It was announced during a meeting with competitors Saturday at Monadnock Speedway that JDV Productions will lease the track from owner Norm Wrenn and operate the facility for the 2024 season.
It was also announced that the track will be repaved before winter.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Winchester Fair event is tonight at Monadnock. The event is promoted by JDV productions, which is owned by former Thompson Speedway general manager Josh Vanada.
Both of the Whelen Modified Tour events this year at Monadnock were promoted by JDV Productions. The company has promoted select Whelen Modified Tour events for the last three seasons.
Wrenn purchased Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, N.H. in December 2018.
More to come on this story.
Wrenn is SMART. Vanada is foolish
So i guess you would like to see the track close?????
Guess you want Thompson and Waterford closed as well?
wmass01013,
Am I missing something here? Who said anything about wanting to see Monadnock close? Or Thompson and Waterford?
There’s not much meat on this bone at this stage, should be more later. This forum frequently engages in speculation. So what does this move mean for Vanada, the NWMT and for the Granite State series of races.
Anyone been to all the JDV races the last two years? If so any observations on their success? Claremont last year had a good turnout with good energy but have any of the other races measured up to the expectations going in?
JDV as far as I can see does a great job with promotion. Last night weather a factor but the energy of the announcing was first rate. The concept for the Granite State series was great, Vanada attracted extra money, JDV went above and beyond yet the overall results seemed lackluster. What’s going on up their?
I’d speculate New Hampshire is no longer fertile ground for tour modified racing. The MMTTS races have not draw that well recently and they’ve cut back on events in the state. Can anyone name any event in New Hampshire involving tour type modifieds that drew a robust crowd excepting Claremont last year?
Now that Vanada has his own track to run does he try to get Tour events or does he concentrate on the NHSTRA formula they like up there?
What is the one state where a promoter has the best shot at getting great car counts and a great crowd? Connecticut right? The Speedbowl, Stafford or Thompson capable of producing energetic events. In an episode of Unmuffled John Swanson, Matt’s dad said numerous times the Tour needs Stafford. Of that there is little doubt but unfortunately it’s unrequited love if anything. So as far as the Tour goes the best state to hold modified events only affords the NWMT Thompson unless they lower their standards and talk to Creepy Bruce. The one avenue, Thompson, treats modifieds like Randy Quaid’s character Charlie in the original National Lampoon movie Vacation.
Schedule season coming up and all eyes are on Vanada and the NWMT. Will JDV cut back on Tour races or be out altogether? Is NASCAR wringing their hands at the prospect of losing JDV that has helped prop up their schedule and will they put their schedule on a much needed diet?
Don’t wait for more information to make an informed decision. Throw caution to the wind, show your tour modified chops, pull out your crystal ball and be the Punxsutawney Phil of modified racing.
Shawn, I think wmass01013’s comment was in response to first comment calling Vanada foolish.
I believe he was referring to Arnold’s post! Maybe I’m wrong
seekonk fan,
Understood that. Just missing where anybody said anything about wanting to see tracks close.
Ken L,
Again, not sure where he said anything about any tracks closing down.
Shawn;
Does Norm Wrenn still own more than 1 track up there? My memory may be suspect, but isnt he involved with 3 tracks? If I’m wrong, ok, but if I’m right, maybe he is just getting some extra work load off his plate by leasing for a year, to see how it goes. It’s gotta be a lot if he has 3. Again, I’m not sure where I got that, but please correct me if I’m all wet on that one.
Bobf,
Norm Wrenn owns Monadnock and co-owns Claremont Motorspors Park with Ben Bosowski. Wrenn owned Lee USA Speedway at one point but has since sold that facility to Bosowski.
Thanks Shawn.
Guess that isn’t a reason then, for what I was possibly thinking.
The weather was certainly a factor for the so-so crowd, but although $45 WMT tickets work in CT, they seem a little steep for NH bull rings.
