Awards Banquet Ends NEMA’s 58th Season
Brockton, MA – The Northeastern Midget Association will put the final touches on the 2010 season – the 58th in the club’s history – at the annual banquet Saturday night, Nov. 20 at Whites of Westport in Westport, MA. The top-15 drivers and owners, led by champion driver Russ Stoehr and the Dumo’s Desire #45 team, will be recognized. There were eight different winners in the 13 races, the championship battles again going to the final event.
The very successful NEMA Lites competitors will be recognized as well. Led by Anthony Nocella, who had three, there were nine Lites winners as the division continued to grow.
Celebrating its history, NEMA will hand out a host of awards honoring standouts of the past. While the Johnny Thomson Award tops the list, the Wen Kelley, Ralph Miller, Joe Csiki, Ray Roberts, Ed Clothier, Ron Evans/Len Thrall and Pat Thibodeau prizes are no less coveted. The Mechanic of the Year, Women behind the Man, Lifetime Membership and the Associate Member Never Say Die Awards will also be presented. “First, the names are special,” says NEMA President Mike Scrivani Jr. “Second, most of the awards go back a long time so each winner joins a very impressive list of former winners. It’s serious stuff.”
It was an emotional ending for Stoehr and the Dumo’s Desire team. Daughter Laura Kibbe decided the team would continue following Gene Angelillo’s death in early March. Stoehr won three times and didn’t clinch until the finale at Thompson.
While he didn’t extend a championship streak to three, runners-up Randy Cabral and Bertrand Racing had reason to celebrate. They did top the win list with four, Cabral putting himself clearly among the club’s best ever statistically. The win list including youngsters Chris Leonard and Chris deRitis, both winning for the first time, and grizzled veterans Lou Cicconi Jr. and Keith Botelho, the latter scoring for the first time in a decade.
The busy Cabral was also a fulltime Lites competitor and, if points were counted, would have probably won that championship as well. He had two victories among eight top-five Lites finishes. The Lites win list showed much the same gap as teenagers like Nocella and veterans like Paul Luggelle appear among a fraternity that also includes Eddie LeClerc Jr., Todd Bertrand, Jim Santa Maria, Jesse State, Bethany Viets and Russ Wood Jr.
Additional banquet information is available at www.nemaracing.com.
Final Standings (win in parenthesis)
Drivers: 1. Russ Stoehr, 1723 (3); 2. Randy Cabral, 1695 (4); 3. Greg Stoehr, 1477; 4. Chris deRitis, 1390 (1); 5. Adam Cantor, 1290 (1); 6. Jim Miller, 1088; 7. John Zych Jr., 997; 8. Erica Santos, 994; 9. Lee Bundy, 905; 10. Paul Scally, 903; 11. Mike Horn, 900; 12. Chris Leonard, 742 (1); 13. Jeff Abold, 726 (1); 14. Jeff Horn, 593; 15. Matt O’Brien, 541. Other winners: Lou Cicconi Jr., Keith Botelho.
Owners: 1. Dumo’s Desire #45, 1723 (3); 2. Tim Bertrand #47, 1695 (4); 3. Greg Stoehr #26b, 1477; 4. Cicconi/deRitis #75, 1390 (1); 5. Adam Cantor #7ny, 1290 (1); 6. Jim Miller #3m, 1088; 7. Ed Breault, #44, 1076; 8. John Zych Sr. #9, 997; 9. Lee Bundy #2, 905; 10. Paul Scally #30, 903; 11. Jeff Horn #93x, 900; 12. Dave Leonard, 738 (1); 13. Tim Bertrand #39, 718; 14. Bobby Seymour #4, 692 (2); 15. Jeff Abold #29, 636. Other Winners: Russ Stoehr #25s
Sources: Pete Zanardi/NEMA PR