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LITES Race
12 - Thompson SMP -
10-8-23 |
Race 11 - Lee USA Oktoberfest - 9-30-23 |
Race 10 - Star Classic - 9-16-32 |
Race
9
- Wiscasset Speedway - 9-3-23 |
Race
8 - Monadnock - Iron Mike - 8-26-23 |
Race
7 - NLWS - Angelillo - 8-19-23 |
Race
6 - Seekonk - Boston Louie - 7-15-23 |
LITES Race
5 - Seekonk - OWW -
6-28-23 |
LITES Race
4 - Hudson - O'Brien -
6-18-23 |
Race
3 - NL-W Speedbowl - SHANE - 6-10-23 |
LITES Race 2 - Lee USA -
5-27-23 |
LITES Race 1 - Monadnock - 5-6-23 |
2022 NEMA Banquet - 3-25-23 |
PREVIOUS RACE
RESULTS - ALL YEARS |
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seymourperformanceproducts.com |
NEMA
Announces
Contingency Awards
Presented by
Seymour Performance Products |
The Northeastern Midget Association has announced that
Seymour Performance Products (SPP ) will be presenting
contingency awards from some of the most prominent names in the
industry on a race by race basis to NEMA competitors. The NEMA
LITES kick off their season at the Thompson Motorsports Park
ICEBREAKER on April 11, and the combined group kicks off the
season at LEE USA Speedway on May 15th.
"We really
wanted to determine a way to give back more to the NEMA
community," said SPP owner, Bobby Seymour. "We partnered with
some of the best names in the motorsports industry to provide
generous contingency awards to our NEMA Midgets and NEMA LITES
teams on a weekly basis. This should drive excitement for our
competitors and also brand loyalty to our sponsors," he said.
"The entire club thanks Bobby, Matt and the SPP team, as
well as all of the contingency sponsors, for this great
initiative," said club President, Tim Bertrand. "We are excited
to increase engagement with the brands who have been so loyal to
motorsports, and also give back to our competitors," he said. |
The following partners will
be providing cash and product to NEMA competitors: |
nerfinc.com |
mpdracing.com |
"The Friends of Mike
Rivard" |
NEMA LITES/NEMA Midgets heat races will be sponsored by
Sunoco Racing Fuels.
Each NEMA Midgets and NEMA LITES heat winner will
receive 5 gals of Sunoco Racing Fuel. |
Industry Sponsors who will be
supplying Gift Certificates: |
bellracing.com |
diversifiedracing.com |
simpsonraceproducts.com |
wintersperformance.com |
ipcindy.com |
fkrodends.com |
proshocks.com |
vahlco.com |
advancedracingsuspensions.com |
The contingency awards will
be as follows: |
|
NEMA LITES Feature Winner will receive a $50 gift
certificate from one of the participating sponsors, of their
choice.
2nd and 9th place finishers will receive a $50 gift
certificate from one of the participating sponsors, of their
choice.
The 3rd and 7th place in Lites will each be awarded $50 cash
from "The Friends of Mike Rivard"
The NEMA LITES Hard Charger will receive a $25 gift
certificate and $25 cash from MPD Racing.
The new "Future Stars" will be determined before the start
of the season. These participants will compete at each event
for an additional $50 cash award from Seymour Performance.
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NEMA Midgets Feature Winner will receive a $50 gift
certificate from one of the participating sponsors, of their
choice.
2nd and 9th place finishers will receive a $50 gift
certificate from one of the participating sponsors, of their
choice.
The NEMA Midgets Hard Charger will receive a $50 gift
certificate from Valco Wheels. |
At each event SPP, will
have a representative distribute cash and gift
certificates. Certificates will be redeemable at Seymour
Performance Products. |
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FULL IMPORT & DOMESTIC
REPAIRS AND SERVICE Jeff
Horn 182 Pond St.
