NEMA Returns to Monadnock
Winchester, NH — President Mike Scrivani Jr. recalls vividly “asking the fans to please sit down” when the Northeastern Midget Association returned to Monadnock Speedway last summer. NEMA had not raced on the trick quarter mile for 10 years.
“The people couldn’t believe how fast we were,” Scrivani says. “They had us at 105 mph. The people were so excited they were standing up and we had to ask them to sit down so the scorers and the announcers could see.”
Saturday night will be the second of the season and 25th overall Monadnock visit for NEMA. Joey Payne Jr. was the winner earlier this year. Greg Stoher was the winner last summer.
“It is a drivers’ track, a place for the veterans,” continues Scrivani, pointing to the track’s “totally different ends.” It takes “some adjusting,” he adds. Nokie Fornoro won for Scrivani on the way to the championship way back in 1981.
Monadnock’s NEMA history begins with Dave Humphrey’s win for John McCarthy on July 9, 1972. Payne gave Gene Angelillo his 12th Monadnock win, 11 of them coming with Drew Fornoro.
NEMA heads into the weekend with four winners in seven races – point leader Randy Cabral has four, Bobby Santos two and Payne and 19-year old Jeff Abold one apiece. It kicks off a busy stretch drive, the club active the next four Saturday nights, Aug. 2 and Aug. 16 at Waterford Speedbowl flanking Seekonk’s Boston Louie on Aug. 9.
“Things are good, very good,” insists Scrivani pointing to the 44 cars the last time out at Seekonk – 17 of them NEMA Lite entries. “We’ve got a lot of cars, lots of very good equipment and lots of races. Everybody is excited.”
Cabral, who has yet to finish worse than second, cautions he’s taking nothing for granted. While he won four times, he has lost the lead twice. “It is not smart to start believing nobody else has anything for me,” he said after running second to Abold at Seekonk.
Fornoro, Jeremy Frankoski, Erica Santos, Lou Cicconi Jr. and Jeff Horn are all legitimate contenders every time NEMA runs.
NOTES – Following the Tuesday night victory at Seekonk, Bobby Seymour had plenty of accolades for Abold: “He’s got a lot of talent; he is good on restarts and he has a good teacher in [his father] Pat,” said Seymour. Will the team win again? “We’ve got a good combination, just like [Randy] Cabral and the Bertrands,” he answers. “That’s what its all about, the whole package.” … Cabral and the Bertrand #47 is clearly the target. Both Bobby Santos (at Stafford) and Abold made special mention of beating Cabral in Victory Lane … Jeff Horn and Joey Payne remain at the 19 career win mark … Last year Jeremy Frankoski was the first rookie to win a feature in several years. Abold’s win gave the club two in as many years.
Sources:Pete Zanardi/NEMA PR