Cabral NEMA’s Thompson Maestro
Brockton, MA — The Northeastern Midget Association has long considered Thompson Speedway the ultimate “separate the men from the boys” facility. While any Thompson checkered is a treasure, the World Series is definitely the biggest plum.
Three-time champion and current point leader Randy Cabral looms as the man to beat when NEMA makes its annual appearance at the Thompson World Series Oct. 12-13-14. Qualifying is scheduled for Saturday Oct. 13 with the 25-lap feature part of the busy Sunday, Oct. 14 agenda.
Nine victories, including four World Series triumphs, make Cabral the all-time Thompson maestro. He left no doubt about his mastery of the five-eighths oval last fall with a blistering 18.076 lap (129.453 mph) en route to a championship-clinching second place behind Russ Stoehr. It was Stoehr’s fourth career Thompson win.
Another Cabral (Bertrand Motorsports #47) – Stoehr (Dumo’s Desire 45) battle is a definite possibility. Both teams are old hands at Thompson, Dumo’s Desire (formally Team Angelillo) owning over a dozen victories. Stoehr’s fastest lap – 18.163 – was only a tick off Cabral’s last year.
Thompson’s long Midget history, however, is filled with surprises. Considering 2012 has been one of the most competitive seasons in NEMA’s 60-year history (ten winners in the first 11 races), it is safe to consider the possibility of another surprise.
Cabral’s teammate Todd Bertrand (Bertrand 99), John Zych Jr. (Zych 9), Mike Horn (Horn 93x), Eric Cantor (Cantor 33), Jim Miller (Miller 3m), Greg Stoehr (Stoehr 26b), Anthony Marvuglio (Boubeau 38), rookie Seth Carlson (Feigel 71) and Anthony Nocella (Seymour 9) will all come to Thompson with a 2012 win. Horn and Greg have won in the past at Thompson.
Ageless Jeff Horn (Horn A1) and Joey Payne (Breault 44) are other contenders. Paul Scally (Scally 30), Lee Bundy (Bundy 2), Brian and Doug Cleveland, the family 78 and 87 cars, Jim SantaMaria (SantaMaria 99) and Matt O’Brien (O’Brien 16) are other hopefuls.
NEMA and Thompson have a relationship that goes back to 1960, the legendary Dutch Schaefer the winner. Since then, Thompson has helped write a ton of NEMA history and a credible part of that is World Series related.
Greg Stoehr, driving for John Zahar, passed brother Russ in the closing laps to win in 1994. In 2001, Joey Payne, who like Greg Stoehr started last, passed the same Russ Stoehr on the final lap en route to the checkered. The latter was Gene Angelillo’s 100th NEMA win. A Nokie Fornoro romp in 2010 proved to be the last Midget ride for one of the sport’s greatest competitors.
Sources: Pete Zanardi/NEMA PR