Ashland, MA
01721
508-881-4540
Hitch & Trailer Specialists
www.a-1automotiveservice.com
|
|
SALES • SERVICE
PERFORMANCE and SUSPENSION UPGRADES
Specializing in
Finer Imports
AUDI • BMW • JAGUAR • MERCEDES LANDROVERS • PORSCHE • SAAB
VOLVO • VW
(508) 697-5921
1460 Pleasant St. (Route 104) Bridgewater, MA 02234
www.motorcarsint.com
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SERVING ALL MAKES of MIDGET
& SPRINT CAR ENGINES
Jon Andruk
ja@circleperformance.com
69 LOCUST STREET,
BERKLEY, MA 02779
508-580-5844 |
|
174 CID Ford Head
Gaerte - $16,500
INFO SHEET PDF
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"Tires Designed for
Champions"
hoosiertire.com
|
www.rwjm.com |
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Gene Angelillo Memorial
Page
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NEMA
and Hoosier Tire
Ink Exclusive Deal |
Brockton, MA -
NEMA announced that the
Northeastern Midget Association and Hoosier Tire East have
inked an exclusive, three year deal. Under the deal, NEMA
will have exclusive rights in the Northeast to the current
plated compounds (RR 7, 7.3, RF 5, LR, 5 and LF, 4, 5) and
will be the only series in the Northeast running these
particular tires.
Hoosier will also continue to be a
major contributor to the NEMA point fund, and in addition
have offered fixed pricing for the racer over the next three
years.
“NEMA has enjoyed a long history with Hoosier.
This sport is about supporting those who take care of you,
and supporting each other. We feel that we have the best
product in Hoosier and look forward to a long relationship
with them,” said NEMA President, Mike Scrivani.
As part of the arrangement,
Hoosier tire has selected long time NEMA supporter Seymour
Enterprises to be the exclusive dealer and service provider
to the Northeastern Midget Association. |
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UPDATED AS OF
5/2/23
NEMA MIDGETS & NEMA LITES RULEBOOK |
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The 70th Annual NEMA
AWARDS BANQUET SATURDAY, MARCH 23, 2023 White's
of Westport 66 State Road, Westport, MA |
The 2023 Banquet is just over two months away! We
will be returning to Whites of Westport in the Ballroom
which is the same as years past. The date is March 23, 2024
with cocktail hour beginning at 6:00 PM.
Here is
what you need to know:
1) We will be doing a
backdrop
banner and once again are asking all teams and/or sponsors
to please participate. Costs are the same as last year: $200
for a logo or $100 for just your team name. (CLICK
HERE for backdrop banner sample so you can see what your
sponsorship gets.)
2) Banquet
Tickets are $60 (Under 12 is $30). Tickets will be on
sale starting 1/25/2024 and the deadline for payment is
3/8/2024. However, we will need commitments from teams
prior!
Forms are HERE and we ask teams
to pay attention to the cut off dates and instructions.
3) We have reserved a block of rooms at the Hampton Inn
for those staying over. The rooms are $136 plus taxes if
reserved by 2/23/24. Click the link below to book: https://www.hilton.com/en/attend-my-event/flrwphx-nma-17fbc26f-cef3-4e51-b41a-50fbd66a3165/
4) If you cannot attend the Banquet and would like to
purchase your 2023 awards please contact our dignified
Banquet Coordinator by 2/25/2023!
5) We are also
looking for just a couple items/baskets to be raffled off.
Please email Dennis if you can bring something or are able
to volunteer for a time slot to sell tickets at the banquet.
Word is that the Captain will also be doing his annual
50/50!
Dennis O'Brien NEMA Banquet Coordinator
goracer16@gmail.com
603-370-0551 |
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2024 NEMA Membership
Form |
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The Big
Cars of the Northeastern Midget Association present the
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$2500 Cash Prize for Top New Owner |
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Chuck
supported NEMA for over two decades, earning victories as
car owner and reviving midget racing in the northeast as
President. His spirit, ingenuity, and passion live on in
NEMA as we are proud to present this award in his honor.
