NEMA Moves On To Waterford Speedbowl
Brockton, MA — With four different winners in seven races, one of the most competitive seasons in recent Northeastern Midget Association memory returns to Waterford Speedbowl Saturday night. NEMA will be part of the ‘Bowl’s Wheels & Wings program.
Jeff Abold, so impressive in last Saturday’s Boston Louie Memorial, joins defending champion Randy Cabral (3), Nokie Fornoro (2) and Adam Cantor (1) on the win list. The latter three are battling for the point lead as well.
Cantor won the last visit to the Speedbowl but only after Fornoro, who was running laps in the 13.1s, ran out of gas on the last lap. Cabral, the all-time NEMA winner at the Speedbowl with eight, crashed. “The place can be perplexing,” says Fornoro.
Tim Bertrand, Cabral’s owner, agrees. Despite all the success, the 47 team will “start from scratch” this week from a setup perspective. The tracks, Bertrand says, are changing putting old setups out of vogue.
The fastest “short track” on the schedule, the Midgets hit speeds in excess of 105 on the straight aways. Abold’s owner Bobby Seymour, who has five Waterford wins as a driver, calls it a near perfect track combining length, width and surface.
In addition to Cantor, the 42nd NEMA winner at the ‘Bowl going back to 1953, and Cabral, Fornoro, Russ and Greg Stoehr, Jeff Horn and Jim Miller have won at Waterford. “You have to come to the Speedbowl prepared,” says Russ Stoehr. “Everybody runs their best there.”
Still, a number of drivers scored their first-ever NEMA win at the Speedbowl including current USAC hot shoe Bobby Santos III. Second year drivers John Zych Jr. and William Wall and rookie Chris DeRitis are all possibilities to join that list. All three have had impressive runs this year, Wall coming to the ‘Bowl off a fourth at Seekonk last week.
NEMA will join ISMA, the True Value Modified Series and the Speedbowl SK-Modifieds on the Wings & Wheels program.
NEMA NUGGETS –
- Last year Randy Cabral came to Waterford after winning The Boston Louie and won. Only one other time has a driver followed up a “Louie” success with another win. Russ Stoehr did it way back in 1997.
- NEMA continues to get quicker. Jeff Abold’s fastest lap at the Boston Louie was an incredible 11.007.
- While Adam Cantor’s streak of top-fives ran out at Seekonk, his fourth-place average finish is the best among the drivers who have made all seven starts. Cabral shows a 4.2 average finish.
- Following his second at the Louie in the Bertrand 74, Cole Carter says he enjoyed driving with wings (USAC does not use them), crediting it with “allowing for a lot of side-by-side racing.” Tim Bertrand reports there is a chance Cole will return to race at Thompson and Lee later in the season.
- Steve Grant continues to sing the praises of the Lites. After only a single caution at Monadnock, “the kids” went 29 non stop laps at The Louie.
- Some of the names in the Lites rattle the memory – just for starters: Mikitarian (Joe), Hart (Rick), Wood (Russ Jr.) and Muldoon (Mike).
Sources: Pete Zanardi/NEMA PR