|
|
|
|
|
2015 NEMA NEWS |
|
|
 |
| aAllan
Cantor at left with son Adam |
| |
ALLAN CANTOR
- |
Long time and devoted NEMA car owner Allan
Cantor passed away this week.
Allan leaves his son Adam and a passion for
both NEMA and midget racing in his legacy. He will
be greatly missed by all of his NEMA friends.
He was born on 6/18/50
and died on 9/14/15.
Funeral arrangements:
Sunday September 20th - visiting from 12:30 to 2:00 and
service from 2:00 to 2:30 at Whittings Funeral Home,
Glen Head, NY.
Internment - New Montefiore
Cemetary, 1180 Wellwood Ave, West Babylon, NY at 3:15
PM.
Then Adam's mom's house, 1 Windward Court,
Dix Hills, NY.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| Richard, Jamie, &
Peter Falconi |
| |
| RICHARD E. FALCONI |
| |
Richard E. Falconi, 69, a
lifelong resident of Southborough, passed away peacefully
Wednesday, September 9, 2015 at his home, after a short
illness, surrounded by family.
He was a graduate of
Algonquin Regional High School and a member of the class of
1969 at Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, NH, serving as
Senior Class President. Upon graduation, Rick stayed very
active with Franklin Pierce, being one of the founding
members of the Alumni Association. While on the board, he
served as Membership and By-laws Chairman, Alumni and
Reunion Weekend Chair and Chairman of the 50th Anniversary
Committee. Rick retired from the family's Falconi Energy in
2011 after working as manger in the heating and cooling
division. He was a fixture at the company started by his
father and uncles for the better part of 50 years. He loved
spending time at his home on Peabody Pond in Sebago, Maine.
Rick was a longtime auto racing enthusiast, having built
and maintained cars that won hundreds of races and multiple
championships throughout New England and continued to be
active in the sport until his passing. He served on the
board of the Southborough Historical Society and was active
at their museum.
Rick is the son of the late John J.
and Ann H. Falconi of Southborough. He is survived by his
son Jamie and partner Allison Russell of Southborough;
daughter Jesse Veves, her husband Steve and their children
Evan and Olivia of Fayston, VT; his brothers Peter, David
and Jimmy all of Southborough; as well as several cousins,
nieces and nephews.
He was predeceased by his son
Justin and his brother John.
Calling hours are
Sunday, September 13 from 2pm to 6pm at the Morris Funeral
Home, 40 Main Street, Rte 30, Southborough.
Funeral
services on Monday will be private. Burial will be in the
Southborough Rural Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers,
donations can be made to Franklin Pierce University's Annual
Fund. www.franklinpierce.edu/giving/ssl/give.htm.
To
leave words of condolence to the family, please visit
morrisfuneralparlor.com. |
|
|
|
|
|
Butch Walsh
Passes
|
The first driver to have
his named inscribed on a Mike Scrivani midget was Fred
"Butch" Walsh.
"That is very significant," says Mike
Scrivani Jr. recalling a number of stories about Walsh who
passed away Friday evening in Hyannis, MA. "The old man had
a lot of great drivers but Butchie was the first one he
considered a steady driver."
The Dover, MA product
raced modifieds, supermodifieds (the Tim T. 77), sprints and
later motorcycles (both on dirt and ice) but it was in the
midgets, notably the Northeastern Midget Association, that
he excelled. Long-time racing observer Bruce Cohen remembers
his first effort at Norwood Arena - "a white car that had
'Mom's Worry' written on it."
A member of NEMA's Hall
of Fame, Walsh was a two-term (1981-1984) club president. He
helped put together the NEMA-ARDC-USAC tour during that
reign. "NEMA owes Butch Walsh at lot," says Scrivani.