To qualify for this special award, new owners must
meet all of the following criteria: |
Be
a full NEMA registered car owner for the 2024 season. |
Be
a new owner who has never raced with a registered full NEMA
midget in the past, OR a veteran NEMA owner who has not
competed with a full NEMA midget in the last 10 years. |
Compete
in at least 75% of the full NEMA division feature races.
Earn
the most points in the full NEMA championship point
standings among other qualifying new owners.
|
Qualified new owners will be at
the discretion of the contest board prior to the start
of the 2024 race season.
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Sponsored by
Vivo Arch —
Bringing Design to Life |
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Dylan and Dan Rock's
podium finish at the '23 Iron Mike Memorial race (John
DaDalt Photo)
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Rock Racing Finds Success with
Investment in NEMA’s Big Cars
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Two years ago, Dan Rock and his son, Dylan, were at
a crossroads. They were only a few parts away from
completing their collection to build their new NEMA LITES
midget when they shifted gears for an even bigger adventure
- the mighty midgets of NEMA's big car division.
Dylan Rock began his racing career like many young aspiring
racecar drivers, by running go karts and mini-sprints in the
hills of New Hampshire with his Dad. The father-son team
earned success and turned heads at both levels, opening the
door for Dylan to chauffeur a modified with VMRS, a series
founded by Dylan's grandfather, Jack Bateman. It wasn't long
before the then-16-year-old found victory lane at Claremont
Motorsports Park in 2016. Their success continued for the
next few years, highlighted by a podium finish in the 2019
MRS point standings. That same year Dylan was named Most
Improved Driver. After a couple more seasons with MRS, the
wear and tear and intense work regimen associated with
racing an open wheeled modified was proving to be too much
for this father/son crew, who pride themselves in doing all
their own work, and most importantly, doing it together.
They struggled with the manpower and the economics of
modified racing. This drove them to make a change.
Since the early days of swinging dirt with the Mini sprints
up at Bear Ridge Speedway, the Rock racing team has had
respect and a curiosity for the pavement series of the
Northeastern Midget Association (NEMA), which is comprised
of two divisions - the LITES and the original, full midgets,
a.k.a. big cars. As spectators, they have always appreciated
the speed, the clean racing, the comradery amongst the club
members, and the history associated with the club that has
been pounding the pavement of New England short tracks for
over 70 years. So that winter, they began their transition
with their eye on the seemingly more affordable division of
NEMA, the Ford Focus powered NEMA LITES.
Dan, an
automotive technician and Dylan, a journeyman electrician,
were under the impression that to compete with NEMA's full
midget division, you had to have super deep pockets. They
acquired a Hawk chassis, a front axle, rear end, tail tank
and even a focus motor plate as they began building their
new LITES midget. While scouring the midget classifieds,
they could not help noticing the trend of used Esslinger and
Gaerte midget motors for sale online for surprisingly little
investment, often less than $10K. After doing the math and
much contemplation, they realize that competing with NEMA's
full series was not out of reach as they originally thought.
A complete used Esslinger motor package, including the
rebuild, would run them less than $20K. This was obviously
more money than the new Focus motor for the Lite, but they
also weighed the cost of tires, fuel, travel, and the wear
and tear of running a 15-16 race schedule with the LITES,
compared to the 8-9 races with the big car series. They
realized that the big picture cost was a difference of
"hundreds" of dollars, not "thousands", contrary to popular
perception. With that newfound knowledge, they sold off
their Ford Focus parts and acquired an Esslinger motor,
freshened it up, and focused on competing with the big car
division of NEMA for 2022.
They spent their debut
season learning the ropes, adjusting to a new driving style,
and absorbing as much knowledge and advice as possible from
the car and from fellow competitors one race at a time. By
the end of the season, they had racked up enough good
finishes to earn a top 10 in the NEMA Championship point
standings. Dylan's steady driving and progression earned him
the prestigious NEMA Rookie of the Year award. According to
the driver, Dylan was not surprised by the learning curve,
but was taken back by the sheer fun and thrill of finessing
the wheel of a 375 HP, 1000-pound, lightning fast, open
wheel race car.
