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• @chicknlil Copy that. I can't remember that last Cup race I watched... Hope u r having a good holiday weekend! :-) in reply to chicknlil 1 day ago
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• 07Aug

  Stafford’s Town Fair Tire 150

  2010, Stafford, Thompson, UNION Insurance Group
  

  Renee chats with Ralph Sheheen - Versus' pit road reporter. Hodge photo.

  On Friday, NASCAR’s Whelen Modified Tour competed at Stafford Motor Speedway (Stafford Springs, CT) for the 20th annual Town Fair Tire 150. Friday’s race marked the third of four visits to the .5-mile speedway during the 2010 season.

  As customary, the teams in attendance began the day with a 90-minute practice session, followed by qualifying.

  Following the WMT’s standard autograph session on Stafford’s midway, the green flag waved at about 9:40 PM.

  The UNION Insurance Group Chevrolet started deep in the field, but steadily worked forward. When the first caution waved on lap 48, the team pitted for fresh rubber along with most of the field. The race resumed on lap 57, but was followed by a string of cautions – during which the team was awarded the Lucky Dog pass. During one of several cautions the team decided to pit for chassis adjustments. By about the lap 100 mark, the team restarted in a race-high of 11^th place. When the checkered flag fell 50 laps later, Renee crossed the line in 13^th. With the finish, the team remains 17^th in points.

  “The guys did a great job in the pits and after the stops, the car was much better. It’s probably the best we’ve run at Stafford all season. But, I think that’s more a reflection on getting our brake situation finally solved,” offered Renee. I’m glad we’re leaving here in one piece – it’ll make this week a little easier.”

  For those who weren’t able to make it out to the track, the Stafford race will be televised on Wednesday, August 11 at 7 PM ET on Versus.

  As Renee alluded to, the team faces another tight turn around as they head to Thompson International Speedway (Thompson, CT) on Thursday, August 12 for another 150-lap feature. The Thompson event marks the third of four races in a span of 18 days.

  “I’m looking forward to Thompson. It’s my favorite track and we ran really well in this race a year ago.”

• 04Jul

  Turning Right

  2010, Lime Rock Park, Molyslip, UNION Insurance Group
  

  Renee runs with a pack of cars through LRP's optional uphill chicane. Hodge Photo.

  This past weekend, NASCAR’s Whelen Modified Tour visited the hallowed grounds of Lime Rock Park (Lakeville, CT). The Tour’s appearance at the 1.53-mile road course marked the Series’ first event on something other than an asphalt oval in a decade; as well as the inaugural event at LRP (previous road course events were held at Watkins Glen).

  Friday (July 2) offered up two practice sessions and qualifying for the WMT; as well as the same for NASCAR’s K&N East Series. In the group qualifying session, Renee ran two laps – before missing the chicane on the third lap, followed by a car going off course directly in front of her on the forth lap. In the end, she qualified her UNION Insurance Group Chevrolet to the 19^th position.

  On Saturday morning, while the team made final preparations on the car, Renee attended a driver’s meeting and participated in an autograph session. She also spent time – not just on Saturday, but throughout the event – with Molyslip representatives Stephen Joyce and Wayne Johnson.

  “Earlier this season, we developed a relationship with Molyslip – a Canadian-based company that produces high-performance lubricant products,” offered Renee. “To have Steve and Wayne make the long trip from Toronto meant a lot. They are a couple of super guys and the entire team enjoyed getting to know them. It’s the icing on the cake that they also happen to have a great product line.”

  

  The UIG No. 90 heads under the bridge at Lime Rock. Hodge Photo.

  Shortly after noontime, the green flag waved for the 66-lap race. Renee maintained a competitive pace – pitting along with the rest of the field for a mandatory fueling pit stop on lap 20. When the race resumed, Renee pick up spots here and there. She notable went off course just once – in Big Bend – with just a few laps remaining in the race.

  “When NASCAR first announced this event, we knew survival was going to be key. We figured if we could just survive, we would end up with a decent finish. We kept all the suspension on the car; we took care of the engine; and the transmission (courtesy of race winning team owner Wayne Darling) survived unscathed. And, because of that, we ended-up with a respectable finish.”

