Russ Stoehr and Russ Wood Jr. The Thunder Road Winners
Barre, VT — Russ Stoehr passed Mike Horn heading into turn one on lap 18 and went on to a convincing Northeastern Midget Association victory Sunday night at Thunder Road Speedbowl. It was NEMA’s first visit to the fame quarter mile since 1991.
Using the outside almost exclusively, Stoehr (Dumo’ Desire #45), who came from ninth, used an inside move to get brother Greg (Stoehr #26b) heading into three on lap 17. Two turns later he did the same to Horn (Horn #93x) en route to his second 2011 win in as many tries.
Greg Stoehr got Horn for second with five left. John Zych Jr. (Zych #9) and Jeremy Frankoski (Cantor #7ny) completed the top-five. Greg Stoehr had the fastest feature lap (11.377) although Russ’ 11.348 en route to the first heat win set a track record.
Paul Scally (Scally #30) treated the large crowd to some aeronautics in the feature. Going high to miss a spun Jim Miller (Miller #3m) in one, Scally appeared to just clip the wall and then flip end-over-end at least four times down the egress road. He was uninjured.
Horn, who started second, grabbed the immediate lead although by lap 17 the Stoehr brothers were right behind him. Pointing out the car “actually came to me,” Stoehr “spent time figuring out how to make the passes.” At one point, he actually touched the straightaway wall.
Second heat winner Horn, plagued by a skipping engine, was “a little bit disappointed” but nonetheless impressive in his first run at Thunder Road. Greg, a winner there in ’92, and Russ were part of the few that had experience there. Randy Cabral (Bertrand #47) pitted on the red with electrical problems and came back to get a sixth.
In the NEMA LITES Division, Russ Wood Jr. started seventh, assumed control on lap eight and won the 25-lap LITES feature. Anthony Nocella passed four cars over the final six laps to nip Andy Barrows for second.
Wood (Wood #51) moved inside early leader Paul Luggelle (Luggelle #28) through three and four with eight laps gone and built a sizeable lead. “We had a good car all day,” understated Wood, the second heat winner and owner of the fastest feature lap (12.101).
Nocella (Seymour #29) put on a dazzling display. He and Barrows (Barrows #81) waged an epic battle over the final lap, Nocella taking second by less than a car length. Cabral (Scally #4) finished strong as well to claim fourth with Carl Medeiros Jr. (Medeiros #50) fifth.
Rookie Brandon Igo in the #48 was the other LITES heat winner.
Only one yellow marred the Lite feature, Paul Bigelow #31 smashing the straightaway wall just as lap two began. Joey Mucciacciaro #45 and Lanson Fornoro #00 were also involved in the incident.
NEMA will be at Stafford Motor Speedway’s Carquest Extreme on Tuesday, June 28.
Thunder Road co-owner and announcer Ken Squier could not stop singing the praises of NEMA and that includes the LITES…The faster LITES were about a half-second off their bigger brothers.
”Clears it all up now,” Russ Stoehr understated after establishing the track record, erasing Joe Csiki’s 11.47 set back in the early 1960s. There was serious doubt about the old standard.
”A demanding place,” Russ Stoehr called it while brother Greg, who won there back in 1992, calls it his “favorite track.”
Jeff Horn, a Thunder Road winner in ’91, watched his son finish third.
NEMA Feature – Thunder Road – Sun., June 19th
Pos. # Driver Hometown Owner
1 45 Russ Stoehr Bridgewater, MA Dumo’s Desire Racing
2 26b Greg Stoehr Bridgewater, MA Greg Stoehr
3 93x Mike Horn Ashland, MA Jeff Horn
4 9 John Zych, Jr. Liverpool, NY John Zych, Sr.
5 7ny Jeremy Frankoski Huntersville, NC Cantor Racing
6 47 Randy Cabral Plymouth, MA Tim Bertrand
7 25 Keith Botelho Attleboro, MA Russ Stoehr
8 29 Anthony Nocella Woburn, MA Matt Seymour
9 16 Matt O’Brien Wilmington, MA Jim O’Brien
10 2 Lee Bundy Kennebunkport, ME Lee Bundy
11 DNF 35 Todd Bertrand Suffield, CT Glen Cabral
12 DNF 22 Chris Leonard Pelham, NH Dave Leonard
13 DNF 3m Jim Miller Weymouth, MA Jim Miller
14 DNF 30 Paul Scally Raynham, MA Paul Scally
15 DNF 81 Andy Barrows New Ipswich, NH Andy Barrows
16 DNF 50 Carl Medeiros, Jr. Westport, MA Carl Medeiros
Lites Feature – Thunder Road – Sun., June 19th
Pos. # Driver Hometown Owner
1 51 Russ Wood Jr. Pelham, NH Russ Wood Sr.
2 29 Anthony Nocella Woburn, MA Matt Seymour
3 81 Andy Barrows New Ipswich, NH Andy Barrows
4 4 Randy Cabral Plymouth, MA Paul Scally
5 50 Carl Medeiros, Jr. Westport, MA Carl Medeiros
6 28 Paul Luggelle Holbrook, MA Paul Luggelle
7 48 Brandon Igo Wilbraham, MA David Igo
8 46 Kenny Johnson Bethany, CT Jeff Johnson
9 26b Bethany Stoehr Bridgewater, MA MCI Racing/Greg Stoehr
10 21 Anthony Marvuglio E. Bridgewater, MA Jennifer Scrivani
11 DNF 71 Seth Carlson Brimfield, MA Gene Feigel
12 DNF 13 Ryan Bigelow E. Hampton, CT Randy Bigelow
13 DNF 31 Paul Bigelow Berlin, CT Randy Bigelow
14 DNF 45 Joey Mucciacciaro Wolcott, CT Frank Mucciacciaro
15 DNF 00 Lanson Fornoro Stroudsburg, PA Paul Luggelle
Sources: Pete Zanardi/NEMA PR