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Re(12): N.E. based tour coming? IP: 23.25.201.65 Posted on December 2, 2021 at 06:48:55 PM by Uncle Paul
Hollis, NH -- A group of 30 plus supermodified drivers, car owners, and track promoters made the trip to NEMRS (North East Motor Racing Supply) in Hollis, NH Monday evening November 29th, 2021. The 90-minute meeting was overwhelmingly positive and has created even more hype around the inaugural season of the NE Big-Block Super Modified Series. More than ten teams grabbed licenses forms including prestigious car owners Such as Howie Lane, Vic Miller, and ISMA and tour modified superstar Jon McKennedy.
Series director Tom Mayberry led the initial discussion laying out purse information and potential schedules while Brian Allegresso of NEMRS took over to talk about the spec motor option. Brian will be acquiring a motor around the middle of January and will be heading to a dyno immediately to see where it will stack up against open motors. Many competitors expressed interest in the GM spec 572ci engine while some wanted to make sure the tour will continue to allow open motors for multiple years to come.
In the spirit of gaining cars, NEBSMS will be allowing open motors conforming to ISMA rules to be able to compete throughout the foreseeable future with a gear rule in order to keep them in check. It was previously announced that NEBSMS would be 100% spec motors by 2023, but after this meeting that will not be the case.
Brian and Tom both feel that with the gear rule that, will be put in place, spec motors and open motors will be able to compete on an equal playing field. While the spec motor is still the preferred option for the future of NE Big-Block Super Modified Racing, the series also doesn't want to cost teams' substantial money to purchase a new spec motor if they have a perfectly good built motor already.
Other than the gear rule for open motors and the spec motor option, the only difference in NEBSMS and ISMA rules is the adoption of the two-element wing rule. Three-element wings are 7 feet wide opposed to the 6-foot wide two-element wing. Obviously the three-element wing is a substantial advantage for handling and limits the amount of air to the car following. The lack of air to the trailing car causes a lack of downforce and has been detrimental to Super Modified racing over the past several years.
The new rule will read as follows: two-element wings only - no three-element wings permitted. Wing shall be no more than 6' wide with a top wing that shall not exceed 24 square feet.
Essentially the tour is looking to promote a valley style wing. A two-element wing kit sells for $1,300, and there are plenty out there. The 3 element wings are almost four times the price and are not readily available to all competitors.
Along with rules there was a lot of discussion about race procedure. Mayberry has plans to enhance the competition in heat races by making heat races count towards starting position for the feature event while still maintaining a handicap for previous winners to prevent them from starting pole and running away with an event flag to flag.
NEBSMS will also feature double file restarts. Mayberry has always been a supporter of double file restarts. Long before NASCAR, the Pro All Stars Series has used double file restarts even at events in the south where it was basically unheard of. This supermodified series is going to be heavily geared towards fans and creating the next generation of Big Block Super Modified racers. Competitive heat races and side by side restarts will help create excitement and do just that.
Lastly the schedule was brought up. The initial tracks to be scheduled have stayed the same (Oxford, Thunder Road, White Mountain and Thompson). However there is a strong possibility of more tracks to be added as multiple venues have expressed interest in a NEBSMS race at their facility.
However in order to obtain dates on the schedule, NEBSMS will have to show that a sufficient number of teams are planning on running the series in 2022. In order to schedule races, NEBSMS will need 15 teams to purchase a series license by December 21st, 2021. Licenses cost only $100.00 for early entries. The license form will pay for itself for any teams planning on running 2 or more events this season.
If 15 teams have license forms in by December 21st a complete schedule will be announced by January 1st, 2022. If there aren't 15 licensed teams by then, NEBSMS will refund the license fee and will have to reevaluate plans for the 2022 season. As of right now we have well over 15 soft committals, but getting license forms in are the next biggest step in making 2022 a success.
License forms are available above or by request from Spencer Morse at spencermorse34@icloud.com or 207-890-8719. Replies:
