(Press Release from Granite State Pro Stock Series)
The Granite State Pro Stock Series (GSPSS) has announced an 11-race schedule for the 2016 season. The schedule includes stops at Riverhead Raceway and Wiscasset Speedway for the first time in series history, along with eight races in the state of New Hampshire and one in Connecticut.
The season will start on Friday May 13, when the Pro Stocks travel to Claremont Speedway in Claremont, New Hampshire. In August of 2011, Chris Wilk scored the victory at Claremont, while in April of 2015, eventual series champion Derek Griffith took down the checkered flag.
After a two week break for driver’s to get their rides ready, the 1/4 mile Monadnock Speedway will play host to the series on Saturday May 28, closing out the month of May with a battle on the high-banked oval. Matt Frahm and Barry Gray took victories when the Pro Stocks visited in 2014.
A quick turnaround will see the driver’s compete at Lee USA Speedway on June 3, before taking a month off from action for an early season break. GSPSS will celebrate Independence Day weekend at Speedway 51 for the second straight year with a stop on Saturday July 2.
An inaugural event at the 1/4 mile bullring Riverhead Raceway on July 30 will test the talents of GSPSS drivers when they travel the Long Island Sound for the furthest trip ever in series history.
Return stops at Monadnock Speedway (Aug. 13) and Claremont Speedway (Aug. 19) will close out the month of August and send the Pro Stocks into an intense championship stretch.
An inaugural race at Wiscasset Speedway on Sept. 3-4 will be followed by the annual Star Classic 100 at Star Speedway on Sept. 10. The month will conclude with a race at White Mountain Motorsports Park on Sept. 24, before the series heads for the championship deciding event.
For the second straight season, the champion will be crowned as part of the New London-Waterford Speedbowl “Bemer’s Big Show,” on Oct. 22 with a 100 lap feature to close out the season.
“We are very happy with the schedule we have put in place for 2016,” Mike Parks, President of the Granite State Pro Stock Series said.
“As we build the schedule our goal is always to host 10 to 14 events and at this point we have 11 in place for this year. Building our schedule is one of the hardest things we have to do and we really try not to have back-to-back races so there is time between events. All and all, we are very pleased as to how it all worked out,” Parks said.
With the addition of two new tracks to the schedule for this season, the series is happy to be branching out into different states and giving more drivers a chance to showcase their talents.
“We are thrilled to add both Riverhead Raceway and Wiscasset Speedway, going to both tracks shows the strength we have in this series. Riverhead will be tough, it is a tight little bullring and the local teams will be tough to compete against. Going to Wiscasset will be our first event in the state of Maine and we are excited about that. We have talked to Richard and Vanessa Jordan since they purchased the facility and the timing just wasn’t right. However, with a couple of years under their belt, we feel the time is right to bring our drivers there,” Parks continued.
With the announcement of the schedule also comes the opening of car registration for the season. Teams can register their car number by completing the forms online and making a payment via Pay/Pal or credit card. If they wish, teams can use the alternative option to the online payment and mail a completed form with a check. The series will hold car numbers from the 2015 season until February 13.
For more information on the Granite State Pro Stock Series, fans should visit www.gspss.net
2016 Granite State Pro Stock Series Schedule
May 13 — Claremont Speedway — Claremont, N.H.
May 28 — Monadnock Speedway — Winchester, N.H.
June 3 — Lee USA Speedway — Lee, N.H.
July 2 — Speedway 51 — Groveton, N.H.
July 30 — Riverhead Raceway — Riverhead, N.Y.
Aug. 13 — Monadnock Speedway — Winchester, N.H.
Aug. 19 — Claremont Speedway — Claremont, N.H.
Sept. 3-4 — Wiscasset Speedway — Wiscasset, Maine
Sept. 10 — Star Speedway — Epping, N.H.
Sept. 24 — White Mountain Motorsports Park — North Woodstock, N.H.
Oct. 22 — New London-Waterford Speedbowl — Waterford, Conn.
So let me get this straight; a series that has trouble pulling in 13 – 14 cars for many events, and only 3 or 4 cars following the entire series, is asking teams to travel from Wiscasset, ME to Long Island?
Just proves you don’t have to be very smart to start a so-called “series” these days.
No wonder asphalt tracks are in so much trouble.