Fireworks were the theme of the night as Riverhead celebrated the 4^th of July this weekend. With the actual fireworks scheduled for after dark, the different divisions provided their own on track fireworks before dark, as ‘yellow fever’ pervaded the early feature races on the track. With the stands packed to beyond capacity, the fans enjoyed a breezy night of racing and got their money’s worth and more.

    First up were the Blunderbusts, with the #11 Cheesebox of Mike Rommeney on the pole, and #27 Generation Renovation of Scott Pedersen to his outside. Pedersen gained a slight advantage at the drop of the green, but Rommeney fought back to pull along side as the first demo derby of the night broke out behind them, with numerous cars colliding down the front straightaway, bringing out an early caution flag. On the restart, Pedersen gained the advantage once more, as Rommeney contended with the #04 Power Express Mortgage Bankers car of Ralph Vignera for 2^nd spot. Moving up quickly, the #79 of Bill Wegmann got by Rommeney, and was followed by the #00 Unique Golf Shop of Tommy Walkowiak, and the #53 CustomVinylGraphics.com of Dale Arnold. 2 laps later, Walkowiak caught and passed Wegmann for 2^nd, with Arnold also getting by to take 3^rd spot. On lap 12, the #17 Professional Carpet Systems of Matt Pepitone, driven in this race by Ed Mistretta, hit the wall in turn 4, and caution was out. On the restart, Walkowiak now had his sights set on Pedersen, taking the 1^st spot 2 laps later, again with Arnold following to take 2^nd, relegating Pedersen to 3^rd, as Wegmann ran 4^th, and Neil Feola’s #16 Hammerhead Promotions rounded out the top 5. 3 laps later, Wegmann got by Pedersen for 3^rd, and Feola took 4^th, with Scott Maliszewski’s #22 getting by for 5^th, but he spun coming off turn 2 a lap later, as Tom Pickerel’s #4 Pickerell Clam took over 5^th. Walkowiak then held off all challengers and sailed home for the victory, with Arnold, Wegmann, Feola and Pickerell rounding out the top 5.

    The Chargers were next, with the #25 Charlie’s Towing of Charlie Rittenhouse on the pole, and the #55 SPC Landscaping of John Wicks to his outside. At the drop of the green, the duo ran side by side for the first 2 laps, until the #30 of Daryn Miller fishtailed in the front stretch, causing a huge pile up of cars going into turn 1, and bringing out the caution. While all were able to continue, mostly suffering cosmetic damage, Steve Ratti’s #37 James Becht Builders needed to pit for some repairs, but was able to rejoin the field before the restart. With the green displayed once again on lap 2, Rittenhouse jumped into the lead, and the #65 of Sean Byrne came through to take 2^nd, as Eric Gooodale’s #05 Riverhead Building Supply and Rob Tribuzio’s #01 Tuckahoe Sales & Service battled for 3^rd. Suddenly, a whole group of cars came together in turn 4, with Chris Turbush’s #81 LePage Millworks getting the worst of the damage, with right front damage and a missing left rear tire. Also heavily involved were Miller and #36 Eric Lutz’s Marjam Supply car, with both pitting for repairs. On the lap 3 restart, Rittenhouse once again assumed the lead over Byrne, as Goodale and Tribuzio diced for 3^rd. On lap 4, Byrne found his way under Rittenhouse for the lead, taking full control as lap 5 was recorded. One lap later, Tribuzio got by Rittenhouse to take 2^nd spot, as  Goodale spun off turn 2, and caution was out again as the on track fireworks continued. At the drop of the green, Tribuzio gets under and past Byrne to take the lead, but the lap is not completed as the #23 Stone Center of Riverhead of Tom Anderson and #73 National Pest of Brian Doyle collided and spun, bring out another caution. Officials, fed up with all the yellows, deem that all restarts will now be single file, and at the drop of the green, Tribuzio get his nose under Byrne, taking the lead immediately, as Byrne chases right behind. The #14 B. Sexton Site Development of Mike Schwarz hounds Rittenhouse for 3^rd, but Rittenhouse hangs on until 2 laps later, Schwarz and Ratti both get by Rittenhouse, with Ratti also getting around Schwarz to take the 3^rd spot. Ratti is now being chased by the #15 B. Sexton Site Development of Kevin Orlando, who’d gotten by his teammate Schwarz for 4^th. Meanwhile, Tribuzio had stretched his lead to over 12 car lengths ahead of Byrne and Ratti, and sailed on to take the victory, with Ratti, Byrne, Orlando and Schwarz rounding out the top 5. Making the victory even better is the fact that it is also Tribuzio’s Birthday, and he and his crew already had a big celebration planned for after the races.

   The Figure 8’s were next, with Slim Jim Donaldson’s #47 Slim’s Body Piercing car on the pole, and Tom Graff’s #00 to the outside. Donaldson jumped right out front, with the Blast-it Sandblasting #74 of Carl Baxter moving into 2^nd. The #58 Maple’s Bar of Kenny Hyde suffered a hood pin malfunction, with his hood flipping back onto his windshield, forcing him off the track, as the action continued up front, with Roger Maynor’s Barrasso and Sons Mason Supply  #28 in 3^rd, and Tom Kraft’s Four Season’s Sun Roof #8 moving up to 4^th. By lap 6, Kraft quickly worked his way past Maynor, and caught Baxter, who spun off Kraft’s bumper as they entered turn 3, while Maynor and the Pavco Industries #10 of George Sprague battled for 4^th, just as the yellow flew for Baxter’s stalled car. Before the race could be restarted, leader Donaldson was blacked flagged for a flat left rear and had to leave the track, giving the lead to Kraft. On the restart, Kraft, now on the pole, jumped out ahead of Sprague and Maynor, whole stayed close behind as the trio pulled away from the #63 Sponsors Wanted of Paul Specht and the #16 Sponsors wanted of Tom Ferrara. Lap after lap, Sprague pressured Kraft, but couldn’t find a way past him, as Maynor watched closely from his 3^rd spot.  On lap 15, Ferrara spun and stopped at the X, bringing out the caution. On the restart, Kraft held the lead, with Sprague still chasing right on his bumper, but Sprague never found an opening, and Kraft, injured in a work related accident earlier in the week, held on for the win, with Sprague, Maynor, Specht and the Pro-Tech Automotive of Mike Mujsce rounding out the top 5.

