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2013 NEMA NEWS |
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Romano, Monahan Induct
Eldridge, Fornoro into Hall |
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Two of the Northeastern Midget Association’s greatest
chroniclers – Chris Romano and Dick Monahan – inducted two
NEMA greats, nine-time champion Drew Fornoro and three-time king
Billy Eldridge, into the New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame
Sunday Nov. 10. |
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Romano, Monahan to Induct
Eldridge, Fornoro into Hall |
Two of the Northeastern Midget Association’s greatest
chroniclers – Chris Romano and Dick Monahan – will induct two
NEMA greats, nine-time champion Drew Fornoro and three-time king
Billy Eldridge, into the New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame
Sunday Nov. 10 at the Lodge at Manelleys located at 65 Rye
Street in South Windsor, CT.
In addition to the presidency, Monahan, who will induct
Eldridge, has been NEMA’s public relations director, announcer,
yearbook editor, statistics compiler and overall trouble solver
and remains one of its top historians.
Romano will induct
his long-time friend Fornoro. A key contributor to the now
lamented Trackside Magazine, Romano has and continues to serve
the sport with pen, microphone and now camera. He is one of a
few non competitors to have won NEMA’s coveted Johnny Thomson
Award.
Originally from Chelmsford, MA, Eldridge was the
Northeastern Midget Association’s first champion (1953) and,
some 40 years after retiring, is sixth on the clubs’ all-time
win list with 32. Driving for the likes of Gibby Parmenter, Mike
Scrivani, Bob Bahre and Rollie Lindblad, Eldridge, who began in
the post World War II days, captured four NEMA championships.
Fornoro, who joins his father Nick in the Hall, holds
Northeastern Midget Association records with 85 victories and
nine championships, most of the former and all of the latter
with owner Gene Angelillo. Born in Danbury, Fornoro won at least
one NEMA feature in 21 different seasons, grabbing checkereds at
over 20 different tracks. |
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NEMA Champ Zych Always Knew
Where He Stood |
Northeastern Midget
Association driver champion John Zych Jr. admits he looked
at the standings. “I always had a pretty good idea where we
stood,” he says. “I knew we had a shot at it and that made
me drive harder.” John and his dad, the owner champion,
showed up expecting to win.
They needed a victory at
the season-ending World Series at Thompson. They went into
the race five points behind two-time defending champion
Randy Cabral. He actually battled Cabral for much of the 25
lapper before claiming his fifth victory.
Ironically,
the Zychs, both Mendon, Ma residents, won with a Drinan
chassis purchased from the Cabral’s owner Bertrand Racing
two years ago.
It was hardly an inspiring start, a broken
motor at Waterford Speedbowl actually resulting in a “Did
Not Start.” But there was a month until the second race,
time for the Esslinger motor to be shipped to California and
back. He was third at Seekonk and a winner at Star Speedway.
“We worked for that win,” Junior says. “We didn’t start on
the front row. We passed some cars early and we beat some
good guys. When you do that, you get some confidence.”
Overcoming a “downer” at Monadnock (spinning while
leading to avoid a lapped car), he won at Stafford and, four
races later, conquered New York’s Airborne Speedway. “While
I can’t point to a definite time when I was totally
comfortable, I did think three wins at the halfway point in
the season was a really good place to be,” he says.
He won again at Riverside Speedway in Groveton, NH but could
not get away from Cabral whose win at Lee put Zych in second
heading into Thompson. He says he appreciates winning the
title under those challenging circumstances. Cabral and car
owner Tim Bertrand have both been very helpful to the Zych
since they came to NEMA in 2007 after a couple of Mini
Sprint campaigns.
“This year we figured more things out
for ourselves,” Zych claims, but quickly acknowledges the
help of Midget maestros Bobby Santos III and Lou Cicconi at
the World Series.
Competition has always been part
of Zych’s existence, the father of two daughters with wife
Liz, was a high school basketball sensation who went on to
play at LeMoyne College in New York. John Sr. has the same
resume. Also like his dad was, Junior is employed by the
Hershey Corporation.
Zych’s first NEMA win came in
the 2012 opener at Waterford and five races in, he was the
point leader. He was, however, based in Louisville, KY then
and business commitments and rain-outs got in the way. He
found motivation in that. “Back in New England, I looked at
this year as an opportunity,” he says. “Taking in account
2012, I thought this could be our year.”
