• 01Jul

  UNION Insurance Group helps to create Team Identity

  2009, UNION Insurance Group Comments Off
  

  Crew member - Joe Nericcio - wears the new team uniform shirts.

  

  UIG reps Heather and Alicia show off the team's new apparel.

  During the recent event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway the No. 90 team received a special surprise from primary sponsor UNION Insurance Group.

  The Chicago-based insurance agency presented the crew members with custom designed shirts emblazoned with not only the UIG logo, but also displaying the logos of several other team supporters.

  “I knew the folks from UIG were working on some shirts, but I didn’t know they would be ready for Loudon,” Renee recently explained. “They went above and beyond any expectations I might have had. From the design, to the style and use of a tech fabric – I think the guys look great. It will go a long way in creating an identity for our team. I’m really thankful to them for taking on this project on our behalf.”

  In addition to crew shirts, going forward, the team will be introducing other apparel items – including stylish women’s tank tops and low-profile baseball caps.

• 28Jun

  Team Closes Out Long NH Weekend on Sour Note

  2009, NHMS Comments Off

  

  The pace car leads the field prior to the start of the New England 100.

  With a schedule spread over the course of three long days, on Saturday morning – prior to the start of New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s New England 100 – the WMT teams readied for the race by running a 40 minute practice session. Following practice, the line-up of WMT drivers participated in an autograph session for the thousands of fans in attendance.

  When the cars rolled off of pit road at 1 PM, the No. 90 team staged from the inside of the 6^th row – in the 11th position. Renee had a good start. As planned, she found an opening and moved up into the outside line going down the front stretch. Meanwhile at the front of the pack, a loose oil line caused the No. 36 car to leak oil and puff smoke. When the pack checked-up coming off of turn four, Renee and several other cars got turned around.

  

  As the WMT cars roll off for the start, the crews on pit road ready for action in front of a large crowd.

  “Initially, I thought we maybe just got turned around in Teddy’s oil. But, later, we discovered the bottom of my left rear quarter panel had been folded under – so obviously there was some contact there.”

  Regardless, Renee rejoined the race toward the rear of the field – riding for a few laps then passing several cars. However, all the effort was for naught, when on just lap 19 Renee suddenly experienced a loss in power under the hood.

  “It’s been a devastating year and this just adds to the pain,” Renee lamented. “To come here with such a fast car and to leave with nothing to show for it is just so disappointing for everyone involved. It’s not just this race – it’s the last three. If we were unprepared, it would be easier to deal with. But we come to each race with all of our ducks in a row and inane things have happened: we clearly get wrecked at the Sizzler; the battery shorts out coming to the green for the 100-lapper; now we lose an engine. This is just heartbreaking.”

  Because of the string of poor finishes, the team is undecided about the next two races on the WMT schedule. Likely, the team will return to action at Stafford (CT) on Friday, August 7^th.

• 26Jun

  Qualifying Up Front at NHMS

  2009, NHMS Comments Off
  

  The UIG contingent shows off the team's snazzy new shirts while watching practice from pit road.

  On Wednesday evening the No. 90 team headed to Loudon, New Hampshire’s 1.056-mile superspeedway to prepare for qualifying for the New England 100.

  After an early afternoon practice session on Thursday, 39 cars attempted to qualify for the 38-car field.

  “We were pretty fast right off the trailer,” recalls Renee. “We were happy with the car – making just a few minor changes during practice. In fact, at one point, we ran down a fast, three car draft from about 12 car lengths – as a single car. That was a pretty good indicator of how fast the car was,” she continued.

  Still, the practice transponder times only listed the car respectably mid-pack. So, the team was quite surprised when Dupuis’ first lap posted to the fourth position on the large infield scoring tower. With about a dozen cars remaining during the early evening time trial run, Renee was eventually credited with the 11^th fastest time of the session – earning a starting position just outside of the top-ten.

  “We’re all really happy with how the day went today,” reflected Renee. “It’s pretty obvious that this Billy the Kid engine is a strong piece – you just don’t go fast here without some serious horsepower under the hood. Plus, Ed (Bennett) clearly has stepped up our chassis program. With the combination we’ve been fortunate enough to bring here, I’m excited for the race on Saturday.”

  The New England 100 is scheduled to go green on Saturday at 1PM. For event and ticket information, please visit NHMS’s official Web site.

• 21Jun

  WMT race from NH to be Broadcast Live Online

  2009, Broadcast Info, NHMS Comments Off

  As per a recent release from NASCAR, Modified fans everywhere will be able to follow all the race action from New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, June 27. Those not able to make it to the track will be able to listen to play-by-play audio for the New England 100 as it will be streamed live on www.nascarhometracks.com (the official site for NASCAR’s touring and weekly series).

  

  Loudon, NH's 1.058-mile New Hampshire Motor Speedway

  Matt Carey and Jay Coffey, hosts of the “Carey & Coffey Show,” and Kyle Rickey will handle the broadcast of the New England 100 on Saturday, June 27 from Loudon, NH.

