By Lou Modestino
Waterford Speedbowl’s Finale, Oct. 5-6, begins the traditional “stretch run” for the Northeastern Midget Association. Point races take center stage as both NEMA and the NEMA Lites have places on Waterford’s two-day season-ender.
John Zych Jr., a four-time winner this season, will take a 17-point edge on four-time and defending champion Randy Cabral of Kingston in Sunday’s 25-lap feature. It is NEMA’s fourth visit to the Speedbowl this season.
The Lites point race – three-time winner Carl Mederios Jr. is 51 up on Marshfield’s Danny Cugini – could well be decided in Saturday’s 25-lap Lites feature. Both NEMA and the Lites will qualify on Saturday.
The Zych- Cabral battle has raged throughout the season. Both have won at Waterford in the past and both were runners-up there this season. Getting to the front as quickly as possible could well be the secret at a facility where 12-seconds laps are no longer a rarity. Anthony Marvuglio of East Bridgewater turned a 12.933 en route to winning the Hammond Memorial earlier this summer.
The owners battle between John Zych Sr. and Tim Bertrand is equally close. Bertrand cars, in fact, will be seeking a Waterford sweep – Todd Bertrand winning twice and Marvuglio once.
It does not stop with the top two. Positions three through fifth are still in question among Todd Bertrand, rookie Ian Cumens and Bridgewater ‘s Russ Stoehr, the latter hoping Waterford provides an avenue out of the doldrums for himself and the Dumo’s Desire team. Russ Stoehr and Cabral each have eight Speedbowl wins.
Seth Carlson and Bethany Stoehr of Bridgewater hope to prove their sterling performances at Owsego were not flukes. Lakeville’s Greg Stoehr, third at Oswego and Joey Payne will be looking for a return to Waterford’s victory lane. Rookie Jim Chambers and Raynham’s Paul Scally are among the other contenders at a track that has a history of first-time winners.
Waterford, which hosted the first-ever Lites race back in 2008, now plays a major role in determining the division’s first “count all the races” champion. Mederios, the biggest winner over the past two seasons, hopes to move closer to the crown while the ever-consistent Cugini aims to stay in contention.
Lakeville’s Avery Stoehr, who sits third in points seeks a second Waterford victory this season while rookie Richie Morocco hopes to follow up Oswego with a second triumph. Ian Cumens, doing double duty all year for the Seymour family, Brandon Igo and rookie Kevin Hutchens are other favorites.
The stretch drive will continue with Lee USA Speedway’s Oktoberfest on Oct. 12-13 and Thompson Speedway’s World Series Oct. 19-20. The Lites finish the season at Lee.
Waterford Speedbowl hosted the final
Saturday night racing program of the season before its big Finale Weekend of racing, putting seven race divisions in action on a seasonable late September evening.
Seven drivers captured wins on the night, four
more champions were unofficially crowned in the season long war. In
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series racing, Keith Rocco of Meriden unofficially captured his third track championship in the headline SK
Modified® division following his ninth win of the year. Rocco also won his fourth straight Bob Valenti Auto Mall Late Model division feature to
inch him closer to a 53-year old record.
Uncasville’s Phil Evans outdueled the competition for an entertaining victory in the night’s Street Stock race while Salem’s Corey Hutchings clinched the division championship. Ken Cassidy Jr. of Lisbon claimed his fifth Mini Stock championship in convincing fashion with his third straight victory.
In INEX racing, Dylan Izzo of Monroe won both the race and the division’s Saturday night series championship. Brad Voglesong of Middletown won the X-Car race and Dave Yardley of Berlin won the Super X-Car feature.
Stafford Motor Speedway kicked off its final race event of the 2013 season with feature events for its SK Light, Limited Late Model, and DARE Stock divisions, as well as a feature event for the N.E. Truck Series as part of the Saturday CARQUEST Fall Final Weekend festivities. In the SK Light Modifieds, Tony Membrino, Jr. won both the race and the track championship, David Arute won the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature but lost out on the track championship to Josh Wood, and Jeremy Lavoie won the 15-lap DARE Stock feature while Dave Secore survived an early race crash to clinch the championship. David Comeau won the 8-lap Paradiso-Muska DARE Stock Shoot-Out and Zach Sylvester won the 20-lap N.E. Truck Series feature.
