Cabral Adds Seekonk To Win List
Seekonk, MA – Coming from the eighth starting spot, Randy Cabral needed only two laps to take the lead and then go on to win the 25-lap Northeastern Midget Association feature Wednesday night at Seekonk Speedway. It was the third win of the season in four starts for Cabral and car owner Tim Bertrand.
Nokie Fornoro’s restart challenge on lap 16 was the only threat for Cabral who moved into sole possession of seventh place on NEMA’s all-time win list with 24.
Fornoro (Jarret 4) was second followed by Adam Cantor (Cantor 7ny), Russ Stoehr (Angelillo 45) and Chris DeRitis (Power Point 99).
Back-to-back cautions on laps 15 and 16 erased a commanding Cabral advantage.
Fornoro, battling a damaged race car (the result of a crash in warm-ups), lined up behind Cabral on the first. He quickly assumed second on the green.
A lap and a half of side-by-side racing followed the second restart.
“My only choice was to hold him down, keep his RPM down,” said Fornoro. “I kept him pinned for a couple laps but I knew I was way too free to continue.”
“I kept hearing Nokie and then I didn’t hear him anymore,” said Cabral. “I didn’t know where he was. It’s never easy with Nokie in there.”
Fornoro explained “I had to slow a little bit to cool down my right rear.” Cabral’s fastest lap of the race – an 11.359 – came on 18 as he began to pull away again.
Cabral immediately went to the outside on the initial green. Heading into turn three, he went high and DeRitis low passing first-lap leader Chris Leonard. “I saw it and I went for it,” said Cabral who went DeRitis exiting one.
Cabral moved past Bobby Seymour on the all-time win list. “Yeah, I pay attention to that,” he said. “Bobby is another guy I grew up watching win races.”
It was the fourth straight top-five for Cantor who won the first head and blamed himself “for not leaving well enough alone” in the future. “We’ll take it and keep on improving.”
Fornoro was “happy as hell” with second after another heroic effort by his crew. A broken axle sent him into the wall in warm-ups. The crew re-did the rear end and “compensated as best they could” for a bent front end. His best lap – an 11.504, came on 22.
it was the best finish yet for rookie DeRitis who battled Russ Stoehr over the final laps.
NEMA returns to action Saturday night July 25th at Waterford Speedbowl’s Nostalgia Weekend.
RESULTS: 1. Randy Cabral, 2. Nokie Fornoro, 3. Adam Cantor, 4. Russ Stoehr, 5. Chris DeRitis, 6. Jim Miller, 7. Abby Martino, 8. Jake Stergois, 9. Anthony Nocella, 10. Eddie LeClerc Jr., 11. Paul Luggelle, 12. Lee Bundy, 13. Greg Stoehr, 14. Erica Santos, 15. Chris Leonard, 16. Paul Scally, 17. William Wall, 18. Jeff Horn. DNS-Joey Chick.
Sources: Pete Zanardi/NEMA PR