Russ Stoehr Wins Angelillo Memorial
Waterford, CT – Taking the lead on a restart with five remaining, Russ Stoehr, driving the Dumo’s Desire 45, put a fairytale ending on the Northeastern Midget Association’s 35-lap Angelillo Memorial Saturday night at Waterford Speedway. The late Marilyn and Gene Angelillo owned the team, now led by daughter Laura Kibbe, for over 30 years.
Stoehr, the fourth leader, snuck inside Erica Santos on the third restart with five laps remaining. It was the third win of the season and the 43rd career triumph for Stoehr who assumed the point lead as well. Santos (Breault 44) held on for second followed by Jeff Abold (Abold 29), Joey Payne (Seymour 4) and Jim Miller (Miller 3m).
Jesse State wired the accompanying 20-lap NEMA Lites race. Carl Medeiros and Ryan Bigelow were second and third.
“I can’t say how lucky how I am to be able to drive this car and to have known and driven for Gene and Marilyn,” Stoehr said. “They were truly pillars of the Midget racing community. I couldn’t be prouder.” He had the fastest lap (12.875) and it came late in the race.
Santos grabbed the lead on a lap 27 restart after the first yellow erased the half-lap lead Randy Cabral had built. She led a group that included Stoehr, Abold and Payne past Cabral, the latter nursing a failing motor (broken rocker arm). In her best run of the season, Santos ran second for much of the early going.
It took two restarts on lap 30. Santos got the jump on Payne the first time but it went for naught when Payne had a tire go down and spun in turn two. Explaining she “had too much time to think” under yellow, she decided “to try something different” on the second restart, bringing the field to the green much slower.
“I think people generally think we’ll go outside, so I figured I could sneak inside,” said Stoehr. He did that and had the lead heading into one. “I wanted that trophy so badly,” said a disappointed Santos who kept up the pressure to the end, “but I’m sure Russ wanted it just as much.”
There was enough time between the restarts for the Seymour crew to change the tire, Payne assuming the eighth (the last car on the lead lap) spot. Payne, who spent four years as Angelillo’s driver, was very quick over the final laps, posting a 12.98. Miller was also strong at the finish.
The heartbreak prize belonged to Cabral who realized something had gone astray in the motor a couple laps before. “I checked the gages, I didn’t see any oil or water on the track so I kept going,” he said. “You can never tell what will happen.”
Coming from midfield, Cabral powered to the front and took the lead from Mike Horn down the back stretch with just three laps gone. He had a half-lap on the field by the halfway mark, putting half of it at least a lap down. Horn, the first leader, and Santos battled for second before the later grabbed the spot with seven down.
“I expected to be passed,” said Cabral.
NEMA NUGGETS – Stoehr and Payne had the only 12 second laps and both came late in the race … The car Stoehr drove to his first NEMA victory was on hand, among the antique midgets performing…Long-time NEMA writer and announcer Chris Romano, now a North Carolina resident, returned for the event and joined Pete Falconi in the announcer’s booth … “I can’t tell you how happy I am that this win comes at Waterford because Terry Eames and Gene were just great friends,” Stoehr told the crowd … Only two events remain for NEMA – Seekonk Speeedway’s DAV on Oct. 9-10 and Thompson’s World Series on Oct. 16-17.
RESULTS: 1. Russ Stoehr, 2. Erica Santos, 3. Jeff Abold, 4. Joey Payne, 5. Jim Miller, 6. Randy Cabral, 7. Greg Stoehr, 8. John Zych Jr.,, 9. Mike Horn, 10. Adam Cantor, 11. Brit Anderson, 12. Chris Leonard, 13. Keith Botelo, 14. Barry Kittredge, 15. Brian Cleveland, 16. Anthony Marvuglio, 17. Chris deRitis, 18. Paul Scally, 19. Lee Bundy, 20. Matt O’Brien, 21. Mike Luggelle, 22. Todd Bertrand.
NEMA LITES (20); 1. Jesse State, 2. Carl Medeiros Jr., 3. Ryan Bigelow, 4. Jim SantaMaria, 5. Paul Bigelow, 6. Anthony Nocella, 7. Randy Cabral, 8. Ed Leclerc, 9. Andy Barrows, 10. Joey Mucciacciaro, 11. Lanson Fornoro, 12. Bethany Viets, 13. Jack McKeon, 14. Dave Rose, 15. Jake Smith.
Sources: Pete Zanardi/NEMA PR