"I couldn't believe how deep I
could drive the midget into the turn and then just blast
down the straight...and because of the size difference,
there just seems to be much more racetrack with the midget
than the modified!"
The following winter they
swapped their Hawk chassis with a Beast to transport their
Esslinger powerplant. They immediately found success kicking
off the 2023 season with a podium finish at NEMA's big
Midget opener, which was the Shane Hammond Memorial at
Waterford Speedbowl. They would go on to earn two more, in
addition to multiple top-five finishes. They even closed out
the season with a second place at Lee USA's Oktoberfest.
These strong runs earned them a very respectful 3rd and 4th
place in the NEMA Owner and Driver Championships point
standings in only their sophomore year. It's safe to say Dan
Rock has no regrets with their switch from LITES to Full
NEMA. Dan was quoted as saying:
"The LITES are a
great division, but ultimately, we wanted to run a full
midget. It just made more sense for us coming from the mods
and for Dylan's development as a driver.... I just really
want other racers to know how doable it is."
Dan
and Dylan Rock admit to feeling right at home with NEMA.
They can't help but thank all the folks who have helped them
get this journey started, including Tim Bertrand, Mike Horn,
Seymour Performance, and Circle Performance - just to name a
few - but most of all they can't wait to hit the track next
spring! |
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Photo by John DaDalt |
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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8th, 2023 |
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2023
Champions |
Photos by John DaDalt |
Heat 1 >> |
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Heat 2 >> |
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FOCUS ON DRIVERS |
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Photos by John DaDalt |
FOCUS ON TIRES |
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2023 NEMA LITES
DRIVER & OWNER CHAMPIONS
ALBY OVITT and JACKIE PARKER
#20 |
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NEMA LITES - WORLD SERIES
- 10/8/23 |
Pos.
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#
|
Driver |
Hometown
|
Owner |
1 |
47 |
Randy Cabral |
Kingston, MA |
Randy
Cabral |
2 |
1 |
Jake Trainor |
Medway, MA |
Matt
Seymour |
3 |
61 |
Ryan Locke |
Chester, NH |
Dennis
O/Brien |
4 |
48 |
Todd Bertrand |
Danielson, CT |
Todd Bertrand |
5 |
17 |
Kyle Valeri |
Monument Beach, MA |
Peter Valeri |
6 |
16 |
John Zych Jr, |
Mendon, MA |
Dennis
O/Brien |
7 |
20 |
Alby Ovitt |
St. Johnsbury, VT |
Jackie
Parker |
8 |
53 |
Dylan Coutu |
Griswold, CT |
Ron Coutu |
9 |
35 |
Isiah Newcomb |
- - - - - |
Glen
Cabral |
10 |
10 |
Avery Stoehr |
Assonet, MA |
Jackie
Parker |
11 |
29 |
Chase Locke |
Chester, NH |
Matt
Seymour |
12 |
30 |
Paul Scally |
Raynham, MA |
Paul Scally |
13 |
59 |
Brayden Egan |
Ashford, CT |
Eric Egan |
14 |
28 |
Mike Horn |
Ashland, MA |
Pete
Penesiglio Sr. |
15 |
8 |
Ethan Dion |
Oakdale, CT |
Stephen Dion |
16 |
3 |
Christopher Vose |
Gloversville, NY |
Christopher Vose |
17 |
55 |
Drew Eldridge |
No. Chelmsford, MA |
Drew
Eldgridge |
18 |
21 |
Joe Bailey |
Monroe, NJ |
Mike
Scrivani |
19 |
94 |
Tiana Kibbe |
Fairfield, CT |
Curt Kibbe |
Heat 1
- 1, 21, 48, 59, 10, 35, 16, 30, 8, 3 |
Heat 2
- 47, 61, 17, 20, 29, 94, 55, 53, 28 |
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Cabral wins Thompson World Series while
Ovitt and Parker Brothers’ Racing Clinch LITES
Championships
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Thompson, CT -- This
past Sunday, October 8th, the NEMA LITES rolled into the
Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park for one of New England's
largest racing events of the season, the Sunoco World Series
of Racing. In the final NEMA LITES race of the 2023 season,
Randy Cabral #74 fended off an early race challenge by Ryan
Locke #61 to take down the NEMA Lite victory. In the year
long battle for the title among several contending teams,
Alby Ovitt and The Parker Brothers' Racing #20 came out on
top earning the 2023 NEMA LITES Driver and Owner
Championships.
