Victory Lane is a Busy Place as Riverhead Runs Eight Events
by Tracy Chirico
Those on hand at Riverhead Raceway tonight were treated to a
full night of racing action. Eight different events were run as
part of the night's jam-packed schedule. While several drivers
made repeat visits to Victory Lane for the season, some made the first trip of
the year - or of their racing career.
Qualifying heats were run for the Super Pro Trucks, the
Blunderbusts, and the Modifieds. The Super Pro Truck and
Blunderbust divisions ran two heats each, while the Modified
class had three. All cars were qualified for their respective
features.
The first feature to hit the track was the 20-lap Super Pro
Truck main. A total of 16 trucks took the green flag, which was
waved by honorary starter Jimmy "The Kid" White Jr. The #17 of
Anthony Vecchio started on the pole, accompanied on the front
row by the Edible Arrangements #95 of Erin Dumicich. The two
crossed the start/finish line side-by-side, but the Hollis Court
Collision #66 of Mike Albasini came to the inside coming across
the line to complete the initial lap, making it a three-wide
battle for the lead. Dumicich spun between turns 1 and 2 on lap
1, bringing out the caution. After the caution had come out, the
Eddy's LI RV Center #30 of Shaun Gouldsbury tagged the wall on
the backstretch, and the Long Island Fiber Exchange #65 of
Michael Power spun between turns 3 and 4. Albasini was forced to
pit from the lead with a flat tire, leaving Gouldsbury on the
pole for the restart with the Stephanie McCormick Fund #42 of
Frank Dumicich Jr. on the outside. Gouldsbury nosed out front on
the restart, but Dumicich Jr. held on to the outside line and
put his truck out front on lap 2. This left Gouldsbury in
second, with the Rheem #88 of Roger Turbush and the Gershow
Recycling #1 of Lou Maestri fighting side-by-side for third
behind him. Maestri took over the third spot on lap 2. On lap 5,
the Nelson's Auto Salvage #97 of Dave Koenig, who had pitted
under caution with front end damage, pulled to the infield with
an overheating issue. On lap 6, the top three trucks were
running nose to tail. Maestri looked to the inside of Gouldsbury
for second, and Gouldsbury spun coming off of turn 2 on lap 8,
allowing Maestri to take the position as Gouldsbury corrected
himself and no caution was thrown. Gouldsbury retired the truck
to the infield on lap 10, as Dumicich Jr. continued to lead
Maestri and Turbush. Caution waved on lap 12, as Albasini's
truck came to a stop in turn 3. Albasini pitted with another
flat tire. Dumicich Jr. held the lead on the restart, and on lap
15, the top three trucks were again running nose to tail, with
the AAA Firewood & Mulch #41 of Wayne Meyer and the Wesemann's
Sand & Mason Supply #5 of Frank Dumicich Sr. trying to catch the
lead pack. By lap 17, Meyer caught up to the lead pack, but
Turbush began a side-by-side battle with Maestri for second.
Turbush grabbed second on lap 18, and quickly looked for a way
to get around Dumicich Jr. Turbush tried the outside of Dumicich
Jr. on the white flag lap, but Dumicich Jr. held on to the spot,
collecting his third win of the 2008 season. Turbush finished
second, with Maestri third.