The first of 15 NEMA victories came at Maine's Wiscasset
Speedway driving for Jerry Connors in 1972. After a lot of
badgering, he wound up in the Scrivani car the following
season, winning the championship with eight podium finishes
including a victory. "My father, of course, had known
Butchie for some time and figured he was going pretty good
in less then top of the line cars," Scrivani says.
He went on to win in the Bien 35 and Dunn T5 over the next
12 years. Every car he drove, including the Connors and
Scrivani machines, he also worked on. Scrivani credits Walsh
with "teaching me about being dedicated to having the car
ready. "
Among the cars Walsh worked on were the ARDC
championship machines of Mike Sheehan. It was during that
time that Walsh pulled off one of his most astonishing
accomplishments - running one night on the dirt at
Grandview, PA and the next night on the pavement at
Wiscasset. It involved a trip of several hundred miles.
"Butch just did things like that," said Cohen, a friend
since the early 1970s. "There are lots of Butch Walsh
stories. But he was smart and creative and effective as
well." |
| |
|
Butch Walsh’s NEMA Victories |
|
Date - Year - Track - Car
6/24 - 1972 - Wiscasset - Connors 58
9/15 - 1973 -
Westboro - Scrivani 22
5/25 - 1975 - Star - Scrivani 22
6/22 - 1975 - Star - Scrivani 22
8/31 - 1975 - Devils
Bowl - Scrivani 22
5/3 - 1980 - Waterford - Bien 35
7/13 - 1980 - Westboro - Bien 35
5/23 - 1981 - Westboro -
Bien 35
5/30 - 1981 - Waterford - Bien 35
6/13 - 1981
- Westboro - Bien 35
7/17 - 1982 - Westboro - Bien 35
8/1 - 1982 - Hudson - Bien 35
8/7 - 1982 - Westboro -
Bien 35
9/1 - 1984 - Star - Dunn T5
9/2 - 1984 -
Hudson - Dunn T5
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| "Bring the Races to
the Children" |
On June 29th, an amazing
group of drivers came to the Connecticut Children's Medical
Center to "bring the races to the children."
Mariah
Michalski and Jenn Hann from CCMC came together to organize
this event for the children and stuff of CCMC. The turnout
of drivers and crews who fully supported the event was
beyond belief! With Channel 3 News, and the Hartford Courant
attending, the event was nothing short of perfect!
Ever driver had the chance to do arts and crafts with the
children, as well as go room to room for those who couldn't
play the game or join in on the crafts. To see the faces of
each child smile was incredible.
One parent said "I
haven't heard you talk this much in two years!"- to her son
who was loving being able to sit in the race cars outside.
NEMA driver who attended were Avery Stoehr, Todd
Bertrand, Jim Santa Maria, Paul Bigelow, and Dennis Obrian.
A great group of drivers from other divisions also came out
to show their support.
"Giving back to the community
is something I love to do, and if I can involve something I
love - racing - I am all for it" said Mariah Michalski. |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
NEMA's First Annual Test
& Tune A Success |
With the help of the newly
owned New London Waterford Speedbowl, NEMA hosted its first
annual test & tune last Sunday. Twenty three cars were in
attendance, under nearly 80 degree picture perfect skies, as
well as three rookie candidates in the Lites class - Ben
Mikatarian, Jim Cataldo, and Ryan Locke. The latter, Locke,
come from the famed Locke family racing team, a stalwart in
the ISMA series - and Mikatarian, out of the Seymour racing
family, a NEMA pioneer family.
2014 NEMA champion
Randy Cabral was on hand with his familiar Bertrand
Motorsports #47 machine. Although Cabral never admits that a
Championship ever crosses his mind this early in the year,
he will surely be a threat in 2015. Cabral's teammates were
on hand as well - Todd Bertrand in the #39 machine,
outfitted this year with an Esslinger Engineering power
plant, and 2014 Modified Tour champion Doug Coby in the #74
machine, who reportedly turned in the fastest lap of the day
on the AMB transponder system. Coby, along with both
Bertrand Motorsports teammates will be on hand for opening
weekend at Chemung Speedrome and Evans Mills Speedway in 3
weeks.
