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Saturday -
September 10th, 2011
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15th
Annual |
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NEMA
Midgets race sponsored by:
www.motorcarsint.com |
NEMA LITES race sponsored
by:
http://tiredoctorllc.com |
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Boston Louie NEMA Top Three
- L to R:
Greg Stoehr #26b, 3rd; Winner
Jeff Abold #4;
& Randy Cabral #47, 2nd. |
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NEMA Feature -
Seekonk -
9-10-11 |
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Pos. |
# |
Driver |
Hometown |
Owner |
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1 |
4 |
Jeff Abold |
Baldwinsville,
NY |
Bobby Seymour |
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2 |
47 |
Randy
Cabral |
Plymouth, MA |
Tim
Bertrand |
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3 |
26b |
Greg Stoehr |
Bridgewater, MA |
Greg Stoehr |
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4 |
99 |
Anthony Nocella |
Woburn, MA |
Susan
Santa Maria |
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5 |
8 |
Barry Kittredge |
Marlboro, MA |
Barry Kittredge |
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6 |
49 |
B.J.
MacDonald |
Dublin,
PA |
B.J.
MacDonald |
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7 |
25 |
Keith Botelho |
Attleboro, MA |
Russ Stoehr |
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8 |
A1
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Jeff Horn |
Ashland, MA
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Jeff
Horn |
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9 |
75 |
Chris deRitis
|
Philadelphia, PA
|
Dan
deRitis |
|
10 |
7ny |
Jeremy
Frankoski |
Huntersville, NC |
Cantor
Racing |
|
11 |
93x |
Mike Horn |
Ashland, MA
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Jeff
Horn |
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12 |
87 |
Doug Cleveland |
Sudbury, MA |
Doug
Cleveland |
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13 |
39 |
Todd Bertrand |
Suffield, CT |
Bertrand
Motorsports |
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14 |
30 |
Paul
Scally |
Raynham,
MA |
Paul
Scally |
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15 |
16
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Matt
O'Brien |
Wilmington, MA
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Jim O'Brien &
Sons Engineering |
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16 |
2 |
Lee Bundy |
Kennebunkport,
ME |
Lee Bundy |
17
DNF |
45 |
Russ Stoehr |
Lakeville,
MA |
Dumo's
Desire Racing |
18
DNS |
22 |
Chris Leonard |
Pelham, NH |
Dave Leonard |
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Hard
Charger Award -
Greg Stoeher
#26b
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Hard
Luck Award -
Chris Leonard
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Fast
Time Award -
Jeff Abold |
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Third Straight “Louie” For Abold |
Seekonk, MA – Jeff Abold
ran the streak to three straight
Boston Louie Memorial victories
Saturday night at Seekonk
Speedway. Grabbing the lead on
lap 19, the 22-year old scored a
convincing win in the 15th
edition of the Northeastern
Midget Association headliner.
Only a caution with three laps
left interrupted Abold’s run in
the Seymour #4. “An unbelievable
night for me and for the Seymour
family,” said Abold who also
claimed honors with a 11:317 in
time trials.
The race honors Louie Seymour,
the Seymour family patriarch.
Randy Cabral (Bertrand 47) and
Greg Stoehr (Stoehr 260), the
latter starting 14th, made late
charges to fill out the podium.
Anthony Nocella (Nocella 99),
the only other leader, was
fourth and Barry Kittredge
(Kittredge 8) fifth.
“I got myself a little nervous
at the start when I lost a few
spots at the beginning,” said
Abold. “Then I started to pick
my way through. I tried to say
patient, methodical.”
Abold’s best feature lap – a
11.269 – was faster than his
qualifying time. “I could see
cars coming back to me. I was
getting better and better as the
race went on. At the halfway
point I was fourth or fifth and
I knew I had a good shot at it.”
He was fourth when, on lap 14,
Russ Stoehr, who had charged
from eighth to second, went out
with a broken panhard bar. Three
laps later he moved under B.J.
MacDonald in turn two and
quickly closed on Nocella.
“Anthony was getting tighter and
tighter,” Abold continued. “He
was slowing down through the
corners. I was able to get
underneath him. I made most of
my passes off two and that’s
where I finished off that one.”
While he didn’t welcome the
yellow, he was confident. “I
knew what I had under me at that
point,” said Abold who opened up
a comfortable edge.
Cabral, who took third just
ahead of the caution, and Greg
Stoehr, made strong runs over
the final three laps. Stoehr
nipped Nocella, who took the
immediate lead from B.J.
MacDonald at the start, by a few
feet.
