Cabral, Bertrand Rule NEMA – Again
Brockton, MA – Finishing with three wins and a second, Randy Cabral and owner Tim Bertrand captured the 2012 Northeastern Midget Association championships going away. Cabral/Bertrand, with four, was the only multiple winner in a campaign, NEMA’s 60th, that saw 11 different winners visit victory lane.
There were 10 different winners before Cabral became the first “two-timer” at Maine’s Beech Ridge Speedway on Sept. 16. From that point, Cabral drove the Bertrand #47 to a second at Waterford Speedbowl’s Finale and then to victories at Thompson Speedway’s World Series and Lee USA Speedway’s Ocktoberfest.
It was the second straight championships and the fourth in five seasons for Cabral and Bertrand who finished 166 points in front of Russ Stoehr and the Dumo’s Desire #45, the latter in the runner-up spot for the second straight season.
Veteran Jim Miller, a winner at Oswego, rode a runner-up finish at Ocktoberfest to finish third, the top owner-driver. It was one of the most popular wins of the season.
John Zych Jr. (Waterford), Greg Stoehr (Waterford), Mike Horn (Stafford) and Adam Cantor (Lee) were winners before Cabral won his first of the season at Star Speedway on July 21. Rookie Seth Carlson (Seekonk), Anthony Marvuglio (Waterford), Jim Miller (Oswego) and Todd Bertrand (Waterford) were winners before Cabral finally ended the steak.
Russ Stoehr was winner number 11 at Waterford before Cabral doubled out. Stoehr finished with 12 top fives including seconds at Oswego and Thompson. Getting caught up in an early crash at Ocktoberfest was a factor in the Cabral/Bertrand final bulge.
“I was absolutely amazed that we were able to win four races,” said Bertrand. “There was a point where I would have been satisfied if we won just one. I think the club has really figured out an extremely well balanced rules package. At every race, the top 10 cars are within two-to-three tenths of each other.
“Even at the big tracks,” Bertrand continued, “the team who figures out the setup best usually wins.” He pointed to Glen Cabral’s efforts in rebuilding the car after Stafford but said a decision to go back to 2008 set ups over the final six races was, in the final reckoning, the difference. “We never stop thinking about the car,” Bertrand added.
“This championship is a credit to the crew” insists Cabral, who was out of the top 10 only once, that an eleventh after a crash at Stafford. “I didn’t do anything spectacular. I just drove the car. The crew made it very easy for me.” Since coming together a dozen years ago, Cabral has won 28 times in Bertrand equipment.
Zych gets special mention from Cabral, pointing out weather and business commitments shortened his season to nine starts. He was in the top five six times.
Rookies Jim Santa Maria and Carlson were 10th and 11th in the final driver rundown.
FINAL STANDINGS
OWNERS:
1. Tim Bertrand #47, 2040; 2. Dumo’s Desire #45, 1874; 3. Jim Miller #3m, 1650; 4. Jeff Horn #93x, 1465; 5. Greg Stoehr #26b, 1454; 6. Paul Scally #30, 1318; 7. John Zych Sr. #9, 1293; 8. Tammy Boubeau #38, 1,230; 9. Susan Saint Maria #99, 1,170; 10. Ed Breault #44, 1,142; 11. Bertrand Motorsports #39, 1,101; 12. Lee Bundy #2, 1.059; 13. Gene Feigel #71, 1001; 14. Bobby Seymour #4, 977; 15. Allan Cantor #33, 917.
DRIVERS
1. Randy Cabral, 2040; 2. Russ Stoehr, 1874; 3. Jim Miller, 1650; 4. Greg Stoehr, 1642; 5. Mike Horn, 1465; 6. Todd Bertrand, 1410; 7. Paul Scally, 1318; 8. John Zych Jr., 1293; 9. Anthony Marvuglio, 1230; 10. Jim Santa Maria, 1,170; 11. Seth Carlson, 1095; 12. Jeff Horn, 942; 13. Lee Bundy, 896; 14. Anthony Nocella, 819; 15. Adam Cantor, 802.
Sources: Pete Zanardi/NEMA PR