Archive for the ‘ERA News’ Category

Johnny Pickard was two-for-two in August ERA action

Photo courtesy of Joe Starr, www.bigwestracing.com

DACONO, Colo. – Johnny Pickard won his second Englewood Supermodified Ass’n feature in a row Saturday at Colorado Nat’l Speedway.  Pickard’s win made him the first repeat ERA winner of the season.

The Pueblo, Colo., shoe started on the pole and was never challenged in the 25-lap main, which went green to checkered and was completed in less than 10 minutes.  The race marked the second-consecutive ERA feature that went off without a caution.

Harold Evans started sixth and finished second for the second-consecutive race.  Richie Castor passed point leader Harry Stone late in the race to take third. Castor ran almost the entire race with a slightly damaged front end. On lap two, Kevin Day bobbled off turn two and Castor made contact with Day’s super.  The contact resulted in damage to Castor’s fiberglass nose and bent nose wings on the No. 2.  The defending ERA champion is still yet to win a feature this season.

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Johnny Pickard (Joe Starr Photo)

DACONO, Colo. – Johnny Pickard became the fifth different winner in five Englewood Supermodified Association features this year with his win Saturday night at Colorado Nat’l Speedway.

The Pueblo, Colo., driver started on the pole for the 25-lap main and out-raced Craig Moore into turn one. Pickard proceeded to open up a sizeable advantage over the rest of the nine-car field, and by the halfway point of the race he had caught the tail of the field.

As the race continued green, Pickard relied on his 32 years of racing experience while negotiating lap traffic.  His ability proved worthy; the caution never came and Pickard raced to a comfortable green-to-checkered win over Harold Evans. The fast-paced race took only nine minutes to run off.

“The car ran good,” Pickard said. “I didn’t have to work too hard for it – starting on the front row and all. I’d rather start from the back and race my way through the field, but they lined us up by points and I haven’t run much this year so I got the pole. We were strong and I think with a little bit of time, we could have made our way to the front if we started toward the back.”
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Joe Starr Photo, www.bigwestracing.com

by Keith Shampine

DACONO, Colo. – Chris Sheil started third and held off veteran Joe Priselac to record his first-ever Englewood Supermodified Association feature win Saturday night at Colorado Nat’l Speedway. Sheil’s triumph made him the fourth different winner in as many races on the 2010 ERA tour.

Sheil recorded the triumph after a record-breaking day for temperatures in the Denver area. The official high was 102 degrees, breaking a record from 1971. Track temperatures were said to be about 140 degrees when Sheil and 11 other winged ERA supermodifieds lapped CNS’s three-eighths-mile oval during practice.
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First-time 2010 winner Rich Castor Jr.

Photo courtesy of Joe Starr, www.bigwestracing.com

DACONO, Colo. – Rich Castor Jr. started shotgun on the 11-car Englewood Racing Association main Saturday at Colorado National Speedway and drove to his first feature victory of the season at the three-eighths-mile oval in a competitive 25-lap feature.  

Castor, who is the ERA president and defending point champion, quickly worked his way through the field of winged supers, taking the lead from a strong running Chris Sheil on lap 11.  Castor was never headed as he cruised to the victory, his first of 2010 in the ERA’s third event of the season.
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Pueblo, Colo. – Colorado supermodified veteran Harold Evans took the lead at the halfway point of the Englewood Racing Association’s main event Saturday night at I-25 Speedway and proceeded to pull away for his first win of the 2010 season. 

After 12 cars made the May 29 ERA opener at Colorado National Speedway, eight winged supermodifieds made the trek to I-25, a tight quarter-mile oval located about two hours south of Denver.  The supermodified event was a part of I-25’s Open Wheel Clash, a special event that featured Grand American modifieds, legends cars and supers.
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Joe Starr Photo

by Keith Shampine

Dacono, Colo. – Sixty-one-year-old Harry Stone proved experience pays Saturday night when he drove his 1985 Masterman chassis to victory in the Englewood Supermodified Association opener at Colorado National Speedway.

Stone started sixth in the 25-lapper and caught pole-sitter Chris Sheil by lap seven.  Stone worked the bottom on Sheil’s No. 33 for a handful of laps before sticking the inside groove on lap 10.  The Denver driver pulled his black No. 40 out to a full straightaway advantage, and was never headed on his way to the triumph.

Nick Haygood started 10th and moved into fifth by the second circuit.  Haygood passed Sheil just past halfway to move into second, but needed a caution to catch Stone.  The yellow never came, and Stone maneuvered through lap traffic like an old pro to garner his first feature win since 2008. 
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LITTLETON, Colo. – The supermodifieds of the Englewood Racing Association will roar into action May 29 with their 2010 opener at Colorado National Speedway. The CNS opener begins a 10-race schedule for the Denver-based series. The ERA will visit CNS eight more times between June and Oct. 2.  A June 19 date at Pueblo, Colorado’s I-25 Speedway is ERA’s lone date away from CNS.

