Members of the NEMA Dick Gallagher Memorial Hall of
Fame PDF HERE
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
SERVING ALL MAKES of MIDGET & SPRINT CAR ENGINES Jon Andruk
ja@circleperformance.com 69 LOCUST STREET, BERKLEY, MA 02779 508-580-5844
NEMA LITES T-Shirts are
available for purchase. The LITES shirts are available in 3
colors - white, gray and royal blue. They come with either the
NEMA LITES logo only on the front or with 2 logos - NEMA LITES
on the front and regular NEMA logo on the back. The white shirts
are $10. The gray or blue are $12. The new LITES t-shirts can be
at The Race Depot/ Seymour Enterprises in Marlboro Mass or are
available from Cyndy Scrivani.
Brockton, MA -
NEMA President, Mike Scrivani, announced today 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. “We have an
exciting schedule brewing for 2015 and expect great car
counts,” said 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.
CHECK THE MEMBERS ALERTS PAGEFOR THE LATEST HANDICAPS,
COMPETITION ADDENDA, RACE PROCEDURES, & NEMA FORMS
NEMA
MIDGETS & LITES RACE ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER
19th
Planning to come to the 55th
annual Star Classic? Why pay full price at the gate when you
can get discounted tickets ahead right here online? Tickets
are selling out FAST, especially for Saturday, since we are
maxed out at 50% capacity. Be
there for the best show of the year!
Friday tickets:
https://bit.ly/3gVzuDz Saturday tickets:
https://bit.ly/3bpRdlc
Sunday tickets:
https://bit.ly/3bqeRxW
Star Classic Event Schedules
(Coming Soon)
The Jim O'Brien Memorial would like to acknowledge the
following sponsors:
Spirit of Jim O'Brien Awards by Jim O'Brien & Sons
Engineering - 50 years of family racing! Outstanding
Innovator $100 Outstanding Racer $100 Outstanding
Competitor $100
Hard Charger Awards by Bertrand
Motorsports Jim O'Brien Memorial NEMA LITES Hard Charger
$50 Bob Webber Memorial NEMA Hard Charger $50
$25
Heat Winner Bonuses by Seymour Performance Racing $50
Feature Winner Bonuses by Seymour Performance Racing
Contact Matt for Sponsorship
Opportunities - please text @ 617-549-8663 or email
arcracer16@yahoo.com
Jim O'Brien Memorial Race at the STAR Classic on
9/19
The Northeastern Midget
Association will invade Bobby Webber's STAR Speedway in
Epping, NH on Saturday night September 19th, for what's sure
to be New England's largest open wheel race of 2020 - the
annual STAR Classic. The NEMA Lites will take the green for
the annual Jim O'Brien Memorial Race, which will be a 50 lap
event for the NEMA Lites, and a 25 lap event for the NEMA
midgets. The NEMA Lites & NEMA will run the O'Brien race
alongside the main event of the International Super Modified
Association (ISMA) as they compete in the Bob Webber Sr
Memorial 125, and the 350 Supers running the Randy Witkum
Memorial 60.
The O'Brien brothers are very proud to
have their father's annual memorial event at Star, a track
that dates back as far as any along with the Northeastern
Midget Association. Star is a very special place for the
O'Briens - it's where Jim earned his first victory in 1973
with driver Johnny Evans, where Jim's son Matt began his
midget driving career in 1990, and where Jim helped his son
Dennis earn victories in roadrunners and street stocks for
over a decade. It's only fitting to honor Jim's legacy at
this historic event.
As the Webber family celebrates
their 40 th year of promoting at Star, the O'Brien's
commemorate their family's 50 th consecutive season of NEMA
racing. Brothers Matt and Dennis O'Brien will both be on
hand with Matt competing in the NEMA midgets, and Dennis as
crew chief on his brother Chris' Lite car along with his
driver, 350 Supermodified stand out, Matt Seavey. All of Jim
O'Brien's grandkids will also be there turning wrenches,
providing support, and cheering them on.
An O'Brien
Memorial win will be a coveted one and on the mind of the
O'Brien's driver, Matt Seavey, and many other NEMA Lite
racers. A few of those include hot shoe brothers - Ryan and
Chase Locke; recent winners Jim Cataldo and Paul Scally; the
always fast PJ Stergios and Richie Coy; up and coming
drivers Kyle Valerie, Drew Eldridge, and Tiana Kibbe; and
former NEMA Champion and Lites competitor, Randy Cabral. As
the only two-time winner of this event, Randy will certainly
be looking for the hat trick.
