Of those six, two will never be more closely linked to one another than the driver-owner combination of Reggie Ruggiero and Mario Fiore. This scenario was played out Saturday evening at Riverside Park Speedway, where Kelly Moore put on a superb display of racing enroute to a 2nd place finish. The facility is fabulous lots of space to spread out, clean However, both men chose to set aside their differences on their special day. Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam, MA - RacingIn.com NOTE: ANY RACE DATES POSTED ON THIS PROFILE ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE BASED ON WEATHER, TRACK CONDITIONS, AND MANY OTHER THINGS. Before I had my license, my dad would drive me to the races and the big deal on my birthday was when I would have my friends over to the house for my moms spaghetti and meatballs, and then wed go to Riverside Park and cheer for our favorites, Berggren said. Six of the eight people inducted Sunday into the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fames class of 2012 had some sort of ties to the old track in Agawam, which closed in 1999. Western Mass. Photo courtesy of John Mahoney, USAC. Pennsboro Speedway. Berggren recalls seeing the same stock cars that dotted garages and gas stations in his hometown of Manchester, Conn., flailing away around Riversides diminutive oval. And just that quickly, the track was gone, along with a significant chunk of New Englands stock car history. 1960's. The drivers are as listed: #12 Skip Barna, #111 Ronnie Mayer,#2x Charlie Brayton, #20 Jack Lecuyer, #98 Ray Sharron, #83 Al Jansing. Riverside, both the amusement park and speedway, was an institution in its community. That place was just so exciting and so dramatic, Dr. Dick Berggren, a longtime attendee and recipient of the NASCAR Hall of Fames Squier-Hall Award, remembered. From seventhto secondTO THE LEAD Dale Nottestad is our featured driver on this weeks Fight For The Flag for his rebound performance at the Big 8 Late Model Spring Classic at Rockford Speedway. It was a cant-miss business proposition, until amusement rides became more profitable than packed pits and stands.

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