By MATT NOLES • PHOTOS BY DAVE DALESANDRO / MSI

Professional sports; two words that have been strung together and associated with each other for the better part of the past century in America.  Separately they both mean completely different things.  For example, a professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialized set of tasks and to complete them for a fee.  From engineers to architects, from accountants to doctors this term is applicable to all of them.  Sports, on the other hand, were never really considered to be a means of making a living; not at first anyway.

For the most part they were based solely upon the aspect of having fun; a mere moment of leisure.  It was a chance to entertain the masses and expand your horizons to the ever awaiting undiscovered spectators who needed an out, a few hours to forget about life for a while, to leave the stresses of the world behind.  Your success was based upon the people and only the people, not the corporations or the major money investors that seem to ruin just about everything they touch.    How quickly things change.

PHOTOS: DAVE DALESANDRO / MSI

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — When South Carolina collector Billy Cooper committed his #64 Ford Thunderbird “zippertop” this week for the Saratoga Automobile Museum’s highly anticipated “FROM MOONSHINE TO MILLIONAIRES – NASCAR’s History, Heroes and Technology” exhibit, the feature field was complete.

Cooper’s Holman and Moody-built Thunderbird, which led the very first Daytona 500 in 1959, joins an outstanding field of cars representing six decades of NASCAR racing. Visitors will first encounter a 1939 Ford “moonshine runner” coupe, followed by a Herb Thomas-driven 1952 Hudson Hornet and Curtis Turner’s 1956 Ford that won the Southern 500 at Darlington. The 1960’s will be represented by Bobby Allison’s historic Chevelle that triggered a move to smaller cars with smaller engines.

This past Saturday night I made the trip to Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown Pennsylvania for the World of Outlaws Tune-Up race. The Tune-Up race paid $4,000 to win and was ran under the World of Outlaws Sprint Car series format in preparation for the Wednesday night appearance of the Outlaws in the pigeon hills. It was a thrilling 30-lap feature event as Cory Haas and Danny Dietrich put on a show for another packed house at Lincoln. An exciting feature to report on so let’s get started with the details.

By Rodney Rescott

WEST LEBANON, N.Y. — It’s been 3 weeks since someone other than Brett Hearn visited victory lane at the famed ½ mile high banked oval at Lebanon Valley Speedway in the Big Block Modified division.  And it took a 2nd year chauffer to take charge and dethrone the early dominance by the “Jet”.

With Boomer’s Performance and Funplex Funpark headlining the events schedule, the front row for the 30 lap Modified feature had the #24S of Rich Salisbury and the #16 of Kyle Hoffman, bringing the field to the green.

THOMPSON, Conn. — The Valenti Modified Racing Series will be coming to the Thompson Speedway on Sunday May 20th for the first of two appearances this season. The race will be 75 laps.  Last year when the series came to Thompson, Mike Stefanik dominated the event by leading all 75 laps.  The second appearance last season was rained out. 

Jon McKennedy heads to Thompson with the point lead after winning the first two races of the season at Waterford and Monadnock. McKennedy driving for car owner Art Barry this season.  McKennedy dominated at Waterford by leading all 100 laps.  When McKennedy went to Monadnock, he started in the 18th position and worked his way to the front. He would take the lead in the late stages and win the Bond Auto Parts Spring Dash 100 at Monadnock.  McKennedy has a 10 point lead over Norm Wrenn.