07/12/2003

ANOTHER NIGHT OF FIREWORKS AT RIVERHEAD
by George Maccarone, Jr.

The second straight week of warm, sunny summer weather brought out another good crowd to Riverhead Raceway. They witnessed a night of very hard racing, with numerous accidents, many caution flags, several red flags and a few very scary moments. As the afternoon gave way to the evening, a full moon rose in the east. It proved to be an omen.

SUPER PRO TRUCKS
The Super Pro Trucks kicked off the evening's action. In a preview of what was in store for the rest of the night, the first caution came out on Lap 4, as John Denniston, Jr. in the #2 Trailer Transport Chevrolet, spun off Turn 2 after running over some fluid spilled by the #9 Troystar Motorsports Chevrolet of Troy Ferdinando.

On the re-start, Dave Koenig in the #97 Nelson's Auto Salvage Chevrolet got a good outside run on leader and pole-sitter Lenny Costa in the #55 Golden Auto Body Chevrolet, but couldn't make the pass. On Lap 7, there was a brief moment of excitement as Brian Schwarz, in the #11 Outlaw Fabrication Chevrolet got sideways in Turn 3, but quickly regained control of his truck and the race continued. By the 8th lap, Lenny Costa, Dave Koenig and the #28 with Peter Sparks at the wheel, had broken away from the rest of the field, with Dan Grennan, in the SPONSORS WANTED #38 a distant 4th, some 8 lengths back. But that didn't last long. By Lap 10, Grennan began to reel in the three leaders as they raced among themselves for the lead. On Lap 13, Costa got loose off Turn 2, which left an opening for Koenig to shoot into the lead. Grennan also passed Costa to take second place, but Costa returned the favor and regained the spot with a nice inside pass. But on Lap 15, Grennan again passed Costa and set his sights on race leader Koenig. For the last five laps, Grennan kept looking inside, until Koenig finally left him an opening off Turn 2 of the last lap. Grennan got a fender under the #97 on the backstretch and took the top spot with a great inside pass on Turn 3 for the win.

BLUNDERBUSTS
For the second straight week, Jason Carpenter, in the #77 Blue Point Auto Body Oldsmobile led the field to the green flag. But on this night, Sean Byrne was not to be denied. He took his #65 Countywide Collision Ford Thunderbist to the inside on the very first lap and jumped out to an early 3-length lead. Mike Coll, at the wheel of the #60 Buick Electra, started 6th but quickly moved up into 2nd.

The first caution flag flew on Lap 4, as Artie Pedersen, Jr., at the controls of the #51 Sherwin-Williams Paint Chevrolet, slammed hard into the wall off Turn 2, while at the other end of the track, #61 Chris Busick (last week's winner) and rookie Vern Moelius, in the #96, tangled in Turn 4 and ended up with locked bumpers. A hush fell over the crowd as the red flag replaced the yellow flag, and the track crew and EMT's converged on the scene of Pedersen's crash. After several minutes, Pedersen was freed from the car and taken off the track in the ambulance. To everyone's relief, his injuries didn't require a trip to the hospital. He was treated in the ambulance and released.

On the restart, Byrne and Coll got a good jump on the rest of the field, while Bryan Sescila, in the #34 Victory Fleet Maintenance Chevrolet, and Russell Broy, in the #99 Island Trees Automotive Chevrolet, dueled side-by-side for third, with Sescila taking the spot with an inside pass on Lap 8. Jason Carpenter tried to follow Sescila through the opening but ended up spinning Broy instead, also collecting #87 Chris Chirico, in the Eddy's Trailer Sales Chevrolet in the process. Carpenter was penalized for rough driving and sent to the rear of the field for the restart.

During this stoppage, the second red flag of the night came out when a member of the infield tow truck crew suddenly collapsed behind his rig. EMT's were on the scene immediately and were seen administering CPR to the unconscious man as he lay on the tarmac. He was revived and rushed to the hospital in Riverhead, where he was later reported conscious and in critical condition. No name was released pending notification of next-of-kin.

