(Press Release from Northeastern Midget Association)
This weekend, Northeastern Midget Association President, Tim Bertrand, released the club’s 2020 schedule to the membership and press. Fourteen NEMA shows and Seventeen Lites shows, with thirteen combined NEMA/NEMA Lite shows highlight a season that brings NEMA back to many of its familiar, historic “haunts.”
“We plan to play off of the success that we had over the last couple of seasons, as a club. We had strong car counts in the 30 car range every week, with a season high of nearly 40 cars at the Boston Louie event,” said club President, Bertrand. “I see us only continuing to gain momentum for 2020. We’ve got a number of new teams coming into the Lite series, have at least three new full time teams in the NEMA division, with 3-4 others returning for 2020,” said Bertrand.
The Northeastern Midget Association will play part in nearly all of the Northeast’s most prestigious races: The Thompson ICEBREAKER, The Star Classic, The Boston Louie Memorial, Seekonk’s Open Wheel Wednesday, LEE’s Open Wheel Opener & Oktoberfest, Waterford’s 4 Cylinder Frenzy, and Thompson’s World Series of Racing.
NEMA starts its season at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park’s annual ICEBREAKER event, with a Lites only race. The club will visit Thompson on two other occasions, one with the Whelen Modified Tour in August, and the World Series in October.
“Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park has enjoyed its great partnership with with the Northeastern Midget Association. For the past several seasons, they have provided some of the most exciting competition at Thompson and we are delighted to welcome them back in 2020,” said GM of the Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, Terry Eames.
The club will return to Star Speedway with two combined shows and two Lites Only shows this season. The highlight on the schedule is a return to the Star Classic, one of the biggest open wheel races in the Country.
“NEMA did a great job for us last year at the Classic, and is a great addition to our race card,” said Star Speedway GM & owner Bobby Webber Jr. “We are excited to have them return a number of times this year, and continue our over sixty year tradition here at Star Speedway,” he said.
A big highlight on the schedule this year is two trips to Seekonk Speedway, one with the Lites only at Open Wheel Wednesday and the other, the prestigious Boston Louie Memorial, at Seekonk with the International Supermodified Association in August.
NEMA will also return to two tracks this year, one in Claremont Speedway for the opening event, to accompany the Granite State Pro Stocks, and one at Hudson Speedway, where NEMA has not competed at in nearly twenty years.
Three shows at LEE USA Speedway are on the docket, after NEMA re-kindled its relationship with the speedway after the change of ownership last season. The last time NEMA visited the Speedway, Sammy Swindell took down a victory, to extend his 49 year winning streak. Swindell is slated to compete with NEMA on a handful of occasions again in 2020.
Always favorites, NEMA returns to Wiscassett, Monadnock, and will be back at Waterford this season after troubles kept the track opening last season.
“The Speedbowl is extremely excited to have NEMA headline our Inaugural 4 Cylinder Frenzy show, on Saturday September 12th, 2020. The NEMA midgets always provide the most exciting side by side action and down to the wire finishes! This will be the premier 4 cylinder show in the Northeast and will be one of our biggest events of 2020,” said Speedbowl GM Mike Serluca.
NEMA Schedule:
4/4: Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park – ICEBREAKER, Lites Only
4/25: Claremont Speedway – Marvin Rifchin Memorial (NEMA & Lites)
5/2: Star Speedway (Lites Only)
5/16: Lee USA Speedway “Open Wheel Opener” (NEMA & Lites)
6/6: Wiscassett Speedway Ames True Value Night (NEMA & Lites)
6/20 – Star Speedway – Butch Walsh Memorial (NEMA & Lites)
6/21 – Hudson Speedway (NEMA & Lites)
7/1 – Seekonk Open Wheel Wednesday (Lites Only)
7/18 – Lee USA Speedway (NEMA & Lites)- Gene & Marilyn Angelillo Memorial
7/25 – Monadnock Speedway – Iron Mike Scrivani Memorial (NEMA & Lites)
8/1 – Star Speedway (Lites Only)
8/12 – Seekonk Speedway – Boston Louie Memorial (NEMA & Lites)
8/19 – Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park (NEMA Only)
9/12 – Waterford – 4 Cylinder Frenzy (NEMA & Lites)
9/19 – Star Speedway Classic – Jim O’Brien Memorial (NEMA & Lites)
10/3 LEE USA Speedway – Oktoberfest (NEMA & Lites)
10/10-11 – Thompson World Series – Shane Hammond Memorial (NEMA – Sat., Lites – Sunday)
10/25 – Waterford Closer (NEMA & Lites)
Should be hearing from dafella at any moment with nema willing to run Waterford.
Lots of series can be willing to run Waterford but will they ever run Waterford? You have a website that hasn’t been updated since April, Social media pages that have never been updated since the same time. Why would anyone honestly want to even go to a place that basically told their fans and races to f off we don’t even care to update you on anything? Excuse after excuse and absolutely no truth or accountability from any one there.
