04/25/2004
ENDUROMANIA ROUND 1
by Kim Watson.
It may have been cold in this stands this Enduro
Sunday, but the action on the track was hot. Drivers in the
Spectator Drags, Grand Enduro, 4 6 &8 cylinder cars,
trucks, and trains took to the track for the first time this
season. After a long snowy winter everyone was anxious to see
who would be first at the checkered flag.
SPECTATOR DRAGS
The Spectator Drags had 10 entries. First round action
included Troy Pilente winning a side-by-side battle over Frank
Kandler Jr. Mike Hall won the muscle car battle over Jarrod
Hayes. Bill Bellsford ‘s early lead beat out Bryan Fauss.
Jason Savoy moved on after beating Ross Banks; and Brian Savoy
was faster then Rich Lentin.
After 2nd round eliminations it was down to
Bill Bellsford in his 98 Camaro against Mike Hall in his 73
Cutlass. Mike proved that he is the “Animal”, winning
after a hard scuff off of the turn 4 wall.
GRAND ENDURO
Next up was the Grand Enduro. Thirty-three drivers
lined up by twos for the rolling start of their race. Matt
Senatore had the pole, and led the way for the smooth start of
the race. The field quickly broke up into two groups. Car #51
was able to get a good inside run and take the lead for a bit.
Kevin Clarke in the #80 was the first to pull into the
infield. The field was moving fast as the cars spread out.
Drivers must have done some set-up homework, because their
cars were handling so well.
Car #03 ended his day in the infield. Tommy Walkowiak
had a strong run going when he took the lead. A pile up in
turn 2 collected the leaders and ended Tommy’s run. From
there Lil’ John Alway took the lead with Joe Parcelluzzi hot
on his tail. The driver of car #11 made a nice save in turn 4.
Rich Johnson made a nice move of his own when he pulled into 2nd
place. The hard charging Joe Parcelluzzi’s fast run slowed
when he hooked onto a stalled car in turn 2. John Always ended
his ½ track lead pulling in with a left rear flat. That left
it open for Rich Johnson’s Constant Performance machine.
Rich Johnson finished 1st with car
#51 in 2nd. Joe Parcelluzzi rallied back for
3rd and Bob Pease came in 4th for BV
Sprinklers.
TRAIN RACE
This week the Train Race had three teams chugging along
for 12 laps. The #23 Stan’s Towing team of Stanley
Wangenstein & Kevin Clarke pulled out first and never
looked back. #55 Raggamuffin Racing drivers, Dan Jones &
Donald Oliver, followed them. Two time champs Peter Bertuccio
& Scott Schlein in the #2 North Fork Sanitation train
puttered behind until motor trouble left them watching from
the side line.
1st 8-CYLINDER
The stock 8-cylinder race had 55 cars for it’s 70-lap
run. Stephen Vonatzski was out first and got to the rear of
the filed before they even had a chance to move. Smoke filled
the air as the cars spread out for some racing room. James
Pape Jr. ended his run first pulling into the infield. Cars
started running 3 wide as Brian Sklarsky was making some great
times. Spiderman had to hold on tight to Jimmy Muller’s car
as track conditions became slick. The spinning and sliding
began when turn 3 jammed up. Car #56 pulled into the infield
with heavy damage.
Things settled down for a bit, but the drivers still
had stalled cars to weave through around the track. A quick
red flag to check safety cleaned things up for a bit. After
the restart, Walter Stroud Jr. found the lead and kept it
until the end. Anthony Orsi had his hands full with his ill
handling station wagon. Tony Maltese found a fast line and ran
it well.
Walter Stroud jr. took home the win for NY Discount
Tire & Wheel/ Peanuts Bar&Grill. Gary Hubbard finished
2nd. In 3rd was Brian Skylarski and
Stephen Vonatzski came in 4th.
4&6-CYLINDER TRUCKS
There were 19 4&6 cylinder trucks on hand. They
lined up by twos for the rolling start of their 35-lap race.
Unfortunately for the field John Cozza started on the pole,
which left 2nd place open for them. Other then the
speedy dry blinding turn 4 it was a clean race. Terry Stiles
was having a nice run as Cozza began to lap the field. Both
“Racing” Ronnie Albano and “Charging” Charlie Lutz
went for a spin around turn4. Ed the “Scorpion” Colon had
a nice run going to represent Mercedes Benz of Massapequa. Tom
Bake’s truck ran into a bit of trouble in turn 2, but he got
it back out on the track. The only race casualty was the #8
Long Island Cares truck driven by Curtis Rasmussen, who had a
flat tire.
In the end it was John Cozza in Victory Lane for Island
Parts Outlet. Speedway Performance’s Terry Stiles finished 2nd.
Truck #3 in 3rd and Richard Onorato came in 4th.
4-CYLINDERS
For the 4-cylinder race 45 cars were on the track for
their 50-lap run. Christian Conklin took the lead from the
green. Keith Ryan hit the back stretch wall pretty hard but
got back out into the race. Drivers were able to run a few
fast clean laps until the wrecks started to happen. Thomas
Pilock’s camouflaged ride was a bit slow, but looked good
anyway. A four-car pile-up blocked turn3 for a bit. Jerry
Weeks got a lift when he wound up on another cars bumper. Tuff
Stuff Racing’s “Krazy” Chris Siwek was running some
great laps.
The red flag came out for a car that rolled onto its
side in turn3. Track workers quickly got it back on all four
tires and made sure the driver was ok. Bob Haeger took
advantage of the break to get out of his car, which was being
pulverized in turn4. The field lined back up and it was back
to racing. Eric Lehr had a great run while Robert Schewire was
battling on the track.
But it was Christian Conklin who took the win for Pro
Time Contracting. He was followed by Tim Fontana driving for
Fontana’s Bakery in 2nd. Family Auto Parts Kevin
Orlando was 3rd and Kenny Ferrer in 4th.
6&8-CYLINDER
Due to the possibility of bad weather the last race had
a 6 &8 cylinder-combined field. The six 6 cylinder entries
started at the front of the field with 25 8-cylinder cars
behind them. The 6 cylinders led the way for a bit until they
were swallowed up by the 8cylinders. Walter Stroud Jr. found a
fast line; but Dominic Ranieri showed them how it was done
working his way through traffic. Car #49 had to pull in for
radiator trouble. #22 was having some troubles getting around.
A fast car with bad handling made it tough for #16.
Eugene Malverty was first across the finish line for
All Stock Auto Parts/ UNEEDAPART.COM. Local Cesspools Dominic
Ranieri finished 2nd. Pete Mikos came in 3rd
with Walter Stroud Jr. ending his day in 4th.
A way to go to those 6 cylinder guys.
Especially Steve Johnson who was the top finisher. Let's give
some credit where it's due: John Vaughan, "Mad" Mike
Smith, "Racing" Rich Johnson, Joe Gallotto, the #5
(not sure who you are but you were flying), and the #6; great
job drivers! This is a new division so lets hope more
people will catch on to it like they did with the 4 cylinders.
Sources: Kim
Watson/LongIslandJam.com
Posted: April 30, 2004
