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NEMA Feature - Speedbowl - Sat. August 15th |
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Pos. |
# |
Driver |
Hometown |
Owner |
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1 |
45 |
Russ Stoehr |
Bridgewater, MA |
Gene
Angelillo |
|
2 |
47 |
Randy
Cabral |
Plymouth, MA |
Tim
Bertrand |
|
3 |
4 |
Nokie
Fornoro |
Stroudsburg, PA |
Mike
Jarret |
|
4 |
5 |
William
Wall |
Shrewsbury, MA |
Wall
Motorsports LLC |
|
5 |
99 |
Chris DeRitis |
Philadelphia, PA |
Power
Point
Race Cars |
|
6 |
30 |
Paul
Scally |
Raynham,
MA |
Paul
Scally |
|
7 |
21 |
Abby
Martino |
Norfolk,
MA |
Joan Martino |
|
8 |
50 |
Neil Blatt |
Holbrook,
NY |
Pete Pernisiglio |
|
9 |
9 |
John Zych
Jr. |
Mendon,
MA |
John
Zych |
|
10 |
28 |
Paul
Luggelle |
Holbrook,
MA |
Paul
Luggelle |
11
DNF |
2 |
Lee
Bundy |
Kennebunkport, ME |
Lee
Bundy |
12
DNF |
44 |
Erica
Santos |
Franklin, MA |
Ed
Breault |
13
DNF |
11 |
Howie Bumpus |
Lakeville, MA |
Charles Camosse |
14
DNF |
26b |
Greg
Stoehr |
Bridgewater, MA |
Greg
Stoehr |
15
DNF |
7ny |
Adam
Cantor |
Dix
Hills, NY |
Cantor
Racing |
16
DNF |
29 |
Jeff Abold |
Pennellville, NY |
Bobby Seymour |
17
DNF |
22 |
Chris
Leonard |
Pelham,
NH |
Dave
Leonard |
18
DNS |
3m |
Jim
Miller |
Weymouth, MA |
Jim
Miller |
19
DNS |
11s |
Frank
Swan |
Plymouth,
ME |
Frank
Swan |
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Fast Lap -
#47 Randy Carbral - Lap 11 - 13.075 |
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Heat #1 -
26b-45-29-7ny-2-22-44-11 |
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Heat #2 -
47-99-21-4-30-9-50-28-11s DNF: 3m-5 |
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Stoehr NEMA Winner
At Speedbowl |
Waterford, CT – Surviving
two restart threats, Russ Stoehr collected his first
Northeastern Midget Association victory since 2002 Saturday
night at Waterford Speedbowl’s Wings and Wheels. Driving the
Angelillo 45, it was Stoehr’s first win since returning to
racing after a five-year hiatus.
Stoehr, who had the lead by lap two, beat back Randy Cabral
(Bertrand #47) restart challenges on laps nine and 13. Stoehr,
running laps consistently in the 13.1-13.2 range, and Cabral
staged a torrid battle until Stoehr opened up a six-car lead
over the final circuits.
Nokie Fornoro (Jarret #4) was third followed by William Wall
(Wall #5) and Chris DeRitis (Power Point #99). It was another
epic effort for the Jarret crew which all but rebuilt the car
after a second heat crash.
“I thought I was picking him off where I was suppose to,” said
Stoehr in response to Cabral’s claim that he was jumping on the
restarts. “He (Cabral) has pretty potent car and giving him the
edge would be tough.”
“He started early both times,” said the usually reserved Cabral
who had the fastest lap – a 13.075 on the 11th circuit. It was
the fifth top-five of the campaign for the defending champion
and point leader.
Several times Cabral got inside Stoehr through turns one and
two. “I could hear him,” said Stoehr who regained control on the
exit. “We were going fast enough so he could not get around us.”
He was aware he had extended his lead “when the camera flashes
stopped.”
Coming from fourth, Stoehr passed Paul Scally (Scally #30) for
the lead out of four on lap two. Cabral had second almost
immediately with Fornoro and Wall following. “We short of lucked
into that,” said Stoehr who moved up after a first-lap crash
that eliminated his brother Greg, Adam Cantor and Jeff Abold,
the latter the fastest car during practice.
It was a heartbreaking night for Cantor (Cantor #7ny). Like
Fornoro, he suffered damage in the multi car second heat crash.
A definite championship contender, he had finished no worst than
sixth.
NEMA has a two-week layoff before a Labor Day Doubleheader – a
rescheduled event a Twin State Speedway on Friday, Sept 4 and a
return to Monadnock on Saturday, Sept. 5.
