AH, JUST TO BE A FLY ON THE WALL IN DAYTONA---

by Mike Fields

June 3, Long Beach, NY--- We hear that things could get very interesting in Daytona this coming week. There is to be a meeting to discuss the new ‘Flash’ format of the Whelen Modified Tour that was instituted this season in response to the dwindling fan base. We hear that it could be a very “intense” meeting. The part of the meeting that will address the format of the ‘Flash’ race is below. But there is more--- much more we hear on the agenda that has NASCAR ’concerned. More on that later in the column.

When Wall Township Speedway ran their ‘Flash’ race as part of their Thunder At The Shore weekend, every single driver that we spoke to was incensed (it should be noted that we did not talk to all of the drivers).

One driver commented, “This is bull****. In all the years I’ve been racing, I’ve never run a 50-lap heat race.”

We’ve also heard in various media reports that many fans hated it. We disagree with that statement. From where we were sitting behind the stands in our “press box”, the fans looked and sounded to very enthusiastic and excited about the format.

However, we can see a way to ‘tweak’ the format, so that everyone could have what they want. Drivers don’t want to run heat races. Fans don’t want to sit through time trials. So, what to do? How can everyone be happy?

One way is to run time trials and a heat race. In a show at Riverhead Raceway in August, the format is to (I believe) take 22 from time trials and then add six provisional starters. One thing I believe that will make everyone somewhat happier is to run time trials. The top 16 in time would advance. Then run a 20-lap consi. The top four would advance to the race. Then add your six provisional starters. What would that accomplish?

To start with, the people that like time trials get what they want. Second, fans who enjoy racing get what they want. In addition, slower cars would have a way to race their way into the field, as well as those teams that just screwed up their setup have a way to make it into the race.

Is that the way that NASCAR will go? Beats me--- they didn’t invite me to Daytona to give my input into the subject. Maybe they will, or something close to that. Or perhaps they’ll go in a totally different direction. However, it’s been stated by NASCAR that the format would be changed.

HEY NASCAR, SEE ‘YA LATER--- According to a very, very good source, last season when Thompson International Speedway was getting close to and finalizing their plans for the annual Thompson 300, NASCAR was very upset.

NASCAR informed Thompson Promoter Don Hoenig that he couldn’t have another Modified series running that night. Hoenig planned on having the True Value Modified Racing Series running as part of the evening.

NASCAR told Hoenig that it was not allowed and that he couldn’t have the TVMRS. Hoenig responded that they would be there. NASCAR then stated that they wouldn’t allow their Whelen Modified Tour to be there. Hoenig’s reported response?

“Then don’t come that night,” he responded to NASCAR’s threat. “Or in the fall (for the World Series) or next Spring (the 2007 IceBreaker). Right then and there, NASCAR ‘blinked’.

So that brings up the part of the story we alluded to in the opening paragraph. Why do we want to be that fly on the wall in Daytona? We’ve been informed that a major part of the meeting will be a discussion on Jack Bateman’s True Value Modified Racing Series.

The TVMRS limit’s the amount of laps during their races, so teams don’t have to be forced to make pit stops for another set of (expensive) tires. In fact, teams are limited to using three tires per race and are penalized severely if they break that rule.

In fact the minimum purse on their Series is whatever the current cost of three tires to the last-place team. On May 27^th in Winchester, NH at Monadnock, 26 cars started the race. That is for a reduced purse (reduced from NASCAR, anyway).

But then again, for most teams, the cost of running the series is less. Of course, when you add the cost of travel for teams such as those of Long Island’s Dave Roys and Ken Vogel Jr., that can add up, considering the costs of tolls and going across the ferry. However, most teams live up in New England.

Just think, 26 cars starting the TVMRS race. How many Long Island drivers are not racing these days on Long Island? Obviously, Roys and Vogel Jr. Still there are others that come to mind. Lenny Fischer, Ed Brunnhoelzl III, Lew Hallock, Sean Patterson, and Larry Altholtz come to mind.

Anyway, NASCAR is obviously very concerned by the numbers that are attracted to the TVMRS, as well as having their own series that is known basically as a Connecticut series. Add to the mix that other than Stafford, Thompson, and Loudon, how many facilities can afford to pay the purse demanded of NASCAR?

Originally, Riverhead was off the schedule, as was Wall and Twin State (the old Claremont). It took some creativity to get these tracks back on the schedule. This was going to be the first season that Riverhead didn’t host a Tour race since the series’ inception.

Whether it be Cup racing on Saturday night, people deciding to go to minor league baseball games (Long Island Ducks), dwindling interest from fans, or a dying fan base, Riverhead is having a heck of a time filling seats in the stands. Ah, if only I could be a fly on the wall during that meeting in Daytona…

RIVERHEAD’S PROBLEMS--- This past Saturday night, if there were 450 people in the stands at Riverhead, that’s a lot. And it’s not just the front gate that’s dwindling. Car counts are down, as well. Only the Blunderbusts and Modifieds had full fields. There were 16 cars for a double-point Charger race, 12 cars for the Late Model race, and 10 cars for the Figure Eights.

