Buzzy Eriksen Notches
45th Career Riverhead Late Model Win; Kevin Metzger Repeats as
Champion
Popular Late Model veteran Peter "Buzzy" Eriksen of Baldwin
scored his third
victory of the 2010 in the season finale Saturday night at
Riverhead Raceway
in a wild 50-lap feature event that also found Kevin Metzger of
Massapequa
scoring his second straight championship in the class. Bob "The
Killer Bee'
Benison of Lindenhurst won the Miller Lite night National
Demolition Derby
championship earning a cool $1,500 for his efforts.
The Late Model event saw Ralph Stanzione lead the first lap
before Ken
Alfano moved out front to the outside on lap 2. Alfano led Peter
"Buzzy"
Eriksen until lap 5 when Eriksen ducked underneath him for the
lead on lap 6
with Alfano now sitting second and Scott Kulesa third. Alfano's
fine run
came to an abrupt end when he spun in turn four during his
heated battle
with Kulesa drawing a yellow. The double file restart found
Kulesa lined up
alongside leader Eriksen who was able to hold the challenger off
on lap 11
before another yellow waved setting-up another two by two
restart. This time
Kulesa rode the high lane around Eriksen for the lead on lap 12,
with "Buzzy
now sitting second. Kulesa's bid for his first win of his part
time season
went out the window on lap 19 when Eriksen re-passed him and
Scott would
further fall through the field with as his right front tire was
starting to
go down, moving title contender Mike Bologna to second.
As the race hit its second half and finally an extended green
flag run
Bologna had his hood fly up over his windshield, but that did
not deter the
three time feature event winner from trying to complete the
race. However
after trying to give Mike the benefit of the doubt NASCAR
Officials would
later have to back flag him from the race. That moved Kevin
Metzger to
second and for all intents and purposes locked up the 2010 title
for the
soft spoken driver.
When the checkers waved on the wild and at times weird
50-lapper Peter
Eriksen in the Harley Davidson of Nassau County Chevy was a
winner for the
45th time in his illustrious career, tying him with Paul
McElearney for
second on the all-time win list. Kevin Metzger notched his
championship with
a runner-up finish in the County Tires Chevy, while Dave Brigati
of
Calverton had the ride of the night coming from deep in the
field late in
the race to claim third in the Tarrs Home Improvement Chevy.
The 2010 Figure Eight championship boiled down to the
Pedersen brothers
Scott and Arne and when their scheduled 20-lap main event was
halted after
14 laps due to time, Tom Ferrara of Holbrook scored the race
victory, while
Scott Pedersen scored his first career championship. Ferrara
took the lead
from his car owner and teammate Mike Mujsce on lap five when
Mike started to
feel the effect of a right front tire going down which also
allowed Dennis
Scott to move to second. Once in the lead Tom "The Alter Boy"
Ferrara opened
up a huge lead as Scott was trying to fend off Will Farrell for
second,
which Will would take over on lap 8, but just a few laps later
Farrell was
overtaken by Scott Pedersen for second. When the final caution
flag waved on
lap 14 for an Ed Mistretta spin the race hit its time limit with
Tom Ferrara
in the Bill Beener Tree Service Chevy scoring his third career
win, his
first of 2010. With a runner-up tally Scott Pedersen in the Turf
Brothers
racer earned the 2010 Figure Eight championship over brother
Arne who lost
two laps due to an early race spin. Will "The Thrill" Farrell of
Shirley
crossed the line third in the Elite Pet Grooming entry.
Chris Turbush of Riverhead put the wraps on his third
consecutive Charger
championship when he won his sixth main event of 2010 and 25th
of his career
in a 30-lap feature event. Roger Turbush bolted out to the early
race lead
and had no less than five different drivers run second to him as
numerous
double file restarts jumbled the field. Eric Zeh, Dan Turbush,
Frank
Dumicich Jr., Chris McGuire and brother Chris Turbush all ran
second to
Roger before Chris took the lead on lap 18. Once out front the
driver of the
East-West Marine Pontiac was not going to be caught, neither in
the race or
the chase for the 2010 Charger championship as he drove to a
track leading
sixth win of the season. Roger Turbush of Riverhead was
runner-up in the
Burt's Reliable Fuel machine with Jeremy McDermott of
Stroudsburg, Pa
crossing the line third in the JDP Mechanical Pontiac.
Like Turbush, Tommy "The Wildchild" Walkowiak of Ridge went
out and secured
his second straight Blunderbust championship in grand style
winning their
30-lap main event for his 5th win of 2010 and the 43rd of his
career. At the
throw of the green Scott Sepe and Bill Portney battled for the
lead before
Portney moved by Sepe on lap 5 for the top spot with an outside
pass on the
homestretch. Portney's lead would last two laps before he was a
victim of an
outside pass on lap 7 by Ron Langdon, with Tommy Walkowiak
coming to second by Portney one lap later. Langdon and Walkowiak
would tussle for the
following four laps before Tommy ducked under Ron for the lead
with an
inside pass at the start-finish line. Once out front Walkowiak
had Langdon
right on his rear bumper for the remainder of the race, but when
the
checkered flag waved it was Tommy Walkowiak in the Blaze Fuel
Oil Chevy
winning the battle and the war. The 2010 title is Tommy's fourth
in the past
five years. Ron Langdon of Wantagh was runner-up in the
Langdon's Automotive
Chevy, while title contender Tom Pickerell of Huntington was
third in the
Pickerell Clam Buick.
In an emotionally charged Golden Auto Body night 20-lap Super
Pro Truck
feature, defending champion Mike Albasini of Flushing won his
second feature
event of the season after a hard fought battle with Roger
Turbush of
Riverhead, the 2010 SPT champion. After a first lap caution
period Mike
Albasini rode the outside lane on a double file restart to take
the lead
from Matt Odwazny and once out front Albasini, known as "The
King of Queens"
was able to motor away early on. However the race would boil
down to the
final three laps with Albasini getting some intense late race
pressure from
Turbush as the duo played bumper tag along the way. As the
checkers waved
Mike Albasini was first in his Hollis Court Collision Chevy, but
soon after
receiving the flag he went head on into the wall just before
turn one. Mike
other than being very upset, was okay. With his runner-up finish
Roger
Turbush in the Allied Air Conditioning Chevy won his first
career track
championship, while brother Chris Turbush in the East-West
Building Services
Chevy was third at the line.
Former World Demolition Derby champion Bob "The Killer Bee'
Benison notched
his first National Demolition Derby championship in a heated
late race fight
with the likes of Brian Savoy, Michael "Cheesebox" Rommeney and
2010
Riverhead Raceway track champion Jason Savoy. In the end Benison
in his
Albin Avenue Auto Salvage station wagon made one last bone
jarring hit on
Brian Savoy to secure the $1,500 victory. Brian Savoy of Lake
Panamoka was
named Judge's Choice, while Michael Rommeney of Maspeth was
voted Fan's
Choice. In the chase for the 2010 championship Jason Savoy of
Lake Panamoka
and James Kilkenny of Howard Beach both earned 30-points on the
night giving
Savoy the crown by 60 points over Kilkenny.
Source: Bob Finan/Riverhead
Raceway PR
Posted: September
20, 2010
