HoF Museum

2023 Mobile Museum Schedule

New England Antique Racers
Mobile Museum
2023 Event Schedule
Date Day Facility Location Start Time Special Notes
Apr 1&2 Sat-Sun Thompson Speedway Thompson CT Ice-Breaker
16-Aug Wed Thompson Speedway Thompson CT NASCAR Whelan Mod Tour

10-Sep Sun Coventry High School Coventry RI Mike Stefanik Custom Car Show
16-Sep Sat Waterford Speedbowl Waterford CT Nostalgia Night

1-Oct Sun Julio’s Plaza Westborough MA 11:00 AM Westboro Speedway Reunion
Oct 6-8 Fri-Sun Thompson Speedway Thompson CT World Series of Racing
Several more events are being reviewed for addition to the schedule
Updates will be posted on our social media and newsletters
Have a question about any event please contact Museum Chairman Rob Quinn at 401-641-1360

Near HOF Truck, Member Cars Appear

HISTORIC MOTOR SPORTS EXPOSITION COMES TO LOUDON

 

LOUDON, NH: On Saturday May 4th the North East Motor Sports Museum (922 Route 106 Loudon, NH) will host the most diverse regional gathering of historical race cars, mobile museums, personalities and artifacts ever seen in New England. The expo will feature a variety of different racing disciplines including road racing, oval track racing, drag racing, off-road racing and more.

 

The featured attractions of the day will be all of the northeast’s mobile museums that will appear together for the first time. The museums are Ron Bouchard Racing, New England Antique Racers, Maine Vintage Race Car Association, Bob Doyle Museum – A Photo History of Vermont Racing and the Ollie Silva Museum. Two museums with physical building locations the ProNyne Motorsports Museum and Owls Head Transportation Museum will also join us.

 

1992 and 1993 NASCAR Busch North Champion the “Irish Angel” Dick McCabe, six time American Canadian Tour Champion Robbie Crouch and the only four time NASCAR Busch North Series Champion Andy Santerre will join us as our featured personalities. Museum president Dick Berggren will host conversations throughout the day with all three champions.

 

For one day only the museum will host a diverse group of cars from beyond New England’s boarders. See a 1984 March Indycar driven by Danny Ongais, a Formula 5000 racer in addition to New England classics such as the 1400 horsepower Country Girl Funny Car and stock cars from the Senior Tour Auto Racers club.

 

Join us on Saturday May 4th from 10am to 3pm and enjoy the one day exhibits as well as the museums 30+ cars, slot car track and iRacing Simulator. We rev up the engines at noon which will be followed by a barbeque lunch and we end the day with giveaway prizes. Members are admitted free to the museum with free lunch and non-members pay $10 entry free and a small donation for lunch. To display your historic race car or artifacts call executive director Tom Netishen at 603-783-0183. A rain date of May 5th has been set and Groupons are not accepted for this event.

 

About: The North East Motor Sports Museum is owned by the Racing History Preservation Group, a 501-c-3 educational non-profit organization that seeks to discover, preserve and share the history of motorsports in the Northeast. The 10,000 square foot museum opened in 2017 on the grounds of the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, NH.

 

 

NEAR Banquet Tickets Going Fast!

Tickets for the 2018 NEAR Hall of Fame Banquet  on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018 are selling briskly. With Ted Christopher and Mike Stefanik leading a fine group into the Hall, friends, family, and fans want to be there to see the induction.

Jump on board and get yours now! Also available for promoting your business or team is the Hall of Fame Program, with very reasonable rates. See below for the links to download  both forms. See you at the banquet!!!!

NEAR 2018 Ad form

NEAR 2018 Banquet form

2018 HOF Class of 8 Announced

Article courtesy of author Justin St. Louis/Rutland, Vt. Herald

The New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame has announced its Class of 2018 with a decidedly northern flavor. The class has the highest percentage of new inductees from north of Massachusetts in the NEAR Hall’s 21-year history: Six out of the eight have strong ties to Vermont, New Hampshire or Maine.

Though his name may not be familiar to many stock car fans, Colchester’s John Buffum is the most high-profile inductee from the class. The driver, team owner and car builder is the most accomplished American in the history of rally racing, winning 118 events at the national level in the United States and Canada, three events internationally, and a pair of Pikes Peak Hill Climbs. Buffum was born and raised in Connecticut but has called Vermont home for more than 50 years. He can claim 23 national rally championships and one road racing title as a driver, and another 31 titles as a team owner and constructor. 

All three active Vermont stock car tracks find representation in the newly announced class.

North Ferrisburgh native Jamie Aube rose from humble beginnings at Barre’s Thunder Road and Milton’s Catamount Stadium to become a household name in the short track world. Aube won the nationally-respected Oxford 250 in 1987 and ’89 and also won three consecutive championships on the former NASCAR Busch North Series.


