Blewett Captures Mod Win in Busy Night of Racing
by Tracy Chirico
Many old and new faces filled the stands and the pit area at
Riverhead Raceway to take in the 77-lap Baldwin/Evans/Jarzombek
Memorial Modified race and the accompanying features. The hot
temperatures early in the day were quickly replaced by some hot
racing action on the track on a busy night of racing that also
included the Super Pro Trucks, Blunderbusts, One-on-One
Spectator Drags, Figure 8s, and a 4-cylinder Enduro.
Qualifying began with time trials for the Modifieds. There
were 22 cars on hand; however, only 21 took time as Rob
McCormick did not come out on the track due to issues in tech.
Fast time for the day was set by defending Modified champion
Bill Park, who turned a lap of 11.580. Rounding out the top five
in time were Chuck Steuer (11.609), Dave Brigati (11.667),
Justin Bonsignore (11.685), and Jimmy Blewett (11.702).
Following time trials, two heats each were held for the Super
Pro Truck and Blunderbust divisions. All cars were qualified for
their features, with the heat races determining who would be
handicapped for the events.
The Super Pro Trucks took to the track for the first feature
of the day. The start of the race saw the Edible Arrangements
#95 of Erin Dumicich on the pole, with the Raceway Auto Sales
#19 of P.J. Vecchio on the outside. Dumicich grabbed the lead
coming out of turn 2 on the initial lap. On lap 1, the Rheem #88
of Roger Turbush was in second, and the Nelson's Auto Salvage
#97 of Dave Koenig came to the inside of Vecchio to take over
third. On lap 2, Turbush tried to make a pass to the inside of
Dumicich for the lead, but was unsuccessful. Turbush tested
Dumicich again on lap 4, and Turbush grabbed the top spot.
Koenig followed on Turbush's bumper, and Koenig moved into
second. Wayne Meyer also followed in the AAA Firewood & Mulch
#41, and Meyer grabbed third on lap 5. Caution came out on lap
7, as Vecchio went around in turn 4 and made contact with the
Stephanie McCormick Fund #42 of Frank Dumicich Jr. Dumicich Jr.
was done for the day with damage to the right front of the
truck. For the restart, rookie Turbush was on the inside, with
veteran Koenig on the outside. The two put on an exciting
side-by-side battle for the lead, swapping the spot by mere
inches several times before the caution came out again on lap 9
for an incident in turn 4 involving several trucks. All of the
trucks corrected themselves and continued with the exception of
Michael Power in the Long Island Fiber Exchange #65. On the last
fully completed lap, Koenig had been scored as the leader, so
the restart pitted Koenig on the inside against Turbush, who now
sat on the outside. Koenig shot into the lead on the restart,
with Turbush settling into second and Meyer holding on to the
third spot. At lap 12, the top four trucks were running nose to
tail. Turbush looked to the inside of Koenig to make a pass for
the lead and the two made contact. Turbush scrambled to retain
control of his truck, opening the door for Meyer to move into
second on lap 17. Koenig went on to cross the finish line first,
followed by Meyer and Turbush.
The Blunderbust feature took to the track next. In a repeat
of last week's starting lineup, the Robert's Express Fuel Oil
#19 of Rob Bader Jr. sat on the pole, with the Lakewood Used
Auto Parts #7 of Tom Sullivan on the outside pole. Bader took
the lead on the start, with Sullivan second and the Constant
Performance #29 of Jessica Larsen third. Doug Watson appeared to
be a man on a mission in the Over the Hill Racing #3, as he
quickly moved to the inside of Larsen and grabbed the third spot
on lap 1. By lap 2, however, Bader and Sullivan had already
begun to distance themselves from the rest of the field, leaving
Watson to work at catching them. As Bader and Sullivan battled
it out at the front of the pack, Watson worked on closing the
gap. Bader drifted up the track, opening the door for Sullivan,
and the two came across the line side-by-side for lap 5.
