NEMA’s ’08 Slate Biggest in 20 Years

   Optimistic Payne Set For NEMA’s Opener

Joey Payne Jr. returns to the Northeastern Midget Association and Thompson Speedway’s season Icebreaker on April 4-5-6. He admits to “looking forward” to the new season, his 24th.

“I’ve been down the road a lot of times,” says Payne who’ll steer Gene Angelillo’s #45 for the fifth straight season. “I know that better times are coming. Last year really sucked so, yes, I’m looking forward to it.”

The Icebreaker kicks off a 19-race agenda for NEMA, the most in 20 years. The “Jersey Jet” comes off a strong indoor TQ season.

Payne’s objective is the 2008 championship. He did that back in 2003, his first season with Angelillo. Doing it again will not be easy.

“I’ll tell you what,” he insists, “on any given night 15 cars can win the feature.” He admits “the advancing technology has pushed the speeds up a little,” but it is the increase in competition that makes NEMA “the
premier touring division in the northeast right now whether people want to admit it or not.”

Among the drivers poised to end the championship run of Ben Seitz is Nokie Fornoro, back in the Jarret #4. Erica and Bobby Santos III
are back, Erica in Esslinger-powered #44 and Bobby in the family #98. Jeremy Frankoski, the ’07 Rookie of the Year, moves into the Seamon #63. Veterans Adam Cantor and Greg Stoehr and youngster Chris Leonard are other threats.  Randy Cabral will be a factor in the Bertrand #47, although not a contender since a new job will force him to miss several events.

Payne is ready. “Considering the way last year ended,” he says, “a win at Thompson would be very nice. Winning the first race can bring a lot of momentum to a team.”

And, it would soften a difficult memory. Payne and the Angelillo team had the championship in view at Thompson in last year’s season-ending World Series when an overheated engine forced them to retire and accept second place in the final standings. It was the third time in the last four seasons Payne has been second in driver points.

Payne actually made his midget debut as an 18-year old in the 1984 Thompson World Series. Since then he has had a “love/hate” relationship with NEMA’s “separates the men from the boys” track. “There is a point where the right foot has to connect with the brain and
knowing that can make a big difference there too,” he adds.

Back in 1998 an early crash in the World Series cost Payne the ISMA championship. And two years later, in a back-up car, he gave Angelillo his 100th career victory. Since taking the ride in 2003, he has given
Angelillo 14 more checkereds.

“When I finish at Thompson I usually finish up front,” says Payne. He’s been second at Thompson four times and third twice. He also had a second at Thompson before joining Angelillo.

Thompson, says Payne, is loaded with quirks. “The stands separate on the front stretch,” he says. “There’s a walkway there and on breezy days the wind comes right through. It hits the wing, loads the left
rear and the right front comes right up off the ground. It can really get your attention.”

Nokie Fornoro Takes Aim At Another NEMA Crown

Things seem to be in order for Nokie Fornoro – all the things necessary to capture the Northeastern Midget Association championship for himself and owner Mike Jarret.

“I’m going after it,” declares Fornoro, about to start his 34th season. “I have no other commitment. I don’t have to worry about missing races. It’s about time. I haven’t had a championships in over 10 years and that sort of bothers me.”

NEMA opens its 19-race schedule April 4-5-6 at Thompson International Speedway. A spot on Waterford Speedbowl’s Budweiser Modified Nationals follows a week later (April 12-13). A large and impressive entry list compliments the agenda.

He expects a “quick” start to his quest. The cooler temperatures mean faster speeds at Thompson he says. Motors will run better and the banking will have more affect. “Thompson is always faster when you can use the banking. I love the speed you get there.”

He and Bobby Santos III were “down in the seventeen seconds” at last year’s. World Series. “The Midgets,” he declares, “are “scary fast” at Thompson.

Fornoro’s last championship was the 1995 ARDC title, one of several he owns including the 1981 NEMA crown. His last Midget victory, the 105th of his career, came last August at the Waterford Speedbowl. With his father Nick and his brother Drew, Nokie is part of one of Midget racing’s most successful families.

“Considering the caliber of cars we have now – 12-to-15 cars can win any given night – you have to have one heck of a maintenance program to win a championship,” says Fornoro. “I believe money can’t
buy you wins. Yea, it can help you get the best stuff but if you don’t have a maintenance program, you’re in trouble.”

He gives owner Peter Valeri, the champ three of the past four years (driver Ben Seitz won four in a row) “all the credit in the world. Every race, no matter what happened, they went through the car and that’s
what you have to do.”

Fornoro has always “been blessed with good owners” and Jarret is one of them. “Whenever Mike gets involved he does it wholeheartedly,” says Fornoro. “There is nothing this team should lack; there is no reason why we shouldn’t do well. I feel we’ve got the best stuff.”

