Beginning March 28th, we are proud to begin a new feature on NEMAhistory.com this racing season!
Thanks to a longtime fan, who wishes to remain anonymous, we will be sharing their fantastic project each week - a NEMA race for almost every date from the last week in March to the first week in October. Click on the links below to discover...or remember...what happened This day in NEMA History! |
Sixteen years ago today, multi-time NEMA Champ Randy Cabral earns his 2nd career win...READ MORE ABOUT IT...and what other great moments in NEMA happened this week with Leigh Earnshaw, John Zych Jr, and the great Johnny Coy Sr.
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Armond Holley began his 1976 championship run by conquering the Ice Breaker in this beautiful machine...READ MORE ABOUT IT...and what else happened this week with Russell Stoehr, Hank Rodgers Jr, and a young sensation named Ryan Dolan. We also remember a great friend and racer.
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This past weekend marked the return of the Coy family to NEMA competition with Richie Coy's debut in the NEMA Lites. Forty-Six years ago tomorrow his grandfather, Johnny Coy Sr, edged fellow ARDC regular, Jim Kirk, at the Ice Breaker...READ MORE ABOUT IT...and what else happened this week with Avery Stoehr, Pete Pernesiglio Jr, and Rudy Boetticher.
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58 years ago, one of the most famous names in midget racing - Ed "Dutch" Schaefer, who was a pioneer and four time champion of ARDC, solidified his name in the NEMA history books ...READ MORE ABOUT IT...and what else happened this week with Johnny Coy Sr and Bill Eldridge.
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After a difficult winter that included selling his family business, having his Wankel engine banned from competition, and losing his leg due to health issues, Gene Angelillo walked into Pocono Raceway and watched his Driver, Drew Fornoro, dominate the field in an emotional victory to start the 1987 NEMA season...READ MORE ABOUT IT...and what else happened this week with Ben Seitz, Howie Bumpus, Billy Randall, and Bill Eldridge.
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Thirty two years ago, with Dave Humphrey driving, car owner Carl Kibbe grabbed his first-ever NEMA feature in the season opener at Star....READ MORE ABOUT IT...and what else happened this week with Ben Seitz, Nokie Fornoro, Russ Stoehr, Butch Walsh, and a memorable night for Paul Lawless.
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Five years ago, NEMA celebrated there diamond anniversary in style as Greg Stoehr was victorious, writing another chapter into his family's racing legacy...a racing legacy that began with his grandfather, Bill Stoehr, who wrenched for the great Bill Schindler five decades ago ....READ MORE ABOUT IT...and what else happened this week with Hank Stevens, Everett Rogers, Adam Cantor, Bobby White, Johnny Kay, and Len Thrall.
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In 1984, Mike Seymour earned his first NEMA victory in the family's VW-powered Edmunds, a decade before being crowned Champion along with car owners Bill and Nicki Tapply ....READ MORE ABOUT IT...and what else happened this week with Drew Fornoro, Dave Humphrey, Ronnie Evans, Babe Shaw, Bobby Seymour, and Bill Eldridge.
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Forty years to the day, a young kid named Doug Cleveland drove to victory at Sanair International Speedway in Quebec driving Jimmy O’Brien’s Falcon powered “Pink Panther”- his own version of the badger....READ MORE ABOUT IT...and what else happened this week with Keith Botelho, Mike Favulli, Ted Christopher, Joey Payne, Randy Cabral, and Dave Humphrey.
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64 years ago a group of dedicated racing men, who were determined to salvage the remains of what had been the most successful spectator sport in the Unites States following World War II, ran their first race under the sanction of their new club - Northeastern Midget Association - now the oldest pavement midget racing club in the USA. The race was at Seekonk Speedway and the winner was ARDC and NASCAR midget regular, Fred Meeker....READ MORE ABOUT IT...and what else happened this week with Jeff Horn, Bill Eldridge, Len Thrall, George Monsen, Doug Colby, and Bobby Seymour.
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This past January, 46 years after his historic Stafford Speedway victory in 1971, Jerry Wall was reunited with his hand crafted "Yellow Jacket" rear engine midget at the PPB Motorsports 2017 Show thanks to Joe Grandinetti, Dimension Design, and current owner George Van Varick.....READ MORE ABOUT THE WIN...and what else happened this week with Dave Humphrey, Bobby White, Randy Cabral, Jerry Russo, Ronnie Evans, and King Carpenter.
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In 2002 current club President, Tim Bertrand, etched his name into the history books by scoring his first victory in NEMA for his family's racing team. Since then he has earned well over 50 wins as a car owner and 5 championships .....READ MORE ABOUT IT...and what else happened this week with Joe Csiki, Walter Gale, Greg Stoehr, Dan Cugini, Bill Stofer, and Ben Seitz.
