What started out to be a good break in the cloudy, rainy weather, quickly turned back into a cold, chilling afternoon and evening at Riverhead. The same cold wind that blew the week before after sundown arrived earlier at the track, around 3:30 instead, and the brave fans in attendance did whatever they could to tough it out and see the full card of racing, Including the Cromarty Cup 25 for the Figure 8’s and the 30 Lap, double point Charger time trial race. While the dampness and cold had an effect on the races, Riverhead’s officials managed to keep things moving along to get the compete show in and over before 9:30PM.

    First up on the nights program was the Super Pro Trucks. Mike Albasini, in the M&M Motorsports #66 sat on the pole alongside Frank Dumicich Sr. in the Wesemann’s Sand & Mason Supply #5. Albasini jumped into the lead at the drop of the green, but Lou Maestri, in the Schwing Electrical Supply #1, quickly got up into 2^nd spot, as Bobby Gardner’s SPONSOR’s WANTED #45 edged into 3^rd. On lap 5, Maestri got by Albasini for the lead, and one lap later, Gardner moved up into 2^nd, with Albasin holding onto 3^rd, Dave Brigati in the Victory Fleet Maintenance #34 ran 4^th, and Dan Turbush, in the Dantona Industries #8, rounded out the top 5 as of lap 7. Maestri held a comfortable lead over all but Gardner, who was right on his tailgate, but further back, Turbush was working over Brigati, taking the 4^th spot on lap 15, as Danny Grennan, last week’s winner in the SPONSOR’S Wanted #38, also got by Brigati to gain the 5^th spot. Turbush now worked over Albasini, getting by to take 3^rd spot, as Albasini managed to hold off Grennan remaining 4^th, as Maestri sailed home to Victory ahead of Gardner. In Victory lane, Maestri thanked the people & sponsors who helped with the repairs of the major damage done to his truck in a wreck the week before that enabled him to win tonight’s feature.

    The Blunderbusts then took to the track for their 20 lap feature, with Mike Rommeney in the SPONSOR’S Wanted #11 on the pole, and Mike Panico, in the Able Auto Salvage #18 on the outside. At the start, Rommeney got a big lead, but Panico lost it and spun going into turn 3, bringing out an immediate caution. On the restart, Rommeney now had to contend with Don Doherty’s SPONSOR’S Wanted #65 outside, but Rommeney was up to the challenge and grabbed the lead, as Tom Sullivan, in the Lakewood Used Auto Parts #7 moved into 3^rd, and Artie Pedersen’s #1 Sherwin-Williams Paint Chevy ran 4^th. Pedersen, in a great move, got by Doherty and Sullivan to move into 2^nd, bringing Wayne Okula in the Artisan Appraisal’s #67 with him into 3^rd, as the Joe Pingatore #76 SPONSOR’S Wanted automobile ran 4^th. On lap 7. Okula got by Pedersen low to take 2^nd away as Rommeney was pulling away from the battle behind him. Suddenly, Neil Feola Jr.’s Hammerhead Promotion #16 blew a tire in turn 2, collecting Matt Peptone’s #17 Professional Carpet Systems, and the yellow was out. On the restart, Okula just powered away from Rommeney, as Pedersen and Pingatore battled side by side for 3^rd spot. Scott Maliszewski, in the Victory Junction Gang #22, suddenly went low, passing Pedersen and Pingatore to take 3^rd spot. On lap 10, a caution for debris closed up the field, Two laps after the restart, Maliszewski moved past Rommeney to takeover 2^nd and begins his chase of Okula. Maliszewski looked high and low for a way around Okula, but Wayne held off his every move, while behind them, Tommy Walkowiak, in the Unique Golf Shop #00 had moved into 4^th, and started looking for a way around Rommeney for 3^rd, as Big Wegmann ran in 5^th spot. Up front, Okula and Maliszewski continued their torrid battle, with Maliszewski finally getting along side Okula on the last lap, but Okula managed to hold on and win by about 3 feet, as Walkowiak came home a close 3^rd behind Maliszewski in one of the most exciting Blunderbust finishes in quite a while.