"Jim was such a good
guy as he always thought about the little guy. Maybe we
aren't considered to be the little guys anymore, but for
many years when we were showing up with a 1979 Edmunds on a
snow mobile trailer, Jim was always there to greet us with a
smile. It would be such an honor to win this race," said
Cabral, a five-time NEMA champion. "He did so much for the
club. I'd like all of the younger generation to understand
who he was and the impact he had on what we have today. Jim
O'Brien was a staple in the foundation of NEMA. He was one
of the pioneers who helped pave the way for pavement midget
racing in the Northeast as we see it today," said Cabral.
Jim O'Brien was a legendary car owner and club officer
who, for a span of four decades, personified the best of
NEMA. He was an innovative fabricator and mechanic, and with
his sons by his side, he always built his own cars and
motors. For years he served as a NEMA contest board member,
once a vice -president, and for 13 consecutive years as
treasurer. His life-long dedication to the club was truly
outstanding, and in 2003 he was inducted into the NEMA Hall
of Fame. However, most notably, Jim was always one that
stood- up and fought for fair competition and defended the
"little guy" - racers who ran with small budgets.
In the same spirit of Jim O'Brien, the NEMA Lites were
created with two principals: cost effectiveness and fair
competition. While the NEMA Midgets are considered the
fastest midgets in the world, the NEMA Lites boast to be
"lite" on the wallet, making them the perfect fit to
highlight the Jim O'Brien Memorial Race.
Jim
O'Brien will be on the minds of the NEMA midgets as well.
Matt O'Brien will be looking to shine in his new Drinan
chassis, as will other NEMA regulars Doug Cleveland, Paul
Scally, Alan Chambers, and former champion and last year's
O'Brien Memorial NEMA winner John Zych Jr, who will be
looking to turn his season around with another victory.
NEMA rookie of the year contenders Matt Merry and Jake
Trainor will be looking to upset the field with a win. Jake
was the 2018 O'Brien Memorial winner in the Lites. NEMA
legend Jeff Horn will be taking a break from racing dirt
midgets and sprint cars for a special appearance driving the
family's A1 midget. Responsible for writing a lot of NEMA
history at Star, the ageless Horn will be looking for his
7 th victory at Star and his first since his Stafford
victory in 2005.
Bertrand Motorsports will have a
stable full of midgets on hand, together with NEMA champion
and third generation driver Avery Stoehr, multi-feature
winner Todd Bertrand, multi-time champion Randy Cabral,
stock car champion Alby Ovitt, and multi-feature winner Mike
Horn, who will be looking for redemption after having to
settle for second the last time he sat in a Bertrand seat.
Sponsorship opportunities are available for this
prestigious event. Please email Matt O'Brien at
arcracer16@yahoo.com.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11th
Photos by Norm Marx
NEMA LITES - LEE USA -
9/11/20
Pos.
#
Driver
Hometown
Owner
1
88
Chase Locke
Chester, NH
Ken Locke
2
11
PJ Stergios
Candia, NH
Bill
Stergios
3
21
Joe Bailey
- - -
Mike
Scrivani
4
38
Ryan Locke
Chester, NH
Ken Locke
5
97
Jim Santa Maria
Burlington, Ct
Jim Santa Maria
6
19
Richie Coy
Haskell, NJ
Richie Coy
7
35
Anthony Marvuglio
Bridgewater, MA
Glen Cabral
8
2
Barry Kittridge
Marlboro, MA
Barry Kittredge
9
17
Kylie Valeri
Monument Beach, MA
Peter Valeri
10
16
Matt Seavey
Pittsfield, NH
Christopher Butterweck
11
94
Tiana Kibbe
Fairfield, CT
Curt Kibbe
12
18
DJ Moniz
New Bedford, MA
Dave Moniz
HEAT 1:
88, 11, 35, 2, 97, 18
HEAT 2:
19, 38, 17, 21, 16, 94
NEMA MIDGETS - LEE USA -
9/11/20
Pos.
#
Driver
Hometown
Owner
1
74
Randy Cabral
Kingston, MA
Bertrand Motorsports
2
47
Lanson Fornoro
Brockton, MA
Bertrand Motorsports
3
9
John Zych Jr.
Mendon, MA
John Zych Sr.