The present operation, including Mike Scrivani Jr., is a carry over from the glory days of early 1980s when Fornoro dominated in cars owned by Hall of Famer Mike Scrivani Sr., the larger than life character known as ‘Iron Mike.’ Both Jarret and Mike Jr. were key parts of an operation that produced the NEMA title and a couple of his five ARDC crowns.

Fornoro vividly recalls his first Thompson run way back in 1976, a sixth place finish after a confrontation with Joey Coy. Since then he has
“hundreds and hundreds of laps” around the historic oval in both Midgets and SuperModifieds. He was an ISMA winner there is 2006.

 
 Early NEMA Win Key In Cabral’s Objective

Randy Cabral is not given to exaggeration. The Northeastern Midget Association hot shoe keeps a tight reign on his expectations.

“I want to win at least one race,” says Cabral who will be in the Bertrand #47 for the third straight year. “Ever since my second year in NEMA (2000) I’ve won at least once. I’d like to keep that streak going.”

NEMA starts its very ambitious 19-race agenda at Thompson Speedway’s Icebreaker on April 5-6 and heads to Waterford Speedbowl for the Budweiser Modified Nationals April 12-13. NEMA will help Seekonk Speedway open its season on May 4. “They are the best Midget tracks in the East,” Cabral insists. “I’ve had side-by-side battles at all three.”

Eleven of Cabral’s 12 wins have come at those three tracks, four each at Thompson and Waterford. He won the closers at the latter two last year, his effort in the Speedbowl’s “Finale” near flawless. The team has made few changes. “The car was so good we didn’t want
to touch it,” Cabral says.

“Hopefully we can get the win in the first three races and then go back to having fun like we did last year,” continues Cabral who followed his father Glen into the sport. He has, in fact, done that the past two years.

Cabral is part of a NEMA cast that includes Erica and Bobby Santos III, veterans Joey Payne Jr. and Nokie Fornoro, Adam Cantor and youngsters Jeremy Frankoski and Chris Leonard.

His first win came in the 2000 Boston Louie at Seekonk in family-owned equipment but it was the Thompson Icebreaker victory in 2001 that ignites him still. “I’ve been watching races there since 1988, watching my dad,” he explains. “It’s a special place and I’ve always wanted to race there so to actually win there was unbelievable.”

When it comes to his best race, however, only the Boston Louie win compares with last year’s “Finale” at Waterford. “I couldn’t do anything wrong at Seekonk,” he says. “The car was nothing fancy. We bought it that year, pulled it out from under a tarp, put a motor in
it and went racing. Seven races in we won.”

He says people tell him he drives Waterford all wrong. “’You can’t go into one that way,’ they say,” he explains. “You’re wrong and you need to do it this way.’ I tell them I can’t get my way out of my system
and I’ve been pretty successful with the way I do it.”

Thompson, he insists, is “very intimidating” and “demands respect.” He’s sure “people don’t realize the speeds we go there. When things happen they happen really big.”

He’s made four-wide passes on both the bottom and the top at the Speedbowl “and there’s no other track where you can do that,” he adds.

While speeds have definitely increased, it’s the improved competition that makes NEMA “the premier touring division in New England,” he says. “When I got my first win people said there were maybe 10 cars that could win a NEMA feature. Now there are 20-25 and everybody is so hungry.”

Marilyn A. Bertrand

December 30, 1949 - January 23, 2008
 

Marilyn A. (Luko) Bertrand, 58, of Suffield, the beloved wife of 36 years to Gilles Bertrand, entered peacefully into eternal life surrounded by her loving family on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at her home. She was born on December 30, 1949 in Hartford, CT, a daughter of Jeanette and the late Anton Luko. She resided in Suffield, CT for the past 20 years and prior to that in Stafford and Enfield, CT. Marilyn was a graduate of Hartford High School Class of 1967 and  received her degree in Education from Central Connecticut State University in 1971, during which time she was president of her sorority, Lambda Kappa Nu. She continued on to receive her Masters Degree from Central Connecticut as well. Marilyn was employed by the Enfield Board of Education and spent her entire 37 year career as a teacher at Fermi High School, where she was the head of the Business Department and was also an advisor for FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America).

Marilyn is survived by her devoted husband, Gilles, her loving children, Tim Bertrand and his wife, Cara of Sturbridge, MA, Patrick Bertrand, Lindsay Bertrand and Todd Bertrand all of Suffield, her mother, Jeannette (Luko) Mulready of West Hartford, CT a sister, Gilberta Calegari and her husband, James of E. Hartford, CT, a brother, Stephen Luko and his wife, Annette of Terryville, CT along with many nieces, nephews, and dear friends, as well as her grand-dogs, Tessa & Toby.