The NEMA LITES cars took the track
and announcer Pete Falconi introduced the stars and cars of
the division.
After an early race caution on the
first lap, the field realigned for a double file restart,
Joey Bailey in the Scrivani Racing #21 alongside Ryan Locke
in the Jim O'Brien and Sons' Engineering #61 led the field
back to the green flag. Going into turn one, Locke jumped to
the lead and went on to the lead the first complete lap
followed by Bailey and Isiah Newcomb in the #35. On the
following lap, Randy Cabral #47 drove deep into turn three
to take over the third position over Newcomb. Then on lap 3,
Cabral once again drove deep into turn one to take over the
second position over Bailey and was on the move to close the
distance between him and first place, Locke.
By lap
8, Locke, had a 5 car length advantage over Cabral, Bailey,
Jake Trainor in the Matt Seymour Racing #1 and Avery Stoehr
in the Parker Brothers' Racing #10. On the following lap
going down the backstretch, Trainor made the pass for the
3rd position over Bailey. Behind that action while going
into turn one, Todd Bertrand in the Todd Bertrand Racing #48
took the low line going into turn one for the 5th position
over Stoehr.
Over the next several laps, Cabral was
able to close the gap between him and Locke just as the
leaders started to encounter lapped traffic. With Cabral now
on the back bumper of Locke, Locke was able to skillfully
navigate around the tail end of the field to hold off Cabral
for one more lap as Cabral tried to drive deep into turn
three but Locke was able to keep his momentum and drive back
by him on the outside.
As the closed flags were
displayed, Cabral drove up alongside Locke going down the
backstretch and took the lead going into turn three. While
on lap 15, Cabral increased his lead to five car lengths,
Trainor, now on the back bumper of Locke, took the low line
going into turn one to take the 2nd position.
Trainor now had his eyes set on first place, Cabral, and
began to chip away at the half a straightaway lead Cabral
had created.
With five laps remaining, Trainor was
on the move, and running on average a tenth second faster
lap times than leader Cabral. Locke, Bertrand, and Kyle
Valeri in the Valeri Motorsports #17 rounded out the top 5.
However Trainor ran out of laps as on the 25th
circuit, the checkered flag flew for Cabral, who won his
second NEMA LITES race of the season, over Trainor with
Locke to round out victory lane.
To round out the top
10, were strong finishes by Cabral #74, Trainor #1, Locke
#61, Bertrand #48, Valeri #17, John Zych #16, Alby Ovitt
#20, Dylan Coutu #53, Newcomb #35, and Stoehr #10.
In an interview in victory lane, Cabral reminisced on
memories with Shane Hammond, "All week long I kept seeing
the number 37 (Shane's car number) the last time he was
racing here, he was driving the 36, so we had to make that
number 37 for him."
In the days leading up to the
Thompson World Series and final championship projections
were calculated out, a championship battle came down to the
top seven drivers; Alby Ovitt, Danny Cugini, Jake Trainor,
Avery Stoehr, Joey Bailey, Kyle Valeri, and Randy Cabral. As
only 68 total points separated 1st place Ovitt from tied for
6th place, Valeri and Cabral. As the checkered flag flew for
Cabral, he secured 3rd place in championship points followed
by Trainor, for 2nd in drivers points. While, for the first
time, Alby Ovitt and The Parker Brother's Racing #20 took
home the 2023 NEMA LITES Championships.
