Season
Opener Kicks Off a Great New Season of Racing at Riverhead
by Walter
Johnston
On a clear
afternoon, Riverhead Raceway opened the 2007 racing season to the delight of
racers and spectators alike, who’ve hungered for the sights and sounds of
racing through a long chilly Winter and early Spring. With a full card of
racing scheduled, the day started with a moment of silence to remember our
deceased racing brothers who left us over the off-season, and was followed
by “The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag“, led by Jeff Bressler, when the
‘music machine’ didn’t want to play Our National Anthem. Ah, opening night
glitches!
The Super Pro
Trucks began the night with Mike Albasini’s SPONSORS WANTED #66 taking the
lead from his pole position, with Frank Dumicich Sr.’s Wesemann’s Sand and
Mason Supply #5 coming to 2nd, but a quick yellow had to be
thrown for a spinning Erin Dumicich’s Teddy Bear Racing #95. Green flew
again quickly, but the yellow came out quickly again as Erin Dumicich’s
driveshaft dropped out on the restart, ending her night. Albasini led on the
restart, but Danny Grennan’s PCHS Race Engines #38 moved quickly to 2nd,
and passed Albasini to take the lead one lap later. On lap 5, Frank Dumicich
Jr spun, bring out another caution. Grennan took off on the restart, with
Dumicich Sr and Albasini battling for 2nd behind him, while Lou
Maestri’s #1 Schwing Electrical Supply lurked behind, looking for an
opportunity to pass. Maestri and Dumicich battled while SPT newcomer Wayne
Meyer, in the Van Brunt Plumbing & Heating #41sized them up. Just as he made
his move to pass them off turn 2, he spun into the infield, bringing out
another caution. With green out once more, Grennan took off, as Albasini,
Dumicich Sr and Maestri ran behind. Maestri tried to find a way by Dumicich
Sr. on lap 15, but Dumicich held him off, and made his own move on Albasini
on the outside, passing him as Albasini spun in turn 2, but Grennan held on
to take the opening night victory.
The Blunderbusts
were up next, 26 cars strong, and Ray Shannon, in the Centereach
Transmission #64 took the lead from his outside pole starting spot. Paul
Parisi’s James Becht Builders #69 moved into 2nd, as Scott
Maliszewski’s SPONSORS Wanted #22 ran 3rd. Maliszewski quickly
took over 2nd, but Matt Pepitone’s Professional Carpet Systems
#17 spun and yellow flew. During the yellow, Maliszewski stalled and had to
be pushed to the pits. Shannon and Parisi led the field back to the green,
and immediately, Wayne Okula’s Artisan Appraisers #67 challenged for 2nd,
but Parisi fought back, resulting in Okula and Shannon spinnig in turn 4,
bringing out the yellow. Officials ruled Parisi ‘over aggressive and put him
to the rear, giving the lead to Scott Pederson’s Generation Renovation #27.
On the restart, Pederson and Mike Rommeney’s SPONSORS Wanted #11 battled for
the lead, but Tommy Walkowiak’s Unique Golf Shop #00 pressured both, getting
by Rommeney and then Pederson to take the lead on lap 12. Walkowiak led from
there to the end, which was punctuated by a battle between Bill Wegmann’s
Crackerjack Auto Supply #79 and Tom Sullivan’s Lakewood Used Auto Parts #7,
which found cars spinnig all over near the end, but the “Wild Child”
Walkowiak, held on for the victory.
The Chargers rolled
out next, all 14 of them, and put on a great green to checkered race. With
Ralph Beaver Cavalier Modular Homes #47 leading the way, and Mike Schwarz'
B. Sexton Site Development #14 to his outside, Chris McGuire’s Gershow
Recycling #89x quickly mounted a challenge, getting by Schwarz on lap 5, and
passing Beaver for the lead a lap later, with Jon Ellwood’s Lolly’s Hut #17x
following through for 2nd, and Eric Lutz’s Marjam Supply #36
coming to 3rd. Lutz got pass Ellwood, but the two came together,
with Lutz spinning out, and while Ellwood struggled to recover, Chris
Turbush’s Spano Floors #81 moved to 2nd and Tom Anderson’s
SPONSORS Wanted #23 moved up to 3rd, but McGuire was long gone
and sailed easily to the win in the caution free event.
The Late Models were
next, also with a small field of 11 cars, with Scott Kulesa’s Ranco Sand &
Stone #10 on the pole, and Kevin Metzger’s Two Brothers Scrap Metal #23 to
the outside. At the drop of the green, Metzger feel back, and Jarrod Hayes’
Big Brothers/Big Sisters of LI moved to 2nd immediately. On lap
6, Kulesa spun off turn 2 after a bump from Hayes, and Hayes took over the
lead as yellow flew. While Hayes received a warning from track officials, he
stayed up front as the race resumed. On that restart, Greg Kleila, 2006 LM
Champ was up to 2nd, and Buzzy Eriksen’s Harley Davidson of
Nassau County #68 ran 3rd. Ken Matlach‘s NY Metro Peterbilt #34,
running in 6th, challenged and passed Mike Moritimer’s Unique
Golf #14 to take 5th spot, and got by the Dan Turbush Ideal
Cesspool #81 a lap later to take 4th. Hayes, running up front
with Kleila right on his tail, but Hayes held his line, and Kleila couldn’t
find a way by. Hayes took the checkered flag for the win, but a carburetor
infraction in tech got him DQed, with Kleila getting credit for the victory.
