Wild Night to End Out the Year
by
Walter Johnston
What started as a very warm,
sunny, afternoon soon turned into clouds, lightning, thunder and
rain as Riverhead closed out the stock car portion of their
season on Saturday night. Time trials were held in all four of
the divisions that were scheduled to run, and the Super Pro
Truck title was decided in their final race of the season. A
memorial ceremony remembered those who passed from the racing
community of Riverhead in the last year, including Walt DeMorris,
Tom Kulesa, John Heather and most recently, Bob Scordo.
Starting off the night, the
Super Pro Trucks ran a 20-lap final race to decide the points.
#1 Lou Maestri, 2004 Super Pro Truck champ, entered the race
with a 14 point lead. With Dan Turbush in the Dantona Industries
#10 Chevrolet and Bobby Gardner in the #45 AuctionDepot.org
Dodge on the front row, the green flag flew with Turbush getting
away from Gardner after a three lap side-by-side battle for the
lead. Gardner settled into second, with Maestri now comfortably
in third spot, as the field fell into single line formation. A
little skirmish left Bryan Sescila’s #34 Victory Fleet
Maintenance Dodge and Rich Giordano’s #7 G-Force Collision Dodge
with flats, but both were able to pull into the infield leaving
the race to run under green. Troy Ferdinando and the #9 Magic
Isle Aquarium & Pet Center Chevrolet developed an overheating
problem and was black flagged for leaking, but he also pulled
into the infield. Turbush, meanwhile maintained his lead while
Gardner looked for a way around him and Maestri kept a watchful
eye out for any opportunity to gain a spot. It was not to be
though as Turbush led throughout and claimed his second victory
of his Super Pro Truck rookie season, as Lou Maestri finished
third, to garner his second Super Pro Truck Championship in a
row.
The Blunderbusts rolled out
next for their 50-lap contest, with Dale Arnold’s #53
CustomVinylGraphics.com Chevrolet and 2005 Champion, Scott
Maliszewski’s #22 Victory Junction Gang Camp Chevrolet on the
front row after a redraw from time trials. The two would run
side-by-side through the first 6 laps of the race, until Arnold
finally got in front of Maliszewski to take the lead. Running
right behind them, Ron Langdon in the #90 Stock & Carr Attorneys
At Law Chevrolet and Tommy Walkowiak’s #00 Unique Golf Shop
Chevrolet fell into line as the top 4 moved away from the rest
of the front runners. Suddenly, the #76 SPONSORS WANTED
Chevrolet of Joe Pingatore spun in turn 4, forcing Arnold to
take evasive action as the yellow flew. Arnold was restored to
the front spot, and took command of the race on the restart.
Langdon made a move by Maliszewski for second, but Maliszewski
fought back to regain second spot, as Langdon now battled
Walkowiak for third. On lap 14, Mike Rommeney's #20 SPONSORS
WANTED Cadillac and Pingatore collided in turn 4 and yellow was
out again. With oil spilled around half the track, a lengthy
cleanup followed. With green back out, Arnold got a great jump,
as Langdon once again moved into second, with Maliszewski
battling him hard for the position, but this time Langdon held
on, as Walkowiak also got by Maliszewski for third. Arnold has
by now built himself a comfortable lead, though he was coming
into lapped traffic and that allowed the rest of the front
runners to catch up. But before the any further action could
happen the caution was displayed for debris on the track at lap
28. After a quick cleanup, Arnold once again took a commanding
lead, as Langdon tried his all to hold of Walkowiak in their
battle for second. Walkowiak gets by on lap 40, but Langdon
battles back to retake the spot a lap later, with Walkowiak now
left to battle with Maliszewski for third once more. Arnold,
meanwhile, now had built himself a 12 car length lead and sailed
home to take the win and the lion’s share of the lap money,
having led the most laps. An altercation between the original
5th and 6th place finishers after the checkered flag made for
some dangerous post race antics, but after things calmed down,
officials placed them in the last 2 finishing spots as a
penalty.
