THE
ANGELILLO MEMORIAL 45
WATERFORD SPEEDBOWL
SAT. SEPT. 11th |
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Russ Stoehr Wins Angelillo Memorial |
Waterford, CT – Taking the lead on a restart
with five remaining, Russ Stoehr, driving the Dumo’s
Desire #45, put a fairytale ending on the Northeastern
Midget Association’s 35-lap Angelillo Memorial Saturday
night at Waterford Speedway. The late Marilyn and Gene
Angelillo owned the team, now led by daughter Laura
Kibbe, for over 30 years.
Stoehr, the fourth
leader, snuck inside Erica Santos on the third restart
with five laps remaining. It was the third win of the
season and the 43rd career triumph for Stoehr who
assumed the point lead as well. Santos (Breault #44)
held on for second followed by Jeff Abold (Abold #29),
Joey Payne (Seymour #4) and Jim Miller (Miller #3m).
Jesse State wired the accompanying 20-lap NEMA Lites
race. Carl Medeiros and Ryan Bigelow were second and
third.
"I can't say how lucky how I am to be able
to drive this car and to have known and driven for Gene
and Marilyn," Stoehr said. "They were truly pillars of
the Midget racing community. I couldn't be prouder." He
had the fastest lap (12.875) and it came late in the
race.
Santos grabbed the lead on a lap 27 restart
after the first yellow erased the half-lap lead Randy
Cabral had built. She led a group that included Stoehr,
Abold and Payne past Cabral, the latter nursing a
failing motor (broken rocker arm). In her best run of
the season, Santos ran second for much of the early
going.
It took two restarts on lap 30. Santos got
the jump on Stoehr the first time but it went for naught
when Payne had a tire go down and spun in turn two.
Explaining she “had too much time to think” under
yellow, she decided “to try something different” on the
second restart, bringing the field to the green much
slower.
"I think people generally think we'll go
outside, so I figured I could sneak inside," said
Stoehr. He did that and had the lead heading into one.
“I wanted that trophy so badly,” said a disappointed
Santos who kept up the pressure to the end, “but I’m
sure Russ wanted it just as much.”
There was
enough time between the restarts for the Seymour crew to
change the tire, Payne assuming the eighth (the last car
on the lead lap) spot. Payne, who spent four years as
Angelillo’s driver, was very quick over the final laps,
posting a 12.98. Miller was also strong at the finish.
The heartbreak prize belonged to Cabral who realized
something had gone astray in the motor a couple laps
before. “I checked the gauges, I didn’t see any oil or
water on the track so I kept going,” he said. “You can
never tell what will happen.”
Coming from
midfield, Cabral powered to the front and took the lead
from Mike Horn down the back stretch with just three
laps gone. He had a half-lap on the field by the halfway
mark, putting half of it at least a lap down. Horn, the
first leader, and Santos battled for second before the
later grabbed the spot with seven down.
“I
expected to be passed,” said Cabral.
 Stoehr and Payne had the
only 12 second laps and both came late in the race.
The car Stoehr drove to his
first NEMA victory was on hand, among the antique
midgets performing.
Long-time NEMA writer and
announcer Chris Romano, now a North Carolina resident,
returned for the event and joined Pete Falconi in the
announcer’s booth.
"I can't tell you how happy
I am that this win comes at Waterford because Terry
Eames and Gene were just great friends,” Stoehr told the
crowd.
