RGeeProductions
06-27-2012, 02:31 AM
“Keeping Track” by Dino Oberto
Mountain Speedway, like all short tracks, has a great pool of area drivers that make up the week-to-week action. For most of the local or even regional racers, their names are synonymous with the raceway.
But for one driver who has emerged as a leading figurehead at the popular 1/3-mile paved oval, his rise to stardom and more so his journey to the track is quite fascinating.
41-year old Dave Brigati has become one of the top wheel twisters in both the Modified and Sport Modified divisions. What makes him so distinctive to everyone else is the fact that he hauls 200 miles from his Calverton residence on Long Island, NY each week to race in St. Johns.
Brigati first came to Mountain last season to try his hand with the Sport Mod class and he immediately took a liking. So much so that by the end of the season he was crowned the 2011 champion.
“Ya, it may be a bit of a ride to get here but you want to have good time and we do very well here. I enjoy driving so the trip really doesn’t bother me at all. I love the view coming out here, the ride is nice and the countryside is beautiful,” said Brigati.
“We came here and only planned to run one or two races but we loved the place and we stayed and wound up winning the championship.
“There is good fields, good competition and it’s so much fun racing here. You really don’t tear up your equipment either. There are those nights you will but on the better side you really don’t see that. You come home in one piece every night.”
Brigati has come back to not only defend his Sport Mod title, but he’s looking to win the Modified championship as well and it’s been so far so good. He has three wins and leads the standings in the Sport Mods and is a close second to Todd Baer in the Modifieds where he has also notched a victory.
“We’re hoping that this year we can pull off both championships. We’re on a pretty good run right now. We’re second in points with the Modified car and chipping away at it each week. We’re also leading points with the Sport Mod and everything is going our way right now,” said Brigati.
“We know we’ll have a couple of bad nights along the way and we just hope for the best as the year goes on.”
Brigati comes to Mountain after building on a solid career at Riverhead Raceway on Long Island. It is a quarter mile asphalt, high-banked oval and is one of the oldest stock car race tracks in the country, having been built in 1949. It is part of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series circuit and has been affiliated with NASCAR for most of its existence.
The raceway is located one mile east of the last exit on the Long Island Expressway (495) at exit 73, just few minutes from Brigati’s house.
“We’re about three minutes from that track and to come here it’s about three and a half hours,” explained Brigati.
“I’ve always been treated great at Riverhead Raceway. I have a championship and over 30 wins there and it’s not that anything was wrong. I just wanted to do a little different venue this year and try some different stuff. I am getting older now and I’d like to conquer something else.”
While spending the past two decades at Riverhead, Brigati earned a Chargers division championship and has second-place season finishes in Late Models, Super Pro Trucks and Modifieds. He first raced a Modified in 1995 and won Rookie of the Year. He has been a steady with that type of car for the past ten years. He also runs a karting club at Riverhead.
“I learned everything I know from Riverhead. It’s tight and to me some of the best drivers have run there. Don’t get me wrong, there are great drivers here too but I grew up around some of the best like Wayne Anderson, Bill Park, John Fortin and Chuck Steuer.
“You have 25 cars there in a feature and anyone one of them can win that night and the competition is fierce.”
Now Brigati is getting a taste of eastern Pennsylvania talent and admits it’s just as tough as back home.
“The competition up here and all around the area is very strong. You can go look on the NASCAR (Modified) Tour and a bunch of good drivers are there but I’ll tell you when I came up here, you may not have seen a NASCAR label on these guys, but they can sure drive.”
Winning one track title is a huge accomplishment for any driver. To be able to repeat says even more about the focus and dedication of you and the team. For Brigati, he is strong-minded on just that.
“I always wanted to win a Modified championship. We ran second, third and fourth in points out at Riverhead. One time it was by just two points we lost the title,” he noted.
“Racing in two classes is better than just racing one all season long and we’re having a good time with it. We’re going to try 100% every time we come here. Whatever we end up so be it but one thing is for certain, we’re having fun along the way.
“I love coming to Mountain. It’s part of my life right now. I can come here, hang out with everybody and enjoy a good day.”
