RGeeProductions
08-22-2011, 05:16 PM
NOTCHING HIS 25TH CAREER WIN, TRIMS BONSIGNORE'S POINT LEAD
Former three-time Riverhead Raceway NASCAR Modified champion John Fortin of Holtsville had just the night he needed in the Whelen All-American Series championship chase on Saturday evening as he scored his 25th career win in the Donaldson's VW-Subaru night 35-lap contest at the demanding quarter mile oval. In the process Fortin trimmed Justin Bonsignore's point advantage and with three races left to the 2011 campaign Justin leads John by 22 points, 518 to 496
Don Howe seeking his second win of the year out powered pole sitter Amber Fortin at the throw of the green with John Fortin quickly wheeling past his daughter to go from fourth to second before the 22-car field hit the second turn. Over the first five laps of the tilt Fortin pestered Howe for the race lead before a yellow flag waved for Eddie Brunnhoelzl III who had contact with the front stretch wall. On the ensuing restart Fortin was able to gain an advantage over Howe to the outside and try as he might Howe, a former five time track champion, was unable to hold off Fortin for the race lead. Another quick series of double file restarts found the second position changing hands rapidly before the halfway mark of the race as on an 8th lap restart John Beatty Jr. moved under Howe but just 4 laps later Tom Rogers Jr. would do the same to Beatty on the final double file restart of the contest.
Although Rogers, the defending NASCAR Modified champion, could mirror leader Fortin for the remainder of the race that was as close as he'd get to passing the eventual race winner. Meanwhile further back in the running order John Beatty Jr., who stayed with the Fortin/Rogers tandem for a spell, soon found himself under attack for third from Chris Young. A battle for position that lasted until the checker flag waved. Further back in the top ten Justin Bonsignore was having a dickens of a time trying to stay in the top ten as he slugged it out with Shawn Solomito, Don Howe and Jason Agugliaro. Bonsignore would end-up registering a disappointing 8th place finish.
After receiving the Donaldson's VW hardware in victory lane John Fortin noted that even though he had a good points night he still has a very tough task at hand, "it's going to be tough with just three races to go" John admitted. "I have to hand it to Justin and his group, "they've been running good all year while we just seemed to struggle more than we'd like, but my team never stopped working trying to get us right again. It is what it is". John's journey to 25-wins started at Riverhead Raceway back on July 18th when he scored his first career triumph.
Tom Rogers Jr. after making a switch of cars from the race shop of Joe & Debbie Ambrose was runner-up in the Jessup Landscaping Chevy with John Beatty Jr of Merrick collecting third place money in his North Shore Recycling Chevy. Chris Young of Calverton and Bill Park of Manorville completed the top five.
After going nearly two years without a win before taking a victory last week, Roger Maynor of Bay Shore assured himself that wasn't going to happen again as he scored his second straight Figure Eight win in the Donaldson's VW night 15. Peter Bertuccio and Steve Stadler ran up front for the first lap before Roger Maynor squeaked by Stadler for second and setting his radar for race leader Bertuccio. After two laps of chasing Peter for the top spot Maynor made a textbook move exiting the right hand turn to pass Bertuccio for the race lead on lap 4. Just a lap after Maynor took the lead a yellow flag waved setting up a double file restart which Arne Pedersen took full advantage of to make his way by Bertuccio for second. In the final 10-laps of a basically incident free race all Pedersen could do was stay with Maynor as the duo darted through criss-crossing traffic at the intersection. At the finish it was Roger Maynor notching his 103rd career win in his Barrasso & Sons Mason Supplies Toyota, while Arne Pedersen of Mastic Beach actually scored a small victory of his own with a runner-up showing in the BNR Home Improvement Dodge. With the finish, coupled with a tough night for point leader Mike Mujsce, Arne now leads Roger by 12 points, 366 to 354 with two races left in September; Mujsce slips to third in the rankings after losing laps in the pits after a turn three skirmish. Tom Ferrara of Holbrook was third in the race in his Bill Beener Tree Service racer.