  In addition to the online coverage, fans will be able to tune into the New England 100 on ESPN Radio 940 WINE or 1510 WPUT, the flagship stations of the “Carey & Coffey Show.”

  The New England 100, which produced the closest race in NASCAR history last year when Chuck Hossfeld edged Ted Christopher by 0.001 seconds, is set to take the green flag at 1 PM on June 27. The live broadcast will begin with pre-race at 12:30PM and conclude with the post-race press conference.

  The New England 100 is the fourth race on the 2009 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule, and the first of two dates for the Tour at New Hampshire. For event and ticket information, please visit New Hampshire’s official Web site, www.nhms.com.

• 02Jun

  New Website Released

  2009 Comments Off

  Welcome to our new website!

  In addition to getting a car together (to run at New Hampshire Motor Speedway later this month) – we’ve been hard at work creating a new site…!

  As you take a look around, you’ll notice not much in the way of content has changed – but we hope you find our new and improved design to your liking.

  As always, thanks again for visiting our site. Please remember to check back frequently, as we try to make updates often.

• 23May

  TSI Harley Davidson 100

  2009, Stafford Comments Off
  

  TSI Harley-Davidson 100. Photo by Howie Hodge.

  After a near month-long break in the schedule, NASCAR’s Whelen Modified Tour returned to Stafford Motor Speedway for the running of the 19^th annual TSI Harley-Davidson 100.

  For the third stop on the 2009 schedule, 37 cars attempted to qualify for just 31 spots. Of the cars taking time, the No. 90 team posted the 21^st fastest time of the session.

  Following qualifying, while the cars were sent to impound, Renee went to Stafford’s midway and participated in an autograph session.

  Set to start the 100-lap race on the favored inside line, the No. 90 car unexpectedly required the assistance of a push truck to get started following driver introductions. After the jump, the car appeared normal – then completely lost power as the field was coming to the green.

  “I don’t know if the battery died – and I don’t mean lost its charge – or if we had a short in the main electrical switch, offered Renee (the team has since learned a plate in the battery was knocked loose as a result of the accident during the previous race causing the battery to short). “Regardless, it ended our day before we even made a single lap. We obviously had no indication of a problem prior to the start of the race.”

  “I should have guessed the day would turn out like this,” she continued. “We were out in Chicago on Thursday night for a reception for our sponsor – UNION Insurance Group – and our flight out (on the first flight available on Friday morning) was delayed. Luckily, we got out – but our plan didn’t go smoothly. Then, once we got to the track, we had problems in practice.”

  “The May Stafford race is always a short field and, in the past, we haven’t even qualified for this race. We’ve worked hard to better our performance at Stafford and to have this happen is frustrating, to put it mildly.”

  With another lengthy break in the schedule, the team will next head to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the June 27 running of the New England 100 – a support race to the weekend’s headlining Sprint Cup race.

• 26Apr

  Short-lived Sizzler

  2009, Stafford Comments Off

  The Whelen Modified Tour made its first of four stops at Stafford Motor Speedway (Stafford Springs, CT) on Sunday, April 26. Sunday marked the 38th running of Stafford’s annual ‘Spring Sizzler’ event.

  The weekend opened, for the WMT, with a mid-morning practice session on Saturday. Time trails followed and, despite a dreaded early draw (the car was just the 6th to take the track) – of the 36 cars on hand – the No. 90 team qualified 23rd fastest.

  On Sunday the team participated in Stafford’s Pit Party. The hour-long event provided the thousands of fans in attendance with the chance to meet their favorite drivers and get an up-close look at the cars that would take to the track that afternoon.

  Starting the 200-lap race from the favored inside lane, the team stuck to their strategy of just trying to stay out of trouble.

  “We approached the race conservatively. We just wanted to stay on the lead lap for the first 150-laps. Then, the plan was to go racing for the last 50,” explained Renee.

  Despite a good plan, the day quickly unraveled following contact with the 32 car – on just the 22nd lap. Following a solid trip into the outside retaining wall in turn four, the car was removed from the racing surface – with the aid of two wreckers.

  

  The No. 90 car comes to rest with right-side damage. Photo by Howie Hodge.

  “I thought we gave him plenty of room. Apparently not. I don’t know if he got loose and came up into us or if his spotter just cleared him too soon. I don’t really know what the deal was, other than it was way too early for something so stupid to happen.”

  Regardless, the team will have the opportunity to try it all again as they return to Stafford on Friday, May 22 for their next WMT event – a 100 lap race. For more information on the event, please visit Stafford’s website.

• 21Apr

  Renee Participates in iRacing.com Simulations Training Program

  2009 Comments Off

  On Wednesday, April 22, Renee will join a group of promising women racing drivers in learning how to use state-of-the-art motorsport simulation software to advance their racing careers.