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Following his championship campaign the previous year, Russ Stoehr ran a "limited schedule" in 1998 earning four feature wins. The first on the historic and wicked-fast Flemington hard top in the annual 33 lap/33 car/3-wide start Mini Indy race, where he battled wheel to wheel with ARDC legend, Phil Dimario, at average speeds in excess of 140 mph....READ MORE ABOUT IT...and what else happened this week with Jeff Horn, Drew Fornoro, Adam Cantor, Joey Payne, Bert Brooks and Lee Smith.
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Among the most memorable races at Star was "Mazda" Pete Pernesiglio's first NEMA win with son Pete aboard in 1999. There was hardly a dry eye as young Pete outlasted Drew Fornoro to end his dad's long draught....READ MORE ABOUT IT...and what else happened this week with Billy Randall, Drew Fornoro, Todd Bertrand, Butch Walsh, Joey Coy and Al Pillion.
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15 years ago, NEMA celebrated their 50th season in style with a historic mini-Indy race at Thompson International Speedway. Six-time champion Dave Humphrey paced the 33-car field before the drop of the green, but at the drop of the checkered, it was Russ Stoehr in Gene Angelillo's famed "Dumos Desire" out front....READ MORE ABOUT IT...and what else happened this week with Johnny Evans, Drew Fornoro, Bobby Santos III, Johnny Mann, and Mel Kenyon.
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10 years ago today was a career night for race car driver Erica Santos, and a night of historical proportions for the Northeastern Midget Association, as she not only earned her first career win, she became the first female driver to win a NEMA race....READ MORE ABOUT IT...and what else happened this week with Mike Osite, Drew Fornoro, Al Pillion, Babe Shaw, Mike Favulli and Nokie Fornoro.
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In only his second full season, in an older style Edmunds with a home built VW, and with no race care driving experience prior to NEMA, Randy Cabral stunned the field with his commanding first victory ahead of NEMA's best, including Nokie Fornoro, Joey Payne and Jeff Horn on the biggest stage of the 2000 season - the Boston Louie Memorial!....READ MORE ABOUT IT...and what else happened this week with Hank Stevens, George Monson, Ben Seitz, Ted Luce, and Nokie Fornoro.
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Thirty Nine years ago this past week, in a car owned and wrenched by one of the best in the business - Mike Scrivani Jr, driver Johnny Coy Sr made a last lap pass on soon-to-be Winston cup star, Geoff Bodine, who happened to be wheeling the Iron Mike Scrivani Badger. This sensational victory for "Little Mike" helped earn him the 1978 Owner's Championship....READ MORE ABOUT IT...and what else happened this week with Adam Cantor, Dave Humphrey, Jeff Horn, and Ray Roberts.
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In the summer of 1981, Gene Angelillo teamed up with ARDC driver at the time, Drew Fornoro. Together, along with Gene's wife Marilyn and the rest of the Dumo's Desire crew, they formed a racing dynasty that dominated the NEMA circuit for nearly two decades earning over 80 feature wins and 10 Championships! Their first win came quickly at Hudson International Speedway on a borrowed wheel from the Scrivani #21 driven by Drew's brother, Nokie...READ MORE ABOUT IT...and what else happened this week with Mark Buonomo, Bill Eldridge, Gene Bergin, and John Zych, Jr, Joey Coy and Hank Williams.
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56 Years ago today Dick Brown helped earn his second straight championship for himself and car owner Al Monast by making a last lap pass to win at Waterford Speedbowl. Dick also held the track record at Thompson for those years in the Monast A&M Offy #31. Later in life, under new ownership, the car would go on to set a land speed record at Bonneville and was placed in the Smithosian....READ MORE ABOUT IT...and what else happened this week with Bobby Seymour, Johnny Kay, Dave Humphrey, and Bob Hart.
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54 years ago this past week, Joe Csiki set a new record that has been equaled only once since, winning his sixth straight feature. Joe was a talented man who did it all, excelling as a driver, as a mechanic, and as an owner. His work with stock blocks in midgets helped to end the domination of the Offenhausers. In fact, his ARDC Championship in 1966 marked the first time that a non-Offenhauser powered car had taken down the championship. To this day, NEMA remembers him each year with the coveted Joe Csiki Memorial Award for Most Improved Driver....READ MORE ABOUT IT...and what else happened this week with Howard Bumpus, Jerry Wall, Lou Cicconi Jr, Mike Seymour, Kyle Carpenter, and Johnny Mann.
