Mass. DOT Focuses On Keeping Drivers Safe With A New Highway Safety Campaign

Stop screaming and waving your arms uncontrollably at other drivers, it's not a good look for you. Stop changing the song on the radio, texting your mom back, or posting your feelings to Facebook while you're driving. These are all bad habits that have become common practice, and until we all have self driving cars to get us from place to place, we need to fix that. It's time to start taking more responsibility for our actions on the road. Remember, the road does not belong to YOU. The road is meant to be shared, and sharing often times means being flexible. Being flexible requires you to chill out.

In an attempt to help drivers chill out this summer, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation is expanding on their successful  "CHANGING LANES? USE YAH BLINKAH" highway message board campaign. The new #DOTSPEAK campaign, will be hosted in the form of a contest, and will be open to the public. The goal for the campaign is to urge drivers to control their road rage, avoid distractions while driving, and to always wear a seat belt. Even though there are rules in place to try to promote safe driving practices, we all know that not everyone follows them.

Entries for this contest will be accepted up until August 1st on Twitter (@MassDOT), Facebook (Facebook.com/massDOTinfo), and Instagram (@massDOT with #DOTSPEAK). The contest will honor three different winners by displaying their message on hundreds of highway message boards across the Commonwealth during some of the busiest travel periods of the year.

The rules of the contest are simple; create a two panel message , occupying three lines per panel, and using no more than eight characters per line. To see the complete set of rules, prizes, and message display dates, visit the MassDOT website.

The Storm Is Subsiding: Six Flags Says Goodbye To The Classic Cyclone Roller Coaster

After bringing joy (and a little bit of back pain) to park-goers for more than 30 years, The Cyclone has reached the end of the track. On July 20th Six Flags will retire the classic wooden roller coaster for good. The Cyclone opened at the Agawam, Massachusetts Park (better known as Six Flags New England) on June 24th, 1983, and has been among the largest wooden roller coasters in the world since. The ride features numerous twists and turns, hits speeds of 50 mph, stretches longer than 3,400 feet, and features a massive 190 foot drop. The same as any 30 year old, The Cyclone went through it's phases of fixes and modifications. The most notable change was the 15-20 foot reduction to the first drop of the ride back in 2001.

While we are still unsure about what Six Flags will replace the iconic ride with, we do know that it's bound to be something amazing if they're willing to sacrifice The Cyclone.

If you're planning on heading to Six Flags New England this summer look for other thrill-filled rides like SkyScreamer. Standing over 40 stories tall, SkyScreamer is the tallest swing ride in the world. It lifts you up 400 feet in the air and swings you around at about 35 miles per hour. When you're not spinning at a high rate of speed you can enjoy the view of the entire park and surrounding areas.

Season pass holders can experience the final rides on The Cyclone on July 20th between 9 pm and 10pm. It's always sad when it's time to say goodbye to an old friend, but it's equally as exciting when you meet a new one. The Cyclone will be missed.

World Cup 2014: Culture, Competition, and a Shot at Victory

With the 2014 World Cup in full swing, Town Fair Tire would like to dig into the culture of the game of soccer in America. The World Cup is a fantastic event because it brings various cultures together from around the globe. While not every country has the opportunity to root for their hometown team to bring home the cup, the ones that do will do so with great enthusiasm.

As you may or may not know, the United States is not favored to win the World Cup this year, but what's amazing about this event is the camaraderie that grows out of the competition. In America we adore our professional sports leagues, our favorite teams, players, and heckling our friends, family members, and co-workers about theirs. While we do have Major League Soccer in America, soccer has yet to take off in our country in the same way that it has in others. The fan base for the United States team in this year's world cup grew substantially after their win over Ghana in the first round. Some enthusiasts might argue that a real fan sticks with their team through victory and defeat, but for a sport that many Americans have yet to accept, the good publicity is more than welcome.

In the second round of this year's World Cup the United States faces quite a challenge. They are pitted against a team from Portugal that has the game of soccer deeply ingrained in their roots. In addition, the Portugal team has one of the best and most famous players in the world playing for them in Cristiano Ronaldo. The United States plays Portugal on Sunday, June 22 at 6:00 pm. Both teams will be playing without star players as Pepe sits out for Portugal due to a red card in the team's previous match, and star forward Jozy Altidore is out for the United States because of a serious hamstring injury.

Can the United States persevere against a team as strong as Portugal? What are your predictions for Sundays game? 

