It’s officially 2008, so it’s time to start gearing up for
the upcoming season. I know that many teams have been hard at
work preparing cars, working on sponsorship deals, and getting
pumped for Opening Night. Yes, it is still more than three
months away, but the countdown can begin! I encourage everyone
to keep us abreast of what your team is working on so that we
can help you share any good news you may have with the racing
community. If you would like to submit news to be included in
this column you can email me at tchirico@longislandjam.com.
Oval Speed Official Legends Car Dealer
Oval Speed Unlimited has been named the Legends Car dealer
for parts and complete cars for Riverhead Raceway. Oval Speed
also recently signed on as a sponsor of LongIslandJam.com’s
Legends Cars section. Almost everyone who has stepped into the
pit area at Riverhead knows who Dennis is and how hard he works
to keep all of the important parts stocked for cars in virtually
every division. We can expect the same treatment for the Legends
Cars.
Bader, Mistretta, Maliszewski – Sell or Race?
In some driver-related news, Rob Bader has yet to sell either
of his Blunderbust cars. If Bader can’t sell the cars, he will
return to the Blunderbust ranks for the 2008 season. He also
hinted that if his second car is not sold it will be at the
track for a few shows, possibly with a few different “guest”
drivers.
“Krazy” Eddie Mistretta has not sold his Blunderbust car
either. Eddie apparently has a few other ideas in mind if he
sells the car before the season begins, but if he doesn’t, it is
possible that he will be back behind the wheel of the #32
Blunderbust for the 2008 season.
Former Blunderbust champion Scott Maliszewski has had his
Blunderbust car for sale for quite some time now. In speaking
with Scott recently, he told me that he really isn’t sure what
is in store for him in 2008. He is still hoping to sell the car,
but he informed me that he’s willing to sell just the motor if
someone is interested.
Moonlighting at Mountain
A number of Riverhead drivers made the trip to St. Johns,
Pennsylvania’s Mountain Speedway for the Frostbite II Enduro
events. It turned out to be quite the day for the “Long Island
Boys.” Robin Schewire won the 4-cylinder race and Dominic
Ranieri Jr. took down the 6/8-cylinder win. Schewire ran in both
4-cylinder and 6/8-cylinder events, but he didn't seem to have
much luck with the 8-cylinders. Upon my arrival Saturday
morning, Schewire and company were furiously prepping his
8-cylinder car. It seems the car he was planning to run suffered
some sort of misfortune prior to race day. There were several
rumors flying around about what had happened to the car,
including one that involved a Styrofoam block hitting the front
of the car traveling at speeds in excess of 55 mph. You would
have to ask Robin to get the full, true sequence of events, but
I'm sure the story is worth the time! Robin, Dominic, and the
rest of the “Long Island Boys” worked feverishly to make sure
Schewire was able to race in the 8-cylinder event. It was great
to see them all rally around the cause.
The “Trophy Truck” race, held as part of the Frostbite II
event, contained quite a few Long Island trucks and for a while
it looked like Long Islanders might make a clean sweep of the
day’s events, with Rich Onorato out front for nearly half the
race.
Gravel is Back
Former Riverhead Demo campaigner, Mike "Gravel" Buksa is back
in 2008. It’s been a while since Gravel wrecked any cars at
Riverhead, although he’s kept busy demoing at Orange County Fair
Speedway in Middletown, N.Y. Gravel is expected to return to
Riverhead for the 8-cylinder demo in a N.Y. Islanders themed car
sponsored by Alvin Ave. Auto Salvage and the N.Y. Islanders.
Cover Girl
Kailey Carpenter, daughter of former Blunderbust driver Jason
Carpenter and granddaughter of former Enduro competitor Steve
Broy, made the paper during a recent trip down to North Carolina
to visit her grandparents. Seems she was visiting JR Motorsports
and a photographer snapped some photos. Kailey’s photo with a
wax statue of Dale Jr. landed on the front page!
