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2020 NEMA NEWS |
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| Dave Humphrey |
| July 24, 1925 -
December 7, 2020 |
David R. Humphrey "Dave",
age 95, died on December 7, 2020 at home with his daughter
MaryLee Humphrey by his side. He was the husband of the late
Lillian (Saleeba) Humphrey.
Born on July 24, 1925 he
was the son of the late Charles and Alice Humphrey of
Seekonk, brother to the late John, Charles and Alan Humphrey
and Jeanette (Humphrey) Boudreau.
Mr. Humphrey joined
the US Army at the age of 15 during World War II and served
in the European theatre with the 3rd Army Infantry Division.
He received a Purple Heart for wounds sustained on the
battlefield.
After he returned home Mr. Humphrey's
interest turned to auto racing in 1946. Calling Seekonk
Speedway his home track he then looked to stock car racing
and won championships at Norwood Arena, Waterford (New
London) Speedbowl and 3 at Seekonk Speedway. He began a long
career as a victorious Midget Driver at the age of 21. Mr.
Humphrey also drove sprint cars with the United Racing Club
winning countless times and finishing in the top ten
throughout the 4 years of competition. Shortly after joining
the Northeastern Midget Association (NEMA) the trophies kept
coming by way of multiple wins and 6 Championships. Mr.
Humphrey held the all-time feature win record of 72 with
NEMA. His record stood until 10 years after he retired in
1988. He drove for 11 different owners and was successful
with each one. At one point he had an invitation to go to
Indianapolis but decided to stay home, (his wife did not
want him to go). Home being Seekonk and home being New
England. It was fitting that his final win came at his home
track Seekonk Speedway in October 1986. Seekonk Speedway had
named the day "Dave Humphrey Day" and Mr. Humphrey was
presented with an award acknowledging his 30 years of
dedicated racing to NEMA. Dave Humphrey's name is synonymous
with auto racing clubs in the Northeast Region and yet he is
recognized nationally. He has been honored by the NE Auto
Racers Hall of Fame and the National Midget Racing Hall of
Fame. The car he drove famously called the Lindblad Badger
is now on display at the North East Motor Sports Museum in
Loudon, New Hampshire.
Mr. Humphrey is survived by
his children Steven Humphrey, his wife Maria of East
Providence, RI, Betty Schifino-Cotoia of Pawtucket, RI,
MaryLee Humphrey of Seekonk, MA with whom he lived and Susan
Young of van Nuys, CA. His grandchildren, David Schifino,
Kim Schifino, Heather Cotoia, Sheila Zuccarello and Jake
Young. He also had many nieces and nephews who loved him
dearly and will miss him always.
In lieu of flowers
please send donations in his name to Beacon Hospice Care, 1
Catamore Blvd, East Providence, RI 02914
Services
with military honors and burial at Gate of Heaven Cemetery
will be private. |
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SATURDAY, OCTOBER
24th
NEMA MIDGETS & NEMA LITES |
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2020 NEMA MIDGETS CHAMPIONS
Todd Bertrand - #48 Driver
Bertrand Motorsports - #48 Owner |
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2020 NEMA LITES CHAMPIONS
PJ Stergios - #11 Driver
Bill
Stergios - #11 Owner |
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FEATURE LINEUP |
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TOP THREE |
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NEMA Virtual Icebreaker a Success! |
NEMA ventured into the virtual world last night,
4/9, to run their virtual Icebreaker at Thompson Motorsports
Park. 26 drivers showed up to participate in the event. The
race was also broadcasted by Full Velocity Racing Network
Live. The event pulled over 2200 unique watchers during the
event, which is awesome, thank you fans!
The event
kicked off with Qualifying and NEMA's own PJ Stergios took
home quick time honors, followed by NEMA invaders Matt Dail
and Collin Penn. NEMA's Anthony "Bug" Marvuglio and invader
Michael Henry rounded out the top 5.
Heat race action
was next. The 3 heat race winners were: Anthony Marvuglio,
Mike Henry and Richie Coy.
The B and C Mains followed
and were won by Stephen Pearce and Danny Cugini,
respectively.
The feature event saw Jeffrey Battle
and Ryan Locke on the front row and they lead the 26 car
field to the green. The race only had 1 caution and had
blistering action all over the track. In the end, NEMA
invader, Matt Dail took home the win over Richie Coy, PJ
Stergios, Adam Dion and Seth Carlson.