The Chambers family was on hand with their
beautifully prepared machines, the #7 machine sporting a new
Mazda power plant this year, with Alan Chambers at the
wheel. The Stoehr family had two entries on hand, with 2014
points runner up Avery in the #15B Motor Cars International
machine turning in some fast laps, and Bethany Stoehr in the
Crown Collision #44 machine. 2013 champion John Zych was on
hand breaking in his newly freshened #9 machine and engine,
and multi feature winner Seth Carlson in the Gene
Feigel/Esslinger entry was on hand as well. The Cugini
family was on hand as well - with Meg behind her Ford Focus
Lites machine, and brother Danny in his newly freshened
NEMA/Spike chassis.
The Bigelow family was on hand
with Ryan Bigelow's Honda/NEMA entry, and Paul Bigelow was
on hand with his Honda powered Lites entry. The Santa Maria
family was also on hand, but a mechanical issue early in the
day sidelined their efforts, unfortunately.
Former
NEMA Champion Bobby White was on hand for the first time in
many years, bringing out his VW powered entry. Deb Marvuglio
made her debut in a midget - in preparation to run with the
antique series this season. Deb is the mother of the late
Shane Hammond, and NEMA winner Anthony Marvuglio.
NEMA also performed technical inspections with the help of
Bob Blanchette, and Linda Cleveland & Vice President Mike
McCarthy tested out the new AMB transponder system and Race
Monitor system, which will allow races to be live casted on
the Web this season for NEMA. Long time NEMA member and
previous President Mike Scrivani was also on hand, making
sure that the day went smoothly, along with the Speedbowl
staff - whom the Club would like to thank.
NEMA
kicks off its season at Chemung Speedrome and Evans Mills
Speedway on Friday May 22nd and Saturday May 23rd. |
|
|
|
|
 |
NEMA Adds Chemung
Speedrome to
Exciting 2015 Schedule; Coby to Compete |
The Northeastern Midget
Association proudly announced on Friday that it has added an
inaugural event at the Chemung Speedrome to its schedule for
May 22, 2015. Chemung will start an action packed weekend
for NEMA, with an event the following day at Evans Mills
Speedway. The NEMA Midgets will run extended 30 lap races at
both tracks, with the Lites running 25 Laps.
An
added bonus for the fans - reigning NASCAR Whelen Modified
Tour Champion Doug Coby will be on hand competing in the #74
Bertrand Motorsports midget. In addition, NEMA will be
providing a Lites car and is working with the Speedrome
promoters to get Chemung regular Jimmy Zacharias into a car
for the Lites event.
The Chemung Speedrome was
originally built as a 1/4 mile dirt track in 1951 by the
Bodine family of Chemung, NY it closed in 1978. As the story
goes, in an article written by Bob Johnson, "It was by sheer
coincidence that the track came to fruition in the first
place. Eli Bodine Sr. was in Ithaca having his car repaired.
The mechanic working on the car asked him if he liked stock
car racing. Mr. Bodine's reply was that he indeed did. This
led to a conversation about racing. The mechanic, Karl
Beilou, brought up the fact that the local racers from the
Finger Lakes racing club had become disenchanted with the
track they were running at. The possibility of building a
track on the Bodine farm was discussed. Bodine jokingly
agreed to the request not thinking it would ever come to
fruition. The next day was Saturday. Much to Bodine's
surprise, members of the racing club came calling on the
farm - and from there, the track was born."
