Riverside-Groveton Next for NEMA
Brockton, MA – The Northeastern Midget Association will visit Riverside Speedway in Groveton, NH Saturday for the first time since 1996. While it will be “new” to many, they’ll hardly have to search for info on the high banked quarter-mile. It will be the fourth overall visit.
The NEMA Lites, engaged in a point battle for the first time in its history, will be on the agenda as well.
Now the owner of the car Ian Cumens drives, Bobby Seymour was a winner in 1987 and finished third in NEMA’s last visit to the Northern New Hampshire track. Russ Stoehr was second in ’96. Stoehr’s current owners, the Dumo’s Desire team, had thirds with Drew Fornoro and Lou Rettenmeyer in 1987 and ’89 respectively.
The Airborne Speedway experience proved NEMA has little trouble adapting and Riverside’s webpage prediction – “These cars will absolutely FLY around Riverside Speedway” – will no doubt hold true.
Three-time winner John Zych Jr. takes the NEMA point lead to Groveton, a very slim 11 up on two-time defending champion Randy Cabral. Todd Bertrand (-66), Ian Cumens (-97) and Russ Stoehr (-112) are third through fifth in points, Bertrand comes off a dominating win at Waterford’s Angelillo Memorial, his second of the campaign.
Seth Carlson, Anthony Marvuglio, Paul Scally, Bethany Stoehr and Joey Payne are other contenders. Marvuglio and Scally were fourth and fifth at Waterford.
Carl Medeiros Jr. leaves no secret about his championship hopes. Danny Cugini (-86) and Avery Stoehr (-101) are still very much in contention. Cumens, who has a win and a second in the last two Lites events, and Scott Bigelow, the Waterford winner, are also on a list of favorites that include Kenny Johnson, Logan Rayvals and Brandon Igo.
NEMA Nuggets – Joey Coy, driving the Kibbe 94, was the last NEMA winner at Riverside-Groveton. Carl Kibbe is now the crew chief on Avery Stoehr’s Lites car…Randy Cabral will be making his 101st straight NEMA race Saturday. He has, in fact, missed only one NEMA event since he began driving in 2000, that being Sept. 17, 2005 because of a Pro-Four commitment…NEMA’s fathers-and-son fraternity keeps getting stronger with Joey Payne’s son Anthony now in the Scrivani #21 Lites car. Anthony had a strong sixth place finish at Waterford last Saturday. Joey joined the exclusive NEMA 20-win club earlier at Monadnock. He is the 14th member of the club.
Sources: Pete Zanardi/NEMA PR