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2021 NEMA NEWS |
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JEREMY
DECOURCY
In Memoriam |
The racing community
has lost one of our family at such a young age. Jeremy's
love for the sport was like no other.
His family is
absolutely devastated by his passing and are struggling to
cover the cost of his funeral. We have started this
gofundme
fundraiser to collect donations for Jeremy's funeral
service. Please consider donating if you are able to do so.
We are so very grateful for every donation during this
difficult time.
Rest In Peace Jeremy. |
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JOHNNY COY JR.
In Memoriam
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The Coy name is
synonymous in open wheel racing. Born in Haskell, New Jersey
and eventually taking residence in Merrick, Long Island,
Johnny Coy Jr. was cut from some of the finest racing cloth.
His father, open wheel legend Johnny Coy thrilled midget,
TQ, Modified and sprint car competitors up and down the East
Coast winning championships in ATQMRA, ARDC and even a
NASCAR Midget chamionship. Eventually son’s Johnny Jr. and
Joey would become prominent drivers in their own right,
tearing up midget and TQ tracks in their career.
Johnny Jr. made a name for himself in the beginning, winning
a National TQ Championship in 1978 and a New Hampshire State
Midget Champion in 1980. One of the darker sides of his
career was depicted in scary photo sequence, flipping the
Ferguson Sesco down the front straightaway of Islip Speedway
with his helmet coming off.
Like many, Johnny tried
his hand in the NASCAR world with three career Cup starts to
his credit. In 1984 he made his debut driving for Jeff
Halverson at Dover, starting 33rd and finishing a
respectable 23rd. Two years later he earned his best finish
in the Cup series with a return with James Hylton to Dover
with a 17th place finish beating such legends as Labonte,
Allison and Dale Earnhardt. His Cup career came to an end
with a grinding crash at Rockingham in 1986.
After
NASCAR, it was back to his beloved open wheel racing,
eventually driving for NEMA Champion car owner, Carl Kibbe.
After a few years in midgets and TQ’s, Johnny hung
up the helmet to concentrate on son, Richie's racing.
Together the two formed a pretty formidable combination.
Winning races and championships in TQ’s, Midget’s,
Modifieds, Legends and Late Models with the father/son duo
finding their home back with NEMA.
The midget racing
world is a lot less bright today. Johnny was another good
guy of the sport. You could go to him with a question,
set-up help or driving advice, it didn’t matter. You always
got the same straight shooter. The only love that was bigger
than racing for Johnny was his love for his family and
granddaughter.
Our deepest condolences go to the
entire Coy family during this very difficult time.
Godspeed, Johnny. Thank you for the impressions you made on
this world.
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| SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 7th, 2021 |
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LEGENDS DAY |
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Photos by
John DaDalt &
Norm Marx |
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Fornoro |
Stoehr |
Lindblad |
Seymours |
Falconi |
Monahan |
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LEGENDS DAY TO HONOR THE STARS
OF
NEW ENGLAND MIDGET RACING |
LOUDON, NH: The
popular annual Legends Day event will be held on November 7
at the North East Motor Sports Museum (922 Rt 106, Loudon,
NH 03307). Headlining the afternoon will be the stars and
VIPs of midget racing in New England. As always, Legends Day
will be a fun time and will include a free lunch.
This year's event's co-emcees intimately know New England
midget racing and the people who win midget races. Pete
Falconi has been the Northeastern Midget Association
announcer for many years. Dick Monahan has been deeply
involved in NEMA as well, enough to co-write the history of
midget racing in New England for the museum's book
History
of Auto Racing in New England. Both men appreciate the
value of fun.
Living honorees includes a list of
champion drivers. Russ Stoehr won six NEMA championships
between 1990 and 2010, Drew Fornoro won nine NEMA
championships, more than any other driver; Bobby Seymour won
the 1987 driver championship and has fielded midgets for
others to drive to wins for nearly his entire life. Rollie
Lindblad has built the broadest array of winning race cars
of anyone in New England. His construction includes winning
drag race cars, supermodifieds, super-late model cars and
midgets. His Badger midgets dominated NEMA competition for
many years.