NEMA would like
to thank all those that participated and watch the event,
were thinking of doing more, so stay tuned! |
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| eNEMA - Virtual
Icebreaker |
Hi NEMA members!
So, since everything is shut down, our Icebreaker has been
postponed and other sanctioning bodies have tried it ...
NEMA would like to run it's first eNEMA race - that stands
for electronic NEMA - on iRacing.
No, it's not a
replacement for actual racing, however, it's a way that we
can get together (virtually) as a membership and have some
fun and do a little racing. Trust me, it's not easy.
What we are proposing is using iRacing to host an official
eNEMA race. iRacing does not have pavement midgets in their
current catalog. They do have wingless pavement sprint cars
though and that is what we think should be used. Thompson
Speedway is in the simulator and that's the venue for our
eNEMA Icebreaker. There is a possibility that we could
broadcast the race on YouTube, Facebook or Twitch.
I
have checked and we have several current NEMA drivers that
have iRacing accounts, which is great. I would encourage all
our drivers to participate, however, iRacing is not free and
the setup is not free. You will need a computer capable of
running iracing and a steering wheel/pedal combo. There are
tons out there. I currently have a logitech g29 and I would
recommend a wheel with force feedback, but you don't need
it...any wheel can work.
In order to move forward, I
would need to hear from all of you. Will there be enough
interest to do this? Any 2019 NEMA or NEMA Lite driver is
locked in to the Icebreaker. We are also inviting all car
owners, crew members and family members to participate as
well. We may even add fans to the mix. If we have enough, we
will work out a qualifying procedure. Please contact me and
let me know if you are interested: email, text or facebook
... Also, pass the word on to anyone you might not think is
on this email or someone who would be interested.
Hope everyone is safe and sound during this time.
Richie Coy - NEMA Secretary -
richiecoy@gmail.com |
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NEMA LITES DYNO TEST
SATURDAY, APRIL 18th |
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NEMA is offering a
dyno test session
at
SMG Motoring.
10-12 spots at $250 each spot.
SMG Motoring will be considered the official dyno of
NEMA for 2020 – meaning, that if you are sent to the dyno,
this is where your car will be sent. You are welcome to use
other dynos to tune your car, etc – but the final
determination will be at SMG.
To book a time contact
Paul Scally: pvs377@aol.com
If there is more demand than the 18th can
handle, we will arrange for another date in May. |
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NEMA Driver Spotlight: |
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| Avery Stoehr |
"Good all around," is the way Avery Stoehr states his
reflections upon his 2019 NEMA championship season. The
Sturbridge, MA native went into the year with goals of
winning the Boston Louie at Seekonk and a race at Thompson.
He accomplished that, and more. "Those were our main
objectives, and out of that we became champions. I feel with
the motor and car package we have; we can compete for a top
three every week, which we hope to carry into 2020." In
addition to his two wins, he put together an impressive
eight top five finishes, all of which were podium spots.
Unlike most cars, Stoehr runs a Ford head Gaerte in his
39 Bertrand Motorsports car, "I feel that this engine
package suits my driving style more so than an Esslinger. We
may not have the outright power over the Esslingers, but we
have the drive-ability along with the torque to get out of
the corner. Every motor has its' strengths and weaknesses,
and with our program we are able to exploit those
strengths."
Stoehr knows that backing up his
championship is no easy task, especially against his
teammates Randy Cabral, Todd Bertrand, and Alby Ovitt.
Stoehr states, "If we can stay competitive and fun, we
should have no problem replicating 2019 to 2020." |
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NEMA Driver Spotlight: |
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Todd Bertrand |
Another year, another
hectic race season for the Danielson, CT native Todd
Bertrand. It was a great year for the seasoned NEMA veteran,
culminating with a second place points finish.
Despite the statistics on the surface, Bertrand wanted more,
"What kept us from winning the championship this year were
our two DNF's: the first one at the season opener at Lee USA
Speedway, and the second being our DNF while leading at
Thompson Motorsports Park in mid-August." The failure at
Thompson could not have been at a worse time, with Lee USA
was two days later, also prior family obligations, not to
mention work. "The support system I have here at Bertrand
Motorsports is second to none. The day after Thompson, my
wife and her father took the cylinder to John Andruk at
Circle Performance for repairs. She waited there all day and
came back to get the engine back together with her father
and me. If it weren't for them, I would not have made it to
Lee, let alone win my heat race."
