For 29 years, the annual race honoring Massachusetts-based car owner "Boston Louie" Seymour has been a marquee event in open-wheel Midget racing. Seymour’s legendary legacy - campaigning winning Midgets, Sprint Cars, and Silver Crown machines across America - continues to unite the sport’s best talent. This past Saturday, July 26th, at Seekonk Speedway, the tradition lived on with thrilling performances across both the NEMA Midgetsand NEMA LITES divisions.

Special thanks are extended to Falconi Energy for their continued support, and to Bob Eldridge of Atlanta, GA, son of 1953’s inaugural NEMA champion Bill Eldridge, for honoring the family legacy. Gratitude also goes to IPC for providing steering wheels awarded to the winners, and to Bill Van Slyke for his generous purse contribution and assistance with race day coordination. Jones Racing Products sponsored the $250 Fast Time Award for the NEMA LITES, while the Hard Charger Award was backed by Scotty from Martell Motorsports. Appreciation is also extended to Seals-It and K-Tron, represented by Skip Matczak and Barry Kittredge, for their ongoing support. Lastly, a sincere thank you to Matt and Bobby Seymour, whose dedication and effort continue to make the Boston Louie Memorial a standout event year after year.

In the NEMA LITES, rookie Zach Martinez captured his second consecutive victory, leading all 50 laps in a commanding drive. Meanwhile, Avery Stoehr etched his name further into the history books, securing his fourth straight Boston Louie Memorial win in the NEMA Midgets division.

The evening began with the crowd-pleasing four-wide salute from the NEMA LITES field before the drivers filed back into double-file formation for the start. On the front row, Zach Martinez in the Cataldo Racing Group #7 lined up alongside Tiana Kibbe in the Kibbe Racing #94. As the green flag waved, Martinez launched ahead into turn one, with Kibbe in tow, followed closely by Kyle Valeri in the Valeri Motorsports #17 entry.

A fierce battle for fourth erupted early as Randy Cabral #37, Ryan Locke #38, and Joey Bailey #35 went three-wide into turn one on lap two. Cabral seized the advantage in turn three, grabbing fourth, while Locke and Bailey raced side by side exiting turn four. Out front, Martinez began to stretch his lead as Valeri and Kibbe fought for second. By lap five, Valeri found grip on the high side exiting turn two and pulled ahead of Kibbe, while Cabral quickly followed, diving low in turn one to take third from Kibbe.

By lap 5, Martinez had built a one-second lead over Valeri, with Cabral close behind. Meanwhile, Brayden Egan in the #59 Egan Motorsports entry began challenging Kibbe for fourth. On lap 8, Egan used the inside line down the backstretch to edge ahead entering turn three and completed the pass down the frontstretch.

Martinez continued to set a blistering pace, but Valeri began reeling him in, running laps nearly two-tenths faster. By lap 10, Martinez skillfully navigated slower traffic using the low line, regaining breathing room over Valeri. A straightaway back, Egan began to pressure Cabral for third. On lap 19, Egan finally completed the move, diving low into turn one and powering out of turn two to move into podium position.

At the halfway mark, Martinez still led, but Valeri steadily closed the gap while Egan stayed within striking distance in third. Just behind, Jake Trainor in the Matt Seymour Racing #1 and veteran Randy Cabral rounded out the top five.

By lap 45, lapped traffic once again played a role. Valeri capitalized, closing to within two car lengths of Martinez. But the rookie remained poised, masterfully threading through the backmarkers and rebuilding his lead.

When the white flag waved, Martinez had put a lapped car between himself and the hard-charging Valeri. One lap later, the checkered flag fell - marking back-to-back victories for the rookie, with Valeri and Egan completing the podium.

In his post race interview, Martinez commented on his win, "Words are not really working right now, I can’t believe I just won the Boston Louie, my first race out here. This is unbelievable. To start on the pole and run away with this win, this is a dream come true."