The Chargers were up next for
their 50 lapper, with Justin Bonsignore's #22 Quik Drop
Chevrolet and Dave Brigati's #1x Vinyl Answer Chevrolet on the
front row. After a first lap side-by-side battle, Brigati took
sole possession of the lead with Bonsignore tucked right behind
him, and Chris Turbush's Carpet Express Pontiac, renumbered #8
in honor of his father Dan, running third, Kevin Orlando, #99
SPONSORS WANTED Dodge in fourth and Rusty Turbush's #17x Lolly's
Hut Pontiac running fifth. They ran in this order through lap
17, when #17x Rusty Turbush got by #99 Orlando for fourth spot,
and suddenly, #22x Bonsignore spun into the infield, bringing
out the yellow. Green came out briefly, but Rusty Turbush got a
flat and was trapped against the wall in turn 4, and yellow was
out quickly again. Brigati and Chris Turbush led the field back
to green, as they ran side-by-side for the lead, as Mike
Bologna, #00 Schlaugies Fuel Oil Chevrolet ran third, Brad Van
Houten’s #10 Riverhead Building Supply Chevrolet and Eric
Goodale’s #05 Riverhead Building Supply Pontiac rounded out the
top 5. On lap 28, Dave Sapienza's #4 SPONSORS WANTED Pontiac
came to a halt in turn 4 with a flat. On the single file
restart, Brigati, Turbush, and Bologna took off from the rest of
the field, as Van Houten and Goodale got into a small tangle off
turn 2, slowing them and all behind them. On the very next lap,
Van Houten, Goodale, and Bonsignore came together hard in the
same spot, taking all three into the backstretch wall, and once
again bringing out the caution. After that was cleaned up.
racing resumed with Brigati, Turbush, and Bologna now being
trailed by Chris Beutler’s #21 Spabco Racing Pontiac and Kevin
Orlando #99 SPONSORS WANTED Dodge rounding out the top 5. The
yellow came out again on lap 34, after contact by Tom Anderson’s
#23 SPONSORS WANTED Pontiac and Eric Lutz's #36 Marjam Supply
Chevrolet. During the caution, officials ruled the time limit
had been used up, and called the race official. The top 5 were
frozen in position and were paid the lap money for the unused
laps of the race.
Next up, The Doug Wholey
"Ideal Cesspool 50" for the Late Models saw the redraw put
fast-time winner, Mike Coll and his #75 I-TRADEDIRECT Pontiac
once again on the pole and Jarrod Hayes’ #08 Complete
Landscaping Chevrolet on the front row. Coll grabbed the lead at
the start, but Hayes came back along side as Greg Kleila’s #72
J&R's Steakhouse Pontiac, Jack Orlando’s #99 SPONSORS WANTED
Chevrolet, and Buzzy Eriksen’s #68 Harley-Davidson of Nassau
County Chevrolet watched closely from behind, waiting for either
leader to slip. Scott Kulesa’s #10 Ranco Sand & Stone Pontiac
spun in turn 3 with Tom Sherman’s #17 SPONSORS WANTED Pontiac
also spinning to avoid it, but Mike Moritmer #14 SPONSORS WANTED
Pontiac piled in ending his chances for the evening. With green
back out, the side-by-side battle between Coll and Hayes
continued, but Kulesa spun again in turn 2 collecting Kevin
Metzger’s #23 Continental Pavers Chevrolet and Kenny Alfano’s
#35 Habberstad BMW/Mini Cooper Dodge and yellow was out once
more. On the restart, Coll and Hayes continued their battle,
with Orlando following closely, as Kleila and Eriksen contended
for fourth spot. Kleila started to fade back as the rest of the
field passed under him and Coll finally got ahead of Hayes with
Orlando slipping through for second spot. On lap 14, Metzger
spun in turn 2, bringing out a brief yellow. With green back
out, Coll took the lead initially, but Orlando got under and
past him one lap later to take the lead, as Eriksen got by Hayes
for third spot. Dave Brigati’s #1x WPW Growers Dodge was now
fifth, as Sherman spun in turn 4, and yellow flew once more. Now
Orlando and Coll, their positions reversed, led the field to the
green, and Orlando took the lead, but Kevin Metzger's car blew a
motor or oil line at the start finish line, and oil was spread
from there to the turn 3 exit gate, and yellow was out, quickly