Only two events remain for
NEMA – Seekonk Speeedway’s DAV on Oct. 9-10 and
Thompson’s World Series on Oct. 16-17. |
| Heats> |
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Vintage
Midget> |
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Feature> |
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Photos by John DaDalt |
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Photos by Jim Z |
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NEMA Feature - Waterford - Sat., Sept. 11th |
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Pos. |
# |
Driver |
Hometown |
Owner |
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1 |
45 |
Russ Stoehr |
Bridgewater, MA |
Dumo's Desire
Racing |
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2 |
44 |
Erica Santos |
Franklin, MA |
Ed Breault |
|
3 |
29 |
Jeff Abold |
Pennellville,
NY |
Bobby Seymour |
|
4 |
4 |
Joey Payne |
Fairlawn, NJ |
Bobby Seymour |
|
5 |
3m |
Jim Miller |
Weymouth, MA |
Jim Miller |
|
6 |
47 |
Randy Cabral |
Plymouth, MA |
Tim Bertrand |
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7 |
26b |
Greg Stoehr |
Bridgewater, MA |
Greg Stoehr |
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8 |
9 |
John Zych, Jr. |
Liverpool, NY |
John Zych, Sr. |
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9 |
93x |
Mike Horn |
Ashland, MA |
Jeff Horn |
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10 |
7ny |
Adam Cantor |
Dix Hills, NY |
Cantor Racing |
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11 |
88 |
Britt Anderson |
Mooresville, NC |
Andy Anderson |
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12 |
22 |
Chris Leonard |
Pelham, NH |
Dave Leonard |
|
13 |
25 |
Keith Botelho |
Attleboro, MA |
Russ Stoehr |
|
14 |
8 |
Barry Kittredge
|
Marlboro, MA
|
Barry Kittredge |
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15 |
78 |
Brian Cleveland |
Billerica, MA |
Linda Cleveland |
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16 |
50 |
Anthony Marvuglio |
E. Bridgewater, MA |
Pete
Pernisiglio,Sr |
17
DNF |
75 |
Chris deRitis |
Philadelphia, PA |
Ciconni/deRitis |
18
DNF |
30 |
Paul Scally |
Raynham, MA |
Paul Scally |
19
DNF |
2 |
Lee Bundy |
Kennebunkport,
ME |
Lee Bundy |
20
DNF |
16 |
Matt O'Brien |
Wilmington, MA |
Jim O'Brien |
21
DNF |
39 |
Todd Bertrand |
Suffield, CT |
Tim Bertrand |
22
DNS |
77 |
Mike Luggelle |
Hull, MA |
Mike Luggelle |
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| Jesse State Scores NEMA
Lites Victory At Waterford Speedbowl |
(Waterford, CT.) Jesse State drove a picture-perfect
race in notching the 20-lap NEMA Lites portion of the
Angelillo Memorial Race at the Waterford Speedbowl on
Saturday evening.
Starting on the pole, State
quickly took command going unchallenged for the entire
event which went-off in record time and included only a
single caution flag. Carl Medeiros Jr. finished 2nd,
with Ryan Bigelow besting Jim Santa Maria to complete
the top-3.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve
been in victory lane, and it sure feels good,” said
State at the conclusion of the event. “My dad put a
super setup under me tonight, and the car was just-about
perfect. It’s great to win on such a special night.”
Second-place Medeiros Jr. remarked that it was a
“matter of time” preventing him from topping the field.
“We simply
ran-out of time,” he stated. “We might
have had something for him, but that’s the way it goes.
Jesse was really fast tonight, and it was a quick race.”
Ryan Bigelow was happy to score a podium finish. “We
found something in the setup tonight, and it definitely
helped. The
car was just really-good in the
feature,” he said. “I’ll take a top-3 tonight, and I’m
looking forward to more of these podium finishes.”
Winning qualifiying heats earlier in the evening
were Joey Muciacciaro and Gary Sherman.
The NEMA
Lites Series next sees action at Seekonk Speedway on
Friday evening, September 24. |
| Heats> |
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Feature> |
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Photos by John DaDalt |
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Lites Feature - Waterford - Sat., Sept. 11th |
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Pos. |
# |
Driver |
Hometown |
Owner |
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1 |
18j |
Jesse State |
New Hyde Park,
NY |
Jim State |
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2 |
50 |
Carl Medeiros, Jr. |
Westport, MA |
Carl Medeiros |
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3 |
13 |
Ryan Bigelow |
E. Hampton, CT |
Randy Bigelow |
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4 |
99 |
Jim Santa
Maria |
Burlington, CT |
Susan Santa Maria |
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5 |
31 |
Paul Bigelow |
Berlin, CT |
Randy Bigelow |
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6 |
29 |
Anthony
Nocella |
Woburn, MA |
Matt Seymour |
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7 |
4 |
Randy
Cabral |
Plymouth, MA |
Paul Scally |
| 8 |
12 |
Eddie LeClerc
Jr. |
Taunton, MA |
Eddie LeClerc Sr. |
| 9 |
81 |
Andy Barrows |
New Ipswich, NH |
Bobby Seymour |
| 10 |
45 |
Joey Mucciacciaro |
Wolcott, CT |
Frank Mucciacciaro |
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11 |
00 |
Lanson
Fornoro |
Stroudsburg, PA |
Paul Luggelle |
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12 |
1 |
Bethany Viets |
Manchester, CT |
Charles Gunther |
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13 |
7x |
Jack McKeon |
- |
- |
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14 |
11 |
David Rose Jr. |
Keene, NH |
David Rose Sr. |
15
DNF |
93
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Jake Smith
|
Stroudsburg, PA |
Ted Smith |
16
DNF |
47 |
Dave Bedard |
- |
Glen Cabral |
17
DNS |
23 |
Gary Sherman |
Billerica, MA |
Bobby Seymour |
18
DNS |
18d |
David
Moniz |
Fairhaven, MA |
David Moniz |
19
DNS |
19 |
Matt Seavey |
- |
Matt Seavey |
20
DNS |
28 |
Paul Luggelle |
Holbrook, MA |
Paul Luggelle |
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| Angelillo Memorial Next
For NEMA |
Brockton, MA - Points will
be a priority when the Northeastern Midget Association
comes to Waterford Speedway Saturday night, Sept. 11 for
the second annual Gene and Marilyn Angelillo Memorial
race.
