WMT Flash
Race Delivers Excitement On A Hot Riverhead Night
by Walter
Johnston
The Whelen Modified Tour rolled into
Riverhead last night to stage the third ‘Flash Race’ in a revised format
that utilized time trials to set the first 7 cars on the grid, and two 25
lap qualifying races to set the rest of the starting order, before filling
it out with 5 provisional starting spots based on points. The Riverhead
Blunderbusts and Chargers, along with the growingly popular Spectator Drags,
filled out the card on a very busy, hot, humid afternoon and evening
witnessed by a late arriving but robust crowd of spectators.
The WMT time trails saw Riverhead regulars amongst the mix,
as Ted Christopher set fast time at 11.815, while Bill Park timed 2nd at
11.817 and Howie Brode 3rd with a time of 11.819. Jerry Marquis was 4th with
a time of 11.882, Tony Ferrante Jr 5th with 11.888, Donny Lia 6th with
11.896, while Mike Stefanik rounded out the top 7 with a time of 11.896.
The Chargers also qualified through time trials for their
event, with Jon Ellwood putting down fast time of 13.333, and Kevin Orlando,
Chris Turbush, Jeremy McDermott, Dan Turbush, and Shawn Solomito filling out
the top six. The drivers later redrew for their starting positions.
The first feature of the evening was the Spectator Drags,
which came down to a two lap, reverse around the oval race between perennial
winner Don Carasiti and Shawn Wanat. Carasiti edged out in front of Wanat,
who tried everything he could for the two lap run to get back by Carasiti,
but Carasiti prevailed once more, topping Wanat by just a car length at the
finish.
The Blunderbust double point feature ran next, with Tom
Sullivan in the Lakewood Used Auto Parts #7 on the pole, and rookie Donny
Oliver in the Flanders Automotive #05 to his outside. At the drop of the
green, Sullivan took off, with Oliver hanging on in 2nd, while Tony
Battisti’s #15 Sponsors Wanted vied with Gary Caldwell’s #21 Accent Mortgage
Consultants for 3rd. Very quickly, Krazy Ed Mistretta in the BAM’s Auto Body
#32 and Chris Busick in the Mike Coll #61 shot under Oliver, Battisti and
Caldwell to take 2nd and 3rd spots, as Oliver was relegated to 4th, and
Caldwell 5th. Artie Pedersen’s Sherwin-Williams #1 got under Caldwell a lap
later to takeover 5th. Up front, Sullivan was now leading the whole field by
10 car lengths, and back in the field, Pedersen got by Oliver for 4th.
Lapped traffic slowed Sullivan as Mistretta and Busick were now on his rear
bumper. As they negotiated the lapped traffic, Sullivan got momentarily
blocked in, and Mistretta and Busick take an opening down low as they both
got by Sullivan, with Mistretta taking over the lead and he and Busick
pulled away. From deep in the field, Tommy Walkowiak’s Unique Golf has now
come to 4th, and passes Sullivan easily to take 3rd, as Walkowiak sets off
in pursuit of Busick, but the laps run out as Mistretta takes a very
exciting Blunderbust feature for the second time this season, with Busick
2nd and Walkowiak 3rd at the finish.
The Chargers were next, with the running of the B. Sexton
Site Development 30 lap event, with Jeremy McDermott’s Sandy Shore Builders
#5 on the pole, and Jon Ellwood’s Lolly’s Hut #17x to the outside. When the
green flew, Ellwood leapt out front as McDermott held onto 2nd, as Chris
Turbush’s Spano Floors #81 and Kevin Orlando’s Neat & Complete Drywall #99
battled for 3rd. Ellwood built a 3 car length lead, as Turbush got by under
McDermott for 2nd, and Orlando moved up to 3rd, and Solomito to 4th. Turbush
was on Ellwood’s bumper by lap 9, and the duo ran a very hard race as
Ellwood did everything he knew to hold Turbush off. On lap 15, McDermott
spun in turn 2, bringing out the first caution of the race. On the single
file restart, Ellwood took off, but Turbush nosed under him off turn 2, and
passed for the lead coming out of turn 4. Turbush pulled away by , but
Ellwood pour on the gas, and caught up to him quickly, riding his rear
bumper as they started to encounter lapped traffic. On lap 21, Garret
Fabrizio ‘s Sponsors Wanted #13 spun in turn 2, bringing the caution once
more. On the restart, Dave Xavier’s WPW Growers #11x hit the wall and came
to a stop in turn 2, with the yellow flying again. On the next restart,
Turbush took off, and Orlando got under Ellwood to take 2nd away, but
Turbush now has a 5 car length lead and is stretching it out each lap,
distancing himself from Orlando and Ellwood, as Solomito ran a distant 4th.
Turbush cruised to the finish with a 7 car length advantage, as Orlando,
Ellwood, Solomito and Brad Van Houten’s #10 Riverhead Building Supply
rounded out the top 5.
