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Week 3 Sees Plenty of Action in 7 Divisions at Riverhead Raceway
May 18, Brentwood, NY--- With 7 divisions to run, plus 2 extra distance races, Riverhead Raceway was a very busy place last night. Time trials for the Late Models, won by Kevin Metzger, who set fast time at 12.666 seconds as his best lap, were followed by heats for the Legends and Modifieds. All other divisions ran features only, with handicapping determining starting spots. With a small threat of rain for later in the evening, track officials had their work cut out for them, and they did a masterful job, with the show completed just past 9:30 PM. Credit should also go to the drivers, who drove in a way that yellows were kept to a minimum.
The first feature of the evening was for the 18 Super Pro Trucks, with Erin Dumicich on the pole, and PJ Vecchio to her outside. Dumicich jumped into the early lead as Vecchio fell back a few spots, allowing Wayne Meyer to move up to challenge Dumicich for the lead by lap 3. Dumicich and Meyer raced side by side until lap 7, when Meyer pulled ahead to take the lead. Mike Albasini then challenged Dumicich for 2nd, but on lap 11, Dave Koenig shot past both of them and took over 2nd. Meyer, meanwhile, stretched his lead over Koenig to about 5 truck lengths. On lap 17, while Albasini and Dumicich continued their battle for 3rd, contact with Koenig sent him into turn 1 sideways, jamming up the rest of the field behind them, as just about everybody hit everybody else, and the yellow was out. Getting the worst of it were Koenig and Roger Turbush, but all were able to continue. On the restart, Meyer held the lead as Erin Dumicich, Frank Dumicich, Jr., and Lou Maestri stayed right with him. Meyer, in the AAA Firewood & Mulch #41, held on for the win, though, as Erin Dumicich, Frank Dumicich, Jr. Maestri and Albasini rounded out the top 5. Meyer, when he attempted to do a victory burnout, had his throttle stick, resulting in him hitting 2 tow trucks parked in the infield, and his winning truck had to be towed off the track. Definitely one for the books!
Next up were the Legends cars, 20 cars string, as Tom Sherman sat on the pole, with John Gloor IV to his outside. Before the race even started, Gloor got himself turned sideways as he spun his tires coming off turn 4 for the start, and Sherman had nowhere to go but into him. Gloor Iv was sent to the rear, and Tony Naglieri joined Sherman on the front row. Sherman bolted out front at the green, while Silas Hiscock, Jr. challenged Naglieri for 2nd. On lap 3, Gloor’s trouble continued as he came to a stop in turn 1, bringing out the caution. On the restart, Sherman took the lead once more, as Naglieri continued his battle with Hiscock, Jr. for 2nd, as Michael Gervais ran 4th. On lap 5, Naglieri and Hiscock, Jr. touched coming through turn 4, and Hiscock, Jr., Dan Pace, and Greg DiCanio ended up wrecked after Hiscock, Jr. lost the handle. On the next restart, Sherman led once more, but Gervais has other ideas, and took the lead on lap 6. On lap 7, Ben Gregor spun alone in turn 2 and tried to rejoin the field, but yellow flew as a precaution. On the restart, Gervais shot out front once more, quickly opening a 3 car length lead over Sherman, as Kevin Nowak, Tim Solomito and Glenn Maningo followed. Sherman began to close the gap by lap 12, but on lap 17, Gregor spun again in the same spot, and caution was out once more. On the restart, Gervais bolted away once more, quickly building a 4 car lead over Sherman and Gervais held on for the win, followed by Sherman, Nowak, Solomito and Maningo.