The ERA is riding the momentum of one of its best seasons ever in 2009.  Averaging 16 cars a race, the group continued its recent re-emergence as a respectable and competitive series with CNS as its home track.  ERA racers and officials agree that 2010 marks the series’ best schedule and expected car count in recent history.

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by CNS

Saturday, September 19th marked the 2nd to last event of the year at Colorado National Speedway. It was the 35th annual Snap-On Tools challenge cup. Over one hundred drivers in 6 different division showed up. Modified Coupes, Super Modified, Figure 8s, Legends and Super Stocks hit the track for their last night of the 2009 season.

All of the ERA super mod guys delivered what was by far, one of their best races of the year at CNS. #11 Nick Haygood started dead last and spent the first 5 laps charging through the field to take 2nd behind #40 Harry Stone. Things changed for the top dogs when Paco Moralles’ #14 supermodified blew up. The field lined back up for a single file restart and it was a safe bet that Haygood would take over the lead. This was not the case. Stone took off on the restart, regaining his massive lead in an instant. With his eyes set on another win, Haygood steadily reeled in Harry Stone until the very last moment, finally passing him AT THE FINISH LINE for the win by about 6 inches. Haygood won the race, but Rich Castor Jr took 3rd place along with the season championship! Congrats to our winners Nick Haygood and Rich Castor Jr!

Official Finish:
1 #11 NICK HAYGOOD, 2 #40 HARRY STONE, 3 #2 RICH CASTOR J.R., 4 #8 LARRY LAPOINT, 5 #02 JOHNNY PICKARD, 6 #3 HJ EVANS, 7 #22 IRA CASTOR, 8 #51 JOE PRISELAC, 9 #15 JOSHUA LEWIS, 10 #29 MOORE CRAIG, 11 #26 BRIAN PACHECO, 12 #88 KEVIN DAY, 13 #52 SCOTT DECENICK, 14 #14 JOE GALLEGOS

by CNS

The Supermodified of #02 Johnny Pickard sprang into a quarter lap lead over the rest of the field right off the get go. Caution at lap 10 lined him back up with #40 Harry Stone and #51 Joe Priselac who had advanced to the front of the field prior to a yellow.

Harry Stone gave Pickard a fleeting run for his money before Pickard took off to regain his massive lead. Only a few laps later, Stone took a black for leaking fluid.

Shortly thereafter, #26 Brian Pacheco spun around coming through lap 27 and the yellow flag brought Pickard back in touch with the rest of the field. The restart made no difference as Pickard sped away for the win. Joe Priselac, coming from the inside of row 5 to take 2nd place.

1 #02 JOHNNY PICKARD, 2 #2 RICH CASTOR J.R., 3 #51 JOE PRISELAC, 4 #3 AJ EVANS, 5 #11 NICK HAYGOOD, 6 #29 MOORE CRAIG, 7 #33 CHRIS SCHEIL, 8 #26 BRIAN PACHECO, 9 #14 JOE GALLEGOS, 10 #52 SCOTT DECENICK, 11 #15 JOSHUA LEWIS, 12 #40 HARRY STONE, 13 #88 KEVIN DAY, 14 #54 MATT GILBERT, 15 #22 IRA CASTOR

by CNS

12 supermodifieds hit the track for the 25 lap main event with the
#7 Stevie Gallegos on the pole with #29 Craig Moore on the outside. On the inside of row two was #15 Joshua Lewis with #88 Kevin Day on the outside. #22 Ira Castor had the inside of row three.

Castor made an early break for the lead, taking 1st by the end of lap 2. #2 Rich Castor Jr., who had started second from dead last was navigating the field and by lap 8 had moved into 2nd. Castor had fallen behind with #11 Nick Haygood moving into the lead. Haygood, Castor, and #8 Larry Lapoint made easy work of lapped traffic as they continued on toward the checkered flag.

The last time the Super Mods raced here at CNS, Haygood had lapped every competitor but Rich Castor Jr. (and was even gaining on lapping him!). Castor made a noteworthy performance this time around, catching up to and sticking with Haygood through the last 5 laps.

Results below:

1 #11 NICK HAYGOOD, 2 #2 RICH CASTOR J.R., 3 #8 LARRY LAPOINT, 4 #7 STEVIE GALLEGOS, 5 #40 HARRY STONE, 6 #3 AJ EVANS, 7 #51 JOE PRISELAC, 8 #22 IRA CASTOR, 9 #16 BRYAN GOSSEL, 10 #29 CRAIG MOORE, 11 #15 JOSHUA LEWIS, 12 #88 KEVIN DAY