12/15/2003

MAKING THE GRADE - PART III
by Peter Milano

Well, this could possibly be the toughest division to hand out grades for those amongst the Charger division. With many veterans and many new faces making their presence known throughout the year, not many drivers stand above all the others. These grades are based upon performance, attitude and ability to perform each and every week!

1) #8-Danny Turbush:  A+, "Dynamite" Dan Turbush is always a force fora championship run each and every year. With rain bringing down a lot of canceled races; we did manage to get in 13 races. In those 13 races, Danny had only 1 win, but was always in contention and ended up with eight top five's and twelve top tens, leaving only one race where he didn't have a top ten. With a battle on the track at season’s end with brother Rusty and fellow competitor Jack Orlando, with pure consistency he edged out these two hard chargers. This points race could have gone either way if Danny missed another top ten, but the true veteran hung tight till the end. A+

2) #99-Jack Orlando:  A+, Almost impossible to pass this man when he's in the lead, but it has been done, though by very few! One of those few was 2003 champion Danny Turbush, and thus the question of arises: "If Danny hadn't won that particular race and Orlando won, would Danny be champion?" Truthfully? I really cannot answer that question because of points! But if he did win that race, his season total of wins would have been 4! But Jack will settle down in the off-season, looking to come back next year and add to the all-time time wins column. Danny Turbush holds the record, by a large margin of 50 wins to Jack's 22 wins. But with a huge gap, it's going to take awhile before anyone catches up with "Dynamite"! This season Jack had 3 wins, 5 top five's and 11 top tens. Always look out for #99, because you never know what cards he's going to show. A+

3) #17x-Rusty Turbush:  A+, LOOK OUT! Jack Orlando is between the Mallotizzi Crush, or in this case "The Turbush Brothers Crush." OK, for those of you who didn't grow up on Happy Days, if you saw it when it originally aired or like me, was way too young, saw it on reruns, it was the band of brothers who destroyed everyone on the track during a demolition derby. OK, now the Turbush brothers might not be as dirty as the aforementioned brothers, they still are the ones to look out for on the track. They will always put on an exciting finish for a race, both are always looking to advance on their positions. Last year the championship proudly bared the name of Rusty, this year he came up a bit short to reclaim the title. Rusty brought home 1 win, 7 top five's and 11 top tens. A+

4) #16-Scott Lehmann:  B+, Oh how they have dropped down in grades, this division is filled with a lot of great potential, but each week, we seem to have different guys riding behind the Turbush brothers and Orlando. Scott could easily be called "Most Improved Driver," as last year Scott finished 17th in points. This year brought out a new car and we saw vast improvements. The only thing that kept Scott away from a higher grade was the one win that eluded him this season. Scott did finish with 4 top five's and 12 top tens. What will next year bring is the question? HMMMMM! Could the Lehmann household be placing the championship trophy on the mantle next to the Christmas stockings or will the Lehmann’s move and leave us wondering??? B+

5) #21-Chris Beutler: B, Improved from last year's 8th in points and moved to 5th in the standings. Everyone seems to like this kid's attitude on and off the track. Keeps his nose clean, which is very difficult in this division. He respects his fellow competitors and seems to follow and learn from the directions of his elder racers. Still awaiting to see him in victory lane, but his time is coming where he will see the checker flag ahead of everyone else on the track. This season Chris had 4 top five's and 9 top tens. Keep up the good work and continue to learn from those around you! B

6) #01-Rob Tribuzio: B, Learned a lot from Danny Turbush, Rob has continued to grow as a racer. There seemed to be a time on the track that Rob had gotten himself into a few scuffles, but as the saying goes, "rubbin’ is racin’." If the track officials saw anything wrong they would have thrown out the black flag and this year, we saw that flag fly a few times in this division. Anyway, this year Rob continued to grow and grow he did, right into a late model! Next season will be in an all-new field of competitors and with a totally different feel in a racecar. Rob will take what he has learned and put it to use in the Late Models next season. He's got the right foot in the door, this year Rob has 6 top five's and 8 top tens.