Going into 2020,
the 2019 Wiscasset winner has hefty but very doable goal in
mind, "We're going to continue to work harder than anybody
else, and get that first championship." |
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NEMA Driver Spotlight: |
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Randy Cabral |
"You can't win them all,"
is how seven-time NEMA champion Randy Cabral described his
2019 season. "We were right in the thick of the championship
fight but having more DNF's this year than in the last five
years," stated Cabral who ended the year 3rd in points in
NEMA, "really hurt our points efforts. Not to mention our
feelings. We'll take 2019 as a learning experience, it's all
we can do."
Despite his position in the final
standings, he had a series high 6 wins between NEMA Midgets
and NEMA Lites, a year that also earned Frank Manafort a
first owner's championship in the NEMA Lites division with
the #76. "Hopping from car to car allows me to constantly
exercise my abilities. I can never allow myself to stop
learning as a driver, no matter how hectic my night gets,"
referring to pulling triple duty between NEMA Midgets, NEMA
Lites, and the Pro-4 Modifieds.
For 2020, NEMA will
revisit Hudson Speedway for the first time in almost 20
years, with Cabral being one of only a handful of drivers
that were in the field that day. "It's a great racetrack.
I've also run there in Pro-4 Modifieds and Mini-Cup cars.
I'm glad to see it back on the schedule, along with
Claremont."
It appears father time can't touch
Cabrals' talents and when asked of his 2020 goals, Cabral
simply stated, "Stay focused, and keep doing what we are
doing. Father time hasn't touched my abilities, but he has
changed my appearance." |
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NEMA Driver Spotlight: |
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Mike Horn |
NEMA veteran Mike Horn made his intentions clear, with a
dominating win in the first race of the season at Lee USA Speedway.
"It was more than just a win; it was a personal victory for the
team. A long-time crew member of ours just battled back from cancer,
so we wanted this for him." Marking not just his first win since his
return, but also his first podium, Mike set out with the points lead
and had another podium the next race.
Unfortunately for
Mike, the season quickly unraveled from there. Fighting a sluggish
car, reliability, and hard-luck, Mike made the most of his situation
and ended the year with a string of top-fives. "To win these races,
you need to make your own luck. Having top-three speed, and being in
top three are two different things. We need to combine the two
together, and we'll be in championship contention."
Some big
news in NEMA for 2020 is the return to Hudson Speedway. Mike Horn is
one of two drivers in the current NEMA field who competed in that
most recent race there 20 years ago, "I feel I do have some sort of
advantage there, but the track has certainly changed since the time
we were last there. I won in a kart there when I first started
racing, so I'm very familiar with that track. Hudson was
specifically built for midgets, and I am so happy to see the
facility improvements." |
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NEMA Driver Spotlight: |
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John Zych Jr. |
For John Zych Jr., 2019 was another "what if" season.
Showing speed at times, his year hampered by crashes and motor
issues, "2019 was our most frustrating year yet. The practice crash
really got our season on the wrong foot. We need to finish races in
2020 if we are to win another title."
As unusual as 2019 was
for the three-time champion, Zych was still happy to point out some
high points, including his inaugural Star Classic win. "Winning the
Star Classic was easily the best moment of the year. That is such a
special race and I've always loved Star. Additionally, my father and
I worked our butts off the week before the Boston Louie Seymour
Memorial to get the car back together where just a few days before
it was in pieces after our wreck."
Zych was given an
opportunity to run for the late Frank Manafort at the NEMA Lites
season opener at Thompson, a race which saw a dominate performance
from Zych in the 76M. Zych doesn't run the Lites often, but it seems
to fit his driving style well, "The Lites cars are easier to drive,
but much harder to race. A mistake costs you in the long run of a
race. You have to keep your momentum up in order to pass cars as
everyone is so competitive." He further adds, "Whereas in NEMA, you
need finesse. You can't throw caution to the wind if your car is not
handling right as you'll wear out your tires. You must take what the
track will give you and try to make the best of it."
As for
the upcoming season, Zych plans to be back on top of the speed
charts and the points standings. His intentions are clear, "We have
clean slate going into 2020, and we'll be more than ready." |
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NEMA Driver Spotlight: |
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Ryan Locke |
"It's left me hungrier for more championships," stated 2019
NEMA Lites champion Ryan Locke. "It's crazy to think we have come
this far in just four years. We are racing with the best drivers in
New England, and to think to we came out on top is just
unbelievable."
