If you’re doing it right, as a driver on race day you’re doing one of two things: turning the wheel or turning a wrench. It’s pretty rare that you have time to checkout the racing in other classes. The exception is the last points race of the season. That’s where it gets real. Racers driving like their whole season is on the line – because it is!

Glance at the other classes on in the current NHKA standings and you’ll notice that an unusual number of championships are already all but clinched by impressive year-long performances. But if you like a little drama with your racing (and I know you do) you needed only to look at the next several positions to find racers fighting it out for a top-3 championship result. So let me get you up to speed on the points battles to watch play-out on-track this Saturday. (Note: I figured in projected drops where applicable.)

TaG Junior
With 3 wins and 640 points Vincent Fontecchio has likely earned his first karting championship. (Congrats buddy!) However, the battle for 2nd and 3rd for the season is very much on between Kent Vaccaro with 575 points and Stephen Krueger with 530. Isaac Miskoe, who has 505 points, would love to play the spoiler.

TaG Senior
The Prioli steamroller continues to crush it in 2015. Tom finds himself leading TaG Sr., a class he entered largely to gain extra test and tune time for his primary class, TaG Masters. But Tom’s 490 points keeps him within reach of Aubriel Poliski, who with 460 points and a bit of racing luck could very well pull off the upset of the season. But let’s not forget Kevin Georgantis who is only 50 points behind Aubriel.

TaG Master
If Tom’s Prioli’s main goal in 2015 is the TaG Masters title, we can all but declare mission accomplished. In a year that saw a resurgence in the Masters ranks, Tom managed seven podiums, including 4 wins, to rack up 665 points – currently the second most among all drivers in contested classes. The always strong Steve Hathaway is once again in 2nd place with 560 points. However, this year he finds himself under intense pressure from a surging Marciano dos Santos who has 545 points and would very much like to be standing on the second step of the podium he built., as well as Tim Ferraro with 505 points and Carl Daley with 500 points. This is a showdown not to be missed.

2-Cycle Senior
Which class championship has the tightest battle going into the season finale? Which class has two of our most experienced racers, and oldest friends, going head to head with each other and our newest 2-Cycle Sr. driver – Abigail Tobin, a young woman no less? With 585 points, Paul Bowin holds a scant 10-point lead over who has 575 points. Not to far behind lurks Ron Simpson with 545 points. Will old age and treachery come out on top, or will youth and determination take the day? It’s another race not to be missed.

World Formula Light
It’s impossible to get too much of the hugely entertaining battle that’s been raging all season long in World Formula Light. Dammit Dave Nadeau may only have 1 win, but he has only been off the podium once this year. This remarkable consistency has earned him a 55-point cushion that took him all season to build. Speaking of Dave’s consistency, hardly a race goes by without him sharing generously from an icy cold keg of Lefties. This has earned him a special place in the hearts of much of the NHKA community. Behind Dave is Fast Freddie Fawcett and Brett Repke who are tied at 570 points. Brett has managed to keep himself in the championship hunt despite missing two races – but that’s what you get when you nail down three wins and three 2nd places in six events. Not very far back is another super tight points battle between Mike Oliver with 535points and Rich Hemingway with 525 points. These are all highly experienced, adult racers, surely commonsense and restraint will be the order of the day. Right?

Best of luck to everyone! Now put on a show!

This is it. This is what racing is all about. This Saturday, October 3rd, at the last points race in 2015 for the NHKA Racing Series driven by Checkered Flag Indoor Karting. Racers will be going head to head one last time to settle once and for all season-long battles for a coveted top-3 championship result. (Be sure to checkout the 2015 Races to Watch preview.)

As if that weren’t dramatic enough, let’s add to the mix another championship of sorts, one that every racer in eligible classes has a shot at winning: The CFIK/NHKA Short Track Showdown. Instead of racing for a trophy you’ll be racing for prize packages worth hundreds of of dollars thanks to our generous sponsors. And instead of trying to stay out of the way of the championship contenders, you’ll be going hard for every position because any racer worth their salt would wreck their granny to win a couple sets of new tires.

