ISMA Banquet
- November 17th, 2007 |
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Jim Feeney Photos |
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Champions Trophy:
Car owner of the Year Vic Miller and Driver of the Year Chris
Perley
prepare to take home the ISMA champions’ trophy for another
year. |
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Driver of Year:
Chris Perley accepts his second straight ISMA Driver of the Year
award and fourth overall championship, after an astounding 11
feature-win season. The tally upped his total on the ISMA
all-time win list to 48. |
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Most Popular
Driver: Gater Racing News-sponsored Most Popular Driver of the
Year went to Vern Romanoski of Strong, Maine. Vern received a
trophy, a check, a Gater subscription and a $100 Leaf Gift
Certificate. Gater columnist Carol D Haynes made the
presentation. |
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Mechanic of Year:
Brad Lichty, owner of ISMA supers 74, 84, and 94, was voted the
Mechanic of the Year by his peers. Dennis and Sue Heppell of
award sponsor Slice n Go Deli, made the presentation of a jacket
and a check. |
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AJ Michaels Award:
Vern Romanoski accepted the AJ Michaels award from Jerry
Kritzman as a driver who best exemplifies the late Michaels’
dedication to the sport of supermodified racing. |
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10-1 Owners: The
top ten ISMA car owners and team representatives gather for a
portrait. Seated: Gary Lehnert, Jeff Holbrook, Vern Romanoski
rep, Howie Lane rep. Standing: Ricky Wentworth, Vic Miller, Brad
Lichty and Mark Sammut. |
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Driver Fund
Sponsor: The ISMA Driver Point Fund sponsors on hand at the
banquet were Perley’s Marina (Chris Perley) and Suprs.net (Bob
Gangwer). Kathy Harrington, who initiated the Driver Fund
several years ago, presents the award. |
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Shampine Award:
The coveted Jim Shampine Memorial award went to Bud and Barb
Skinner for their tireless dedication to ISMA. Supermodified
veteran Bentley Warren presented the award. Bentley also just
happens to be Barb’s all-time favorite driver! |
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20-11 Owners: Four
of the 11th-20th car owners on hand for the ceremonies were
Bobby Haynes Sr. (16th), Jeff Holbrook (car 70 13th – cars 40
and 35 were 7th and 8th respectively), Dave Sanborn (12th) and
Eddie Bellinger (11th). Bellinger’s name was also drawn for the
BS&B radiator giveaway. Jeff Holbrook took home two Simpson
product awards. |
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Top 20 Drivers:
The top 20 in the Driver’s Point Fund (which is a separate tally
from the Owners), are, seated: Vern Romanoski, Brandon Bellinger,
Dave Sanborn, Bobby Haynes Jr., Larry Lehnert, Jeff Holbrook and
Bob Magner. Standing, Kathy Harrington, Chris Perley, Mark
Sammut, Mike Lichty, Mike Ordway Jr., Dave McKnight, Robbie
Summers and Dave Trytek. |
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Support Award:
Kathy Harrington accepts the ISMA Support Award from members of
the top 20 in Driver’s points. |
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NEMRS Award: Butch
Valley of NEMRS presented (via draw) a Hans device to winner
Mike Ordway Jr. |
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Rookie of Year:
2006 ISMA Rookie of the Year did the honors for 2007 ISMA Rookie
of the Year Mike Ordway Jr. A jacket and check are presented
annually in Randy Witkum’s honor (Ed Shea sponsor) to the
highest finishing rookie in points. Ordway with one feature win
and a second place in points, had a spectacular year in his
first full season. |
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Achievement Award:
Rachel Fink presented Mike Ordway Jr. ISMA Achievement award for
his great rookie season. |
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Most Improved:
Awards continued to roll for Maine driver Vern Romanoski who
also was voted ISMA Most Improved driver. Anne Schaefer of the
ISMA Auxiliary did the honors. Vern’s name was also drawn as the
winner of the Seymour Enterprises helmet prize. |
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Jim Soule Award:
Dan Soule presents Brian Allegresso with the Jim Soule Memorial
Dedication award. Car builder Brian Allegresso has contributed
to the success of various supermodified teams over his 3-decades
of participation. |
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Crew of Year: The
Race Threads Crew of the Year award went to the Holbrook crew,
which maintains supermodifieds 35, 40 and 70 throughout the
season. |
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2007 Champs: ISMA
President Howie lane congratulates Chris Perley and Vic Miller
on their second straight championship, and fourth overall. In
their 2006-2007 championship seasons the team amassed a 22
feature win total (21 for Perley, 1 Bentley Warren), for an
unprecedented run. |
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ISMA AWARDS BANQUET
CONCLUDES SEASON HONORING THE MILLER-PERLEY TEAM AND MORE |
Sat., Nov. 17: The 33rd ISMA –Wirtgen race season concluded
November 17th with their annual awards banquet, held once again
at the Turning Stone Casino. The Vic Miller- Chris Perley team,
after a second straight record-break season, once again took
home the huge ISMA championship trophy where it will remain
until November 2008. With 11 feature wins this season and 10
last, Chris Perley, admittedly is not quite sure how it all
happened. But, he's certainly happy it did, as are car owner Vic
Miller and the entire team.
