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Oswego Speedway
August 30, 2003
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Payne
Gets Oswego
NEMA Prize |
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Oswego, NY – “The Right Place
At the Right Time” – as hackneyed at it is, nothing describes Joey Payne
Jr.’s Oswego Classic 25-lap Northeastern Midget Association win better. It was the
fourth win of the season for the point-leading Payne/Angelillo team.
Payne inherited the lead when, on the final lap, leader Randy Cabral spun coming out of
turn two collecting second place Phil DiMario as well. The incident ended end a
Cabral-DiMario battle that ranged for some five laps. Cabral, with DiMario on his tail,
turned a 17.1 the prior lap.
“They just keep giving me gifts and I’ll just keep taking them,” said Payne
who twice get victories via disqualifications. He was about six car lengths behind the
leaders when the incident happened.
Beating back a momentary (single file) restart
challenge from Sean Caisse, Payne went on to win by three car lengths over Caisse, the
latter most impressive in his first run on the lightning quick Oswego.
Drew Fornoro wound up fourth followed by Howie Bumpus and pole sitter and early leader
Pete Pernesiglio.
Payne, who started 26th, the result of a broken magneto in his heat, was the Hard Charger
winner for the fourth time this season. When the second caution showed on lap 17, Payne
had climbed to fourth behind Cabral, Caisse and DiMario.
Cabral, who had led since lap four, got away on the restart. DiMario, who set tongues
wagging with a 16.8 seconds lap earlier, took second from Caisse on lap 19 pulling Payne
along with him. He quickly closed in on Cabral and there was every indication a great
finish was in store.
Coming from 12th to third by lap two, Cabral took the lead from Pernesiglio two laps later
and opened up a wide gap before Caisse cleared traffic and began chasing him down.
Meanwhile DiMario, who started 13th, and Payne were charging.
DiMario, Ed Breault and Mike Roselli were heat winners.
It was the seventh Oswego win for Gene Angelillo. Payne, who signed on with Angelillo this
year, added to his Oswego resume, which also includes a Sept. 5, 1998 IMSA, checkered.
NEMA will be at Adirondack Speedway on Sept. 27th, kicking off a grand finish that
includes Waterford Speedowl’s Finale (Oct. 4-5), Seekonk Speedway’s DAV (Oct.
11-12) and Thompson’s World Series (Oct. 18-19).
HEAT #1-1. Phil DiMario (12W) 2. Pete Pernesiglio (50)
3. Bobby Santos III (29) 4. Sean Caisse (10C)
5. Nokie Fornoro (5) 6. Rudy Boetticher (46) 7. Matt O'Brien (16) 8. Joey Payne
(45) 9. Shane Hammond (35) 10. Lee Bundy (11)
HEAT #2-1. Ed Breault (44) 2. Drew Fornoro (91)
3. Kyle Carpenter (12) 4. Tim Heath (81) 5. Adam Cantor (7NY) 6. Erica Santos (8)
7. Robert Boetticher (56)
8. Doug Cleveland (22) 9. Gary Halteman (61)
HEAT #3-1. Mike Roselli (98) 2. Howie Bumpus (2)
3. Randy Cabral (36) 4. Ryan Dolan (15) 5. Ben Seitz (17)
6. Fred Schell (75) 7. Chuck Welling (69) 8. Bob Bradbury (57)
9. Mike Luggelle (33)
FEATURE (25 Laps)-1. Joey Payne (45) 2. Sean Caisse (10C)
3. Drew Fornoro (91) 4. Howie Bumpus (2)
5. Pete Pernesiglio (50) 6. Adam Cantor (7NY)
7. Tim Heath (81) 8. Kyle Carpenter (12) 9. Ed Breault (44)
10. Rudy Boetticher (46) 11. Randy Cabral (36)
12. Fred Schell (75) 13. Robert Boetticher (56)
14. Doug Cleveland (22) 15. Gary Halteman (61)
16. Matt O'Brien (16) 17. Chuck Welling (69)
18. Phil DiMario (12W) 19. Nokie Fornoro (5)
20. Ryan Dolan (15) 21. Mike Roselli (98) 22. Ben Seitz (17)
23. Erica Santos (8) 24. Bob Bradbury (57)
25. Shane Hammond (35) 26. Bobby Santos III (29)
27. Lee Bundy (11) DNS - Mike Lugelle |
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The
Classic at Oswego Speedway
is up next on August 30th |
Joey Payne Jr. and Gene Angelillo take the
Northeastern Midget Association point leads into The 25-lap feature (Aug. 30) that is part
of The Classic at Oswego Speedway. Payne and Angelillo, after a sixth straight owner
title, lead Drew Fornoro and the Campanale Brothers by 186 points.
Angelillo is looking for his seventh win at the speedy five-eights. He has three each with
Fornoro and Russ Stoehr. Payne, who signed on with Angelillo this year, hopes to add a
Midget win to his Sept. 5, 1998 Oswego IMSA checkered.
Oswego and Thompson are the fastest stops on the NEMA schedule.
“My all-time favorite track,” says Payne. “It separates the men from the
boys. You can almost run it flat out if you're set up is right. The backstretch is almost
a turn, a long sweeping turn.”
“I’ve gone there with two great drivers,” said Angelillo. “Now,
I’m going with another one. You go there prepared.”
Stoehr and Fornoro, with eight and four respectively, are the top two NEMA career Oswego
winners. Fornoro won NEMA’s first visit to Oswego in 1990 and captured last
year’s Classic visit in the Campanale car.
“It’s a big rhythm track,” offers Stoehr who is not racing this year.
“I’ve had a lot of success there because I pass on the outside. Guys that get
down in the groove can’t do that. Actually, it’s a pretty easy place to drive.
If you make a mistake at Oswego, there’s usually room to get out of it.”
Everybody agrees the difference between fast and slow is never greater than at Oswego.
“You really have to pay attention,” says Payne. “You come up on slower
traffic really quickly.”
Among active competitors, Nokie Fornoro (2), Mike Roselli Jr. and Howard Bumpus have also
tasted Oswego success. |
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