The race honors a dynamic couple that, over
three decades, brought major changes to NEMA. Gene and
Marilyn made countless contributions both as car owners
and officers.
The NEMA Lites are also on the busy
agenda. The event follows last year’s Marilyn’s Passion
event at Monadnock Speedway.
Leaders Randy Cabral
and owner Tim Bertrand bring a 33-point lead over Russ
Stoehr and the Dumo’s Desire team. The latter has been
run by daughter Laura Kibbe since Gene Angelillo’s death
in March of this year.
In the battle for third,
Chris deRitis, the winner at Waterford’s Wings & Wheels
three weeks ago, leads Greg Stoehr, last year’s
Marilyn’s Passion winner, by 26 points. The deRitis 75
is housed at the Bertrand garage.
Boston Louie
winner Jeff Abold will return to the family #29 for the
Angelillo race. Joey Payne Jr. takes over the Seymour #4
that prevailed at Seekonk.
Including deRitis and
Leonard, who captured the season-opener, there could be
as many as nine Waterford/NEMA winners in the field. The
list also includes Cabral (who has eight wins), Russ and
Greg Stoehr, Adam Cantor, Jim Miller and Barry
Kittredge.
“There are few secrets left at
Waterford,” offers Russ Stoehr, a winner there last
year. “It has the perfect geography,” Bobby Seymour says
of the three-eighths oval considered by many to be the
Northeast’s premier Midget track. deRitis’ turned a
12.977 seconds (104.030 mph) lap at Wings & Wheels.
Aaron Wall, coming off a strong effort at “The
Louie,” and Mike Horn are looking to join the list of
drivers who scored their first NEMA win at Waterford.
Other contenders include Keith Botehlo, driving a
Stoehr-owned car, local favorite Erica Santos and John
Zych Jr.
The Seymour family will be looking for
another sweep. “Louie” winner Anthony Nocella will be
after a second straight Lites win. Nocella also won the
season opener at Waterford.
Double Duty Cabral is
another Lites hopeful in a field that includes brother
Todd, Andy Barrows, Landon Fornoro, Jim Santamaria,
Bethany Viets, Carl Medeiros Jr., Paul Luggelle, Eddie
LeClerc Jr. and Russ Wood Jr.
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The Angelillo
Memorial:
Honoring Gene, Marilyn |
Gene and Marilyn
Angelilo celebrated well over 115 victories in
midget racing, 106 of them in the Northeastern
Midget Association. The first victory with Drew
Fornoro aboard came at Hudson Speedway on Aug.
2, 1981.
Marilyn had already died when Gene, who
passed away on March 1 of this year, tasted his
final triumph at Waterford Speedbowl on August
18th of last year. So it is fitting that NEMA
and the NEMA Lites return to the Speedbowl for
the second Angelillo Memorial 45 (35 lap
feature, 10 lap heats) Saturday night.
The couple added immeasurably to NEMA’s
legacy as officers – Gene as president and
Marilyn as secretary. The passion Gene had for
midgets in general and NEMA in particular
bubbled over. Marilyn’s calmness and
organizational skills were extraordinary.
History, however, ensures their
incredible success as owners with three primary
drivers – Fornoro, Joey Payne and Russ Stoehr,
the latter currently in his second tour.