Drew Fornoro leads the NEMA all time win
list with 85 victories and is followed by Dave Humphrey who
had 73 trips to victory lane. Bobby Seymour will represent
his family which includes brother Mike, a NEMA champion
driver, and his father "Boston" Louie whose cars won the
USAC Silver Crown Championship. Over a ten-year period,
Boston towed race cars more than a million miles from New
England to USAC races all over America. Bobby was with him
most of the time.
There will be a dramatic banner
unveiling in the museum's ceiling, adding to the banners
depicting the stars of the three prior Legends Day
celebrations. Deceased who will be honored in a special
banner include some of New England's all-time greatest
midget drivers: Johnny Thomson, Bob Blair, Bill Eldridge,
Joe Sostillio, Dave Humphrey and Joe Ciski.
A free
buffet beginning at 11:30 AM is included. The program will
begin at 1:00 PM and will be followed by the museum's Annual
Meeting which is open to all paid members. Become a member
at Legends Day and join the Annual Meeting where you can
have a say in how the museum is run.
Seating is
limited to 100 tickets so a sellout is likely, be sure to
get a seat. You can purchase tickets on our website by
clicking here. Tickets are $30 for museum members, $35 for
non-members. You may also call 603-783-0183 to purchase
tickets or send your payment to the North East Motor Sports
Museum, 922 Rt 106, Loudon, NH 03307. Questions can be
answered by emailing
nemsmuseum@gmail.com.
About the North East Motor
Sports Museum
The museum is owned by the
Racing History Preservation Group, a 501-c-3 educational
non-profit organization that seeks to discover, preserve and
share the history of motorsports in the Northeast. The
10,000 square foot museum opened in 2017 on the grounds of
the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, NH. Call
603-783-0183 or visit
nemsmuseum.com to learn more. |
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| Tyler Rivard #52 NEMA
LITE at Wiscassett on 9/8/18 |
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Mike Rivard, from Woonsocket,
RI, passed away from COVID on December 29, 2020. He was the
owner of the tire company, The Tire Doctor, out of
Blackstone, MA. He was a lifelong racer in karts, supers,
and drag racing, but his favorites were the Midgets.
Following his passion, he traveled the country to watch
races.
In the past decade, he and his company became
a race sponsor at several events including the Boston Louie
Memorial. He raced his own #37 dirt Midget everywhere from
the Northeast to Indiana and in 2018 and 2019, Mike along
with Kevin Park competed in the NEMA LITES Series with
Mike's son, Tyler, behind the wheel.
"Whenever Mike
was around, I can guarantee everyone was laughing and having
a great time. He could light up the room," remembers Bobby
Seymour.
For the entire 2021 NEMA LITES season, we
are honoring Mike by raising $100 per event for one lucky
driver in Mike's name.
NEMA would like to extend a
special thanks to his friends:
Kevin Park
Paul MacFee
Jackie Parker
Bobby Seymour
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John Romano Sr.
August 8, 2021 |
A devoted NEMA
member, John Romano Sr. passed on
Sunday, August 8, 2021. He
raced with NEMA in the 1960s
and 1970s, first racing his
father's car and then moving on
with other owners. He
finished in the Top Ten in points many
times. John lived and
loved midget racing to the end,
attending NEMA events up
until last year.
NEMA's thoughts and prayers are with his
family at this time. |
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DAVE SHORE
Most would agree that our pets are part of our family. One of
our members has had a tragedy strike one of it's family members.
I'm sure most (if not all) of you know Dave Shore. This past
weekend, his beloved dog Sh*tbag (yep that's her name) was hit
by a car and has needed emergency vet services to put plates,
pins and to fix other injuries. All of the bills are coming out
of Dave's pocket. A gofund me page has been started to help with
the bills. Please help out if you can.
http://gofund.me/a2b8d746 |
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| NEMA LITES DRIVER
SPOTLIGHT |
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| Drew Eldridge |
Drew Eldridge is certainly no
rookie behind the wheel of a racecar, but he is certainly a
rising start in the NEMA LITES series.
Following in
the footsteps of his grandfather, four time & inaugural NEMA
Champion Bill Eldridge, Drew has developed into a driver of
multiple-disciplines, whether it be on dirt or
asphalt.
His impressive resume includes 600cc micro sprints, 350
Supermodifieds, Pro4 Modifieds, Dwarf cars, and
three-quarter midgets.
