Regular Season Closes Out As 4 Division Champs Crowned
by Walter Johnston
The regular racing season for Riverhead’s
Saturday night divisions came to a close, as the Blunderbusts, Chargers
and Figure 8’s ran season ending extra distance races, and the Super Pro
Truck division a regular 20 lapper to close the books on 2006 point
races. A large capacity crowd was on hand to see the Miller Lite Night
show, which also included the annual World Championship Demolition
Derby, and the final School Bus Demolition Derby of the season.
The first event of the evening was the Super
Pro Trucks running their 20 lap feature. Dangerous Dave Koenig’s
Nelson’s Auto Salvage # 97 sat on the pole, with Dave Xavier’s
Cystinosis Research Network 11x to his outside. From the start, they ran
side by side for the first 2 laps, until Koenig was able to gain the
advantage over Xavier, and Dave Brigati’s WPW Growers 98x took over 2nd,
as Xavier faded and Frank Dumicich Jr.s Auto Zone 42, and Bobby
Gardner’s AuctionDepot.com #45 followed in 3rd and 4th. Brigati was
dogging Koenig’s truck lap after lap, unable to find the opening to get
by, as behind them, Mike Albasini’s M&M Motor sports #46 battled Dan
Turbush’s Dantona Industries #8 for 5th, while Lou Maestri took over
6th spot after Turbush disposed of Albasini. Koenig and Brigati
continues their battle as Brigati tried to shhot to the outside with 2
laps left, but ended up spinning off turn 2 on the final lap, as Koenig
took his first victory, while Gardner hung on to finish 3rd and take the
2006 Super Pro Truck Championship.
Next up, the Blunderbusts, who qualified
through time trials, took to the track. Tommy Walkowiak, who’s #00
Unique Golf developed transmission trouble during practice, borrowed Ron
Langdon’s Stock and Carr #90, and set fast time and a new track record
of 15.112 in time trails. After a redraw for starting positions, Doug
Watson’s Over The Hill Racing #3 sat on the pole, with Scott
Maliszewski’s Sponsors Wanted #22 to his outside, and Walkowiak 3rd. At
the drop of the green, Maliszeski jumped right into the lead, as Tom
Pickerell’s Pickerell Lobster #4 moved into 2nd, Watson 3rd, and
Walkowiak and Ron Langdon, driving Tom Carr’s Stock and Carr #72,
battled for 4th spot. Walkowiak moved up into 3rd on lap 3, as Watson
and Langdon now battled for 4th. On lap 6, Walkowiak passed Pickerell
for 2nd, and set his sights on catching Maliszewski and the lead, as the
duo started encountering lapped cars by lap 10. By lap 15, Walkowiak was
on Maliszewski’s bumper, while behind them, a battle for position saw
Wayne Okula’s Artisan Appraisals #67 battled with Artie Pedersen’s
Sherwin Williams #1 and Paul Parisi’s The Vinyl Answer #69x for 6th
spot. On lap 18, disaster struck leader Maliszewski, as his car went up
in a puff of smoke and he retired to the infield, handing the lead to a
surprised Walkowiak, who now led Pickerell by a full straightaway, while
Langdon challenged Pickerell, riding eight on his bumper, passing
Pickerell for 2nd on lap 25, as behind them, Watson spun out, losing 3rd
spot, as Okula moved up inot 4th, and then passed Pickerell for 3rd spot
coming to the finish as Walkowiak took the victory and the 2006
Blunderbust championship. Post race tech later Dqed Langdon and
Pickerell, placing Okula 2nd , and Artie Pedersen 3rd.
The Charger’s were out next. They also qualified
through time trials, with Chris Turbush’s LePage Millworks #81 setting
fast time at 13.386. A redraw of the top 6 saw Jon Ellwood’s Lolly’s Hut
17x on the pole, with Kevin Orlando’s Sponsors Wanted #99 to the
outside, and Turbush lining up 3rd. From the green, Ellwood took
command, but Kevin Goodale’s Riverhead Building Supply #05 blew up,
spreading fluid in turn 4, causing a yellow. On the restart, Ellwood
again took the lead, but Turbush, who’d gotten by Orlando for 2nd at the
start, hung right with Ellwood, as Orlando and Brian Doyle’s National
Pest Control #73 battled for 3rd. Behind all this, Eric Lutz’s Marjam
Supply #36 and Rusty Turbush’s Sponsor’s Wanted #54 tangled coming out
of turn 4, and yellow flew for debris on the track. On the next restart,
Ellwood once again battled to hold off Chris Turbush, who edged past him
on the outside as they battled for the lead, but 2 laps into it, Daryn
Miller’s Miller Motorsports #30 and Ralph Beaver’s Cavalier Modular
Homes #47 came together in turn 4, collecting Mike Schwarz’s B. Sexton
Site Development #14, and
caution was out once more. Schwarz was given back
his spot after officials ruled he had nowhere to go and wasn’t a part of
the caution. Chris Turbush was scored as the leader of the previous lap,
and took of at the drop of the green on the restart, while Doyle came by
Ellwood to take 2nd spot, dropping Ellwood to 3rd. Going into turn 3,
Ellwood spun, collecting Chris McGuire’s Gershow Recycling 89x, and the
caution flew once again. On the lap 7 restart, Chris Turbush led once
more, ad Doyle battled Steve Ratti’s James Becht Builders #37, with
Ratti taking the spot, as Chris Beutler’s Spabco Racing battled with
John Denniston’s SPC Landscaping #55 for 4th, and Denniston won that
battle. Lutz, running 6th, bumped Beutler out of 5th spot a lap later,
as Ratti continued to battle Chris Turbush for the lead. Denniston now
was trying to challenge Doyle for 3rd, but Doyle stood on the gas and
held the spot, just as Henry Cataldo’s Post Office Café #44 pulled up
with a flat on lap 19 after contact with Rusty Turbush, with yellow out
once more. On the restart, Chris Turbush had Ratti on his tail once
more, as Denniston finally found his way around Doyle, with Lutz
following him, and Doyle having to be content with running 5th. Ratti
was now looking high and low for a way around Turbush, but Turbush held
him at bay, while Lutz caught up and joined in the battle. Turbush now
had a solid lead, as Ratti tried to hold of rival Lutz, but after a hard
bump from Lutz late in the action, Ratti let him by for 2nd, as Turbush
sailed home with the win. 3rd finishing Ratti, the points leader going
into tonight’s show, easily won the 2006 Charger Championship. Chris
Turbush, taking the Checkered flag for his victory lap run, stopped in
turn 1, climbed out of his car, and up the fence, to high-5 the Turn 1
Cowboys, some of his biggest fans during the season, before continuing
his victory lap.