After
buying the track in 1985, the Stapleton family started to
rebuild the track in 1997 and in October of 2000 had its
inaugural race event. The track is currenly owned by the
White family, run by John White. Events at Chemung since its
re-opening include The NASCAR Weekly Racing Series NASCAR
Whelen Modified Tour, ISMA Super Modifieds, Race Of
Champions Modified Tour, USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series, SST
Modified Tour, Cup Lite Racing Series and USAC Ford Focus
Midget Series. The 3/8 mile Speedrome features all new
TV-quality Musco lighting, a 3000 Seat Main Grandstand, a 28
stall paved pit lane and much more. The facility is situated
on over 38 acres and is one of New York's finest paved oval
tracks.
"I grew up watching guys like Johnny Coy run
midgets on Long Island. Chemung should be a perfect track
for the midgets, plenty of room, long straightaways - it
should be a good night of racing," said John White, owner.
The Northeastern Midget Association is the oldest
pavement midget racing club in the Nation. Midgets are
typically four cylinder, pure bred open wheel racecars. They
do not use starters, flywheels or clutches. If it is bolted
into a midget, it serves one of only two purposes: safety or
speed. The mighty midgets of NEMA are that and more. With
their nearly four hundred horsepower motors, large wings,
and wide hoosier tires - the NEMA midgets are the fastest
asphalt midgets in the world. |
|
|
|
| The NEMA leadership would
like to encourage our members to attend this event, if
possible. We are not going to book a date on this weekend,
and hope that this turns out to be an exceptional event. |
 |
|
INAUGURAL TONY STEWART
MIDGET CLASSIC
|
(INDIANAPOLIS) February,
14, 2015 - The Indianapolis Speedrome is proud to announce
that on the night of Saturday, July 25, 2015, the historic
fifth mile oval will be hosting the INAUGURAL TONY STEWART
MIDGET CLASSIC.
The race will feature a 100 lap main
event broken into 2 segments: 75 laps, and a 25 lap dash to
the finish, with a 20 minute break in between the two.
Tony Stewart earned his very first USAC midget feature
win in 1991 at the Speedrome, and went on to become the
Speedrome USAC Midgets Rookie of the Year the very same
year. “The Indianapolis Speedrome is a special place for me
because it’s where I got my first USAC Midget win,” Stewart
said. “It’s a huge honor to have a race named after me. I
always enjoyed racing there and I’m sure
Larry Curry
will make this race enjoyable for the competitors and fans.”
Indianapolis Speedrome Managing Partner, Larry Curry
says, “We are all very excited to have the opportunity to
have such a great event in honor of Tony Stewart at the
Speedrome.” Curry went on to say, “I was very lucky to have
Tony as my race car driver, as well as work for him. He is a
very special person, and one that I feel very lucky to refer
to as a friend.”
For more event details, contact
Larry Curry at 317-437-3600, or email:
speedromelrc@gmail.com, or log onto
www.speedrome.com. |
|
|
|
 |
 |
Racing as a Stoehr
Family Affair
Continues in 2015 |
Bridgewater, MA - For many
years, a NEMA race has not been run without a Stoehr family
name on the starting grid - from grandfather Paul, to
brothers Russ
and Greg, to the new generation of Stoehrs
- Avery and Bethany. This year will be no different.
The 2015 runner-up in the NEMA Midgets division, Avery
Stoehr, will again campaign a full-time ride on the NEMA
schedule, and also will sport a new NEMA
LITES ride at
the Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park Icebreaker on April
11th and 12th. Avery will be bringing along his familiar
sponsors: Motorcars
International, Skaters Edge, Maaco,
and Jon Andruk's Circle Performance. In addition, Stoehr
will run select TQ races - as evidenced by his appearances
in
Trenton NJ and Atlantic City - and is working on
other possible rides, including Stafford Speedway on Friday
nights.
"2014 was a good year. I think we
accomplished everything we set out to and then some. I think
we've got a very good season to build off of for 2015," said
Avery.
A welder by trade, the young Stoehr says
that Oswego and Thompson, two of NEMA's fastest tracks, are
his favorite places, not unlike many of the young
drivers. "NEMA is a place where any given car can win on any
given night at any track these days," he says.