They will be
back in 2014. |
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NEMA Season Filled
with
Historic Victories |
Already rich in history,
the Northeastern Midget Association added another chapter in
2013. Led by champion John Zych Jr.’s five triumphs, there
were nine different winners, some with historical
significance.
Zych’s fifth win at the Thompson’s
World Series gave him and his dad the drivers and owners
championship respectively. It was the only way he could have
accomplished it because Randy Cabral’s second win of the
season (and the 37th of his career) came at Lee USA
Speedway’s Oktoberfest. It gave Cabral, a four-time champ, a
five-point lead heading into the World Series.
A
Hollywood script writer couldn’t have done it better. Zych’s
dramatic win added a fitting chapter to a season that also
saw Todd Bertrand (2), Seth Carlson, Modified star Doug
Coby, Anthony Marvuglio, veterans Bobby Santos and Bobby
Santos III and Bethany Stoehr visit victory lane.
Zych and the Cabral/Bertrand Motorsports 47 combination
waged an enticing points war over the second half of the
season. Cabral had a 12-9 edge in top-five finishes
including the last seven races. He was third in four of
Zych’s wins and fifth in the other.
Both Bertrand
wins came at Waterford Speedbowl where Marvuglio, in Tim
Bertrand’s ill-fated No. 74, scored an emotional win in the
event that memorialized his brother Shane Hammond. And, it
was at Waterford where Bethany Stoehr became only the second
female winner in club history (Erica Santos was the first)
but only after a race-long tussle with her uncle Russ
Stoehr.
Coby, also in the Bertrand 74, joined a very
select group of primarily Modified drivers (Gene Bergin, Ted
Christopher) with a NEMA win at Seekonk’s Boston Louie
Memorial. A couple of weeks later he returned in the same
car and finished a few inches behind Cabral, turning a
sizzling 11.149 lap en route. With Marvuglio aboard, the 74
was destroyed at New Hampshire’s Riverside Speedway.
Carlson tamed Oswego Speedway and in impressive style. Payne
won for Ed Breault at Monandock, his 20th career NEMA
victory which put him in a tie for 20th on the all-time win
list with Johnny Coy and Jeff Horn. Santos moved up into a
three way tie for 14th with Walter Galen and Ben Seitz when
he drove the Cantor car to his 14th career win at Monadnock.
Two Zych’s win came at tracks NEMA hadn’t visited in a
number of years – New York’s Airborne Speedway and New
Hampshire’s Riverside Speedway. He also prevailed at Star
and Stafford Speedways before the final win.
It was
the 14th straight season Cabral had at least one victory.
Only the legendary Dave Humphrey’s 16 is better.
Ian
Cumens, who scored three seconds in his first full season in
NEMA, was third in points followed by Todd Bertrand and Russ
Stoehr. |
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NEMA Lites Champion Carl Medeiros Jr.
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Early
in the season finale at Lee USA Speedway’s Oktoberfest, Carl
Medeiros Jr. hardly looked like somebody with the
Northeastern Midget Association Lites Division championship
all but won. He appeared to be a little aggressive.
“I was running in a tight bunch with a very slippery outside
lane,” says Medeiros. “I was trying to get to third because
that would put me on the inside row on a restart.” Make no
mistake, the Fall River, MA teenager had his eyes on the
bigger prize.
Westport, MA resident Medeiros, 17,
wound up fourth, more than enough to claim the first
“count-all-the-races” championship with a 27-point bulge on
Danny Cugini. He had three victories and seven podiums among
10 top-fives.
Cugini did wind up with the owner
championship besting Medeiros’ dad by eight points.
Only
twice through the season did Medeiros, a senior at Diman
Regional Vocational in Fall River, enter a race without the
point lead. “Actually having the point lead helps,” he says.
“You focus on who you have to beat, on who is behind and who
is in front of you. It involves doing some math in your
head.”
It is testimony to how badly Medeiros, who
missed one show “for reasons I won’t talk about,” wanted the
championship. Medeiros, who won his first Lites race a
week-and-a-half before his 16th birthday, came so close to
winning last year’s Hoosier Challenge.
“We lost on
other people’s decisions, on stuff we couldn’t control,”
says Medeiros who came to the Lites with a impressive Go
Kart resume.
