Wreckers to Checkers:
Randy Cabral Captures
Seekonk NEMA Win

Photos by Converse Photo converse@conversephoto.com

Barry Kittredge and Mike Keeler led the field to the green flag. Quickly, Keeler jumped out into the lead with the wily veteran Jeff Horn tucked in behind him. They were followed by Shane Hammond, filling in for Nokie Fornoro in the Mike Jarrett entry, and eighth place starter Cabral who had worked his way to the front using the outside groove.

Within the first five laps, attrition began to play a factor as Keeler and Joey Payne in the Gene Angelillo #45 were both in the infield with engine related mechanical issues. Payne and Keeler, both heat winners from the evening, have suffered a number of uncharacteristic engine related issues this year.

With Keeler retired, Horn assumed the lead with Cabral closing steadily each lap. By the eighth lap, it was Horn followed by Cabral, Hammond and 2005 champion Ben Seitz, who had worked his way to the front methodically from twelfth place.

A lap eleven restart, would however change the game. On the first try, Horn brought the field down at a fierce pace, but starter Steve Grant would have no part and called back the field for another chance. On the second try, the green flag flew and the young Cabral rocketed by Horn on the outside to take the lead.

For the next fourteen laps, Cabral, in the Bertrand Motorsports entry, would continue to stretch out his lead by two tenths of a second per lap as he and Horn worked their way feverously through lapped traffic. Cabral turned in the fastest lap of the feature while running through lapped traffic at 11.39 seconds.

“When Randy went by, I could tell how good he was working”, said Horn. “We were getting looser and looser and it was going to be tough to catch him.”

With three laps remaining, Cabral’s car began to slow, but his near three second margin would only shrink to 1.879 as he would go on to claim victory over Horn, Seitz, Hammond and the “Hard Charger” for the event, Mike Ordway Jr., who came from the seventeenth starting position after a heat race misfortune to finish fifth.

Greg Stoehr, Pete Pernisiglio, Barry Kittredge, Adam Cantor, and rookie contender Cory Cleary rounded out the top ten.

NEMA now enters a five week hiatus as the club prepares for their July 6th event at Thompson Speedway, followed by a July 11th “Extreme Tuesday” event at Stafford Speedway.