"I really enjoyed my time in
the supers, I never turn down an opportunity. However, it
was only a matter of time before I got into a midget myself.
My family has a deep-rooted history within NEMA, and it
feels like my new home for years to come. I'm just got
engaged and have a baby on the way, so I hope to bring a
fourth generation of Eldridge to NEMA in the future."
Running his first full NEMA LITES season in 2019, he
struggled with motor issues that lasted into 2020.
"My goals for 2021 are to stay consistent and fight for top
fives every week. Once I'm up front, I can start
capitalizing on opportunities and maybe even capture a
podium or a win."
The Chelmsford, MA native is no
stranger to victory lane and will certainly be seen in NEMA
LITES victory lane soon. |
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NEMA LITES DRIVER
SPOTLIGHT |
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| Bradley Osgood |
Claremont, New Hampshire
native Bradley Osgood will make his foray into NEMA LITES
this coming season. After decades of racing go karts, the
40-year-old decided to make to move into the most
competitive asphalt midget group in the country.
"My
grandfather was the head-starter at Monadnock when I was a
child, so I've always been around the sport. I've been
driving on and off for many years, mostly crewing on mini
stock and late models. Recently, I started to assist Drew
Eldridge, and he got me hooked on buying a midget for
myself, and here we are," stated Osgood.
"It's a
really competitive group, I just want to make laps and get
up front. I think if I make it to tech a couple times this
year then I'll be pleased," grinned Osgood.
"NEMA
LITES is certainly growing, and with this large of a rookie
class, we'll have a ferocious fight on our hands for rookie
of the year." |
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| NEMA LITES DRIVER
SPOTLIGHT |
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| Michael Pernesiglio |
The
Pernesiglio name is synonymous with NEMA, for when 14 year
old Michael Pernesiglio made his NEMA LITES debut at
Waterford in the 2020 season finale it brought in the
family's fifth generation of racers to NEMA.
Michael
started his racing career in 2015 at the Little T Speedway
racing quarter midgets, before moving up to 270 Micro
Sprints on the dirt at Greenwood Valley Action Track in
2019.
Seeing the improvement of Michael's ability
and his passion for the sport, Randy Cabral gave Pernesiglio
the opportunity to make his LITES debut at Waterford.
"My goal that night was to keep the car in one piece.
Also learn how to use a clutch. That was probably the most
nerve-wracking part," said the Lake Grove, New York native.
"Going into this year, I just have to learn to be
more patient and get comfortable in traffic. Once I do that,
I know we can win races."
"I wish him the best of
luck, and I know he'll make us proud," stated his uncle
Derek. "He's in good hands." |
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| NEMA LITES DRIVER
SPOTLIGHT |
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| Dylan Coutu |
Fresh from completing the NEMA
Lite "Rookie Development Program," Dylan Coutu is ready to
start his first full season behind the wheel of a racecar.
Having run quarter midgets for eight years, the
freshman has garnered multiple feature wins in that time at
a multitude of tracks throughout the East Coast.
Dylan made a select few starts in 2020 as part of the rookie
program, finishing a best of 14th twice at Star Speedway.
"My top goal is to gain the respect of my
competitors and show that we belong here," said the
Griswold, CT native.
"I feel I can adapt quickly to
the small bullrings, but will need a little more time at the
big tracks such as Oswego & Thompson, but I'm certainly
ready for that challenge." |
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Bertrand Motorsports
Partners
with Nathan Byrd/BYRD Racing
for Select
2021 NEMA Events |
Nathan Byrd has been selected
to drive for Tim Bertrand/Bertrand Motorsports at select
events on the 2021 Northeastern Midget Association Schedule.
The 21 year old Byrd has a busy 2021 racing card, slated to
compete in 65+ events throughout the season.
"We are
excited to have Nathan and his family join the Bertrand
Motorsports operation in 2021," said team owner, Tim
Bertrand. "The Byrd family's association with open wheel
racing, and midgets in particular speaks for itself. The
family's association with names such as James Davison, Chris
Windom, Rich Vogler, Bryan Clauson and Stan Fox, just to
name a few, is something we are very proud to help them
carry on," said Bertrand.
