Doug Coby, driving the Wayne Darling-owned Furnace and Duct modified, dominated the front of the Open Wheel Wednesday modified event, sharing the lead with only Todd Annarummo i9n the hundred-lap feature. They shared the front row for the start, and Annarummo leapt to the lead with Coby on his bumper. Three lead-changes later, Coby roared home for the $10,000 grand prize, just ahead of Les Hinckley with Annarummo, Matt Hirschman and Anthony Nocella in pursuit.
Hinckley had started fifth and worked his way toward the front, holding third from laps 28 through 81.
Annarummo took his lead and ran 26 laps at the front with Coby in pursuit. Coby made an early, outside bid on lap 5, but Rob Richardi and Kevin Iannarelli got together in turn one. It was the end of Richardi’s evening as the field relined for the green.
They went door to door at the front and Coby bid on the outside for the front, but Annarummo held him off. Lap seven saw another bid on the outside and then Coby dropped under for the pass, only to have the door slammed in his face.
Hinckley bid into fifth place on lap fifteen and nabbed onto Tommy Barrett’s bumper. Another lap and Barrett had been deprived of fourth. By lap 18, Annarummo was leading Coby, who was on his bumper, Todd Ceravolo, and Hinckley.
Eric Berndt looped out of turn 3 to bring out caution. Annarummo and Coby lined up again with Ceravolo and Hinckley at their backs. At the green, they were wheel-to- wheel, hacksawing the lead down the backstretch and door-to-door as they came to the stripe again. Coby gained the lead out of turn two and by lap 27, he had the front to himself with Annarummo behind him. Hinckley had come around Ceravolo for third. This trio would dominate the front three positions through the end of the feature.
Lap 60 saw Annarummo again run to the front past Coby for another long sprint in the lead. Coby fell in between Annarummo and Hinckley, who was marking time, waiting for an opportunity.
Matt Hirschman, who had started twelfth, spent the middle part of the race working through to sixth on lap 71, behind Ceravolo and Barrett. He was past Barret on lap 71 and Anthony Nocella on lap 76.
Annarummo’s tires had taken a punishing over the stages of the race and Coby moved in. In heavy, lapped traffic, Coby again edged past into the lead on lap 80. Hinckley moved him to third a lap later. On the same circuit, Hirschman eased Ceravolo back to fifth. With 20 laps remaining, top four finishers had been established. Hinckley pursued Coby relentlessly, but was unable to get to the lead.
Nocella managed to push past Ceravolo into fifth.
Coby earned a .679 second victory over Hinckley at the stripe. Ceravolo’s lap of 12.175 was best on the evening, with Annarummo followi9ng close with 12.183 to Coby’s 12.185.
Rounding out the top ten were: Nocella, Jimmy Zacharias, Steve Masse, Ceravolo, Barrett and Jon McKennedy.
1) Doug Coby 2) Les Hinckley 3) Todd Annarummo 4) Matt Hirschman 5) Anthony Nocella 6) Jimmy Zacharias 7) Steve Masse 8) Todd Ceravolo 9) Tommy Barrett 10) Jon McKennedy 11) Jeff Rocco 12) Eric Berndt 13) Todd Patnode 14) Rob Summers 15) Kevin Iannarelli 16) Dick Houlihan 17) Todd Baer 18) Coby Fournier 19) Jim Dolan 20) Rob Richardi
“Dangerous Paul” Scally rocketed away from the pole with Jim Santamaria dogfighting him through the first turn. But “Liquid Lou” Cicconi dived down from his outside spot on the second row, going under Scally in turn two. There was momentary contact and Scally, Santamaria and Todd Bertrand piled into each other and were eliminated before a lap could be completed, while a great deal of speedy dry was laid down.
Cabral set on the pole for the restart with Cicconi on his shoulder, Jim Chambers and Seth Carlson in the second row and Greg Stoehr and Doug Coby behind them. Cabral ran directly to the front as the green dropped with Cicconi chasing. Chambers, Carlson, Stoehr and Coby followed in hot pursuit. Stoehr went under Carlson for third as several cars swerved in the spot where the speedy dry had been laid down.
The speedy Cabral had built a five-car lead on Cicconi by the fifth circuit; and they were a straightaway ahead of Chambers, Stoehr, Coby and John Zych. The field was stringing out into a pace line.
Lap ten saw Ian Cummins past Carlson for seventh. Cabral was encountering lapped traffic on lap 14, but Cicconi, ten cars back, could not take advantage.
Coby had spent laps seven through fourteen in fifth, but began to move forward, passing Chambers for fourth. By lap 20, Cicconi was still trying to run Cabral down with Coby on his tail followed by Stoehr and Cumens.
But Cumens’ night was over three laps later as his car went dead in turn three and he had to be pushed to the pits.
The restart had Cabral, Cicconi and Coby in the single-file restart. Cabral pulled at the front and Coby leapt underneath Cicconi to steal second, Stoehr and Chambers rocketing along behind them. Coby tried to get to Cabral, but had the door slammed in his face and Cabal continued to hold him off. He fell in line and Cabral eased out to a half-car margin through to the checkers, granting him eight NEMA wins at the old Cement Palace. Coby Cicconi and Stoehr chased him across.
Coby ran to an amazing top speed on the event with an 11.149-second pass around the oval. Cabral and Cicconi followed with hot laps of 11.256 and 11.268, respectively. Fifth through tenth went to: Chambers, Zych, Carlson, Bethany Stoehr
Greg Stoehr, and Pete Pernesiglio
1) Randy Cabral 2) Doug Coby 3) Lou Cicconi 4) Greg Stoehr 5) Jim Chambers 6) John Zych 7) Seth Carlson 8) Bethany Stoehr 9) Russ Stoehr 10) Pete Pernesiglio 11) Doug Cleveland 12) Ian Cumens 13) Joey Payne 14) Jim Santamaria 15) Paul Scally 16) Todd Bertrand
Joe Putnam picked up his first career win in the Nick’s Pit Stop Legends, surviving an attrition laced main event. Nick Lascoula had a commanding lead with just over five laps remaining, but smoke started to billow out from under his machine. As he crossed the line on lap 3o, the smoke got heavier, and fluid began pouring out of the rear end, causing a chain reaction that left only three cars on the speedway.
Once back under way, it wasn’t long before there was just one man standing, as Nick Ladyga and Joey Parker made contact, bringing out the final caution, and a red-checker to end the event. Joe Putnam, who had been running in the rear of the field, was declared the winner, as he was the last car without incident.
1) Joe Putnam 2) Nick Lascoula 3) Al Wisialko 4) Branden Martinez 5) Curt Snow 6) John Bellucci 7) Jesse Jakubajtys 8) Nick Ladyga 9) Joey Parker