The pivotal moment for the Raymond, NH native
was his win at the Seekonk Speedway in the NEMA Lite portion of the
"Boston Louie Seymour Memorial." "Winning that race was a huge
confidence boost. I realized that we have the ability to compete for
wins one a weekly basis." The young driver has proven his worth in
the series by scoring two wins, 10 top five's, and 11 top 10's from
12 races in 2019. His consistency this season was nearly unmatched,
with only one other driver matching his top fives.
Two tracks
that Locke has not raced at, Claremont Motorsports Park & Hudson
Speedway have been added to the 2020 schedule. Ryan has previous
experience in karts at the 1/8th track at Claremont, formerly Twin
State Speedway but feels that he should no issue adapting to these
unique and challenging racetracks. "I feel we will adapt well to
those tracks. Additionally, I feel we are just as good, if not the
best tea, to adapt to new situations."
If there's a
championship favorite, it may be Locke, "We just need to take our
2019 program in 2020 and repeat it." High on talent and confidence,
his mission in 2020 is to claim a first owner's title, in addition
to defending his drivers title. |
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| CAROL DUNCAN |
Carol Ducan, wife of
Ed Duncan and
longtime NEMA member, has passed. |
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| NEMA Releases 2020
Schedules |
NEMA Midgets Schedule HERE
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NEMA Lites Schedule HERE |
On Saturday, December 8th,
Northeastern Midget Association President, Tim Bertrand,
released the club's 2020 schedules to the membership and
press. Fourteen NEMA Midgets shows and seventeen Lites shows, with
thirteen combined NEMA Midgets/NEMA Lites shows highlight a season
that brings NEMA back to many of its familiar, historic
"haunts."
"We plan to play off of the success that we
had over the last couple of seasons, as a club. We had
strong car counts in the 30 car range every week, with a
season high of nearly 40 cars at the Boston Louie event,"
said club President, Bertrand. "I see us only continuing to
gain momentum for 2020. We've got a number of new teams
coming into the Lite series, have at least three new full
time teams in the NEMA division, with 3-4 others returning
for 2020," said Bertrand.
The Northeastern Midget
Association will play part in nearly all of the Northeast's
most prestigious races: The Thompson ICEBREAKER, The Star
Classic, The Boston Louie Memorial, Seekonk's Open Wheel
Wednesday, LEE's Open Wheel Opener & Oktoberfest,
Waterford's 4 Cylinder Frenzy, and Thompson's World Series
of Racing.
NEMA starts its season at Thompson
Speedway Motorsports Park's annual ICEBREAKER event, with a
Lites only race. The club will visit Thompson on two other
occasions, one with the Whelen Modified Tour in August, and
the World Series in October.
"Thompson Speedway
Motorsports Park has enjoyed its great partnership with with
the Northeastern Midget Association. For the past several
seasons, they have provided some of the most exciting
competition at Thompson and we are delighted to welcome them
back in 2020," said GM of the Thompson Speedway Motorsports
Park, Terry Eames.
The club will return to Star
Speedway with two combined shows and two Lites Only shows
this season. The highlight on the schedule is a return to
the Star Classic, one of the biggest open wheel races in the
Country.
"NEMA did a great job for us last year at
the Star Classic, and is a great addition to our race card," said
Star Speedway GM & owner Bobby Webber Jr. "We are excited to
have them return a number of times this year, and continue
our over sixty year tradition here at Star Speedway," he
said.
A big highlight on the schedule this year is
two trips to Seekonk Speedway, one with the Lites only at
Open Wheel Wednesday and the other, the prestigious Boston
Louie Memorial, at Seekonk with the International
Supermodified Association in August.
NEMA will also
return to two tracks this year, one in Claremont Motorsports
Park
for the opening event, to accompany the Granite State Pro
Stocks, and one at Hudson Speedway, where NEMA has not
competed at in nearly twenty years.
Three shows at
LEE USA Speedway are on the docket, after NEMA re-kindled
its relationship with the speedway after the change of
ownership last season. The last time NEMA visited the
Speedway, Sammy Swindell took down a victory, to extend his
49 year winning streak. Swindell is slated to compete with
NEMA on a handful of occasions again in 2020.
Always
favorites, NEMA returns to Wiscassett, Monadnock, and will
be back at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl this season after troubles kept the
track opening last season.