Want more drama? It will all play out on the NHKA’s toughest circuit, the S3 Lot Short Track. Paul Bowin’s course designs always coax speed and technical challenge out of the oddly shaped patch of asphalt. And even though spectators can easily see every inch of the track, Paul somehow manages to make sure the best action occurs right in front of everyone. More drama? We’ll be racing on a surface loaded with the rubber of hundreds of drifting passes.

Want even more drama? Add the threat of rain. No, no, the threat of a tropical storm. The keyword being “threat” seeing as the forecast for Loudon is pretty much dry. For the past couple years we’ve had people from Mass. and Southern NH wake up race morning, see rain out their window, and go back to bed for six months of winter. Guess how happy they were to hear that we raced in the dry all day. On the other hand, we’ve had some real soakers. You never know with the weather, but one thing is for sure: Unless the S3 Lot is so swamped that it’s only fit for submarine races, the NHKA will be racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this Saturday. And you should be too.

Speaking of being there, Dr. Tony Vaccaro’s Adirondack Radiation Therapy and Champlain Valley Transportation Museum have been there for the NHKA and its racers by sponsoring event trophies weekend after weekend. And he’ll be doing it again Saturday. Please, be sure to thank him once again for his generous support of the sport we all love.

Remember the CFIK/NHKA Short Track Showdown? Where TaG and World Formula drivers can win tires, race entries and other great prizes? We didn’t forget either, but we needed to regroup after moving our second short track race to the Hill Course. Great news – If you’re in one of those classes you still have a shot to win! With most of the 2015 championships all but won, we’ve revised the rules to inject extra excitement into the season’s last two events:

Eligibility:
Compete in at least two of these three NHKA races:
     June 27th at the S3 Lot
     October 3rd at the S3 Lot
     October 10th bonus race at the new Canaan track
     Not be disqualified from the final results
Race in at least one of these classes:
     TaG Junior, Senior and Masters
     World Formula Light and Heavy
     One Shootout entry per driver. If you race in two classes,
     the one with the most points will be your entry.
Be an NHKA Racing Series member
     At the very latest, you can become a member when
     you register for the race at Canaan; no exceptions after.
Race at Checkered Flag Indoor Karting
     Compete in at least one race at CFIK
     Deadline extended through October 9, 2015
     Meet CFIK 54” height requirement

 
How to Win:
The driver, from any class, with the most points wins
Earn points for your best two of the three eligible NHKA races
     Finish in the top 5 of an eligible class to earn points:
     1st: 8 pts, 2nd: 5 pts, 3rd: 3 pts, 4th: 2 pts, 5th: 1 pt
Earn points for your fastest lap at CFIK
     Race at least once at CFIK through October 9th
     Hit fast lap targets to earn maximum points
          Best lap 12.699 or lower: 12 points
          Best lap between 12.700–12.799: 10 points
          Best lap between 12.800–12.899: 8 points
          Best lap between 12.900–12.999: 6 points
          Best lap between 13.000–13.199: 4 points
          Best lap between 13.200–13.499: 3 points
          Best lap between 13.500–13.799: 2 points
          Best lap 13.800 or above: 1 point
     Race as many times as you like to improve your
     fastest time, hit a higher target and maximize points.

FIRST PLACE
Two sets MG Yellows from CFIK and DRT Racing
Set of MG Wets from CFIK
Bottle Motul or Briggs oil from CFMotorsports
Four CFIK races and t-shirt from CFIK
Entry to the first S3 Lot race in 2016 from NHKA

SECOND PLACE
Set of MG Yellows from DRT Racing
219 chain and breaker from Apex Kart Sports
Bottle of Motul or Briggs oil from CFMotorsports
Four CFIK races and t-shirt from CFIK
Entry to the first S3 Lot race in 2016 from NHKA

THIRD PLACE
Four CFIK races and t-shirt from CFIK
219 chain from Apex Kart Sports
Bottle of Motul or Briggs oil from CFMotorsports
Entry to the first S3 Lot race in 2016 from NHKA

Big thanks to Checkered Flag Indoor Karting and your local kart shops – Apex Kartsports, CFMotorsports and DRT Racing – for keeping the excitement level high for our last two events of the season. The 2015 NHKA Championships may be won, but these awesome prizes are still very much up for grabs in the CFIK/NHKA Short Track Showdown.