Because of the time delay involved in rendering medical assistance to the track crew member, Riverhead officials decided to restart the race but to call it if another caution developed. On the ensuing re-start, the #65 and the #60 again jumped out to a good lead, with the #34 and the #87 in third and fourth. By Lap 13, Byrne had built up a three car-length lead on Broy, and appeared to be in position to cruise home with the win, but while the top four cars logged lap after lap in single-file order, trouble was brewing behind them. By Lap 15, a huge pack of about ten cars had collected, all seemingly contending for fifth place. If the cars had been halted in place, one could have walked from the stands to the infield on the hoods of the cars without ever touching the ground. Everyone in the stands (and the drivers too) knew that something had to give. On Lap 17, Eugene Malverty, in the All Stock Auto #23, was the first to go, spinning off Turn 1. Reluctant to drop the yellow flag and terminate the race, the officials let the action continue and Malverty got his car pointed in the right direction.

On the next lap, the action got hot and heavy in Turn 3. The pack came roaring down the backstretch, and suddenly the #00 C&A Auto Parts Chevrolet with Tommy "Wild Child" Walkowiak at the wheel, shot out of the pack and careened into the Turn 4 wall, propelled by a shove from Bobby Gardner in the #55 Outlaw Motorsports Cadillac. The combination of good driving, coupled with a strong Ron Langdon-built race car body, saved the day for the #00, and despite taking a good lick from the concrete, Walkowiak got right back into the fray, going right back after Gardner. He caught up to the #55 and the two cars spent the last lap locked in a tire-to-tire duel that culminated in a spin as they approached the finish line.

In Victory Lane, winner Sean Byrne, who had a comparatively uneventful run once he got into the lead, noted he had no idea that all the commotion had been going on behind him late in the race. In the pits, however, it was another story. Several veteran drivers told me that it had been one of the nastiest and most hotly-contested races they had ever participated in.

They'll get no argument from anyone who saw this race.

LATE MODELS

It's an axiom in racing that the fastest car doesn't always win the race. That was proved once again last night as Jarrod Hayes, in the #08 Paul's Signs/USA Crane Rentals Chevrolet Monte Carlo, whom took home the trophy.  Keith Rotzi starting on the outside pole in the #21 PHR Construction Chevrolet Monte Carlo got a good jump on the start and took an early lead over pole-sitter Ed Stein in the #5 East Coast Welldrilling Chevrolet Monte Carlo. But the lead proved to be short-lived, as Hayes executed a nice inside pass on Lap 2. Greg Kleila, in the #72 J&R'S STEAK HOUSE Pontiac, followed Hayes through the hole and the two cars began a two-car duel for the lead. Kleila had the faster car, but try as he might, he couldn't get by Hayes. On Lap 4, with Kleila right on his rear bumper, Hayes got loose off Turn 1, perhaps helped by a little contact from behind. As he started to spin to his left, Kleila checked up, which allowed Hayes to regain control and retain the lead. Kleila was finally able to complete a pass on Lap 8, but, as luck would have it, Stein, Walt DeMorris in the #93 SPONSORS WANTED Dodge, and R.J. Oxee, in the #39 The Helman Group Pontiac Grand Prix, tangled in Turn 3, bringing out the caution flag. Since the lap wasn't completed, Kleila's pass went for naught, as Hayes was restored to the lead for the re-start.

The action resumed on Lap 8, as did the duel between Hayes and Kleila, but now a third player entered the fray. Buzzy Eriksen, who started 14th in the #68 Harley Davidson of Nassau County Pontiac, worked his way all the way up to third by Lap 16 and he took up position on the outside of Kleila. On Lap 19, Kleila tried yet again for an inside pass on Hayes. The two made contact, with Kleila forced to check up once again. Eriksen took advantage of the opportunity to shoot by Kleila on the outside for second place. Kleila quickly covered the inside, but he and Eriksen made contact in Turn 3 on the next lap, bringing out another yellow. Eriksen was sent to the pits with a cut right rear tire, while Kleila followed Eriksen through the pit gate to get the remains of his right front fender cut off.