Attleboro, Mass Native Cameron and the United States Top Ghana in the First Round of World Cup Play

So far the 2014 FIFA World Cup has featured strong play, close matches, major upsets, and plenty of penalties. Needless to say, this tournament has not been short on excitement. In one of the most memorable matches so far the United States defeated Ghana 2-1, giving themselves a bit of a cushion heading into Sunday's match against Portugal. Although the World Cup doesn't interest everyone, the United State's fan base will continue to grow as the team keeps moving forward. As someone who doesn't know too much or anything at all about the game of soccer, what do you focus on when you're watching these heart pounding games?

As a New England based company, we at Town Fair Tire want to shed some light on our own hometown star turned pro. 28 year old Geoff Cameron is originally from Attleboro, MA, and is currently a starting defender for the United States Men's National Team. After playing for West Virginia University for two years, Cameron finished his collegiate soccer career at the University of Rhode Island. He was drafted into the MLS in 2008 by the Houston Dynamo, and went on to win Rookie of the Year honors that same year. After four seasons with the Dynamo, Cameron left to play for Stoke City, an English professional club that plays in the Premier League.

Pictured here is Geoff Cameron, who wears number 20 for the U.S. Mens National Team

If you're from the New England area and you are looking for someone in particular to cheer for on the United States soccer team, look for #20 Geoff Cameron in the backfield. He grew up right around the corner from you and I, and now he's playing for our country on one of the biggest stages that our world has to offer. It's been 16 years since Massachusetts sent a player to the World Cup, but that streak is now over. Town Fair Tire would like to wish Geoff and the rest of the United States Men's National Team the best of luck this coming Sunday against Portugal.

Pete Rose (Yes, The Pete Rose) Returns To Baseball

Tonight is the night. Baseball legend Pete Rose returns to the dugout to manage the Bridgeport Bluefish for one game only, as they take on the Lancaster Barnstormers at The Ballpark at Harbor Yard. It's been nearly 25 years since Major League Baseball's all-time hits leader stepped onto the diamond, but Pete is finally back.

After playing 24 seasons in the majors, Pete Rose amassed a total of 4,256 hits, in 14,053 at bats, all over the course of an impressive 3,562 games. What a career. Now he is taking his knowledge and passion for the game of baseball to Bridgeport, CT, where the Bridgeport Bluefish will attempt to end a 3 game losing streak.

Pete Rose rounds first base after breaking Ty Cobb's all-time hits record on September 11,1985

In a press release Rose stated that he was excited to have the opportunity to manage such a young and energetic group of players. He loves to coach younger players because he believes that they have a tremendous amount of passion for the game along with a hunger to improve their skills at every turn. This type of mentality isn't always guaranteed at the professional level.

Rose was famously banned from major league baseball in 1989 for betting on baseball, in particular the Cincinnati Reds, a team which he played for and managed. The league stated that Rose's actions would have a negative impact on the integrity of the game, and decided it would be best to ban him from professional baseball for life, as well as take away any chance he had at being inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame. There is quite a bit of controversy regarding whether or not Pete Rose should get a shot at the Hall of Fame, but as fans of the game of baseball,  we at Town Fair Tire hope that he will get that opportunity one day. Good luck tonight Pete.

The Town Fair Tire 80 Comes To Stafford Motor Speedway

You will be able to smell the rubber burning at Stafford Motor Speedway when the 2nd annual Town Fair Tire 80 kicks off on June 20th. The half-mile, semi-banked, paved oval located in Stafford Springs, Connecticut, was originally used as a horse racing facility up until the end of World War II when it was transitioned into an automobile racing track. Now we have the privilege of watching some of the most talented young drivers in racing face off in what should be one of the most exciting races of the season.

Sitting in 14^th on the SK Modified leaderboard is 23 year old Ryan Preece from Berlin, Connecticut who has been tearing it up in the Whelen Modified Series since he was 16 years old. In 2008 Ryan became the youngest driver in Whelen Modified Tour history to earn a pole. In 2012 he placed in the top 5 in 8 out of the 14 races on the circuit, and improved on those numbers in 2013 when he finished 10 out of the 14 races in the top 5. Performing at such a high level throughout the duration of the 2013 season helped Ryan to become the youngest Whelen Modified Tour Champion in history. Ryan will begin his climb back to glory in the #2 car at the Town Fair Tire 80 at Stafford Speedway. 

Ryan Preece driving strong in the #16.

Here is the complete racing lineup for race day at Stafford Speedway on June 20^th:

• Modified Racing Series (80 laps)

• SK Modified (45 laps)

• Late Model (30 laps)

• SK Light Modified (20 laps)

• Limited Late Model (20 laps)

• Dare Stock (15 laps)

Participant paddock gates open at 1:00 pm and the main grandstand and ticket booths open for fans at 4:15 pm.