Every car carried “Dumo’s Desire,” a
tribute to Gene’s father Dominic, better known
as “Dumo.” With few exceptions, the car was No.
45, Gene’s age when Johnny Kay convinced him to
go midget racing in 1980. Both identities were
Marilyn’s doing. The team, now run by daughter
Laura Kibbe, continues both traditions.
Gene honored Marilyn’s memory with the
Marilyn’s Passion race last year at Monadnock.
Now Laura honors the memory of both at the
Speedbowl.
Angelillo and Kay went racing with a car
secured in a pouring rain at Cleveland Airport
prior to the 1980 season. Perhaps fittingly, one
of the club’s great stories accompanies the
first win. While waiting for the track to be
cleared following an accident that involved
Drew’s brother Nokie, the #45 had a tire go
down. It was replaced by a tire off Nokie’s Mike
Scrivani-owned machine and Drew came from the
back to win.
The Angelillos and Drew
Fornoro are one of the most successful
owner/driver teams in Midget racing. In addition
to over 80 wins it resulted in nine NEMA and one
ARDC crown for Angelillo and nine titles for
Fornoro. The Angelillos went on to win races and
championships with Stoehr and Payne, races with
Nokie Fornoro and Ted Christopher.
Angelillo is on record as picking win
No. 36 – Pocono International Speedway in April
of 1986 – as his favorite. He had lost a leg
during the winter and “walked into the pits that
day.” The win, he recalled, was a fitting end to
a struggle in which Fornoro played a key role.
“He got me off my ass,” he said.
Win No. 36 actually came with Nokie
aboard on the dirt at Georgetown, DL. He also
won with Nokie at Accord, NY that year. There
were wins everywhere; another favorite was a
victory at Flemington in 1993 with A.J. Foyt
present for a tribute to Nick Fornoro. Who can
forget Christopher’s win at the 1989 Waterford
opener? They scored with Drew in an All American
Midget Series event at Hialeah, FL in 1992. That
was win no. 65.
Payne, who
was second at Hialeah, gave the Angelillo’s win
no. 100 at Thompson Speedway’s 2000 World
Series. Driving the Autocraft-powered second
car, Payne came from 24th to pass Stoehr, in the
Gaerte-powered car, with four laps to go.
Stoehr’s second was more than enough to win
titles for himself and Angelillo
Payne’s first
NEMA title in 2003 was the sixth in a row and
the 14th overall for the Angelillos.
A strong field
including Payne and Stoehr is expected to
celebrate Marilyn and Gene’s memory. Among the
other contenders are point leader Randy Cabral,
Boston Louie winner Jeff Abold, Waterford Wings
& Wheels winner Chris deRitis and last year’s
Marilyn’s Passion winner Greg Stoehr. |
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Payne, Seymour Combo
For Angelillo Memorial |
Brockton, MA – “There is no
other race in the world I would rather win,” says Joey
Payne Jr. of the Northeastern Midget Association’s
second annual Gene and Marilyn Angelillo Memorial
Saturday (Sept. 11) at Waterford Speedbowl. Payne will
drive the Seymour #4 in the race that honors the memory
of the dynamic couple.
“I feel I’ve got a car
that can win,” continues Payne, who captured 14 features
and one championship (2003) over a four-year run driving
the Angelillo #45. “Trust me, this is a very big deal
for me.”
Driving the car that Jeff Abold drove to
victory in the Boston Louie, Payne will battle an
expected stellar field that will include Russ Stoehr in
the Dumo’s Desire team that has been run by daughter
Laura Kibbe since Gene Angelillo’s death in March.
Payne, who gave Angelillo his 100th win at Thompson
in 2000, dedicated his victory in Seekonk Speedway’s
Challenge of Champions earlier this summer to him,
calling him “the best owner I ever had.”
Point
leaders Randy Cabral and owner Tim Bertrand lead NEMA
into the Angelillo race, heading up a contingent that
also includes Chris deRitis and Chris Leonard, both
winners at Waterford this year, Boston Louie winner Jeff
Abold, who moves back into the family #29, Adam Cantor,
Greg Stoehr, Jim Miller, Mike Horn and Aaron Wall.
Payne, who has three career Waterford wins will have
an added incentive. He is just one away from NEMA’s 20
win club
The NEMA Lites are also on the Angelillo
Memorial docket. |
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