NORTH WOODSTOCK, N.H. – The 28th season of racing at White Mountain Motorsports Park is closing in.
With 22 events on the calendar, the track’s Thunder in the Mountains moniker will ring true every weekend this summer.
Barring further local or national developments, the season opener is currently scheduled for Saturday, May 9. From there, numerous major shows are scheduled for fans of all types of auto racing. Three visits are planned for the Pro All Stars Series while the American-Canadian Tour will visit twice.
Elsewhere, the Modified Racing Series makes its long-awaited return on Sept. 5 while the Monster Truck Throwdown has a doubleheader on July 4-5. Add in the North East Mini Stock Tour, Street Stock Showdown Series, New England Antique Racers, NELCAR Legends, and Senior Tour Auto Racers and White Mountain Motorsports Park will be the epicenter of Northeast-based touring series.
Big things are on the docket for White Mountain Motorsports Park’s weekly racing schedule, too. Every division at the track is expected to maintain or increase its car count from a year ago with most of the stars returning. By adding more cars to the racing, Saturday nights will be a treat to fans in the region.
The story remains the same in the Foley Oil & Propane Late Models: seeing whether a driver can top Quinny Welch. The Groveton veteran claimed his fifth straight track championship and eighth overall. With five wins and a perfect record of top-five, Welch showed no signs of slowing down, making him and early favorite for both another WMMP title and for the inaugural New England Late Model Challenge Cup presented by American Racer.
Still, Welch has plenty of competition. Four of his closest challengers from 2019 are also registered for the coming season. Five-time White Mountain Motorsports Park champion Stacy Cahoon, affable old hand Mike Bailey, many-time winner Oren Remick, and former Riverside Speedway champion Jeff Marshall all have something to say about the 2020 title.
Meanwhile, number-five point man Scott Corey will turn his car over to Andy Hill, who utterly dominated the Dwarf Car division the last two seasons. Stephen Donahue missed several races in 2019 but will be a threat if he runs the full 2020 campaign. Matt Morrill made great strides last season while several intriguing new names have been added to the roster.
The Wells River Chevrolet Flying Tigers will look to grow in numbers to match the impressive racing they put on. Shane Sicard returns to defend his title after coming off an eight-win season. Michael Potter and Jody Sicard, the second- and third-place runners overall, are eager to close the gap. Regional racer David Ofsuryk is planning to join the Tiger wars with others circulating in the rumor mill.
The Flying Tiger Triple Crown Series also returns with new sponsorship from Jon Parks Tractor. The series was highly successful last year, with several Thunder Road racers such as champion Jason Woodard taking on the best of White Mountain Motorsports Park. Big fields and bigger action are expected once again for these 75-lap events.
In the Woodsville Guaranty Savings Bank Strictly Stock Mini’s, it remains to be seen who will reign this year. While 2020 runner-up Ryan Ware has registered for the new season, champion Dustin Jackson has not. Should Jackson return, it would not be surprising for the two to go down to the wire again.
Division-wide numbers are anticipated to be strong either way. Adam Sicard, the 2018 champion, will try to take the title back. Promising 2019 rookies such as Gavin McGinnis, Jillian Baumgardner, and Andrew Kachmarik are returning for another season along with more experienced hands Brett Jackson, Dave Driscoll, Joe Giddings, and Keri Driscoll.
The most wide-open class may well be the 7-Eleven Dwarf Cars. Defending champion Andy Hill is moving up to the Late Models and taking six of the division’s nine wins with him. Proven runners such as Bobby Brown, Norm Forest, Jason Wyman, Kevin Wyman, and Tommy Smithers are ready to fill the void.
Youth will again be served with a 13-event schedule for the Dads 4 By Tool & Supply Kids Trucks. Racers such as Thomas Smithers VI, Dominic Warren and Matthew Knowlton may not yet be able to get their driver’s licenses, but they’re old enough to entertain racing fans on the high banks.
The White Mountain Motorsports Park season is slated to begin on Saturday, May 9 at 6 p.m. All five divisions have a full card of racing to kick off the 28th season of racing. The annual Car Show will also be held from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Admission is just $12 for adults, $3 for kids ages 6-12, and $25 for a family of four (two adults, two kids). The event schedule remains subject to change pending further developments.