    Next was the Charger 30 Lap double point race. Pole sitter Eric Lutz, in his Marjam Supply #36, was joined on the front row by Dave Brigati in the WPW Growers 1X. At the drop of the green, the two took off side by side until lap 2, when Lutz gained the advantage over Brigati. Behind them, Jeremy McDermott in the Sandy Shore Building 5 was battling with Steve Ratti in the James M Becht Builder’s #37 for 3^rd spot, with Chris Turbush in the Ideal Cesspool #81 running 5^th. McDermott took sole possession of 3^rd by lap 6, as the top 5 ran single file. Brigati continued to seek a way to get past Lutz, looking high and low, but Lutz managed to stay in the lead with some very skillful driving. On lap 12, Mike Schwarz in the B.Sexton Site Development #14 came together with Brain Doyle in the National Pest Control #73 in turn 2, bringing out the caution, and ending Doyle’s night. On the restart, Lutz took command once more as Brigati and McDermott battled for 2^nd, while Turbush and Ratti went at it for 4^th, but a spin in turn 4 brought out another yellow. On the next restart, Lutz and Brigati took off side by side, but Lutz worked hard for 2 laps and took sole lead once more on lap 16. The next time around, Brigati made a move under Lutz for the lead, but Lutz held him off once more, as yellow flew a moment later for a spinning Chris Turbush, who lost control when he dove low to take a position on lap 19. Now restarting single file, Lutz and Brigati resumed their battle, as Ratti got by McDermott to move into 3^rd, and Turbush spun again, bring out yellow once more. On the lap 20 restart, Brigati made contact with Lutz, with Lutz momentarily losing control of his car, and as he tried to gather it back up, scraped the back stretch wall and suffered a flat tire 1 lap later, as the rest of the front 4 passed him by, and yellow was out again.

     Now Brigati took the lead on the next restart, with Ratti making a move under McDermott to take 2^nd, and as Eric Goodale and McDermott got together and spun in turn 2, the yellow was out yet again. Now running long in the ‘time limit’ department, the officials announce that this next restart will be the last attempt to finish the race. Brigati gets a jump on Ratti, but Ratti catches up and glues himself to Brigati’s bumper, looking for a way around. On lap 24, Ratti dives low on lap 24, getting past Brigati to take the lead, bringing Rob Tribuzio in the Tuckahoe Sales and Service #01, who’d been moving up on the low grove, with him for 2^nd as Brigati fell back to 3^rd, as Henry Cataldo in the “Bar Car” moved up into 4^th, and Mike Schwarz took over 5^th spot. Once out front, Steve Ratti built a commanding 3 car length lead over the final laps and hung on for the popular win in only his second ride in the #37.

    Next up was the 25 Lap Cromarty Cup Figure 8 race. Mike Brigandi, in the SPONSOR’S Wanted #78, started from the pole, with Kenny Hyde, in the Maple’s Bar & Grill #58, on the outside. Hyde jumped into the early lead, but 3^rd place was being contended for by Roger Maynor in the Barrasso &Sons Mason Supply #28, and Mike Mujsce in the Pro-Tech Automotive #13, and both of them quickly got by Brigandi, along with George Sprague, in the Pavco Industries #10, dropping Brigandi to fifth by the third lap. Hyde and Maynor ran nose to tail fighting for 1^st, as Mujsce and Sprague did the same for 3^rd spot. Maynor was giving Hyde little taps in the rear as they battled for position, but Tom Kraft #8 and Carl Baxter in the Blast-it Sandblasting #74 came together on lap 7 just as Maynor got by Hyde, and caution flew. Hyde got the lead back for the restart, but Maynor jumped into the lead at the drop of the green, with Sprague following through for 2^nd. One lap later, another yellow for a spin by Mike Brigandi closed the field up once more. On the restart, Maynor and Sprague ran side by side, but Maynor pulled away and stayed out front, with Sprague right on his bumper as both pulled away from the rest of the field. On lap 14, Bill Steen in the J & J Auto Body #23 lost his motor in turn 3, dumping oil on the track, which required a short clean up. With green back out, Maynor still held off Sprague until another yellow flew for 3 stalled cars in turns 1 & 2. With green out once more, and only 3 laps to go, Sprague suffered the heartbreak of the night as his car exploded in a cloud of steam, obscuring the vision of those behind him, and causing the final yellow of the event. When the green flew again, Maynor just took off and sailed on to victory, one of his many in Cromarty Cup Fig 8 races.

