NEMA Opens Campaign At Thompson Icebreaker

By admin February 15, 2008

Thompson Speedway has long represented the top of the mountain in Midget racing. At  least six drivers will be looking to get back there when the Northeastern Midget Association opens its 56th season April 5-6 at the historic oval’s season-opening Icebreaker.

It is the busiest schedule in 20 years for NEMA which will race 19 times at eight tracks.

Randy Cabral tops the list of active drivers, last year’s World Series triumph his fifth career checkered at Thompson.   Also on the list are Nokie Fornoro ((4), defending champion Ben Seitz  (3) Bobby Santos (3), Greg Stoehr (1) and Joey Payne (1).

Thompson is clearly the fastest of the eight tracks on schedule. And, as defending champion Ben Seitz points out, it is getting faster. That is the case for all the tracks NEMA will visit – Waterford, Seekonk, Monadnock, Lee USA, Stafford, All-Star and Twin-State in addition to Thompson.

Seitz made his NEMA debut at the 2002 Icebreaker when Ryan Dolan turned a then record 18.20 seconds lap on the way to the checkered. “On Saturday of last year’s World Series Bobby Santos III and I ran laps of 17.796 and 17.834 respectively,” Seitz says. “That’s almost a half-second faster in just six years.”

Fornoro has won at every track on the 2008 agenda except All Star and Twin State.  The top gun at Seekonk (7 wins), the 30-year plus veteran has also conquered Waterford (4), Stafford (2), Lee (2) and Monadnock (1).  Nokie’s last win came last year (Aug. 4) at Waterford.

Seitz has missed only Monadnock and Claremont, picking up wins at Waterford (4), Seekonk (3), Stafford (2), All-Star (1) and Lee (1) as well as Thompson over the past four years. Payne has won at six of the tracks and Horn at five.

“It’s been said a lot of times but there are not a lot of secrets left in NEMA,” offers Payne. “You show up ready to run full out. That includes heats as well. The fields are so competitive, the equipment so good, you take nothing for granted and that includes qualifying.”

It is probable there will be at least nine one-time Waterford winners when NEMA makes the first of four visits at the April 12-13 Modified Nationals. Cabral, Fornoro, Santos and Seitz, each with four, top the Speedbowl active drivers win list. It also includes Payne, Pete Pernesiglio, Lou Cicconi Jr., Horn and Barry Kittredge.

Seitz’s first Midget win came in the 2004 Waterford Nationals. “I remember  we ran race laps somewhere between 13.4 and 13.6,” he says. “Now, if you are not running 13.2, maybe even 13.1, you are not going to win at Waterford, not even starting on the pole.”

Wins by active drivers at tracks on NEMA’s 2008 schedule:

All-Star: Nokie Fornoro (9), Joey Payne Jr. (8), Jeff Horn (6), Randy Cabral (1), Adam Cantor (1),  Pete Pernesiglio (1), Ben Seitz (1)

Lee: Horn (3), Fornoro (2),  Payne. (1), Seitz (1)

Monadnock: N. Fornoro (1)

Seekonk: N. Fornoro (7), Cabral (3), Lou Cicconi Jr.  (3), Horn (3), Seitz (3), Greg Stoehr (3), Payne (2), Bobby Santos III (1)

Stafford: N. Fornoro (2), Seitz (2), Horn (1), B. Santos III (2), Erica Santos (1)

Thompson: Cabral (5),  N. Fornoro (4), Seitz (3),  Payne. (1), B. Santos (1), G. Stoehr (1).

Waterford: Cabral (4), N. Fornoro (4), B.  Santos (4), Seitz (4), Payne. (3), Cicconi (1),  Horn (1), Barry Kittredge (1),   Pernesiglio (1)

Sources: Pete Zanardi/NEMA PR

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