Sullivan inched out in front of Bader, and Watson charged to the
inside of Bader to take over second on lap 6. On lap 8, the J&C
Auto Salvage #76 of Joe Pingitore also got past Bader, putting
Pingitore in third. On lap 9, the #22 of Scott Maliszewski was
black flagged by the officials for a fluid leak that was visible
as the car went through the turns, and Maliszewski dropped to
the infield. On lap 11, Watson moved to the inside of Sullivan
while Pingitore added his car to the mix, and the three went
three-wide, with Watson coming out in the lead. Pingitore
grabbed second on lap 12. On that same lap, the Pickerell Clam
#4 of Tom Pickerell came to third. On lap 17, however, Pickerell
lost a wheel, and limped the car to the infield as the tire
bounced off of the track and no caution was thrown. On the white
flag lap, Watson came up on lapped traffic, and Pingitore made a
last minute attempt to get a run on the inside for the win.
Watson was able to use the lapped traffic to his advantage, and
was the first across the line for the win in the caution-free
20-lap race. Pingitore was second, with the Service Master Clean
#61 of Chris Busick third.
Next up was the One-on-One Spectator Drags, with 16 cars
contesting for a win. The final round pitted Charles Guardino
against Don Carasiti for two laps run in the reverse direction
around the track. For the third time in the 2008 season,
Carasiti walked away with the win.
The Figure 8s were the next feature to take to the track,
with 15 cars starting the 20-lap event. For the start, the pole
was occupied by the #27 of Scott Pedersen, with the #3 of Ralph
Tasso on the outside. Tasso shot out to the lead at the drop of
the green, and the Mike's Auto Service #13 of Mike Mujsce Sr.
quickly moved up to test Pedersen for second. On lap 4, the Long
Island DEUTZ #58 of Kenny Hyde Sr. spun on the track, but
corrected himself and continued. On that same lap, however, the
JTL Motorsports Enterprises #37 of Jessica Larsen came to a stop
in turn 1, bringing out the caution. Larsen took the car to the
pits, and it returned to the track with Blunderbust competitor
Terry Stiles behind the wheel. Mujsce was also forced to pit
under the caution, as he suffered a right rear flat. There was a
lengthy clean-up process, as Pedersen had picked up debris that
went through his oil pan and the car left a trail of oil around
the track. For the restart, Tasso was on the pole with Hyde on
the outside pole. The Barrasso & Sons Mason Supply #28 of Roger
Maynor was up to third, accompanied on the second row by the #8
of Tom Kraft. Tasso grabbed the lead on the start and Maynor
worked his way past Hyde for second. Kraft moved into third.
Maynor quickly set his sights on Tasso, and began to challenge
for the lead. Maynor came across the line first on lap 6. On lap
7, Tasso challenged back and regained the lead, but Tasso and
Maynor continued to swap the position and it became a three-wide
battle for the lead as Kraft added himself to the mix. Maynor
came out on top, and Kraft grabbed the second spot on lap 8.
Caution came out on lap 9 for Stiles in the #37, and Hyde
suffered a flat under caution, forcing him to pit. The restart
pitted Maynor against Kraft. Maynor jumped out to the lead, but
officials were unhappy with the restart and the field was forced
to make another attempt. Maynor again grabbed the lead, but the
PS Racing #63 of Paul Specht spun and had trouble maneuvering
the car to a safe location because of a cone stuck underneath
the left front of the car and caution came out again on lap 11.
Maynor held the lead on the restart, but caution came out again
on lap 16 for debris on the track. Once again, Maynor retained
his lead on the single-file restart. Tasso made a last-lap
attempt to get past Kraft, but was unsuccessful as Maynor
collected his 91st career Figure 8 win. Kraft crossed the line
second, with Tasso third.
Then it was time for the 77-lap Baldwin/Evans/Jarzombek
Memorial feature for the Modifieds. The field was paced by
several cars, including one vehicle carrying a Whelen
Engineering representative and another with Co-Chief Steward
Mike Cappiello and his passenger, NASCAR Competition
Administrator Jerry Cook. Several Axel Anderson tow trucks also
joined them on the raceway, as well as the old #1 Modified. The
track promoters and officials opted to start all 21 cars that
had taken time, with the cars starting straight-up based on
their time trials.