Now it was time for
the Modifieds, 20 cars strong, with Dave Brigati’s WPW Growers #3 on the
pole, and Dan Jivanelli’s Long Island Collector Car Garage #44 to his
outside. After 3 hot laps to warm the Modified tires on an increasingly
cooler evening, Brigati took of at the drop of the green, but Justin
Bonsignore’s Double Diamond Realty #28 spun, with no yellow, and Bonsignore
recovered to stay on the lead lap, until Brigati caught him 2 laps later, as
Jivanelli, Ken Heagy’s Buoy One Restaurant #38, Chris Young’s Riverhead
Building Supply #49 and Chuck Steuer’s Savin #11x followed as Brigati pulled
away for a commanding lead. On lap 10, Young spun in the backstretch after
getting bumped and less than a lap later, Wayne Anderson’s Eastport Feeds
#15 spun in heavy traffic in turn 2, jamming up those behind, with Sal
Accardi being an unwitting victim after officials ruled he was involved, and
sent him to the rear, though Accardi argued he only stopped to keep the
wreck from getting worse, but the officials ruled against him. With the
green out once more, Brigati gets a good restart, but immediately 5 cars
come together into the turn 1 wall, and yellow is back out.
On the restart
after that cleanup, Brigati got away cleanly, as Heagy battled with
Jivanelli and passed him for 2nd. Tom Rogers’ Riverhead Auto Mall
#6 also got by Jivanelli for 3rd. Yellow was out soon after as
Mike Andrews’ SPONSORS Wanted #10x spun in turn 3 on lap 14. On the restart,
with Heagy outside of Brigati, Rogers saw his chance and got under Heagy to
take 2nd as Brigati pulled away for the lead, while JR
Bertuccio’s Gershow Recycling #2 moved up to 4th spot. A few laps
later, yellow flew again after Jivanelli spun in turn 2. Green came out
quickly, and Brigati took off, with Rogers looking high and low for a way
around, but Brigati held his line, and he and Rogers left the others behind
by lap 25. Rogers was continuously tapping Brigati’s bumper to let him know
he was there, but they raced cleanly to the checkers, with Brigati getting
his first Modified win, and the Ambrose team also getting their first
Riverhead Modified win.
To close out the
night, the Figure 8 cars, 12 strong, led to the green by Kenny Hyde’s Maples
Bar & Grill #58, with Tom Graff’s Demartino Enterprises #00 to his outside.
Hyde grabbed the lead right away, with Carl Baxter’s Blast-it Sandblasting
#74 moving immediately to 2nd, as Mike Mujsce Sr.’s Mike’s Auto
Service #13 followed. Caution flew on lap 6 as Will Farrell’s Caccavale
Builder’s #29 spun and couldn’t get restarted. On the restart, Baxter got
the jump on Hyde, taking the lead as Mujsce and Roger Maynor’s Barrasso &
Sons Mason Supply #28 followed. Maynor tried a move to Mujsce’s outside, but
Mujsce held him off as Baxter stretched his lead over Hyde to 4 car lengths.
Yellow flew again as Tom Ferrara’s DeMartino Enterprises #0x and Carl
Voelker Jr’s Sponsors Wanted #64 spun in turn 1 on lap 9. Baxter took off
again at the green, with Hyde in pursuit, but Mujsce and Maynor get into it
as Maynor tries to get by, and Mujsce spins, Maynor drops back while
correcting, and Tom Kraft’s Four Seasons Sun Rooms #16 moves to 3rd,
while Slim Jim Donaldson’s Slim’s Body Piercing #47 takes over 4th.
Baxter continues on until the end to hold off all challenges and wins his
first Figure 8 feature since 2000.
News and Notes: Many
early season rumors being spread around, not sure what to believe, so we’ll
just wait and see how many of them work out, if at all… I think some classes
and meetings might help straighten out some of the miscue’s that resulted,
though nothing serious took place…a beautiful afternoon turned into a rather
chilly evening, but officials moved the show along, and the last checker was
thrown at 8:37 PM, one of the earliest ends of a Saturday night of racing in
memory…A nice bunch of rookies in the Blunderbust class this year. Make sure
you all get your contingency stickers from Joe Larsen so you’ll be eligible
for the special Rookie of the Year program he has for the division…good to
see all our old friends in racing and make a few new ones, too, as the
season gets under way. Until next week’s report, live well and be safe.
Source: Walter
Johnston/LongIslandJam.com
Posted:
May 7, 2007