The Blunderbusts took to the ¼ mile next to do battle in their 1st 30 lap extra distance race of the season. Scoot Sepe sat on the pole, while Doug Watson was to his outside. Watson grabbed the lead at the start off turn 2, with Bill Wegmann and Tommy Walkowiak following through, but Rob Bader spun in turn 1 on the next lap, bring out the caution. On the restart, Watson led once more as Wegmann, Ed Mistretta and Walkowiak hounded him. Wegmann got along side on lap 3, as Walkowiak rode Watson’s bumper. Watson and Wegmann put on a tremendous battle for the lead, with Wegmann inching out front only to have Watson take the lead back by inches once more. On lap 9, Joe Pingitore spun in turn 4, bringing out another caution, but racing resumed quickly, as did the battle between Watson and Wegmann, as they again ran side by side as Chris Busick joined the battle in 4th spot, right behind Wegmann, while Walkowiak was still al over Watson’s rear bumper. By lap 12, Watson was able to pull away to take sole possession of the lead, leaving Wegmann to battle Walkowiak for 2nd , with Walkowiak winning that battle 2 laps later as he pulled ahead of Wegmann and started looking for a way around Watson. On lap 16, Walkowiak found his opening and went for it, taking the lead away from Watson. Lapped cars now came into play, but Walkowiak and Watson made their way through easily. By lap 23, Walkowiak had opened a 5 car length lead over Watson However, a lap later, caution was out for fluid on the back stretch, closing the field up for a restart. Walkowiak took off at the drop of the green, and though Watson tried his best, Walkowiak’s Unique Golf #00 stretched his lead out once more, going on to take his 30th Blunderbust victory as Watson, Wegmann, Maliszewski, and Greg Zaleski, Jr. rounded out the top 5 in a very exciting race.
15 Chargers took to the track next for their 20 lap feature, with Frank Scimeca, Jr. on the pole, and Tom Anderson on the outside. Scimeca, Jr. and Anderson took off side by side, but in turn 4, contact with Daryn Miller caused Scimeca, Jr. to spin. Scimeca, Jr. appeared to have it righted when his car shot across traffic, causing a pile-up that also involved Steve Ratti and Tim Solomito, bringing out the caution as the track was blocked. After a lengthy clean up, Anderson and Chris McGuire brought the field around for the restart, with McGuire jumping to the lead immediately, while Chris Turbush challenged Anderson for 2nd. Turbush made a quick job of it, bringing Thore Foss along into 3rd. One lap later, Frank Dumicich Jr. passed Anderson for 4th spot. Up front, McGuire was holding a comfortable 4 car length lead over Turbush, as Foss ran 5 car lengths behind him. That’s the way they stayed until near the end of the race, lapped traffic became a problem, allowing Turbush to catch up to McGuire. By lap 17, but McGuire’s Gershow Recycling #89x weaved his way through, holding on to the lead, and claiming victory, as Turbush, Foss Dumicich, Jr. and Anderson rounded out the top 5.
The 50 lap, double point Late Model race was ext on the track, with Kevin Metzger on the pole, and Scott Kulesa to his outside. Metzger pulled into the lead at the drop of the green, but Kulesa stayed right with him, as Doug Wholey and Tom Rogers, Jr. followed. Metzger lead the pack lap after lap, as all seemed to be pacing themselves and saving their tires for the second half of the race. Lapped cars became a problem by lap 20, but Metzger led the top runners through traffic without any problems. On lap 27, Peter ‘Buzzy’ Eriksen brushed the 1st turn wall and came to a stop with a right front flat, bringing out the 1st caution of the race. On the restart, Metzger took off once more with Kulesa in pursuit, while Rogers had gotten around Wholey to take over 3rd, while a little further back, Jarrod Hayes and Roger Oxee got by Rob Tribuzio, dropping him back to 7th. Metzger continued to hold the lead, and Hayes has managed to catch up to Wholey to challenge him for 5th. But on lap 39, Kulesa spun out of 2nd spot on water that was leaking from his car, ending his night as the caution flies once more. Metzger took off once more on the restart, and Tom Rogers, Jr. stayed right with him for a few laps, but Metzger pulled away once more, just as Mike Coll and Chris LaSpisa collided in turn 4, bringing out the caution again on lap 43. With 7 to go at the restart, Metzger took off with Rogers, Jr. right on his bumper, but Metzger’s unsponsored #23 managed to hold him off until the end, and take his first victory in almost 3 years. Rogers, Jr., Wholey, Hayes and Oxee rounded out the top 5.
