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7/28/2010 |
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"LITTLE WHO"
WINS SEEKONK'S
OPEN WHEEL WEDNESDAY MODIFIED RACE AND $10,000
by
Denise DuPont |
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 The
Open Wheel Wednesday modified race at Seekonk Speedway has become an annual
summer time tradition at the famous “concrete palace”. It is midway through
the race season and teams look forward to coming and taking a gamble at
winning the big purse. $10,000 to win is a lot of money to the teams that
come and race for a prize, and for the notoriety while replenishing their
race funds for the year.
In the end a racer who has probably the most laps on the track took the
checkers and purse, Todd Annarummo. Annarummo is a second generation racer
affectionately known as “Little Who”, as he follows the foot steps of his
modified racing father, Vinnie “Who” Annarummo. “Little Who” has been
competing full time this year in the Modified Racing Series (MRS) division
as his dad has in the past.
With a smile from ear to ear and with a proud dad (Vinnie Who) by his side,
Annarummo took the life size winning trophy and check for $10,000. “We had
four races
 on
our schedule that we wanted to win at. I wanted to win all four of them. The
first on got rained out. This was the next one in line and it just means a
lot to win here, this is a win with a race this big with the field that we
had. We had Ted Christopher, Mike Stefanik. We had all the champions
including Matt Hirschman and to race with guys like that and to come out on
the top feels pretty good.”
Annarummo’s car seemed to get better as the race went on while other cars
faded and backed up on the track. “The car got better as we went. The longer
that we went the better the car was. I still had a lot left. I think that I
have a pretty good advantage because of the amount of laps that I have at
this track. It definitely played a big part in this. I raced so many laps
here. I know all the grooves. I know all how to make the car do different
things to get what you want out of it so.”
So in the end, the taps on the track were the extra advantage that Annarummo
had over the field of competitors. Also on his side, was that his final
charge was made against his familiar fellow MRS competitors. “At the end, I
was racing against the MRS guys. I mean one, two three were MRS cars. It
says a lot for the division. We do not have the big budgets like the other
guys do, but we can race well!”
 Young
Steve Masse dominated the race with his #13 modified car after he took the
lead ten laps into the race. With less then 15 laps to go and just when he
thought he could taste the money, Annarummo jumped low and passed Masse for
the lead. They had raced one another hard before the pass and Masse really
thought he could maintain his number one spot. “I saw the money. I really
thought I had it. The car just changed. It was kind of kind of weird. It got
tighter on entry and I was real tight towards the center. Usually with these
tires I get loose and I usually clip the right rear up, but it was not the
story tonight. It was kind of weird.”
If they had to do it again, could the #13 team have changed anything that
may have changed their fate? “To be honest I really do not know I have to
talk to my crew chief Josh,” Said Masse from post race inspection. “We will
have to talk it over because it got tight just a tighter as the race went
on. I still do not know what happened I really thought that I had it. I
could just taste it. I led so many laps that it is kind of disappointing but
I am happy with a second. I will take it.”
2009 MRS Champion, Jon McKennedy, started the race on the pole. After
winning his heat race and starting on the pole the cards were stacked in
McKennedy’s favor. But the deck shifted as McKennedy lost his lead ten laps
into the race. Masse made a pass high off turn four and took over the number
one spot. “The car was just a little bit tight the while race. That is all
there really is to it. We ended up third. Congratulations to Todd Annarummo
he drove a great race. Congratulations to him and his whole team they had a
great race.”
So after a fast car in practice and a strong run in his heat race could
McKennedy have changed anything for the race that would have been to his
advantage? “The car mechanically just needs to be freed up a little bit. It
was a little bit too tight and I had a hard time rolling into the middle of
a corner, I had to slow the car down quire a bit to keep it down on the
bottom. It is tough to say. A lot of these race setup is kind of a gamble.
Overall it was a good night. The guys worked hard and we got out of here
with a third place.”
Jimmy Kuhn has been picking and choosing races for his 2010 race schedule as
he is unable to compete in a full time racing schedule. He qualified well
and thought that he had a good chance for a win but the car was off the
mark. “I just started loosing the back of the car a little bit at the end. I
think maybe if there was a restart I might maybe do something there at the
end. I thought that I was going to be good because I kept the back tires
under me for the longest time. And it was really good and just at the very
end I just started to loose the back. Usually I try to wait until the end to
make a hard charge, but I just kind of lost the back so we pretty much just
had to ride line at the end. We will take what we got and I am very happy
with that. There were a lot of good cars here.”
 Next
to the Annarummo racer team, Kuhn probably had more laps then other race
competitors Wednesday night’s race at Seekonk Speedway. “We grew up here and
raced here for years. And honestly with the modified we were not that good
here for quite a few years and for the longest time. Two years ago we found
something that helped us. So we pretty much have just been coming back with
the same setup for the last couple of years. We have gotten some good runs
out of it so I am happy with that. So we will keep just doing the same
thing.”
If they could turn back time and change anything for the race would the #72
race team of Kuhn? “If we were to do anything we would have made the car
just a little bit tighter. The problem with this race is maybe you can sit
back a little bit earlier and wait a little longer. But in this particular
race there were a lot of good cars and guys and they were coming, they were
not waiting so there was no riding around/ So you had to go. Normally I
would have liked to come on a little later but that was not going to be the
case here. Maybe if we had the car a little bit tighter it would have helped
me towards the end. We might have had a better run in the end.”
So another dash for the cash at Seekonk is over. And you can bet your bottom
dollar that team’s took notes to prepare for next year and their chance for
the $10,000 dollar purse. |
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Source: Denise DuPont /
TheChromeHorn.com
Posted: August
1, 2010 |
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