Marilyn dedicated her life to her family and friends, always putting others needs before her own.  She loved her yard, her pool, her flower gardens and her home.  She loved being the oldest of a group of much younger Soccer parents, cheering on her son Todd and his teammates, and her presence at all of the games will be missed.  She spent many years enjoying all of her children’s pursuits and talents, as well as supporting Gil in his love of auto racing. Marilyn enjoyed the good things in life – dancing, singing, boating, laughing, cheering and crying. A White Russian will never be drunk without thoughts of Marilyn in the future.

Memorial donations in her memory may be made to the Eye Melanoma Research Fund at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson University.

Kimmel Cancer Center
C/O Ms. Helen Lane
1050B BLSB
233 S. 10th St.
Phiadelphia, PA 19107

It is with deep sorrow that we report the passing of Nick Fornoro,
a former champion, long time flagman and the father of NEMA champions Nokie and Drew Fornoro.

In recent years, armed with a host of racing stories, Nick was always welcome at NEMA events.

A member of the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame, the New Jersey native won an ARDC (1950) and a NASCAR (1953) championship over a 10-year career that ended in 1956. He went on to become one of the sport’s premier flagman, advancing to Chief Starter for the Championship Auto Racing Teams Indy Car Series from 1979-1992. He was the honorary starter for the 1993 Indianapolis 500.

In addition to Nokie and Drew, he is survived by his wife of 59 years Elizabeth (Bette), daughter Cindee Bertling, sisters Celeste Weisgerber and Constance Abdalla, brother Billy Fornaro and seven grandchildren: Jessica Fornoro, Nofri, Lanson and Jarett Fornoro, Tara and J.J. Bertling and Marie Fornoro, and many nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Checkered Flag Fan Club Injured Drivers’ Fund; P.O. Box 79; Kutztown, PA 19530 or the Joey Bella Memorial Fund, Inc. (15 Myers Ave., Denville, NJ 07834) that provides direct assistance to families in need during catastrophic illness.

Cards may go to Nokie Fornoro,  RR3 - 3578,  Stroudsburg, PA 18360
 

Marilyn Angelillo was, officially, the Northeastern Midget Association’s secretary for many years. Unofficially, she was the club’s social director, points keeper, publicity agent, organizer, sounding board, problem solver and, most importantly, its conscience

Marilyn passed away Tuesday after a brave bout with cancer.

“Her contributions to our club over the years are many, far too many to count,” said NEMA President Mike Scrivani. “Saying she will be missed seems trite at this point, but Marilyn touched so many of us in positive ways. Whatever the problem, she was there for us. It is a sad time.”

She came to NEMA with her husband Gene in 1980. It was Marilyn who named the team “Dumo’s Desire” in memory of Gene’s father.

Working with Gene, she helped engineer a NEMA surge in the 1990s. She fought fiercely for those competitors loyal to the club. Perfect attendance trophies, she believed, were to be valued as much as championships.

She had a number of awards including the coveted Johnny Thomson Memorial.

In addition to her husband, Marilyn is survived by her daughter and son-in-law Laura and Curt Kibbe, granddaughters Tiana and Brooke and brother and sister-in-law James and Catherine Zukauskas. NEMA extends its condolences to all her family and friends.

Calling hours are Thursday from 2 to 4 and 6 to 9 at Chase Parkway Memorial, 430 Chase Parkway in Waterbury. The funeral will be at St. Michaels Roman Catholic Church in Waterbury on Friday at 10 AM.
Rooms are available at the Hampton Inn in Waterbury  203-753-1777.
Mention NEMA membership.

The family requests contributions be made in Marilyn’s memory to the Harold Leever Cancer Center, 1075 Chase Parkway, Waterbury, CT (www.leevercancercenter.org) or to NEMA.
 

John Blewett, III  

1973-2007

NEMA sends our thoughts and prayers to the
Blewett family, race team, friends and fans.
 

Bill Balser photo - from left: Black LaMacchia, Mike Scrivani, 
starter Frank Ferrara, Dave Humphrey (in car), Mike Scrivani Jr.

Asking Mike Scrivani Jr. to come up with a No. 1 memory of his dad is both unfair and impossible. The Northeastern Midget Association president has a host of fond memories of the bigger-than-life character remembered as “Iron Mike.”

It is fair to say there are hundreds of stories about the late Mike Scrivani who will be inducted into the New England Antique Racers (NEAR) Hall of Fame Sunday, January 27th at the LaRenaissance Banquet Hall in East Windsor, CT.