Next out were the Blunderbusts, with a field of 19 cars for
their 20-lap feature. The Sepe Racing #6 of Scott Sepe was
slated to start on the pole, but reported mechanical
difficulties kept the car in the pits, handing the pole starting
position to the C&A Auto Parts #11x of Kevin Rommeney, with the
#77 of Timmy Mulqueen on the outside. Rommeney grabbed the lead
coming into turns 1 and 2 while behind him a three-wide battle
for second took place between the Constant Performance #29 of
Jessica Larsen, the Robert's Express Fuel Oil #19 of Rob Bader
Jr., and Mulqueen. Larsen took second, but Bader held on to the
outside line. Larsen spun between turns 1 and 2, and Bader took
second with the Gibson's Auto Center #69x of Paul Parisi coming
through in third. Behind Larsen, whose car was sitting sideways,
much of the field checked up, and the caution came out as eight
cars all came together. Many of the cars were able to pull away
and continue, but some assistance was required to separate the
Unique Golf Shop #00 of point leader Tommy Walkowiak and the
Craig's Auto Body #17 of Matt Pepitone. For the restart,
Rommeney was on the pole, with Bader on the outside. Bader
jumped out front on the restart, with Rommeney second and Parisi
third. The #71 of Mike Romano went around coming off of turn 2
on lap 2, but Romano was able to correct the car and no caution
was thrown. On lap 4, the Crackerjack Auto Supply #79 of Bill
Wegmann also went around, but again no caution was required. On
lap 6, Parisi got past Rommeney for second, bringing the
Pickerell Clam #4 of Tom Pickerell with him to third. Bader
continued to lead the field, building up more than a half a
straightaway lead by lap 8. On the following lap, the #10 of Tom
Slee lost a wheel, but both the car and the wheel made their way
off of the track, and no caution was thrown. Pickerell moved to
the inside of Parisi to take second on lap 12. On lap 15, the
Centereach Transmissions #64 of Ray Shannon also worked his way
past Parisi, taking over third. Meanwhile, Pickerell was busy
reeling in Bader, and was right on Bader's back bumper when the
field was given the signal that two laps remained. Pickerell
looked to the inside of Bader on the white flag lap, just as the
pair came up to lapped traffic. Bader was able to use the lapped
traffic to his advantage, and went on to collect his first
career Blunderbust win. Pickerell was second, and Shannon
finished third.
The Charger feature took to the track next, with 14 cars
taking the green for the 20-lap event. The #42 of Frank Dumicich
Jr. was slated to start on the pole. However, Dumicich was
driving a car that he had borrowed for the evening due to damage
his own car had suffered and was not completely comfortable with
the car during hot laps, electing to start in the rear. This put
the #28 of Peter Cataldo on the pole for the start, with the
Frabizio Racing #4 of Chris Frabizio on the outside pole.
Frabizio took the lead on the start, bringing the James Becht
Builders #37 of Steve Ratti with him to second. On lap 1, the
Gershow Recycling #89x of Chris McGuire used an outside pass to
take over the third spot. Ratti moved underneath Frabizio on lap
2, taking the lead. McGuire followed through on the same lap to
take second. By lap 7, the Biltor Welding & Erection #57 of
Thore Foss was running in third, but Ratti and McGuire had
pulled away from the rest of the field. By lap 12, the leaders
encountered lapped traffic. Ratti was forced to check up, but
the lead cars retained their respective positions. On lap 13,
the Chris Mohr Landscaping #81 of Chris Turbush went to the
inside of Foss for third. Between turns 3 and 4 on lap 14, there
was contact between Turbush and Foss that resulted in Turbush
going around, and the caution was thrown. Foss was put to the
rear of the field for his involvement in the incident. Ratti had
the pole for the restart, and continued to lead McGuire, with
the Riverhead Building Supply #66 of rookie Timmy Solomito in
third. On lap 16, Ratti seemed to suffer from steering issues
and his car drifted high, allowing McGuire to get underneath for
the lead while Solomito took over second. Ratti's steering issue
apparently worsened and the driver was unable to negotiate the
exit of turn 4, with the car coming to a stop near the wall,
bringing out the caution. For the restart, McGuire was on the
pole, with Solomito second and the Uncle Guiseppe #30 of Daryn
Miller third. Miller jumped to the inside and the lead cars
crossed the start/finish line virtually three-wide when the
green flag was thrown, and officials were unhappy with the
restart, so the caution came out again. On the next attempt at
the restart, McGuire stayed out front. As the checkered flag was
being displayed for McGuire, Frabizio and the LMR #56 of Jay
Henschel made contact, resulting in Frabizio taking a hard hit
into the wall on the frontstretch, and the remainder of the
field was given a yellow/checker combination. McGuire collected
his third win of 2008, with Solomito second and Miller third.
The One-on-One Spectator Drags were out next, with six cars
participating in the single-elimination event. The final round
pitted the Blazer of Charles Guardino against Pete Sherman Jr.'s
Mustang for two laps run in the reverse direction around the
track. Sherman Jr. collected his second win of the season in an
exciting finish.
Next up was the 25-lap Late Model feature, with 11 cars
taking the green flag. The Denelex #35 of Ken Alfano started on
the pole, with the LaSpisa Racing #7 of Chris LaSpisa on the
outside. Alfano took the lead on the start, with LaSpisa second
and the Sherwin-Williams Paint #51 of Artie Pedersen Jr. third.