Russ Stoehr’s early exit was a
key. “I saw him make a pass for
the lead,” said Abold. “I didn’t
want to see that because I think
he would have been gone and that
would have been a challenge. I
think it would have been a
pretty good battle at the end.”
Russ Stoehr and Nocella were the
heat winners.
Cabral will take the point lead
into the NEMA’s next race
Saturday night, Sept. 24, at
Waterford Speedbowl.
Time
trials: 1.Jeff Abold,
11:317; 2. Jeremy Frankoski
11.378;
3. Randy Cabral 11.383; 4. Keith
Botelho, 11.421;
5. Russ Stoehr 11.450; 6. Chris
deRitis 11.498; 7. Mike Horn
11.512;
8. B.J. MacDonald 11.530; 9.
Todd Bertrand 11.546;
10. Greg Stoehr 11.546; 11.
Chris Leonard 11.717;
12. Anthony Nocella 11824; 13.
Paul Scally 11.896;
14. Barry Kittredge 11.914; 15.
Jeff Horn 11.971;
16. Lee Bundy 11.988; 17. Matt
O’Brien 12.202;
18. Doug Cleveland 12.261.
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Sticking to the Plan |
Seekonk, MA – “Sticking
to the plan” paid dividends
Saturday night for the Seymour
clan. They, along with driver
Jeff Abold, wound up in victory
lane at the family-sponsored
Boston Louie Memorial at Seekonk
Speedway.
Winning the Northeastern Midget
Association headliner for the
third straight time was the end
of an unusual ordeal for car
owner Bobby Seymour.
The Seymour-family sponsored
Louie was the one race the busy
Abold would drive for Seymour
this season. That was the plan.
When rain washed out the “Louie”
on Aug. 27, it created a
conflict for Abold. He had a
Supermodified commitment at the
Star Classic. “That’s how you do
it, you go with the race that’s
scheduled, not with the rain
out,” Seymour told his young
driver.
With the Oswego Classic next on
his agenda, Abold “kept calling
back,” Seymour continues. “He
wanted to know ‘who are you
going to put in the car?’”
Seymour called Lou Cicconi.
Seymour learned Lou has a back
problem. He’s beside himself.
He’ll get back to Bobby. Then
Joey Payne Jr. calls. You bet
he’ll drive the car that has won
the last two Louies.
It’s now Wednesday, three days
before the race. “Hold on,”
Bobby tells Payne. “Let me call
Jeff one more time.” He learns
that Abold was in a crash at
Oswego and hears “we can’t have
the car ready for Star.”
So now, Seymour has Liquid Lou
Cicconi, Joey Payne Jr. and Jeff
Abold on the line. “What do I
do?” he asked himself. The
answer: he called Cicconi and
Payne and told them “we’re going
with the plan.”
You got to love it when a plan
comes together. |
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Boston Louie LITES Winner
David Moniz #18
with Miss Ellie Seymour |
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NEMA LITES Feature -
Seekonk - 9-10-11 |
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Pos. |
# |
Driver |
Hometown |
Owner |
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1 |
18 |
David Moniz |
Fairhaven, MA |
David Moniz |
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2 |
71 |
Seth Carlson |
Brimfield, MA |
Gene Feigel |
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3 |
29 |
Anthony Nocella |
Woburn, MA |
Matt Seymour |
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4 |
99 |
Jim Santa Maria |
Burlington, CT |
Susan Santa
Maria |
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5 |
50 |
Carl Medeiros, Jr. |
Westport, MA |
Carl Medeiros |
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6 |
48 |
Brandon Igo |
Wilbraham, MA |
David Igo |
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7 |
26b |
Bethany Stoehr |
Bridgewater, MA |
MCI Racing/
Greg Stoehr |
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8 |
44 |
Jesse State |
New Hyde Park, NY |
Christian Briggs |
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9 |
9 |
Ian Cumens |
Lydell, PA |
Bobby Seymour |
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10 |
31 |
Paul
Bigelow |
Berlin, CT |
Randy Bigelow |
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11 |
46 |
Kenny Johnson |
Bethany, CT |
Jeff Johnson |
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12 |
28 |
Paul Luggelle |
Holbrook, MA |
Paul Luggelle |
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13 |
81 |
Andy Barrows |
New Ipswich, NH |
Andy Barrows |
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14 |
47 |
Lanson Fornoro |
Stroudsburg, PA |
Julia Parker |
15
DNF |
4 |
Randy Cabral |
Plymouth, MA |
Paul Scally |
16
DNF |
7x |
Jack McKeon |
Kensington, CT |
Jack McKeon |
17
DNF |
93 |
Jake Smith |
Stroudsburg, PA |
Ted Smith |
18
DNF |
52 |
Kevin Park |
Foxboro, MA |
Kevin Park |
19
DNF |
13 |
Ryan Bigelow |
E. Hampton, CT |
Randy Bigelow |
20
DNF |
21 |
Anthony Marvuglio |
E. Bridgewater, MA |
Jennifer Scrivani |
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Hard Charger
Award - Seth Carlson
#71 |
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Hard Luck
Award - Kevin Park #52
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Sportsmanship Award -
Christian Briggs
(Gave ride in the #44 to
Jesse State)
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“Louie” Has Become NEMA’s
Headliner |
The
Seymour clan decided the proper
way to remember the family
patriarch was with a race. The
Northeastern Midget
Association’s 15th annual
“Boston Louie Seymour Memorial”
comes to Seekonk Speedway
Saturday night.
You can now get away with
calling the race, which honors
the long-time Marlboro, MA based
Hall of Fame car owner, “The
Louie.” The 29-lapper
(recognizing the family number)
is clearly NEMA’s seasonal
highlight.
Louie Seymour, a member of the
National Sprint Car and the New
England Auto Racers Halls of
Fame, spent a couple of decades
traveling around the country to
USAC Sprint and Silver Crown
events. He was, however, never
far from the Midgets in general
and NEMA in particular.
Nicknamed “the man who traveled
a million miles”, the trans-
continental journeys of Louie
a.k.a. “Boston’’ Louie found him
in victory lanes throughout the
country. Always a fierce
competitor, Louie may have been
most admired for his unwavering
commitment to his family,
friends, and fellow competitors.
Today his family continues his
tradition as goodwill
ambassadors to midget racing.
This year, all sponsorship
monies collected will be awarded
equally to participants to
ensure that all share these
funds.
Anyone
interested in sponsoring a lap,
heat or feature can do so by
sending a check to:
Lois Seymour, 496 Boston
Post Road West, Marlboro, MA
01752.
Feature Sponsor - $ 290
Heat Sponsor - $ 150 Lap
Sponsor - $ 29
The NEMA Lites became part of
“The Louie” three years ago.
Indeed, the Seymour family will
be seeking a second-straight
sweep. Abold and Anthony Nocella
are the “defenders” in their
respective divisions.
Jeff Abold, in fact, is after a
third straight. Randy Cabral can
also become the first three-time
winner. Whatever happens,
chances are good it will find a
place in NEMA lore. Since Russ
Stoehr won the first “Louie” in
Bruce Beane’s #26, the race has
provided plenty of excitement.
Bobby Santos III and Cabral
scored their first-ever Midget
wins in the “Louie.” Cabral did
it in the family car older than
he was in 2000. Santos did it
for the Seymours in 2002.
The one-two sweep of Louie’s
sons Bobby and Mike remains the
most dramatic result. Cabral’s
’08 win with a motor borrowed
from the Santos gang has to rate
a close second.
There have been dominating
performances – Jeff Horn in ’01,
Nokie Fornoro in ’06 and Ben
Seitz in ’07 – and there have
been classic battles. The ’04
and ’05 races, won by Ben Seitz
and Joey Payne respectively, are
examples of the latter.
Boston Louie Memorial Winners
1997 Russ Stoehr (Beane #26)
1998 Drew Fornoro (Angelillo
#45)
1999 Bobby Seymour (Scrivani #9)
2000 Randy Cabral (Cabral #35)
2001 Jeff Horn (Shaw #1S)
2002 Bobby Santos III (Seymour
#29)
2003 Joey Payne (Angelillo #45)
2004 Ben Seitz (Valeri #17)
2005 Joey Payne (Angelillo #45)
2006 Nokie Fornoro (Jarret #4)
2007 Ben Seitz (Valeri #17)
2008 Randy Cabral (Bertrand #47)
2009 Jeff Abold (Seymour #29)
2010 Jeff Abold (Seymour #4)
Boston Louie Memorial LITES
Winners
2008 Shaun Gooselin (Gosselin
#26)
2009 Anthony Marvuglio (Cabral
#35)
2010 Anthony Nocella (Seymour
#29) |
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New Race Format for 2011
Boston Louie |
All
cars will time in the 5pm final
practice, in three groups, based
upon practice speeds.
Their best time will be their
qualifying speed.
The fastest 6 cars will be
locked into the "Hoosier Draw" -
they automatically qualify for
the feature and into the "Draw"
cars. Cars timing 7th on back
will have a chance to enter the
Hoosier Draw by finishing 1st ,
2nd or 3rd in one of the 3 heat
races. Heat race starting
position will be determined by
inverting qualifying times.