A charter member of NEMA (Jerry Russo drove his car in the club’s first-ever race at Seekonk on May 30, 1953), Scrivani's auto racing connections went back to the Sprint Cars of the late 1930s. Although he was also successful in Modified racing, “his heart was always with the Midgets and Sprints,” reports Mike Jr.

Based at the legendary “Mike’s Truck Stop” in Wrentham, MA, Scrivani, who passed away on Feb. 28, 1983, wrote a ton of New England racing, adding particularly to NEMA’s story. Butch Walsh and Nokie Fornoro won championships in Scrivani cars. The Scrivani-Fornoro combination remains one of the most potent combinations in both NEMA and ARDC history.

NEMA has had co-champions just once – 1970 – and the Scrivani operation played a major role. “The old man didn’t have a steady driver,” Mike Jr. recalls, and despite sitting in second place in the driver points, Dave Humphrey (“the old man called him ‘kid’”) didn’t have a ride for the final event at Thompson Speedway.

Humphrey, Mike Jr. points out, was actually three-for-three in the car, the former Johnny Thomson-driven MacLeod Curtis Craft/Offy. “They worked it out and Humphrey showed up at Thompson,” continues Mike Jr. “Back then,” he continues, “you asked Dave ‘How is it?’ and all he said was ‘OK.’ He would sit on the race car, smoke a cigar and then go out and race.”

He went out and “stuffed” the car into the sandbank that then bordered the turns at Thompson. “They pulled him out, started him last and we win the main,” says Mike Jr. He finished in a tie with Lou Fray for the championship.

A year earlier at Thompson Gene Bergin drove the car to a memorable win. “It was co-sanctioned with ARDC,” Mike restarts. “Johnny Coy and Ken Brenn and all the big guns were there.” Bergin, he says, “haunted my father, ‘give me a ride in the midget’” and it actually made a difference. “My father said ‘you want a ride in my car, you have to speak up.’”

Just out of the hospital (an auto accident), long-time Scrivani associate, Blackie LaMacchia showed up. “Blackie sees the car,” says Mike Jr. “I’m there, Gene’s there and he asks ‘how’s the car?’ ‘It feels good’ Gene said but Blackie says ‘do this, do that’ and we changed it a little.”

Starting behind the ARDC cars, Bergin won the race, passing Johnny Coy Sr. with five left heading into one. “What a race that was,” says Mike Jr., still enjoying it.

Al Herman, Burt Brooks, Ray Burke, Al Pillion, Bill Eldridge, Hank Williams and Leigh Earnshaw and Coy Sr. also won in the car. Coy’s win is one of the most memorable in both NEMA and Scrivani family history.

There were two family cars, the upright wrenched by Mike Jr. and a Badger under the care of long-time family confidant Hop Harrington. It amounted to a car in each of two warring camps. They came to Stafford, stockcar ace Geoff Bodine in the Badger and Coy in the upright. Coy passed Bodine on the last lap to win.

“Hop came unglued,” says Mike Jr. “’You beat the hometown favorite’ he said and the place would have gone nuts if Bodine had won.” Coy, however, wanted none of it and Mike Jr. was in the owner’s championship battle (which he won).

At first, he says, “the old man didn’t care. It was a good race.” Then, rethinking it, he offers, “he always was an upright guy. He loved the uprights. He used to call the badgers door wedges. He liked what happened.”

Drivers Dave Alkas, Dave Darveau, Dick Batchelder and
The late Howie Brown, Fred Luchesi, George Lombardo and Johnny Gammell, car owner Joe Brady, the multi-talented Dr. Dick Berggren and writer Pete Zanardi will also be inducted.

Ticket forms for the 11th annual NEAR Hall of Fame banquet will be available on the New England Antique Racers website www.near1.com in the near future.

NEMA Banquet for 2007 Season 11-10 HERE

NEMA Banquet for 2007 Season 11-10 HERE

Frankoski Leads Strong NEMA Rookie Group

                                                 by Pete Zanardi

Growing up, Jeremy Frankoski’s dad insisted he play different sports. He played baseball, some hockey and actually captained his high school hockey team.

“All I wanted to do was race,” says Frankoski, the Northeastern Midget Association’s leading rookie heading into Seekonk Speedways DAV Memorial. “My father was worried as I grew up my passion would change so I played other sports.”

Still, the “worst part of each year was putting up the car. I dreaded it. I hated it. Hockey was a way to pass the winter,” says Frankoski, a defenseman who had his share of penalty minutes. There is no longer any doubt about his passion.

Part of an impressive group of Rookies, the 21-year old Frankoski has been racing since age nine, moving through NYSMA Microds, Tobias Slingshots and Mini Sprints. Some years, he says, the season was only 10 or 15 races, making his 40-plus wins and two championships even more impressive.

