Saturday night at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl it looked as if Tony Membrino Jr.’s perfect run in SK Light Modified features in Connecticut in 2016 had come to end after chasing the bumper of Cory DiMatteo to the checkered at the shoreline oval.
Tuesday Membrino’s perfect record in 2016 came back to life.
New London-Waterford Speedbowl officials announced Tuesday that DiMatteo, of Farmington, has been disqualified from his victory in the 25-lap SK Light Modified feature Saturday at the Speedbowl.
Membrino, who finished second Saturday, was awarded the victory. Rick Williams of East Hampton was moved to second place and Chris Gombos of Naugatuck to third.
It had been the first career SK Modified victory for DiMatteo, of Farmington, who was making second start in the division.
Officials at the Speedbowl deemed DiMatteo’s fuel to be illegal in postface inspection following Saturday’s feature.
Membrino is now five-for-five in SK Light Modified division starts in 2016, winning every event held for the division at the state’s three short tracks this season. The Berlin driver won the opener at the Speedbowl on May 8. He also has two wins at Stafford Speedway this year and one at Thompson Speedway.
Oops.cheater
So what’s better than racing gasoline that costs a zillion dollars per gallon?
So… Cory let’s Kasheba borrow his car for the SK race two weeks ago so he could get points. I’m willing to bet that Paul put SK fuel in the car. I think it’s pretty far from cheating. SK fuel doesn’t do a damn thing for these crate motors anyhow but rules are rules. Don’t sit there in front of your keyboard and start pointing fingers and punching keys like you have a clue, also shame on Shawn for not digging for the entire story but there is only so much time in a day.
YEAH ! AND MEMBRINO NOT CHEATING LOL.
Grey Matter,
When people don’t answer phones or answer “why’s” then I can’t write anymore and I can’t just make it up based on what I’ve heard. It’s pretty clear what happened, it’s been talked about here already and in other public social forums. I don’t make the rules up, neither do I enforce the rules. I’m reporting on a penalty notice and I have nothing more to work with than a penalty notice right now.
Apparently Membrino isn’t cheating he’s passed tech 5 times at 3 tracks this year.
You with your fictitious name are more than welcome to put ur money where your mouth is.
Shawn,
Then maybe that info should be in the article? I’m not suggesting that you or anyone else clear Cory of any blame but the facts are still there and should be presented.
CARBS &FUEL I GUESS THAT`S THE ONLY THING THEY CHECK? HE MUST BE LEGAL HA! HA! THAT’S WHY HE WENT FROM RAD TO TA CAUSE DONNIE WOULDNT CHEAT FOR THEM. I THINK THE TRACKS SHOULD BUY THE MOTORS FROM THE BUILDERS STOCK MOTOR NO MONKEY BUISSNESS
Have no idea what the actual rules are, but i would be willing to bet cory was not deliberately cheating, kinda sounds like a ooopsy to me but is what is race on.
I will say this though just because you pass tech in no way whatsoever does that mean a car is legal. Heck half the time the benefactor of a DQ is more illegal then the one that got dropped. Kinda one of the biggest problems absolutely no consistency…zero none nadda. Too many times I see a guy penalized for the same exact thing someone else did the week before but was all good then. Everyone here knows its not what you do but who does it.
Membrino has never had a RAD motor.
Congrats to Tony on the continued undefeated season!
SORRY LET ME TAKE THAT BACK THERE NOT THE ONLY ONES I DONT WANT TO DISCRIMINATE
Maybe Red from Monadnock Speedway should come down here with his camshaft checking tool and see who has the Brezinski ground cams. This is exactly why I’m racing Riverhead, stock crate motors you buy from the track for $3,500. None of these cheated up $10k crate motors.
The facts are they did use Sk fuel when kasheba ran car. Fuel was drained but clearly not fully and it only takes small amount of dye to change color of legal fuel added to cell. Was a rookie mistake by a rookie team. Rules are rules and color was slightly off. No worries Cory and the 176 crew are a solid bunch of racers and will be back and win plenty of races.
B.S. must be correct..Look at his name.Mine is up on display.Yours.No balls.
Hey B.S. degree, I think Membrino just gave you a open invite to protest. Let’s pool our money and protest the heads, intake and camshaft, I bet these items came from Brezinski and are their crate motor package they offer. I think this is a great idea seeing how these tracks in CT only know how to tech carburetors, fuel, MSD rev boxes, tires and shocks. The shock tech is a joke, they send the shocks back to the person that built the cheated up shocks.
MembrI no is good man class act 4 real
This other guy Cory don’t he race legends and go carts
Shawn reports what tech does
He is a good guy and the reason we get great coverage of this sport
Good job Shawn
Back to school would help some around here
YEAH I KNOW HE’S NEVER HAD A RAD MOTOR DA! DA!
It’s almost impossible to drain a fuel cell unless the sponges are removed and dried or replaced. I lost a feature at WMMP the same way. It stinks for Corey. Membrino is on rails this year so don’t make accusations unless it’s proven. Little Jap is hooked up.