followed by red, for the cleanup. With officials calling for a
single file restart, Orlando led Coll, Eriksen, Brigati, and
Sean Patrick’s #88 SPONSORS WANTED Dodge in a breakaway from the
rest of the field. On lap 28, yellow came out for debris, which
was quickly removed and the field restarted again, only to have
Doug Wholey’s #98 Ideal Cesspool Pontiac collide with Rob
Tribuzio’s #01 Riverhead Trailer Pontiac out of turn 2, and
yellow was right back out. At this time, the officials deemed
the time limit had run out on this race, as it had with the
previous race, and Orlando was declared the winner. In what
might have been a good decision by the officials, rain started
falling lightly a few minutes later, possibly saving many teams
bigger repair bills that could have been caused by the slipping
and sliding that a sudden rain like that would have caused. As
with the Charger race, the lap money was paid to the top 5
runners, as they ran on the 28th and final lap of the race.
News and Notes: Nice to see Andy
and Jo Lokkeburg attending the race, probably their last time as
Long Island residents, as they prepare for their October move to
Tennessee. This fine racing couple, who brought us so much
happiness, will be missed here on Long Island, but we wish them
well in their new home, and good racing there when they get to
that. Some track is going to be gaining some fine folks... Joe
Larsen once again in attendance, recently back from the Whelen
Mod Tour race at New Hampshire. Hey, what can I tell you, he
misses Riverhead!... Dave Brigati bought back his old Charger
car from Dave Xavier, and after his crew spent the week getting
it ready, proved to everyone just how good they are by
dominating the Charger race to win it...Dan Turbush, who
switched rides this week, not once, but twice before the race
even began, was out early with rear end problems after hot laps,
but ending his season on a high note anyway, by winning in the
Super Pro Truck... On the subject of Dan, he asked me about
prizes for this week's Top 5 picks in Chargers, and when I told
him there was no prize, just bragging rights, he stepped up to
award the “Largest Shake that Long Island Ice Cream (one of his
sponsors) makes” as the prize to the winner of this weeks
informal picks. The winner may collect on opening night, 2006,
which Dan says he will attend... Chris Turbush, in tribute to
his father Dan's career, renumbered his #81 to #8 for the
evening. Not sure if that's going to be permanent or not, we
will have to wait and see...Ken Heagy was once again in the
Vaccaro #77 Late Model and is still trying to work out the bugs
for that team. They plan on running the Walt DeMorris Memorial
Challenge at Mountain Speedway next month, along with many other
Late Model drivers who plan to attend the event... Hard to
believe the season’s over with, as it seems like it only just
started, and so many things happened during it's course to
change the face of racing, some good, some not so good. I hope
everyone has a safe and happy off season, we will be here with
reports from some of the post season races, running all over the
map to keep you informed, so stay with LongIslandJam.com for the
lastest racing news... :astly, I would like to thank all the
teams who helped us out during the season, can't list them all,
it would run over the page, but they know who they are, and we
want to say a collective thanks to them all for making our
season a great one... We will continue to be here, helping make
racing grow and prosper in any way we can, and providing fans
and teams with the most up-to-date information we can (and an
outlet to post their ideas on it)... Lastly, let's not forget
the ongoing fund raising for Steve Cielatka Jr. in his battle
with Leukemia. For more info, contact Annette Knottoff at (516)
443-9980 (cell phone)... Until next time, be safe and live well.
Source: Only on LongIslandJam.com
Posted:
September 18, 2005
