It wouldn’t last forever. We were blessed with ‘Whelen weather’ Friday afternoon. Someone forgot to wave their magic wand and KAPOW!! We had quite a deluge. This brought me to think that in lieu of the Modified Tour the Arutes should have held their first annual Olympic swim meet. Could anyone just imagine Ben Dodge announcing ‘and now in lane number 4, our fastest individual medley qualifier…?

Donny Lia took down the pole edging Spring Sizzler winner Tony Hirschman by forty-six thousandths of a second. As was the case at the last Stafford Tour event, the ‘Scuff Session’ before qualifying really leveled the playing field. Five drivers were bumped from time out of each of the first fourteen, the second fourteen and the last thirteen that attempted time.

Those who are familiar with me know I am a big guy. I have been above three spins on the scale for several years. Last September at Loudon I tipped the scales well over three hundred fifty pounds.

Without any conscious diet or exercise regimen I lost thirty pounds between then and the Icebreaker. About a week after the Spring Sizzler I decided to change my eating habits. For nearly four weeks I ate raw greens like spinach, broccoli, lettuce and celery. I cut out all of the starches and all of the sugars save a couple of servings of rice per week.

I began walking two weeks ago and hustling a little more with my business. When I asked Renee to check my weight on the NASCAR scales Friday I was back up to three hundred forty pounds. I gain weight eating like a rabbit and lose weight eating pasta and cake. Go figure?

There were two main topics of discussion throughout the day. One was the price of pump gasoline in everyone’s locale. The other was the appearance of Ed Whelan and his driver Mike Ewanitsko. I didn’t get the opportunity to speak with either Ed or Mike but several competitors mentioned that they were apparently on a recruiting mission.

Carl Pasteryak quickly sorted out any of the bugs he might have had in his new racer Friday. Captain Carl qualified in the top twenty and looked smooth. What was really cool was the modification his team made to the driver’s door on his car. Any driver who has had difficulty in the past getting out of their Modified in a hurry should check it out. Thanks for the 7ny on the roof!

When I saw James Civali’s #29 Tour Modified I was certain that it had a southern sponsorship connection. The color scheme and number are both remarkably reminiscent of Dick Hutcherson’s cars that have been shown on the side of Hutcherson-Pagan’s NEXTEL Cup, Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series parts trucks for many years. Much to my surprise the paint scheme was one that James’ sponsor, Dr. Nick Perricone, had chosen. Civali qualified twenty-first.

Eric Beers returned to the Tour at Stafford. Todd Szegedy filled in for Eric at the Sizzler while he recuperated from injuries he sustained at the Icebreaker. Part of Beers’ rehabilitation included driving a tractor with only the arm associated with his injury this week. Eric looked in mid-season form in practice, qualified fifth fastest and picked the pole in the redraw.

Reverends Dan Petfield and Don Rivers held Victory Chapel at SMS. Racing With Jesus Ministries founder Reverend Pat Evans has been battling some very serious health issues and although Reverend Dan has tried to keep upbeat about Rev. Pat’s progress, it is obvious that Evans’ current status and his future are weighing heavy on his heart. Please keep Reverend Pat and his wife Betty in your prayers.

As I said earlier the rains did come. So did the lightning and the thunder. ‘No one wins when there is a rainout.’ SMS General Manager Mark Arute told us ‘The teams lose, the fans lose and the track loses.’ The Haynes Material 150 was postponed to Sunday, July 3rd with a tentative race time of 6 PM.

I was glad to hear that Mark was taking one his sons out to Indianapolis for the 500s. I know his brother and other friends will show them a good time. I think Mark is a lot like many of us, he seemed more excited about going to IRP than the big speedway.

Thanks to Linda from Precision Automotive for posting the qualifying results on our Live Updates forum. Shopgirl was ready to do the updates when the inclement weather arrived. This author’s travel plans will not include a return to Stafford on July, 3rd. We have recruited the services of a legendary motorsports writer to phone in our updates at that postponed event. Tune in July 3rd to find out who that is.

Maybe there were some winners. I know of at least one. Tour competitor and fellow MSS scribe Renee Dupuis appeared to be pushing water out of her car in the last practice and the scuff session. This concerned Tour officials enough to push the #90’s qualifying try to the last attempt of the session where the same continued.

Apparently Renee’s car had some type of engine malady. Had the race been run on Friday night, Dupuis might have had to park the car after taking the green…if she could have even gotten her car to take the green. I am sure that Billy the Kid will have things straightened out for Renee in time for next week’s race at Riverhead.

Speaking of Riverhead, as Bob Finan might say, ‘All of the cars and all of the stars of the Whelen Modified Tour are coming to RRRRiverhead Raceway this coming weekend!’ The two shows at the east end bullring offer those on the Tour who live in Connecticut the opportunity to get a taste of what we here on the Island they call Long deal with for nearly every other Tour race during the season. This while we roll out of our beds at noon and get ready for the fireworks.