4
17
Ben Seitz
Bourne, MA
Bertrand Motorsports
5
8
Jake Trainor
Medway, MA
Mike Trainor
6
87
Doug Cleveland
Sudbury, MA
Doug Cleveland
7
16
Matt O'Brien
Wilmington, MA
Matt O'Brien
8
48
Todd Bertrand
Danielson, CT
Bertrand Motorsports
9
35
Anthony Marvuglio
Bridgewater, MA
Glen Cabral
10
69
Matt Merry
Plaistow, NH
Matt Merry
11
7
Alan Chambers
Atkinson, NH
Mike Chambers
12
A1
Mike Horn
Ashland, MA
Jeff Horn
13
39
Avery Stoehr
Lakeville, MA
Bertrand Motorsports
HEAT 1:
9, 48, 7, 8, 39, 16
HEAT 2:
74, 47, 87, A1, 17, 69, 35
Chase Locke and Randy Cabral Best in NEMA at
LEE USA’s First Responder Freedom 300 Night
The Northeastern Midget Association rolled into the
Wrenn family's LEE USA Speedway this past Friday evening for
the Freedom 300/First Responder's September 11th tribute.
Great car counts across all divisions showcased some of the
best drivers in New England at the New Hampshire oval. In
the NEMA Lites, after so many "so close" scenarios for the
youngster Chase Locke, he finally took down his first ever
NEMA Lites victory, and in convincing style. In the NEMA
feature, Randy Cabral inherited the lead after teammate Todd
Bertrand suffered a heart breaking flat tire with seven laps
to go, as the eight time champion took down his first back
to back victory in many years.
In the Lites feature,
NJ's Richie Coy blasted out into the lead from the pole
position on lap one. Coy was quickly hounded by the young
Chase Locke in the Chester General Store/Locke Crane
Services #88. Locke followed Coy closely, and made a bid for
the lead on lap nine. Once in command, Locke began to set a
torrid pace, with his fastest lap of the feature coming on
lap nine, a 14.182 second lap. Lap after lap, Locke began to
distance himself from the field, clicking off consistent
14.3 second laps. Behind him, veterans Jim Santa Maria and
PJ Stergios were engaged in a battle for the second spot,
with Stergios taking over the spot on lap twenty.
As
the laps wound down, Locke went unchallenged, as Stergios
settled into second, and Joe Bailey in the Scrivani 21, made
his way up through the field to take over the third spot on
lap 25. Locke would go on to take down his first ever Lites
win after heart breakers in 2019 at the Wiscassett Speedway,
where he was leading and engine troubles plagued him, and a
DNF at the LEE Oktoberfest after leading the majority of
that feature event. Stergios would finish second, followed
by Bailey, Ryan Locke, Santa Maria, Riche Coy, Anthony
Marvuglio, Barry Kitteridge, Kyle Valeri and Matt Seavy.
Locke was a heat race winner earlier in the evening
turning a blistering 14.0 second lap, with brother, Ryan
Locke taking down the second heat race.
In the NEMA
portion of the event, veteran Doug Cleveland jumped out into
the lead from the pole position. Cleveland set the pace for
the first seven laps, and two restarts. Further back,
seventh place starter Todd Bertrand was making his way to
the front of the field on the outside lane. Bertrand would
go around the outside of Cleveland on lap ten and begin to
distance himself from the field. Behind him, eight time
champion Randy Cabral and Lanson Fornoro were tied up in a
battle for the second spot. Cabral would move into second on
lap thirteen, and four laps later Bertrand would suffer
misfortune as he cut down a right rear tire, keeping the car
off the wall.
On the restart, Cabral would pull away
from Fornoro, taking down the win in convincing fashion.
Fornoro took his second podium finish at Lee this year for
Bertrand Motorsports in the #47. John Zych had his best run
in a number of races to finish third, followed by four time
Champion, Ben Seitz, returning for Bertrand Motorsports.
Jake Trainor finished fifth, Doug Cleveland sixth, followed
by Matt O'Brien, Bertrand, Anthony Marvuglio, and Matt
Merry. It was Cabral's second win in as many races on the
shortened NEMA schedule this season.
Up next, NEMA
and the Lites visit the Star Speedway for the annual Star
Classic this coming weekend and the O'Brien Memorial.
NEMA Driver Spotlight:
Avery Stoehr
"Good all around," is the way Avery Stoehr states his
reflections upon his 2019 NEMA championship season. The
Sturbridge, MA native went into the year with goals of
winning the Boston Louie at Seekonk and a race at Thompson.
He accomplished that, and more. "Those were our main
objectives, and out of that we became champions. I feel with
the motor and car package we have; we can compete for a top
three every week, which we hope to carry into 2020." In
addition to his two wins, he put together an impressive
eight top five finishes, all of which were podium spots.
Unlike most cars, Stoehr runs a Ford head Gaerte in his
39 Bertrand Motorsports car, "I feel that this engine
package suits my driving style more so than an Esslinger. We
may not have the outright power over the Esslingers, but we
have the drive-ability along with the torque to get out of
the corner. Every motor has its' strengths and weaknesses,
and with our program we are able to exploit those
strengths."