If you want to win, you have to race! See you on the S3 this Saturday, October 3rd!

The Rock. They call it the biggest street race in the world, drawing racers from every part of the country. And every year a contingent of racers with connections to the NHKA Racing Series makes the journey out to the fabled downtown street circuit in this small Illinois city on the banks of the Mississippi River. It was a small group this year, but there was no missing their presence.

NHKA sponsor DRT Racing of Hampstead, NH sent Chicago-area father/son duo Lance and Josh Lane to take care of business. And that’s exactly what these Rock Island veterans did. Josh earned the coveted crown in King of the Streets celebrating with an epic smoke show and a proud embrace from Lance, who finished a none-too-shabby 4th which he bettered with a 3rd in the 125cc Shifters class.

Speaking of the 125cc Shifters, Jason Alden wasn’t even planning on attending the Rock, it was a last-minute decision. Turns out it was a really, really good one! Quick in every session, the street racing rookie added a Rock Island victory to his already impressive racing resume.

When there’s Northeasterners racing at the Rock, chances are you’ll find NHKA Race Director and owner of CFMotorsports Mike Camarra turning the wrenches. This year he was the man behind the impressive performances of a couple of NHKA regulars. Marciano dos Santos fought his way back from a crash on Saturday to a solid 7th place finish in Sunday’s TaG Masters final. Raphael de Campos got quicker and quicker all weekend, but was hobbled to a respectable but disappointing 8th place finish in the TaG Senior final due to a broken seat strut.

Congrats to all of you! And thanks for letting the country know that NHKA Racing Series is the place to hone your racing game to compete at the national level.

The last IKS weekend on the Hill Course at New Hampshire Motor Speedway was one of the club’s biggest ever. So if you’re looking for intense competition, join us this Saturday for one of the best races of the season.

Please join us in welcoming our newest trophy sponsor: Central Mass Powersports in Lunenburg. CMP, a New England Power Sports Company, sells and services just about any type of motorcycle, personal watercraft and snowmobile, along with gear for riders of all ages. If it has wheels and it’s fun you’ll find it at CMP, and now that includes karts. CMP is now the area’s newest Top Kart dealer. CMP also carries a full line of engine parts and a wide selection of trailers to get your kart to the track. Stop by the CMP trailer on August 8th to meet the Pescatore family and find out what CMP is all about. Visit www.CentralMassPowersports.com and be sure to sign up for the mailing list for the latest news on their rapidly developing kart shop.

SURPRISE 1: Race 5 of the NHKA Racing Series driven by Checkered Flag Indoor Karting has been switched from the S3 Lot Short Track to the Hill Course. Here’s an FAQ on the situation:

Where will NHKA Race 5 be on July 11th? The Hill Course.
Doesn’t the schedule say it’s in the lot? Yes, but now it’s on the hill.
Why didn’t you say so sooner? We’re men.
Why the change? Don’t know.
But you’re the communications guy, why don’t you know? See answer #3.
What will happen to the NHKA/CFIK Short Track Showdown? It’s still on! Just not this weekend. An announcement will be made shortly about what race will be counted as the third race. So get to Checkered Flag before September 7th to run your fastest lap. If you think you’ll need lots of tries, sign up for their 3-hour endurance race August 17th. http://www.checkeredflagindoorkarting.com/store.html
Anything else? CFMotorsports will be sponsoring Saturday’s trophies.