NEMA and the
NEMA LITES close out a successful 2023 season and look
forward to seeing everyone in 2024 for more NEMA FAST
racing! |
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SAT., SEPTEMBER 30th, 2023 |
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www.leeusaspeedway.com |
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ZYCH #9 |
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2023 NEMA MIDGETS
DRIVER & OWNER CHAMPIONS
AVERY STOEHR and BERTRAND
MOTORSPORTS
#39 |
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NEMA MIDGETS -
LEE OKTOBERFEST
-
9/30/23 |
Pos. |
#
|
Driver |
Hometown |
Owner |
1 |
9 |
John Zych, Jr. |
Mendon, MA |
John Zych, Sr. |
2 |
49 |
Dylan Rock |
Enfield, NH |
Dan Rock |
3 |
39 |
Avery Stoehr |
Assonet, MA |
Bertrand Motorsports |
4 |
16 |
Matt O'Brien |
Wilmington, MA |
Matt O'Brien |
5 |
47 |
Randy Cabral |
Kingston, MA |
Bertrand Motorsports |
6 |
93 |
Mike Horn |
Ashland, MA |
Mike Horn |
7 |
87 |
Doug Cleveland |
Sudbury, MA |
Doug Cleveland |
8 |
50 |
Mike Pernesiglio |
Ronkonkoma, NY |
Pete Pernesiglio
Sr. |
9 |
53L |
Dylan Coutu |
Griswold, CT |
Ron Coutu |
10 |
61L |
Ryan Locke |
Chester, NH |
Dennis
O/Brien |
11 |
35L |
Ryan Tidman |
Southhampton, PA |
Glen Cabral |
12 |
30 |
Paul Scally |
Raynham, MA |
Paul Scally |
13 |
A1 |
Derek Robbie |
Bellingham, MA |
Mike Horn |
Heat 1
- 16, 49, 50, 47, 30, 83 |
Heat 2
- 39, 93, 87, 9, A1 |
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OVITT #20 |
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NEMA LITES -
LEE OKTOBERFEST
- 9/30/23 |
Pos.
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#
|
Driver |
Hometown
|
Owner |
1 |
20 |
Alby Ovitt |
St. Johnsbury, VT |
Jackie
Parker |
2 |
44 |
Trent Goodrow |
Carver, MA |
William Keller |
3 |
10 |
Avery Stoehr |
Assonet, MA |
Jackie
Parker |
4 |
53 |
Dylan Coutu |
Griswold, CT |
Ron Coutu |
5 |
16 |
Dan Cugini |
Marshfield, MA |
Dennis
O/Brien |
6 |
21 |
Joe Bailey |
Monroe, NJ |
Mike
Scrivani |
7 |
1 |
Jake Trainor |
Medway, MA |
Matt
Seymour |
8 |
47 |
Randy Cabral |
Kingston, MA |
Randy
Cabral |
9 |
48 |
Todd Bertrand |
Danielson, CT |
Todd Bertrand |
10 |
17 |
Kyle Valeri |
Monument Beach, MA |
Peter Valeri |
11 |
61 |
Ryan Locke |
Chester, NH |
Dennis
O/Brien |
12 |
29 |
Chase Locke |
Chester, NH |
Matt
Seymour |
13 |
3 |
Christopher Vose |
Gloversville, NY |
Christopher Vose |
14 |
94 |
Tiana Kibbe |
Fairfield, CT |
Curt Kibbe |
15 |
55 |
Drew Eldridge |
No. Chelmsford, MA |
Drew
Eldgridge |
16 |
59 |
Brayden Egan |
Ashford, CT |
Eric Egan |
17 |
35 |
Ryan Tidman |
Southhampton, PA |
Glen
Cabral |
18 |
28 |
Mike Pernesiglio |
Ronkonkoma, NY |
Pete
Penesiglio Sr. |
19 |
26 |
Kyle Taraska |
Brick, NJ |
Glan Cabral |
20 |
99 |
Kyle Ferruci |
Woodbury, CT |
Robert Ferruci |
Heat 1
- 20, 10, 1. 53, 44, 16, 55, 61, 29, 28 |
Heat 2
- 21, 94, 48, 3, 47, 17, 59, 35, 26, 99 |
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Zych & Ovitt Take Lee’s Oktoberfest While
Stoehr Earns Season Honors |
Lee, NH -- The NEMA Midgets and LITES
traveled to Lee USA Speedway t Saturday 9/30 for Russ
Conway's Oktoberfest for the final time this season. In a
day of tight points battle racing, NEMA saw many triumphs
and celebrations. Not only one but two first time winners at
this track in the NEMA LITES and Midgets divisions, as Alby
Ovitt and John Zych Jr. took home the wins at New
Hampshire's Center of Speed. In the NEMA LITES, in an
additional challenging feat, all 20 cars who started the
race, completed and took the checkered flag. Trent Goodrow
and Dylan Rock also went on to have a season best finish of
2nd in each feature. While Avery Stoehr and Bertrand
Motorsports took home the 2023 NEMA Midget Driver and Owner
Championships.
