Miller Lite Night
Features Good Racing & Great Weather
by Walter
Johnston
With the oppressive heat of August taking a break,
Miller Lite Night at Riverhead saw five regular divisions, plus a
four-cylinder demolition derby staged on the quarter-mile track in front of
a good sized crowd of race fans who gathered to enjoy their favorite past
time. Bob Finan began the evening with a moving tribute to John Blewett III,
who passed away Thursday from injuries suffered in a racing accident at
Thompson Speedway in Connecticut. Bob recounted some poignant memories of
John before the crowd observed a moment of silence in honor of his memory.
First up on the program was a double point, 30-lap
contest for the Blunderbusts, with “Pistol” Paul Parisi’s Gibson’s Auto
Center #69x on the pole, and Rob Bader’s Roberts Express Fuel Oil #5x to his
outside. Bader took the lead at the drop of the green as Parisi followed,
but Bader spun with a little help exiting turn 2 on lap 2, while Tom
Sullivan’s Lakewood Used Auto Parts #7 took the lead. On the restart,
Sullivan held the lead over Parisi, but on lap 7, Chris Busick’s Mike Coll
#61 hit the turn 3 wall hard, ending his night and bringing out the caution.
On the restart, Sullivan held the lead as Parisi followed, looking to the
high side for an opening to pass, while Mike Rommeney’s C & A Auto parts #11
was up to 3rd, followed by Bill Wegmann’s Crackerjack Auto Supply #79. On
lap 10, Scott Maliszewski’s Blaze Fuel Oil #22 came to a halt on the front
stretch, bringing out a caution. On the restart, Sullivan held the point,
with Parisi and Rommeney on his tail, as Gary Caldwell’s Accent Mortgage
Consultants #21, Artie Pedersen’s Sherwin-Williams #1, and Joe Pingitore’s J
& C Auto Salvage #76 all battled for 4th spot. Tommy Walkowiak, in the
Unique Golf #00, suddenly shot under all 3 of them to take 4th spot, and set
his sights on Rommeney in 3rd. After getting by Rommeney, Walkowiak set off
in pursuit of Parisi, getting by to take 2nd a lap later, while Rommeney
suffered a flat and dropped from the race. Walkowiak was now on Sullivan’s
bumper, looking for a way to pass, but Sullivan held his line, making
Walkowiak’s attempts futile, while Parisi patiently watched from 3rd,
followed by Wegmann in 4th. On lap 27, Walkowiak was able to get by Sullivan
in traffic, but Sullivan battled back, retaking the lead on lap 29,
continuing the battle with Walkowiak as they came off turn 4, where they
made contact, with Sullivan crashing into the front stretch wall defending
his position, and Walkowiak momentarily blocked, as Parisi took advantage,
going by on the low side to take the win as Sullivan and Walkowiak struggled
to the finish line, taking 2nd and 3rd respectively, while Wegmann came home
4th, and “Krazy” Ed Mistretta crossed the line 5th in his BAM‘s Auto Body
#32 in a finish that has the crowd cheering. It was the first ever feature
win for Parisi, whose car was destroyed in a wreck earlier in the season,
and he was only able to continue racing through the generosity of former
Blunderbust Champ Eugene Malverty, who gave Paul the use of his former
Blunderbust racer to complete the season.
The Chargers hit the track next, with Frank Scimeca,
Jr.’s P & M Door #96 on the pole, and Tom Anderson’s Mike’s Place Too #23 to
his outside. From the drop of the green, Scimeca and Anderson ran side by
side for the first two laps, but going into turn 2 on lap 3, Scimeca spun
and the caution flew. On the restart, Anderson and Daryn Miller, in the Tarr
Home Improvement #30, took off, but behind them confusion reigned as Chris
Turbush’s Spano Floors #81 spun in turn 1, and was hit by Robert Durand head
on, severely damaging Durand’s Eastern L.I. Automotive #07, and caution flew
once more. Turbush was able to drive his damaged car to the pits under it’s
own power, but was unable to return. After a long cleanup of the fluids
dumped on the track, on the restart Anderson took off, and “Slim” Jim
Donaldson’s Loeb’s & Gordon Pool Craft #48 took over 2nd from Miller one lap
later, but Shawn Solomito’s Riverhead Building Supply #66 spun to a stop in
turn 1, and yellow was out once more. On the restart, Anderson held the
point, as Donaldson followed, while Miller and Kevin Orlando, in the Neat &
Complete Drywall #99, battled for 3rd, with Rob Tribuzio, in the Iguana’s
Restaurant #III ran 5th. Orlando took over 3rd, while Miller and Tribuzio
battled side by side for 4th, but Miller suddenly spun on the front stretch
into the infield, moving Tribuzio to 4th, which he lost a lap later to Eric
Lutz’s Marjam Supply #36. Anderson by this time had checked out on the
field, but Orlando had gotten by Donaldson for 2nd, and was now closing on
Anderson. Orlando caught up to within a car length of Anderson with 1 to go,
but Anderson held on for the win, his 2nd ever in the division, as Orlando
settled for 2nd, Donaldson 3rd, Lutz 4th, and Tribuzio, who was running in
Warren and Becky Collins’ charger, nicely renumbered (“In loving memory of
John Blewett“) #III, was 5th.
The Late Model double point 50-lapper was next, with
over $5000 in posted prizes, mostly lap money, was next on the program.
