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Riverhead, NY Aug. 28th.
By Bob Finan
Photo: Michael Jaworecki/Myracenews
For the second consecutive season, the Cecil Palm Tree 160 was adversely affected by weather the original date forcing Riverhead Raceway management to reschedule the race run in honor of Eddie Partridge. The race was shifted to Wednesday night, the distance again modified to 66 laps, which was just fine with defending race winner Timmy Solomito of Islip who led all the way scoring his third win of 2024.
Solomito set the tone in qualifying laying down a lap of 11.750 with Mark Stewart and John Beatty Jr. clicking off identical laps of 11.815. It would be Stewart lining-up alongside Solomito as the field took the green from Partridge’s nephew Tom Gatz and daughter Alexis. Solomito, winner of the most recent event at Riverhead winning the Baldwin, Evans & Jarzombek 77 on August 17th broke right to the lead with Stewart right behind.
The story of the race came the battle for second over the first 26-laps of the contest with four drivers swapping the position six times. Stewart surrendered second to John Beatty Jr. on lap 4, but Mark took it right back on lap 5. Things settled down for the challenger’s role until the 17th lap when Craig Lutz dove under Stewart for second off the fourth corner. However, Markie was not happy with Craig for moving him up the hill and he gave Lutz a shot in the shorts moving him up the track, putting Stewart back to second on lap 19. Three laps later Beatty found some life on the outside passing both Lutz and Stewart to move to second on lap 23. Lutz, seeing the success Beatty had up high used the groove to pass Beatty for second to start lap 26.
All the shuffling going on behind him was music to Solomito’s ears as it allowed him to set a pace he was comfortable with prior to halfway. The race was slowed at halfway by a Allan Pedersen spin setting up a double file restart between Solomito and Lutz. With the Cecil Palm Tree 66 part of the 2024 Crown Jewel Series the restart cone as in place, Solomito mildly shocked some when he chose the top, leaving Lutz the bottom. When the green waved Solomito was able to maintain his edge over Lutz with Timmy again able to control the pace depending on Craig’s advances.
At the finish it was career win #27 for “The Natural” Timmy Solomito in the USNE Energy Chevy, the win tying him with John Berkoski for 14th on the all-time win list. “We just tried to save our tires early, set a pace we needed to set”, Timmy shared post-race. As quickly as Solomito reviewed the race, he paused to honor a fallen friend, “this win is for Jason Sheppard who we lost recently, he did our shocks for us and was just a great guy and friend, gone too soon”. Timmy closed by thanking his sponsors, “David Miller of USNE is here tonight, thanks to him, Kennedy LI Realty, FX Caprara Dealerships upstate and New England Gear, couldn’t do it without them”.
Craig Lutz of Miller Place would cross the line second in the Riverhead Building Supply Chevy able to stay in the race winners tire tracks at the end. Defending track champion John Beatty Jr. of Merrick was third in the MSM Elite Motorsports Chevy aiding his effort for a repeat. Dylan Slepian of Dix Hills was fourth while Chris Rogers of Patchogue, leader of the 2024 Crown Jewel Series rankings coming into the 66 was fifth.
Cody Triola of Bay Shore won his second straight Blunderbust feature of 2024 taking their 20-lap main event. The “Polish Prince” Joe Densieski moved to the early advantage at the throw of the green. Brad Bess chased the leader for the first two laps before being passed by Cody Triola exiting the fourth turn to start the third lap. Early on Densieski was able to gap the pack and Triola had some reeling in to do before he could make a bid for the lead. Densieski seeking his first career win did all he could to keep Triola at bay but on lap 11 with another inside pass off turn four, Triola put the C&L Aluminum & Glass racer out front for good. The victory was Cody’s 4th of the season, 14th of his career tying him with Ron Harrison for 8th all-time. The Hydro Action Caprice of Joe Densieski of Riverhead was runner-up, while Brad Bess of East Setauket had a stellar run for third in the Long Island Debris entry.
Wednesday was indeed a night for drivers to win their second consecutive race as Joey Braun of Manorville joined Solomito and Triola when he won the 20-lap INEX Legend Race Car event for his second straight. Up and coming talent Jayden Glennerster paced the first seven laps of the race over veteran Brad Van Houten before Joey Braun joined the party on the 8th cycle. It was then Braun slid under Van Houten for second, once there, Joey was able to move by Glennerster at halfway for the lead, bringing Van Houten back to second. The yellow waved just after the field completed lap 10 for Mike Van Houten Jr. with a broken left front on the backstretch. On the restart Braun was able to keep his advantage while Brad Van Houten was under attack for second from Ray Fitzgerald. Another double file restart on lap 12 would be what Fitzgerald needed to get by Van Houten for second, but it didn’t matter as Joey Braun drove the HighMark Building Efficiency racer to a 17th career feature event win. Fitzgerald, who also calls Manorville home was second in the EP Milling & Sweeping coupe, third fell to a hard charging 13-year-old Rodney Dowless Jr. of Dix Hills in the Island Thrift machine.