C.V. “Butch” Elms III is one of two dirt track stars to be named to the NEAR Hall of Fame. The North Haverhill, New Hampshire native is undeniably one of the most accomplished dirt drivers in the Northeast, taking 136 documented wins and 11 track championships. Elms is best known these days as the owner and promoter of Bradford’s Bear Ridge Speedway — where the bulk of his success came in his driving days — which he has owned since 1989.


Ken Tremont Sr. also represents the dirt world, and is the only non-New Englander in the Class of 2018. The all-time greatest car owner and engine builder at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven, Tremont has 93 wins and 10 track titles (and counting) within the borders of New England, and he remains active with both his son, Ken Jr., and grandson, Montgomery, driving his cars. Tremont’s accomplishments in his native New York State — though they were not factored into his nomination by NEAR — bring his career totals to well above 350 race wins and nearly 50 championships.


As a driver, New Hampshire native Dick Glines won a championship in the highly-competitive Oxford Open Series and was a winner at several Maine tracks. As a crew chief, he was responsible for the rise and dominance of Robbie Crouch in the 1980s, winning 49 touring series races and five championships including three-straight on the American-Canadian Tour, and was Aube’s crew chief during his 1990 Busch North title run. As a fabricator, Glines built cars for eight additional Busch North championship teams, and his cars also won NASCAR Busch Series (now Xfinity) races.


Maine’s Pete Silva won more than 120 races on paved short tracks up and down the East Coast, and is considered to be one of the Southeast’s most legendary drivers. After winning Late Model Sportsman races in his native New England, Silva relocated to the Carolinas and won many races and track championships at places like Greenville-Pickens, Hickory and Asheville, racing against many drivers who went on to national prominence in NASCAR.


Finally, two giants of New England stock car racing will highlight the Hall: Mike Stefanik and the late Ted Christopher.


Stefanik, a Rhode Island racer and one of asphalt Modified racing’s very best, is a seven-time champion of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and the series’ all-time winner with 74 victories. He was an outstanding driver in full-fendered equipment as well, winning Busch North Series and Modified Tour titles in 1997 and 1998. He was the 1999 Rookie of the Year on the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and has hundreds of victories in weekly short track competition.


Christopher, who was killed in an airplane crash last fall in his native Connecticut, owns more than 370 victories in his career in an almost immeasurable variety of race cars, from Modifieds to Midgets to Super Late Models and more. Christopher was the 2001 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national champion and the 2008 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion. He is the all-time winner at both Stafford Motor Speedway (131 victories) and Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park (99).


The New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held Nov. 11 at Maneeley’s Banquet Hall in South Windsor, Connecticut. The ticket order form can be printed by following the link below this story.

 

2018 HOF ticket order form

NEAR Event postponed at Seekonk!

 

 

 

 

 

The NEAR Event at Seekonk has been postponed due to weather. We will be working on a  re-scheduled date!

Saturday, August 11th, 2018, the vintage  racing  cars  of  NEAR  take  to  the  high  banks  of  the  Seekonk  Raceway.  The  Hall  of  Fame  Truck  will  be  on the  midway, and  the  stars  of  NEAR  will  race  heats  and  a feature  during  the  racing  program.  Pit  gate  opens  at  3 p.m. with  practice  to  follow.  Come  down  and  see  some  of  the  best  examples  of  New  England  Racing  history  compete  just  like  in  years  past.

NEAR event at Waterford Rained out

Photos  courtesy  of  Scott  DeCota

 

A  fine  turnout  of  NEAR  Sportsman  and  Modifieds were  ready to  do  battle  at  Waterford  Speedbowl  on  Sat.  July  28th.   Just  as  the  feature  was  lined  up  in  the pits, Mother  Nature  unleashed  her  havoc  on  all.  All  further racing  was  cancelled  for  the  evening.  This  was  a  shame  for  the  competitors,  many  who  traveled  from  New  Hampshire, Ma, and  even  the  local  racers. 

We  were  able  to  get  everyone  out  for  2  practices  in  the afternoon.  We  also  ran  our  8  lap  qualifying  heat, won  by  Angie  Bullock  in  the  088.  Second  was  Paul  Jacques  in  the 7ny,  and  Dickie  Doo  Ceravolo  in  the  #31. The  rainout  also  prevented  the speedway  from  recognizing  Ceravolo  for  his 30th  anniversary  behind  the  wheel  of  a  modified.  Congratulations, Dickie.  Unfortunately, the  remainder  of  the  event  will not  be  re-scheduled, due  to  lack  of  open  dates  on  the  calendar.

The  Hall  of  Fame  truck  was  a popular  attraction  for   the  fans  in  attendance, as  well  as  the  static  cars  on  display. Thanks  to  all  for  displaying  and  competing, it was  a  very  well  attended  show.

 

 

NEAR at Waterford Saturday, July 28th

The  Racers  of  NEAR  are  to  appear  next  this  Saturday, July 28th,  pit  gates  open  at  1 pm.  The  Hall  Fame Truck  will  be  on  the  midway,  along  with  any  cars  wishing  to  static  display.  There  will be  a heat (8 laps) and  feature (length TBD)  for  the  running  cars.  Rich  G. and/or  Bill H.  will  be  there  to  sign  you  in, we  will  be  in  the  north  pits (closest  to  the entrance  in turn one.)