The first half might not have gone quite the way three-time defending Charger champion Chris Turbush of Riverhead might have liked but the second half was the polar opposite as he drove to his 4th win of the year in the Donaldson's VW night 20. Frank Dumicich Jr. stepped out to the early race lead at the drop of the green and from that point on the second generation driver was under attack for the top spot with sophomore driver Eric Zeh first to apply the pressure. Zeh threw all he could at Dumicich over the first half of the race before he gave way to "Radiant" Ray Minieri who took second on the 11th circuit. For the next five laps Ray threw his machine to the outside of Dumicich in a great race for the lead with Zeh, Turbush and Jeremy McDermott all in the mix. The turning point of the race would come on lap 17 when Dumicich tried to throw a block on Minieri who was trying an outside pass once again and that opened the inside line for not only Chris Turbush to slide low for the race lead, but also Chris McGuire who came to second. Once out front there was no stopping the Meadowbrook Sweeping Pontiac of Chris Turbush who drove to his 29th career win, which also further added to his slim points advantage over Chris McGuire, 534 to 530. McGuire of Shirley in the Long Island Fiber Exchange Ford was runner-up, while "Dynamite" Dan Turbush of Riverhead claimed third in the Burt's Reliable entry.
Lou Maestri of Deer Park drove to his first Super Pro Truck win of 2011 after an intense battle for the win with Erin Dumicich in the Donaldson's VW night 20. Peter Rotzi showed the way over Erin Dumicich over the first 4 laps of the contest before Erin made an outside pass of the early race leader for the top spot on lap 5 just under the starters stand. Just two laps later Lou Maestri slipped by Rotzi for second and the race to catch leader Erin Dumicich who was seeking to be the first female driver to win in the class and first at the track since Laurie Harlin won a Blunderbust race in 1998. As the race wore on Maestri glued himself to Dumicich's back bumper and from time to time took a peak to see if he could complete a pass. The fight for the race lead would intensify on the 16th lap when Maestri moved outside of Dumicich off the second turn, Erin tried to block the run Lou had and they hooked bumpers with Erin collecting the third turn wall and done for the night. That left Lou Maestri as the race leader with championship contender "Dangerous" Dave Koenig now second, with Chris Turbush sitting third. Over the final three green flag laps Lou Maestri in his Curiously Creative Candles Chevy scored the win, the 21st of his career which leaves him one back of Danny Grennan on the all-time win list. Dave Koenig would reclaim the SPT point lead with his runner-up finish in the Nelson's Auto Salvage Chevy, he leads Maestri by 6, 484 to 478 with three race to go in 2011. Chris Turbush was third in his Let It Shine Detailing Chevy.
Chris Young of Calverton took a giant step forward in the chase for the 2011 Legend Race Car championship when he won his 5th main event of the year in the Donaldson's VW 20 and without question his season could now be termed a career year. Former National Legend champion Danny McNamara moved out front early in the race with Paul Dodorico applying the heat right from the start. While racing for the top spot exiting the fourth turn on lap 3 the duo got together with Paul actually riding over the hood of McNamara for a moment which allowed both Chris Young and Timmy Solomito to take over the top two positions. Over the following eight laps Young and Solomito went toe to toe in a very entertaining race for the lead, with Solomito actually taking the lead on lap 8 with an outside pass before Young came back with a vengeance to reclaim the lead on lap 10. Once back out front there was not stopping the Ray the Plumber racer as he was able to hold off his championship rival Justin Strumpf of Selden when the race concluded. Strumpf who started the race back in 18th had to peddle his way to second in the Monster's Recycling machine and with just one race on September 10th left in 2011 he trails Young by 14 points, 468 to 454 meaning he'll have to be eight spots better than Chris in the finale. Kyle Soper of Manorville, after taking a provisional to make the 24-car field, wheeled his News 12 Long Island mount from 23rd to 3rd at the finish.
The 4-Cylinder Demolition Derby competitors waged another spirited battle and in the end it was Jason Savoy of Lake Panamoka scoring the victory in his "Misery Machine". Savoy in his Monster's Recycling machine had to outlast both James Kilkenny of Howard Beach and "Jumping" Joey Palmeri of Lindenhurst before he could lay claim to the win. In the season-long Demolition Derby points race, Kilkenny shows the way over Savoy, 430 to 360 with two events left. Kilkenny in the Albin Avenue Auto Salvage entry was named Judge's Choice in the 4-Cylinder event, while Palmeri in his J&J Towing wagon was voted Fan's Choice.