  In the end, the team earned a 13^th place finish – moving up to the 16^th spot in the tight season long points championship. For those who weren’t able to make it out to the track, the race will be televised on SPEED on Thursday, July 22 at 6 PM EST. Please check out our gallery for photos from LRP.

  “I have to send out a special thanks to all of the crew. This was an incredibly difficult race to prepare for – many, many long hours went into changing the car over for road course racing. It was difficult to accomplish – especially given the tight time constraints between Loudon and LRP – and it will be a long process converting everything back over to get ready for Monadnock. On another note, at the track, the three spotters did an awesome job. Carol, Charli and Steve worked together like they had been doing it for years – despite never having worked together before. I really want to thank everyone involved for all their hard work.”

  Next, the WMT moves to the .25-mile Monadnock Speedway (Winchester, NH) on Saturday, July 17. In the meantime, check out an interview Renee did with Kate Wedman on her blog ‘Work Hard, Play Harder.’

• 01Jul

  A Collection of Recent News Snippets

  2010, Lime Rock Park, NHMS, UNION Insurance Group

  UIG Recognized on NASCAR’s website

  Just prior to the running of New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s New England 100, NASCAR posted the news release ‘UNION Insurance Group Goes Full-Time in NASCAR’s Whelen Modified Tour’ to the Home Tracks section of their website. The release marked some much anticipated publicity for the Chicago-based insurance agency.

  UNION Insurance Group President Chris DeCaigny – who was standing on Loudon’s pit road when the release was published – was pleased to see his agency receive recognition for their support of the lone-female in one of NASCAR’s most competitive Series.

  Boilermaker Reporter

  The team received even more press in the Boilermaker Reporter – the official publication of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers. Renee is a third generation Boilermaker – working in the office of the Northeast Area Apprenticeship Program since graduating with honors from the University of Connecticut.

  The story appears in both the print and on-line versions of the Reporter.

  Make-A-Wish Foundation

  When leaving the Driver’s Meeting at NHMS, Renee was approached by NASCAR with an opportunity to spend some time with a visiting Make-A-Wish family. She jumped at the chance – meeting the Full family from Minnesota. Renee Full (it turns out the two shared the same first name) had traveled half way across the country to have her wish of meeting Sprint Cup Champion Jimmy Johnson fulfilled.

  The group – escorted by two State Police officers – walked out on to pit road, where Renee spoke with the family – answering questions and bantering back and forth about racing in general. Together they watched some qualifying runs for the Nationwide Series. Renee then enlisted the help of Phil Kurze (Whelen Engineering’s Motorsports Director) to help her new friend obtain Danica Patrick’s autograph.

  “I had a wonderful time with the Renee and the Full Family,” said Renee. “I’ve never had the chance to work with Make-A-Wish before, but it’s something I would like to continue doing. It was a really powerful experience. Knowing she is a Jimmy Johnson fan, I was happy to see him win on Sunday – I hope the family made it down to victory lane. We exchanged contact information – I plan to stay in touch.”

  To learn more about Renee’s journey, please click here.

  

  The UIG No. 90 heads under the bridge at Lime Rock. Hodge Photo.

  Lime Rock Park Test Session

  On Tuesday, June 29, the No. 90 team headed out to Lime Rock Park (Lakeville, CT) to participate in an open-test session – in anticipation of the race to be held there on July 3.

  The team ran several laps, despite having clutch/transmission issues.

  “We had some mechanical issues – but that’s part of the reason we went. Obviously, it was important to run laps, but we also wanted to make sure we had the car sorted out. I’ve spent a number of days out at Lime Rock this spring – trying to learn how to run a road course – but it was pretty different in a Modified. I’m glad we went.”

• 27Jun

  Accident Hinders NHMS Run

  2010, Lime Rock Park, NHMS, UNION Insurance Group

  

  A specially-prepared car (with a chrome-nose) was ready for action at NHMS. The car never made it to the big-show on Saturday. Hodge Photo.

