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Sat.-Sun., October 13th-14th
World Series Winner Randy
Cabral with owner Tim Bertrand
2007 NEMA Champions - Ben Seitz
(Driver) & Peter Valeri (Owner)
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Cabral Wins; Seitz Champ
In NEMA Season Finale |
Randy Cabral and Ben Seitz
were both opportunists Sunday. Cabral won the caution-free
25-lap Northeastern Midget Association feature at Thompson
Speedway’s World Series. Seitz’ sixth place finish turned out
more than enough to capture a record fourth
straight driver’s championship.
It was the 15th and final event in NEMA’s 55th season.
Starting sixth, Cabral snuck the Bertrand #47 under teammate
Shane Hammond heading into one ten laps in and went on to post
his third victory of the season. It was the second World Series
checkered for Cabral who gained two spots on the initial green
and ran second for seven laps.
Greg Stoehr came from 23rd to grab second. Nokie Fornoro, Hammond
and B.J. MacDonald completed the top five. The top six finished
in the same lap.
The turning point for both Cabral and Seitz came 17 laps in when
Joey Payne Jr., running second and closing on Cabral, went out
with an over-heating problem. The point leader going in (six up
on Seitz)
started 12th and moved into second by lap 12 with Bobby Santos
III following.
“A yellow and I was done for. Those guys were fast yesterday,”
said Cabral who “almost didn’t want to make the pass” on
Hammond, the outside pole sitter and only other leader. “He
bobbled down the front straightaway and as soon as I saw it I
just dove underneath him. I even pushed up a little bit because
I thought he would come back around me.”
It was, continued Cabral, “survival of the fittest. I guess when
it’s your day, it’s your day.”
Seitz, who shares the championships laurels with car owner Peter
Valeri, saw it as “being in the right place at the right time,
being in position to capitalize.”
Seitz and Payne started side-by-side in 11th and 12th. Inside of
two laps Payne was moving away. “I knew right from the start he
was faster,” said Seitz. “Our car was not right. It was actually
bad so I just kind of took it easy because the only real chance
we had was for him to break. Our only shot was to finish.”
Payne, who had the fastest lap (18.25), was fourth by lap sixth.
He was third by lap nine and second three laps later. A brief
Payne-Bobby Santos III battle ended when the latter dropped out
14 in. Then Payne slowed in the backstretch and rolled to a stop
on pit
road.
“I passed [Payne] down the backstretch,” continued Seitz. “I
knew I had to finish. He broke and I could have broke just as
easily. If we both broke, he would have won the championship. I
wasn’t celebrating until I crossed the finish line.”
“Quite a commute,” said Stoehr of his heroic run. “I got up this
morning knowing what I had to do to get to the front – drive
every lap like it was the last and the leader is two cars ahead
of you. I had to pass as many cars as I could.”
He took second from Nokie Fornoro (who started fifth) two laps
from the checkered. “I went under the checkered thinking I was
sixth or seventh,” Stoehr continued. “My brother (Russ) told me
I was second and I went back out.”
Jeremy Frankoski was the top rookie, finishing eight. |
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Thompson World Series - Oct. 14th |
| Pos. |
# |
Driver |
Hometown |
Owner |
|
1 |
47 |
Randy Cabral |
Plymouth, MA |
Tim Bertrand |
| 2 |
26b |
Greg Stoehr |
Bridgewater, MA |
Greg Stoehr |
| 3 |
4 |
Nokie
Fornoro |
Stroudsburg,
PA |
Mike
Jarret |
| 4 |
35 |
Shane Hammond |
E. Bridgewater, MA |
Glen Cabral |
| 5 |
49 |
B.J.
MacDonald |
Dublin, PA |
B.J.
MacDonald |
| 6 |
17 |
Ben Seitz |
Pocasset, MA |
Pete Valeri |
| 7 |
44 |
Erica Santos |
Franklin, MA |
Ed Breault |
| 8 |
99 |
Jeremy Frankoski |
Newark Valley, NY |
Power Point
Racing |
| 9 |
P30 |
Mike
Horn |
Ashland, MA |
Mike
Horn |
| 10 |
63 |
Drew
Fornoro |
Newton,
NJ |
John
Seaman Sr. |
| 11 |
9 |
John Zych
Jr. |
Mendon,
MA |
John Zych |
| 12 |
30 |
Paul
Scally |
Raynham,
MA |
Paul
Scally |
|
13 |
77 |
Jeff Zuidema |
North
Brookfield, MA |
Mike Lugelle |
|
14 |
8 |
Rich
Gerbe |
Franklin Sq.,
NY |
Lee
Gerbe |
|
15 |
16 |
Matt
O'Brien |
Wilmington, MA |
Jim
O'Brien |
|
16 |
78 |
Steve Powers |
N. Andover,
MA |
Linda
Cleveland |
| 17 |
33 |
Shawn Torrey |
Marshfield, MA |
Shawn Torrey |
|
18 |
5 |
Mike Keeler |
Danbury, CT |
Larry Cheetham |
| 19 |
28l |
Paul Luggelle |
Holbrook, MA |
Paul Luggelle |
20
DNF |
45 |
Joey Payne |
Fairlawn, NJ |
Gene Angellilo |
21
DNF |
98 |
Bobby Santos III |
Franklin, MA |
Robert
Santos Jr. |
22
DNF |
12 |
Kyle
Carpenter |
Gloucester, MA |
Brad
Carpenter |
23
DNF |
36 |
Cory Cleary |
Plymouth, MA |
Glen Cabral |
24
DNF |
52 |
Kevin
Park |
Foxboro, MA |
Kevin
Park |
25
DNF |
27 |
Troy
Boissoneau |
Bedford,
NH |
Ray Boissoneau |
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Saturday Action
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THOMPSON READIES FOR 34th ANNUAL XTRAMART WORLD SERIES |
THOMPSON, CT. It is a
racing weekend like no other. Thompson International Speedway’s
World Series of Speedway Racing brings together just about every
type of racecar to be found in the northeast for a three-day
racing extravaganza that includes over five hundred racecars and
fourteen different divisions. It all happens the weekend of
October 12th, 13th, and 14th.