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Former three-time Riverhead Raceway NASCAR Modified champion John Fortin of Holtsville had just the night he needed in the Whelen All-American Series championship chase on Saturday evening as he scored his 25th career win in the Donaldson's VW-Subaru night 35-lap contest at the demanding quarter mile oval. In the process Fortin trimmed Justin Bonsignore's point advantage and with three races left to the 2011 campaign Justin leads John by 22 points, 518 to 496
Don Howe seeking his second win of the year out powered pole sitter Amber Fortin at the throw of the green with John Fortin quickly wheeling past his daughter to go from fourth to second before the 22-car field hit the second turn. Over the first five laps of the tilt Fortin pestered Howe for the race lead before a yellow flag waved for Eddie Brunnhoelzl III who had contact with the front stretch wall. On the ensuing restart Fortin was able to gain an advantage over Howe to the outside and try as he might Howe, a former five time track champion, was unable to hold off Fortin for the race lead. Another quick series of double file restarts found the second position changing hands rapidly before the halfway mark of the race as on an 8th lap restart John Beatty Jr. moved under Howe but just 4 laps later Tom Rogers Jr. would do the same to Beatty on the final double file restart of the contest.
Although Rogers, the defending NASCAR Modified champion, could mirror leader Fortin for the remainder of the race that was as close as he'd get to passing the eventual race winner. Meanwhile further back in the running order John Beatty Jr., who stayed with the Fortin/Rogers tandem for a spell, soon found himself under attack for third from Chris Young. A battle for position that lasted until the checker flag waved. Further back in the top ten Justin Bonsignore was having a dickens of a time trying to stay in the top ten as he slugged it out with Shawn Solomito, Don Howe and Jason Agugliaro. Bonsignore would end-up registering a disappointing 8th place finish.
After receiving the Donaldson's VW hardware in victory lane John Fortin noted that even though he had a good points night he still has a very tough task at hand, "it's going to be tough with just three races to go" John admitted. "I have to hand it to Justin and his group, "they've been running good all year while we just seemed to struggle more than we'd like, but my team never stopped working trying to get us right again. It is what it is". John's journey to 25-wins started at Riverhead Raceway back on July 18th when he scored his first career triumph.
Tom Rogers Jr. after making a switch of cars from the race shop of Joe & Debbie Ambrose was runner-up in the Jessup Landscaping Chevy with John Beatty Jr of Merrick collecting third place money in his North Shore Recycling Chevy. Chris Young of Calverton and Bill Park of Manorville completed the top five.
After going nearly two years without a win before taking a victory last week, Roger Maynor of Bay Shore assured himself that wasn't going to happen again as he scored his second straight Figure Eight win in the Donaldson's VW night 15. Peter Bertuccio and Steve Stadler ran up front for the first lap before Roger Maynor squeaked by Stadler for second and setting his radar for race leader Bertuccio. After two laps of chasing Peter for the top spot Maynor made a textbook move exiting the right hand turn to pass Bertuccio for the race lead on lap 4. Just a lap after Maynor took the lead a yellow flag waved setting up a double file restart which Arne Pedersen took full advantage of to make his way by Bertuccio for second. In the final 10-laps of a basically incident free race all Pedersen could do was stay with Maynor as the duo darted through criss-crossing traffic at the intersection. At the finish it was Roger Maynor notching his 103rd career win in his Barrasso & Sons Mason Supplies Toyota, while Arne Pedersen of Mastic Beach actually scored a small victory of his own with a runner-up showing in the BNR Home Improvement Dodge. With the finish, coupled with a tough night for point leader Mike Mujsce, Arne now leads Roger by 12 points, 366 to 354 with two races left in September; Mujsce slips to third in the rankings after losing laps in the pits after a turn three skirmish. Tom Ferrara of Holbrook was third in the race in his Bill Beener Tree Service racer.