  This past weekend, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour traveled to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the first of two visits to the facility during the 2010 season.

  For the Tour, the event began on Thursday with a late-morning practice session. Not too deep into practice, Renee backed her UNION Insurance Group Chevrolet into the second turn wall. With significant chassis damage, the team was forced to return to their Connecticut-based race shop to retrieve their second car.

  “I put us behind the 8-ball by wrecking in practice,” said Renee. “I hate that it happened – the whole crew had to hustle to get the second car back to Loudon. It was a lot of long hours in the shop and, in the end, it wasn’t the combination we wanted to run there. We had to do what we had to do to salvage some type of finish.”

  Starting from a provisional starting position of 35^th, Renee moved up several positions during the course of the event – eventually crossing the finish line in 20^th position. The team remains ranked 19^th in the season-long points battle.

  Please take a moment to view photos from New Hampshire in our on-line gallery.

  Next up, NASCAR’s Whelen Modified Tour heads to Lime Rock Park Speedway (Lakeville, CT) for the Series’ only road course appearance on the schedule. In advance of the race, the team will participate in an open test at Lime Rock on Tuesday, June 29.

• 05May

  NY ‘Shoot For A Cure’ Benefit Event addded to Renee’s Schedule

  2010, Shoot For A Cure, UNION Insurance Group

  On Saturday, June 19 Renee will be making her first appearance with the team’s newest partner – Shoot For A Cure.

  As a representative of UNION Insurance Group, Renee will travel to Clinton, NY to the Clinton Fish & Game Club for the 1^st Annual New York Shoot For A Cure – benefiting the Christin Gachowski Martin Foundation.

  For those unfamiliar with the organization, Shoot For A Cure draws on the fun and excitement of sporting clays shooting to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for leukemia and MS research.

  For the past seven years, Shoot For A Cure has been bringing together Labor Unions, outdoor organizations, business leaders and elected officials for a great cause. And they’re growing! During 2010 they have nine events scheduled in fourteen states; with a goal of raising $250,000.

  “I’ve never participated in an event like this, but it’s something I’m looking forward to. Sporting clays shooting sound like a lot of fun and, more importantly, hopefully we’ll help to raise some much needed research funds,” explained Renee.

  For those interested in participating – or becoming a sponsor of the June 19^th event – please click here for details. For more information on the wonderful organization, please visit www.ShootForACure.us.

• 03May

  Stafford’s Spring Sizzler

  2010, Stafford, UNION Insurance Group
  

  Renee signs an autograph for a young fan. Hodge Photo.

  After a one week delay – because of rain showers – the 39^th annual Spring Sizzler event went off without a hitch at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 1.

  The day began with Stafford’s annual ‘CARQUEST Belts & Hoses Pit Party.’ All of the teams in attendance participated in the hour-long festivities. Stafford’s Pit Party always provides a great opportunity for interaction between drivers and fans; and Saturday was certainly no exception.

  Following the Pit Party the WMT held a brief 30 minute practice session.

  “We were pretty happy with the car during practice. We did more than hold our own running with some top cars, so we figured we were good to go,” said Renee.

  When the green flag dropped the UNION Insurance Group No. 90 held their own for a while, but eventually slipped back with a loose race car. With two long green flag runs to start the race off – and with a badly handling race car – the team made the decision to make a dreaded green flag stop.

  “The car was so bad, we pitted under green for some chassis adjustments and fresh rubber. From there on out the car ran decent – but we were so many laps down, there was no sense in trying to run with anybody. At that point you just want to finish the day and not take any chance of wrecking the car.”

  In the end, the team finished 18^th. Despite the disappointing run, they did however move up one spot in the point standings and are now ranked 12^th.

  “We’ve identified a couple problem areas and will address them when we go back to Stafford at the end of the month.”

  As Renee mentioned, the WMT is off until they return to Stafford on Friday, May 28 for the 20^th annual TSI Harley Davidson 125-lap event.