Dino Oberto
Mountain Speedway, like all short tracks, has a great pool of area drivers that make up the week-to-week action. For most of the local or even regional racers, their names are synonymous with the raceway.
But for one driver who has emerged as a leading figurehead at the popular 1/3-mile paved oval, his rise to stardom and more so his journey to the track is quite fascinating.
41-year old Dave Brigati has become one of the top wheel twisters in both the Modified and Sport Modified divisions. What makes him so distinctive to everyone else is the fact that he hauls 200 miles from his Calverton residence on Long Island, NY each week to race in St. Johns.
Brigati first came to Mountain last season to try his hand with the Sport Mod class and he immediately took a liking. So much so that by the end of the season he was crowned the 2011 champion.
“Ya, it may be a bit of a ride to get here but you want to have good time and we do very well here. I enjoy driving so the trip really doesn’t bother me at all. I love the view coming out here, the ride is nice and the countryside is beautiful,” said Brigati.
“We came here and only planned to run one or two races but we loved the place and we stayed and wound up winning the championship.
“There is good fields, good competition and it’s so much fun racing here. You really don’t tear up your equipment either. There are those nights you will but on the better side you really don’t see that. You come home in one piece every night.”
Brigati has come back to not only defend his Sport Mod title, but he’s looking to win the Modified championship as well and it’s been so far so good. He has three wins and leads the standings in the Sport Mods and is a close second to Todd Baer in the Modifieds where he has also notched a victory.
“We’re hoping that this year we can pull off both championships. We’re on a pretty good run right now. We’re second in points with the Modified car and chipping away at it each week. We’re also leading points with the Sport Mod and everything is going our way right now,” said Brigati.
“We know we’ll have a couple of bad nights along the way and we just hope for the best as the year goes on.”
Brigati comes to Mountain after building on a solid career at Riverhead Raceway on Long Island. It is a quarter mile asphalt, high-banked oval and is one of the oldest stock car race tracks in the country, having been built in 1949. It is part of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series circuit and has been affiliated with NASCAR for most of its existence.
The raceway is located one mile east of the last exit on the Long Island Expressway (495) at exit 73, just few minutes from Brigati’s house.
“We’re about three minutes from that track and to come here it’s about three and a half hours,” explained Brigati.
“I’ve always been treated great at Riverhead Raceway. I have a championship and over 30 wins there and it’s not that anything was wrong. I just wanted to do a little different venue this year and try some different stuff. I am getting older now and I’d like to conquer something else.”
While spending the past two decades at Riverhead, Brigati earned a Chargers division championship and has second-place season finishes in Late Models, Super Pro Trucks and Modifieds. He first raced a Modified in 1995 and won Rookie of the Year. He has been a steady with that type of car for the past ten years. He also runs a karting club at Riverhead.
“I learned everything I know from Riverhead. It’s tight and to me some of the best drivers have run there. Don’t get me wrong, there are great drivers here too but I grew up around some of the best like Wayne Anderson, Bill Park, John Fortin and Chuck Steuer.
“You have 25 cars there in a feature and anyone one of them can win that night and the competition is fierce.”
Now Brigati is getting a taste of eastern Pennsylvania talent and admits it’s just as tough as back home.
“The competition up here and all around the area is very strong. You can go look on the NASCAR (Modified) Tour and a bunch of good drivers are there but I’ll tell you when I came up here, you may not have seen a NASCAR label on these guys, but they can sure drive.”
Winning one track title is a huge accomplishment for any driver. To be able to repeat says even more about the focus and dedication of you and the team. For Brigati, he is strong-minded on just that.
“I always wanted to win a Modified championship. We ran second, third and fourth in points out at Riverhead. One time it was by just two points we lost the title,” he noted.
“Racing in two classes is better than just racing one all season long and we’re having a good time with it. We’re going to try 100% every time we come here. Whatever we end up so be it but one thing is for certain, we’re having fun along the way.
“I love coming to Mountain. It’s part of my life right now. I can come here, hang out with everybody and enjoy a good day.”
Dino Oberto