Medeiros Leads NEMA Lites to Star Saturday Night
EPPING, NH — Fresh off a runner-up finish at Waterford last month, Carl Medeiros, Jr. carries momentum into Saturday night’s NEMA Lites feature at Star Speedway. “Yeah, the guys have been talking about this since Waterford,” said Medeiros. “Waterford isn’t our strongest track, considering I have the most laps there other than Seekonk, we really should be in good shape going into Star. We have our “3 in-a-row” set up in the car and that’s what was in it at Waterford.”
The Westport, MA native won four races last season, including three consecutive between Lee and Star. Medeiros tied the series records for most wins in a season (Jesse State and Anthony Nocella) and consecutive wins (2008-Jesse State). “It was an honor to get 4 in a season,” said Medeiros. “(I) never thought it was possible. Trying new things all year kept us ahead of the curve.”
Sponsors of the Medeiros #50 Stealth-Focus are Henry’s Diesel Performance, Nu-Way Auto, Just Your Way Screen Printing, and SMG Motoring.
Since it opened in 1967, Star has hosted more NEMA Midget races than any other venue. Lee and Star are core tracks for the NEMA Lites this season, as they account for eight of the 17 races. Medeiros described the tricky ¼ mile. “It’s all about getting in and getting out (of) 1 and 2. You have to carry as much speed as you can and hit your marks going down into three. Luckily Star has multiple grooves, which makes it quite racy when the sun goes down.”
2013 marks the first season for the NEMA Lites to declare a points champion. “This is going to be a crucial next 5 races,” said Medeiros. “We really need to bang out some top-5 finishes; just have to take what we can get and try to remember that we are running for points and consistency is key when running for points.”
While Medeiros predicted some contenders for Star, he was uncertain about the upcoming title hunt.
“(Avery) Stoehr will be a contender,” said Medeiros. “He is always there at the end. (Brandon) Igo will be fast as usual. (Danny) Cugini should be good. I don’t know how far Waterford will set him back. (Christian) Briggs will be fast. I think they worked the kinks out last year and to be very honest, any one of the drivers that run every race will have a shot at the title this year. The cars are very close. Whoever wins the championship this year will need a fast and consistent car, a dedicated team and some luck.”
Randy Cabral, winner at Waterford and the most recent race at Star, will not attend on Saturday. “I don’t think so,” said Cabral. “I couldn’t get my car dynoed for tech. I sent an email to ask about it and never heard back so I’m not going to spend the money to go there not to race. I’ll be in New York at Glen Ridge on Friday night.”
Star Speedway is located on Route 27 in Epping, NH. Joining the event card will be the EKeys Mods, Allen’s Outlaws, Woodys Strictlys, 6Shooters, and NELCAR Legends. Qualifying gets underway at 6:06 PM.
Sources: Nicholas Teto/YankeeRacer.com