A select number of races made up the
Hoosier Challenge. The season-ending Oktoberfest at Lee USA
Speedway, which included the regularly scheduled feature and
a rain out, was added to the number. Going in with a slim
lead, Medeiros fell victim to the two-spin rule in the first
race and got wrecked in the second. He wound up fourth in
the standings.
Still, he was the leader in wins with four
including three straight. Part of the latter statistic was
two in one day at Lee.
Second in this season’s opener
at Waterford, Medeiros assumed the point lead with a victory
in the second race at Star. When Medeiros, who also won at
Lee and again at Star, was not leading in points, he was not
far behind.
He was out of the top 10 twice but one of
those proved to be vital to the championship. After
“basically destroying the car” at Monadnock on June 23,
Jennifer Scrivani approached him about driving the No. 21.
“Jen said ‘go talk to Joey Payne’ who had qualified the car.
Joey said ‘yes.’” After some changes to the seat and belts
and to the suspension, Medeiros finished 12th picking up
what proved to be a vital 30 points.
He was 13th at
Waterford on Aug. 10 but then finished with four top fours
in the final six races. He also had a sixth and didn’t
compete in one.
Medeiros, who will run some TQ action
this winter, will move on to the Modifieds next year. One of
things he’ll miss is racing with Cugini. “Most of the year
we were starting side-by-side,” he said. “We are good
friends.” |
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11 Different Winners For
NEMA Lites
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It was the busiest and the
most competitive season yet for the six-year old
Northeastern Midget Association’s Lites Division. There were
11 different winners in 17 events with point battles that
went down to the final checkered.
Three-time feature
winner Carl Medeiros Jr., 17, is the first count-all-the
races champion, finishing with a 27- point edge on Danny
Cugini. The Cugini No. 51 is, however, the top car, a scant
eight points better than the Medeiros 50.
The top-15
owners and drivers will all be recognized at the NEMA Awards
Banquet Saturday night, Nov. 16 at White’s of Westport, in
Westport, MA. |
The “winningest” car was the Bill
Stergios 11, brothers P.J. and Jake Stergios driving it to a
combined four checkereds and a third in the final standings.
P.J. Stergios and Medeiros share the “winningest” driver
laurels.
Ian Clemens and Avery Stoehr, with two
apiece, were also multiple winners. Each had a “big track”
win as well, Seymour family driver Clemens prevailing at
Airborne while third generation performer Stoehr, was
successful at Stafford Speedway. Stoehr is slated to join
cousin Bethany Stoehr in NEMA’s premier division next
season.|
The “biggest” big plum, belongs to Oswego
Speedway winner Richie Morocco. Others with a single win, in
addition to Jake Stergios, are Cugini, who won the season
finale at Lee, Andy Barrows, Scott Bigelow, Randy Cabral and
Kenny Johnson.
Stoehr and Johnson, both teenagers,
finished third and fourth in the final point standings.
Twenty-one year old Cugini, part of a two-car team that also
included sister Megan, is the oldest among the top four,
testimony to the division serving its intended purpose.
Consistent all year, Logan Rayvals finished fifth in driver
points.
Medeiros, Cugini and Johnson all had 10
top-five finishes, Medeiros’ three victories making the
difference in the final figuring.
The Stoehr 15a and
the Johnson 46 were fourth and fifth in the final owner
standings.
 Unlike
last year when Medeiros won three straight, the Lites had no
back-to-back winners this year.
Last
year’s Hoosier Tire Challenge winner Ian Cumens wound up 12,
collecting two seconds and a third to go with the two
victories.
Anthony
Payne, son of NEMA standout Joey Payne, made his midget
debut with eight starts in the Scrivani 21, sixth his best
result. |
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OCTOBER 13th NEMA/LEE
CANCER WALK A SUCCESS |
Approximately forty early raisers braved chilly
temperatures and sunny skies to walk the Lee Speedway on Oct.
13, to benefit the N.H. chapter of the American Cancer Society.
Race fans, crew members, drivers, officials and even boy scouts
participated.
The event organizers, a team of Lee and
NEMA members, had less then two weeks to "get the word out", and
solicit donations. NEMA team leader, Tina Mederios, worked
tirelessly to procure team tee shirts and stickers to sell.
Selected walkers were later given the opportunity to join in
on victory lane celebrations and receive pink and black
checkered flags, autographed by the race winners. |
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Bertrand Motorsports
40th
Win |
Todd Bertrand’s victory in the Angelillo Memorial at
Waterford Speedbowl Saturday night, August 10th, marked the 40th
NEMA victory for Bertrand Motorsports. The team, in fact, had
three of the top five finishes with Randy Cabral second and
Anthony Marvuglio, in the 74, fourth.