Let me start off by saying this is always in typical fashion for arm chair warriors to come out of the wood works and start throwing the “cheating” card on the table. Honestly its flattering especially since the car is legal regardeless of what you think (which is taken with a grain of salt). Secondly, has he walked away from the field? Point out one race he absolutley dominated. He gets to the front quicker than others by making ballsy moves and holds the lead. The 16 and 87 were faster the days he won stafford. The 87 and 176 were faster both at waterford. So hes not the fastest car out there, yet hes the one cheating. See where your ass backwards logic is flawed?
Thanks for the motivation Shawn well be back
Well $0.02, if we win some more races, I’m sure one of the tracks will check either or all of those items for free so you won’t have to skim the lunch money mommy gives you to put up for your “protest.”
Don’t know who this Brezinski fella is, but if you wanna know what I got for heads, intake, cam, just call T/A Engines and ask because I sure don’t know – not like I should know with sealed engines and all.
The cheating accusations are quite comical seeing that 3 of the 4 races I crossed the finish line in first this year I was getting big pressure from P2 and only one of them had the fastest lap of the race clicked off by us. If we’re so cheated up shouldn’t we be the fastest and running away with the races?
Thank you mark. Finally someone gets it.glad to see someone does their homework on ny laps before making an assumption
Enough said
As far as I’m concerned ya’ll got the W. I 100% believe the fuel was drained. Guessing slight reminence of it was detected which everyone and there mother knows wouldn’t do a dam thing especially at a track the size of waterford. The wins will come for the 176 crew this year.
They can check ANY thing they want ON THE 44 CT LITE.!00% legal.guaranteed.Dont need to cheat.
I am NOT by any means accusing anyone of cheating BUT, there is not an engine builder out there that does not know who Brezinski is or what they offer for crate engines in the head and cam department. Google their site, do a little searching and tell me exactly what you find. Also my opinion, sealed engines just give people a license to steal since you can purchase seals after market that can be made identical to the ones removed, Google that also.
Next the fuel, I would think if you drained the cell, filled it with Sunoco GTX 260, ran a couple of practice sessions, a heat race and a feature that would pretty much take care of the residual Sunoco Supreme that was there? What do these lites burn a week at Waterford, 6-8 gallons at the most? Not certain I am buying into the other explanations offered. But like everyone else I guess I am entitled to my opinion right, wrong or indifferent.
everyone that dominates must cheat! You Membrinos have been racing long enough to know that! Or maybe you’ve been racing a long time and know the long hours and preparation pay off with more speed? The keyboard hero’s with the alias’ know exactly what happened from their Mom’s basement.
Get a life and give credit where credit is due.
I’ve been DQ’ed for mistaken stuff too. Tech said it was a big advantage. Changed it and won 11 races the next year so there you go. It’s not always what it seems.
In a crate motor class, the motor is 20%, setup and driver 80%. Before people say others r cheating without looking at lap times, tire strategy and the moves the driver makes should learn more about the sport before running there mouth. Are 2 cents and b.s salesman for Brezinski.
In a crate motor class, the motor is 20%, setup and driver 80%. Before people say others r cheating without looking at lap times, tire strategy and the moves the driver makes should learn more about the sport before running there mouth. Are 2 cents and b.s salesman for Brezinski. Also the track officials r at motor shops when they seal the motors. Why would the builders cheat when they have a good thing going, meaning u can only use 2 or 3 different builders
It’s a lot easier to accuse people , rather than respect talent and appreciate what they r doing.
Guess there’s gonna be some upset people when we fix the handling issues we’ve had since Icebreaker weekend…
The fuel cells have bladders in them which hold everything in them. The only way to get everything 100% out would be to take all apart and clean really good
That will mean ur steering wheel is illegal, the ones that add hp. I think they sell them at Brezinski not sure half a nickel will know
I heard each win sticker is +5 hp…can’t be handing those out either, just unfair…
Thanx for the support stu.lets just keep on winning and keep on laughing at all the critics.
Both of these race teams have a lot of talent and put a lot of time in on their cars so it isn’t cheating it’s putting the time I in and a lot of hard work and understanding how the car works it’s a whole package not 1 part
So what you are telling me is that the tech inspector goes to the engine builders shop, checks every piece for compliance to the rules before it is assembled, then waits until the engine is assembled and then seals the engine all in the same visit? You will have a very difficult time convincing me of that unless the tech inspector is full time with the track and again you will have a really hard time of convincing me of that!
No dog in this fight but I do know that it is very easy to contaminate fuel & a lot of work to properly clean fuel cells. NASCAR even recommends that the foam & cell be rinsed with the correct fuel before use. Check the bulletins for Louden or Bristol.
People thinking you are cheating is a good psychological advantage because they are spending their time on figuring out how you are cheating on not on what you are doing better or how they can improve to beat you.