Ok 1st i was responding to the Wrenn is Smart Vanada is foolish comment, Nobody said anywhere the track IS closing but Most Tracks owners dont lease a track for a whole year to someone else because they are making Huge profits they want to share, was this just another SHOT at the WMT? I think it was, Not Knowing the futures of Waterford with Bemer and Thompson with Mayberry/Michaud lease and now this news certainly does not make fans feel secure about the tracks future.We dont know Vanada’s plans for the Track besides new paving, yes i agree the $45 price willl not work at Mad Dog who before Vananda had the lowest North ticket price, So again why is Vanada Foolish and Wrenn Smart?
JDV has 0 luck with weather through most of their existence.
They seem to be batting about .500 with bad weather at their events.
Hopefully, their relationship continues with the NWMT. I would be surprised if it didn’t. Especially after working with them at Claremont.
Curious if it is JDV or ownership funding the repave.
Assuming JDV keeps a similar slate of tour races, they have expanded each year. Business can’t be as bad as the armchair promoters think it is.
Shawn, speaking of Claremont, wasn’t there supposed to be a JDV open show there last weekend? Did i miss everything about it? Or was it quietly canceled?
Actually, I didn’t go to Mad Dog for two reasons. One, the low car count for the Whelen Tour, two, I watched on FloTV. Why drive the 2.5 hours here from Schenectady when I don’t even have to get out of my bed?
Find out who’s paying to repave the track and you’ll know who’s foolish and who’s smart
How much to repave Monadnock? 75K ,100K or more. Maybe Doug or someone else, would know. I’m no expert, but the pavement looks fine to me.Also wouldn’t you pave in early spring not in fall before a tough New Hampshire winter?
Zig13,
Back when it was announced that the Claremont Tour race wouldn’t be rescheduled it was also announced that the Open should would be postponed to a date that would be announced at a later time.
Arnold,
There’s really no good time to repave a track in the Northeast. Fresh asphalt can take anywhere from 3-12 months to fully cure, so depending on when the snow finally melts in the spring, you realistically have a very small or even non-existent window for paving. I’ve seen multiple times where tracks repaved in the spring and held events a few weeks later, and the new pavement started coming apart, chewed up tires in a handful laps, or both. But if you wait the proper cure time, you’re not racing until June or July at least, which severely hurts a track’s potential revenue for the year. As a track owner or promoter, you just have to pick a time and accept the potential risks.
Want to know the cost of a repave email Lisa Arute. She made her bones as an engineer in that particular field in her life before Stafford and could probably provide a ballpark were she so inclined.
No zig-zag this time you laid down a marker. Everything has changed for Vanada, he has a huge new responsibility to oversee and promote and you’re suggesting JDV “keeps a similar slate of tour races”. Whoa, that ballsy they did walk away from Claremont after all.
When it comes to JDV we’re all Sargent Schulze’s, we know nothing. Don’t know what Vanada’s goals are, relationship with NASCAR, how their deals are structured nor what race sponsors expect like a tie to the Tour. This has to be one of the biggest sub plots of schedule season don’t you think?
I’ll take a flyer and say the guy will once again think outside the box. I’d hope he brands a new home grown tour mod open format tied in with the NHSTRA modifieds and Late Models that will be the backbone of weekly racing at the track. NWMT….unknown but nothing like the last two years.
Being a complete guess, I’d say 6 specials for the Modifieds next year at Monadnock; 2 WMT, 2 Open Mods, and 2 NHSTRA big events. As he’s running the track, that give him slightly more than one Mod special per month.
If I were to speculate, I would say he consolidates the Whelen tour races down to 2 at Monadnock. Why take on the additional cost of renting other tracks to promote Whelen shows which may or may not be successful. He didn’t work really hard at making up that Claremont date for the Whelen tour rain out. I am guessing if he was making good money on these shows, he would have found a rain date. I hope he sticks with the NHSTRA formula with rules. I really believe the lack of consistent rules from track to track is one of the bigger problems facing pavement racing. I think that is what dirt racing got right and is one of the reasons for their continued success. Good luck to JDV with his promotion of Monadnock next season.