The championship crown for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will be determined at Thompson’s World Series on Sunday, October 20th. After a season-long battle, the coveted championship has boiled down to a contest between defending champion Doug Coby and current point leader Ryan Preece. Preece has a 26 point advantage going into the Sunoco World Series of Speedway Racing presented by Xtra Mart.
Preece has seen his point advantage dwindle in the last two outings of the WMT. His efforts at Stafford’s Fall Final produced a 17th place finish and a 12th place finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Prior to those two races, Preece seemed destined for the title with four wins in the first 11 races.
Coby, who clinched the 2012 title at Thompson’s World Series, has not been far behind Preece all year long and the last two outings have proven to be a real boost to his efforts to repeat his championship status. In New Hampshire, Coby finished one spot behind Preece and secured a 2nd place finish at Stafford’s final.
Preece still has the upper hand, but a 26-point margin is not an insurmountable obstacle for Coby. The 150-lap race on World Series weekend will be the most important race of the season for both of these outstanding competitors.
The Sunoco World Series of Speedway Racing presented by Xtra Mart is the grand finale of racing in New England. Championships will be finalized in several of the 15 different divisions that will be in competition over the three-day race fest. Traditionally, championships are determined in the International Super Modified Association, North East Midget Association, Pro 4 Modifieds, and more.
Thompson’s World Series is a race fan’s dream weekend. It is three days (Friday, October 18, Saturday, October 19 and Sunday, October 20th) of non-stop, on-track racing with practice and qualifying on Friday and Saturday afternoons. The Saturday night portion of the World Series is a full card of feature event racing with a total of 10 main events scheduled. Topping the Saturday night lineup will be a 75-lap main event for the Valenti Modified Racing Series.
Sunday’s feature races will put the spotlight on Thompson’s Sunoco Modifieds, NEMA Midgets, ISMA’s Super Modifieds, Granite State Pro Stocks and will wrap up with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.
Following a three-week break, the Valenti Modified Racing Series season resumes this Saturday, October 5, with the running of the ‘D. Anthony Venditti Fall Classic 100’at historic Seekonk Speedway, Seekonk, Mass.
The Saturday afternoon race, once a two-day program, is the first of three remaining events to wrap up the 2013 campaign. With the VMRS celebrating its 10th anniversary, this weekend’s event is also the 10th annual race at Seekonk’s ‘Fall Classic.’
Leading the list of entries is 2004 winner Les Hinckley, of Windsor Locks, CT, who this year ran a light schedule following the passing of car-owner Chuck Montville in April.
Hinckley, the series second winningest driver, looks forward to a Seekonk return and remembers that inaugural race fondly.
“I remember it well,” Hinckley said recently. “It was a good one. I took the lead early and would hold on to it. But it was the pressure I got from Peter Daniels for what seemed like 80-laps is what I’ll never forget. He tried everything to get by me. A NASCAR champion out of Claremont Speedway and I’m this 30 year old driver fairly new to Modifieds and I held him off.” Dwight Jarvis, of Ascutney, VT, a 7th place finisher 10 years ago, is also an entry for Saturday.
Current point leader and reigning DAV winner Rowan Pennink, of Huntingdon Valley, PA, is a confirmed entry. Other former ‘Fall Classic’ winners entered are 2011 winner Mike Holdridge, of Madison, CT, 2010 victor Jon McKennedy, of E.Chelmsford, MA, and Chris Pasteryak, of Lisbon, CT, the 2008 winner.
Todd Annarummo, of Swansea, MA, Louie Mechalides, of Tyngsboro, MA, Tommy Barrett, of Millis, Ma, Max Zachem, of Preston, CT, Richard Savary, of Canton, MA, are all expected.
Qualifying races begin at 1 p.m. Also on the card are a Pro Stock and Late Model Open along with the Street Stocks and Sport Trucks.
At Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, NH, Easton’s Rob Richardi completed his perfect Monadnock season in the visiting Pro-4 Modifieds, sweeping all four events this summer on the high banks.