Cabral acknowledged
the situation: “It’s kind of different being in second place and
rooting for the car in the lead.”
“This is the best night
of racing I think out of the whole year because you’ve got so
many open wheel divisions that all put good rubber down on the
track,” said Bertrand after his third straight Angelillo
Memorial victory. In addition to NEMA and the NEMA Lites, the
Supermodifieds and three different Modified divisions were on
hand.
Still there were only three 12 seconds laps
including Todd's feature-best 12.794 (105.518). Ian Cumens
(12.939 – 104.336 mph) and Anthony Marvuglio (12.829 – 105.230
mph) did it en route to heat victories. |
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LOU FRAY |
Lou Fray, who shared the Northeastern Midget
Association championship with Dave Humphrey in 1970, passed away
Wednesday (Oct. 2) at Bridgeport Hospital. He was 88.
A
life-long Shelton, CT resident, Fray spent almost six decades in
Midget racing competing with, in addition to NEMA, the ARA, ARDC,
NASCAR and SMRC, winning three straight titles with the latter.
Driving for, among others, John McCarthy, Bob Pascale and Paul
Young, Fray scored NEMA victories at Albany-Saratoga, Catamount,
Oxford Plains, Quebec City, Stafford and Westboro and was
consistently among the top point finishers.
In more recent
years, he was a leader in the Atlantic Coast
Old Timers.
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From Pete Zanardi
The Northeastern Midget Association
heads into the “stretch run” beginning with Waterford
Speedbowl’s Finale Oct. 5-6.
Per usual, there is a
torrid point battle highlighting the month of October – John
Zych Jr. and Randy Cabral the combatants.
The stretch
run includes traditional stops for NEMA – the Ocktoberfest
at Lee USA Speedway on Oct. 12-13 and Thompson Speedway’s
World Series on Oct. 19-20.
The list of NEMA
championships is an impressive group. We’ve lined up some
portraits of past champions, hoping to rekindle some
memories of stretch runs in the past. |
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Bill Eldrdige dominated the 1950s with four crowns. |
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Dave Humphrey has six championships. |
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Johnny Mann was tops in 1972 and '74. |
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Drew Fornoro had nine championships while Nokie owns one. |
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Armond Holley was the 1976 champ. |
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Dick Brown ruled in 1960 and '61. |
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Lee Smith has two crowns: 1980 and '82. |
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Butch Walsh was the 1973 champion. |
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Gordon Galen Bumpus, aged 81 years, of Taunton,
formerly of Lakeville, died at Morton Hospital, Taunton,
Friday, Aug. 30, 2013. He was born in Brockton, son of the
late Galen L. and Viola P. (Bowles) Bumpus.
He
served in the United States Army, during the Korean War.
Gordon was a retired engineer, having worked for the
Massachusetts D.P.W. Highway and Bridge Department. He was a
member of the Union Congregational Church, Taunton. He was
an avid auto race fan; especially open wheel, sprint, and
midget racing.
Survivors include two sons, Howard G.
Bumpus and Jeffrey W. Bumpus, both of Lakeville; a daughter,
Sherri L. and her husband Mark S. Larson of Lakeville; four
grandchildren, Kelsey Larson, Tyler Larson, Shawn Bumpus and
Mitchell Bumpus. He was the former husband of Evelyn C.
(Martins) Bumpus of Lakeville.
Visiting hours will
be held in the Ashley Funeral Home, 35 Oak St., Middleboro,
on Tuesday, Sept. 3, from 5 - 8 p.m.
A prayer
service will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 4, at 10 a.m. in
the funeral home. Burial will follow at St. Marys Cemetery,
Middleboro.
Donations in his memory, made to charity
of ones choice, would be appreciated.
