Russ Stoehr & Randy Cabral Score at Thompson WS

By admin October 16, 2011 NEMA, Thompson

Thompson, CT – Russ Stoehr won the battle and Randy Cabral claimed the war in a classic Northeastern Midget Association race Sunday at Thompson Speedway’s World Series. Taking the lead on a lap-19 restart, Stoehr went on to capture the 25-lapper. A second was more than enough to give Cabral and car-owner Tim Bertrand their third championships in the last four years.

It was the fifth win of the season for Stoehr (Dumo’s Desire 45) who got exactly what he needed when the race was stopped for the second time. Lining up outside Cabral, the pace setter since lap two, Stoehr grabbed the lead heading into one. Over the next five laps, interrupted by a third caution, it was an epic tussle, Stoehr on the outside and Cabral down low.

Mike Horn (Horn 93X) watched it all from third spot while Ben Seitz (Cantor 7ny) held off Jeff Abold (Abold 29) for fourth. Jeff Horn (Horn A1), Ted Christopher (deRitis 75), B.J. MacDonald (MacDonald 49), Joey Payne (Breault 44) and Erica Santos (Santos 98s) completed the top 10.

[Saturday Photo Gallery] by Nicholas Teto
[Sunday Photo Gallery] by Nicholas Teto

Stoehr was second, several car lengths behind, when the second yellow showed. “Toward the middle of the race I thought I’d save the tires if something presented itself later,” said Stoehr. “[The restart] was the opportunity I was waiting for. I thought we’d be better at the end and we were.”

“Without the caution, it was [Randy’s] race,” added Stoehr, a winner at Thompson for the first time since 2002.

Trouble “taking off,” was definitely a Cabral problem. “On one restart I tried to jump and he actually out-jumped me,” Cabral said.

Still, on either side of a single file restart on lap 20, it was classic stuff. Cabral’s consistency made inside challenges heading into one and three. “I had him once or twice but when I got by him I couldn’t make it stick,” offered Cabral, second for the sixth time this season. “Every time I caught him [Russ] was pinching me just enough. He knew exactly what to do.”

The car spent in “putting on a show,” Cabral said he was “thinking about the big picture” over the final two laps.

Cabral had the fastest feature lap (18.076) and it came early. Stoehr’s fastest lap – 18.163 – came late. Coming from sixth, Cabral passed Horn for the lead on lap two. On the first restart (following a red flag), Stoehr jumped from fourth to second but Cabral, handling traffic with ease, again opened up a sizable lead.

In the end, the race came to Stoehr.

Christopher, subbing for an ill Chris deRitis, came from the rear as did Payne, involved in the first crash.

NEMA Notes:

Cabral’s 18.076 lap converts to 129.453 miles per hour.

”We’ve got all winter to think about it,” is the way Stoehr, the 2010 champion, explained winning the last race of the season. He said, “all-in-all, the Dumo’s Desire team had a “pretty successful” season. “I told my team to hold its head high. We have a lot to proud of.”

The runner-up spot closed out a great second half for the Bertrand team. Cabral claiming “the first half of the year I was terrible.” Three wins and six seconds is a great season.

The NEMA powers that be rounded up 24 cars for the World Series including the Santos 98s that Erica Santos drove to a 10th spot. The top 12 cars completed all 25 lap with the next two only a lap down.

Sources: NEMA PR