Bittersweet Championship Night As Cromarty’s Say Goodbye
It was a night of excitement and sadness at Riverhead Raceway on September 19th. The excitement of championship night where 5 divisions had championship battles that came down to the final race. The sadness was the result of saying goodbye to two key players in Riverhead Raceway’s history, Championship Night marked the last race under owners Barbara and Jim Cromarty and the last race that would see a car owned by Bill and Barbara Park.
In a ceremony in the pit area before the features, Barbara and Jim addressed all the racers one last time. “We’re so glad that Eddie and Connie are taking over and you’re in good hands. [With] John Ellwood, Bob Finan, and everybody you have a good group of people. It always has been about you,” a teary-eyed Barbara Cromarty said addressing the crowd.
Battle in Points Found John Baker Charger Champion
As soon as the festivities ended in the pits it was time to go racing. The Charger division came in with the closest championship battle with the top four in points all mathematically eligible to win the championship. Ray Minieri came into the weekend second in points just 12 points behind leader Eric Zeh. The No.43 would start the 30 lap feature in second with Zeh starting 5th and third place point man John Baker starting in 7th. CJ Lehmann mathematically had a shot in the points he started in 8th.
At the drop of the green flag, Jimmy White Jr. who started on the pole pulled in front of Owen Grennan and led the early stages of the race. On lap 12 Grennan was all over the rear of White’s car but the Hometown Taxi No.17 would have none of it. As Grennan would look low down the straights, White would shut the door on him in the corners. Meanwhile, Zeh, Baker, and Minieri were all in position to make moves in the front.
On lap 23, Grennan made a move on White going into turn 1 when he got into the back of Jason Hanson, who was slow on track. The rest of the field would stack up behind Grennan including John Baker but, amazingly everyone was able to continue. David Roys was able to move into second after the stack up with Baker sitting in third and Zeh fourth. On lap 24 the one and only caution came out when Owen Grennan spun in turn 3. Drama ensued under caution when second place runner, David Roys pitted. Eric Zeh suffered a flat left front tire and was forced to pit. Owen Grennan and Mark Stewart also made stops. When the race went back to green it was Jimmy White Jr. still at the helm with John Baker behind him. Baker would look low a few times on the No.17 but, White held his ground and fought off the No.07.
With 4 laps to go Baker was finally able to get by the No.17 and take down the win. Minieri would come home in 4th with Eric Zeh coming home in 8th. After the checkered, officials spent minutes trying to calculate the final points standings. When it was all said and done John Baker was declared the 2015 Charger Champion based on a tiebreaker between him and Zeh. “This is the best turning car I’ve ever driven,” Baker said after the race, “I didn’t think I was gonna win [the championship] but, nothing stopped me from winning it.”
Lou Maestri Take Down Second Consecutive Super Pro Truck Championship
The next close battle when it came to points was the Super Pro Trucks. Last year Lou Maestri beat Erin Solomito for the crown in a tie breaker that was decided by most second place finishes between the two. This year Maestri entered the night with a 12-point lead over Dave Brigati and a 32 point lead over Mark Stewart.
Amanda Anderson started on the pole with Anthony Vecchio to her outside. Coming off of turn 2 on the start Brian McElearney and Anderson got together causing the No.13 to spin on the backstretch. Gerard Giordano in the No.15 was also involved as he spun on the backstretch bringing out the first caution. When the race restarted Mike Albasini inherited the lead with Mark Stewart to his outside.
The two went at it, beating and banging off of every corner. Eventually, Albasini got by Stewart until lap 3 when entering turn 3 Albasini’s car went straight into the wall. He would continue but, Stewart then inherited the lead with Jimmy Rennick now in second. Just like with Albasini, Stewart and Rennick started beating and banging as the two fought for the lead. On lap 7 the third caution flew when point leader Lou Maestri cut a left rear tire and spun on the back stretch. Maestri would return but, had ground to make up in order to secure the championship.
Second place point man Dave Brigati worked his way into the top three when the race restarted. Stewart and his grandfather, Dan Turbush, ran 1-2 with Brigati behind them. Maestri quickly made up ground but had to pass two more cars with 3 to go. When Brian McElearney cut down a left front tire Maestri was able to move by and grab the two spots he needed to secure the championship. Mark Stewart came across the line in first with Dan Turbush in second. This was Stewarts third win this season.