SURPRISE 2: Just how awesome the new track at the Canaan Fair Grounds is. Because you follow the NHKA on Facebook (right?!) and saw all the pictures, posts and videos you already know that a group of racers stepped away from their BBQs on the 4th of July to wake up this sleepy town testing variety of karts. We hope to have more to say about Canaan Motorsports Park in the coming weeks, but for now here’s an FAQ:

Where the heck is Canaan, NH? About an hour North of Concord on Interstate 89, take Exit 17 for Rte. 4 about 13 miles east.
What’s the layout? Super-flexible, it’s a 7/8 mile road course with a couple of crossover roads designed specifically for karts making eight possible configurations. Plus they intend to double the size of the road course over the next year or two.
Great! When do we race? Whoa there fella, they still need to install curbs and safety features, which will take until October.
So we race in October? That’s not what we said. The track is still working out things like fee structure. But we can say they are 100% committed to being the affordable home for grassroots racers (that’s us). So it looks very promising.
Is there anything sweeter than a freshly paved new race track? No. Nothing at all.

SURPRISE 3: World Formula racers were a pack of hooligans at the first short track race. Just kidding! Absolutely nobody was surprised by this, especially considering the fantastic prizes Checkered Flag, Apex Kartsports, CFMotorsports and DRT Racing staked for the Short Track Showdown. And it wasn’t just the World Formulas crossing the line. Don’t get us wrong, by and large it was a fun day of competitive racing. But there were enough specific incidents that it’s worth reviewing some basic rules:

Is it okay to run into cones: No.
Is it okay to run into barriers: No.
Is it okay to run into other karts: No.
What if they’re a lap or more down: No.
What if they’re annoying me: Still no.
What if they hit me first: No.
Then can I yell at them after the race? No.
But I can yell all I want once I’m back in my pits? No.
Lug nuts, do they work when loose? No.
If my wheel flies off, doesn’t maim a spectator or corner worker, goes into the woods and downs a six-point buck, can I keep the venison? No. You overcook it every time. It goes to Keith.
Does commonsense, sanity and restraint keep racing safe and fun? Yes!!!!

This Saturday, June 27th, is the first of two races in a row on the NHMS S3 Lot for the NHKA Racing Series driven by Checkered Flag Indoor Karting. The close quarters racing of the temp track always generates wild racing. This year we’re pumping that wildness through a Marshall stack cranked up to 11 with the CFIK/NHKA Short Track Showdown. Racers from our biggest classes will be racing for some huge prize packages courtesy of Apex Kartsports, CFMotorsports and DRT Racing.

Please welcome the Champlain Valley Transportation Museum of Plattsburgh, NY as this race’s trophy sponsor. The museum explores, interprets and celebrates the region’s rich transportation history. What began in 2000 as an automobile museum has grown to cover many other forms of transportation. However, the heart of the collection remains with the Lozier Motor Company, which built some of the early 1900’s most exquisite and expensive vehicles. The museum is another beneficiary of Dr. Tony Vaccaro’s generosity and love of anything with wheels. The museum has lots to offer the whole family, from the hands-on Kids Station to special events like the Champlain Valley Brew Fest. Check it all out at http://www.cvtmuseum.org

Are you ready for some wheel-to-wheel combat? Introducing the CFIK/NHKA Short Track Showdown. Thanks to Checkered Flag Indoor Karting and your local kart shops there’ll be much more at stake on the tight and twisty S3 Lot than just the usual axles, spindles and tempers. TaG and World Formula drivers could win tires, race entries and other great prizes by competing in all three temp track events and turning a smoking fast lap at CFIK. The driver who earns the most points across all classes wins.

