This Day in NEMA History...
July 3rd
1985...Midget legend Mel Kenyon, in the family 3K, won the NEMA/ARDC/USAC 30-lapper at Seekonk. While it was Kenyon’s 104 th USAC win, it was his first under the NEMA banner. He did get another NEMA win at Pennsylvania’s s Williams Grove Speedway in 1986. Nokie Fornoro (Rieder 81) was second with brother Drew (Angelillo 45) third at Seekonk. |
July 4th
2002...Russ Stoehr (Angelillo 45), the fifth leader, took the pin on lap 13 and went on to win the 33-lap Mini Indy at Thompson with Randy Cabral (Cabral 35) and Ed Breault (Breault 44) following. It was the last of the18 times NEMA ran on the nation’s birthday going back to 1957 when Bill Eldridge (Parameter 55) finished ahead of Everett Rogers and Ronnie Evans at New York’s Pine Bowl. It marked the first of nine times the July 4th winner went to the championship: Eldridge in 1957 and ’58, Joe Csiki in ’63. Walter Gale in ’64, Dave Humphrey in ’71, Lee Smith in ’77, Drew Fornoro in ’85 and ‘92 and Stoehr in ’02. |
July 5th
1998...Taking over when Phil DiMario dropped out, Drew Fornoro (Angelillo 45) passed Dave Humphrey atop NEMA’s all-time win list with a victory at Oswego. Mark Buonomo was second and Bob Boetticher third. On the same date, 33 years earlier, Humphrey won his first NEMA feature in the Falcon-powered Downing #3 in a 100 lapper at Seekonk. Walter Gale (Secondo 32) and Bob Hart (Czyzewski 1) were second and third. |
July 6th
1973...In a battle between two of NEMA’s all-time toughest competitors, Johnny Mann (Cali 1) bested Dave Humphrey (McCarthy 47) in a 25 lapper at Albany-Saratoga. Butch Walsh (Scrivani 22) was third. Mann, in both the Cali and Stropoli cars, was runner-up 10 times to Humphrey; Humphrey chased Mann home four times. |
July 7th
2001... Starting sixth, Russ Stoehr (Angelillo 45) battled Mike Seymour for 15 laps before taking over with five left to beat Phil DiMario (DiMario 12) and Drew Fornoro (Campanale 54) at Oswego. Ray Bull (Bull 1) and Bobby Seymour (Seymour 9) were fourth and fifth. |
July 8th
2008...Starting 10th and taking the lead on lap 10, Bobby Santos III (Santos 98s) was the winner in a green-to-checkered 30-lapper at Stafford. Randy Cabral (Bertrand 47) was second, Jeremy Frankoski (TSR 63) third, Jeff Horn (Horn A1) fourth and Erica Santos (Breault 44) fifth. |
July 9th
1977...Johnny Evans, aboard the Jim Nogueira’s #5, was the winner at Beech Ridge, giving the Badger fraternity its first win on the dirt. Beech Ridge was paved in 1987 and NEMA’s first asphalt winner there was Mike Osite and it came in a Nogueira entry. |