Bill Park sat on the pole in the Smithtown Nissan #20, while
the Savin #11x of Chuck Steuer occupied the outside pole. The
duo crossed the line side-by-side, but Park grabbed the lead on
the initial lap, with Steuer settling into second and the WPW
Growers #98x of Dave Brigati in the third spot. The caution came
out on lap 1, as the TS Haulers #19 of Jimmy Blewett went around
and several cars were involved in an incident in turn 1,
including the Atlas Asphalt #24 of Tony Anello, the Gardner
Racing #45 of Bobby Gardner, and the #03 of Ken Darch. The
Brunnhoelzl Motorsports #8x of Eddie Brunnhoelzl III, the S.N.
Blydenburgh Custom Interiors #17x of Rusty Turbush, and the #93
of Rowan Pennink were among those who headed to the pits during
the caution. The restart once again pitted Park on the inside
against Steuer on the outside. The two remained side-by-side
through turns 1 and 2, before Park edged out front and Steuer
again settled into second. Contact between the Riverhead
Building Supply #58 of Kevin Goodale and the #3 of Mike Andrews
Jr. resulted in the caution being thrown again on lap 2. A
separate incident coming out of turn 2 resulted in the Russell
H. Nill Roofing and Copper #44 of Dan Jivanelli pitting with a
left rear flat tire. Park and Steuer got another shot at the
front row, with Park jumping out front at the drop of the green,
as the SGS Stoneworks #84 of John Fortin moved up to third. On
lap 5, the Eastport Feeds #15 of Wayne Anderson made contact
with the frontstretch wall, and Anderson pulled it to the
infield without drawing a caution. By this time, the top three
cars had begun to distance themselves from the rest of the
field. The caution came out again on lap 9, as Goodale's car
came to a stop between turns 3 and 4 with a left front flat.
Again Park and Steuer restarted on the front row, and again Park
moved his car out front. At lap 20, the top seven cars were
running nose to tail. On lap 26, Steuer challenged Park for the
lead on the inside, and Steuer took over the top spot. Caution
came out again on lap 35, as Gardner apparently spun in his own
fluid in turn 4. For this restart, Steuer had the inside line
with Park on the outside. Steuer jumped out front on the
restart, with Park in second and the Double Diamond Realty #23
of Justin Bonsignore wrestling with Fortin for third. Contact
between Goodale and the Freightliner Trucks #96 of Howie Brode
resulted in another caution on lap 36. The #6 of Tom Rogers Jr.
also pitted under the caution with a right front flat. Steuer
again restarted on the inside, with Park alongside. The caution
came out again quickly, as Fortin made hard contact with the
backstretch wall that required the car to be removed by two tow
trucks. Under the caution, the Flemington Fur Company #36 of
Dave Sapienza was ordered to the pits by the officials because
of a bent right side nerf bar that the officials deemed unsafe.
After refusing to exit the track, Sapienza was set down for the
night. Again Steuer and Park restarted on the front row, and
again Steuer moved out front. Caution came again on lap 36 as
Jivanelli made contact with the backstretch wall and was unable
to get the car to the infield. This gave Steuer and Park yet
another shot to battle it out on the front row, but this time
Park got the jump before Steuer was able to wrestle the lead
back while Bonsignore had his hands full with the Riverhead
Building Supply #49 of Chris Young, who was challenging for the
third spot. When the field was given the halfway signal, the
cars were spread single-file around much of the track. The field
enjoyed a long green-flag run, and Blewett was able to get past
Bonsignore to take third on lap 55. Brigati pulled his car to
the infield on lap 67. On lap 69, the leaders were in lapped
traffic when Andrews suffered a flat and spun in turn 4,
bringing out the caution. In the chain-reaction event that
followed, the top four cars got together at the entrance to turn
4. Steuer was forced to pit from the lead with a flat, and the
fourth-place car of Young drove under the back of Blewett. Young
was also forced to pit, but Blewett was able to continue. Since
the cars were not the cause for the caution, the restart for the
eight-lap shootout saw Park on the pole with Blewett second and
Bonsignore third. Seven cars remained on the lead lap, with
lapped cars staring at the rear. Park got a good restart, but
Blewett applied pressure and moved to the inside of Park to take
over the lead on lap 70. Blewett went on to win the event,
followed by Park and Bonsignore.