For Maestri this was his second straight championship in the Super Pro Trucks. “I can’t thank these guys enough,” Maestri said, “It was tough; they gave me a hard battle at the end there.” Maestri also confirmed that he would be back to go for a three-peat in 2016.
Jeremy McDermott Named Late Model Champion After Yellow Checkered Finish
The Late Models were the next division out after the Super Pro Trucks to go 50 laps to decide the championship between Mike Bologna and Jeremy McDermott. The field was set by Time Trials earlier in the day with Jarrod Hayes setting fast time with a 12.658, he would also pick the pole in the re-draw. Jeremy McDermott got closer to the championship by picking the outside pole with Mike Bologna starting seventh.
When the green flag flew Hayes wasted no time to pull away from the field but quickly the caution came out when Mike Bologna got into John Baker in turn 4. Scott Kulesa was also involved and received a good amount of front end damage, his crew would cut off some body work and send him back out. When things got back under way; Hayes pulled away again from McDermott.
Meanwhile, Bologna was stuck in the back in 12th position. On Lap 11 Jack Orlando suffered issues on the track and pulled the No.99 to the middle. On Lap 12 the caution flag flew when Mike Bologna cut down a right front tire after contact, he would rejoin. Just when the race restarted the caution came back out when Chris LaSpisa spun and collected his teammate Ken Alfano. Alfano then went into the turn 1 wall with Shawn Patrick. LaSpisa and Alfano would continue but, Patrick’s night was over. Under the caution race leader Jarrod Hayes suffered a flat right front tire and was forced to pit. This gave the lead to Jeremy McDermott.
Again the race would restart and then quickly go to caution when Bologna and Baker made contact again sending Bakers car around for the second time. The race would restart with McDermott still leading. The field would go five laps until the yellow came out again when “Buzzy” Erikson went into the turn 1 wall. By this point Mike Bologna was up to 5th with Scott Kulesa in front of him. On lap 22 the caution came out when Bologna got into the back of Kulesa in turn 2. Officials then put the No.00 to the rear for rough riding.
With the race barely half way the, the time limit rule was nearing. McDermott was still up front at the restart until the yellow flag flew again on lap 26. Mike Bologna and Scott Kulesa tagged each other coming off turn 2. On the back stretch Kulesa then turned the 00 heading into turn 3. Officials then called the race after 26 laps handing the win and the championship to Jeremy McDermott. “I knew we had a shot but, I knew it was going to be tough,” McDermott said, “The 00 is really fast, 10 points is a lot, it’s six positions but, this car was on rails nobody could catch this car anyway.”
Tom Pickerell Wins Second Straight Blunderbust Championship
The last division championship that wasn’t already locked up was the Blunderbust. Tom Pickerell entered the final race as the point leader, 20 points ahead of Jack Handley Jr. Jimmy White Jr. started on the pole, Pickerell started 13th and Handley started 15th.
Right from the beginning things got wild as Robert Ehrle, Tom Puccia, Joe Warren, and Derek Wegmann went four wide on the backstretch on lap 1. On lap 4 Scott Maliszewski made his way up to second but, Jimmy White had already pulled away with a commanding lead.
On lap 5 Jack Handley Jr. was running in 9th just one spot ahead of Tom Pickerell. On Lap 10 the first caution came out when Tom Puccia and Jim Laird Jr. got together in turn 4. Puccia was sent to the rear for rough riding. When the race restarted, White again pulled away. Handley was working his way through the field but, Tom Pickerell was right on his rear bumper.
However, with three laps to go Handley’s car had problems and for the second straight year the No.49 failed to finish the last race of the season. Jimmy White Jr. would cross the line in first. “ We wanted to go out with a bang,” White said, “Scott is a stand up guy, he races clean and he races with a lot of respect.”
Tom Pickerell won his second straight title in the Blunderbusts, “We had the car ready on Monday, I have to thank my sponsors, Premier, my crew, and my family.”
Dylan Slepian Wins First Ever Career Legend Championship
The Legend cars already had their champion declared with Dylan Slepian taking home the title. But, there was still a race to be run with 40 laps the scheduled distance. Bryan Kelly started on the pole with Shawn Wanat to his outside. Things went sour on the first lap in turn 2 when Wanat spun in the corner. After that a major pile up ensued that saw almost the entire field involved. Some notables include, Kyle Ellwood, Ryan Lutz, Greg Harris, and Dylan Slepian. Half the drivers involved in the crash drove away immediately. The race was then red flagged when an ambulance was called to Kyle Ellwood’s car. Ellwood, who suffered a sprained wrist in a modified crash two weeks ago, hurt his other wrist in this crash and was taken to the hospital for treatment. After a lengthy clean up the race restarted with Kelly up front and Richie Davidowitz to his outside. Kevin Nowak moved through the field quickly moving into the top 3 on lap 4.