In addition to Frankoski, who drives the Marine Engine-sponsored Power Point Race Cars #99, the rookie list includes Chris Leonard in the family owned Hawk Autocraft #22, John Zych Jr. in the family owned Hawk #9; Aaron Wall in the Seymour #29 and 17-year old Bobby Kuiken, the latter in the family-owned Stealth-Fontana.

Leonard at 16 is the youngest of the rookes and holds several karting championships. Zych, 24, has won two of his last three heats. He’s on asphalt for the first time. Kuiken comes from eight years in go karts. His best was a sixth at Epping, NH. Wall, a Focus product, was fourth at Waterford.

“An outstanding rookie class,” understates NEMA President Mike Scrivani.

The Rookie prize would top a Frankoski resume that includes “an awesome” victory at Beech Ridge earlier this year. Starting on the pole, he recalls working hard to “keep calm.” Only two other rookies have won a feature in NEMA’s long history.

Frankoski finished second in the All-American Driver Challenge in February – a program that whittled down 75 drivers to 10 and then to a single winner. “There was lots of exposure, lots of encouragement and it helped me land the deal with Power Point Racing,” he says of racing in front of evaluators like John Andretti, Bob East and Rick Benjamin.

On the asphalt for the first time in a decade, it’s been a major transition. “It’s been more than I expected,” says Frankoski, who holds an associate degree from Brome Tech in New York. “You say, ‘yeah, I can run with these guys’ then you get into it and you find out what it takes to run out front consistently; what it take to win.”

Everybody agrees NEMA is “one of the toughest clubs out there.” But, says Frankoski “there is a huge amount of help available. I came here like a huge sponge. I tired to learn as much as I could. I’m out of my league and I’m there to listen.”

Everybody, he says, is ready to talk, “especially the veterans-Joey Payne, Nokie Fornoro, the Bertrand drivers, Lou Cicconi Jr. and Randy Cabral. Any problems you have you can go to these guys and that has been a huge part of the success we’ve had this year.”

Frankoski comes to Seekonk off a hard earned 13th. Losing a motor in practice at Waterford’s Finale, they packed up and headed for Circle Performance in Massachusetts where John Andruk had just completed the team’s second motor. “John gave us the key to the shop and we were there till 9:30 at night,” Frankoski says. “It was 11:30 when we got back to the track that we had something to eat.”

Without the heat, he started the feature in 29th. “I can't complain a lot about that,” Frankoski summed up.

Driver Spotlight Page
by Todd Baptista
now featuring
NEMA ACE RANDY CABRAL

Seekonk Speedway announced today that the Northeastern Midget Association will return to the 1/3-mile Bay State oval for four points events in 2007. The open wheel aces will make their first appearance of the season on Saturday night, May 19, joining the track’s weekly Pro Stock, Late Model, Sport Truck, and Street Stock divisions on the bill. The race will be the second of 15 points events on this season’s NEMA calendar.

The midgets will also return on Wednesday, July 18, as part of the third annual Open Wheel Wednesday event, highlighted by a 100-lap $10,000 to win Modified Madness open competition race. The crown jewel in the Northeastern Midget Association schedule, the Boston Louie Seymour Memorial Classic, honoring the memory of Louie Seymour (1927-1996) of Marlboro, MA, will take place at Seekonk Speedway on Saturday, August 25. Seymour, “the man who towed a million miles”, spent almost a quarter of a century competing in open-wheel racing, traveling across the country with Midgets, Sprint Cars, and Silver Crown Cars. The fourth and final NEMA visit of the season will coincide with the season-ending D. Anthony Venditti Memorial Festival of Racing on Saturday and Sunday, October 6 and 7.

The Cement Palace and the mighty midgets share a storied history that goes all the way back to the glory days of local short track racing. The then-quarter mile oval hosted nothing but midgets on the weekly racing program from 1946 through 1948. NEMA, the sanctioning body for the touring open wheel stars, held its first ever event at Seekonk on Memorial Day weekend in 1953. Today, the cars sport wings atop the roll cages for added speed and agility, and are safer than ever before.

Plymouth, MA’s Randy Cabral and Bobby Santos III of Marlboro, MA captured the May and October NEMA events at Seekonk in 2006, while Stroudsburg, PA veteran Noki Fornoro wheeled Mike Jarret’s machine to Victory Lane in July and August, bringing his Seekonk career win total to eight. Defending NEMA champion Ben Seitz of Monument Beach, MA also has two career wins at the Action Track of the East and is expected to be among the front-runners.

For more information, please visit online at www.seekonkspeedway.com.

The NEMA Booth at

www.SpeedwayEXPO.com

Club President Mike Scrivani took a turn in the dunk tank The Anger Management Charity Event at SpeedwayEXPO. Photos by Nathan Kelly/Racersbored.com

Photos by Norm Marx

"Midget Racer Having Fun on Track"
Shane Hammond at Boston.com

WELCOME TO...

Benjamin Harold O'Brien

Sue O'Brien gave birth to a beautiful and healthy baby boy March 14th, 2007 at 1:02 PM.

He weighs 8lbs. 11oz. and is 19 1/2 inches long.

Congratulations Sue and Matt!
 

"MAZDA PETE IS A GRANDFATHER"

MICHAEL PETER PERNESIGLIO
BORN  7 LBS 1 OZ
11:06 AM - DEC 17th, 2006

Congratulations to Pete and Angela
on their first!

  Seitz Set to Wear NEMA Crown Again

Manchester, CT (November 27, 2006): Ben Seitz of Monument Beach, MA has rightfully earned his place in the record books of the Northeastern Midget Association. On January 13, 2006 at White’s of Westport in Westport, MA, Seitz formally will be crowned with his third-straight Northeastern Midget Association championship. He will join only two other drivers-Dave Humphrey and Russ Stoehr-to earn the distinction in the 54-year history of the Club.

“I would never even put myself in their category,” said Seitz of his fellow record-holders. “Just to be mentioned in the same breath with Dave Humphrey and Russ Stoehr is a huge honor.”

Like Stoehr before him, Seitz has won the consecutive titles for a single car owner. He has earned each of the championships driving the potent #17 for Peter and Lynne Valeri. With Seitz’s raw talent and Valeri’s wisdom along with their matched hunger for victory, the two have shown to be a perfect compliment and proven to be a winning combination.

Dedicated families and a handful of hardworking volunteers solidify the efforts of the duo. The Valeri team also enjoys the steadfast support of sponsors like Cape Cod Aggregates and the Sam Lorusso Family that allows them the resources to compete among the powerhouse teams in NEMA.

“This is truly a team effort. I like to think that Pete and I do our part,” said Seitz, “but we would not have gotten this far without the support of a bunch of other people that more than pull their weight with this team. I have to thank my entire family, Buck Gilbert, Jimmy Morragio, Eddie Parker, Dick Bean and, of course, Mike Scrivani.”

“Our team is fortunate to have the very best equipment thanks to Esslinger and Bob East,” continued Seitz. “We have the strongest chassis and engine combination in Midget Racing with these two companies and their amazing staffs.”

Unlike years past, the 2006 season was not a dominating one for the Peter Valeri-owned race team. It was a consistent season with two victories, six top-five and nine top-ten finishes in 11 starts.

“It was a slow and steady season,” said Seitz. “This one was won more in the shop than on the race track.”

With only one DNF (did not finish) during the entire season, it seems that the maintenance program was the key to the success of the team this season.

“We did not run exceptionally well this year,” said Seitz modestly. “ We ran okay at most tracks but we struggled on the short tracks like Seekonk and Waterford this year. We sort of backed into this one.”

“Joey Payne was definitely the man to beat in 2006. Without the wreck at Stafford the Angelillo team would definitely be the champs. They were unbelievable this season.”

Despite missing two races, Payne and Angelillo finished an astonishing fourth in the final point standings. Their record-two wins and seven top-five finishes in nine starts.

The 2006 season was one of the most competitive in recent memory. A total of six drivers visited victory lane. No driver scored more than two wins. The champ scored his two victories of the 2006 season at the two biggest tracks on which NEMA competes-the Stafford Motor Speedway (April 30) and Thompson International Speedway (October 15).

The noted highlight of the season for Seitz was the win in the XTRA-Mart World Series of Stock Car Racing at Thompson International Speedway in October.

“The October race at Thompson was the best race of the year for us,” said Seitz. “It was crunch time and we handled the pressure and came home with the win. ”

Other drivers doubling up included Randy Cabral, Nokie Fornoro, Joey Payne and Bobby Santos III. The only other winner in 2006 was Mike Keeler. These numbers speak for the parity in the top tier of NEMA competition.

Randy Cabral, in his first full season driving for owner Tim Bertrand, came home second in the final point standings with two wins, eight top-five and nine top-ten finishes in 11 starts. Nokie Fornoro, who missed a race due to a conflict with the International Supermodified Association (ISMA) schedule, to which he also competes, managed to finish third in the final point standings also with two victories, seven top-five and eight top-ten finishes in 10 starts. Shane Hammond had a standout season rounding out the top-five, one spot behind Payne.

“This championship was a little bit more nerve-racking than the others. Toward the end, Randy (Cabral) and Nokie (Fornoro) were right there point-wise and on the track Joey (Payne) was a huge threat.”

Like the championships that came before, Seitz and company were able to withstand the pressure of a heated point race with tremendously talented rivals to take home the biggest honor in NEMA.

