NEMA Point Battle Moves To Seekonk
Sixteen points separate point leader Ben Seitz, seeking an unprecedented fourth straight drivers title, and Joey Payne Jr. as the Northeastern Midget Association returns to Seekonk Speedway Oct. 6-7 for the D.Anthony Venditti Memorial.
“It’s all about pressure,” says Seitz, a winner earlier this year at Seekonk. “It’s all about how good you do in the garage and on the track.” NEMA’s best get around the quarter mile in the low 11 seconds bracket.
It will be the fourth Seekonk visit this year for NEMA. Lou Cicconi Jr., part of the super successful Bertrand team, will be looking to become the first driver to win three Seekonk features in a single season.
NEMA will qualify on Saturday. Sunday’s 25-lap feature is second on the list of four features, the racing beginning a 1 PM.
Seekonk hosted the first-ever NEMA race on Memorial Day of 1953, Fred Meeker scoring the win. Since then there have been 34 NEMA winners in 68 races at Seekonk. Nokie Fornoro tops the list with eight victories. Also on the list are active competitors Randy Cabral (3), Cicconi (3), Jeff Horn (3), Seitz (3), Greg Stoehr (3) (1) and Payne (1).
Modified standout Ted Christopher will be in the Santos 98s.
Both Payne and Seitz come into the race off disappointing finishes two weeks ago at Waterford Speedbowl. Payne’s Dumo’s Desire team has made an engine change, moving to an Esslinger. “It will be the maiden voyage for the Esslinger,” said Payne who lost an engine while running third at the Speedbowl.
Seitz had a crash at the ‘Bowl. “You never know how the car is going to come back,” he says. “There was no visible damage and up to the that point we were running well.”
Two of the last three years the NEMA points battle has come down to Seitz and Payne. “We’ve been here before,” offers Payne.
The point race, says Seitz “is always in the back of your mind. You always keep on your eye on where you are and where others are.” Payne’s view is even more basic: “We have to get out of there with a victory.”
Payne says Seekonk “is atough place to set up for because you are always turning. You have to make the right rear left last. You are always on the right rear.”Seitz sees the historic ovalas a “fun place”
if the car is dialed in.” If it isn’t, he ways, “there’s not a lot you can do.”
Sources: Pete Zanardi/Waterford Speedbowl PR