NEMA’s Bigelow Boys Now A Threesome

By admin June 1, 2012 NEMA Lites, Star

Brockton, MA — The Northeastern Midget Association’s Bigelow Brothers team is now three strong. Scott will join siblings Ryan and Paul Saturday June 2 night when NEMA’s Lites division visits Star Speedway.

Ryan, 21, who brings back-to-back top-fives to Star including a victory at Waterford, and Paul, 35, are Lites veterans. Scott, 33, a one-time stock car regular at Riverside Park and Stafford Speedways, returns to the cockpit after a long layoff.

It is the first of two-straight “stand alone” shows for the Lites. Now in their fifth season, the Lites visit Lee USA Speedway on Friday night, June 8. Paul was the winner the last time the Lites visited Lee.

Paul, who actually followed his younger brother into the sport, and Ryan, who began as a Go Karter, came to the Lites five races into the 2010 season after several seasons at Whip City. “Moving from dirt to asphalt was a big learning curve,” says Ryan, pointing out “we probably wouldn’t have been able to do it without the Lites division.”

Ryan’s win at Waterford’s Blast Off followed 2010 checkereds at the Speedbowl and at Seekonk. The latter two were part of nine top 10s in 2011 including four podiums for the East Hampton, CT resident. Paul’s victory at Lee was one of three top five finishes.

The learning process continues. Very few of the Lites drivers have raced at Star. “It will be totally different,” says Ryan, “but racing on a track for the first time has not been all that unique for us. Even Scott has never raced at Lee.”

Owned by dad Randy, Ryan and Paul are in Honda-powered Hawks, numbered 13 and 31respectively. Scott will drive the 33B Focus-powered Hawk. The green and white paint scheme is easy to identify.

“I’ve had 13 for a while,” said Ryan, an electrician. “Paul just decided to turn the numbers around.”

The division, insists Ryan, “is doing what it is suppose to do” – provide an economically reasonable route into Midget racing. The plans are for Ryan and Paul to move up to the full midgets, “hopefully next year,” says the optimistic Ryan. “That’s why we are running Honda engines. The Honda engine can be upgraded.”

Brandon Igo, the Diamond Anniversary winner at Waterford, leads an impressive group to Star including Anthony Nocella and Ian Cumens in the Seymour cars, cousins Avery and Bethany Stoehr, Carl Medeiros Jr., Kenny Johnson, Christian Briggs and James Santa Maria. 

Sources: Pete Zanardi/NEMA PR