   The Cromarty Cup 50, in celebration of Jim Cromarty’s birthday, was up next for the Modifieds. While Howie Brode’s L.I. Freightliner #96 set fast time (11.943) in time trials, the top 6 from time re-drew for starting positions, and Dave Sapienza’s #36 Sponsors Wanted sat on the pole, with JR Bertuccio’s Gershow Recycling #2 outside in the 19 car field. Before the green, but after hot laps, Bertuccio was sent to the pits with a flat right rear tire, moving Tommy Rogers in the (For Sale) #6 Riverhead Auto Mall to the outside, and Bertuccio to last after the tire change. At the start, Rogers edged ahead of Sapienza by a nose, but Sapienza held strong, and passed Rogers cleanly for the lead, as Rogers, Frank Vigliarolo’s #5 Nicolock Stones of Distinction, and Bill Park’s #20 Smithtown Nissan followed. Sapienza is holding the lead by running the low groove, with Rogers glued to his tail, and Vigliarolo and Park following closely behind. Meanwhile, Bertuccio is blasting his way past cars to work his way up to 9^th by lap 9. On lap 17, Rogers sees a way by Sapienza and takes over the lead as Vigliarolo gets by also to take 2^nd spot, with Sapienza, Park and pole sitter Brode rounding out the top 5. Rogers and Vigliarolo are stretching the lead over the rest of the field, but a 3 car wreck in turn 4 brings out the caution. Before the green flies, Sapienza is sent to the pits from his 3^rd spot, as he has a tire going down, moving Park up to 3^rd. On the restart, Rogers and Vigliarolo ran side by side, but yellow flies again quickly as Traceyt Christiansen’s 22x Trailer Transport and Chris Beutler’s Spabco Racing/ Gershow Recycling #21 come together in turn 2, bringing out the caution on lap 25. The field restarts single file, and Rogers takes off with Vigiliarolo right behind, as Park, Brode, and Donny Lia follow. Lia gets by Brode for 4^th, as Anderson moves up to 5^th, while up front, Rogers and Vigliarolo are running away within a race of their own. On lap 36, John Denniston’s Trailer Transport Inc #0 collides with Chuck Steuer’s Savin Copiers #11, bringing out another caution. On the restart, Rogers and Vigliarolo once again take off, followed by Park, Lia and the #93 Aable Auto Salvage of sal Accardi, rounding out the top 5. Rogers begins to build a lead of 2 car lengths over Vigliarolo, as Lia gets by Park for 3^rd, with Brode and Bertuccio also getting by to move into the top 5, as Park and Accardi drop back. Rogers and Vigliarolo are now 10 car lengths ahead of 3^rd place Lia, who leads Brode by the same amount, when on lap 48, Beutler and Gary McDonald collide in turn 4, bringing out the last caution. Now with a 2 lap shootout to the finish, Rogers nails it at the drop of the green, and goes on to win his 2^nd Cromarty Cup 50 in a row, while Vigliarolo, Lia, Brode, and a hard charging Chris Young, in his Riverhead Building Supply #49, round out the top 5.

   News and Notes: Attempts to run ‘away races’ for both the Fig 8 division and Super Pro Trucks have proved unsuccessful so far, with the Fig 8 race cancelled for next week, and the SPT race on hold until (possibly) a later date…Bay Fireworks put on their usual spectacular display of Holiday Fireworks to please the overflowing crowd, and the folks parked outside the Raceway watching from other vantage points…The Turn One Cowboy’s now have a few other spectators competing with air horns outside of the turn 1 area…music was attempted once more to pass the time between races, but some in the crowd looked displeased at the quality of the sound, or the choice of music, I’m not sure…Bob Finan reached into his ‘family-style’ joke book, and had the crowd groaning along on a few different occasions…21 Modifieds on hand, but 2 unable to race due to mechanical troubles (Dave Brigati in Dave Sap’s back-up, dropped valve, and Rusty Turbush’s Phantom Race Team/S.N. Blydenburgh Custom Interiors 17x, oil pump seized)…big Brithday Party in Rob Tribuzio’s pit stall after the races, complete with DJ and pavement dancing, quite a nice bash, from the looks and sounds of it…more missing cars, as only Blunderbusts had an overfull field and needed a consi…Spectator Drags saw Brian Pallone win once more, making him 3 for 3 on the year so far…Scott “I’m only going out to have fun, not crash and get hurt” Maliszewski bested 11 other drivers/cars (including Mike Mortimer, Shawn Wanat, and Tommy Walkowiak among them), to win the Cop Car Demo…Blunderbust driver Neil Feola Jr. has sharp new hero cards to autograph and give to his fans, see him in the pits after the races…that’s it for this week, see you all next week. Until then, live well, and please, be safe.