"The Speedbowl is
extremely excited to have NEMA headline our Inaugural 4
Cylinder Frenzy show, on Saturday September 12th, 2020. The
NEMA midgets always provide the most exciting side by side
action and down to the wire finishes! This will be the
premier 4 cylinder show in the Northeast and will be one of
our biggest events of 2020," said Speedbowl GM Mike Serluca.
2020 NEMA Events:
4/4 - Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park
- ICEBREAKER (Lites Only)
4/25 - Claremont
Motorsports Park -
Marvin Rifchin Memorial (NEMA & Lites)
5/2 - Star
Speedway (Lites Only)
5/16 - Lee USA Speedway - "Open
Wheel Opener" (NEMA & Lites)
6/6 - Wiscassett
Speedway - Ames True Value Night (NEMA & Lites)
6/20
- Star Speedway - Butch Walsh Memorial (NEMA & Lites)
6/21 - Hudson Speedway (NEMA & Lites)
7/1 -
Seekonk Speedway - Open Wheel Wednesday
(Lites Only)
7/18 - Lee USA Speedway - Gene & Marilyn Angelillo Memorial
(NEMA & Lites)
7/25 - Monadnock Speedway - Iron Mike
Scrivani Memorial (NEMA & Lites)
8/1 - Star Speedway
(Lites Only)
8/12 - Seekonk Speedway - Boston Louie
Memorial (NEMA & Lites) - Wednesday
8/19 - Thompson
Speedway Motorsports Park (NEMA Only) - Wednesday
9/12 - New London-Waterford Speedbowl - 4 Cylinder Frenzy (NEMA &
Lites)
9/19 - Star Speedway - Star Classic - Jim
O'Brien Memorial (NEMA & Lites)
10/3 - LEE USA
Speedway - Oktoberfest (NEMA & Lites)
10/10-11 -
Thompson Speedway - World Series - Shane Hammond Memorial
(NEMA - Sat., Lites - Sunday)
10/31 - New London-Waterford
Speedbowl - Closer (NEMA & Lites) - Saturday |
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SAVE THE DATE
Shane Hammond Kart
Klash 2020
Saturday, February 29 - 5 PM to 10 PM
X1
Boston, Braintree, MA
- Sign-in at 5 PM - Racing at 6 PM -
EARLY
SIGN-UP EXTENDED TO 2/21
-
$99.00 prepay
by 2/21 - $119.00 late sign-up -
payments are accepted at paypal account
Shanebelieve@comcast.net
HERE
- Donations and Raffle
Items Needed -
-
Contact: Deb Marvuglio
Shane and
Anthony's Mom
Shane
Hammond Believe Foundation
164
Anna Drive
East
Bridgewater, MA 02333
508-245-0689
www.shanehammond.org
-
We will
have our usual raffle table with racing items, gift
certificates and Ellen's famous hand crafted
checkered afghan. There will be a 50/50 raffle. SHBF
will have a display with gently used equipment that
has been donated for racers who are in need. Please
feel free to donate or let us know what you are
looking for. Many racers from all divisions are in
need of head/neck restraints should you have this
item or others and no longer need them call, email,
or drop them at the event.
Payments can be made
by:
PayPal - account is:
shanebelieve@comcast.net
Check - payable to SHBF mail to 164 Anna Dr
East Bridgewater, MA 02333
Credit card - please call and we will
process
Please include your name, email and phone
number. If you are signing with a group that
you want to compete with, please let that
known at sign up.
Safety Briefing: 5:00-6:00 PM
Track 1 Lounge Area: 4:00-10:00 PM
Track 1 Racing: 6:00-9:00 PM
Please keep in mind all racers need to be at
least 18 years of age with a drivers
license. There is no cost to just come and
have fun watching all the racing excitement.
Should you like to make a donation or supply
a raffle item, please call or email.
I want to thank everyone over the years that
has made this possible and we welcome all
the new comers to join in. Challenge your
friends, coworkers, inlaws or racing
buddies. Just sign up for the X1 - Shane's
Kart Klash experience and who knows, maybe
you will be the lucky one to go home with a
trophy.
Believe, Deb
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NEMA Driver Spotlight: |
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| Avery Stoehr |
"Good all around," is the way Avery Stoehr states his
reflections upon his 2019 NEMA championship season. The
Sturbridge, MA native went into the year with goals of
winning the Boston Louie at Seekonk and a race at Thompson.