 Russ
Stoehr was the fifth winner of the season. NEMA had a total of
five last year…It was the 80th NEMA show at the Speedbowl. Owner
Gene Angelillo has now won 12th of them with four drivers – Drew
Fornoro, Ted Christopher, Joey Payne and Stoehr.
Stoehr
posted career his 39th career win, the first since July 4, 2002
at Thompson.
Randy
Cabral’s fastest feature lap (13.075) was quicker than the
13.144 Nokie Fornoro posted in this year’s previous Speedbowl
visit but nowhere near the 12-seconds efforts of last year.
Fornoro
(13.246), William Wall (13.290) and Chris DeRitis (13.291) all
had impressive “best laps” as well.
A
definite rookie of the year candidate, DeRitis has been in the
top five in three of the last four events in the Power Point
Race Cars 99…It
was the fourth straight top 10 for Abby Martino in the
family-owned 21.
Fornoro
and the Jarret crew have had an exciting season. Rebuilding the
car after a heat crash is becoming almost commonplace.
It
was a heartbreaking night for both Boston Louie Jeff Abold in
the Seymour 29, one of the fastest cars in practice, and Adam
Cantor, both eliminated in a first lap crash. Cantor’s crew also
came back from second-heat damage. |
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NEMA Moves On To
Waterford Speedbowl |
Brockton, MA - With four
different winners in seven races, one of the
most competitive seasons in recent Northeastern Midget
Association
memory returns to Waterford Speedbowl Saturday night. NEMA will
be part of the 'Bowl's Wheels & Wings program.
Jeff Abold, so impressive in last Saturday's Boston Louie
Memorial,
joins defending champion Randy Cabral (3), Nokie Fornoro (2) and
Adam Cantor (1) on the win list. The latter three are battling
for the point lead as well.
Cantor won the last visit to the Speedbowl but only after
Fornoro, who was running laps in the 13.1s, ran out of gas on
the last lap. Cabral, the all-time NEMA winner at the Speedbowl
with eight, crashed. "The place can be perplexing," says Fornoro.
Tim Bertrand, Cabral's owner, agrees. Despite all the success,
the 47
team will "start from scratch" this week from a setup
perspective. The tracks, Bertrand says, are changing putting old
setups out of vogue.
The fastest "short track" on the schedule, the Midgets hit
speeds in
excess of 105 on the straight aways. Abold's owner Bobby
Seymour, who has five Waterford wins as a driver, calls it a
near perfect track
combining length, width and surface.
In addition to Cantor, the 42nd NEMA winner at the 'Bowl going
back to 1953, and Cabral, Fornoro, Russ and Greg Stoehr, Jeff
Horn and Jim Miller have won at Waterford. "You have to come to
the Speedbowl prepared," says Russ Stoehr. "Everybody runs their
best there."
Still, a number of drivers scored their first-ever NEMA win at
the
Speedbowl including current USAC hot shoe Bobby Santos III.
Second year drivers John Zych Jr. and William Wall and rookie
Chris DeRitis are all possibilities to join that list. All three
have had impressive runs this year, Wall coming to the 'Bowl off
a fourth at Seekonk last week.
NEMA will join ISMA, the True Value Modified Series and the
Speedbowl SK-Modifieds on the Wings & Wheels program.
Last
year Randy Cabral came to Waterford after winning The Boston
Louie and won. Only one other time has a driver followed up a
"Louie" success with another win. Russ Stoehr did it way back in
1997.
NEMA
continues to get quicker. Jeff Abold's fastest race lap at the
Boston Louie was an incredible 11.007 after a blistering 10.859
time trial run.
While
Adam Cantor's streak of top-fives ran out at Seekonk, his
fourth-place average finish is the best among the drivers who
have made all seven starts. Cabral shows a 4.2 average finish.
Following
his second at the Louie in the Bertrand #74, Cole Carter says he
enjoyed driving with wings (USAC does not use them), crediting
it with "allowing for a lot of side-by-side racing."
Tim Bertrand reports there is a chance Cole will return to race
at
Thompson and Lee later in the season.
Steve
Grant continues to sing the praises of the Lites. After only a
single caution at Monadnock, "the kids" went 29 non stop laps at
The Louie.
Some
of the names in the Lites rattle the memory - just for starters:
Mikitarian (Joe), Hart (Rick), Wood (Russ Jr.) and Muldoon
(Mike). |
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