The NEMA LITES took the track as
Trent Goodrow in the Keller Motorsports #44 alongside Chris
Vose in the Vose Motorsports #3 led the field to the green
flag. Going into turn one, Goodrow took the lead over team
cars, Alby Ovitt #20 and Avery Stoehr #10 in the Parker
Brothers' Racing.
With just four laps into the race,
the top five settled into single file, Goodrow extended his
lead by a couple of car lengths over Ovitt, Stoehr, Joey
Bailey in the Scrivani Racing #21 and Dylan Coutu in the
Redline Motorsports #53.
On lap 9, the leaders began
to encounter lapped traffic, which allowed Ovitt to close
the gap between him and leader Goodrow.
While on lap
12, Ovitt was now on the back bumper of Goodrow. Ovitt moved
down to the low line and attempted to take the lead, but
Goodrow was able to keep momentum into turn two to maintain
the lead.
On lap 15, Ovitt remained within striking
distance of Goodrow and again went to make the pass for the
lead going down the front stretch but Goodrow drove back by
Ovitt going into turn one. As the leaders strategically
navigated through lapped traffic, Goodrow was able to create
a couple car lengths lead between him and Ovitt once again.
Going down the backstretch on lap 17, Ovitt got a
run off of turn two and drove up alongside Goodrow but
Goodrow was able to take the low line away from Ovitt to
maintain the race lead. While on the following lap, going
into turn one, Goodrow took the high groove, which allowed
for Ovitt to take the low line and drive up along Goodrow
down the backstretch. Goodrow and Ovitt raced side by side
going into turn three and four but coming out of turn four,
Ovitt was able to take over the race lead on lap 19.
Once Ovitt took the lead, he was able to drive away and
create a straightaway lead over Goodrow and Stoehr. While
going down the backstretch on the 22nd lap, a battle for the
4th position occurred between Bailey and Coutu. Coutu took
the low line going into turn three and drove up alongside
Bailey to take over the 4th position.
On lap 25, the
checkered flag waved for Ovitt, winning his first NEMA LITES
race of the season, over Goodrow and Stoehr to round out the
victory lane podium.
In a victory lane interview,
Alby commented on his win, "I really wanted this win more
for my team than myself. This is my home track, so getting
this win here is pretty special."
The top 10 saw
strong finishes by Alby Ovitt #20, Trent Goodrow #44, Avery
Stoehr #10, Dylan Coutu #53, Dan Cuigni #16, Joey Bailey
#21, Jake Trainor #1, Randy Cabral #47, Todd Bertrand #48,
and Kyle Valeri #17.
The NEMA Midgets took the track
for last time of the 2023 season, Mike Pernesiglio #50
alongside Doug Cleveland #87 led the field to the green flag
for 25 fast laps around New Hampshire's Center of Speed.
Going into turn one, Pernesiglio took the low line while
Matt O'Brien in the Jim O'Brien and Son's Engineering #16
jumped to the outside groove and took the lead going down
the backstretch. While going into turn three, John Zych Jr.
#9 took the high line to take second over Pernesiglio.