I guess Gil Bertrand at Stafford most Fri is as close as we’ll get to seeing NEMA at Stafford , something different once in awhile would be nice at Stafford
I can’t seem to find the 2020 schedule for Waterford. Can someone please post a link?
Thanks.
I have heard that Waterford was giving out dates to promoters and this kinda confirms that. MRS and Pro-4s also have dates. Untill it opens no racer or series should prep cars to go there, this is exactly same crap that happend last year. Big delay is Thompson, seems verry odd no schedule yet, internal conflict?
At Waterford looks as though they are finally moving some dirt around.
Wish they would go back to stafford
As usual it’s all drama and guessing with the Speedbowl. A reference in the comment section to a piece of heavy equipment appearing at the track. A date on the NEMA schedule.
Actually the Speedbowl Facebook page is being updated. Not with an announcement but the traditional holiday toy drive. Including this sentence. “This Tuesday! Bring an unwrapped toy! We also have some exciting news! Join us for a night of fun with friends for a great cause!”. The exciting news making no rumbles here unless it’s this isolated reference to a NEMA date.
Serluca and Brodeur aren’t saying boo about the Speedbowl but something is afoot.
The schedule looks pretty cool with most events running both categories. The smaller 1/4 – 3/8 tracks were made for midgets; usually great racing! Interesting that the first two Lee USA dates are on Saturday. Are they switching from Friday to Saturday, going against Star, or maybe there’s typos? I’m assuming the Speedbowl dates imply they expect to be open at some point. Maybe construction in the spring and an early summer opening?
A YouTube video update on the Bowl by Blaise Brodeur and Robert Bagot on Saturday was quickly taken down from Facebook. Although no work was taking place on Saturday, the theme of the video was “progress is being made, and there will be racing at the Bowl in 2020.” Serluca was not in the video – time will tell …
Rafter Fan,
I saw the YouTube video before it was removed by its publisher. My understanding is that the two individuals who produced the video – who call themselves Northeast Racing Media – were not authorized by track management or track ownership to be on the property Saturday shooting video. It’s also my understanding that track ownership/management requested that the video be removed and requested that Northeast Racing Media no longer shoot any video on the premises.
I also know there was a reference in the video – somewhat jokingly – as to why track general manager Mike Serluca was not on the property that day while they were shooting the video.
Serluca had earlier in the week posted publicly on Facebook that his infant son was battling an illness and had been in intensive care at Yale-New Haven Hospital. It’s my understanding that Serluca was in New Haven at his son’s side in the hospital at the time the video was being shot at the track on Saturday.
No schedules for Thompson, PASS, Lee, Monadnock, Claremont, Beech Ridge or Oxford. Thankfully my schedule is set and I don’t need to worry about these hack operators. It’s almost Xmas already.
All we heard from Waterford last year was there would be racing in 2019. Not quite. So the track shouldn’t expect people to buy this nonsense.
Waterford has put out so much fake news, news that has never been realized, that it is best to not say anything. That some series are being told and given dates is not surprising. The series’ need the commitments by the tracks to set their schedules so the teams can work out plans, budgets, deals with sponsors, etc. Of course the track is going to tell the series that everything is just fine, sure, you can have that date, any date you want.
Do you really expect the track to say it has no idea if or when it is going to open?
So I still have a foot of rain soaked icy snow up here. How is it down there at the ‘bowl? Only five months until Super Dooper Blast Off weekend!!!!! Better hope for good weather. This is not construction season. Five months to get all those stands built, buildings built, concessions built and all properly permitted.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤣🤣🤣🤣🤡🤡🤡🤣🤣🤡🤡🤣🤣🤡🤣
The ‘bowl should set up numerous web cams so the fans can see and watch the progress.
Shawn – thanks for the additional info. Maybe your post explains why the video “report” had a strange feel to it.
Man I’m old. Do you remember when they actually provided phone booths so conversations could be private. Turns out they were a waste of money and people don’t care about privacy. Now we hear private conversations in the grocery isle.
I also feel way out of step with folks that provide a blow by blow of a family crises on social media for consumption by complete strangers but it’s a thing now. Serluca may not have been chatty about the Speedbowl since early summer but he pretty much hangs everything else out there for the world to see. What a cute little guy Maxon is. Sounds like he’s had a rough go of it but is on the mend and home which is great news. Best wishes to the Serluca clan hoping for a full recovery.
Rich, Thompson is always among the last to release their schedule.
Rafter,
“Strange” is putting it very mildly.
This is gonna be a great off-season!
PASS released their 2020 schedule last night. No Thompson.
Heard Thompson is going to be seven shows 2 on weekends and the rest Wednesday’s
I thought Thompson was moving to Sundays.
And Epstein hung himself too.