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Riverhead, NY Dec. 26th.
By Bob Finan
Riverhead Raceway owners Connie Partridge and Tom Gatz will culminate a successful 2023 season Friday night January 26th, 2024, when they host the 2023 Championship Awards Celebration at Giorgio’s Baiting Hollow. John Beatty Jr. of Merrick, the 2023 NASCAR Modified champion of the Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series will stand front & center for the annual parade of champions at the gala. Tickets for the 2023 Awards Celebration are now available by visiting the track web site.
Giorgio’s Baiting Hollow, located on the scenic north shore of eastern Long Island have hosted the Riverhead Raceway Awards Ceremony since 2016, and again will roll out the red carpet for the racers celebrating their 2023 successes. A 7:00 pm cocktail hour will get the party started with the Awards Celebration to commence at 8:00 pm. During the evening guests will enjoy an open bar from 7:00 pm through midnight while enjoying a full course, sit down dinner. Coffee and dessert will follow. Additionally, the festivities include a DJ spinning tunes to dance the night away after presentation of the 2023 awards is completed.
Tickets for the 2023 Awards Celebration are available at http://www.riverheadraceway.com. Follow the link to obtain tickets that are priced at $120 per person. Deadline to purchase tickets is Monday January 22nd, 2024 at 5:00 pm, tickets will not be available after the deadline or at the door on January 26th.
Earning his first career NASCAR Modified championship in 2023, John Beatty Jr., car owner Mark S. Mina and the MSM Elite Motorsports will be in the spotlight celebrating their championship campaign. While Beatty may not have won a feature in route to the title, he and his team were the model of consistency completing every lap of the 914 circuits contested. In addition to his championship plaque from NASCAR, Beatty will officially be presented the Eddie Partridge Drivers Cup, emblematic of winning the NASCAR Modified championship and the lion’s share of the 2023 championship point fund from Connie Partridge and Tom Gatz.
Thirteen 2023 Riverhead Raceway champions join John Beatty Jr. during the 2023 parade of champions at Giorgio’s Baiting Hollow. For the seventh time in his illustrious Late Model career Jeremy McDermott of Riverhead won the 2023 title, the sixth over the past seven seasons for car owner Rob Pelis. Owen Grennan of Glen Cove scored his second Eagle Chevrolet Crate Modified championship in a row in 2023 fending off younger brother Chase at the final race to do so. Ken Hyde Jr, of Medford became a three-time Figure Eight champion in 2023, while Jack Handley Jr. of Medford collected his third career Super Pro Truck championship. Veteran Blunderbust competitor Brandon Hubbard of Mastic will be part of the annual parade of champions celebrating his first career title in the class. For the fourth time since 2018, Dave Antos of Lindenhurst captured the 2023 Street Stock championship while soft spoken Joe Cooke Jr, of Shirley took home his first career Mini Stock championship. All will be part of the parade of champions.
Three INEX champions will be feted January 26th for their 2023 championship accomplishments. Richie Davidowitz of East Moriches will be presented his second career INEX Legend Race Car championship four years removed from his first in 2019. of a stellar four-win season, Reid Halpin of Wading River drove to his first career Bock Auto INEX Bandolero Bandit championship, while 2022 Bandit champion Ben Morabito of Miller Place notched the 2023 Outlaw title after moving up.
Aside from celebrating the 2023 track champions, the top five will receive plaques, with point fund checks distributed to eligible divisions and drivers.
Veteran Bobby Pease Sr. of Medfor5d won the 2023 Truck Enduro championship, while popular Woot Lawrence of Southampton took the 8-Cylinder Enduro crown and Zach Tyler of Cutchogue won his first career 4/6-Cylinder Gut & Go Enduro championship. The trio will be recognized for their accomplishments for which they already have received championship hardware from Jimmy & Angela Rennick of JCR Motorsports at the final event of the season.
The Class of 2023 Rookie of the Year drivers will be presented led by 2023 NASCAR Modified Rookie of the Year Allan Pedersen of Center Moriches. Other freshman talents being presented 2023 Rookie of the Year hardware include Jesse St. Clair of Lindenhurst, Late Models, Chevy Rommeney of Bohemia, Crate Modifieds, Michael Accordino of Shirley, Blunderbusts, Chris Lescenski of Riverhead, Super Pro Trucks and Rodney Dowless Jr of Dix Hills, INEX Legend Race Cars. No driver met eligibility requirements for Figure Eight class.
Further information can be obtained at http://www.riverheadraceway.com, e-mails reach the track at office@riverheadraceway.com.