“They are all special,” responded Seitz when asked how this championship differed from the others. “They all will be with us forever.”

“Winning one title is a great accomplishment but three is a tribute to everybody on this team.

“And winning never gets old.”

NEMA would like to congratulate Randy Cabral and Tim Bertrand on their second win of 2006 at Thompson International Speedway on July 6th, and also Bobby Santos III and his family on their win at Stafford Speedway on July 11th.

We also had a few teams return to competition over the last few races. We would like to say thank you and welcome back to the Dolan family with the 15 car and Doug Cleveland in the 87.

Also, congratulations to BJ Macdonald and family on the birth of their son, John Matthew, on Saturday the 15th. BJ is also donating a $150 gift certificate per race for LEAF Racewear – for the 6th place finisher. Thank you BJ!

As you all may know from Stafford, it has been decided that the August race at Stafford will be a NON points combined show with USAC and ARDC. The show will be run wingless and it will be governed by NEMA and NEMA rules – with the exception of the Toyota motor rule for obvious reasons. The tire rule will allow for a 7.3RR or 7.8RR tire, and NO STICKER TIRES for the feature.

Hopefully all of our members will support this race as Stafford has been increasingly generous to NEMA over the past three seasons, and we hope to continue that relationship with even more races in 2007, and…

There will be a $12,000 purse for this event!

Gates will open at 11AM, with a “round robin” style practice from 1PM to 6PM for the Midgets, Trucks and Big Cars.

PLEASE REGISTER ASAP at WWW.STAFFORDMOTORSPEEDWAY.COM to show your support for the race. Please help!

As for an update on Joey Payne, he was released early in the morning following the Stafford race with bruises and a concussion.

Joey’s accident brings up the next issue that we would like to discuss, which is safety. Investing in safety equipment such as good seats, head and neck devices, and so on – will keep all of our valued drivers and friends safe on the racetrack.

Bobby Seymour is happy to discuss the options for adding additional safety features to your race cars such as Kirkey’s bolt on head rests, shoulder restraints and head/neck protection devices.

Our next race is at Seekonk Speedway on July 26th and then the race after that is at Waterford on August 5th.

We hope to have a great turnout at Seekonk and Waterford. Please encourage members who you are speaking with to get out to the track – every car counts!

See you soon!

Best regards,

Patty and the NEMA Board

Manchester, CT (July 17, 2006): Joey Payne is recuperating at his home in Fairlawn, NJ after a devastating wreck at Stafford Motor Speedway on Tuesday, July 11, 2006 in the Northeastern Midget Association feature during Xtreme Tuesday presented by CARQUEST. The veteran racer sustained a severe concussion and injuries to his arms and legs when the rear axel sheared off his racer sending him careening into the outside wall.

“I’m doing okay,” said Payne on Monday. “My knee and shoulder hurt quite a bit. My knee is really swollen and my shoulder is severely bruised. But my head is better, that is the good thing. It was a hard shot for sure.”

A “hard shot” might be the understatement of the season. It is believed that Payne was traveling at speeds in excess of 110 miles per hour in the open-cockpit Midget when the crash occurred. During the impact both Payne’s head and shoulder made contact with the outside retaining wall.

Payne was transported to Johnson Medical Center and then airlifted to Hartford (CT) Hospital, where he spent the night. He remembers little about the accident.

“I knew something broke and the next thing I remember was bang… I think the bang was my helmet hitting the wall.”

His helmet is broken in two places. Payne, who owns a Safety Solution R-3 head restraint, admittedly in poor judgment, was not wearing it at the time of the accident.

“When I do come back, I will surely make some changes to my safety equipment. I will definitely be wearing my Safety Solution R-3 from now on. It is a great device and I should have been wearing it. I will have it on next time I race and every time after that,” added Payne wisely.

All other safety precautions were in place.

“Everything did what it was supposed to do,” continued Payne of his equipment. “I have to thank Gene and Marilyn Angelillo for spending their money to keep me safe in their racecar. No other car in NEMA has a Joie of Seating seat. It is the Cadillac of seats. It saved my life.”

Unfortunately for Payne and his owners, the Angelillo’s the car is a total loss.

“I went to see it (the car) the other day,” said Payne, “I walked in and said ‘Wow, I can’t believe I survived this’.”

Despite the severity of the incident, Joey Payne will be back behind the wheel as soon as possible.

“I am not giving up,” said the diehard racer. “It would take a lot more than that to make me want to stop racing. Racing is my life. I have been doing it my whole life. I don’t want to go out like that. To go out like that just would not be right.”

“I will be back as soon as Gene gets me a new car,” added Payne with a sense of determination.

The time frame for the team’s return is uncertain. A brand new car will have to be procured.

