Riverhead Raceway To Celebrate Season At Awards Ceremony On January 6

(Press Release from Riverhead Raceway)

Connie Partridge and Tom Gatz of Riverhead Raceway recently announced after two years of not being able to host their annual banquet during the Covid-19 pandemic the Champions Award Banquet will return Friday January 6th at Giorgio’s Baiting Hollow. The affair honors track champions, top five drivers from championship standings, and Rookie of the Year drivers from the 2022 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series at the historic quarter mile oval. For the fourth time in five years Kyle Soper of Manorville will be honored for the NASCAR Modified championship along with car owner Wayne Anderson of Yaphank who’ll mark his 10th track title as either a driver or more recently a car owner. 

At 7:00 pm a cocktail hour hosted by Connie Partridge and Tom Gatz will get the Champions Awards Banquet started with a reception and awards presentation to follow between 8:00 pm and midnight. A full open bar will be available for guests all night while enjoying a full course dinner. Coffee and dessert will be served later in the night. Music for dining and dancing pleasure will be provided by a popular local DJ. Tickets for the 2022 Champions Awards Banquet are available by visiting www.riverfheadraceway.com, click on the events link to access the banquet ticket order form. Tickets are $105 per person with tables of ten available to race teams. A Wednesday December 28th 4:00 pm deadline to order and purchase tickets has been implemented. Will call pick up of tickets will not be available for this event. 

The 2022 Riverhead Raceway parade of champions will be the busiest in the 72-year history of the track as 14 champions will be honored and recognized during the affair. Kyle Soper will lead the parade and be presented not only the championship plaque but his fourth championship ring from Connie Partridge and Tom Gatz who will then also bestow upon Soper the Eddie Partridge Drivers Cup symbolic of winning the NASCAR Modified championship. Six other 2022 Riverhead Raceway champions will take home a championship ring in addition to their plaque. After 30-years of trying Shawn Patrick of Brightwaters earned his first career Late Model championship and will be feted for doing so along with 2022 Crate Modified champion Owen Grennan of Glen Cove who also won his first track championship. During the 2022 campaign, Grennan became the all-time leading winner of Crate Modified events. 2022 Figure Eight champion Scott Pedersen for the second year in a row take home a championship plaque and ring as will Cody Triola of Bay Shore who annexed his second consecutive Blunderbust championship. Two first time champions will round out those who earn a championship ring as part of the Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series with Sean Glennon of Northport earning his first ever Super Pro Truck title while Eric Hersey of Commack notched his first career INEX Legend Race Car crown.   

For the second straight year Dave Antos of Lindenhurst was tops in the Street Stock championship chase while the 2022 Mini Stock championship fell to first time champion Andrew Farnham of Baldwin. The INEX Bandolero champions will join the party on January 6th with Ben Morabito of Miller Place being honored for his first career Bandolero Bandit championship while Chevy Rommeney of Bohemia will be crowed 2022 Bandolero Outlaw champion. The top five championship drivers from the 11 classes will receive plaques for their 2022 accomplishments. 

Despite Riverhead Raceway no longer tracking championship points for the three Enduro classes, the champions from those divisions will be recognized with a championship plaque at the track banquet. Woot Lawrence of Southampton claimed the Truck Enduro championship and will be feted along with Pat Collins of Southampton a first career 8-Cylinder Enduro champion and John Palmeri of Lindenhurst 2022 Gut & Go champion. After the final race in September the champions and top five of the three Enduro classes received trophies from Jimmy and Angela Rennick of JCR Motorsports who did likewise for the Bandolero divisions, a tradition the Rennick’s recently started.  

Seven Rookie of the Year drivers will be announced for the Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series divisions and the 2nd annual Silas Hiscock Driver of the Year will be chosen at the Champions Awards Banquet January 6th. Point fund checks to eligible divisions are being mailed directly to race teams. 

To purchase 2022 Riverhead Raceway Champions Award Banquet tickets prior to the 4:00 pm December 28th deadline please visit www.riverheadraceway.com and click on the events link. E-mail reach us at [email protected] and our phone number remains 631-842-RACE.