🏁🏁🏁🏁
Once that 87 car figures out their evening racing set-up, Tommy or anyone else won’t be under such a microscope. That car is FAST. Cory’s car was not fast during the race. The 44 was 2 tenths faster but it seems the 44 starts to go away after 15 laps so the 44 couldn’t get by the 176 later in the race. I would also like to point out that the 87 and the 44 are putting up mid pack or better lap times if they were to run in the SK’s. I have to say that’s pretty impressive from cars with 100 less HP, RPM limited and spec shocks.
Lets just not forget who got caught here,some how this ended up with the finger pointed at the 44,and not the 176 who got caught,wow
And they charge you for the seals and the tech inspectors time & travel
*Lengthy post alert*
Humphry: Yes, that is a pretty accurate to description of how the process works. I’m sure SMS, NLWS, T/A, or RAD would be more than happy to explain it to you in full detail…
Grey Matter: C’mon man, stop rubbing it in that I’ve been falling on my face in the second half of every race so far LOL. And you’re absolutely right, the 87 and the 176 definitely bring the heat – there are quite a few competitive cars/drivers in the divisions with plenty of talent and potential to put on great races week in and week out while making some of those SK guys look bad in the process 😛
Speaking of SKs…
If the critics and complainers want this “cheating” to stop, if there is such a problem with me being in the SKL division… instead of pooling up all this money to protest my 34-year old, rotting race car’s compliance to the track rules, put it towards a better cause and put it towards my campaign to get one more shot, a legitimate shot, at the SK division in 2017 and (hopefully) onward.
Make no mistake about it, the only reasons we went back to the SKL division in 2015 was because of lack of opportunity and funding to continue our SK race efforts from 2014 which only compiled a total of 8 races as a result of 2 engine failures and 2 significant crashes as opposed to the claims of “choking” or “not cut out for it” that have been tossed on here before.
With that said, the SK division is my only real goal as far as advancing my career is concerned. I have little ambition to be a star on any of the increasing number of Tour-type modified divisions around here and I have absolutely zero ambitions to run the Kids & Nephews Series or anything of that sorts. To be honest, the 100-lap SK 5K from 2014 left me quite whooped, I don’t think 100+ lap races are my thing lol. In my eyes, the best place to be is where the best competition is at, and anyone would have an extremely hard time trying to knock the SK division off of that pedestal.
If this is a cheap way of campaigning or plugging myself looking for a ride or if I seem like I’m tooting my own horn, so be it. But nobody answers a door that isn’t knocked and nobody is knocking on my door, so if I want to get to where I want to be, I need to put myself out there. And I’d quite frankly like to give my old man the chance to reach and live out his 60s+ on a more relaxed level because God knows he’s earned it.
I don’t have the luxury of the family fortune or the cash cow most open seats seemingly require nowadays, so my hope is that the right people take notice to how I conduct myself on an off the track in that I am good on equipment, I don’t leave destroyed race cars in my wake, I’m consistent, I can intelligently express myself without the help of Google or a translator, I work hard at securing my own sponsorship, and more recently noticeable than ever – I can run up front and win races regardless if I’m the fastest on the track or not.
So if there’s someone out there that’s looking to get back into the game or maybe into it for the first time, has a ride sitting idle or doesn’t run all the time, or looking to make a change to the trend of opportunities going to people that already have them elsewhere and would likely put their SK ones on hold if there was a conflict of schedule/interest and want to invest in the future of the division versus the past/present/soon-to-be past of the division – consider this me throwing my name in the hat.
Lap times don’t win trophies @greg matter
Tony i know its hard to read the stuff people post you do not have to defend yourself just keep doing what you are doing and on moving up this is what i tell everyone i know in racing race what you can afford it is the only way . Good luck friday
No dog in the fight here either, just trying to understand the process. You are right Kevin, the 176 got caught nothing to do with the 44. We will see what comes further into the season as there will be more tech inspections and I am certain someone else will get bagged for something.
Was kusheba a start and park????
Let’s not forget to mention that most of the people that he is beating are either rookies in the division or people who will not make it in the SK division. So yes he is one of the best mid-tier drivers. Big fish in a small pond. I’m supporting the 87 from here on out. At least he plays by the rules.
Now you’re taking it a bit far. It’s one thing to accuse a competitor of cheating and bending the rules, but to speak against the integrity of T/A, Tony, one of the most reputable and well known motor builders in probably local short track racing history is straight up idiotic. Hes been our motor builder for 5 years now and was my uncles motor builder for late model and prostocks in the 80’s and 90’s. Never an issue whatsever.
When we ran lites with T/A power our whole SEALED CRATE MOTOR got torn apart to look at the pistons and whatever else they could get their hands and flashlights on. Because of course, we were dominating and blowing everyone away. and guess what! Passed with flying colors. As would any other T/A with my 100% faith and confidence.
Why don’t you stick to what you do best, sitting in the stands. Because obviously that’s where you belong based on your comments I’ve seen on this article.
What the hell did I just read?! All a bunch of bleacher creatures and keyboard warriors! Go back to school and get out of your parents basement! It’s a damn crate motor and he hasn’t been caught yet at 3 tracks with 3 different tech guys!!! You all need a lesson or two maybe even more! 176 cheated with fuel 44 passed. What’s so hard to understand here?