This skirmish cost both drivers a top five finish, as Kleila and Eriksen were credited with 11th and 12th place, respectively. Their bad luck became good luck for Scott Kulesa in the #10 Ranco Sand & Stone Pontiac, and Glenn Tyler, in the #28 Spring & Summer Activities Pontiac, who advanced into the spots vacated by Kleila and Eriksen. After one more caution on Lap 20, caused by contact between Keith Rotzi and Walt DeMorris, the race finished without further incident, with the top five spots going to Hayes, Kulesa, Tyler, Kevin Metzger, in the #23 SPONSORS WANTED Ford Taurus, and Dave Brigati, in the #1 White Post Wholesale Growers Dodge Avenger.

After the race, Hayes acknowledged that he wasn't the fastest car in the race. "I had no choice but to protect the inside," he said, "otherwise there was no way I'd have been able to win the race."

LATE MODEL NOTES:
Mike Mortimer, winner of the last Late Model feature, had two weeks to bask in the glow of the win. He finished 6th in the #14 SPONSORS WANTED Pontiac last night, but he said he was happy with the result. Noting that he and the car had suffered through a tough season until the win in race #5, he said, "we came through the night in pretty good shape, with just a scrape or two. We can live with that."

MODIFIEDS

In the Modified feature, pole sitter Frank Saladino in the #25 entry lead for the first two laps. Eddie Brunnhoelzl III, in the #83 SPONSORS WANTED Chevrolet passed him on the outside off Turn 4 to take the point. Ron Hlatky in the #42 Fine Edge Contracting Chevrolet, took second place on the next lap, as Frank Vigliarolo, Jr. in the #14 Empire Water Dodge, moved up to third, followed by point leader John Fortin in the #84.

The first caution came on Lap 8, following contact between Chris Young, in the #49 Riverhead Building Supply Chevrolet, and early-season point leader J.R. Bertuccio, in the #2 Gershow Recycling Chevrolet. In the exchange, Bertuccio cut down a right front tire and damaged his right front suspension. As he was leaving the track, his car suddenly veered sharply to the right, smacking hard into the wall of the exit chute. He was able to re-enter the race later, and although he finished several laps down in 19th place, it was amazing that he was able to finish at all, considering the amount of damage his car sustained. But, for the second straight week, he dropped a lot of points, putting his championship hopes in jeopardy.

On the restart, Vigliarolo attempted to get under Hlatky off Turn 1. The two cars made contact, with Hlatky spinning and Vigliarolo sustaining damage to his left front suspension. He retired to the pits for repairs, and it looked like he was in line for a second straight poor finish, which would have severely damaged his hopes to win a division championship. But that was not to be the case, as he rebounded strongly for a solid fifth place finish.

The field was again lined up for the restart, with Ed Brunnhoelzl III on the point, but he was quickly passed for the lead by John Fortin. As the lap was completed, the #13 SPONSORS WANTED car with Bill Eastman, Jr. at the wheel, spun in Turn 1 bringing out yet another caution. On this caution, Bill Park in the #20 Smithtown Nissan Chevrolet made the first of several visits to the pits. He would finish in 17th place.

The restart found Fortin in first place, which he would hold for the rest of the night.

In a night filled with hard crashes, the worst wreck of the night occurred on Lap 18. As the field swept down the backstretch, the #05 car, with Joe Hartmann at the wheel, clipped the rear of Chris Young's car, sending Young into the infield. Hartmann going full speed, ricocheted right into the Turn 4 wall, the apparent victim of a stuck throttle. Once again, the red flag came out and a hush fell over the crowd. as the paramedics and track crew sprang into action. It was later reported that Hartmann sustained injuries to his neck, ribs and shoulders. Unfortunate as this was, it could have been much worse, considering the severity of the crash.

