Shawn Solomito Returns to Victory Lane After Disappointing Opening Night
The season-opener on Saturday, May 2, 2015 was just the opposite of what Shawn Solomito expected. The back-to-back winner of the first race of the year in 2013 and 2014 at Riverhead Raceway struggled in both 30-lap events, and the possibility of taking the checkered flag for three straight opening nights was shattered.
However, for the second event of the year, Solomito posted the second quickest time during time trials and drew the third position behind Vincent Biondolillo and John Fortin. On Lap 2, Solomito overtook John Fortin, and then took the lead from Biondolillo’s No. 06 car four laps later.
Once he took the lead, there was no looking back. Sweeping the twin 30-lap Modified races on Saturday evening, the Wayne Anderson-owned team went to victory lane for the first time with its newest driver.
“For me, the track was actually a little too tight for us to start the race,” Solomito said following the race. “I got by John on the start, then I just had to get by the 06. I knew I had to get to work on him right away because Tommy Rogers was coming. Once I got the lead, I set my pace and won the first 30. I knew as long as I had Tommy behind me, I would be alright.
“Tommy is a very good driver and definitely knows this place inside and out. I knew if I could keep him back there for at least 10 laps, our car would come to us and get better as the run went on and that’s exactly what happened. He was better than us at the beginning of the run, but we were better at the end of the run, which obviously prevailed for us. It’s an awesome win and I have a great crew behind me. It’s great to rebound with a win this early in the season.”
Tom Rogers Jr., who ended Solomito’s streak on opening night with a pair of victories, finished second during both races on Saturday. The No. 0 car drew the seventh position after putting up the fastest lap during time trials with 11.942 seconds. He worked his way to the fourth position around back-to-back champion Howie Brode on lap 13, which caused Brode to drop to ninth on the high line within two laps.
As the cars reached the start/finish line when the green flag waved to begin the race, Eddie Brunnhoelzl III and Jerry Solomito Jr. wrecked to bring out the caution. Ryan Preece received a flat tire in the incident, but did not have any major damage.
Running the No. 20 car for Bill Park, 2011 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Ron Silk was fighting Rogers for second place after both drivers went around Fortin on lap 19 of the first race. By the time Rogers took the position away from Fortin, he was a straightaway behind Solomito.
In an uneventful second 30-lapper, Solomito captured the win once again over Rogers. However, this time Rogers was on the No. 15 car’s rear bumper throughout the race, and attempted to pass him multiple times. Eric Goodale, who won the season-opener for the Whelen Southern Modified Tour, finished fourth in the second race after starting the first event in 11th.
Riverhead regular Kyle Ellwood did not race his No. 17 car on Saturday evening. Along with Ellwood, rookie Brendon Bock, who finished 10th in his first Modified Tour race at Stafford, took the evening off from running the Modified race as he prepares to run a handful of events on the Tour.
Lou Maestri Scores Back-to-Back Wins to Start the Season
A week after winning the season-opener for the Super Pro Trucks, Lou Maestri was back at it on Saturday evening. After Amanda Andersen started from the pole, the No. 97 truck took the top position by the time the field entered turn 1.
However, after Brian McElearney and Mark Stewart made contact exiting the backstretch on lap 6 while battling for the lead, the lone caution of the race came out. Maestri took the top position and didn’t look back. With pressure from Roger Turbush, the No. 1 truck began to pull away from his second straight victory.
“We started mid-pack and I took the spots as they came,” Maestri said. “I was fortunate that Brian and Mark Stewart got together, and that gave us the top spot. I just took off and kept them behind us.
“It’s a good start. I haven’t done this (win back-to-back races to start the year) in a long time. We have to take them when we can. Roger runs you pretty cleanly, so I was just running my own race. If he wanted to pass me, he was going to have to pass me on the outside.”
Artie Pedersen III Rebounds From Rough Opening Night to Win Second Race of the Year
A week after wrecking hard on the first lap of the season-opener for the Legends cars, Artie Pedersen III was back out front at Riverhead. With his brother Allan Pedersen starting on the outside pole, the two got off to a fast start after each one scored a victory in the heat races preceding the main event.
Josh Williams, who made the trip from Concord, N.C. to race at Riverhead, had a large piece of debris fly off his No. 81 car for the first caution of the day on lap 2. The elder Pedersen brother held the lead for the entire race, and took home his first victory of the 2015 season.
Mike Van Houten and Bryan Kelly spun out on lap 7, which caused the second yellow flag of the 20-lap event. On lap 9, the caution flag waved yet again for a spin by Bill Fitzgerald and Steve Hersey, but the field remained calm for the second half of the race. Pedersen held off Williams, along with Devin O’Connell in the final 11 laps for the win.
Jack Handley Jr. Takes Second Consecutive Win of 2015
In a caution-free Blunderbust race, Jack Handley Jr. flexed his muscles once again. The No. 7 car of Tom Sullivan took the lead early on, but on lap 3, Handley took the top position and drove away from the pack.
Scoring his second straight victory of 2015, Handley now has an eight-point advantage over Joe Warren in the championship standings. Sullivan closed the gap on Handley’s No. 49 car late in the race, but was not strong enough to take the victory.
In the final corner of the race, Tom Pickerell made a move on the inside of Warren to capture the third position – just behind Sullivan. Terry Stiles rounded out the top five for the Blunderbust race.
Chris Turbush Wins 40th Career Chargers Race
It was another milestone evening in the Chargers event. Chris Turbush took the lead on lap 3 from pole sitter Greg Immerman after the No. 17 car got loose and spun out in turn 1. The No. 12 car of Rick Wilson was involved in the wreck, along with David Roys and Owen Grennan.
