With only a few weeks to go before the NASCAR season
officially opens in Daytona, many Long Island race teams are
busy making preparations for the 2009 season at Riverhead, which
kicks off in just a few short months. Many drivers will have a
chance to catch up on news with one another at the R.A.C.E.
driver fund fundraiser and/or the competitors’ meetings, but in
this month’s edition of the Offseason News & Notes,
LongIslandJam.com will try to bring everyone up to speed on some
things that have been going on and some that are coming up. To
contribute news for the next edition, email
tchirico@longislandjam.com.
Legends Teams Expand
After the close of the season, Greg DiCanio, driver of the #83
Legends car, purchased a car from Tom Sherman. DiCanio intends
to bring the car, which will carry the #38 on it, to Riverhead
as a back-up car on the nights that he is racing. The car will
have its own driver, who is yet to be named.
John Visconti has purchased another car, which he intends to
run as his primary vehicle in the Legends class in 2009. He has
informed LongIslandJam.com that the Visconti/Barton Motorsports
team has formed an alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) that
will benefit the team this year. The driver also has other
sponsorship deals in the works, which are expected to be
announced on LongIslandJam.com in the near future if all goes
according to plan.
While Tom Sherman is shrinking the size of his race team in
terms of cars, his team will be expanding this summer with the
addition of a “2009 model Sherman”, as he and his wife Tammy are
expecting their second child in August. The couple presently has
a son, Cody. Congratulations and best wishes go out to the
Sherman family.
Legends and Chargers and…
Timmy Solomito had a standout year in 2008, taking down a total
of four wins while capturing the Legends division title and
finishing 4th in Charger points in spite of missing a race.
LongIslandJam.com has been informed that the Solomitos recently
acquired the former #36 Modified of Dave Sapienza. The Modified
presently has no motor in it, and the team is looking for
sponsorship help to get the car together. Solomito can be
reached through the forums under the name The”Roof”Rider.
JTL Enterprises Stable Adds Driver
JTL Enterprises Motorsports recently announced that a new
driver was coming on board for the 2009 season in the
Blunderbust division. Randy Johnson, former crew chief on the
#30 Super Pro Truck of Shaun Gouldsbury, has been named to drive
the #04 Blunderbust. Johnson recently completed the three-day
course and two-day advanced course at Skip Barber Driving
School. Johnson will be driving the former #29 of Jessica
Larsen. Larsen will be driving a different car bearing the #29,
with plans currently calling for her to run a limited schedule
in 2009.
Zeh to Run Indoor Race in RI
During the Gambler’s Classic indoor races and Motorsports
2009 show in Atlantic City, it was announced that Len Sammons
Productions will play host to an indoor race at the Dunkin’
Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island on March 6th and 7th.
Entries will be limited to 36 TQ cars and 36 Senior Champ Karts,
with preference going to those who qualified for the races in
Atlantic City as long as their entries are filed by January
30th. Prior to the Gambler’s Classic race, EEKR driver Eric Zeh
expressed his interest in competing in Rhode Island. Zeh fared
very well in the Champ Kart race at Boardwalk Hall, bringing
home a 4th place finish. Zeh is looking for sponsorship help,
and can be reached through the forums under the name kart34.
Go-Kart How-To Seminars Planned
Bonsignore Kart Shoppe has announced that they will be
hosting “how to” seminars on February 8th at their location.
Full details will be released on LongIslandJam.com during the
week of January 26th. Interested parties are being asked to
notify them in advance of plans to attend so that they can
assure that they have enough food on hand for all participants.
Further information can be obtained by calling Bonsignore Kart
Shoppe at (631) 207-5060.
Speedy Awards Nominations Being Accepted
Nominations are now being accepted for the 3rd Annual Speedy
Awards to be presented during SpeedwayEXPO, scheduled for
February 27th-March 1st at the Big E in Springfield,
Massachusetts. There are a total of 11 categories for the
awards. Full details and nomination forms can be obtained at
http://www.speedwayexpo.com/speedy_awards.php. Nominations
will be accepted until February 15th. The Speedy Awards give
tracks in the Northeast an opportunity to recognize some of
their own people for hard work, dedication, and outstanding
achievement.
Another NASCAR Member of the Month
NASCAR members and subscribers to Speedway Illustrated
Magazine should keep their eyes open for the new issue of the
magazine. Two months ago, Blunderbust driver Scott Sepe was
profiled as the “NASCAR Member of the Month”. This month, the
“Member of the Month” is none other than the national Mechanic
of the Year ward winner and crew chief on the #81 Charger, Ray
Bouchard. Bouchard was interviewed by Dick Berggren himself, and
will be found on the pages of the magazine.
Daytona 500 Parties
Each year, race fans have a variety of Daytona 500 parties
to choose from. This year is no different. As was the case last
year, Bob Finan and Steve and Tim Halpin will play hosts for the
party at JC’s Restaurant in Manorville. The party will begin at
11 a.m., and full details can be found at
http://www.longislandjam.com/news/2009/newsmain/news010809b.htm.
Cavanaugh’s, sponsor of Chris McGuire’s #89x Charger car,
will also be hosting a party this year, with free Bud giveaways
and Bud specials. The party has been tentatively scheduled to
start at 3 p.m., but full details will be posted on
LongIslandJam.com when they become available.
In past years, Changing Times Pub locations in Farmingdale
and Northport have also hosted parties, but details on these
parties have not yet become available. Keep an eye on
LongIslandJam.com for further information as the date for the
race draws closer.
Reminder to Register Numbers
All drivers who intend to compete at Riverhead Raceway in
the Modified, Late Model, Charger, Blunderbust, Figure Eight,
Super Pro Truck, Legends, Grand enduro, or 4/6 cylinder truck
enduro classes should be sure that they have registered – or
reregistered their numbers for the 2009 season. Every driver is
required to do this, regardless of the number of races they ran
in 2008. To do so, call the track office at (631) 842-7223 and
speak to Robin or Margie.
Source: Tracy
Chirico/LongIslandJam.com
Posted:
January 24, 2009