Stoehr knows that backing up his
championship is no easy task, especially against his
teammates Randy Cabral, Todd Bertrand, and Alby Ovitt.
Stoehr states, "If we can stay competitive and fun, we
should have no problem replicating 2019 to 2020."
NEMA Driver Spotlight:
Ryan Locke
"It's left me hungrier for more championships," stated 2019
NEMA Lites champion Ryan Locke. "It's crazy to think we have come
this far in just four years. We are racing with the best drivers in
New England, and to think to we came out on top is just
unbelievable."
The pivotal moment for the Raymond, NH native
was his win at the Seekonk Speedway in the NEMA Lite portion of the
"Boston Louie Seymour Memorial." "Winning that race was a huge
confidence boost. I realized that we have the ability to compete for
wins one a weekly basis." The young driver has proven his worth in
the series by scoring two wins, 10 top five's, and 11 top 10's from
12 races in 2019. His consistency this season was nearly unmatched,
with only one other driver matching his top fives.
Two tracks
that Locke has not raced at, Claremont Motorsports Park & Hudson
Speedway have been added to the 2020 schedule. Ryan has previous
experience in karts at the 1/8th track at Claremont, formerly Twin
State Speedway but feels that he should no issue adapting to these
unique and challenging racetracks. "I feel we will adapt well to
those tracks. Additionally, I feel we are just as good, if not the
best tea, to adapt to new situations."
If there's a
championship favorite, it may be Locke, "We just need to take our
2019 program in 2020 and repeat it." High on talent and confidence,
his mission in 2020 is to claim a first owner's title, in addition
to defending his drivers title.
NEMA's 1000th Race - Star Speedway - 8/23/14
CARLSON - CABRAL - ZYCH
Recognizing
Some NEMA Milestones
Spring, 2016 -- The Northeastern Midget
Association will open the season at Star Speedway on May 21.
It will be the 1018th point-paying race in the club's
63-year history.
Passing unheralded was the club's
1,000th race at Star Speedway on August 23, 2014. Randy
Cabral was the winner, besting John Zych Jr. and Seth
Carlson.
New England's oldest and most enduring
touring division, NEMA was formed in the late spring of 1953
at the Thompson clubhouse. Fred Meeker was the first NEMA
winner at Seekonk Speedway on May 30, 1953. New England Auto
Racing Hall of Famer Bill Eldridge won the next afternoon at
Waterford.
The NEMA Lites open at Thompson Speedway's
Icebreaker on April 9. There have been 106 races for a
division that started with an exhibition run at New
London-Waterford in 2008. The 100th Lites race was won by
Danny Cugini at Lee on July 17 of last year.
With two
victories last year, Randy Cabral is now tied with Nokie
Fornoro in fourth place on NEMA's all-time win list with 47.
He has 16 seasons with a least one victory tying him with
Bobby Seymour on that list. They have come consecutively,
equaling a NEMA standard set by National Midget Hall of
Famer Dave Humphrey. Most of Cabral's wins have come in Tim
Bertrand's No. 47 but it all started when an upstart Cabral
captured the 2000 Boston Louie in a family car.
Star
Speedway, with 103 races going back to 1968, is the leader
among tracks hosting NEMA events. Randy Cabral tops active
NEMA competitors with four Star wins including three of the
last four. John Zych Jr. has also won at Star.
NEMA
is clearly one of the most competitive open cockpit
divisions in the country. Over the past six years, there
have been 23 different NEMA winners and in all but one of
those seasons, at least one "first-timer" appeared. Over
that span John Zych Jr., Todd Bertrand, Avery Stoehr and
Seth Carlson have become top contenders. Danny Cugini and
Jim Chambers were first time winners in 2015. Bertrand,
Stoehr and Cugini are all products of the NEMA Lites. The
Lites have had 20-different winners in the past three
seasons, champion Anthony Payne and Megan Cugini among the
2015 first timers. Designed with competiveness in the
forefront nine years ago, the Lites are a true success
story.
Nominations are now being accepted for the
New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame. The nomination form
and procedure are available on the New England Antique
Racers' website - www.near1.org. Please disregard the posted
deadlines.
Those with NEMA connections already
enshrined are Gene Angelillo, Chuck Arnold, Burt Brooks, Ray
Brown,Joe Csiki, Bill Eldridge, Frank Ferrara, Drew Fornoro,
Dave Humphrey, Johnny Kay, Wen Kelly, Rollie Lindblad, John
McCarthy, George Monsen, Al Pillion, Billy Randall, Marvin
Rifchin, Mike Scrivani Sr., Louie Seymour, Hank Stevens, Ed
Stone and Bentley Warren.
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