“Jersey Jet”, Attrition Take Down Monadnock Wins

Monadnock, NH (May 24, 2008):  Joey “the Jersey Jet” Payne of Fair Lawn, NJ, and Gene Angelillo’s Dumo’s Desire/Marilyn’s Passion team survived both the competition and attrition this past Saturday night at Monadnock Speedway.  It was the team’s first 2008 win after strong finishes thus far, 2^nd and 3^rd respectively, in the Helping Hands of America sponsored series.

In the feature event, Doug Cleveland and Paul Scally brought the field down for the green flag.  After a couple of failed attempts, the action became heated quickly as Greg Stoehr blasted from the sixth starting spot into the lead by lap two.  Behind him, Adam Cantor in the IGA-The Reichert Group 7NY quickly took pursuit, along with Payne, who started seventh, Jeremy Frankoski in the TSR Motorsports 63, and Randy Cabral in the Bertrand 47, who started in the tenth position.

The ninth circuit, which took over 35 minutes and eight caution laps to complete, was the limiting factor for many of the teams in action.  The action first started when second place runner Adam Cantor got into the back of leader Greg Stoehr, sending Cantor spinning in turn three.  The next attempt highlight saw second year runner John Zych catch the wheel of the Seymour #29 with Jeff Abold aboard, sending Zych hard into the turn one fence.  The next six attempts claimed victim to the Chris Leonard #22, Paul Scally’s #30 and others.

On the final lap 9 restart, Joey Payne jumped into the lead.

When the field finally resumed the race, three laps into a long green flag run, fuel mileage based attrition became the issue.  Greg Stoehr began sputtering on lap fourteen and retired on lap fifteen out of fuel.  Within the next three circuits, fuel would claim victim to the popular Erica Santos in the Breault 44 and others.

Payne began to stretch out his lead to nearly a straightaway by lap seventeen, when Randy Cabral in the Bertrand 47 broke free from the pack and began to mount a challenge for his third consecutive 2008 win.  By lap twenty one, Cabral had caught Payne and tried the inside groove in turn three.  The wily veteran would have nothing of the sort, shutting the door on Cabral, who then tried the high line around Payne in turn one. 

With Payne in command and Cabral in hot pursuit, the two entered heavy lap traffic with three circuits remaining, including several running slowly with low fuel.  Payne worked the traffic masterfully and to his advantage, lapping up to the fourth place car, and would go on to take down the win, with Cabral finishing a car length behind.  Only six cars behind Payne and Cabral finished, with Lou Cicconi Jr. in the Santos 98 finishing third followed by Jeff Abold in the Seymour 29, Barry Kitteredge, William Wall, Frankoski, Paul Luggelle, Mark Irving and Erica Santos.

“I could hear the engine starting to skip and sputter with two or three laps to go,” said a relieved, but elated Payne.  “I knew that in another lap, we were going to be out of fuel.  We must have timed this one just perfectly, as we ran out of fuel shortly after the start/finish line,” concluded Payne.

Payne sits a mere 22 points behind Cabral in the Driver’s standings (578 to 556) as NEMA resumes its schedule on June 27^th at the Lee USA Speedway. 

Adam Cantor Heads to Monadnock
in the #7ny