VBM Motorsports Makes Progress in 2014
On any given race team success can be measured in many ways, for some it might be how many wins they garner during a season or perhaps where they placed in the championship standings. For Legend Race Car owners John Visconti III and Tom Barton their 2014 season and any success that came with it was measured in progress and on that alone the two friends who have raced together for some 29 years term 2014 successful. Indeed their sponsor The Reichert Group IGA Supermarkets must concur as they have already agreed to serve as the primary sponsor for the team once again in 2015.
The John Visconti III and Tom Barton partnership began innocently enough some 29 years ago as they raced go karts at the now shuttered Westhampton Speedway. The 2015 season will mark their 30th year together in motor sports. If the name Visconti rings a bell to Long Island race fans it should as John’s father Cookie Visconti ranks among the all time Late Model winners at Freeport Stadium in his always immaculate #74 AMSOIL sponsored cars. “I learned from my Dad no question” John reflected “always present your team in a professional manner with not only the appearance of the car but your entire team as well, treat your sponsors and fans right and never, never break the rules are among his teachings” The VBM team is always outfitted at the track in their button down team shirts as well other team wearing apparel. Every once in awhile Cookie will stop out to the team’s home track Riverhead Raceway to lend his support and say hello to some of his old racing family.
After racing in 2013 with driver John Gloor the team during the off season purchased a brand new 2014 Jeff Jordan RPM chassis, a purchase made necessary when the team lost their 2013 car halfway through the season in a grinding crash at Riverhead. Along with the Reichert Group IGA Supermarkets backing the VBM team prior to the 2014 campaign inked Tommy Baldwin racing as a team sponsor. TBR Racing offers the team technical support in car set-up, tires and general knowledge. “The tech support we receive from TBR racing is just amazing” Visconti noted as well announcing that TBR Racing will also return to the VBM team in 2015.
With the new car set up for John Gloor the team ran the opening night show at Riverhead Raceway in early May and in fact it would be the only race Gloor would run for the team as the switch was made to John Beatty Jr. for the second race of the year. VBM co-owner Tom Barton admitted the driver change set the team back some, “we spent all winter setting the car up for John Gloor but we have our standards and we felt the switch to John Beatty Jr. was right in all facets of our race team”. Beatty began his racing career in the Legend Race Cars before moving to the NASCAR Modifieds first at Riverhead Raceway and now part time on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. “I’ll always love driving these cars and to run with this IGA/TBR team and how professional they present themselves makes it all the better” Beatty offered.
The Visconti/Barton Motorsports & John Beatty teaming would yield the team several top five finishes along the way in 2014, this despite starting deep in the 28 car Riverhead Legends field at times due to the track’s handicapping system. One aspect that made the transition to Beatty easier after the first race of the year was the fact that the Reichert Group IGA Supermarkets #1NY didn’t suffer any race damage all year long. That fact was key according to Visconti, “despite the fact that Tommy Barton and I live some 120 miles apart we work on this car all the time and to go to the shop after a race with zero damage allows us to tweak on the set-up” Enter noted Riverhead Raceway set-up guru Jarrod Hayes who has carved a reputation as one of the best set-up talents in any division at the tight quarter mile, “J-Rod is something” Barton simplified.
The Reichert Group IGA Supermarkets/TBR Racing team have one more race left on their 2014 slate that the famed Turkey Derby on Thanksgiving weekend at the Wall Stadium in Belmar, New Jersey. Associate sponsors for this past season included Premier Pest Control and Tom’s Coney Island Boardwalk Restaurant.
Looking forward to 2015 the VBM Motorsports team will again call Riverhead Raceway home but also plans to branch out as they did this past season to some of the bigger races off Long Island. The team plans on competing at the annual Legendstock event in August at the Bethel Motor Speedway as they did this past summer. If additional sponsorship can be secured the VBM team would consider fielding a second Legend Race Car team next season.