IGA Food Market Title Sponsor For Allan Cantor Memorial NEMA Midget Event May 28th
The Northeastern Midget Association is headed back to Long Island after a long absence Saturday May 28th when they compete in the Allan Cantor Memorial 50 at Riverhead Raceway. Riverhead GM John Ellwood announced today that the Reichert Group IGA Food Markets has signed on as the title sponsor of the race. IGA Food Markets were also a loyal sponsor on the Allan Cantor owned #7NY NEMA Midgets.
“We’re very excited to have the NEMA Midgets and NEMA Lites back racing on Long Island” John Ellwood noted while making the IGA Food Markets sponsorship announcement. “To have Charlie Reichert and his Reichert Group IGA Food Markets come on board for the race that we honor Allan Cantor makes the event that much sweeter”. The Reichert Group IGA Food Markets on Long Island are located in Greenport, Southold, East Northport, Fort Salonga and Bayville.
From 2001 until 2013 Allan Cantor fielded a NEMA Midget based out of his lifelong hometown of Glen Cove with his son Adam wheeling the potent racer for many of those season. Allan was well known in the Long Island racing circle well before he went midget racing in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. He along with Tony Contarino designed and built the ultra successful Alto Chassis for the Mini Modified race cars. Allan along with his brother Barry also worked with the late “Tiger” Tom Baldwin on his NASCAR Modifieds and together operated Cantor’s Garage in Glen Cove.
When Eddie & Connie Partridge and Tom Gatz took ownership of Riverhead Raceway late in 2015 they had John Ellwood look into some new and exciting forms of racing to bring to Riverhead Raceway and one of the first John called was NEMA President Russ Stoehr. They together put together the May 28th date for the Allan Cantor Memorial. Later in the summer the New England Truck Series will also visit Riverhead on July 9th, with the Granite State Pro Stocks set to visit on July 30th.
2015 NEMA MIdget champion John Zych Jr. of Mendon, Ma. will lead the charge to Riverhead Raceway next Saturday along with 2015 NEMA Lites kingpin Anthony Payne of Fair Lawn, N.J. Joining NEMA on what will be a very nostalgic night are the Vintage Midget Racing Club and Vintage Race Cars as well the annual Cromarty Wall of Fame inductions. Long time car owner the late John Ambrose Sr., NASCAR Modified standout the late Chris Young and multi time Late Model champion Steve Tooker will be enshrined that evening.
The NASCAR Modifieds will run a 40-lap main event on May 28th and be joined by the Riverhead Modified Crates and Legend Race Cars, who will both run 20-lap features. Feature event racing will start at 6:30 pm.
Sunday afternoon May 29th the Memorial Day weekend doubleheader at Riverhead Raceway will be completed with the running of the Spring Showdown Enduro program that will also see the Blunderbusts in action for a 30-lap time trial race.
Source: Bob Finan/Riverhead Raceway PR