One HOT Night At Riverhead With An Eight Event Show

    A hot day turned into a very hot night as Riverhead staged an 8 event program, with the added events of a rollover contest, train race, mini school bus race, and 8 cyl enduro, in addition to 4 regular Riverhead Divisions. A play-off finish in the rollovers, after a 3 way tie, was a first ever. The 8 cyl enduro was well attended, with 66 cars, and the mini school bus race even blended into the rollover contest, as Slim Jim Donaldson’s mini bus rolled and crashed into the 1^st turn wall at the end of the event. Donaldson was unhurt, and unofficially got only 1 point, as the bus only went over onto the driver’s side.

    First off, we’ll start with the story on the Modified feature. John Denniston, in the #02 Gershow Recycling modified, a new ride for him, started on the pole, with Lew Hallock’s #07 LLKS Construction to his outside. At the start, Denniston took the lead, but before the lap could be completed, contact in turn 4 saw Tom Rogers Jr.‘s #6 into the outside wall, and yellow was out. With a complete restart, minus Rogers, Denniston took off into the lead again, but Hallock faltered a bit, and the inside line moved up, with Justin Bonsignore’s #28 L.I. Fiber Exchange, Bill Park’s #20 Smithtown Nissan and Sal Accardi’s #93 Aable Auto Salvage making up the top 4. Denniston ran a car length ahead of Bonsignore, as the others followed right on each others bumpers. JR Bertuccio‘s Gershow Recycling #2, running 6^th at this point, was working over Dan Jivanelli’s YES Network #12 for 5^th, as Chuck Steuer’s Savin Copier #11x and Frank Vigliarolo’s Nicolock Stones of Distinction #5 watched from 7^th and 8^th spot. On lap 7, Bertuccio made his move past Jivanelli, bringing Steuer with him, and Bertuccio then passed Accardi for 4^th 1 lap later. Denniston continued to hold the lead, but Jivanelli spun in turn 3-4 on lap 17, and the caution was out. On the restart, Denniston lead Bonsignore, Park, Bertuccio and Accardi to the green, but Dave Sapienza’s Sponsors Wanted #36 blew a tire, coming to a halt on the front stretch, bringing out yellow immediately. Officials now called for a single file restart, and Denniston bolted into the lead, but Bonsignore soon caught back up, but Bertuccio was the car on the move, as he passed Park, and then Bonsignore a lap later to move Bertuccio into 2^nd. Denniston tried valiantly to keep the lead, but Bertuccio found a way by on lap 24 and assumed the lead. Park, trying to hang onto 4^th spot, is being hounded by Accardi and Steuer, and Park spins in front of them coming off turn 2, with Steuer getting by on the outside, but Accardi, Wayne Anderson in the Eastport Feeds #15, and Vigliarolo have no where to go, and hit the spinning Park, bringing out the yellow. All 4 go to the pits for repairs, with only Vigliarolo not returning. On the restart, Bertuccio jumped out front coming into turn 4, and Denniston did all he could do to keep up, while Steuer got around Bonsignore for 3^rd spot, and Mike Andrews, making an infrequent appearance in his Northeast Race Cars & Parts #86, passed Bonsignore for 4^th 2 laps later, but Bertuccio was not going to be caught, and he sailed under the waving checkered flag to take his 3^rd victory of the season, as Denniston hung on for 2^nd, and Steuer came home 3^rd out of the 19 starters.