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From Pete Zanardi
We have come on classic portraits
of some of the outstanding drivers in NEMA's 60-plus year
history. NEMA, making ready for a visit to Oswego Speedway
on Saturday night, Sept. 14, is heading into the home
stretch. Per usual, there is a great battle going on for the
driver championship, current point leader John Zych Jr. and
four-time king Randy Cabral the combatants. It is another
chapter in a magnificent club history that features drivers
like those pictured here. The drivers pictured here were all
NEMA winners. |
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Joe Csiki |
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Johnny Kay |
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Jerry Wall |
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Jerry Russo |
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Tony Romit |
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Johnny Coy |
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Bert Brooks |
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NEMA HISTORY |
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Doug Cleveland - Original Pink Panther - 1976 |
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Dutch Schaefer in Victory Lane |
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Jerry Russo - Secundo Offy |
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Johnny Mann with Mike Sheehan |
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Munson Geo (#3) & Lee Smith (#72) - Stafford
(Miour Photo) |
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Ronnie Evans - Eichman #57 - 1962 |
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Chambers Among NEMA Threats |
Brockton, MA – Jim Chambers, a Northeastern Midget
Association rookie, is loving it. After six races, including
back-to-back top fives, only one question remains for the
Atkinson, NH resident : “What took us so long to join NEMA?”
Fifth at Seekonk Speedway on July 17, Chambers and the
family MOPAR-powered Beast chassis head for Waterford
Speedbowl’s Shane Hammond Memorial Saturday night. The NEMA
Lites are on the schedule as well.
“It’s kind of
surprising,” says Chambers, 25, a racer for almost 20 years.
While “it’s been good and it’s been fun,” it’s also been a
struggle figuring out set ups and battling mechanical woes.
Prior to this year’s opener at Waterford, his only Midget
experience was a fifth and second at last year’s season-ending
Lites events at Lee.
Chambers, who has driven 350
Supermodifieds and Pro Stocks (a two-year PASS regular), was
confident he would adapt. He was supposed to share driving
duties with brother Alan. The latter, however, has trouble
getting up from North Carolina, meaning Jim is doing all the
driving for his car-owner dad Michael.
Alan had six Lites
starts last year, winning at Beech Ridge. Lites Rookie Kevin
Hutchens is currently driving the car.
Right now, Chambers, an auto auctioneer like his dad,
reports both the car, which was purchased from the Martino
family, and the team “are working good. We got the handles;
hopefully the mechanical issues are cured.”
Pointing to
help from Russ Stoehr – “he got us pointed in the direction we
wanted to go” – Chambers was second to Bobby Santos (in the
Cantor 7ny) at Lee. “Considering who won the race and who we
beat, we kind of consider that a win,” he says.
It was a
sixth at Monadnock, however, that got Chambers among the leaders
as far as handicapping goes. “We got up to the top five, had
some electrical problems and then came back from 15 to sixth,”
Chambers says.
It is not lost on Chambers that 18 drivers
have scored their first-ever NEMA win at Waterford. He broke in
practice earlier this year at the ‘Bowl but he returns with
well-founded optimism. “It was my first time in a full midget
and my first time at Waterford and by the third time out I was
comfortable. I was only half a second off the leaders.”
John Zych and Todd Bertrand, both among the current point
leaders, are among the many who scored their first NEMA win at
the Speedbowl. |
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Bill Eldridge in Lindblad #48 at Star Speedway. |
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Drew Fornoro in Angelillo Badger at Star Speedway in
1989. MiourPhoto. |
Hall of Fame Honors
For Eldridge, Fornoro |
Ranking first and sixth on the Northeastern Midget
Association’s career win list, Drew Fornoro and Billy Eldridge
are part of the New England Auto Racers Hall Fame Class of 2013.
Fornoro and Eldridge will join six others being inducted at The
Lodge at Maneeley’s in South Windsor, CT Sunday, Nov. 10.
The New England Antique Racers website (near1.com)
will have complete times and ticket prices in the near future.
Originally from Chelmsford, MA, Eldridge won NEMA’s
second-ever race at Waterford Speedbowl on May 31, 1953 en route
to the club’s first championship. He went on to win 32 features
driving for the likes of Gibby Parmenter, Mike Scrivani, Bob
Bahre and Rollie Lindblad and added three more championships.
Fornoro, who joins his father Nick in the Hall, won a record
85 NEMA victories and nine championships, most of the former and
all of the latter with owner Gene Angelillo. Born in Danbury,
Fornoro, now a New Jersey resident, won at least one NEMA
feature in 21 different seasons, grabbing checkereds at over 20
different tracks.
Other NEMA competitors in the NEAR
Hall of Fame are drivers Bert Brooks, Joe Csiki, Dave Humphreys,
Johnny Kay, George Monsen, Al Pillion, Bill Randall and Hank
Stevens and car owners Wen Kelley, John McCarthy, Mike Scrivani
Sr., Louie Seymour and Ed Stone.
