06/27/2009
Riverhead Regulars Visit
Bethel Motor Speedway
In spite of questionable weather forecasts and rain that
forced the delay of the start to events, many Long Island enduro
truck and Legends teams made their way up to Bethel Motor
Speedway to take part in a jam-packed night of racing
excitement.
As soon as the racing surface had been dried from rains that
fell on the track until nearly 5:30 p.m., the visiting 4/6
cylinder enduro trucks were the first to hit the track for a
30-lap feature. The eight competitors drew for starting
position, and the lineup saw Bobby Pease on the pole for the
start, with Greg Harris on the outside.
Pease took the lead on the start, and John Cozza almost
immediately went to the inside of Harris to take over second.
Cozza then looked to the inside of Pease for the lead, but Pease
was able to hold on until lap three, when Cozza got past for the
spot. Kevin Nowak was up to third. Nowak went to the inside of
Pease on lap six, but Pease was able to hold him off. Two laps
later, however, Nowak used the same move and pulled alongside
Pease on the inside, with Nowak grabbing second. By lap ten,
Cozza had built nearly a full straightaway lead, and Nowak would
have to cover a lot of ground to catch the leader. On lap 11, as
Gregor looked to the inside of Pease for third, the two made
contact that caused Gregor to spin, bringing out the caution.
Chris Chirico was forced to retire from the race under the
caution, as he had a broken radiator. Cozza and Nowak restarted
on the front row, with Nowak inching into the lead as the duo
came across the start/finish line. His lead was short-lived,
though, as Cozza pulled out front on lap 12. Cozza and Nowak
then began to pull away from the rest of the field. Just past
the halfway point of the race, Gregor was able to wrestle third
from Pease. At the front of the field, Nowak continued to battle
Cozza for the lead. Nowak made contact with Cozza on lap 18 and
dove past to take the lead. The fight for third continued, as
Pease took it back again on lap 19. Gregor pulled to the inside
of Pease on lap 23, and the two ran side-by-side, swapping the
position, until Pease put his truck solidly in the spot on lap
26. Out front, Nowak continued to lead with Cozza right on his
bumper. More than half a straightaway behind them, Pease, Gregor,
and James Badalato waged a three-way fight for third. When the
checkered flag flew, Nowak sat in Victory Lane. Cozza was
second, and Pease finished third.
The lineup for the Legends race later in the night featured
quite a few Riverhead competitors as well, as the division had
the night off. Greg DiCanio, who suffered mechanical woes in his
heat race, was unable to compete in the feature. Riverhead
regulars who took to the track for the 25-lap feature included
Glenn Maningo (1), Kevin Nowak (9), Paul Dodorico (11), JD
Abrahams (12), and Joe Sedotto (15).
Maningo got out front on the start. Joe Graf came to second on
the initial lap, and Joe DeGracia grabbed third. On lap three,
DeGracia took second from Graf. Mike Alcaro, who started the
event tenth, worked his way past Graf for third on lap six, and
Nowak followed. Alcaro set his sights on DeGracia, using an
outside move to get past for the second spot on lap nine.
Maningo, who had built a sizeable lead, watched his lead quickly
diminish, as Alcaro went to the inside to take over the top spot
on lap ten. Nowak continued to follow Alcaro, and Nowak came to
second. The only caution of the event came on lap 12 for John
Hugate, who was sideways in turn two. The restart pitted Alcaro
on the inside against Nowak on the outside, but Alcaro was able
to get a good jump on the start. Nowak fell into the second
spot, while Jason Palmer took third. Alcaro began to pull away,
leaving Nowak and Palmer to battle it out behind him for second.
Palmer repeatedly looked to the inside of Nowak, but was unable
to work his way past. Alcaro won the race, followed by Nowak and
Palmer. Glenn Maningo brought home a fifth-place finish, while
Abrahams finished eighth. Paul Dodorico finished eleventh, and
Joe Sedotto was 14th.
4/6 Cylinder Truck Finish (30 laps) : 1. Kevin Nowak, 2. John
Cozza, 3. Bobby Pease, 4. Jeff Gregor, 5. James Badalato, 6.
Greg Harris, 7. Chris Chirico. DNS – Bryan Kelly.
Legends Feature Finish (25 laps): 1. Mike Aclaro, 2. Kevin
Nowak, 3. Jason Palmer, 4. Matt Maring, 5. Glenn Maningo, 6. Joe
DeGracia, 7. John Hugate, 8. JD Abrahams, 9. Joe Graf, 10. Joe
Fresco, 11. Paul Dodorico, 12. Raven Schrantz, 13. John Lotti,
14. Joe Sedotto, 15. Andy Brigham. DNS – Greg DiCanio..
Source: Tracy Chirico /
Bethel Motor Speedway
Posted: June 27, 2009
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