Now it was the Mighty Modifieds turn, with Dave Brigati and Dave Sapienza on the front row. When the green flew, so did Brigati, into the lead as Sapienza tucked in behind him, while Justin Bonsignore, John Fortin and JR Bertuccio followed. Brigati quickly built himself a 5 car length lead over Sapienza by lap 7, but Fortin got by Sapienza for 2nd on lap 9, and started closing in on Brigati, as Bertuccio tried to get by Bonsignore, but Bonsignore deftly held him off. By lap 13, Fortin was within a car length of Brigati, and they are over 8 car lengths ahead of 3rd place Sapienza. Chuck Steuer, meanwhile, has gotten past a fading Bertuccio for 5th, as lapped cars become an issue for the two frontrunners. On lap 23, Sean Paterson and Dave Roys spin together in turn 2, and caution flies. On the restart, Brigati takes off once more, with Fortin keeping pace right behind him, as Bonsignore tries to get by Sapienza, but slips a bit, allowing Steuer to takeover 4th spot. Brigati and Fortin were puling away from the rest once more, as Bobby Gardner passes the fading Bertuccio for 6th spot on lap 31, just before Bertuccio spun off turn 4 and came to a stop with a flat. On the restart, Brigati took off once more with Fortin in tow, as Steuer made a move to pass Sapienza for 3rd, with Bonsignore following too, dropping Sapienza to 5th. Brigati’s 98x WPW Growers managed to hold Fortin off to take the win, as Fortin, Steuer, Bonsignore and Sapienza round out the top 5.
The last feature of the night came next, as the Figure-8’s took to the track, with Tom Ferrara on the pole, and his teammate, Tom Graff, on the outside. Ferrara took the lead at the start, as Mike Mujsce passes Graff for 2nd, while Graff did battle with Carl Baxter for 3rd, a battle Baxter won, also allowing Roger Maynor to move up to 4th. Caution flew on lap 6, not sure why, and on the restart, Ferrara led once more, as Baxter got by Mujsce for 2nd, with Mujsce battling back before the completion of a lap to take the spot back, leaving Baxter to contend with Maynor again for 3rd. On lap 9, Mujsce spun at the X after contact, but quickly recovered and rejoined the field, as Baxter once again ran 2nd, with Maynor and Kenny Hyde left to fight over 3rd spot, while Graff and Tom Kraft battled for 5th. Kraft got that spot on lap 12, as Ferrara continued to hold the lead, as Maynor took over sole possession of 2nd from Baxter, but yellow flew on lap 15 as Graff and Ralph Tasso collided in turn1. On the restart, Ferrara had his mirror full of Maynor, but masterfully drove around the figure-8 course for the last 5 laps of the race to hold Maynor off, as Ferrara’s De Martino Enterprises 0x took the win, with Maynor, Baxter, Hyde and Kraft rounding out the top 5.
News and notes: It was announced that ‘Master Spotter’ Freddie Kraft, will be joining Michael Waltrip Motorsports as a spotter on dates he has free this season before moving permanently to NC in 2009 to work there full time as a spotter. Congrats to you, Freddie, good luck, we hope they give you someone to spot for that understands ‘Northern‘... Dave Brigati expressed his thanks to John Fortin for all the respect Fortin showed him in the Mod feature, and said Fortin can expect the same from him (Brigati) for the rest of the season… “Showtime” Jimmy Blewett entered on an off night from the WMT. Always nice to see Jimmy visit Riverhead and add his particular brand of excitement to the show… Sean Paterson made his Riverhead Debut in his newly acquired WMT modified. Nice to have him back, if only once in a while… Erin Dumicich getting very close to that 1st SPT victory with a very impressive run last night… A light sprinkle of rain fell about 10 minutes after the last race, but overall, the evening wasn’t too bad weather wise, at least for those who dressed for it… Artie Pedersen would like to thank John Matlach of Matlach Fabrications for all his help in setting up Artie’s Late Model. Artie’s 8th place finish in the feature made him quite happy…
That’s it for this week, until next week, live well and be safe.
Walter Johnston may be contacted at wizgrand@gmail.com.
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