Cabral NEMA DAV Winner
Seekonk, MA – Even when Randy Cabral’s luck has been bad this year, it’s turned out good. “It’s been that kind of year for me,” offered Cabral after capturing his seventh Northeastern Midget Association victory of the season Sunday at Seekonk Speedway’s D. Anthony Venditti Memorial.
Coming from 12th, Cabral (Bertrand 47) passed Greg Stoehr (Stoehr 26b) in traffic in turn one on lap 21. He went on to beat a closing Jeff Abold (Seymour 29), putting a positive luster on what began otherwise.
The car broke a lower drive shaft in Saturday’s qualifying. “It happened going down the backstretch on the last lap and I coasted over the finish line,” explained Cabral. “That was the difference between winning and not winning. If I didn’t finish sixth I wouldn’t have started 12th. Further back, I don’t know if I could have done it. If it had been a one-day show, we would not have run.”
When Stoehr passed early leader Doug Cleveland five laps in, Cabral was third. A lap later he was challenging and when the nly caution showed eight laps in, Stoehr and Cabral were almost a straightaway ahead of the battle for third between Bobby Santos III and Joey Payne Jr.
Stoehr got the jump on the green with Stoehr following. Abold quickly moved into third.
“Greg and I were in traffic,” Cabral explained the pass. “I went in pretty deep and I got the car a little sideways. We bumped a little bit. He got into my nerf bar. It was good hard racing.”
Stoehr was not aware they hit. He was “compensating for a badly loose racecar” which after “five or six laps did us in.” Abold, who came from 11th, passed Stoehr with two left. The leaders ran in traffic for the last 14 laps.
Bobby Santos III and William Wall completed the top five. Nokie Fornoro, Adam Cantor, Chris Leonard and Erica Santos were sixth through tenth. Fornoro, Cantor and Erica Santos had the last three starting spots.
Cabral’s Saturday was made worse when teammate Jeremy Frankoski suffered a bruised lung and a concussion in a Saturday crash. He was taken to Rhode Island Hospital in nearby Providence but was on hand Sunday.
“I really wanted to win for [owner] Tim Bertrand,” said Cabral, pointing out “the car was junk on Saturday and Tim thought about it all night. We made two more changes before the race. He found what we needed.”
Jesse State won the 25-lap NEMA Lites race on Saturday night. State beat Jake Stergios and Shaun Gosselin.
NEMA continues its traditional season ending with a spot in this weekend’s World Series at Thompson Speedway.
NOTES: Stoehr’s quick lap on Sunday (11.242) was off the high 10s he and Abold posted on Saturday winning the heats. Wall’s crew chief Bobby Seymour believes NEMA following the True Value Modifieds (also a Hoosier division) on Saturday was a key factor…NEMA honored five-time champion Dave Humphrey, a recent inductee into the National Midget Hall of Fame…Steve Grand started the feature from the track.
RESULTS: 1. Randy Cabral, 2. Jeff Abold, 3. Greg Stoehr, 4. Bobby Santos III, 5. William Wall, 6. Nokie Fornoro. 7. Adam Cantor, 8. Chris Leonard, 9. Joey Payne, 10. Erica Santos, 11. Doug Cleveland, 12. Mike Horn, 13. Aaron Wall, 14. Abby Martino, 15. Jim Miller, 16. Howie Bumpus, 17. John Zych Jr., 18. Barry Kittredge, 19. Matt O’Brien, 20. Brian Cleveland, 21. Lee Bundy, 22. Paul Luggelle, 23. Paul Scalley.
LITES: 1, Jesse State, 2. Jake Stergios, 3. Shaun Gosselin, 4. Stephanie Doty, 5. Shawn Torrey, 6. Anthony Marvuglio, 7. Russ Wood Jr., 8. Matt Bettencourt, 9. Paul Luggelle, 10. Chris Haskell.
Sources: Pete Zanardi/NEMA PR