Former five-time NASCAR Modified champion Don Howe of Water Mill prevailed in the 15-lap Eddie Partridge Vintage All-Star main event. Howe in the Corwith’s Auto Body Cavalier executed an outside pass of early race leader Tom Pickerell exiting turn four to take command of the race. Pickerell of Huntington in the Kevin Bacik owned Tony Hirschman tribute car was runner-up, Tony Ferrante Jr. of New Hyde Park was third in the Ferrante & Son Co. Cavalier.
If you were the leader in the 30-lap 4/6-Cylinder Gut & Go Enduro, you were jinxed. “Rambling” Ray Rau, in his second year as a broadcaster at Riverhead Raceway led the first 12 laps of the contest before the first red flag of the race appeared. Issue for Rau was he was in part reason for the red. Exiting turn two Rau got too close to the lapped car of Charles Sherry, sending the latter spinning and exposing his driver side when he stalled up the backstretch. During the red, Rau’s radiator gave up from the contact ending his bid for victory and his race. Move Mike Mujsce III to the race lead but he too would later have issues dropping him in the running order. John Palmeri put his JP Automotive entry out front on lap 16 and led the remaining 14-laps for the win. CJ Zukwoski of Riverhead closed in on the eventual winner before being content with second in the Mini Stock Mafia Toyota. Most recent winner Ryan Warren of Ridge came home third in the Newtown Landscaping entry.
In the night concluding 4/6-Cylinder Demolition Derby, Joey Palmeri Jr. of Lindenhurst won the National Stock Demo in his J&J Towing machine. Matt Smith threw all he could at Palmeri in his first ever Demo, but his night came to an end when his car caught fire from another car that was also up in flames.
Cecil Palm Tree 66: 1. Timmy Solomito 2. Craig Lutz 3. John Beatty Jr. 4. Dylan Slepian 5. Chris Rigers 6. Mark Stewart 7. JB Fortin 8. Michael Rutkoski 9. Chris Young 10. Jack Handley Jr. 11. Justin Brown 12. Owen Grennan 13. Howie Brode 14. Dave Brigati 15. Allan Pedersen 16. Michael Berner
Blunderbusts: 1. Cody Triola 2. Joe Densieski 3. Brad Bess 4. Tom Pickerell 5. Tom Sullivan 6. Emily Hubbard 7. Bill Wegmann Sr. 8. Anthony Capobianco DNS- Jim Laird Jr. DQ-Liam Macwhinnie
Legend Race Cars: 1. Joey Braun 2. Ray Fitzgerald 3. Rodney Dowless Jr. 4. Brad Van Houten 5. Anthony Marsh 6. Jeff Farruggia Jr. 7. Riely O’Keefe 8. Kyle Ellwood 9. Chase Van Houten 10. Jayden Glennerster 11. Kevin Nowak 12. Chris Sinatro 13. Will Sipala 14. Phillip Alaimo 15. Alex Halinar 16. Colin Volpe 17. Jim Sylvester 18. Chevy Rommeney 19. Pat Moore 20. Nick Hodge 21. Marc Godnick 22. Tucker Bock 23. Michael Metcalf 24. Charles Hodge 25. Ryan Barbieri 26. Mike Van Houten Jr.
Vintage All SDtars: 1. Don Howe 2. Tom Pickerell 3. Tony Ferrante Jr. 4. John Jasinski 5. Mark Miller 6. Mike Siraco 7. Frank Saladino 8. Jimmy Reed Sr. 9. Jimmy Reed Jr.
4/6-Cylinder Enduro: 1. John Palmeri 2. CJ Zukowski 3. Ryan Warren 4. Chris Olivari 5. David Olivari 7. Robert Kraemer 8. Joey Palmeri Jr. 9. Eric Germuth 10. Franky Abbatiello 11. Mike Fragola 12. Anthony Paretta 13. Vinny Abbatiello 14. Chris Smith 15. Michael Kowalski 16. Robert Duerwald 17. Charles Sherry 18. Robert Sherry 19. Don Meyer 20. Wendy Rommeney 21. Eoughan Hayward 22. Jack Handley Sr. 23. Ray Rau 24. Ryan T Warren 25. Mike Mujsce Jr. 26. Jeremy Rand