Joining Fornoro and
Eldridge will be sports car standout Bob Sharp, oval track stars
Bob Stefanik, Ralph Nason, Brian Ross and Stan Meserve and
modified car owner Ronnie Berndt. |
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Former
ARDC & NEMA Midget
Driver
Jerry Stover
Passes at 76
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Gerald L. Stover of Spring Hill, FL, formerly of
Brownstown and Albrightsville, PA, passed away at his home
Sunday, June 16, 2013, a day before his 77th birthday.
He is best known in the world of Auto Racing as Jerry or
Smokey Stover. He started with drag racing his favorite
Triumph Motorcycle at the Maple Grove drag strip (top
eliminator) and Lancaster Dragway. He then joined the Lanco
Micro-Midget Racing Club and, in partnership with Bob
“Shorty” Howe, built several micros and captured the 1964
open class championship. From there, he went on to race TQ
midgets, full midgets and sprint cars. Some of his car
owners were Leigh Earnshaw, Sr., Stan Bronowski, Joe DeVine,
Bob Hanrahan and Henry Kramer. While driving the Mike
Sheehan Sesco midget, he set a 50-lap speed record at Wall
Stadium, Wall, NJ, which he still holds today, and debuted
the first winged midget race car at Islip Speedway, Long
Island, NY. He built his own Datsunpowered mini-stock
before retiring from racing and raced with the AMSA club.
Other clubs were ATQMRA, ARDC, UMRA, NEMA, URC and USAC. He
competed at over 80 tracks in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic
and Southern states, always with his wife and children as
traveling companions.
FULL STORY HERE |
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The Women of NEMA
By Bill Van Slyke |
Part 2: ”For Sale” - “A
Message” - ”Passion”
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You’ve heard the ole
cliché, “behind every good man, there’s a great women”.
Similarly, “behind every good Auto Racing club, there’s a
great group of women.” As the Northeastern Midget Assoc.
enters it’s 61st year, it does so on the shoulders of a
number of dedicated hard working women. In 1953, NEMA’s
inaugural year, women had no shot of even getting into the
pits; nowadays, they’re calling the shots.
I recently had the
opportunity to sit down for a candid conversation with a
number of NEMA’s dedicated females whose duties range from
officials to sales person to one who loves to drive very
fast. |
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| Cyndy finally said yes to the
question, “you want to go to the races”? The question came
from NEMA president Mike Scrivani back in 2008. Shortly
after, the two were wed and Cyndy became part of a family
with a long racing history. But,
Cyndy Scrivani confesses that initially she really
had no interest in racing, but that was then. Today, she is
now fully entrenched in the club and her duties as
merchandise salesperson, responsible for the purchasing and
marketing of hundreds of caps, tees, decals, key chains,
etc. Ever since 2010, the job has put this “blond with the
never ending smile” one-on-one with the fans as the
merchandise trailer is parked directly in the speedway’s
paddock area so she can easily wheel and deal with the fans.
Her duties prior to NEMA sales, “provided all with plentiful
food and drink”, a task she still performs at the close of
each race weekend. Over in the RV park, where the campfire
is as tall as the stories being told, there is Cyndy, still
providing that food and drink for all that attend.
Similarly, at the annual NEMA picnic, Cyndy plays a major
roll in the organization and set up of tents, serving
tables, grills, coolers, menu,…..and when the evening closes
down in the very early hours, there she is helping with the
clean up. And even though she loves to escape occasionally
to the Rhode Island beaches, the family atmosphere keeps her
tied to NEMA. So in 2011, to show their appreciation for her
dedication, the club presented Cyndy with the Marilyn
Angelillo award; a very deserving honor.
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| “I climbed up in the trailer and
sat down. A message came, a clear message. I knew what it
was and who it came from. So I got up, walked out of that
trailer and went to work”. To stand back at any NEMA event
and watch Tara Stoehr
perform her work is amazing. She’ll start the evening at the
Stoehr family hauler where daughters Bethany and Kathryn
work side by side with mom in preparation of the two racers
for Bethany and husband Greg. Then it’s off to the drivers
meeting where, as the only female Chaplain in the Racing for
Jesus Ministries, she’ll lead the group in prayer asking for
safety for all in attendance and to remember a friend who
may be down on his luck. Tara’s racing life began in 1982,
dating then go-cart racer turned stock car driver Greg, at
Seekonk. She boasts that she has only missed one of Greg’s
races in all these years and is very proud of him as a
driver and family man. “Greg has impeccable patients when
teaching the girls about racing”. When asked of any
interests outside of racing, Tara explains of her family’s
love for outdoor activities such as hiking and the beach.
