On another sultry, swampy night, the racing would be as hot as the weather here at Riverhead Raceway for the Baldwin, Evans, Jarzombek 77 Gold race night. So let’s get to the races:
First Race, 20 Lap, 15 Car Blunderbust Race – From the throw of the green, Ron Langdon, in the #99 car, burst out from the second position and quickly made his way into first, ahead of Paul Parisi, in the #69 car, and “Turbo” Tom Sullivan, in the #7 car. Langdon dominated until lap 13, Ray Pickerell, in the #4 car caught up to Langdon, and the race was on. For the last 7 laps the would ride side by side, until the last lap, when Pickerell passed Langdon down below the yellow line, and grabbed first. This was reviewed by the race officials, and Pickerell’s agreement on the issue, the checkers were presented to Ron Langdon. Nice race, Ron.
Second Race, 20 Lap, 27 Car Legends Race – In a clean race, Kyle Soper, in the #4 car would start on the pole. You would also have Justin Strumpf, in the #15 car, and Vinny Delaney, in the #17 car, battling for second and third. By the 3rd lap, Delaney would grab second, and be hot on Soper’s heels for the remainder of the race. In the end, it would be Kyle Soper grabbing the checkers, his second career feature event win. On a side note, Kyle will graduate in 2014, and enlist in the U.S. Army. Good Luck to you Kyle, and be safe!
Third Race, 20 Lap, 10 Car Chargers Race – Cory Midgett, in the #14 car started on the pole, and jumped out into the lead, but by lap 6, with Chris Turbush, in the #81 car, and “Radiant” Ray Minieri, in the #43 car would come calling, with Turbush taking the lead, and Minieri a very close second. For the final six laps, Minieri and Turbush would race side by side, trading paint on occasion, with two laps to go, Minieri makes the pass and grabs the lead. He would take it to the end, and with the wave of the checkered square, his 17th career victory, and second this season. Great racing Ray!
Fourth Race, 15 Lap, 12 Car Figure Eight Race – This would be quite the barnburner of a race as Tom Ferrara, in the #14 car would vault out to the front, and hold the lead until lap 13, when Ferrara gets tapped from behind by John Vullo, in the #66 car, which did not sit well with Ferrara. With the yellow flag flying, Ferrara waited for Vullo, and attempted to leave his mark on the Vullo car. Also caught up in this mess was Arne Pedersen, in the #34 car, and Ken Hyde Jr., in the #58 car, with both cars getting tangled on the wall. The race was then put back in order after officials placed and timed all entries. This led to time constrictions, to which the checkered square was awarded to the 2010 Champion, Scott Pedersen.
Fifth Race, 12 Car, 77 Lap Baldwin, Evans & Jarzombek 77 Gold Modified Race – Howie Brode, in the #96 car, starting on the pole, with Jason Agugliaro, in car #69, and Ron Silk, in the #6 car second and third. By lap two, Ron Silk would jump into second, followed by Ryan Preece, in the #20 car third. Preece would jump ahead of Silk by lap 16. Preece would again make the move, and by lap 20, he would take the lead from Brode. On his way to a sure victory, Preece gets a flat, and gives up the lead by pitting. This opens the way for Ron Silk to take the lead on the wave of the green. By lap 67, Brode would sneak under Silk and hold the lead for good. His third Whelan Modified victory. Great Job Howie !!
Well folks, it was a great night of racing, with a lot of twists and turns! Hopefully the weather lightens up a little, and we get a cool spell. I’m gonna go home and dry off, lube the chassis, and make sure the A/C is blasting. Thanks to Wendy, always a sweetheart, Track Services, hard working guys and gals! dan at Sawgrass Video, keep up the good work, Kevin at “Need for Speed” race video, always a pro! To all the Motorheads, be safe, and have fun. Till we meet again next time, God Bless America, and I will see you…
AT THE RACES
Be Well,
George
RiverheadLOCAL photos by George Faella
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