The WMT race lined up on the track next, but a lighting
problem in turn 1 delayed the start of the race while the Riverhead
maintenance crew readjusted a light in turn 1 to compensate for a light
damaged the previous night by a lightning strike. At the drop of the green,
Mike Stefanik’s Diversified Metals #16 got out front, but 4 cars got
together coming off turn 4, and yellow flew immediately. On the lap 7
restart, Stefanik once again got out front, as Tony Ferrante Jr’s Ferrante
Racing #31, Donny Lia’s Mystic Missile #4 and Ted Christopher’s N.E Racecars
& parts #36 followed in a line. Lia looked occasionally for a way to get by
Ferrante for 3rd, but was having trouble finding an opening. The top 15
continued running single file behind Stefanik, who was setting a torrid
pace, as the cars from 16th back were jockeying for position amongst
themselves, and the whole thing created a whirlwind around the track,
creating a cooling breeze for the fans in the stands. The first real attempt
at a pass came from Jimmy Blewett’s T.S. Haulers #12 as he tried to pass
Howie Brode's Freightliner Trucks #96, but Jerry Marquis Reynolds Auto
Wrecking #00 instead got under Blewett, taking 6th spot away. Now it was
Marquis’ turn to work on Brode for 5th spot, but Brode spun in turn 2, and
Marquis got the spot as yellow flew. Some cars took this opportunity to pits
for tires as NASCAR officials reset the field for the restart.
On the restart, Stefanik jumped out front once more as Lia
came to 2nd, and Christopher and marquis battled for 3rd. On lap 56,
Ferrante spun in turn 2, and Wade Cole’s #33 Performance Engineering spun in
turn 1, bringing out another caution. On the lap 70 restart, Stefanik held
the lead once more, but Ryan Preece’s #40 spun, along with JR Bertuccio’s
Gershow Recycling #02 in turn 2. On the lap 78 restart, Stefanik held onto
the lead as Christopher got by Lia to take 2nd, while Jimmy Blewett moved up
to 4th. On lap 83, Wayne Anderson’s Eastport Feeds #15 spun into the
infield, and yellow was out again. On the lap 90 restart, Stefanik lead
Christopher once more, but on lap 92, a multi-car pileup in turn 2 brought
out the caution again. After a lengthy cleanup, green flew once more on lap
109, and Stefanik had Christopher running side by side with him for the
first tow laps until Stefanik pulled into the lead, with Christopher right
on his bumper. As they caught lapped traffic, Stefanik slowed a bit, and
Christopher dove under Stefanik, driving over him to take the lead as the
race continued, but Stefanik stayed right with him. Christopher now set the
pace, and he and Stefanik pulled away from the rest. Stefanik was using all
his knowledge to find a way to get by Christopher as the laps ticked off,
and on lap 134, while they were negotiating lapped cars once more,
Christopher got knocked sideways in turn 2’s heavy lapped traffic, and
Stefanik bounced off him and regained the lead as yellow came out. Under
yellow, Stefanik had to go to the pits to change a tire that went down as a
result of the altercation, and Donny Lia inherited the top spot. Stefanik
was able to return, but starting in the rear, his chance at victory was
done, as the race restarted for a green-white checker ending on lap 141,
with Lia leading both laps and taking the victory over Bill Parks’ #20
Smithtown Nissan Chevy, while Ronnie Silk’s #19 Chevrolet, Justin
Bonsignore’s #23 Double Diamond Realty Corvette, and James Civali’s #28
Ramar-Hall Inc. Pontiac rounded out the top 5.
News and Notes: A healthy field of Blunderbusts (29) and Chargers
(24) on hand in the support divisions for the show. Maybe we are seeing a
renewal of interest among those divisions…Next week, Riverhead will present
a Blindfold Taxicab race, always and interesting event, along with a
full-sized school bus demo, with the Blunderbusts off for the evening and
Super Pro Trucks running the next day as part of Sunday’s Enduro
show…Riverhead Mod Squad well represented in the 34 modified entry’s for the
WMT race, as Bill Park, Wayne Anderson, Dan Jivanelli, Chuck Steuer, Dave
Brigati, Gary McDonald, and Justin Bonsignore (renumbered #23 for the show)
all took a shot at qualifying, with only Mc Donald not making the event…
Bobby Grigas III DQ’ed from the event as he mistakenly went to his hauler
after qualifying, and as an impound event, he was supposed to park his car
in the impound area. I’m sure he won’t make a mistake like that
again…Grigas’ mistake enabled tour regular Glenn Tyler to make the event…Dan
Turbush competed in the #25 Applebee’s Charger of Charlie Rittenhouse that
is for sale. Looks like Dan will be buying that to compete in the Charger’s
once more…That’s it for this week, JA Ackley will have next week’s story for
you as I attend my daughter’s engagement party that Saturday night, and I
will be covering the Enduro event on another busy weekend for LI Jam’s
staff…until then, live well and be safe.
Source: Walter
Johnston/LongIslandJam.com
Posted:
August 4, 2007