Scott Kulesa, whose sponsor, Ranco Sand & Stone, paid for sponsorship of
every lap, sat on the pole after the redraw of the top 6 from time trials,
and on the outside pole was Doug Wholey’s #98. Doug also sponsored all 50
laps through his Ideal Cesspool company, and NY Metro Peterbilt, along with
NDA Kitchens, also sponsored 50 total laps. Kulesa took off at the drop of
the green, building a 5-6 car length lead over Ken Matlach’s NY Metro
Peterbilt #34, while Dan Turbush, in the Ideal Cesspool #8 and Buzzy
Eriksen’s Harley Davidson of Nassau followed in 3rd & 4th. Greg Kleila’s
J&R’s Steakhouse #72 was now challenging Wholey for 5th, and Jack Orlando,
in the Staria Auto Body #99 contended with Jarrod Hayes’s Big Brothers Big
Sisters of LI #08 for 7th spot. Orlando spun going into turn 1 on lap 17,
hitting the wall and bringing out a caution. Then bad luck hit leader
Kulesa, as he exited to the pits with a right front flat, handing the lead
to Ken Matlach. On the restart, Matlach took off, but yellow flew again as
Jeremy McDermott’s Sandy Shore Builders #91 and Kevin Metzger’s Metzger
Racing #23 spun, with caution back out quickly. On the restart, Matlach held
the lead, as Eriksen mounted a challenge on Turbush for 2nd, but Turbush
held him off. At the halfway mark, the top 9 ran in a line, with Turbush
right on Matlach’s bumper, and Kleila looking to get by Eriksen, when
suddenly Wholey spun from 5th in the back stretch, but recovered to rejoin
the race. Ken Alfano, who had come from way back, was now in 5th, and
quickly got by Kleila to take 4th, then set his sights on Eriksen. Alfano
made easy work of Eriksen with a bump and run, then set off after Turbush in
2nd. Easily passing Turbush with the same ‘bump and run’ Alfano set his
sights on leader Matlach, catching up to him by lap 46, and passing for the
lead on the low side with 2 to go. However, Alfano’s car failed post race
tech inspection, so Matlach was declared the winner, with Eriksen 2nd,
Turbush 3rd, Kleila 4th, and Jarrod Hayes 5th.
Spectator drags took to the track next, with 15
vehicles entered, and when it came down to the semi-finals, it was Walkowiak
vs. Rydell, and Skippon vs. Carasiti. Rydell beat Walkowiak, and Carasiti
beat Skippon, setting up a two lap barn burner of a race, as Jim Rydell
edged out in front of Don Carasiti at the start, held him off for the two
lap contest, with the two spinning sideways across the line, side swiping
each other in a very exciting finish.
The last race of the night was the Modifieds for
their 35-lap feature, with 19 cars starting the event. Wayne Anderson’s
Eastport Feeds #15 sat on the pole, and Marissa Niederauer’s House of Cool
#74 sat on the outside. Anderson took off at the drop of the green, with Sal
Accardi’s Checker’s Restaurants #93 coming to 2nd, while Niederauer’s #74
hung on in 3rd, with Dave Brigati’s WPW Growers #3 in 4th. On lap 10, Chris
Beutler’s ADM Productions #21 spun, bringing out the caution. On the
restart, Niederauer took advantage of a slip by Accardi coming out of turn
2, and retook 2nd spot, but a lap later, Tony Anello’s Atlas Asphalt #24
and Gary McDonald’s Lakeland Landscape Supply #26 came together and spun in
turn 2, and caution was out once more. On the restart, Anderson held the
point, but Accardi did the same thing Niederauer had done on the previous
restart, and got under her to take 2nd back, while Brigati held his line
and took 3rd, but Niederauer, Chuck Steuer’s Savin Copiers #11, Bill Park’s
Smithtown Nissan #20, and John Fortin’s J. Murphy Cesspool Service #84
tangled in turn 4, and the yellow came out. With a little help from the
track wreckers, all were dislodged from each other and able to continue. On
the restart, Anderson and Accardi ran side by side for a lap until Anderson
pulled out front once more. 1 lap later, Brigati spun from 3rd place, but
rejoined the race, as Anderson continued to hold off Accardi, as they pulled
away from the rest of the field by 5 car lengths. They continued that way
until the end, with Anderson scoring his 30th Riverhead Modified victory, as
Accardi, Dan Jivanelli’s YES Network #44, Chris Young’s Riverhead Building
Supply #49, and Tom Roger’s Jr,’s Big Brother Big Sisters of LI #6 rounded
out the top 5.
News and notes: Donny “Boom Boom” Oliver is
welcoming new sponsor Twin Forks Bicycles by holding a FREE raffle of a
bicycle, with boys and girls aged 6-12 eligible to enter to win a unisex
bicycle from Twin Forks Bicycles, with the drawing to be held on Saturday,
Sept. 1st. Entries are available by the #05 Blunderbust in the pits after
the races, so be sure to stop by and enter if you are interested….A
Spectator Shopping Cart race, featuring Turn 1 Cowboy Johnny Thompson, Tommy
Walkowiak and Ron Langdon was held after the modified feature. Thompson had
a sizeable lead down the back stretch, so Walkowiak and Langdon took the
short cut across the infield and were black-flagged for it, giving Thompson
the victory in the exhibition race… A nice effort and tribute to John
Blewett III was the renumbering of both Rob Tribuzio’s cars, the previously
mentioned Charger, renumbered #III, and Rob’s Late Model, renumbered in a
replica foil #66 to honor Blewett’s memory. A really nice gesture, one of
the many seen around the track last night…on that note, I’ll close this
week’s effort reminding all to keep the Blewett family in your thoughts and
prayers, and remind everyone to always be kind to those close to you,
because you never know when things will change what you sometimes take for
granted. Live well, and be safe, and God speed JB III. -WJ
Source: Walter
Johnston/LongIslandJam.com
Posted:
August 19, 2007