See  you  all  there! Questions, Rich 860-209-7343,  call or text…

Schaefer, Barbeau, McNulty Get NEAR Hall of Fame Bids

Submitted by Justin St. Louis

 

Veterans Committee elects three pioneers to join NEAR’s 20th Class

SOUTH WINDSOR, Conn. – A trio of well-travelled post-World War II drivers – Midget icon Dutch Schaefer and Modified standouts Joe McNulty and Henri “Red” Barbeau – are the Veterans Committee selections for induction into the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame. All three inductions will be made posthumously.

Long Islander Schaefer and New Englanders McNulty and Barbeau join drivers Russ Wood, Bobby Gahan, Gardiner Leavitt, and brothers Jeff and Rick Fuller, crew chief Steve Bird, car owner Tom Dunn, and announcer/promoter Ben Dodge Jr. in the Class of 2017. The induction ceremony is Sunday, Nov. 12, at Maneely’s Banquet Hall in South Windsor, Connecticut.

“Schaefer, who battled in Midget racing’s post-World War II golden era, and McNulty and Barbeau, who helped the Modified become New England’s signature division, are pioneers in every sense of the word,” said R.A. Silvia, chairman of the NEAR selection committee. “They had a definite impact on New England auto racing history.”

Active from 1933 until just short of his passing in 1978, Schaefer, a four-time ARDC king, was among the country’s Midget superstars and is a member of the National Midget Hall of Fame. A multi-time ARDC president as well, Schaefer included three Danbury Fairgrounds titles among his championships. A frequent NEMA competitor as well, the mustached driver won at a dozen New England tracks, including legendary ovals like Eastern States Exposition, Pines Speedway, Cherry Park, and Candlelight Stadium.

The personable McNulty, known for “taking care of the race car,” was a force in Southern New England in the 1950s and ‘60s, posting wins at Lonsdale, Seekonk, and the Waterford Speedbowl. He was also a winner at Norwood and the demanding Old Bridge in New Jersey, the latter two under the NASCAR banner. Bertha Small’s #23 and Slim Ross’ #222 were among the rides for the Providence native who raced out of Quaker Hill, Conn.

A Woonsocket, R.I., product, Barbeau was a familiar figure from the late 1940s into the early 1970s in both Modifieds and Cutdowns. Heading up Barbeau’s résumé is a major win at Pinecrest Speedway in Toronto in 1959 and a late model championship at Seekonk in 1973. Usually associated with the Reveraux/Auclair #L1 car, Barbeau was a force on a circuit that included, among other stops, Lonsdale, Westboro, West Peabody, Norwood, the Pines, and Seekonk speedways.

More information, including ticket purchases, is available at www.NEAR1.org.

NEAR Attends 2017 Danbury SNYRA Reunion

Article and Photos courtesy of Bill Henry

 

 

 

 

September 17, 2017 found the New England Antique Racers at the P.A.L. building  for the annual  Danbury  SNYRA  Reunion.  This always popular show brought out the crowd, even though the morning started out with clouds, mist,  and fog. By noon, the weather had cleared and we were in a summer sweat down.  Fortunately, this event is inside. The  hot weather had little impact on those shining up their cars. They all displayed well and  received the admiration of the masses.

In addition to the cars, the Hall of Fame Museum was also in attendance. This traveling catalog of racing memorabilia was, as always, a hit with those who toured. 

It is hard to believe that after 36 years race fans still come out to view the cars, and obtain autographs from their drivers.  Many  take pictures of cars which now only race in their memory. Some are still on the track at vintage events where some tracks allow  NEAR to participate. These are demonstrations. not at top speed and racing, as set forth in our bylaws. If you have not been to a facility where NEAR actively takes to the track, you have missed the sounds of open exhaust, the smell of rubber being ground into the track, and the scent of hot oil. The 2018 schedule is under construction as this is being written.  Please  check the website and make plans to support NEAR at a local race track. Come show your support for the facilities, and the members who do this as a labor of love for the sport.

Also for the fan’s viewing delight were late models, modifieds, dirt cars and go karts from the surrounding area.   They all came out to support the reunion. Outside the facility a good number of street vehicles made the trek to strut their stuff for the pleasure of the attendees.

 

 

On behalf of NEAR and the Danbury Racearena Reunion Committee,  I would like to thank  the following:  Don Moon, George Cleveland, Don Lajoie, Pete Ballard, Dale Cote, Bill Kemp, Jojo Farrone and Angie Bullock.  Your efforts were paramount to making  the show happen by bringing  your  cars and donating  your time. Much appreciated.

 A big tip of the hat goes to Steve Zukowski.  Steve drove  the HOF truck from Rhode Island to Danbury and back so that it was available to the fans.

On to The Plainville Reunion!