Nathan started his racing
career in karts in 2018, moving to full size in 2020 to
contest the Lucas Oil Formula Car Racing Series. His first
year in cars also saw him expand his schedule to include the
Mel Kenyon Midget Series, Radical Focus Midget Series, and
his national Midget debut in the "Night Before the 500" on
The Oval at Lucas Raceway in Indianapolis. Nathan has
secured two track championships in karting, scored a podium
finish in the rain in the Lucas Oil Formula Car Series, and
notched a third-place finish in the 2020 Radical Focus
Midget Series championship standings.
"I am
absolutely stoked that Byrd Racing is partnering with
Bertrand Motorsports to go NEMA racing in 2021. I can't wait
to be part of a series with such a robust history among
absolute legends of the craft. The cars themselves look
incredibly fun and challenging to drive and I can't wait to
get one up to speed. I'm looking forward to a successful
year and to glorifying God while on the journey!," said
Nathan Byrd.
Nathan has been confirmed to run the
following schedule:
May 15th - LEE USA Speedway
July 21st - Waterford Speedbowl
August 21st -
Wiscassett Speedway
About
BYRD Racing
BYRD Racing, a multi-discipline
motorsports platform, prides itself on being interesting to
the core. With distinguished success in NASCAR, IndyCar,
USAC and beyond, our multi-diver platform pushes business
development to new levels of growth and success. Byrd Racing
was founded in 1982 and traces its roots to the Indianapolis
Speedrome, where it found immediate championship-winning
success. From there, the Byrd team spread its wings to begin
competing on short tracks across the country. While
continuing its winning ways on the short tracks of America,
Byrd Racing made the leap to the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway, successfully fielded 22 entries in the
Indianapolis 500 beginning in 1985, scoring 6 top ten
finishes, with a best finish of 5th in 2005.
About Bertrand Motorsports
Bertrand Motorsports is a nine-time Northeastern
Midget Association team. Owner, Tim Bertrand, has won over
seventy midget features and has fielded entries over the
years for drivers such as Ryan Newman, Sammy Swindell, Doug
Coby, Justin Bonsignore, Cole Carter, Keith Rocco, Kyle
Hamilton, Joey Payne, Lou Cicconi Jr., Chase Dowling, Jeff
Horn, and others. Bertrand's current driver stable includes
seven time NEMA champion Randy Cabral, 2019 Champion Avery
Stoehr, 2020 Champion Todd Bertrand and four time Champion,
Ben Seitz. |
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NEMA's 25th Anniversary
Boston Louie
Memorial
Returns to Seekonk in
2021 |
11/29/20 -- The
Northeastern Midget Association has announced today
that the annual Boston Louie Memorial will return to
Seekonk Speedway on Wednesday, June 9, 2021. The
International Supermodified Association will join
the NEMA midgets and NEMA Lites on the card in what
will be a spectacular Open Wheel Show. NASCAR star
Ken Schrader has also announced his return to the
racing card at Seekonk.
The race, one of the
most coveted of the NEMA season, is in memory of
legendary car owner Louie Seymour. Seymour, a
Marlboro, Mass., native, died in 1996. He began in
racing in the Midwestern-based USAC Silver Crown
division, earning the nickname "Boston Louie" from
fans and competitors who connected him with the
capital of his home state. As a car owner, Seymour
had more than 50 drivers in his equipment, including
NASCAR star, Ken Schrader. Known as the "man who
traveled a million miles," many legends of Silver
Crown racing drove for Seymour, including Rich
Volger, Gary Bettenhausen, Sheldon Kinser and Joe
Saldana.
"If you have any open cockpit
[racing] history, you understand just where 'Boston'
Louie Seymour stands," said six time champion Randy
Cabral. "To win a race with that name on it is very,
very special and to have won it multiple times is
even more special," said Cabral.
Making the
race even more special, is the continued tradition
and partnership with Seekonk Speedway. The first
officially sanctioned NEMA race took place at the
famed Seekonk, on May 30, 1953. Sixty eight years
later, the midgets now storm around the banked,
round oval in the low 11 second range.
"Seekonk Speedway is excited to continue the
tradition of the Boston Louie on a midweek race.
NEMA always brings great talent and puts on an
exciting race that brings out all the great aspects
of Midget racing. The Speedway has has a long
running great partnership with NEMA and looks
forward to being as part of their racing program for
years to come. The return of the ISMA Supermodifeds
on this new event just adds to the excitement," said
Ed St. Germain, Director of Business Development at
Seekonk.