Tara’s response when asked about her best moment in racing,
“there’s a few, she says, like the time at Volusia County
Speedway in Florida. Greg wins the feature in a old jalopy
after an other car owner says he can’t believe we drove all
that way to drive such a sub-par racer. As I proudly walked
to victory lane, and without saying a word, I made sure I
made eye contact with that car owner.“ Another moment came
when Bethany set fast time at Waterford in her ex-Mike
Jarret midget; but the most memorable is when NEMA honored
her with the “Woman Behind the Man” award in 2011. Truly,
Tara is a hard worker as she continues to carry along that
“message” |
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She posts on face book, “My dad
sold my NEMA Lite car, so I’m free to drive your Lite,
modified, super modified, SK, or late model.“ That’s how
Bethany Stoehr defines her
“Passion” for racing, by wanting to drive anything. It all
began in 2001 when dad Greg found the perfect go cart in a
strange place, a flea market. That cart solidified the forth
generation of Stoehr’s to participate in auto racing
starting with great grandfather Bill, than grandfather Paul
and father Greg. While driving that cart, Bethany, along
with sister Kathryn, would crew Greg’s midget at NEMA
events. They didn’t just help the crew, they WERE the crew,
performing it all; tires, fuel, gears, shocks, driving the
push quad and learning all that dad had to teach. And when
they were big enough to see over the steering wheel, they
steered the car to the pits after a race. When asked what
draws her interest in NEMA, this eighteen year old is quick
to explain, “the great people and my friends” which she
truly misses in the off season. And Bethany’s off seasons
are usually empty, but she fills her time as a convenient
store clerk and singing with her sister….”singing is fun,
but I’m not very good at it”. And that’s fine with us, as
long a she sticks with what she is good at, following that
“Passion“.
We would be remiss without mentioning two
NEMA angels that have left us,
Miss “Ellie” Seymour and
Marilyn Angelillo. Without ever having the
opportunity to meet these ladies, one only has to inquire to
any veteran NEMA member of the work and contributions to
NEMA they made, and the stories will be free flowing and
plentiful. From secretary to announcer to hauler driver the
longevity, love and support they gave to this racing club is
unmatched. So, with the memories of the past fresh in our
minds, the Northeastern Midget Association looks ahead to a
strong future with help and support from “The Women of
NEMA”. |
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The Women of NEMA
By Bill Van Slyke |
Part 1: ”The
Traveler” - “Busy Bee” - “Shane” - “SOX Fan“
.
You’ve heard the ole
cliché, “behind every good man, there’s a great women”.
Similarly, “behind every good Auto Racing club, there’s a
great group of women.” As the Northeastern Midget Assoc.
enters it’s 61st year, it does so on the shoulders of a
number of dedicated hard working women. In 1953, NEMA’s
inaugural year, women had no shot of even getting into the
pits; nowadays, they’re calling the shots.
I recently had the
opportunity to sit down for a candid conversation with a
number of NEMA’s dedicated females whose duties range from
officials to sales person to one who loves to drive very
fast. |
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Lu Jarret has been associated with NEMA since 2005
when husband Mike invested some sponsor money into NEMA, and
eventually fielded a midget racer for Nokie Forono. Not one
to just sit and spectate, Lu jumped in selling merchandise ,
running the 50/50, doing the line-up, whatever needed
attention. The Jarret’s tenure as car owners lasted a number
of years until the lure of the sea took them away to their
beach house, and a new RV took them everywhere else. In the
wake of their life with NEMA are fond memories such as a
special night at the 2007 awards banquet as Lu was the
recipient of the Marilyn Angelillo Woman-Behind-the-Man
award presented by Gene Angelillo himself; this was Lu’s
self proclaimed “best moment in racing”. At your next chance
meeting with Lu…ask her of her latest travels; the stories
will be endless. |
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“I’d have my toes in the
sand and a drink in my hand”, is how
Linda Cleveland describes
her weekends if it weren’t for her scoring and secretarial
duties for NEMA. To catch up with this “busy-bee” at the
track you’ll be at the scoring table one minute, the press
box the next, then off to the RV to construct the night’s
line-ups. Linda’s racing timeline started in 1975 at
Westboro Speedway where she was a late model fan and
witnessed her first midget race, then onto 1993 when her
NEMA scoring duties commenced , then her marriage to veteran
NEMA driver Doug Cleveland in 1994 and the throng of
Cleveland’s that came along with him. (namely
brothers-in-law Brian drives a midget, and Steve, a push
truck operator). But this busy lifestyle with the racing
club suites her just fine as the camaraderie among teams and
closeness among families are attributes much to her liking.