He accomplished that, and more. "Those were our main
objectives, and out of that we became champions. I feel with
the motor and car package we have; we can compete for a top
three every week, which we hope to carry into 2020." In
addition to his two wins, he put together an impressive
eight top five finishes, all of which were podium spots.
Unlike most cars, Stoehr runs a Ford head Gaerte in his
39 Bertrand Motorsports car, "I feel that this engine
package suits my driving style more so than an Esslinger. We
may not have the outright power over the Esslingers, but we
have the drive-ability along with the torque to get out of
the corner. Every motor has its' strengths and weaknesses,
and with our program we are able to exploit those
strengths."
Stoehr knows that backing up his
championship is no easy task, especially against his
teammates Randy Cabral, Todd Bertrand, and Alby Ovitt.
Stoehr states, "If we can stay competitive and fun, we
should have no problem replicating 2019 to 2020." |
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NEMA Driver Spotlight: |
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| Alby Ovitt |
Arguably one of the fastest
drivers upon the Eastern Seaboard, Alby Ovitt will have the
opportunity of what he calls a lifetime, to chase a NEMA
championship driving for Tim Bertrand.
2019 was a
part-time but also a breakout year in the midgets for Alby.
He scored three podiums and his first win which occurred at
his home track, Lee USA Speedway. "I expected big results,
but I certainly did not expect to win in my first start in
the 17 car." After that win, it seemed Alby could do no
wrong, setting a track record at Wiscasset Speedway, winning
heats, and followed with his aforementioned three podiums.
Ovitt had started his own 2019 off strong, coming in
second place in the street stock division at Richmond
Raceway during the Commonwealth-Classic in mid-March.
"Carrying my momentum from 2019 is the key to a successful
2020. I never thought I'd be in this position. It's the best
possible situation for a driver, and I owe it all to Tim and
Gilles Bertrand.
With NEMA heading back to Hudson
Speedway in 2020, Ovitt is likely the man to beat. "It's the
first place I ever raced a car at. I've raced there almost
every year I've raced. That track is exciting, it will work
perfect for midgets." |
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Frank Manafort (left)
with driver Brady Bacon following
their victory at
the BC39 in 2018. (www.usacracing.com) |
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FRANK MANAFORT PASSES AT 78 |
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From
www.USACracing.com - Speedway, Indiana - 2-1-20
Frank Manafort, whose FMR Racing cars drove to victory lane
eight times in USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget
competition with drivers Brady Bacon and Jason McDougal over
the past four seasons, passed away February 1, 2020 at the
age of 78.
Manafort, originally from the northeast,
but residing in Palm City, Fla., was the owner of the
winning car in several marquee events with the series
between 2016 and 2019. His first victory came with Brady
Bacon behind the wheel for a $20,000 payday at the Jason
Leffler Memorial at Wayne County Speedway in Wayne City,
Ill. in 2016.
In fact, Bacon accrued six of
Manafort's eight wins as an owner with the series, including
a two-night sweep of the Kokomo Grand Prix at Kokomo (Ind.)
Speedway in 2017 and a win in the penultimate round of the
season, the November Classic at Bakersfield (Calif.)
Speedway. FMR and Bacon continued its winning ways in 2018
with a score in the inaugural BC39 at The Dirt Track at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
When Bacon stepped back
into a part-time role with FMR for 2019, winning remained a
constant with driver Jason McDougal capturing his first two
career series feature wins at Fairbury, Nebraska's Jefferson
County Speedway and Haubstadt, Indiana's Tri-State Speedway.
Meanwhile, Bacon collected one final win for FMR in the
Western World Championships at Arizona Speedway just this
last November.
"So sad to hear of the passing of
Frank Manafort this morning," Bacon posted on Twitter
Saturday morning. "Racing for FMR has been a highlight of my
career. Frank was a great friend and great man. We will miss
you my friend."
FMR Racing was a consistent finisher near
the top of the USAC National Midget point standings: 3rd in
2016, 2017 and 2018 and 6th in 2019.
Additionally,
Manafort won 39 times as a car owner with the USAC DMA
Midget series between 2013 and 2016. His teams swept all 13
races on the schedule in 2016, the first two with Josh Sunn
and the final 11 with Adam Pierson. The 11-race win streak
by Pierson in Manafort's car tied the record for the longest
winning streak in USAC history with Billy Boat's 1995
Western States Midget season. Together, Pierson and Manafort
won three-straight USAC DMA titles between 2014-15-16.
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