  For photos from the weekend, courtesy of Mary and Howie Hodge, please check out our gallery.

  

• 12Apr

  WMT Season Opens with Thompson Ice Breaker

  2010, Thompson, UNION Insurance Group
  

  The No. 90 takes to the track sporting a new UNION Insurance Group paint scheme. Howie Hodge Photo.

  NASCAR’s Whelen Modified Tour kicked off the 2010 season this past weekend with Thompson’s (Thompson, CT) traditional 150-lap Ice Breaker Event.

  The teams started off the weekend on Friday morning – completing the detailed tech inspection that accompanies the start of each new season. The UNION Insurance Group team easily passed engine, body and safety inspections.

  On Saturday, the WMT held a 90 minute practice session. The team was unhappy with the car for much of practice, but made some minor chassis changes and dropped their lap times into respectable territory. Late in the afternoon, Renee turned in her fastest time of the day in time trails – recording the 18^th fastest time (out of a 37 car field) – during qualifying.

  “It’s typical; the field is pretty tight,” Renee commented after her two-lap run. “Usually here – and Stafford – a couple hundredths or even thousandths of a second can easily be the difference between a dozen spots. With the exception of a few guys who are just way off the pace, this is war out here.”

  With sunny skies and temperatures in the low 60s, the green flag dropped on the 2010 season at 3:15 PM on Sunday afternoon in front of a packed house. Lining up on the outside of the 9^th row, initially, the outside lane got the jump and Renee advanced several positions. The race went for 57 laps without a caution and during that time the car eventually faded.

  “It didn’t help that Tomaino – who was clearly smoking for most of the green flag run – did a fabulous job of oiling down the track. But, we also missed a little on our setup. We caught a couple of cautions and pitted twice – once for tires and once for a wedge adjustment – and improved the car quite a bit.

  Now headed in the right direction, on a lap 90 restart, Renee got drilled from behind going into turn one – spinning into the infield.

  Obviously dissatisfied with the outcome, Renee offered her cutting opinion: “I’m not really sure what Robbie (Fuller, driver of the 71 car that re-stared behind Renee) was thinking. We had an awesome restart – I was glued to the car in front of me. The field was just stacked up two abreast a dozen cars deep. It’s just common sense, but in a situation like that you just have to wait it out – blasting the car in front of you certainly isn’t going to help the situation any. Plus, it’s like insult to injury because he was a lapped car. What’s he messing with a lead lap car for?  You know, I raced with Robbie back at the Park and, in fact, even bought my first Modified from him. Clearly the only thing he’s learned since those days is how to make money.”

  The race resumed with about 50 to go, with Renee eventually working her way back up to the 13^th spot. She worked particularly hard – especially with some uncooperative lapped cars – for the last several laps; successfully holding off Burt Myers – the much hyped star of the History Channel’s reality show Madhouse. The official results can be found here.

  Reflecting on the day, Renee remarked: “For us, it was, at times, a bit of a physical race out there today – but the bottom line is we’re just going to keep giving what we’re getting. We’ve got a good thing going on here this year – all of the puzzle pieces are falling into place for us as a team. We salvaged a respectable finish here today and now we’ll focus on Stafford.”

  As Renee indicated, the WMT will next be in action on Sunday, April 25 at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway for the annual 200-lap Spring Sizzler. In the meantime, please visit our gallery for photos from the Ice Breaker race.

• 24Feb

  February News & Notes

  2010, Broadcast Info, Lime Rock Park, UNION Insurance Group

  While the team is hard at work preparing the cars for the fast approaching season, we figured we’d fill you in on some recent happenings.

  First, thanks go out to UNION Insurance Group for incorporating a picture of our team on the home page of their newly designed (and just released) website. Based in Chicago, UNION Insurance Group is the largest 100% union organized property and casualty insurance agency in the country. Our team is excited to be associated with such a fine organization and hope to do them proud during the 2010 season.