    Now it was time for the Late Model 25 lap feature. Roger Oxee, in the Helman Group #39, started from the pole, with Ken Alfano, in his Habberstad BMW/Mini #35 outside. Oxee grabbed the lead at the start, as Kevin Metzger, in the SPONSOR’s Wanted #23 moved up to 2^nd as Alfano spun off the track exiting turn 2. On the restart, Oxee led once again, but Rob Tribuzio in the Prestigious Motors #01, spun in turn 1, bringing an immediate caution. When green flew once more, Oxee again took the point, but a bump from Sean Paterson’s Zoumas Homes #8 sent Oxee high, and Paterson shot past him for the lead, as Dave Brigati, in the WPW Growers 1X came up to 3^rd spot. A lap later, Brigati passed Oxee to take over 2^nd, and Brigati went to work to find a way around Paterson as Brigati caught up to Paterson, but couldn’t find a way past him. On lap 19, Dan Turbush, in the Ideal Cesspools #98, brushed the back stretch wall, and with a tire going down, stopped in turn 3, bringing out the caution. On the restart, Paterson maintained his lead, but McDermott spun the SPONSOR’s Wanted #91 in turn 2, and yellow flew again. Paterson got a great jump on the restart, but Brigati began reeling him in a lap later, as Oxee still watched from the 3^rd spot. On the last lap, Brigati finally saw a way to get underneath Paterson, and the two drag raced to the line, with Brigati taking the exciting win by a mere 2 feet.

    The last event of the night was the 35 lap Modified feature. Howie Brode, in the Freightliner of LI #96, sat on the pole, with Sal Accardi in the Aable Auto Salvage #93 to his outside. Before the first lap could be completed, Mike Andrews in the NorthEast Race Cars & Parts #10 spun going into turn 1, and yellow flew. With Andrews placed at the rear of the field, a complete restart saw Brode get the edge over Accardi, as Dave Sapienza, in the SPONSOR’S Wanted #36 at 3^rd, while Joe Hartmann’s Watermill Lumber #05 was 4^th, and Dan Jivanelli’s YES Network #12 ran 5^th. They ran this way for the first 13 laps, when Chris young’s Riverhead Building Supply #49 spun into the infield off turn 2, but far enough in that, even though he couldn’t refire the car, no yellow came out. Meanwhile, Andrews was slicing through the field, clearly the class of the field, but would he have enough time to get all the way back to the front. He was up to eighth spot by lap 20, pressuring JR Bertuccio’s Gershow Recycling #2, as JR blocked his every attempt. He finally got by Bertuccio on lap 24, after which Bertuccio and Wayne Anderson’s Insula Dome Skylight #15 came together in turns 3 & 4, and spun, bringing out the yellow on lap 25. The top 3 of Brode, Accardi and Sapienza have remained the same through this, and on the restart, stayed that way, but yellow came out again one lap later as Rusty Turbush spun his SPONSOR Wanted 17x. With the green back out, Brode rabbits away from the field, but on lap 28, Anderson and Chuck Steuer’s Savin Copier #11x collide, with yellow flying once more. The green flies once more, and by lap 30, Andrews, still slicing through the field, has moved up to 5^th, clearly the class of the field in this event, outside of the leader himself, but progress is hard after that, as Brode has again stretched his lead out, and on the final lap, Bertuccio drills Anderson as they enter turn 3, and the race ends under Yellow/Checker as Brode wins on what is fast becoming a very slippery track, caused by the mist that has started to fall.

    News & Notes: The entire show was over a few minutes before 9:30PM, quite an accomplishment on the part of track officials, given the way the evening went, but a big relief to all the freezing fans who watched it…what had been a good day weather wise turned sour early, and the pits were almost completely empty a lot earlier, as everyone wanted to get somewhere warm and dry as fast as they could…as expected with the forecast, the crowd was a little on the light side, something that should change as the (hopefully) warmer half of May comes around…Under 25 Blunderbusts, 26 Chargers entered, only 15 Late Models on hand, and a few Mods missing, purported to be giving Mountain Speedway In PA a try, as Fig -8‘s had 12 starters, as did Super Pro Truck division.…Frank Vigliarolo’s #5 Modified welcomed a new sponsor, NikoLock Stones of Distinction…I’m off next week, family visit to California, but LI Jam will find a way to get you the story of your favorite sport as best we can...until then, live well, and stay safe.

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