On lap 11 the second caution came out when Mike Van Houten and Steve Hersey spun in turn 2. Things heated up after the restart as Kelly, Davidowitz, and Nowak went three wide for the lead going into turn 1. The caution would come out on the same lap when one of the cars lost a fender. The race restarted and Nowak again was on the charge taking the lead on lap 14.
On lap 16 the yellow came back out when Steve DeFriest spun in turn 1, he was then hit by Kenny Southard. Nowak would lead all the way to the finish and take down his first win of 2015. “It was like the LIE at five o’clock in the afternoon,” Nowak said, “I want to thank Barbara and Jim Cromarty for having us race here.”
While the checkered flag was out two cars spun off of turn 4. Artie Pedersen III spun in turn 4 and 2015 champion Dylan Slepian spun on the front stretch into the slow moving car of Steve Boland. Both drivers were ok but instead of getting a chance to drive his car to victory lane, Slepian’s car had to be towed there. “The day is finally here, we had a big point lead and we had to stay consistent and everything. It’s frustrating coming across the line and wrecking like that but, under the circumstances those things happen,” Slepian said.
Clean Sweep For Tom Rogers Jr. As He Takes Home Both Modified & Figure 8 Championships
The Modifieds had a scheduled 50-lap feature with the champion also already decided as Tom Rogers Jr. taking his third modified championship. The field was set based on time trials from last week’s show which was rained out. Tom Rogers Jr. started on the pole with Jason Agugliaro on his outside. Right from the drop of the green flag, Rogers jumped into the lead.
The first caution came out on lap 2 when Shawn Solomito got into Jason Agugliaro entering turn 1. Howie Brode suffered a flat right front tire from the incident. When the race restarted, Rogers again was up front but, Ryan Preece was trying his hardest to work his way through the field. Preece chose to not race in a Whelen Southern Modified Tour event this week, and instead wanted to race in Bill Park’s car for Park’s final race as an owner.
By lap 15 Preece had worked his way up to third and was already working on Agugliaro for second. On Lap 24 the caution flew when John Fortin Jr. spun on the front stretch collecting Craig Lutz in the No.01. The yellow would come back out right after the restart when Jason Agugliaro got sideways coming off turn 2. Soon multiple cars were involved including Kyle Soper, Vinny Biondolillo, Howie Brode, and John Fortin. Then more drama happened as the cars were doubled up the yellow caution lights went out as the cars entered turn 3. Soon they turned back on as the cars entered four; the No.20 of Preece went while Rogers remained under caution speed. The yellow flag came back out and the field was reset. From there on it was all Tommy Rogers and the No.0 car as he lead the rest of the way to take down the win. “We were really good all along, we struggled a little bit at the beginning of the year but, we got it figured out. It’s a lot of work bringing these things every week for everyone to enjoy, hopefully it continues for a long time to come” Rogers said.
Right after the Modified feature Rogers hopped into his Figure 8 car, which he also won the championship for. Gary Fritz Jr. started on the pole with CJ Lehmann in second. Fritz would spin in turn 2 right after taking the green flag to bring out the first caution.
Lehmann would lead the field around for the restart but soon the caution was out again when Kenny Hyde spun in turn 4 collecting Tom Ferrara. Both cars were done for the night. Tom Rogers was able to work his way from seventh to lead on the next restart. Mike Mujsce would follow him as he sat in third after starting eighth. Roger Maynor also joined the battle moving into second at the halfway point followed by Lehmann and Mujsce.
On lap 12 Mujsce got into Lehmann bringing out the final caution. Mujsce was sent to the rear not for rough riding but, for hitting a cone. Tom Rogers and Roger Maynor went back at their usual dual. Maynor was unable to get grip off the corner to catch Roger’s rear bumper. Tom Rogers Jr. was able to hold on and take down the win.