  Second, the team would also like to thank Lime Rock Park for continuing to display a picture of our car on the homepage of their website too. A few weeks back we participated in the Frank Marratta Auto & Cycle Show with Lime Rock. And, looking ahead, we look forward to continuing to work with Lime Rock to promote our Tour’s only road course appearance – on July 3 – at their world renowned facility.

  Lastly, Renee recently took part in an on-line radio interview on RaceFanRadio.com with Theresa Earnheart of Track Chic Live. Renee joined fellow ‘Five Women Wrenching’ teammates Deb & Lauren Cooper, Heather DesRochers, Erica Santos and Renea Topp in a lengthy discussion on each individual’s role in the world of motorsports. The interview aired on February 11 at 7 PM, but for those that missed the interview, archive downloads are available online.

  Special thanks go out to Mark Hann of Victory Motorsports Marketing Services for arranging all the details for the interview – and for putting together the all-women pit crew team that made the interview possible!

• 09Feb

  Update following Frank Marratta’s Car Show

  2010, Lime Rock Park, UNION Insurance Group
  

  Renee signs autographs along with several other area drivers. Howie Hodge Photo.

  Over the weekend (February 5-7, 2010), NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and UNION Insurance Grouped backed driver Renee Dupuis participated in several different activities at the 51st annual Frank Maratta’s Auto & Cycle Show.

  First, Renee’s car (the team’s 2009 New Hampshire car) spent the weekend in the Lime Rock Park display – alongside Mario Andretti’s famous F1 Lotus 79 championship car.

  After spending some time with the folks from Lime Rock, Renee next participated in the ‘Meet the Drivers’ Autograph session.

  Later in the evening, Renee went on to compete in the NHMS-sponsored ‘Pit Crew Challenge’ competition. Renee was part of an all female crew – dubbed ‘Five Women Wrenching.’ The team consisted of Renea Topp (Lime Rock Park PR), Heather DesRochers (winning Stafford SK Light driver), Deb Cooper (mother of Stafford SK Light driver) and Erica Santos (NEMA Midget standout and Stafford SK Light Driver).

  When the weekend wrapped, both car and driver returned home – with the display car immediately undergoing the process of being stripped of its red sheet metal. Stay tuned in the coming weeks as the team looks to unveil a new paint scheme for the rapidly-approaching 2010 season.

  

  Renee poses with her UNION Insurance Group car - from the 2009 season - on display in the Lime Rock Park booth. Victor Moreno Photo.

  

  As part of an all-female pit crew, Renee works the air gun on the left front. Also pictured (from left to right) are: Renea Topp; Deb Cooper; Heather DesRochers and Erica Santos. Howie Hodge Photo.

• 20Jan

  Team Partners with Lime Rock Park

  2010, Lime Rock Park, UNION Insurance Group

  When the 51^st annual Frank Maratta’s Auto & Cycle Show opens on Friday, February 5 the UNION Insurance Group Chevrolet will be found on display in the Lime Rock Park booth – notably alongside a title-winning ALMS Patrón Highcroft Acura.

  Renee will team with Lime Rock (Lakeville, CT) to promote the facility’s inaugural NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event. The 1.53-mile road course will play host to the WMT for the first time on July 3 as part of a holiday-weekend doubleheader with NASCAR’s Camping World Series East. It will mark the first time the Tour has competed on a road course since 2000.

  “We’re looking forward to running Lime Rock,” offered Renee. “The show provides us with a great opportunity to promote our race – as well as our many sponsors.”

  During the show Renee will participate in the ‘Meet the Drivers” autograph session on Saturday, February 6 from 6-7 PM.

  Following the autograph session, she’s scheduled to compete in the NHMS-sponsored ‘Pit Crew Challenge’ competition. Renee will be part of an all-female team, including: Renea Topp (Lime Rock Park), Heather DesRochers (winning Stafford SK Light driver), Lauren Cooper (Stafford SK Light driver) and Erica Santos (NEMA Midget standout and Stafford SK Light Driver).

  Renee’s car will be on display throughout the show – which runs from Friday thru Sunday (February 5-7) at the Connecticut Expo Center in Hartford. For more information, please visit the show’s website.

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