Yet, we have it on very good authority that Thompson was packed to the gills for their Opening Night Whelen All-American Series weekly race. We understand that there was close to 10,000 paid customers there that Thursday night. Drawing 10,000 on a Thursday?

We do know that there are serious problems at Riverhead. Do we have the answers for them? Nope, we only wish we did.

We do hope that new incoming co-Chief Stewards Jim Maggio and Mike Cappiello can get a handle on part of it. We wish them both the best of luck in their new positions. They’ve been former Chief Steward Bill Denniston’s assistants for the past few years. Perhaps ‘new blood’ will give a new ideas to part of it.

HOW TO GET THE DRIVERS BACK? What would it take to get some of the previously named drivers back to Riverhead?

This past Saturday night, there was a field of 21 cars in the Mod ranks. One car that runs at Mountain in PA was Altholtz. We’re not sure if that is because the Mods were off at another track in Mountain where many run, or if Larry took a look at his toll and fuel bill to haul out there. Even for a successful attorney, that puts a strain on the purse strings.

One of the problems at Riverhead is the availability of tires for all divisions. For whatever reason, drivers have been vehemently complaining about the lack of tires. One team bitterly complained to us that they had to run on three-week-old tires. We don’t know what it will take to get that problem straightened out. We do understand, however, that promoters Barbara & Jim Cromarty are working on the problem. We with them luck.

Normally, it has been our policy to write from the perspective of the fan, and what the fan sees. We try not to delve too much on what is happening behind the scenes. We’re not breaking our own self-imposed rule now. We feel that what the fans see (or in the case of all the missing drivers) and don’t see is related to this column.

There are a number of Modified teams that have said they would spend the extra money to haul to other tracks than run at Riverhead. Why? They feel that they are being gauged on the cost of tires. The cost of four pieces of rubber is around $800. Some competitive teams need to purchase at least two sets each night. Teams tell us that they get comparable tires at other track for five hundred and change.

There are a couple of things that immediately come to mind. The first (obviously) is lower the cost of tires. The 2^nd one would be very controversial, and that is to limit the amount of tires used. It works for the TVMRS They are only allowed three tires per race. That of course, doesn’t count if a tire blows, instead of just being worn out.

Even though it probably costs more to travel than it would be to purchase the tires at around $800 per set, many teams feel that it is a matter of principal. If they feel they’re being gauged, they would rather pay more and spend the time to travel, than to pay what they feel is inflated prices.

Just to clarify, we have never asked (nor would we ever) what JYD Enterprises gets invoiced from Hoosier. Still, even if we did ask, and they actually said yes and showed us, we don’t feel it is our place to make any kind of judgment on what is or isn’t a fair markup on the tires. We’re quite certain though, that the teams have their own opinion on that.

NOW TO THE ACTUAL RACING--- The 30-lap double-point Blunderbust feature started with Tim Gersbeck taking the early lead, with Artie Pedersen Jr. 2^nd. On lap four, Bill Wegmann drove around the outside of Pedersen for 2^nd. On lap six, one of the favorites, Wayne Okula pulled into the infield. On lap 10, it was Gersbeck, Wegmann, Artie Pedersen, Paul Parisi, and Ed Mistretta the top five.

Then in turn four on the same lap, Wegmann ducked under Gersbeck for the lead. By lap 12, Tommy Walkowiak (who became the all-time Blunderbust winner the week before) cracked the top ten. On the 14^th lap, Gersbeck started to get shuffled back on the outside. It was then Wegmann, Pedersen, Mistretta, Joe Pignatore, Scott Maliszewski, and Walkowiak the top six.

Lap 18 saw Ed Mistretta get under Artie Pedersen for the 2^nd spot, as Pedersen started falling back. Meanwhile, Walkowiak kept moving forward in the field. On lap 20, it was Wegmann, Mistretta, Pignatore, Pedersen, and Walkowiak.

Two laps later, Walkowiak had moved up to 3^rd. He then got under Mistretta for 2^nd on lap 25. There was a quick yellow for debris on the track, which tightened up the field.

Walkowiak went around Wegmann on the restart, but contact was made. Wegmann continued, but Walkowiak spun. Tommy ended up 11^th.

That still left Mistretta for Wegmann to contend with. He managed to hold him off until the final lap, when Mistretta gave Wegmann a hard bump going through turn two, pushing Bill high. Mistretta ducked under for the lead and the win.

“Unfortunately, I gave somebody a shot. But that was unintentional,” Mistretta explained in Victory Lane. “I knew the #79 had a bad push in the car.”

16 cars showed up for the 30-lap double-point Charger race. That started great as Chris McGuire and John Elwood ran side by side for two laps until the first caution. After the restart, the duo fought again for the top spot. In fact, they concentrated so hard on each other that they didn’t take notice of Chris Turbush. The front duo was leaning hard, but clean on each other going through turns one and two, drifting high. Turbush took advantage of the opening and shot down low through the hole.