Photos available at: http://www.racerhub.com/photos/index.php?cat=2438
The Final Night’s Results (Sept. 19, 2015):
Blunderbust
1 Jimmy White Jr. (1)
2 Scott Maliszewski (4)
3 Tim Mulqueen (10)
4 Tom Pickerell (13)
5 William A. Wegmann (2)
6 Edward Mistretta (9)
7 Tom Sullivan (11)
8 Derek Wegmann (7)
9 Jim Laird (14)
10 Joe Warren (6)
11 Dennis Scott (18)
12 Thomas Puccia (8)
13 Robert Ehrle (3)
14 Jessica Cohan (5)
15 Tommy Walkowiak (12)
16 Sean Byrne (17)
17 Ryan Zukowski (16)
18 Jack Handley Jr. (15)
INEX Legend
1 Kevin Nowak (8)
2 Richard Davidowitz (4)
3 Allan Pedersen (7)
4 Ray Fitzgerald (10)
5 Dylan Slepian (13)
6 Johnnie Gloor (14)
7 Eric Hersey (3)
8 George Tomko Jr. (15)
9 Bryan Kelly (1)
10 Gregory Harris (5)
11 Artie Pedersen III (25)
12 Jerry Curran (18)
13 Steve Hersey (24)
14 Mike Van Houten Jr. (11)
15 Bill Fitzgerald (19)
16 Richard Davidowitz Sr.(17)
17 Steve DeFriest (23)
18 Dennis Kurros (26)
19 Steve Boland (21)
20 Ed Cheslak (12)
21 John Fortin Jr.(20)
22 Vinny Delaney (6)
23 Kenny Southard (22)
24 Kyle Ellwood (9)
25 Ryan Lutz (16)
DQ Shawn Wanat(2)
Charger – 30 Lap
1 John Baker (7)
2 Jimmy White Jr. (1)
3 Chris Turbush (6)
4 Ray Minieri (2)
5 CJ Lehmann (8)
6 Richard Wilson (10)
7 David Roys (14)
8 Eric Zeh (5)
9 Steve Mastro (12)
10 Owen Grennan (4)
11 Mark Stewart (9)
12 Ron Langdon (13)
13 Eric Lutz (3)
14 Jason Hansen (11)
Super Pro Truck
1 Mark Stewart(5)
2 Dan Turbush (10)
3 David H. Brigati (9)
4 Jimmy Rennick Jr. (8)
5 Bobby Gardner (11)
6 Michael Albasini (4)
7 Gerard Giordano (6)
8 Lou Maestri (7)
9 Anthony Vecchio (2)
10 Dave Koenig (12)
11 Amanda Andersen Mujsce (1)
12 Sean Glennon (14)
13 Brian McElearney (3)
14 Ben Vecchio (13)
Late Model
1 Jeremy McDermott (2)
2 Chris Lescenski(3)
3 Jarrod Hayes (1)
4 Kenny Alfano (10)
5 Chris LaSpisa (7)
6 Kevin Metzger (15)
7 Chris McGuire (13)
8 Buzzy Eriksen (14)
9 John Baker (5)
10 Brandon Turbush (18)
11 Mike Bologna (7)
12 Scott Kulesa (9)
13 Kaitlyn Schober (16)
14 Roger Oxee (4)
15 Shawn Patrick (11)
16 Tommy Rogers Jr. (12)
17 Jack Orlando (8)
18 Kyle Soper (17)
NASCAR Modified
1 Tom Rogers Jr.(1)
2 Ryan Preece (7)
3 Kyle Soper (6)
4 Shawn Solomito (3)
5 David Sapienza(5)
6 Craig Lutz (9)
7 Ken Darch (13)
8 Jason Agugliaro (2)
9 John Fortin (10)
10 John Fortin Jr. (11)
11 John Beatty Jr. (14)
12 Howie Brode (7)
13 Artie Pedersen III (12)
14 Vinny Biondolillo (4)
15 Dennis Krupski (15)
16 Rob McCormick (17)
17 Amber Fortin (16)
Figure 8
1 Tom Rogers (7)
2 Roger Maynor (5)
3 Scott Pedersen (6)
4 Artie Pedersen III (3)
5 CJ Lehmann (2)
6 Mike Mujsce Sr. (8)
7 Brian Hansen (10)
8 Gary Fritz Jr. (1)
9 Kenneth Hyde Jr. (4)
10 Tom Ferrara (9)
Source: Brenden Madonia/LongIslandJam.com