On the restart, CJ Lehmann dropped to third behind the No. 43 car of Ray Minieri. On lap 10, Grennan spun out after getting loose. With three laps to go, Rick Wilson wrecked to bring out the caution one more time.
As Turbush took the checkered flag for the 40th time in his career, Grennan and Eric Zeh wrecked as the cars exited the final corner for the last time. Grennan and Zeh finished ninth and 10th, respectively after the incident. Last weekend’s winner John Baker finished fifth on Saturday evening as he is now tied with Lehmann atop the championship standings.
Scott Kulesa Earns Victory in Late Model Race
In an intense Late Model event, Scott Kulesa scored his first triumph of the year in the No. 10 Pontiac. Taking the lead on the third lap on the low line, Kulesa settled into a groove and extended his lead by nearly a straightaway at one point during the race.
As he took the lead, Chris Lescenski wrecked by the start/finish line. Lescenski had held the lead for the first few laps, but evidently finished 12th as Roger Oxee and Chris McGuire were also involved in the wreck.
On lap 13, the No. 16 got loose and stacked up the field. The ensuing stack-up caused the No. 23 car of Kevin Metzger to spin, but there was no caution after he was able to get his car going.
The No. 11 car spun out just in front of Kulesa on lap 18, which created an eerie moment for the leader. However, he survived the incident to win the race, even though the No. 7 car of Chris La Spisa closed the gap from a half straightaway to two car lengths within the final two laps.
Tom Rogers Jr. Wins Figure Eight Race
After coming short during the season-opener, Tom Rogers Jr. took home the win in the Figure Eight race. Earning his 20th victory in the division, Rogers was able to hold off Roger Maynor in a late-race battle.
Last weekend’s winner, Gary Fritz Jr., wrecked early in the race and finished ninth in the 10-car field. On lap 8, Mike Mujsce and Kenny Hyde Jr. wrecked while battling for the lead. This gave Rogers the lead as he had just gotten past Maynor from third place.
Photos available at: http://www.racerhub.com/photos/index.php?cat=2364
Super Pro Trucks Results:
1. Lou Maestri
2. Roger Turbush
3. David H. Brigati
4. Jimmy Rennick Jr.
5. Michael Albasini
6. Gerard Giordano
7. Kevin Scharfenberg
8. Amanda Andersen
9. Mark Stewart
10. Brian McElearney
11. Anthony Vecchio
Legends Results:
1. Artie Pedersen III
2. Josh Williams
3. Devin O’Connell
4. Ray Fitzgerald
5. Richard Davidowitz
6. John Beatty Jr.
7. Allan Pedersen
8. Dylan Slepian
9. Michael Rutkoski
10. Chris Rogers
11. Gregory Harris
12. Vinny Delaney
13. Shawn Wanat
14. Kevin Nowak
15. Eddie Fatscher
16. George Tomko Jr
17. Kurt Krieger
18. Mike Van Houten Jr.
19. Vincent Colletti
20. Eric Hersey
21. Ed Cheslak
22. Wally Davidowitz
23. Jerry Curran
24. Cassandra Cole
25. Steve Hersey
26. Bill Fitzgerald
27. Bryan Kelly
28. Paul Dodorico
Blunderbust Results:
1. Jack Handley Jr.
2. Tom Sullivan
3. Tom Pickerell
4. Joe Warren
5. Terry Stiles
6. Tim Mulqueen
7. Scott Maliszewski
8. Thomas Puccia
9. Jim Laird
10. Ron Langdon
11. Edward Mistretta
12. William A. Wegmann
13. Bob Muller
14. Derek Wegmann
15. Robert Ehrle
16. Chris Vancott
17. William J. Wegmann
18. Dennis Scott
Chargers Results:
1. Chris Turbush
2. Ray Minieri
3. CJ Lehmann
4. Daryn F. Miller
5. John Baker
6. Cory Osland
7. Jason Hansen
8. Steve Mastro
9. Owen Grennan
10. Eric Zeh
11. Richard Wilson
12. Greg Immerman
13. David Roys
Late Model Results:
1. Scott Kulesa
2. Chris La Spisa
3. Jeremy McDermott
4. Mike Bologna
5. Jack Orlando
6. Shawn Patrick
7. Kyle Harvell
8. Kevin Metzger
9. Chris McGuire
10. Richie Davidowitz
11. Kaitlyn Schober
12. Chris Lescenski
13. Roger Oxee
14. Jarrod Hayes
Modified Race 1 Results:
1. Shawn Solomito
2. Tom Rogers Jr.
3. Ron Silk
4. Vinny Biondolillo
5. John Fortin
6. Eric W. Goodale
7. Jason Agugliaro
8. John Beatty Jr.
9. Howie Brode
10. Ryan Preece
11. David H. Brigati
12. Kyle Soper
13. David Schneider
14. Ken Darch
15. Jerry Solomito Jr.
16. Eddie Brunnhoelzl III
Modified Race 2 Results:
1. Shawn Solomito
2. Tom Rogers Jr.
3. Ron Silk
4. Eric W. Goodale
5. John Fortin
6. Jason Agugliaro
7. Vinny Biondolillo
8. Kyle Soper
9. Ryan Preece
10. Jerry Solomito Jr.
11. David H. Brigati
12. John Beatty Jr.
13. Howie Brode
14. Ken Darch
15. David Schneider
16. Eddie Brunnhoelzl III
Figure 8 Results:
1. Tom Rogers
2. Roger Maynor
3. Scott Pedersen
4. Mike Mujsce Sr.
5. Tom Ferrara
6. Kenneth Hyde Jr.
7. Bryan Quilliam
8. Tom Kraft Jr
9. Gary Fritz Jr.
10. Mike Herbst
Source: Joseph Wolkin/LongIslandJam.com