SLICK PICK FINALLY EARNS HIS FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP
by J.A.
Ackley
In his 16th season of
racing,“Slick Pick” Tom Pickerell finally earned the
coveted end-of-the-year championship with the 2004
Blunderbust honors. Growing up on the fumes of racecars
and watching his father Ron compete, Pickerell has had a
lifetime in racing to get where he is now.
Pickerell grew up watching his father
Ron race at Islip and Freeport in his younger years. In
1988, a new division at Riverhead was beginning to take off
– the Enduros. Pickerell would earn his stripes by fending
off 100 cars for 200 laps and contend for top 10’s race in
and race out.
Afterwards, Pickerell would give the
Blunderbusts a try starting in the early 90’s. Pickerell
would move up steadily to becoming a contender and his
father Ron decided to give it a try as well, running a
backup of his son’s. However, the elder would start taking
wins away from his son which would often create heated
battles on the track and off the track.
After a few long rides home, Tom
decided it was time to move up a level to the Late Model
ranks, starting in 1997. Tom would learn quickly in the
more powerful Late Models, earning Rookie of the Year,
finishing third in points, and contending for wins.
In 2000, Tom decided to move up to a
division without fenders, but not the traditional
NASCAR-style Modifieds, instead the IMCA Modifieds. Tom
seemed to be a natural in the open-wheeled racecars, winning
one of the premier IMCA Modified races by winning at Oswego
Speedway’s Race of Champions.
In 2002, Pickerell returned to the
Riverhead Raceway Blunderbust ranks, earning many top 10’s
along the way. Pickerell enjoyed his return the
Blunderbusts, as they are his favorite cars to race as they
are the least amount of work and the least amount of cost.
However, car troubles sidelined his campaign for the
championship, with Pickerell not coming back with full force
until 2 years later in 2004.
2004 was finally the year Pickerell
shined. Pickerell would move swiftly through the pack
without creating a stir and when the dust settled, “Slick
Pick” would wind up with a top 5 night in, night out. But
one night Pickerell’s championship dreams almost came to a
grinding halt. His #4 was suffering from engines woes, and
Pickerell simply arrived to the double point race without a
car and without any hope. However, in a show of class, many
of the top runners in the Blunderbusts offered their cars
for Pickerell. On that night, Dale Arnold loaned his #53
CustomVinylGraphics.com Olds to Pickerell so that the
16-year veteran could continue his campaign for the
end-of-the-year gold.
“I felt the
best car was Dale's, but I hated to use it because he was
supposed to start up front that night. By me using it, it
took away one of his best chances to win a race this past
season and also took him out of the top ten in points,”
Pickerell lamented, “If the shoe were on the other foot I
would lend my car to those who offered their help to me on
this night… Like the saying goes when you’re in need of a
favor you find out who your real friends are.”
Pickerell would like to thank his crew,
Dale Arnold, and his sponsorship team. The sponsors which
fueled Pickerell to success include: Pickerell Clam, Pete’s
Auto Parts, G-Force Collision, LongIslandJam.com, Oval Speed
Unlimited, and United Exhaust Shop.
For 2005, Pickerell is gearing up to
race at the Catskill Mountain Speedway, formerly known as
Kauneonga Speedway in the IMCA Modifieds and in the Street
Stocks with his converted Blunderbust. While these plans
are tentative, one thing is certain. No matter where
Pickerell races, by the end of the night expect to see the
veteran racer up front contending for the win and you
scratching your head wondering where did he come from?