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Long-time club favorite, Keith Bothelo, earned his 3rd victory of the 1998 season for new car owners Pat and Marco Campanale at Riverside Park Speedway. This memorable win book-ended over 30 years of NEMA history at the historic venue, which all began with a win by midget legend, Dutch Schaefer, who earned the checkered flag in 1966....READ MORE ABOUT IT...and what else happened this week with Lee Smith, Bobby Santos III, Joey Payne, Lou Fray, Jim Miller, and Bobby White.
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This past Labor Day Weekend marked the 31st anniversary of the ageless Dave Humphrey's 70th and 71st victories, when he and Carl Kibbe swept the Star - Hudson race weekend in 1986. An inspiration to many other racers, young and old, Dave amassed 72 NEMA feature wins, 6 championships and was runner-up 10 times....READ MORE ABOUT IT...and what else happened this week with Nokie Fornoro, Jim Lowrey, Joey Payne, Frank Gehling, Russ Stoehr, and Joe Csiki.
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Twenty-Five years ago this past week, Drew Fornoro clinched the championship in story book fashion at Flemington Speedway where his father, Nick Fornor Sr, in his final year as chief starter for IndyCar, was named honorary starter and waived the green flags for the last time. Family friend, A.J. Foyt, was also on hand to help earn the victory and celebrate with Drew and Gene Angelillo....READ MORE ABOUT IT...and what else happened this week with Nokie Fornoro, Jeff Abold, Joey Coy, Al Pillion, Greg Stoehr, and Bobby Seymour.
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Twenty-Two years after he earned his first victory down the street at Star Speedway, Jeff Horn earned his 20th NEMA victory at Lee USA Speedway at the young age of 64 - and in his own Esslinger-powered Drinan. An ace in the Star Supers for years, Jeff earned most of his NEMA wins steering Bay Hayes' VW-powered Edmunds - a winning combination for many years. He was quoted in victory lane as saying “I’m glad to have won. It's satisfying. Especially when you are so damn old!” .....READ MORE ABOUT IT...and what else happened this week with Dutch Scheafer, Mike Osite, Johnny DiLeo, Seth Carlson, King Carpenter, Dave Humphrey, and Kyle Carpenter.
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Throughout the 1960's, 70's, 80's and into the 90's, the family name "Hart" was as synonymous with NEMA as Stoehr and Bertrand is today. In 1973, driver Rick Hart became the first second-generation winner in the clubs 20 year history driving for Hall of Fame car owner - Chuck Daniel. Rick Joined his father, Bob Hart, on the NEMA win list, while his mother, Pat Hart, was NEMA's first female driver.....READ MORE ABOUT IT...and what else happened this week with Bobby Santos III, Dick Brown, Mike Favulli, and Dave Humphrey.
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In 1974, Johnny Mann charged to the front of the field to win the 100 Lap classic at Thompson, and became NEMA Champion. Ten years later, his son, Billy Mann, secured his Championship at the fall finale with a victory, becoming the first and only father and son to win NEMA championships!....(worth noting: Joey and Anthony Payne are NEMA and NEMA Lite Champs respectively).....READ MORE ABOUT IT...and what else happened this week with Jerry Russo, Armond Holley, Lee Smith, Dave Humphrey, Drew Fornoro, and Lou Frey.
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Two days after his 18th birthday, a young guy named Bobby Santos III started 16th, rushed to the front, and was almost half-lap ahead at the finish in a 25-lapper at Waterford in the famous Seymour #29. This was his third win at "The Bowl" in his only his 5th visit!....READ MORE ABOUT IT...and what else happened last week with Jerry Wall, Mark Buonomo, Dave Humphrey, Bethany Stoehr, and Lenny Boyd.
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October 15th 2000...Starting the Thompson Finale at the tail of the field with an ill running car, Joey Payne got the signal to "drive it til it blows up" from car owner Gene Angelillo. The Jersey Jet blasted to the front of the field and made history, passing teammate Russ Stoehr down the front straightaway on the last lap, giving Gene his 100th Midget win!....READ MORE ABOUT IT...and what else happened that week with Randy Cabral, Anthony Nocella, Johnny Mann, Billy Mann, Keith Botelho, and Nokie Fornoro.
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October 17th 1993...Considered by many to be the most epic battle in NEMA History, Greg Stoehr, driving John Zahar's 138ci VW-powered Reider, made a daring pass around the outside of brother Russ Stoehr on the very last lap to win the Thompson’s World Series. It was the second victory for car owner John Zahar and Greg in as little as two weeks....READ MORE ABOUT IT...and what else happened that week with Randy Cabral, Drew Fornoro, and Nokie Fornoro.
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This Feature is Dedicated In Memory of Jim O'Brien