The 34th annual World Series of Speedway Racing, presented by
Whelen Engineering and XTRAMART, is the largest and most
diversified racing weekend held anywhere in the country. Race
teams and race fans from over a dozen states and two Canadian
provinces make their annual pilgrimage to this incredible event
which is as much a huge party as it is a non-stop race weekend.
The ultra-fast, winged Super Modifieds of ISMA, the NASCAR
Whelen Modified Tour and the mighty Midgets of NEMA are only
three of the fourteen divisions of racers that are part of this
annual, season-ending celebration. Add the “super six” NASCAR
Whelen All American Series divisions that are part of the
exciting weekly race programs at Thompson, The American Race
Trucks, Pro Four Modifieds, and Outlaw Minis, Outlaw Strictly
Stocks and Outlaw Late Models and you have a three-day race
program that offers something for just about every race fan.
The huge Thompson International Speedway complex is packed from
end to end with campers and racecars. Many arrive as much as a
week ahead to be part of the fun-filled atmosphere that
surrounds this annual event. Race fans take full advantage of
all that the Thompson complex has to offer. They will pay golf
on the beautiful 18 hole Championship golf course, practice
their skills at the driving range, relax in the newly renovated
lounge or enjoy wonderful meals at the Raceway Restaurant. Early
arrivals also find that plenty of nearby shopping malls, two
world famous gambling casinos and the beauty of the New England
Fall foliage add greatly to the main event of on-track
competition.
Championships are on the line in several of the divisions and
each race team will want to wrap up its 2007 racing season with
a stellar performance. This makes for incredible competition in
each and every division. Fans will be treated to practice and
qualifying races for eight divisions on Friday. Those same
divisions will compete in feature event races on Saturday night.
The remaining six divisions will qualify on Saturday afternoon
and race in their feature events on Sunday afternoon. It’s a
race fans dream come true weekend.
The entire schedule for the 34th annual World Series of Speedway
Racing, presented by Whelen Engineering and XTRAMART, is
available on the Thompson Speedway web page.
www.thompsonspeedway.com. Fans may also purchase tickets in
advance by calling the track office at 860-923-2280. |
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Fornoro Boys Headed To Thompson |
The Fornoro boys – Drew and
Nokie – are together again and coming to Thompson
Speedway’s World Series this weekend.They bring some
Northeastern Midget Association history to a spot already loaded
with it.
The point battle - Joey Payne Jr. and owner Gene Angelillo come
to the World Series with an eight-point edge on Ben Seitz and
owner Peter Valeri – takes center stage. There are a number of
“stories”
accompanying what will be the 67th NEMA feature on the storied
five-eights. The Fornoros are one of them.
Seitz has won the last two Thompson NEMA shows including last
year’s World Series. Payne, who comes to Thompson off last
Sunday’s DAV win at Seekonk, has one Thompson victory –
Angelillo’s 100th checkered in the 2000 World Series.
Between them, the Fornoro brothers have well over 200 Midget
victories and that includes a combined nine Thompson NEMA wins –
five for Drew. NEMA’s all-time winner, Drew returned last
weekend to drive John Seaman’s entry at Seekonk’s DAV. Angelillo
“brokered
the deal.”
Seaman actually purchased the car from Angelillo. “I told John
Drew has 99 wins and he agreed to put him in the car,” said
Angelillo. “I called Drew and he agreed to drive it.”
“It’s nice to be back,” said Drew. “We threw a lot of stuff at
the car and we did OK (seventh). We learned some things.” He
said he is really looking forward to Thompson, calling it his
“favorite track.”
“It was great having my brother back,” said Nokie, pointing out
Mike Scrivani Jr., the crew chief on his #4 car, actually worked
on the Seaman car. “It was good racing with him and I’m looking
forward to doing it as long as he wants. It is a pleasure to
race him.”
Both agree their father Nick, who passed away recently, would
love what’s going on.
Nokie’s first Thompson win was in 1983 driving for the legendary
Mike Scrivani Sr.; Drew’s initial Thompson checkered came in
1982 in an Angelillo car.
“Thompson has always been a ‘separate the men from the boys’
kind of place,” says NEMA president Mike Scrivani Jr. “The World
Series has become the No. 1 race for NEMA. A Thompson World
Series Midget win stands all by itself, puts you in a special
group.”
In addition to the Fornoros, Seitz (3) and Payne (1) Thompson
winners among active NEMA drivers include Randy Cabral (4),
Bobby Santos III (1) and Greg Stoehr (1).
NEMA NOTES: Jeremey Frankoski, who
came so close before losing to Payne at the DAV, has one last
chance to become the first rookie in NEMA’s long history to
record two victories. He was a winner earlier this year at Beech
Ridge…The World Series will settle a
five-way battle for the three through five positions.It finishes
one of the most competitive seasons in recent NEMA history with
eight different winners…Included in that group is Erica Santos
who became the club’s first female winner at Stafford in
July…The legendary Dutch Schaefer won the first NEMA race at
Thompson on April 24, 1960. The all-time Thompson NEMA winner
leader is Johnny Mann with six…The Coy family remains
unchallenged at Thompson. Johnny Coy Sr. won there as did his
sons Johnny Jr.
and Joey, the latter a NEMA champion. |
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