Father-to-Be
Roger Oxee, driver of the No. 39 Late Model, is going to be a
Daddy again this spring. This was announced by Bob Finan in his
Eye on Riverhead and included in Roger’s 2008 driver profile
here on LongIslandJam.com. Roger's wife Laurie is due to deliver
their son in April. Roger assures me that he intends to be at
Riverhead for Opening Night, presumably in his brand-new Howe
car!
Riverhead Says Goodbye to a Friend
Mike Fields recently disclosed on our forums that Carl
Rackoff, a longtime “fixture” at Riverhead and a contributor to
the Jam, was diagnosed with cancer. Many posted their well
wishes on the forum. However, this past Friday Carl passed away.
The viewing and funeral services were held this weekend. Many
from the racing community came to pay their last respects and
deliver their condolences personally to Betsi, who is also a
very familiar face at Riverhead. Bob Finan gave a very
thoughtful – and sometimes humorous – eulogy. Carl’s presence
will be missed by many and we at the Jam extend our condolences
to Carl’s family and friends.
Time to Get Informed
It’s almost time for the 2008 competitors’ informational
meetings. At the meetings Riverhead will announce their 2008
officials with some changes. It is also expected Riverhead’s
tire deal should be finalized and hopefully complete details
about tires, distribution, etc., will be available. For the
first time, the Enduro divisions are being included in the
meeting as well. Drivers in all divisions should make every
attempt to attend or they should send a representative. Due to
space limitations, each team is allowed two members. The meeting
will be held on January 27 at the Polish Hall in Riverhead. The
complete schedule for the day can be found here:
Jan. 27 meeting
For A Good Time…
As we go into February, “Mortgage Guy” Tim Halpin and his
band will be playing once again at JC’s in Manorville on
February 8. Rumor has it that this will also serve as a birthday
party of sorts for the Halpin brothers who will officially
celebrate their birthday the following day (but don’t worry,
they can and will celebrate earlier). Also at JC’s this year
will be the 13th annual Long Island Daytona 500 party (on
February 17, of course), hosted by the Halpins and Bob Finan.
The group was forced to find a new location for the party since
Mike’s Place closed its doors, but don't look for it to get
anyone down. Full details can be found here:
New Location for Daytona 500 Party
For those who suffer from cabin fever and just can’t wait for
the spring thaw to race, Mountain Speedway’s next Enduro will be
held on Saturday, March 15. Also that weekend is a swap meet and
racers’ flea market at Mountain, scheduled to be held the
following day. Admission to the swap meet is free. Full details
on both of these events can be obtained on Mountain Speedway’s
web site at
www.mountainspeedway.com.
This and That
In Jam news, we are keeping busy so far this offseason. J.A.
entered some of the older races added into our database and he
recently recruited me to help. There are more features coming,
hopefully to cure some of the cabin fever, including the
remaining division grades. We are still regularly receiving and
posting updated driver profiles for 2008. If you haven't
submitted a profile yet, you're missing out on a great FREE way
to promote yourself and your sponsors. Profiles can be submitted
using the following link:
http://www.longislandjam.com/Information/teamform.htm. So
far, J.A. is still a little faster than I am, but I'm starting
to get the hang of it!
We are looking for some staff assistance as we head into the
2008 season. The Jam is currently seeking reporters for both
Saturday nights and Sundays, as well as a photographer for
Sundays. It is an ideal way for someone who is enthusiastic
about racing to get behind the scenes, and to help contribute to
the promotion of racing on Long Island. Any interested parties
should contact J.A. Ackley at
jackley@longislandjam.com.
With that, I'll wrap up this month's column with well wishes
for any teams that are making the trip down to New Smyrna next
month. It's only a matter of time before we will smell the Cam2
in our own backyards once again!
Source: Tracy
Chirico/LongIslandJam.com
Posted:
January 21, 2008