(Fast time will be last in the
first heat, second fast, last in
the 2nd heat and so on. Again,
the first 3 in each heat will
join the draw for feature
starting positions. Heat race
transfers will draw for
positions in front of the top 6
timed cars.
The
Hoosier Draw:
$600 HOOSIER BUCKS will be split
between the top 6 fastest cars.
The Hoosier Draw will be
comprised of the top three from
each heat race PLUS any "locked
in" cars that do NOT qualify in
the top 3 via their heat race.
For example, if 3 "locked in"
cars qualify via their heat
race, and 3 do not - a total of
12 cars will be eligible for the
Hoosier Draw.
The top 6 "locked in" cars will
draw for the final 6 starting
spots in the Hoosier Draw, and
the remaining 6 will draw for
the first 6 starting spots, and
so on.
All positions after the Hoosier
Draw cars for the feature will
be determined by TIME TRIAL
time, versus heat finishing
position, as to help eliminate
sand bagging.
Heat winners will be paid cash
prizes. |
NEMA
Points Tight
Heading into “Louie” |
Brockton,
MA – Randy Cabral, working on
a streak of four straight podium
finishes, has climbed to within
22 points of leader Russ Stoehr
as the Northeastern Midget
Association heads into the
prestigious Boston Louie Seymour
Memorial at Seekonk Speedway
Saturday, September 10 for a
6:00 PM show.
Honoring the famed Massachusetts
car owner, The 29-lap “Louie”
has become NEMA’s premier race.
The Seymour continues to operate
with the number 29.
Greg Stoehr, Russ’ younger
brother, sits third in points,
31 off the lead. Consistent
throughout the season, Greg
Stoehr and Cabral have each sat
on the podium six times. Cabral
has won twice including
Seekonk’s Open Wheel Wednesday.
Greg Stoehr has one win.
Russ Stoehr, who won the
first-ever “Louie” back in 1997,
hopes to shake off some bad luck
of late including a broken
throttle spring at the Angelillo
Memorial. The defending
champion, Russ Stoehr, like
Cabral, is no stranger to the
rigors dealing with the pursuit
of a championship. They have
eight between them.
Chris Abold, the only driver to
win back-to-back “Louies,” will
be out to make it three straight
in the Seymour #29. Second at
Seekonk earlier this summer, the
Abold-Seymour combination has
had incredible success at
Seekonk over the past four
seasons.
Anthony Nocella hopes to give
the Seymour family a second
straight “Louie” sweep in the
accompanying 29-lap Lites
feature. Nocella and Cabral will
both be doing double duty.
Angelillo Memorial winner (and
Cabral teammate) Todd Bertrand
became one of a handful of
rookies to capture a NEMA
feature, the first since Jeremy
Frankoski did it in 2007. Now
the 20-year old Bertrand hopes
to become the first-ever NEMA
rookie to win two straight in
the family’s Honda-powered #39.
Mike Horn and Keith Botelho,
last year’s Seekonk DAV winner,
are also seeking a second 2011
win. Veterans Jeff Horn (2001
Louie winner) and Jim Miller
along with Frankoski and a
constantly improving Paul
Scally, off a strong run at
Waterford, are others worthy of
watching.
Should Cabral become the first
three-time “Louie” winner, he
will also move into a fifth
place tie (with Bill Eldridge)
on NEMA’s all-time win list.
Adding to Nocella’s favorite
status in the Lites race are two
Seekonk wins this summer. Still,
picking a Lites winner is hardly
easy in the most competitive
campaign yet for the four year
old division. Rookie Seth
Carlson, Russ Wood Jr., Ryan
Bigelow, Andy Barrows, Mike
Luggelle have all been winners.
The
same three drivers – Randy
Cabral, Greg Stoehr and Todd
Bertrand – made up the podium
for the last two races. That
hasn’t happened since 2003 when
Cabral, Drew Fornoro and Adam
Cantor did it at Thompson and
Star.
Todd
and Tim Bertrand are now on the
list of siblings who have NEMA
wins joining Drew and Nokie
Fornoro, Bobby and Mike Seymour,
Russ and Greg Stoehr, Bob and
Lou Cicconi, Erica and Bobby
Santos III and Joey and Johnny
Coy Jr.
So
far Gaerte, Mazda, Honda and
Esslinger motors have made it to
victory lane.
With
six so far, NEMA is one away
from the 2009 and 2010 winners
totals. |
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