Lee USA gets the weekend started Friday night with the Benson Lumber and Hardware Small Block Supermodified Money Bags 100. The weekly heavy-hitters such as last week’s feature winner Mike Netishen of Auburn, point leader Tommy Tombarello Jr. of Haverhill. Mass., Wayne Helliwell Jr. of Dover and Peter Stergios of Candia will get tested by some drop-by-to-seize-the-loot gunslingers.

Multi-time ISMA champion Chris Perley of Rowley, Mass. is going to step out of retirement mode and Lou Cicconi, last spotted at Airborne Saturday helping out Todd Stone’s DIRTcar Modifieds-on-asphalt deal, will test the Lee regulars.

Cicconi, a two-time Star Classic winner, is in the field driving the Jason Phillips’ winged number 99 roadster from Haverhill, Mass. He has more than 100 feature wins to his credit including an ISMA main event this year. Perley’s resume would take up the rest of this column. I’ll just tab him as a pre-race favorite and leave it at that.

The Moneybags 100 has a three-segment format. Time trials will determine the starting lineup in the opening 35-lap segment. The finishing order will be inverted to set the lineup of the second 35-lap segment. The second segment winner will start last in the third 30-lap conclusion. In the case of a first-place tie in points after 100 laps, a 5-lap winner-take-all overtime match race will determine the “Moneybags” championship and top prize money.

Monadnock is back in action Saturday after a NHMS Sprint Cup weekend off. Russ Hersey of Swanzey and Bill Kimball of Bennington are 1-2 in the Sportsman Modified standings. The ladies currently rule in the Mini Modified ranks. Kim Rivet of Chicopee, Mass, Beth Adams of North Swanzey and Julia Raymond of Winchester are 1-2-3.

Les Hinckley won the Ricky’s Race for Kids before a big crowd at Canaan. That’s two of the last three on the Valenti Modified Series circuit for the Windsor Locks, Conn., driver who now sits third in points behind Rowan Pennink and Jon McKennedy. The series resumes Thursday, July 26, at Thompson Speedway.

Sunday, the 39th TD Bank 250 goes at Oxford Plains. Last year, Kyle Busch won after Nick Sweet (last week’s Governor’s Cup 150 winner at Thunder Road) had reeled him in only to get schooled on a late restart.

Not since ’06 has a Maine driver, (Jeremie Whorff) come out on top. Oxford regular-season point leader Travis Stearns is one of the natives hoping to end that streak. Another is 18 year-old Austin Theriault of Fort Kent, Maine, who doubles as an ACT competitor and Brad Keselowski Racing Super Late Model driver. He was next to cross the finish line last year behind Busch and Sweet, making him the youngest driver to have a top-3 finish in Oxford 250 history.

Theriault is coming off a career-best fourthth-place run at Gresham Motorsports Park in Georgia in the World Crown 300. In his last ACT outing, he rooted former teammate and defending Tour champion Brian Hoar up the track to place fourth place at White Mountain behind Wayne Helliwell Jr., Joey Polewarczyk Jr. and Eric Chase.

The game plan this weekend involves the debut of a new machine with a Crazy Horse Racing chassis. “We tested the car at Oxford a while ago and it felt better than my regular Tour car,” Theriault said. “I’m not worried about the new car part. The main goal is get in the race, hopefully without having to use it up too much. They have put some compound down on the track. I think it will help the inside. Lately, everybody wants to run higher up. It can be a tough place to pass.”

Theriault’s mount is the Pelletier Ford No. 57. Mickey Green, son of Crazy Horse Racing owners Mitch and Judy Green, is the crew chief. “I’m just hoping we don’t have any tire issues and don’t have to put the car in jeopardy to get it qualified,” Theriault said. “I’m very confident in what we’re bringing and what we’re capable of this weekend.”

Twenty years ago, the 250 was a Pro-Stock race rather than a Late Model affair. There was an all-New Hampshire top three — Dave Dion, Dale Shaw and Babe Branscombe. That year the field included Jimmy Spencer, Terry Labonte and Morgan Shepherd. Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne will compete in this year’s event.

Saturday night Oxford offers the PASS 150. Last year, Kyle Busch ran that race too and he drove off with the winner’s check.

At Hudson, Billy Ryder of Kingston won the John Bourdelais Jr. Memorial race which was run in three 15-lap segments. George Helliwell and Rob Bryant placed second and third. Dave “Hollywood” Helliwell was the Roadrunner winner.

Tom Herzig's Trackside column appears weekly during the racing season. Email him at tomherzig@hotmail.com.