The first half might not have gone quite the way three-time defending Charger champion Chris Turbush of Riverhead might have liked but the second half was the polar opposite as he drove to his 4th win of the year in the Donaldson's VW night 20. Frank Dumicich Jr. stepped out to the early race lead at the drop of the green and from that point on the second generation driver was under attack for the top spot with sophomore driver Eric Zeh first to apply the pressure. Zeh threw all he could at Dumicich over the first half of the race before he gave way to "Radiant" Ray Minieri who took second on the 11th circuit. For the next five laps Ray threw his machine to the outside of Dumicich in a great race for the lead with Zeh, Turbush and Jeremy McDermott all in the mix. The turning point of the race would come on lap 17 when Dumicich tried to throw a block on Minieri who was trying an outside pass once again and that opened the inside line for not only Chris Turbush to slide low for the race lead, but also Chris McGuire who came to second. Once out front there was no stopping the Meadowbrook Sweeping Pontiac of Chris Turbush who drove to his 29th career win, which also further added to his slim points advantage over Chris McGuire, 534 to 530. McGuire of Shirley in the Long Island Fiber Exchange Ford was runner-up, while "Dynamite" Dan Turbush of Riverhead claimed third in the Burt's Reliable entry.
Lou Maestri of Deer Park drove to his first Super Pro Truck win of 2011 after an intense battle for the win with Erin Dumicich in the Donaldson's VW night 20. Peter Rotzi showed the way over Erin Dumicich over the first 4 laps of the contest before Erin made an outside pass of the early race leader for the top spot on lap 5 just under the starters stand. Just two laps later Lou Maestri slipped by Rotzi for second and the race to catch leader Erin Dumicich who was seeking to be the first female driver to win in the class and first at the track since Laurie Harlin won a Blunderbust race in 1998. As the race wore on Maestri glued himself to Dumicich's back bumper and from time to time took a peak to see if he could complete a pass. The fight for the race lead would intensify on the 16th lap when Maestri moved outside of Dumicich off the second turn, Erin tried to block the run Lou had and they hooked bumpers with Erin collecting the third turn wall and done for the night. That left Lou Maestri as the race leader with championship contender "Dangerous" Dave Koenig now second, with Chris Turbush sitting third. Over the final three green flag laps Lou Maestri in his Curiously Creative Candles Chevy scored the win, the 21st of his career which leaves him one back of Danny Grennan on the all-time win list. Dave Koenig would reclaim the SPT point lead with his runner-up finish in the Nelson's Auto Salvage Chevy, he leads Maestri by 6, 484 to 478 with three race to go in 2011. Chris Turbush was third in his Let It Shine Detailing Chevy.
Chris Young of Calverton took a giant step forward in the chase for the 2011 Legend Race Car championship when he won his 5th main event of the year in the Donaldson's VW 20 and without question his season could now be termed a career year. Former National Legend champion Danny McNamara moved out front early in the race with Paul Dodorico applying the heat right from the start. While racing for the top spot exiting the fourth turn on lap 3 the duo got together with Paul actually riding over the hood of McNamara for a moment which allowed both Chris Young and Timmy Solomito to take over the top two positions. Over the following eight laps Young and Solomito went toe to toe in a very entertaining race for the lead, with Solomito actually taking the lead on lap 8 with an outside pass before Young came back with a vengeance to reclaim the lead on lap 10. Once back out front there was not stopping the Ray the Plumber racer as he was able to hold off his championship rival Justin Strumpf of Selden when the race concluded. Strumpf who started the race back in 18th had to peddle his way to second in the Monster's Recycling machine and with just one race on September 10th left in 2011 he trails Young by 14 points, 468 to 454 meaning he'll have to be eight spots better than Chris in the finale. Kyle Soper of Manorville, after taking a provisional to make the 24-car field, wheeled his News 12 Long Island mount from 23rd to 3rd at the finish.
The 4-Cylinder Demolition Derby competitors waged another spirited battle and in the end it was Jason Savoy of Lake Panamoka scoring the victory in his "Misery Machine". Savoy in his Monster's Recycling machine had to outlast both James Kilkenny of Howard Beach and "Jumping" Joey Palmeri of Lindenhurst before he could lay claim to the win. In the season-long Demolition Derby points race, Kilkenny shows the way over Savoy, 430 to 360 with two events left. Kilkenny in the Albin Avenue Auto Salvage entry was named Judge's Choice in the 4-Cylinder event, while Palmeri in his J&J Towing wagon was voted Fan's Choice.
(continued)