2013 Season Preview Series: Vincent Biondolillo, Tom Pickerell and More

LongIslandJam.com’s next installment of its 2013 Season Preview series includes Modified driver Vincent Biondolillo; Late Model drivers, Jarrod Hayes and Artie Pederson Jr.; Blunderbust driver Tom Pickerell; and Legend car drivers, Jason Sendlewski and Bryan Kelly.

Vincent Biondolillo, driver of the No. 06 Modified, finished 14th in points in 2012. Since starting last season when he was just 14 years old, this young driver said he has learned a lot. “Every lap I run I feel improve each time,” said Biondolillo. Being a Modified driver at Riverhead Raceway means you race against many drivers from the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour along with the track’s legendary regulars. Biondolillo said that running against guys of that caliber doesn’t dictate how he races. “I’d race anybody the same, it doesn’t matter who they are,” said Biondolillo. “I always strive to race as clean as I can.” Biondolillo said sponsorship looks good for this season. Most of his 2012 sponsors are returning for 2013, including Indy 3000 Fast Lube and the Riverhead Review.

Jarrod Hayes, driver of the No. 08 Late Model, plans on racing a limited schedule this season. “I plan on racing no more than five times,” said Hayes, “that way I can concentrate on setting up other race cars with my side business, Dialed by J-Rod.” Besides racing a few times a Riverhead Raceway, Hayes also plans on racing at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway and Wall (N.J.) Stadium Speedway. He would like to thank the following people for staying with him and supporting him throughout the years: Ed, Shortround, Woot, Kevin, Chuck, Johnnie, Freddie and Bub Turbush.

Artie Pedersen Jr. said he is scaling back his Late Model effort for 2013 and will split the races with his son, Artie Pedersen III. “If funding allows we will do the full season,” said Pedersen, “but we aren’t positive. Money is the big thing.” Pedersen said his efforts are mostly focused on helping his two sons Artie and Alan compete full time in the Legends. “We have sponsorship for both Legend cars,” said Pedersen, “so we’ll be able to do a full season with no problem.”

Tom Pickerell cannot wait to return to Riverhead Raceway to compete in his No. 4 Blunderbust. Supporting Pickerell in 2013 will be his longtime sponsors, which include Pickerell Clam, Premier Utility Service, General Laundry Service, G Force Collision, Gershow Recycling, FB Transmissions, CustomVinylGraphics.com and Oval Speed Unlimited. Lending Pickerell a hand in the pit area are his longtime crew: his crew chief, Grant Knowles; Scott Menzies as the chef; Ariana Knowles; Bug Pickerell; Cap Pickerell; and Dimitra Pickerell.

Jason Sendlewski has recently retired his No. 22 Legend car to race a full season in EEKR go-karts at Riverhead Raceway. “The money it takes to run a Legend team is without a doubt cheaper then all of the other divisions but it can still add up pretty quickly,” said Sendlewski, “I did not have as much sponsorship backing me last season as I have had in previous seasons.” Sendlewski said that he has purchased a champ kart and is looking forward to racing this season at Riverhead. “I also hope to bring the kart to a few indoor shows as well,” said Sendlewski. Currently Sendlewski has a few pending sponsors though nothing has been made official.  Sendlewski hopes to be able to race a few Legend races here and there if he is able to find a ride. “The Legend division is a lot of fun and I hope that I can get back into it in the future,” said Sendlewski.

Bryan Kelly finished 14th in points in the Legend division at Riverhead Raceway in 2012. Kelly said he’s hopeful that 2013 will be a better year. “I hope to finish in the top five in points for the season,” said Kelly. “As always, more time in the garage should equal better finishes.” He is hopeful that the more work they do on the car will result in fewer incidents and more positive outcomes on the track. Kelly said although it is still early, he is looking good on sponsorship. “Two of my sponsors should be returning from last year,” said Kelly, “it’s going to be a good season.”

Source: Danielle McCormack/Rob Blount/LongIslandJam.com