FIRST PLACE
Two sets MG Yellows from CFIK and DRT Racing
Set of MG Wets from CFIK
Bottle Motul or Briggs oil from CFMotorsports
Four CFIK races and t-shirt from CFIK
Entry to the first S3 Lot race in 2016 from NHKA

SECOND PLACE
Set of MG Yellows from DRT Racing
219 chain and breaker from Apex Kart Sports
Bottle of Motul or Briggs oil from CFMotorsports
Four CFIK races and t-shirt from CFIK
Entry to the first S3 Lot race in 2016 from NHKA

THIRD PLACE
Four CFIK races and t-shirt from CFIK
219 chain from Apex Kart Sports
Bottle of Motul or Briggs oil from CFMotorsports
Entry to the first S3 Lot race in 2016 from NHKA

 
How to Win:
Earn points in all three 2015 NHKA S3 Lot races
     Finish in the top 5 of an eligible class to earn points:
     1st: 8 pts, 2nd: 5 pts, 3rd: 3 pts, 4th: 2 pts, 5th: 1 pt
Earn points for your fastest lap at CFIK
     Race at CFIK between now and September 7, 2015
     Hit fast lap targets to earn maximum points
          Best lap 12.699 or lower: 12 points
          Best lap between 12.700–12.799: 10 points
          Best lap between 12.800–12.899: 8 points
          Best lap between 12.900–12.999: 6 points
          Best lap between 13.000–13.199: 4 points
          Best lap between 13.200–13.499: 3 points
          Best lap between 13.500–13.799: 2 points
          Best lap 13.800 or above: 1 point
     Race as many times as you like before September 7
     to up your fastest time, to hit a higher target and maximize points

Eligibility:
Compete in all three NHKA Racing Series S3 Lot races
     June 27, July 11 and October 3, 2015
     Eligible classes: TaG Junior, Senior or Master, World Formula Light or Heavy
     Not be disqualified from an S3 Lot race
     Be an NHKA Racing Series member
Race at Checkered Flag Indoor Karting
     Compete in at least one race at CFIK before September 7, 2015
     Meet CFIK 54” height requirement
Not have the last name “Prioli”

Wasn’t last Saturday’s race great? The sun was shining, there was a breeze to keep us cool, and oh yeah, it was our biggest race ever!!! We had 94 entries (plus a couple baby karts) show up for Race 1 of the Interstate Kart Series/Race 2 of the NHKA Racing Series driven by Checkered Flag Indoor Karting.

The morning started with a line of trailers stretching from the main gate all the way out onto 106. Nobody likes a line, but we were all excited knowing what it meant. The day kept that promise with race after race of intense competition across all classes. And at day’s end, trophies sponsored by Adirondack Radiation Therapy were presented under a setting sun. There were many of the frequent top finishers and more than a few newcomers to the podium. Congratulations and thank you to one and all for making such an unforgettable day possible.

A day that was so awesome we should do it again soon. And by soon we mean this Saturday! Just one week later the NHKA Racing Series will be back on the Hill Course at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for Race 3. While it may not be an IKS weekend, we encourage all of you to pretend it is and come race. After all, there’s really no reason not to have huge grids every race. Last weekend’s kart counts edged into the territory of some of the most talked about national series. This is your local club right here in your own backyard. This is the perfect time and place to go racing.

Apex Kartsports is sponsoring the trophies for NHKA Race 3. The father and son team of George and Alex Vorillas have been among the most active supporters of area racers and racing. Even when they were working to earn Alex the 2013 Legends Cars World Championship, they made a point to be trackside whenever possible with their Kartiac Care Ambulance. Hardcore racers through and through, be sure to thank these guys for everything they do.

We have some great news for anyone planning on attending our back to back Saturday races. The speedway will allow us to leave our trailers there for the week if you do not want to haul yours home. The area is gated and has 24/7 security. We will have more details on Saturday morning about the procedure. Think of it as another great incentive to not crash your kart into stuff this weekend!

Here’s a surprise: This weekend’s trophy sponsor is Adirondack Radiation Therapy. You need look no farther than your trophy shelf to appreciate the huge amount of support they’ve provided to NHKA racers over the years. Dr. Tony Vaccaro is the crew chief behind his son Kent’s success, he is a long-time road racer, and a caring physician to many profoundly ill patients who get to enjoy some long overdue good luck by having a good guy like Tony as their radiation therapist. Please be sure to thank him for his generous support!