The last regular race of the night was the 25
lap Figure-8 main, with Paul Specht’s Sponsors Wanted #63 on the pole,
and Kenny Hyde’s Maple’s Bar #58 to his outside. At the drop of the
green, Specht pulled out into the lead, but Hyde caught up quickly, and
took over the lead after the 1st lap, as Mike Mujsce, who’d started 5th,
pulled up into 3rd, with George Sprague’s Pavco Industries #10 in 4th
spot. Hyde built a pretty good lead, as Mujsce passed Specht for 2nd,
and Sprague moving past also to take 3rd. By lap 6, Roger Maynor’s
Barrasso And Sons Mason Suplly #28, which started 12th, had come up to
6th and passed Specht to take over 5th spot. A few laps later, Mujsce
caught up to Hyde, and bumped Hyde going into turn 3, wit Hyde spinning
into the infield as the yellow flew. NASCAR officials ruled Musjce used
his bumper to make the pass, and put him to the rear for rough riding,
and giving the lead to Roger Maynor. On the restart, Maynor just shot
out for the lead, as Hyde ran 2nd, with Tom Kraft’s Four Season Sunrooms
#8 in 3rd,and Mujsce back up to 4th. On lap 14, George Sprague’s night
and season came to an end with a blown hose or radiator as he came off
the 4th turn, and yellow was out to soak up the water on the track. On
the restart, Maynor took off once more, with Hyde and Mujsce battling
for 2nd, but Carl Baxter’s Blast-It Sandblasting #74 got a flat, and
stopped on the track in turn 3, bringing out one more caution. On the
next restart, Maynor, running better as the race wore on, took off
again, as Hyde did all he could to stay off the front bumper of Mujsce’s
car, but Mujsce nailed him again, with Hyde spinning and bringing out a
caution on lap 18. Mujsce was again put to the rear for rough riding,
and restarted right behind Hyde once more. On the restart, Maynor jumped
out front once more, while now 2nd place Tom Kraft rode along behind,
followed by Specht in 3rd and Tom Ferrara’s Sponsors Wanted #16 in 4th.
Mujsce spins by himself off turn 4 a lap later, and is no longer a
factor, especially to Hyde, as Maynor continues to dominate the race to
the very end, with Tom Kraft finishing 2nd, and winning the 2006
Figure-8 Championship, the 3rd of his long career, while Maynor’s win
stretches his lead as the all time winningest driver at Riverhead to 69
victories.
News and Notes: This coming Friday, Sept 22nd, will
be the 4th Anniversary of our loss of Larry Costa, an all around nice
guy, and someone who will be remembered for his kindness and help by the
racing community forever…Don’t forget the upcoming rescheduled Old
Timers Day at Riverhead, October 1st. The original was washed out by
rain on Aug 27th, and Barbara and Jim Cromarty were nice enough to give
them a second chance. Many old race cars will be in attendance, along
with various Volunteer Fire Department Drill team race rigs, so make
plans to attend and see all these fast and glorious machines up
close…next Saturday, the Enduro Troops go at it in their last appearance
at Riverhead for 2006, with a full card of Grands, 8 Cylinder, 4/6
Cylinder Trucks, and 6 Cylinder cars, being joined by a rollover contest
in the very close points chase that exists there between Dennis Scott
and Thaddeus Lattanzio, with Lattanzio leading by only 2 points. It
should be a thriller!… RacerHub is promoting the new NELMA race,
sponsored by i-TRADE Direct, at Mountain Speedway in the Poconos on
Oct. 21st, with many of your favorite Long Island teams, like Roger
Oxee, Greg Kleila, and Peter ‘Buzzy’ Eriksen already pre-entered, with
the field of entries now surpassing 34 for this prestigious race…John
Denniston taking a turn driving the SPC Landscaping #55 of John Wicks in
the Chargers, turning in an impressive 4th place finish after starting
9th…Tommy Walkowiak would like to thank all who tried to help him fix
the transmission on his #00 in the limited time they had. Unfortunately,
they were unable to come up with a compatible transmission, but Ron
Langdon saved the day, loaning Tommy his #90...Dave Brigati a last
minute dropout from the Charger feature after it was reported that he’d
taken a deposit to sell his Charger car, and didn‘t want to chance any
damage to it. We didn‘t get to find out who is buying it, but hope to
find out for you soon…That’s about it for me at Riverhead for the 2006
season. I’ve enjoyed bringing you the race stories this season once
again, and we will continue our race coverage of some select events
throughout the Fall, so stay with us to keep up on the excitement of how
your local favorites do as they venture out to other venues to race some
of the best from other tracks…until then, live well, and be safe,
always.
Source: Walter
Johnston/LongIslandJam.com PR
Posted:
September 16, 2006