FIREWORKS
COME EARLY AT RIVERHEAD
by Walter
Johnston
The fireworks started early at Riverhead tonight, both in the sky and
on the track, as Bay Fireworks put on a tremendous display of
pyrotechnics, and the racers did the same on the track. Fans were
treated to Modifieds, Chargers, Figure 8’s and Blunderbust racing on the
regular show, and had the added Police Car Demo after regular racing was
finished.
In the Blunderbust division, #6 Scott Sepe stated on the pole,
with #69x Paul Parisi on the outside, and Sepe got the lead all to
himself. Yellow was out a few laps later as #3 Doug Watson slammed the
wall hard, but when racing resumed, Sepe was once again at the command.
It was short lived as #79 Bill Wegmann lost his right rear wheel, and
yellow flew once more. On the next restart, Sepe kept the lead, but #00
“Wild Child” Tommy Walkowiak got by Parisi and #09 Joe Fischett to take
2nd and started hunting Sepe down. Sepe went too high in turn 4 and
Walkowiak took advantage of that, and took the lead, opening up a more
than 5-car length lead. #1 Artie Pedersen passed Sepe for 2nd on lap 15,
but was unable to catch Walkowiak, who held on for his 3rd win of the
season in the #00 Unique Golf Shop Chevrolet.
The Chargers were up next, a few cars under their regular
strength, but the 23 that were there put on a good race. #36 Eric Lutz
sat on the pole, with #00 Mike Bologna outside. At the drop of the
green, Lutz took off, leaving Bologna to fend of #27 Jimmy Donnelly as
they battled for 2nd spot. #73 Brian Doyle, in his newly skinned car,
was hanging on to 3rd, but #81 Chris Turbush, running very strong, was
moving into 3rd spot as #13 Garret Frabizio hit the wall, and the yellow
came out. On the restart, Turbush took 2nd, and started hunting down
Lutz. The two battled nose to tail and side by side for a few laps,
until Turbush finally found a way by and took the lead. Bologna got past
Lutz to regain 2nd, but a crash between #3 Don Ahlers and #44 Mark Gibbs
going down the backstretch brought out the yellow, and began a long
cleanup of fluid spilled in the turns. Both Ahlers and Gibbs were okay,
but Ahlers car got the worst of it. Turbush jumped right back into the
lead on the restart, but Bologna hung in there, while further back, #01
Rob Tribuzio, #8 Dan Turbush, and #17x Rusty Turbush were working their
way under the rest of the top runners to get near the front, just as
rookie #99 Kevin Orlando made contact with the front stretch wall,
bringing out another yellow. Officials deemed #25 Charlie Rittenhouse
was rough riding, causing Orlando to crash, and Rittenhouse was sent to
the pits. With green out again, Chris Turbush held the lead, as Bologna
and Lutz battled to take it form him, and Tribuzio, Dan Turbush, and
Rusty slipped into the top six. Chris held on for the win in #81 Lepage
Millworks Pontiac as #21 Justin Bonsignore, #05 Eric Goodale, and #57
Thore Foss spun off the track in turn 4, but Chris Turbush took the
checkered flag moments later, gaining his 1st win of the season.
Bologna, Lutz, Tribuzio, and Dan Turbush completed the top 5.
Next up, 15 Figure 8 cars took to the track. Tommy Kraft, after
having his ride badly mangled last week, borrowed the 81 car of Louis
Martucci for the event, but elected to start the unfamiliar car in the
rear. Before the drop of the green, #10 George Sprague left with motor
ills. On the start, #29 Will Farrell and #47 “Slim Jim” Donaldson led
the way, but #85 Arne Pedersen shot by both of them on the third lap and
took command, with #22 Bill Batsche following Pedersen, taking 3rd spot
as Donaldson slipped back. #28 Roger Maynor was also working his way up,
and was now 5th. Bill Batsche, running 2nd and #74 Carl
Baxter, running 3rd,made contact in turn 1 (turn 4), bringing out a
yellow and bunching up the field. Tom Kraft took the 81 to the pits
during the caution. On the restart, Pedersen and Maynor were running
side by side swapping the lead around the Figure 8 course, but Maynor
prevailed and took the lead. #13 Mike Mujsce, Sr. now running third,
joined Pedersen and Maynor as the three of them pulled away so far that
now contact at the X was almost imminent each time they went through,
with Maynor taking some radically evasive moves to hold on for the win
in the #28 Barrasso & Sons Mason Supply Ford.