Linda can recall numerous pleasurable moments on that
timeline but none measure up to the night she was honored
with the “Woman behind Man” award a handful of years back,
one moment in time she will always cherish.
“Giving
back, I need to give back”, are the words from the founder
of the Shane Hammond Foundation, (
shanehammondfoundation.org ),
Deb Marvuglio, mother of the late driver. Deb
formed the foundation in 2009 to meet the objective of
supplying state of the art safety equipment to racers that
would otherwise go without. This tireless ambassador of
driver safety is a lifelong racer as her father raced in the
60’s and 70’s. Deb finds pleasure with the friends and
family environment of NEMA as shown by her duties with the
club, which include race day scoring, organizing the seat
chart for the year ending awards banquet as well as
procuring the DJ for that evenings entertainment . One NEMA
memory she’ll always cherish will be Shane’s memorial race
in 2012 when Deb’s other son, Anthony “Bug” Marvuglio, an
up-coming wheelman himself, captured the checkers to endless
cheers and endless tears as it was a very emotional win.
According to Deb, “If I were to choose another interest
aside from racing it would be devoting myself to charity
work”. It would seem NEMA wants her to stay right where she
is. |
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| “My entire life; I was born
into it”, is Jenifer Scrivani’s
response to the question, “how long you been in racing”? The
daughter of NEMA president Mike, and granddaughter of “Iron”
Mike, this girl went from the crib directly to the garage.
“The only job they let me do was wipe down the car”. “But,
as I got older, I’d clean the garage and run to get parts”.
When I was 13, Jeff Gordon drove our car and Dad knew he was
going to make it big…the “I told you so’s”, are still being
heard. Today, this energetic SOX fan can be seen going about
her duties as the weekly NEMA VIP tour guide, insuring the
lucky fan receives all the perks that goes along with
winning the fun contest. Even after all these years, her
racing passion grows as she loves the family orientated
climate and witnessing the kids moving up through the ranks.
Even though “Jen” is a lover of music festivals and camping,
the sights and sounds of summer racing lures her back to her
roots. Her dedication to the club was well recognized in
2012 as she received the Angelillo Memorial Award for
Outstanding Performance. “Iron Mike” would be proud. |
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Dewey Cali
Has passed away at the age of
88. |
- Dewey served as the chief
mechanic on the Stropoli #66
that Johnny Mann
drove to the NEMA Championship in 1972.
- Dewey
was the owner of the 1974 NEMA Champion car
again
with Johnny Mass as the driver. |
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| One Night…for a Rising Star |
“Excitement, purely excited
about Todd running with the top guys, this is his shot.”
Gill Bertrand spoke those words recently at a benefit dinner
when asked what it meant to him to have son Todd race in the
“Night Before The 500” at Indianapolis Raceway Park in
Indiana in May. “I just know he can do it”, Gill added.
The dinner, designed to help defer the cost of entering
this major USAC midget race, was attended by a large throng
of Bertrand Motorsports family and friends dining on
American and Italian fair while purchasing chances on over
50 raffle and door prizes. Todd himself took over the MC
duties by taking the stage and thanking all in attendance
for their help and support.
The team has had this
race on the 2013 calendar since last year when then driver,
Cole Carter, was crashed on the first lap. For this year’s
IRP event, the Bertrand’s built a new chassis and will enter
the event with high expectations for the their young 22 year
old driver and a crew comprised of brothers Tim and Patrick
among others.
Todd summed up his feelings this way,
“I’ve seen Bobby Santos take his talents from NEMA all the
way to USAC, I know I can do the same thing, this will make
me a better driver.”
The evening concluded with
endless well-wishes of success for the Bertrand team and
suggestions of repeating this event next year, where
everyone can once again celebrate….“One Night…for a Rising
Star.” |
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Previous 2013 NEMA NEWS HERE |
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