Avery's #15A race cars are crewed by the familiar father &
son combination of Carl and Curt Kibbe. The Kibbes have been
a mainstay in NEMA for the last
four decades with Carl
having won multiple championships as a car owner, and Curt
having been a key crew member for his father and the late
Gene
Angelillo.
And it does not end there.
Avery's cousin, Bethany, also a regular front runner in
NEMA, is looking forward to the full NEMA schedule as well.
"Our plans for the 2015 season for the #5B team
include building a new car over the winter and attending
every scheduled event. Our goal is podium finishes
or a
top 5 at every race," she says.
When asked about her
favorite track, Bethany says "I like Oswego and Twin State
the most, but it is awfully hard to narrow down a favorite.
I like any track that
involves going fast and turning
left!"
A race fan since she can remember, NEMA's top
division only current female competitor has had the sport in
her blood since a very young age. Bethany also
has a
passion for music, singing the National Anthem at a number
of NEMA races. She enjoys singing & writing music as a
hobby, when she is not busy either
working on the race
car, racing, or at her full time job at Motorcars
International.
Longtime NEMA board member, tech
inspector and chassis expert, Shawn Torrey will join
Bethany's father Greg and mother Tara as the crew on her #5B
in
2015.
There is one thing for sure, when the
green flag drops at NEMA's season opener, the chances of a
Stoehr on the podium, or in the winner's circle are very
strong for 2015. |
|
|
|
 |
 |
| NEMA Celebrates
Successful Racer's Expo |
NEMA was in strong form
this past weekend at The Racer's Expo in Marlborough, MA. A
wide variety of racers and vendors were brought together by
the legendary Seymour Enterprises and Bobby Seymour, making
this year's show the biggest yet.
The NEMA Board met
early in the day to discuss the upcoming season. Topics
included ensuring that the race format goes off as fast as
possible and a number of ideas on that topic, picking the
three "open" races for 2015, which will be announced prior
to the start of the season, additional possible dates on the
2015 schedule, publicity updates, and continuing to work on
the NEMA business plan for the future.
The club then
hosted its final pre-season General meeting, where new
president Russ Stoehr ran a very informative general
meeting, where he mentioned some revisions to the current
schedule - such as a possible race at Chemung, NY on Friday
May 22nd and possible additional races at Waterford
Speedbowl under new owner Bruce Bemer. Tim Bertrand then
informed the membership of plans for a combination rookie
orientation / safety inspection / test & tune day at a track
TBD for some time in April. VIP Fan and Track Publicity
co-chairs, Bill Van Slyke and Mariah Michalski ran down a
list of PR / VIP plans for 2015. Mariah has taken the VIP
program to a new level this year which will include armed
forces involvement, involvement with local children's
hospitals, and local community involvement.
NEMA
also welcomed back Craig Merriman with great fanfare as its
starter for 2015, as well as Bob Blanchette, Mike Scrivani
as race director, and long time supporter Linda Cleveland on
the banquet committee.
Elsewhere, NEMA was also busy
on the weekend with Ed Breault's #44 Crown Collision machine
on display at the Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park (TSMP)
booth in Providence. NEMA will also be supporting TSMP's
Open House at the Speedway in the Garage area on March 14th,
with Champion Randy Cabral on hand along with a car from
Bertrand Motorsports. NEMA will also have a display at Frank
Marotta's Race a Rama on the weekend of February 28th. |
 |
|
|
|
|
NEMA Releases Preliminary 2015 Schedule |
BROCKTON, Mass. — Established haunts make up the 2015
Northeastern Midget Association schedule, including a return to
White Mountain Motorsports Park after an absence of many years and
the season opener at Evans Mills Motorsports Park on May 23rd.
As NEMA President Russ Stoehr puts the finishing touches on the
final schedule, there are 12 races currently on the NEMA agenda
while the NEMA Lites will make 12 stops in what will be the club’s
63rd consecutive season, making it New England’s oldest sanctioning
body. There is a possibility additional races will be added to one
or both schedules at a later date.