On lap 1, the P.C.H.S. Racing Engines #00 of Mike Bologna looked
to the outside of Pedersen, and Bologna took third on lap 2. On
lap 3, the Helman Group #39 of Roger Oxee, who had started the
race sixth, got by Bologna for third. On lap 9, Oxee passed
LaSpisa and took over second. By this time, however, Alfano had
built up a comfortable lead. Farther back in the field, the
Unique Golf Shop #4 of Tom Rogers Jr. broke into the top five
from his ninth place starting spot on lap 13. By lap 15, Oxee
was within three car lengths of leader Alfano, and within two
laps Oxee was right on Alfano's back bumper. On lap 19, Alfano
went around between turns 1 and 2, and the caution was thrown.
Oxee was sent to the rear by officials for what they determined
to be his role in the incident. For the restart, LaSpisa was on
the pole, followed by Rogers and Bologna. LaSpisa held the lead
on the restart, but had Rogers right on his bumper. Rogers moved
to the inside of LaSpisa coming into turn 3 on lap 21 and the
two crossed the line side-by-side with Rogers just ahead of
LaSpisa. In turn 4, the #16 of Kyle Harvell went around, and
caution was thrown. Rogers was on the pole for the restart,
followed by LaSpisa and Bologna. Rogers got a good jump on the
restart, but the Complete Landscaping #80 of John Gloor IV and
the #98 of Doug Wholey made contact coming out of turn 4 that
resulted in Wholey coming to a stop against the wall, and the
caution was displayed again on lap 22. Rogers again had a good
restart, while Bologna made several unsuccessful attempts over
the final laps to move past LaSpisa for second. Rogers collected
his third Late Model win of the season, followed by LaSpisa and
Bologna.
The Blindfolded Taxicab race was next, with eight cars
participating in the 10-lap event. The cars were all over the
track as the drivers, with paper bags over their heads, followed
directions given to them by their passengers. When the checkered
flag flew, Stan Wagenstein and Scott Graham were the winners.
Then it was time for the 35-lap Modified feature, with 18
cars taking to the track. The Russell H. Nill Roofing & Copper
#44 of Dan Jivanelli was on the pole, with the S.N. Blydenburgh
Custom Interiors #17x of Rusty Turbush on the outside pole.
Jivanelli took the early lead, while the Savin #11x of Chuck
Steuer moved to the inside of Turbush for second on the initial
lap. The Smithtown Nissan #20 of Bill Park spun between turns 1
and 2, and the caution came out on lap 1. Jivanelli restarted on
the pole, with Turbush back on the outside pole because of the
caution. Jivanelli again moved out front, and Turbush settled
into second while Steuer and the Double Diamond Realty #23 of
Justin Bonsignore battled side-by-side for third, swapping the
position by mere inches several times before Steuer laid claim
to the position on lap 5. By lap 10, the field consisted of 12
cars running virtually nose to tail behind Jivanelli, who had
built up nearly a half-straightaway lead. Caution flew on lap
14, as the Riverhead Building Supply #49 of Chris Young had come
to a stop on the frontstretch and the Buoy One #38 of Ken Heagy
tagged the wall. The restart once again pitted Jivanelli on the
inside against Turbush on the outside. Jivanelli again took the
lead, but no laps were completed before the caution came out
again for the Lakeland Landscaping Supply #16 of Sean McDonald,
which was backwards on the frontstretch. Once again, Jivanelli
muscled into the lead on the restart, as Turbush and Steuer
battled for second until lap 16, when the #3 of Mike Andrews Jr.
took third from Turbush and set his sights on Steuer. Andrews
used an outside move to take second on lap 20, and the
Freightliner Trucks #96 of Howie Brode followed to take over
third on the following lap. Steuer, meanwhile, began to fade
back through the field before retiring to the infield on lap 24.
By lap 25, Jivanelli had again built up a cushion between
himself and the rest of the field, and he easily sailed to
victory for the first time in 2008 and the 21st time in his
career. Andrews was second, while Brode finished third. Turbush
and Bonsignore completed the top five.
The final event of the evening was a 6 cylinder Enduro, with
22 cars taking to the track for the 50-lap affair. Gene Burbol
got the early lead, with Shawn Wanat second and Bob Haeger
third. Wanat quickly used an outside move to take the lead,
while Haeger moved into second. By lap 7, Wanat was already in
heavy lapped traffic. On lap 9, Haeger passed Wanat on the
outside for the lead. On lap 10, Wanat got the lead back in
lapped traffic. The two swapped the position several times while
maneuvering through traffic, but Haeger securely grabbed the top
spot on lap 13. On lap 16, Wanat once again took the lead back.