  In fact, sixteen graduates of the Lyn St. James Women in the Winner’s Circle Driver Development Academy are scheduled to spend time in iRacing.com’s Driver Development Lab located outside Boston (MA).

  Under the watchful eye of 1992 ‘Indy 500 Rookie of the Year’ (St. James) and a team of professional driving coaches, the students will learn how to use operator-in-loop simulation software to learn new tracks, become familiar with the performance characteristics of new cars, and make more effective use of expensive real-world track time.

  “Driving simulation is already an important aspect of the training regimen of Formula One drivers,” said St. James, founder of the not-for-profit Women in the Winner’s Circle Foundation. “It’s clear that going forward, drivers at all levels of the sport will need to use this cost-effective tool if they want to succeed. With iRacing as the official simulation service for the Academy, we can be certain that our students will have the benefit of the best technology available.”

  “Our Driver Development Lab was created for exactly this type of training,” said Scott McKee, iRacing’s vice president of marketing. “And thousands of racers and driving coaches all over the world have already realized just how good a teaching tool our simulation can be. We’re really pleased to work with Lyn and the WWCA to help these women achieve their goals in motorsports.”

  In addition to donating the time in the Driver Development Lab, iRacing will provide all of the Academy’s attendees with three-month subscriptions to the company’s internet racing service.

  Continue reading »

• 05Apr

  2009 Season gets underway with Thompson’s annual Icebreaker

  2009, Thompson Comments Off

  The 25th season of NASCAR’s Whelen Modified Tour opened with Thompson International Speedway’s annual Icebreaker event on Sunday, April 5 (Thompson, CT).

  

  Renee signs autographs during Thompson's Icebreaker

  Before the season got underway, on the previous weekend, the No. 90 team participated in some pre-season testing at Thompson. Unfortunately, after running just a handful of laps, an axle broke abruptly ending the team’s day – and leaving them under the gun facing substantial repairs.

  After some late nights in the shop, the team arrived at Thompson on Friday morning to submit the car for NASCAR inspection. On Saturday, despite an unfavorable weather forecast, practice and qualifying went off without a hitch – with Renee qualifying into the tight field with the 21st fastest time of the day (a mere .317 seconds separated the top 25 cars).

  Starting the 150-lap race from the inside of the 11th row, Renee initially dropped back. Once she found an outside lane, she worked her way forward. When the caution waved on lap 49, the No. 90 was scored in 14th place. Along with most of the leaders, the team pitted for tires on lap 52. A miscue during the pit stop dropped the car back to the 25th position.

  Following a red flag period, for a crew member who was seriously injured during the pit stop action, the field remained under green until lap 115. During that time, Renee worked her way forward, then dropped back during the final run of late-race cautions. In the end, she posted an 18th place finish. For photos from the weekend, please visit our 2009 gallery – all pictures are courtesy of Howie and Mary Hodge.

  We learned a lot today. Hoosier has a different tire this year and I think, going forward, we know what changes we need to make in order to keep the car from falling off, explained Renee. I don’t think our finish is indicative of how strong our car was, at times, during the race. We’ll know better for next time.

  Actually, all things considered, I think we’re in pretty good shape. Back in January I had some knee surgery, which resulted in a completely unexpected two-month recovery period. My being out of commission for two months really jammed us up – there were a lot of unknowns as the season grew real close.

  But, all that’s behind us and things are looking up now. As a team, we have a stronger crew of dedicated and knowledgeable guys than we’ve ever had. As of late, we’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity to have some really strong engines under our hood. And, I’m working on some sponsorship deals that should provide us with some additional resources that we haven’t had in years. I’m excited for the possibilities.

  Next up, the team moves on to the flat, ½-mile Stafford Motor Speedway (Stafford Springs, CT) for the running of the 38th annual Tech-Net Spring Sizzler presented by CARQUEST. The 200-lap event is scheduled to go off at approximately 2:30 on Sunday, April 26. For more information, please visit Stafford’s website.

• 18Mar

  Feeding the Need For Speed – UNION Insurance Group Re-ups with Team for '09 Season

  2009 Comments Off
  

  UIG debuted their partnership in September 2008 at NHMS (Loudon, NH).

  With the start of the 2009 season just a few weeks away, UNION Insurance Group recently announced their intentions to continue with their support of the No. 90 NASCAR Whelen Modified team.

  In fact, UNION Insurance Group’s April newsletter features a story about their renewed partnership. UIG’s newsletter is distributed to both their current clients (a list of which includes literally thousands of labor union locals, district / regional councils, and federations) and potential customers.

  Currently, UIG utilizes the race team for brand recognition and hospitality programs – especially focusing on the larger venue events at tracks like New Hampshire and Bristol Motor Speedways.

  For more information on UIG, please download their newsletter or visit their website at www.uigins.com.

  Tags: NASCAR, UIG, Whelen Modified Tour

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