Posted by Wayne G. Barber Photos, Wayne G. Barber SMUG MUG Collection
Waterford, CT - Doug Coby beat back a mid race restart challenge from reigning champion, Randy Cabral, to capture the 25 lap NEMA feature at the New London Waterford Speedbowl this past Saturday night. In the Lites division, Randy Cabral took down a thrilling victory, even as the rain started to fall throughout the final laps in the race billed as the Jim O'Brien 16 NEMA Lites Memorial event, memorializing an "anchor" club member. O'Brien's family were on hand to celebrate the victories with both drivers in front of a packed house.
Jim Santa Maria and Paul Scally brought the field down for the green flag after a quick hot lap session to ensure the damp track surface was ready for action. Reigning NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Champion, Doug Coby, was sixth on the grid, but quickly blasted his way through the field. At the end of lap two, Coby had command and quickly set a torrid pace. Coby's fastest laps a 12.93 and 91 respectively, came right before and right after the caution flew on lap twelve. When the caution flew, Coby had stretched his lead out to over a straightaway.
On the restart, Coby lined up next to teammate Cabral, and got the jump coming off of turn four. Cabral used the momentum of the high line to draw even with Coby coming off of turn two, and the duo would run side by side for the next three laps.
"I knew Randy was up there, but we were really good on the bottom and had more if we needed it. I was hoping he'd continue to run it in harder and harder, as I knew if I could keep him up there he would eventually over heat the right rear and get loose," said Coby.
Coby then set sail and never looked back, taking down the victory over Cabral by ten car lengths, and a hard charging John Zych Jr.
"Tim (Bertrand) knows what he's doing with these cars. I told him what I wanted tonight, and he gave me exactly that. The only thing I touched on the car during the feature was the steering wheel," joked Coby. "I never knew much about NEMA as a club until I started running these cars a few years back. It's a great group of people, and the series is super competitive. I also didn't know Jim O'Brien, but from what I understand he did a ton for NEMA and it's an honor to win this race in his memory," he said.
It was Coby's second NEMA win of the season in the #74 K&N Engineering machine for Bertrand Motorsports, the first coming at Chemung.
In the Lites feature, RJ Tufano got the lead early, after a multi car crash taking out Scott Bigelow and Andy Barrows, halted the racing action on the first lap. On the restart, Tufano jumped out into the lead, and looked to be the car to beat.
Further back, Randy Cabral was working his way to the front in his family owned #35 car, and behind him, Anthony Nocella in the Frank Manafort #76.
As the leaders approached lapped traffic, Cabral made a bid for the lead, and Nocella then made it three wide, briefly drawing even with Tufano, before disaster struck and the engine expired in his car.
On the restart, Cabral blasted to the outside, taking the lead from Tufano, and at this point, young gun Anthony Payne entered the mix as well. Shortly after that, a light rain started to fall, and the cars started to loosen up in the final laps. Cabral hung on to take down the victory over Tufano and Payne.
"It's an honor to win this race. Jim O'Brien was out to see the little guy succeed, and my dad & I have always been the little guys," said Cabral. "We literally have less than four thousand dollars invested in this car, and we run used tires on it in 90% of the races. I think we would have made Jim proud tonight," he said.
NEMA's final event occurs at the Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in October, with NEMA running on Saturday night, and the Lites running on Sunday afternoon. |
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