Next up was the Cromarty Cup 50 for the Modifieds. #15 Wayne
Anderson, who won the last two weeks, set 3rd fastest time, but on the
redraw, picked the pole. 2nd went to fast-timer #20 Bill Park. When the
green flew, Bill Park grabbed the lead, with Anderson in tow, and #5
Jimmy Blewett running 3rd. The field settled into single file for a few
laps, but #68x Johnny Bush spun in turn 1, bringing out the first
yellow. With green out once more, Park held the lead, but Anderson had
Blewett so close to him that Blewett literally ran over Anderson's left
rear, making the field behind them check up, and #17x Rusty Turbush and
#36 Dave Sapienza came together, bringing out yellow again. Green out
once more, but Blewett gets into Anderson hard in the back stretch,
causing major left rear damage to Anderson as Blewett is able to
continue, while #49 Chris Young's spin, caused by all this, brings out
yet another yellow. On the restart, Anderson faltered with a damaged
left rear tire and rim, and Blewett slipped by for 2nd, while #10x Mike
Andrews took 3rd. Anderson remained in 4th, and #33 Ken Heagy moved into
5th, as #26 Gary MacDonald spins in turn 1 after contact with #85 Lenny
Fischer. When green comes out again, Park jumps out front, while Blewett
and Andrews battled side by side for 2nd, with Blewett winning that
battle a few laps later. The top 8 were now in a line, while from 9th on
back, it was side by side racing. Back up front, Park held a 4 car
length lead over Blewett, who was 5 car lengths in front of Andrews,
while Anderson and Heagy held on behind him. As Park came up to lap #03
Ken Darch, Darch spun, slowing Park as the yellow came out, but
officials ruled Park had kept moving, despite Blewett getting by, and
put Park back in front for the restart. Meanwhile, #05 Joe Hartmann was
black flagged for a leaking race car, and sent to the pits. With the
green back out on lap 34, Park held his lead as Andrews and Blewett once
again contended for 2nd. Two laps later, Lenny Fischer hit the wall hard
in turn 1, spilling fluid that necessitated a long cleanup. When the
green flew again, Park pulled away momentarily, but Blewett caught up
quickly, and passed Park for the lead on lap 42. Andrew was now running
side by side with Park, as Blewett stretched his lead, and Andrews
eventually got around Park for 2nd, and set his sights on Blewett.
Andrews got close, but Blewett held him off for the win in the #5 TS
Haulers Chevrolet, with Park holding on for 3rd, and Anderson
maintaining 4th, and amazing feat after seeing the damage to his left
rear from the earlier incident. It was Jimmy Blewett's first win at
Riverhead since taking over the T.S. Haulers ride at the beginning of
the season.
Pit notes: AJ Van Ness drove in his last Figure 8 race, as he is
moving to Florida, where he plans to continue his Figure 8 racing
career. We wish him well in Sunny, HUMID, Florida...Jeremy McDermott
among the missing in Charger competition, but raced Steve Booker’s newly
acquired #91, bought from Jack Handley... #73 Charger Brian Doyle, after
wrecking last week, worked all week with his crew, and some help from
Rick Herold, all the way up from N.C., to put new sheet metal on his #73
National Pest Experts Charger. From all Black, the car is now a nice
shade of 'Pepsi Blue' on the side panels. He also wanted to thank Paul
and Tracy Parisi of The Vinyl Answer for helping him to get all the new
graphics on his car. He says they worked on it over two days. Lastly, he
thanks his wife (all good drivers do) for all her help, and his crew for
staying up nights for two weeks getting the car running as good as it
did tonight...Quite a nice fireworks show by Bay Fireworks, they really
do well with their continuous multiple shell firings, unlike single
shell (yawn) shows we've seen others do in the past...LongIslandJam.com
apologizes for lack of a story last week, both JA and myself were quite
busy with other endeavors, we'll try not to let it happen again. Until
next week, keep that spell checker handy, LOL, and we'll be back with
another race night story....
Source: Walter Johnston/LongIslandJam.com
Posted: July 3, 2005