Travel Tips

Roadwork ahead. The bad news is there is usually road construction of some type that interferes with driving around from New England to Long Island. The good news is that most of the Long Island Expressway (LIE) construction shuts down for the weekend and that the areas that have been a trouble spot for quite some time on I-95 as one approaches the Throgs Neck Bridge are nearly fully completed. For further information on possible construction delays call 1-800-ROADWORK. If you are dialing that from a cell phone, leave off the K for…IT WON’T FIT ON YOUR PHONE.

Most folks in NASCAR know Dale Carnegie only as the name of the speaking course that Ned Jarrett took when he became the Grand National champion. Dale Carnegie’s book, ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’ is the cornerstone of that training program. That unfortunately has nothing to do with driving in New York City.

Driving through New York can be an adventure. If one wanted to title a book based on how the average driver in NYC operates a motor vehicle, ‘How to Get to the Next Exit First by Intimidation with Excessive Speed of Closure, Aggressive Lane Changing, Vociferous Flashing High Beams and Obscene Gestures While Using Traffic Laws, Painted Markings and Posted Regulations as Suggestion’ would be a start. Just try to stay out of the way and no one will get hurt.

My trip home included encounters with some folks that usually only show up in heavy numbers on holiday weekends, Recreational Drunk Drivers (RDDs). RDDs are dangerous because of their diminished capacity and the fact that they are nearly completely oblivious to what is happening around them. Chances are next week some of the folks reading this might see some RDDs. Just avoid RDDs at all cost and above all, avoid becoming an RDD. The life you save may be your own.

Some folks might run into our Problem Drunk Drivers (PDDs). Normal NY (Very Aggressive) Drivers refer to PDDs as speed bumps. PDDs know they are drunk and are probably the most focused drivers on the road. PDDs hold their line well and drive at the speed limit or five or ten miles per hour slower than that. The PDD doesn’t want to get caught because their license has already been suspended and they don’t want to go to jail...again. Please don’t run over our PDDs. PDDs should be forced to post driver flammable hazard placards on the rear of their vehicles. Normal drivers would suggest that they also post a slow moving vehicle sign as well.

New Yorkers are renown for working excessively. Most folks will have to avoid a few AAWs. That is drivers who are Asleep At the Wheel. These drivers will drift from lane to lane for no apparent reason. Normal NY drivers usually pass the AAW drivers in the grass. Don’t ever try to wake up a NY driver who is AAW. Chances are the AAW driver will suddenly accelerate, brake or turn upon awakening. Invariably this will wind up costing the person who woke them dearly.

The type of NY driver that travelers are most likely to encounter is an IAD or incredibly aggressive driver. Tailgating is a sport for IADs. The headlights on an IAD’s car are usually powerful enough to melt the paint off of the back of your vehicle. Generally the IAD is not satisfied with just passing other drivers, they generally want to intimidate, taunt and humiliate other drivers into submission. I am not asking that anyone plant these IADs into Jersey barricades or cause them harm. Then again I am not asking anyone to give them a free pass either.

One may notice that the proliferation of RDDs, PDDs, IADs and AAW drivers increase proportionally as they approach and decrease as they drive away from NYC. Once drivers reach the county line between Nassau and Suffolk, the threat of these encounters will have diminished significantly. In fact once drivers reach Exit 68 on the LIE they may feel as though they are entering a new country. East end residents often ask folks who live west of Exit 68 whether they have a valid travel visa.

Once everyone has dodged the RDDs, PDDs, IADs and AAW drivers, there is only one other group of drivers to be concerned about, the COPS. Beware of your speed on the LIE. The further east one travels. The more likely one will get a ticket. Seventy MPH in a thirty MPH zone with a wheel missing and an inflatable sex doll hanging out the window won’t grab many NYC traffic cop’s attention. If one drives over seventy MPH on the LIE, expect a ticket. Wear your seat belt or expect a ticket. Don’t look at a Cop or expect a ticket.

The NYS Police barracks that used to be in Hampton Bays has been moved to a spot in Flanders (Northampton) a stone throw from downtown Riverhead. This proximity has increased the likelihood that a State Trooper might be setting a speed trap right as traveler’s head toward the final exits like Exit #73, Rt. 58. Forewarned is forearmed.

Riverhead has never been the same since the Oakwood Inn was razed. I know the Lia team is looking forward to some home cooking. For the rest of the pack, watch your driving or take the boat. Don’t forget that Bones Bourcier will be at Riverhead to sign copies of his books ‘Richie!’ ‘Bugsy!’ and ‘True Speed’. This may be the last chance everyone gets to pick up their autographed copies this season. Don’t miss out.

I look forward to seeing everyone there.