Speaking from the podium the Rowley, Mass. driver commented on
the team's accomplishments. "Every year we start out hoping we
can win a couple races and end up close to where we were before.
None of us would have expected that we would improve on last
year. I couldn't do it without a dedicated crew, a great car
owner, and great sponsors who supply us with great equipment.
I'm real lucky to be part of this team and to be a part of a
great group of guys to race against because obviously I wouldn't
be here if there wasn't anybody to race against.
"This has been a blast. I just hope I have a quarter of the year
I had this year next year. Obviously everyone is beginning to
tough it up and the competition was getting real good towards at
the end of this season. I'm sure everybody will start off next
year where they left
off and there could be a new guy up here next year."
While Perley and Miller carried out the trophy, new jackets and
the lion's share of the top monetary prizes, many others were
also honored. The top 20 car owners and then the top 20 drivers
were also given plaques. Kathy Harrington, who started the
driver point fund,
was presented the Support Award for her fine efforts. Driver
point fund sponsors include Perley's Marina Repair, Sweet
Manufacturing, Luther's Wayout Grafix, Inkspot, and SUPRS.net.
Brad Lichty, owner of supermodifieds 74, 84, and 94 – the latter
two finishing 4th and 5th in the standings, was voted the ISMA
Mechanic of the Year, sponsored by Slice n Go Deli.
The Randy Witkum Memorial Rookie of the Year award, sponsored by
Shea Concrete, went to a very deserving Mike Ordway Jr., who in
his first full ISMA season finished runner-up in points. Ordway
Jr., driving the Wentworth-owned 10, picked up a feature win the
night after his high
school graduation, a prize many veterans have yet to earn.
Ordway Jr. also earned the ISMA Achievement award and to top off
his night, NEMRS' Butch Valley Jr. presented Mike with a new
Hans device.
Strong, Maine driver Vern Romanoski was another big winner as he
received the ISMA Most Improved Driver award, the AJ Michaels
Memorial award, the Gater Racing News Most Popular Driver award
which included a trophy, a check and a Leaf gift certificate,
and a helmet given each year by Seymour Enterprises and
determined by the luck of the draw among the top ten drivers in
points.
ISMA membership voted the Jeff Holbrook crew the Race Threads
Crew of the Year. This team managed to keep three supers (35,
40, 70) in action at most of the ISMA events with two top ten
point finishes and a thirteenth for a commendable year. They
also picked up two Simpson
prizes as drawn from among the top twenty driver names.
Brian Allegresso who has been a part of ISMA and the
supermodified scene for at least three decades, took home the
Jim Soule Dedication award while Bud and Barb Skinner received
the coveted Jim Shampine award. Barb's "all-time favorite
driver" Bentley Warren presented this
award.
The 2008-2009 slate of ISMA officers includes Howie Lane,
president; Jerry Kritzman, vice president, Kathy Harrington,
secretary and Delores Murphy Treasurer/Membership.
The ISMA Board of Directors is made up of Eddie Bellinger Jr.,
Ray Chesbro, Jeff Holbrook, Brad Lichty, Vic Miller, Jack
Murphy, Brian Allegresso, Mark Sammut and Dan Soule.
In some barnstorming sessions over the two days of Turning
Stone, ISMA Board Members did some major revamping of the ISMA
point system, which, along with some rule changes, will be
published in the new 2008-2010 ISMA-Wirtgen Rulebook due out
shortly.
A tentative 2008 schedule was discussed, but not finalized, at
the afternoon general membership meeting. The ISMA-Wirtgen Super
Series will begin at Waterford Speed bowl and end at Thompson
Speedway, as has been tradition. In between tracks hosting ISMA
events will be Toledo, Kawartha, Cayuga, Jennerstown, Stafford,
Sandusky, M40, Mansfield, Lee All-Star, Delaware, and Berlin. A
new possible addition being discussed is Beech Ridge Motor
Speedway in Maine. The final schedule with be announced as soon
as it is complete.
Finally it was announced that Torco Fuels will join the
ISMA-Wirtgen family as a sponsor in 2008 providing contributions
to the point fund and other incentives. |
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Comments or Questions:
isma@ISMAsupers.com |
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