    The Fig-8 division sent 123 cars to take the green, with Tom Graff’s Sponsors Wanted #00 on the pole, and Mike Brigandi’s Sponsors Wanted #78 on the outside. Brigandi grabbed the early lead, but before the 1^st lap is over, Brigandi went high, and Carl Baxter’s Blast-it Sandblasting #74 took the lead, ad Slim Jim Donaldson’s NAPA #47 moved up to 2^nd. While Kenny Hyde’s Maple Bar #58 moved into 3^rd. On lap 2, Tom Kraft’s Four Season’s Sunroom #8, Brigandi and Carl Voelker Jr's Sponsors Wanted #64 came together, bringing out the caution. With the green back out, Baxter took off running, while Donaldson and Hyde battled for 2^nd. George Sprague’s Pavco Industries #10 ran 4^th, but got by Donaldson to take 3^rd, and Mike Mujsce’s Pro-Tech Automotive #13 ran 5^th. Baxter had built a huge lead as Sprague and Hyde contended for 2^nd, while Mujsce now had Roger Maynor’s Daniels Family Resort #28 battling him for 4^th spot, as the caution flew for Tom Ferrara's Sponsors Wanted #16, as he spun and stopped on the track on lap 8. With green out, Baxter took off once more, but Sprague was now 2^nd and challenging him for the lead, as Maynor had moved up to 3^rd , and Hyde and Mujsce watched from 4^th and 5^th. Sprague was looking high and low for a way around Baxter, but Maynor caught the duo, and Sprague now was put on the defensive to hold off Maynor while Sprague figured out a way by Baxter. He found it on lap 15, as he shot by Baxter out of turn 3 when Baxter went a little high, but Baxter held 2^nd as Maynor now looked for a way by. Sprague had now checked out, but Maynor hounded Baxter until getting by him with 1 lap left, but Sprague went on to take the win, which he dedicated to his Mother, who’d passed away last year. Maynor came home 2^nd, Baxter 3^rd, Kenny Hyde 4^th,and Tom Kraft 5^th.

    The Chargers ran the James M. Becht Construction 20 with a starting field of 20 cars, with Brian Doyle’s National Pest Experts #73 on the pole, and Charlie Rittenhouse's Charlie’s Towing #25 to his outside. Doyle took the early lead, with Eric Goodale’s Riverhead Building Supply #05 coming through to 2^nd, with Henry Cataldo’s Post Office Café #44 and Steve Ratti’s James M. Becht Builders/Newsday 37 running 3^rd and 4^th. On lap 3, Chris McGuire’s Gershow Recycling #89x hit the front stretch wall and came to rest in turn 1 after heavy impact, though the good news is McGuire walked away seemingly unhurt. He was able to display his displeasure to the driver he thought responsible before riding off the track on a golf cart. On the restart, Doyle held the lead, but Goodale got by a lap later to take the lead, just as Brad Van Houten’s Riverhead Building Supply #10, Ralph Beaver’s Cavalier Mobile Homes #47, John Wicks SPC Landscaping #55, Mike Schwarz’s B. Sexton site Development #14 and Jimmy Donnelly’s Sponsors Needed #27 crashed in the back stretch on lap 4, bringing out another yellow. With green out once more, Goodale kept the lead, as Doyle tried the outside, giving Ratti the spot right on Goodale’s bumper. On lap 8, Ratti took sole possession of 2^nd, as Chris Beutler came up to battle Doyle for 3^rd, but fluid in turn 4 brought out the yellow on lap 10. The single file restart allowed Goodale to take a 2 car lead over Ratti, but Ratti catches up to him by lap 14, and on lap 16, he got to Goodale’s outside and tried to pass him for the lead, but Goodale held on until the final lap, when Ratti was able to pass outside for the lead, and go on to victory in his owner/sponsors race, as Goodale made one last effort to get by underneath as they crossed the line, for a very exciting finish.