Randy Cabral and owner
Tim Bertrand will begin defense of their NEMA championships and the
Lites will begin their eighth season at Thompson Speedway
Motorsports Park, as they present The ICEBREAKER on April 11th and
12th. Scott Bigelow will begin defense of his Lites owner's crown,
and there will be a new Lites driver's champion this year as Ryan
Krachun will not be returning to the series in 2015.
Monadnock returns to the schedule hosting both NEMA and the Lites
for the Iron Mike Scrivani Race on June 20. The club will honor the
32nd anniversary of the passing of the legendary car owner on the
speedy high-banked quarter mile.
The full midgets and the
Lites will share the billing at the Thompson Speedway Motorsports
Park (TSMP) Sunoco World Series of Racing for the first time ever in
October, and NEMA will host the Angelillo Memorial at TSMP on August
12th in conjunction with the Whelen Modified Tour. Both divisions
will return to New York State’s Oswego Speedway King of Wings
program as well on July 11th.
Two other special events — the
Marvin Rifchin Trophy Race at LEE USA Speedway on July 17th and the
Shane Hammond Memorial at Monadnock on September 5th will also
include the Lites.
NEMA will also return with great fanfare
in a televised event on MAV TV to Seekonk’s Open Wheel Wednesday/Boston
Louie Memorial Classic
(July 1) and Waterford’s Wings & Wheels (pending ownership issues
are solved), two traditional stops.
NEMA looks forward to
stops at Wiscasset Speedway on June 13th after a very successful
event last season and Twin State Speedway in Claremont, NH. |
|
|
 |
| Chambers Brothers
Among NEMA Threats |
Brockton, MA – The Chambers
family - brothers Jim & Alan, will celebrate their 20th year
of open wheel racing during the 2015 season.
Although the
team is still finalizing plans for next season, one thing is
sure - they will be a force to be reckoned with, within both
the NEMA and NEMA Lite ranks. The current plans include 2
NEMA cars (Beast Chassis) and a NEMA Lite car that will be
shared amongst the two. The team also plans to have a few
"guest" driver appearances - a phenomenon that has been
popular in NEMA the last few years for a number of teams.
It's a family affair, no doubt for Chambers Racing.
The team boasts two family businesses as sponsors in Michael
Chambers Auctioneers as well as Alan's business - Mac's Auto
world.
"My favorite track is Star speedway in
Epping, as this was the track I grew up watching races at
and started my adult racing career in the 350
supermodifieds," says Alan. "Jims favorite tracks are Lee
Speedway and Monadnock because he always seems to run strong
each time NEMA makes an appearance there," said Chambers.
"After racing in a few different series we have
found a home with NEMA. We love racing with NEMA because of
the high level of competition and the camaraderie between
all the drivers and teams, NEMA is like a big family and its
nice to travel with a group that will race us hard, but no
matter what, the night always ends in handshakes and a good
laugh," he says.
Outside of racing Jim is an
automobile auctioneer and enjoys playing the drums and
snowboarding as well as playing on anything with an engine.
Alan owns a used car dealership, and when he is not busy
working he enjoys playing the guitar, soccer and videogames. |
|
|
|
 |
| Lawrence Fletcher
"Larry" Cheetham Jr. |
| |
A
long time NEMA member and supporter,
Larry Cheetham
passed away on Wednesday, Jan. 7th.