The final event of the night was the 4-cylinder Enduro, with
36 cars taking the green for the 60-lap affair. Ben Gregor got a
good jump on the start, as outside pole sitter Richard Menk did
not come up to speed at the drop of the green. Matt Brown
quickly came to second, but was passed for the position by
Anthony Pizzo on the initial lap. By lap 4, heavy lapped traffic
already came into play. Pizzo moved into the lead on lap 7, but
he was spun on lap 13 and the lead went back to Gregor. On lap
16, Bill Smith got sideways coming out of turn 4 in an incident
that collected Gregor and also ended up involving Pizzo. At lap
35, the scoreboard showed Robert Endlekofer as the leader, with
Shawn Wanat in second. According to the scoreboard, the two had
swapped position by lap 45, as Wanat was being shown in the
lead, followed by Endlekofer. At lap 52, there were 20 cars
remaining in the event. On lap 56, Wanat and Endlekofer were
running side-by-side for position. Over the final four laps, the
two swapped the top spot numerous times, but Endlekofer crossed
the finish line first. Wanat came home second, while Bob Haeger
finished third.
And the Word Around the Pits...
With the Sprint Cup series off this weekend and the headlining
77-lap Memorial race being run at Riverhead, there were several
visitors, both in terms of drivers and guests in the pit area.
Rowan Pennink made his first start of 2008, as did Kevin Goodale
and Tony Anello. Making a visit from North Carolina was NASCAR's
Competition Administrator Jerry Cook, who was present in the pit
area and also visited Victory Lane in addition to being in one
of the cars that initially paced the Modified field. Mike
Calinoff made a visit to the announcer's booth. Also rumored to
be on hand in the pit area was Mike Wheeler, who now works with
Denny Hamlin's Sprint Cup team.
The Barton/Visconti #74 Legends car was at the track for
practice, with the team shaking down the car for its anticipated
first start of the 2008 season. The Legends will run again on
Sunday, August 10th, as part of the day's Enduro program.
Greg Kleila was spotted ion the pit area in his firesuit, as
he ran some practice laps in the #23 Late Model of Kevin
Metzger.
John Fortin had a tough week on the heels of last week's win.
He ventured up to Seekonk on Wednesday, where we are told an
early-race incident ended his night. He also took a hard hit
into the backstretch wall during tonight's race. As a result of
the feature finish, Bill Park now leads the Modified points by 8
points over Fortin.
Blunderbust driver Jessica Larsen signed a new sponsor this
past week. The team wants to welcome aboard ASI Racewear. After
finishing 12th in the Blunderbust feature, Larsen had a rough
outing in her Figure 8 car, losing her power steering. She
pitted the car, and it returned to the track with fellow
Blunderbust competitor Terry Stiles behind the wheel, but Stiles
did not fare any better.
The Double Zero Figure 8 racing team has sold the #00 car,
which was purchased by Mike Rommeney. Rommeney reportedly picked
the car up at 8 a.m., and raced it to a ninth place finish after
starting 15th.
"Slim" Jim Donaldson made his second Figure 8 start of the
season, coming from the 14th starting spot to finish 8th.
Blunderbust driver Doug Watson collected his first win since
2004, the last season he ran in the division on a full-time
basis. When interviewed in Victory Lane about his plans for the
remainder of the season, he informed fans that he was going fishing
both after the race and next weekend. Watson is doing some
fishing on the Bass Pro Tour, and he left relatively quickly
after his feature for a tournament. He does not plan to be at
the track at all next weekend, but that is rumored to be
recreational fishing.
Questions have been raised in recent weeks about the
possibility of schedule changes and/or race additions for a
number of divisions. At the time of writing, there have been no
definite announcements made. However, we at
LongIslandJam.com will do our best to bring this information to
you in the most timely manner possible if and when any such
announcements are made.
Things They Say in Victory Lane...
"I couldn't buy myself any luck. We wreck it, we work on
it, we wreck it, we work on it, and here we are." -Dave
Koenig
"Tom (Sullivan) drives a Ford, so I wasn't worried." -Doug
Watson
"I don't know if I'm the king - that's Mike Schlaugies ." -Don
Carasiti
"Tonight was good racing all the way around...it was just
good racing" -Roger Maynor
"All the legendary guys, they were here to win the race.
They weren't there to ride around, and neither am I."
-Jimmy Blewett
Source: Tracy
Chirico/LongIslandJam.com
Posted:
July 19, 2008