7) #36-Eric Lutz: B, The one thing I noticed about Lutz is he is extremely driven! He is always pushing and found himself in the top 10 in most cases this year. Lutz brought home one trophy for his mantle and 5 top five's and 8 top tens. From what I've seen Eric is always pushing to better his team. Plus when he’s not busy on his Charger, he's always working on one of his sons’ go-karts. Few more years we'll see another Lutz on the track. B

8) #10-Brad Van Houten: B, Another driver who seemed to get caught up in a few incidents on the track. Brad drove hard this year taking down 1 win, 5 top five's and 9 top tens. I'm excited to see what he can do in the future of this sport. Note to Brad: Keep your nose clean on the track and beware of drivers all around you, show them a bit of respect and they'll give you the room to race them. You’re going to be one to out look for in the future! B

9) #89x-Chris McGuire: C, Chris is continuing to grow but seems to lack experience and his engine department needs some work. I've seen bits of promise here and there over the past two seasons, hopefully he'll continue and shine through next year. Chris had 2 top five's and 5 top tens with limited resources. Just keep pushing; I believe you can shine through! C

10)#58-Rich Hubbard: C+, Taking his first charger win this season, last year's rookie of the year, showed some signs of promise. But, he was also hit with the accident bug, not always caused by him. Hubbard learned how to drive through the Blunderbust class, so he knows how to rub fenders. This year Hubbard had 1 win and 5 top tens. C+

11)#00-Michael Bologna: C+, I know deep inside I should be giving Mike a higher grade, as he is a better driver than C+. If the season didn't have all the rainouts, Mike would have been higher in points. He did take down 1 win, 4 top five's and 6 top tens. Like last year they needed more consistency. Always the driver, when you least expect to see him in your mirror, he's there! Hopefully next year he'll turn this seasons misfortune into fortune! C+

12) #43-Ray Minieri: I, Incomplete. Oh how I hated giving this grade. The professor had to come to terms of the "incomplete" grade. I'm saddened by this grade, Ray decided to leave the track after a "big" disagreement over carburetor and tire differences. The man stood his ground and I respect him for that. Ray seemed to be coming on strong and had his eyes set for top position by season end! Ray had fastest time and was close to breaking the track record before leaving. He did walk away with 3 top five's and 6 top tens. I hope things get ironed out and he is able to come back to grace the quarter-mile of Riverhead Raceway. Incomplete.

13) #75-Steve Ratti: C+, "Whose your daddy" Steve Ratti had 1 win, 4 top five's and 5 top tens. He had this car dialed in towards the end of the season, what will next year hold? The top of the field should watch out, Ratti finally got the newer car dialed in! The Ratti we saw three years ago looks to be back! C+

14) #05-Eric Goodale: C, Could follow in his brother's footsteps and end up in a modified seat sooner than later. Eric's got some driving skills and he learned a lot this season. 1 win, 1 top five and 3 top tens. Keep this kid in mind, he going to be a name to remember in the years to come. C

15) #39-Sal Accardi, Jr: D, Nothing holds anything back for this guy next year in the Chargers at all. That's because he's moving up to play with the big boys and their toys in the Modified division. If Sal had the right motor package he could have held on tight to a few more top tens and maybe even a win. 2003 only had 1 top five and 4 top tens. He seems excited about next year and let’s hope that excitement produces the results Accardi is capable of. D

16) #81-Chris Turbush: D, Oh, look another Turbush, I hear there might be another one next year too. Chris has 1 win under his belt but that was two years ago subbing for his father Danny. This year, Chris had 1 top five and 2 top tens. Seemed to get caught up in a few incidents on the track. Next year they are looking to improve and start anew. Next year should be the telling year for his future in racing. D

17) #2-Jermey McDermott, D-, Asked to sit down after 10 races, Jeremy was still able this year to walk away with his head high with 1 win, but 1 top five and 1 top ten. Not sure what happened, but hopefully can find a ride next year. D-

18) #22x-John Denniston D, So many pots and only two hands! John seems he wants to race everything and basically does! Wasn't too focused though this year on the Chargers, with 2 top fives and 3 top tens. Next year John has his eye on the Modified rookie of the year battle. D

19) #28-Jay Henschel: D, Showed some promise with a nice machine, but, only gaining 2 top tens and some experience. Next year should be a telling season for this team. D

20) #02-Shawn Wanat: D, Shawn will hopefully get himself better equipment for the 2004 season, I'd like to see him improve. 1 top ten. D

I hope everyone understands the grades that were handed out. For those who aren't happy with the grades, please take these grades as constructive criticism and apply them to next year and improve on them. I look forward to progress from many of you next year. Keep your head focused during the off-season and continue to work on engine programs and setups. The driving skills can only be practiced on the track I hope to see many of the Charger drivers improve on their skills.

Selah

Professor Peter Milano

Sources:  Peter Milano/LongIslandJam.com
Posted:  December 15, 2003