To round out the top 10 were strong finishes by: Zach Martinez #7, Kyle Valeri #17, Brayden Egan #59, Ben Mikitarian #9, PJ Stergios #29, Randy Cabral #47, Joey Bailey #35, Tiana Kibbe #94, Drew Eldridge #55, and Ryan Locke #38.

As the sun dipped below the horizon and the lights illuminated Seekonk Speedway, the mighty NEMA Midgets took to the track for their 29-lap feature event - capping off a night filled with speed, skill, and tribute to the legendary “Boston Louie” Seymour.

On the front row, Avery Stoehr in the Bertrand Motorsports #39 lined up alongside Kyle Valeri in the Scrivani Racing #21. At the drop of the green flag, Stoehr charged into turn one with authority, while Joey Bailey in the #A1 immediately made a move to the inside of Valeri. The two battled down the backstretch before Bailey completed the pass and quickly set his sights on Stoehr. Entering turn three, Bailey mounted an early challenge, pulling alongside the leader as they raced wheel-to-wheel past the start/finish line. Stoehr, however, held firm and began to build a slight gap at the front of the field.

With Stoehr out front, Bailey held second under pressure from Valeri, followed closely by Mike Horn #93 and John Zych Jr. #9Z, who rounded out the top five. By lap six, Stoehr had found his rhythm, steadily increasing his lead to nearly three seconds as he navigated lapped traffic, leaving Bailey and Valeri in a fierce fight for the runner-up spot.

A caution on lap 9 erased Stoehr’s growing advantage and brought the field back together. On the restart, Stoehr once again surged into the lead, while Horn challenged Bailey for second on the inside line. Bailey defended his position with momentum on the high side, holding off Horn as the top five regrouped.

The battle for second reignited on the next lap, with Zych putting heavy pressure on Bailey. Coming out of turn four, Zych peeked to the outside but quickly tucked back in behind Bailey down the frontstretch, staying glued to his bumper.

At halfway, the cross flags waved as Stoehr extended his lead to over a straightaway. Behind him, Bailey continued to hold off Zych, while veteran Randy Cabral moved his Bertrand Motorsports #74 into fourth, overtaking Horn in the process.

Another caution slowed the field on lap 20, setting the stage for a late-race sprint to the finish. Stoehr and Bailey once again brought the field to green, but this time Zych got a strong jump, diving low into turn one and pulling alongside Bailey. The two raced side by side down the backstretch before Zych completed the pass for second one lap later, followed by Cabral and Horn, who each picked off Bailey to shuffle the order.

With five laps to go, Stoehr reasserted his dominance, pulling away from the field by half a straightaway. As the laps wound down, the gap only widened.

The checkered flag flew with Stoehr crossing the line nearly 2.8 seconds ahead of Zych, securing his fourth consecutive Boston Louie Memorial victory. Bailey held on for third, capping off a strong performance in a field stacked with top-tier talent.

Stoehr’s win continues a remarkable legacy, both for himself and Bertrand Motorsports, in a race that remains one of the most prestigious on the NEMA calendar and a fitting tribute to the legendary Boston Louie Seymour.

In his post race interview, Stoehr commented on his win, "Thank you to Seekonk Speedway for having us and for Bobby Seymour for putting this race on for 29 years. There is a lot that goes into promoting this race and they do a world class job. I’m glad to come back every year and have a good run at Seekonk. I really love coming here."

To round out the top 10 were strong finished by: Avery Stoehr #39, John Zych Jr. #9z, Joey Bailey #A1, Randy Cabral #74, Paul Scally #30, Mike Horn #93, Brayden Egan #3m, Kyle Valeri #21, Jack Dumas #77, Lee Bundy #49

Both the NEMA Midgets and LITES are back in action this weekend, Saturday, August 2nd at Wiscasset Speedway for the Iron Mike Scrivani Memorial. With a special meet and greet with the NEMA drivers at 3:15 PM! You will not want to miss out on NEMA fast action at Maine’s fastest track, we hope to see you there!