At the halfway point, there were no cars out of the event, and
Wanat had a full straightaway lead over Haeger. Haeger reeled in
Wanat, however, and was right on his rear bumper at lap 37. He
then used an outside pass to once again recapture the lead from
Wanat on lap 39. On lap 47, Haeger got sideways after contact
from lapped cars, allowing Wanat to move back into the lead.
Wanat went on to win the event, followed by Haeger and Jeffrey
Gregor.
And the Word Around the Pits...
Several important schedule changes and additions were announced
by raceway management this past week. It was announced that the
4/6 cylinder Truck Enduro class will get an additional,
non-points race on Saturday, August 16th, while the Grand Enduro
class will also get an additional, non-points event on Saturday,
August 23. In addition, it was announced that the 20-lap Super
Pro Truck race scheduled for Saturday, September 13th will be a
30-lap affair, with time trial qualifying.
Tom Rogers Jr. acquired some new sponsorship for his Late
Model effort. Coming on board the Unique Golf Shop #4 is Liberty
Fuel & Energy.
Several Modified drivers who call Riverhead "home" were on
hand for the final opportunity to turn some laps prior to next
week's Whelen Modified Tour race. They included Ken Heagy, Glenn
Tyler, and Joe Hartmann. Hartmann was the highest finisher of
the three, collecting a 14th place finish.
Super Pro Truck driver Wayne Meyer wanted to thank Shawn
Wanat for giving him a ride for the 6 cylinder Enduro. Meyer,
after finishing fourth in his Super Pro Truck earlier in the
day, collected a respectable fifth place finish in the Enduro.
LongIslandJam.com is seeking a cameo reporter to cover the
Enduros on Sunday, August 10th. This is a great opportunity for
someone who is into racing to get a behind-the-scenes look at
racing, and to help bring coverage for the dedicated Enduro
drivers who compete at Riverhead. I have been offered a ride in
the DiCanio Stump Removal #83 4/6 cylinder truck for the day's
events, and will be unable to handle the reporting duties that
day. Anyone who is interested can contact me at
tchirico@longislandjam.com.
Blunderbust driver Tommy Walkowiak was among the drivers who
were heading up to Middletown for Sunday's demolition derby
events at the Orange County Fairgrounds. Hopefully, Walkowiak
and any other Long Islanders who joined him in the event will
provide an update on the day's events.
LongIslandJam.com received word that the inaugural NEETS
GranDuro, held last weekend at Grandview, was a success. Among
the Long Island drivers making the trip for the event was Bobby
Pease, who finished third in the 6/8 cylinder event. Pease
actually led for some time during the event. NEETS has a
tentative date set for September 6th at the newly-renamed Bethel
Motor Speedway (formerly White Lake), as noted on the track's
web site (www.bethelmotorspeedway.com).
Joe Cutri and Erin Bartley will undoubtedly keep everyone posted
if and when an agreement is finalized.
Legends driver Tony Naglieri was seen at Riverhead several
weeks ago shaking down his AllStar Truck for a race last weekend
at Waterford Speedbowl. Naglieri started the event tenth, and
was running as high as third before late-race handling issues
set in. Naglieri came home with a respectable fifth-place
finish.
Things They Say in Victory Lane...
"It's been a long couple of days." -Frank Dumicich
Jr.
"It would be wrong for me to say I won this one for myself,
because I won it for my Mom and Dad who have given me everything." -Rob
Bader Jr.
"Still got work to do under the car, it's still a little tight.
But it's a win. I'll take it ." -Chris McGuire
"I want to thank Riverhead Raceway for doing this too. It's
fun every time we come out here." -Pete Sherman Jr.
"I've been fortunate. I've been put in some great
equipment."
-Tom Rogers Jr.
"As long as you just keep yelling as loud as you can, you do
pretty good. This is not a speed race."
- Stan Wagenstein / "It felt like we were snaking all over
the track."
-Scott Graham
"I just kind of put hammer down and went and it just stuck
like glue."
-Dan Jivanelli
Source: Tracy
Chirico/LongIslandJam.com
Posted:
July 26, 2008