|
| |
- First Visitation -
Friday, January 9th, 2015, 4:00pm - 7:00pm
Smith
Funeral & Memorial Services
8
Schoolhouse Road Warren, RI
Just off Rt. 136 behind Bank
Newport
Map &
Directions
- Service
Information
-
Saturday, January
10th, 2015, 10:00am
Smith
Funeral & Memorial Services
-
Interment Information -
North Burial Ground - Hope Street Bristol |
|
|
|
|
NORTHEAST
MOTORSPORTS EXPO |
 |
 |
|
Paul Scally's NEMA Lites #4 in the Wiscasset
Speedway booth |
 |
|
Paul Scally participated in the Helluva Good Pit
Stop Challenge |
|
|
|
 |
|
Payne to Pilot Bertrand No. 74 |
By Nicholas Teto/YankeeRacer.com
Photos by Randy Lindblad and Crystal Snape |
Former champion Joey Payne
of Fairlawn, NJ will return to NEMA competition at Oswego
(NY) Speedway July 11. The NEMA Midgets and Lites will
accompany the ISMA Supermodifieds’ King of Wings VII card.
Payne recorded his most recent victory in the 2013 Iron
Mike Scrivani Memorial at Monadnock (NH) Speedway. Previous
drivers of the third Bertrand Motorsports entry include Cole
Carter, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Doug Coby, Jeff
Horn, and Anthony Marvuglio.
“I’m really
excited,”Payne said. “I’ve known them guys for a long time
and I’ve never driven for the Bertrands. We always talked
about it, I always hound them for a ride, and finally last
summer we were at Oswego and he (Car Owner Tim Bertrand)
said to me, ‘We’re coming back here next year and you’re
going to drive the 74 car.’ … They have great equipment and
all three of their cars are fast on any given day. It’s kind
of a top quality ride for my home track is going to be a
real good thing.”
FULL STORY WITH PHOTOS HERE |
|
|
|
NEMA congratulates
Anthony Nocella
on his awesome effort and win at
the 2014
Rumble! |
Chris Seelman Photo |
|
Rapid Rookie; Anthony Nocella Stuns Rumble In
Fort Wayne, Wins On Opening Night |
Audio and recap by
Race Chaser Online Managing Editor Jacob Seelman
FULL STORY & AUDIO at RaceChaserOnline.com |
|
For the third consecutive Rumble in Fort Wayne feature
event and second straight year, a page of history was
written at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.
Only this time — it was a true rookie who inked his name
in the record books.
Woburn, Massachusetts native and 22-year-old college
senior Anthony Nocella made the long haul from New England
to make his debut appearance in this year’s 17th annual
Rumble in Fort Wayne. He then forever left his mark on the
concrete oval by passing defending race winner Justin Peck
on lap 33 of Friday night’s 50-lap National Midget A-main
and driving away to a stunning victory.
Nocella becomes the first driver to ever win in his
first-career Rumble appearance, driving for noted car owner
Bobby Seymour.
FULL STORY HERE
|
|
|
|
| NEMA Board Finalizes
Rules Package & Exciting Changes for 2015 Season |
Bridgewater, MA - The newly elected NEMA Board
wasted no time getting to work, as they met for the first
time after being elected last weekend to ratify the 2015
rules proposals this past Sunday, and also agreed on a
number of exciting changes for the 2015 season.
The
biggest change for the NEMA series will be the addition of
staggered heat race points for both divisions, as decided on
by the Board. The heat winner will get 20 points, 2nd place
18 points, with 2 points between positions down to 6th place
- at which all remaining cars will get 10 points. The Board
felt that this change will encourage a better show for the
fans during the heat races and reward those who run well in
the heat races.
Also exciting for the 2015 season,
the Board has adopted the inclusion of a Rookie Development
program. Full details will be announced later in the winter,
but the intent of the Rookie Development Program will be to
provide track time, driver coaching and safety education to
new teams and drivers. Drivers falling into the newly
adopted age brackets (those who turn 13 during the
competition season for the Lites, and 15 years old for NEMA
- both with previous experience) must pass the Rookie
Development Program and be approved by the NEMA Board prior
to competing with NEMA.