On lap 2, O'Brien and Zych began to pull away from the
rest of the pack and created half a straight away lead over
Cleveland, Dylan Rock #49, and Avery Stoehr in the Bertrand
Motorsports #39 rounding out the top 5.
Over the
next two laps, Zych closed the gap between him and O'Brien
and was soon on O'Brien's back bumper. While going down the
backstretch on lap 4, Zych took the race lead. While a tight
battle for third occurred between Cleveland and Rock coming
out of turn four and down the frontstretch, but coming to
the line, by nearly half a nose, Rock was able to take over
third. Going into turn one on the following lap, Stoehr took
the high groove to take over fourth and was now working to
close the gap between him and 3rd place, Rock. While on the
same lap, going into turn three, Randy Cabral in the
Bertrand Motorsports #47 took the high groove over Cleveland
to take over fifth.
By lap 10, Zych had created half
a straightaway lead over the rest of the pack and was
navigating through lapped traffic while a mid pack race for
2nd through 5th occurred between O'Brien, Rock, Stoehr, and
Cabral. Over the next several laps, Cabral, on the back
bumper of Stoehr, was looking to make a move for fourth but
Stoehr was able to continue to hold off Cabral.
On
lap 15, going down the backstretch, Stoehr drove up
alongside Rock but Rock drove back by Stoehr going into turn
three. A few laps later, Cabral was again on the back bumper
of Stoehr and went down to the inside groove of Stoehr but
Stoehr was able to drive away and hold onto fourth.
While on lap 22, coming out of turn two, Rock drove up
alongside O'Brien as the two raced side by side until going
down the front stretch, where Rock was able to take over
second. On the following lap, coming out of turn two, Stoehr
was able to set up O'Brin to take the low groove, where he
then drove up alongside him and going into turn three,
Stoehr was able to take over third.
On lap 25, the
checkered flag flew for Zych, winning his second NEMA Midget
race of the season, over Rock and Stoehr to round out
victory lane.
In a victory lane interview with John
Zych, he commented on his win, "We have raced here a lot but
have never won here, so to check this one off the list feels
great. The car was awesome tonight, I drove every lap as
fast and hard as I possibly could like a qualifying lap but
it feels great to get this win and especially a great way to
end the season for us."
To round out the top 10,
were strong finishes by John Zych, Jr. #9, Dylan Rock #49,
Avery Stoehr #39, Matt O'Brien #16, Randy Cabral #47, Mike
Horn #93, Doug Cleveland #87, Mike Pernesiglio #50, Dylan
Coutu #53L, Ryan Locke #61L.
In a tight points
battle for the 2023 NEMA Championship, Avery Stoehr's pass
for third with two laps remaining in the NEMA feature,
Stoehr solidified his championship run over teammate Randy
Cabral. "It was a very tight points race this year. Avery,
Paul and Randy all did an incredible job. I think it was one
of the first years in a long time where the points came down
to a toss up between all three drivers headed into the last
race. Avery's pass on (Matt) O'Brien with 2 to go for third,
actually won him the championship. That's pretty
incredible," said Tim Bertrand, 2023 Owner Champion. "We are
honored to have won our 12th NEMA championship, and plan to
come back and compete again with 2-3 full time cars in
2024!"
The final race of 2023 season for the NEMA
LITES occurs this weekend on Sunday, for the World Series at
Thompson Speedway. Current points leader, Alby Ovitt in the
Parker Brothers' Racing #20, leads Danny Cuigini in the Jim
O'Brien and Sons Engineering #16 by 15 total points and 29
total points over teammate Avery Stoehr in the Parker
Brothers' Racing #10. Who will drive away as the 2023 NEMA
LITES Champion? Will NEMA crown a new champion, Alby Ovitt?
Will it be 2018 NEMA LITES Champion, Danny Cugini? Will it
be the 2023 NEMA Midget Champion, Avery Stoehr? You won't
want to miss out on the action packed weekend of racing. See
you at Thompson, let's go racing!
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