NEMA Set For Thunder Road
Brockton, MA — “The fourth turn wall,” is Greg Stoehr’s quick response to inquiries of his memories of Vermont’s Thunder Road Speedbowl. Stoehr, a winner there in 1992, leads the Northeastern Midget Association back to the banked quarter mile Sunday, June 19.
The NEMA Lites will face the famed “widow maker” as well.
“The wall just sort of lays out there,” continues Stoehr, one of the few NEMA competitors with Thunder Road experience. ”Coming out of four will make a lot of difference. You’ve got to be careful.”
While he agrees, promoter Tom Curley predicts a great show. “Thunder Road is perfectly suited for them,” offers Curley, pointing out the facility was built with Midgets in mind back in 1959. He remembers well the early 1960s NEMA visits with the likes of Joe Csiki, Billy Randall, Len Thrall. “Those guys were wild,” he says.
Stoehr points out Csiki’s one-lap record survived challenges in ’91 and ’92. It does not surprise Curley who expects Sunday’s top times will be in the “very low 12s.” NEMA, he predicts, will be “very fast.”
Stoehr and brother Russ are among the few who have raced at Thunder Road before. Jim Miller, now a driver, was Greg Stoehr’s car owner back in ’92. Keith Botelho is another veteran. Randy Cabral, Jeremy Frankoski, Jeff Abold, Chris Leonard, John Zych Jr. and Mike Horn are among those making their TR debut.
Horn’s dad Jeff was a Thunder Road winner back in 1991.
Two-time winner Anthony Nocella looms the favorite as the Lites face perhaps their biggest challenge yet. Other contenders include Andy Barrows, Anthony Marvuglio, Carl Medeiros, Ryan Bigelow, Cabral, Russ Wood along with rookies Brandon Igo and Seth Carlson.
“You can’t compare Thunder Road to any other track,” Greg Stoehr says. “You just got to go out and get the feel it.” He does, however, recall “it’s got that old track feel to it. The fans are great, appreciative. You feel like you’re part of something big.”
It is, after all, Thunder Road. “We’ve been looking forward to this for a while now,” offers Cabral.
Sources: Pete Zanardi/NEMA PR