By lap five, it was Turbush, McGuire, Eric Lutz, Jeremy McDermott, and Elwood. Turbush appeared to be on a mission for the next eight circuits. Then disaster struck on lap 13, as he was going around the lapped car of Mike Schwarz. We’re not exactly sure how it happened, but the two made contact, and Turbush spun in turn four.

That gave the lead to Chris McGuire for the restart. When the green flew, so did McGuire--- around in a circle, as he was dumped by John Elwood.

By lap 20, Eric Lutz had the lead, followed by Elwood, McDermott, Jim Donaldson, and Tom Anderson. It was the 2^nd win of the young season for Lutz.

But the real story of the night was the drive of Chris Turbush, who put on a clinic coming back from the rear after being spun on lap 13. On lap 26, he still had enough in his tires to duck under McDermott for the third spot. He was certainly on a mission on this night.

The bad luck award has to go to Chris McGuire, who got dumped on the lap 13 restart, managed to spin on lap 22, and then was stuffed into the backstretch wall as the front of the field took the restart green. Lucky his night was over, as it will probably take until next Saturday night until he cools down.

All in all, it was probably the most exciting race of the night in most respects. By the way, the Chargers have been the biggest surprise of the season (to us anyway). On Opening Night, we cringed when the rolled out onto the track for their feature. The past two seasons, they have had the plugged pulled on their feature. That was when the time limit was officially called. To us, we considered it a mercy killing. Especially two years ago, when they could only get either three or four laps in.

So what happened this year on Opening Night? They went caution-free green to checker. Go figure…

An interesting start to the 25-lap Late Model feature. Pole-sitter Shawn Patrick showed early on that his car seemed to have handling problems. Patrick held on until lap six. We were wondering on lap five while he didn’t pull into the infield. Then on lap six, he lost it in turn two, tried to correct and keep going, but lost it again. He then made contact with Kevin Metzger, giving Metzger suspension problems ending his night.

Meanwhile, the outside pole-sitter Ken Matlach had the lead, followed by Scott Kulesa, Dan Turbush, Jarrod Hayes, and Mike Mortimer. On lap 11, Turbush had his nose under Matlach for the lead, and completed it on lap 12. Mortimer ducked under Matlach on lap 13 for 2^nd.

At the checker, it was Turbush for career win #68, followed by Mortimer, Matlach, Kulesa, and Doug Wholey.

Fortunately, the 50-lap double-point Modified feature had a full field with 21 cars. Dan Jivanelli redrew the pole after time trials, and took the lead with Wayne Anderson, Chris Young, Tommy Rogers Jr., and J.R. Bertuccio rounding out the top five.

Tom Rogers went under Chris Young for third with help from a lapped car on lap 15. Young got freight trained back as Rogers was followed by Bertuccio, Bill Park, Howie Brode and a host of others.

A brief caution stopped the action on lap 24, and then again on lap 26 for debris.

After the two cautions, it was Jivanelli, Rogers, Bertuccio, Anderson, and Park. Bertuccio got under Rogers for 2^nd on lap 26, as Tommy got shuffled back. By lap 30, it was Jivanelli, Bertuccio, Anderson, Park, and John Fortin. Although Bertuccio was now in 2^nd, he couldn’t get up to Jivanelli to make a serious charge the rest of the way.

It was career win #20 for Dan Jivanelli. His first came 32 years ago on August 2, 1975. He was somewhat emotional in Victory Lane.

“I’m so overwhelmed,” Danny said. “The guys worked so hard to make this car come along. I’m thrilled.”

The Figure Eight feature started out with Tom Graff and Mike Mujsce getting together in turn three. Graff went to the pits. After the restart, Tom Ferrara, Tom Kraft, Paul Specht, Carl Baxter, and Roger Maynor were the top five.

By lap five, Maynor wasted no time moving up to the 3^rd spot. Then Roger ducked under TK for the 2^nd spot. Kraft spun two laps later. Lap 9 saw Maynor go around the outside of Tom Graff for the lead going through turns three and four.

By halfway at lap 10, it was Maynor, Graff, Baxter, Ken Hyde, and Mike Mujsce. By the end of lap 10, a great run was over for Graf, as something let go, spewing fluid all over the track. So the top ten was now Maynor, Baxter, Hyde, Mujsce, and Kraft. That’s the way it stayed for the final 10 laps, as Roger took career win #81.

We had planned to put more into this week’s effort, but we’ll hold off until next week.

THANK YOU--- We’ve had more good feedback to the column we devoted to our friend Scott Brayton, than to any column we’ve penned in the past five years or so.

To the many who took the time to send emails, and the few that called, we appreciate and thank you for all the good comments you send to us.

A FINAL WORD TO A VERY GOOD FRIEND--- Just so you know, Lori and I are only an email or phone call away as you begin a rough time ahead. Know that our thoughts, prayers, and love are with you.