    The Super Pro Trucks ran a 20 lap feature, The Doug Wholey Enterprises 20, with 12 trucks on hand. Mike Albasini’s M&M Motorsports #66 sat on the pole, with Dave Xavier’s Cystinosis Research Network #11x to his outside. Albasini grabbed the lead at the start, with Frank Dumicich Sr’s. Wesemann’s Sand & Mason Supply #5 running 3^rd, while Dan Grennan’s PCHS Race Engines #38 and Dave Koenig’s Nelson’s Auto Salvage #97 rounded out the top 5. By lap 4, Dumicich Sr. was working on Xavier for 2^nd as Dave Brigati’s WPW Growers #98x got by Koenig to take 5^th, while Lou Maestri’s Schwing Electrical Supply #1 was 6^th. On lap 6, Koenig spun off turn 4, and yellow was out. With racing resumed, Albasini takes off, with Grennan now right on his bumper, as Xavier rides the outside groove in 2^nd. 2 laps later, Grennan takes over 2^nd, as Dumicich Sr moves up into 3^rd as Xavier faded back. On lap 11, Grennan got by on the low side off turn 2 and created a huge lead, as Albasini, Dumicich Sr., Brigati, and Dan Turbush’s Dantona Industries #8 followed. On lap 15, Brigati and Bob Gardener’s AuctionDepot.org #45 came together, with Brigati suffering R/F suspension damage and Gardner getting a flat, and the caution flew, bunching up the field. On the restart, Grennan took off, immediately building a comfortable lead, as Albasini battled for 2^nd with Turbush and Maestri in a 23 way battle for 2^nd. On lap 18, Turbush got by Albasini for 2^nd, and Maestri now hounded Albasin for 3^rd, which Maestri took as they were a few feet from the finish line, but Grennan held on comfortably for the win, his 3^rd of the season, as Turbush and Maestri came home 2^nd and 3^rd, with all 3 driver’s receiving trophies from Doug Wholey in Victory Lane ceremonies, after which, Bill Denniston, on behalf of Trailer Transport, also present all three with trophies from Trailer Transport.

    The 8 Cyl Enduro rounded out the nights racing, with 66 cars taking the green for a 75 lap race. Pole sitter Ed Brown Jr. took the early lead, but the cars quickly spread out around the track, as the usual confusion and mayhem of the beginning of an Enduro took over. Turn 3 was almost completely blocked by lap 10, with just two, narrow and separate lanes open for drivers to get through. Within 5 laps, some were able to refire and clear off the track, opening up racing room once again through the turn. A single car crash in turn 1 involving Phillip Dalke, #65, saw him eventually climb out of his car and over the fence to the spectator area, despite a leg injury, and he later complained of chest pains and shortness of breath and was transported to the hospital. We wish him well, though no report of the outcome is available as I write this. 32 cars were still running at lap 35, with Anthony Pizzo as the unofficial leader at that point. Pizzo was eventually passed by perennial competitor and multiple enduro winner, Walt Stroud, who would be listed as the leader by lap 47. 23 cars were still running with 10 laps to go, but with 7 laps left, Stroud’s car is hit and spins into the infield in turn 2, with Stroud unable to refire it, as Pizzo, running 2^nd at the time, continues on to take the win, with Domenic Ranieri Jr, and Shawn Wanat rounding out the top 3 at the end of the race.

    News and Notes: hoping the track crew can organize even faster cleanups than they already do an excellent job on, just so the list of ‘jokes’ from the booth gets shortened…once again, the music between events just a little too loud to allow for conversations amongst the fasn in the stands…Ken Heagy added a new sponsor, R-3 Computer Consulting to his teams list of sponsors…The turn 1 Cowboys got their air horns back, or bought new ones, and someone in the back stretch now has at least one. Soon, they will all get together and play symphonies for the crowd, or maybe just the Miller Lite jingle, who knows……some drivers I spoke with before the races expressed the idea that they'd like to see MORE black flags than have been displayed of late, hoping it would bring all drivers back to their senses and cut down on the wreck fests that some races have turned out to be…Dennis Scott won the rollover contest, winning the ‘playoff’ by completing a roll and a half in his daughter Cindy’s almost pristine entry, which was never successfully rolled over in her (first) attempts at this unusual competition …Hard Luck award goes to Tom Anderson’s Stone Center of Riverhead #23 Charger, which blew the clutch at the initial green of the his qualifying heat, putting him out for the evening, and runner up goes to Chris McGuire‘s 89x, which will need extensive work during the off week for the division after his crash in the feature…until next weeks show, which will feature a mini school bus demo (no Chargers or SPT) , and a 4 cylinder enduro, live well and be safe and happy.