NEMA Lites Champion Carl Medeiros Jr.
Early in the season finale at Lee USA Speedway’s Oktoberfest, Carl Medeiros Jr. hardly looked like somebody with the Northeastern Midget Association Lites Division championship all but won. He appeared to be a little aggressive.
“I was running in a tight bunch with a very slippery outside lane,” says Medeiros. “I was trying to get to third because that would put me on the inside row on a restart.” Make no mistake, the Fall River, MA teenager had his eyes on the bigger prize.
Westport, MA resident Medeiros, 17, wound up fourth, more than enough to claim the first “count-all-the-races” championship with a 27-point bulge on Danny Cugini. He had three victories and seven podiums among 10 top-fives.
Cugini did wind up with the owner championship besting Medeiros’ dad by eight points.
Only twice through the season did Medeiros, a senior at Diman Regional Vocational in Fall River, enter a race without the point lead. “Actually having the point lead helps,” he says. “You focus on who you have to beat, on who is behind and who is in front of you. It involves doing some math in your head.”
It is testimony to how badly Medeiros, who missed one show “for reasons I won’t talk about,” wanted the championship. A winner a week-and-a-half before his 16th birthday, came very close to winning last year’s Hoosier Challenge.
“We lost on other people’s decisions, on stuff we couldn’t control,” says Medeiros, owner of an impressive Go Kart resume.
A select number of races made up the Hoosier Challenge. The season-ending Oktoberfest at Lee USA Speedway, which included the regularly scheduled feature and a rain out, was added to the number. Going in with a slim lead, Medeiros fell victim to the two-spin rule in the first race and got wrecked in the second. He wound up fourth in the standings.
Still, he was 2012 leader in wins with four including three straight. Part of the latter statistic was two in one day at Lee.
Second in this season’s opener at Waterford, Medeiros assumed the point lead with a victory in the second race at Star. When Medeiros, who also won at Lee and again at Star, was not leading in points, he was not far behind.
He was out of the top 10 twice but one of those proved to be vital to the championship. After “basically destroying the car” at Monadnock on June 23, Jennifer Scrivani approached him about driving the No. 21. “Jen said ‘go talk to Joey Payne’ who had qualified the car. Joey said ‘yes.’” After some changes to the seat and belts and to the suspension, Medeiros finished 12th picking up what proved to be a vital 30 points.
He was 13th at Waterford on Aug. 10 but then finished with four top fours in the final six races. He also had a sixth and didn’t compete in one.
Medeiros, who will run some TQ action this winter, will move on to the Modifieds next year. One of things he’ll miss is racing with Cugini. “Most of the year we were starting side-by-side,” he said. “We are good friends.”
NEMA LITES 2013 POINTS
Drivers (wins): 1. Carl Medeiros (3), 1781; 2. Danny Cugini (1), 1754; 3. Avery Stoehr (2), 1569; 4. Kenny Johnson (1), 1450;5.Logan Rayvals, 1345; 6. Richie Morocco (1), 1268; 7.Andy Barrows (1), 1248; 8. P.J. Stergois (2),1224; 9. Brandon Igo, 1063; 10. D.J. Moniz, 982; 11. Megan Cugini, 972; 12. Ian Cumens (2), 886; 13. Randy Cabral (1), 767; 14. Paul Bigelow, 705; 15. Ryan Bigelow, 671. Jake Stergois was also a winner.
Owners: 1. #51 Dan Cugini, 1754; 2. #50 Carl Medeiros, 1746; 3. #11 Bill Stergois, 1718; 4. #15a Avery Stoehr, 1507; 5. #46 Jeff Johnson, 1450; 6. #94 Craig Rayvak, 1345; 7. #25 Rich Morocco, 1268; 8. #81/46x Andy Barrows, 1248; 9. #41 Daryl Cugini, 1190; 10.#45 Dave Igo, 1063; 11. #9 Bob Seymour, 1062; 12.#31 Paul Bigelow, 1053; 13. #18 David Moriz, 982; 19. #33 Ryan Bigelow, 722; 20. #7 Kevin Park, 716.
Sources: Pete Zanardi/NEMA Lites PR