NEMA will also be bringing
back its NEMA Fan of the Week program in 2015, after a
successful program the last couple of seasons. The Fan of
the Week gets a free pit pass for themselves and a guest, as
well as a tour of the NEMA pit, time with the drivers, and
other benefits throughout the evening. In addition, the club
will be providing a printed program each week at the race
track versus its traditional year book, and will continue
its Meet & Greet program under the leadership of Bill Van
Slyke.
As previously announced, NEMA will also
continue its relationship with Hoosier Tire, as the club
signed an exclusive 3 year deal with Hoosier for its current
plated NEMA tires. Hoosier East and NEMA have selected
Seymour Enterprises as its authorized distributor for the
2015 season.
A number of technical rules were passed
as well, and will be posted on this website durng the coming
week. |
|
|
|
NEMA General
Membership Meeting
Cites Strong Progress for 2015 |
Thompson, CT -
NEMA held its annual membership meeting this past Sunday at
the Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park clubhouse, with a
strong showing of general members present. At the top of the
agenda was a preview into the 2015 schedule, which will
feature 3 events at Thompson, as well as events at Oswego,
Seekonk, Monadnock, Evans Mills, Wiscasset, LEE USA and
White Mountain - with tentative dates held for Waterford
Speedbowl, Twin State, and Chemung, NY.
The club also
elected a new President for the first time in over ten years
- with Russ Stoehr running unopposed to take over the top
seat in NEMA. Mike McCarthy and Mike Chambers were elected
to the Vice President spots, Joe Santa Maria as Secretary
and Paul Scally returns as Treasurer. A new Board was also
elected with Tim Bertrand, Shawn Torrey, Paul Bigelow, Randy
Cabral, Mike Scrivani and Dennis O'Brien taking over those
seats.
The club also made additional major strides
to help increase its membership base including the
development of a Rookie Development program. Under this
program, the club will secure track time for new drivers
joining the NEMA Lite ranks to practice with the club,
particularly noted - 12 and 13 year old drivers will be able
to participate in the program. In addition, any driver that
turns 13 during the competition season who has prior
experience, that has passed the Rookie Development Program
and has approval by the Board may compete with the Lite
series. The minimum age for NEMA was also lowered to 15
years old with prior experience and Board approval.
Next, the club also voted to have 3 "open" events per year -
where the current handicapping system will not be used, and
a time trial system will be used similar to previous years
at the Boston Louie Memorial, with the hopes of encouraging
outside participants from other divisions as well as midget
racers from the South and Midwest to participate.
A
number of technical rules were proposed as well, and the new
Board of Directors will be coming forth over the next week
with a vote on those rules to be announced on this website.
NEMA hopes to announce its final schedule by year
end, and will also be posted on the website. |
|
|
 |
NEMA
and Hoosier Tire
Ink Exclusive Three Year Deal |
Brockton, MA -
NEMA President, Mike Scrivani, announced today that the
Northeastern Midget Association and Hoosier Tire East have
inked an exclusive, three year deal. Under the deal, NEMA
will have exclusive rights in the Northeast to the current
plated compounds (RR 7, 7.3, RF 5, LR, 5 and LF, 4, 5) and
will be the only series in the Northeast running these
particular tires.
Hoosier will also continue to be a
major contributor to the NEMA point fund, and in addition
have offered fixed pricing for the racer over the next three
years.
“NEMA has enjoyed a long history with Hoosier.
This sport is about supporting those who take care of you,
and supporting each other. We feel that we have the best
product in Hoosier and look forward to a long relationship
with them,” said NEMA President, Mike Scrivani. “We have an
exciting schedule brewing for 2015 and expect great car
counts,” said Scrivani.
As part of the arrangement,
Hoosier tire has selected long time NEMA supporter Seymour
Enterprises to be the exclusive dealer and service provider
to the Northeastern Midget Association for the 2015 season.
NEMA’s schedule will soon be published on
www.nemaracing.com. Stay tuned for all of the latest
updates. |
|
|
|
|