When the race resumed, Fortin moved out to a commanding lead and was never seriously challenged the rest of the way. A tight battle developed among last week's winner, Ken Heagy in the #33 Olde School Floor Covering Chevrolet, Frank Vigliarolo, and #6 Tom Rogers, Jr. in the Sunburst Tree Experts Chevrolet. On Lap 28, Heagy spun but was able to recover, although not before losing a lap. Vigliarolo nailed down the fifth spot, while Rogers faded to 8th. On the next lap, Ron Hlatky spun offf Turn 1.

John Manno, in the #64 Just Kids Diagnostic & Treatment Center Pontiac made light contact with Hlatky. Although a caution flag was displayed, both cars were able to continue after getting pointed in the right direction.

The last caution of the race occurred with three laps to go, as Chris Young once again made contact with J.R. Bertuccio, sending the #2 into the infield once more. Young was black-flagged and placed last in the field for his actions.

After the race, John Fortin noted that he had left his family camping in Virginia and flown back to New York in order to compete in last night's race. "When we made the date to go camping, I didn't think I'd be in the thick of the points race. Since I am, I had to come back here for this race. Riverhead Raceway has been very good to me. I love this track and I love the Cromarties." He also gave credit to his crew which had worked hard all week to repair the damage inflicted on the car in last week's race.

FIGURE EIGHTS
Kenny Hyde in the #58 Maples Bar & Grill Chevrolet led the field to the green flag for the second week in a row. Also, for the second week in a row, the mayhem began early on, as the #16 Hot Wash car with Bill Farrell at the helm got together with Tim Farrell in the #7 Long Island Billiards Chevrolet and the #21 car of Bob Dalke on the very first lap.

Unlike last week, Hyde's lead was short-lived. On the re-start, he got loose and the #3 car with Ken Darch at the wheel, slipped by into the lead, looking very much like the car to beat. On Lap 5, the #22 Island Moving Supplies Chevrolet piloted by Bill Batsche, spun into the infield. Although he was out of the way, caution had to be called due to a fire which erupted under the hood of Batsche's car.

One lap after the restart, there was contact in Turn 1 involving the #63 SPONSORS WANTED car of Paul Specht, the #00 of Guy Loomis, the #1 Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Long Island Dodge with Tom Rogers, Jr., and once again, the #7 and #21 cars. In this one, the #00 ended up on top of the roof of the #7, resulting in another red flag while the wreckers cleared the track.

While the track was in the process of being cleared, the #3 suddenly went into the pits for equipment problems to everyone's surprise. Driver Ken Darch brought the car back out and went on to finish 9th.

The restart found Tom Kraft, in his brand-new multi-color #9 Dantona Industries Pontiac in the lead, followed by the #47 Slim's Body Piercing Ford, with "Slim" Jim Donaldson at the wheel. On Lap 9, Donaldson got loose on Turn 3, allowing Bill "The Dean" Steen, in the #23 Euro Tech Auto Body Dodge to slip by for second place. Last week's winner, George Sprague in the #10 Golden Auto Body Chevrolet, followed Steen through the opening to drop Donaldson back one more spot. The race continued without further incident until Lap 14, when the #29 car with Will Farrell at the wheel made contact with the wall off Turn 1, bringing out the last caution of the night. The race had to be called at that point due to expiration of the time limit, with Tom Kraft trading the two front fenders of his new car for the winner's trophy. That's a trade he'll make anytime!

FIGURE EIGHT NOTES:

After the race, Bob Annunziata, owner of Tom Kraft's winning #9 car, was pleased to announce that Dantona Industries has been signed as sponsor of the car for the rest of the season, after having previously signed on for a one-time sponsorship only. Annunziata was understandably elated that the night had turned out to be an across-the-board success for his team--except for those two front fenders, of course!

Sources:  George Maccarone, Jr./LongIslandJam.com
Posted:  July 13, 2003