“All the good parts that are left from the car fit into a box the size of an oil case,” added Payne. “Everything in the car is destroyed.”

The next event for the Northeastern Midget Association is scheduled for Wednesday, July 26, at Seekonk Speedway in Seekonk, MA.

“Unless a miracle happens we will miss Seekonk,” said a dejected Payne.

It will be the first time in many years that a Gene Angelillo racer will not be in the field for a NEMA Midget event.

The silver lining in the entire incident is the outpouring of support that Payne and his family have received.

“The racing community is a family,” said Payne. “I am glad to be part of a family that cares so much about everyone. Everybody from NEMA has called…My phone is still ringing.”

“The track crew at Stafford was phenomenal,” said Payne full of gratitude. “Everyone was amazing that night-from the fire department to the EMTs to the MedEvac team, just everyone. It is strange to be in that position and have so many people care so much.”

Everyone in the racing community is wishing Joey Payne a speedy recovery and the Dumo's Desire Team a quick return to competition. Cards of well wishes can reach Joey Payne at 68 Pomona Ave., Fairlawn, NJ 07410.

Former NEMA driver, turned announcer Derek Pernesiglio has been making big strides in the world of motor sports broadcasting. This year he’s pit reporting for selected ASA Late Model Challenge Series events on the Men’s Channel and iDrive TV. “This is an incredible opportunity for me, explained Pernesiglio. “I left the Northeast in 2000 for a job in motor sports and it’s been quite a ride! I have to thank Rick Benjamin, Joe Ligon and the folks at Visioncast Inc. for a marvelous opportunity to pit report in selected ASA Late Model Challenge Series events this year.” The ASA Late Model Challenge Series has 13 televised events on the Men’s Channel and iDrive TV beginning in September of this year. Check your local cable provider for times and air dates.

Pernesiglio is the son of legendary open-wheel car owner “Mazda” Pete Pernesiglio and younger brother of NEMA veteran driver Pete Pernesiglio. Derek’s career has run the gamut in motor sports. He began racing go-karts at 15, moving up to the Pro-4 Modifieds and eventually driving the family ride until 1999. In 2000 Pernesiglio made a career change, moving to the announcers booth at the Seekonk and Thompson Speedway’s.

It was early in 2001 when Derek got an opportunity to move down South to work for Wheeler Television on the long running “Raceday” show on the old TNN Network. That same year Pernesiglio moved over to NASCAR Images in their Corporate Motorsports department, becoming a producer of the NASCAR Banquet ceremony videos.
Pernesiglio still works for NASCAR Images but as the Associate Producer of the Trackside Live show that airs weekly on Speed Channel from each Nextel Cup Series venue.

It wasn’t until earlier this year that Pernesiglio got a call from Joe Ligon, the producer for the ASA races on the Men’s Channel and iDriveTV to help the broadcast crew on pit road for the first race of the ASA Late Model Challenge Series’ season. “It’s funny how it all happened, Joe and I worked together at NASCAR Images in the past and he knew I wanted to do some on-air work. Rick Benjamin and I had worked together in the booth once before for a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at Martinsville. He and Joe talked, and then Joe called me on a Friday afternoon to work pit road at the Nashville Music City Motorplex the following evening. Their regular pit reporter fell ill and they needed a substitute. “Joe told me years earlier, this is how breaks happen, someone can’t make a show and you’re called upon at the last minute.”

Pernesiglio got his second break this past weekend when the ASA Late Model Challenge Series made their first ever trip to the Oswego Speedway near the Canadian border. Oswego is a regular stop on the NEMA Midget series and the laps Pernesiglio had turned there in a midget over the years would benefit him on pit road. “I’ve got a bunch of laps in a midget there, said Pernesiglio, The drivers and I spoke before practice. We talked about which line to run, where the bumps are and how the sun can blind you going into turn one. It helped me earn the drivers respect at the end of the day.” WalTom Racings Development driver Kelly Bires won the event before the ASA Late Model Challenge Series headed to Berlin, MI for another televised event on Wednesday.

So where does Derek Pernesiglio’s television career go from here? Not even he knows. “Joe and the rest of the ASA folks like what I do on pit road and told me they’d like to see me on pit road for more broadcasts this year. Pernesiglio explained, How many times I get the opportunity to work with Joe, Rick Benjamin and Visioncast is uncertain, I never expected to even get on air once this year and I’ve got two out of three televised shows under my belt so far this season. If I don’t get another chance this year I’d still be happy…once is better then never and twice is better than once.”

The ASA Late Model Challenge Series races begin airing in September on the Men’s Channel and iDriverTV. If you’d like to keep up with Derek Pernesiglio’s progress, contact your local cable or Dish Network provider in your area.