"We are very excited to continue
our partnership with Seekonk," said NEMA President,
Tim Bertrand. "Seekonk is and always has been the
ideal track for the midgets - fast, wide, and
combines handling with driver skill more than
anything else," said Bertrand. "We're excited to be
back, and thank Ed and the entire Seekonk family for
having us." |
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NEMA Returns to Star
Classic in 2021;
Announces Return to Oswego Classic |
10/28/20 -- The Northeastern
Midget Association released a sneak peek into its 2021
schedule, announcing the the first two races on the card
today.
The first event that the club announced is a
return to the 2021 Star Classic, also celebrating NEMA
Legend Butch Walsh that evening for the Butch Walsh
Memorial. NEMA has celebrated a long history with the Webber
family and Star Speedway, this past year marking the 60th
season of partnership between the two. Long viewed as one of
the premier short track races in the Country, the Star
Classic, this past season, became even more of a spectacle,
spanning three days including the Granite State Pro Stocks
and the Modified Racing Series. Alan Chambers took down his
first ever NEMA victory at this year's Star Classic. Among
the others to score their first win at Star were three-time
('89, '91, '93) champ Joey Coy, Hall of Famer Mike Favulli
and 1984 champ Billy Mann.
"NEMA did a great job for
us at last year's Classic, and we are excited to have them
back for 2021," said Star Speedway owner & GM, Bob Webber
Jr. "Starting with us dating back over 60 years, the midgets
are a great addition to the Supers and 350 Supers. This past
year's Classic Weekend was an incredible event for New
England short track racing," he said.
"We are proud
to announce the Star Classic a one of the pinnacle events
for our 2021 schedule," said club President, Tim Bertrand.
"This year's event was a huge success for all, and we look
forward to being part of it again in 2021."
NEMA is
also excited to announce that both divisions will return for
the first time in fifteen years to the Labor Day weekend
prestigious Oswego Classic, and the prestigious Marvin
Rifchin Memorial. The last time the midgets competed in the
Classic, ISMA regular Chris Perley defeated Lou Cicconi Jr.,
and Pete Pernesiglio Jr.
"We are so excited to be
hosting the NEMA and NEMA Lites midgets on Saturday Labor
day Classic weekend in 2021. Oswego is the open wheel
capital of the East and the place to race on Labor Day
weekend," said Race Director, Chuck Handley.
"When I
got the call from Chuck, I knew that returning to the
Classic was a no brainer. It's a tremendous race track and
always provides exciting racing. To kick off with the Oswego
Classic and head to Star the following weekend provides our
teams and open wheel fans something to look forward to for
2021!," said club President, Tim Bertrand.
The
midgets share the card with the Whelen Modified Tour on
Saturday of Classic weekend with a $10,000 purse up for
grabs, and it is rumored that Doug Coby will do double duty
for the event in both the midgets and modifieds. The
Super-Modified Oswego Classic will take place on Sunday. The
five-eighths-mile oval provides for some fast laps for NEMA.
The last time the midgets visited Oswego, lap times were in
the high 16 second range, with 3 time champion John Zych
turning a blistering lap in the 16.6 second range enroute to
victory the last time the midgets visited Oswego in 2016. In
the Lites, Scott Bigelow was the victor over Danny Cugini,
and Anthony Payne, son of Oswego legend, Joey Payne.
Many of the experienced drivers consider Oswego to be a
"rhythm track." If you can set a pace, get out of the groove
and do your passing on the outside, you can really gain some
ground. Among those that have followed that philosophy is
six-time champion Russ Stoehr of Bridgewater, now handing
the reins over to son, Avery who has followed in his
footsteps, driving for Bertrand Motorsports. Other drivers
that have run exceptionally well on the round, momentum
tracks are Zych, Paul "Dangerous" Scally, with a lot of
success at the fast, round Wiscassett Speedway, multi time
champion Randy Cabral. In the Lites, NY's Chris Vose will be
looking forward to this race closer to his home, and hungry
for a win will be NJ's Joe Bailey in the Scrivani 21, Jim
Santa Maria who came very close this year, and NJ's Richie
Coy.
The full 2021 NEMA schedule will be announced
in the coming weeks. |
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