SATURDAY'S CECIL PALM TREE 66 PIVOTAL RACE TOWARDS RIVERHEAD RACEWAY NASCAR MODIFIED & CROWN JEWEL SERIES CHAMPIONSHIPS
he annual Cecil Palm Tree 66 NASCAR Modified event is presented to honor memory of the late Eddie Partridge, a lover of the open wheel machines and the excitement they provided wherever they raced, especially Riverhead Raceway which he, his wife Connie and nephew Tom Gatz purchased in 2015. Saturday when the green flag waves over the field to begin the Cecil Palm Tree 66, the usual open wheel excitement will be ramped up with the 2025 NASCAR Modified and Crown Jewel Series Ted Christopher Cup championships hanging in the balance, just the way Eddie Partridge the Modified fan would have loved.
The Cecil Palm Tree 66 serves as the penultimate race for both championships, with Dylan Slepian of Dix Hills holding a slim margin over two-time defending track champion John Beatty Jr. of Merrick entering Saturday. Slepian sits four points the better over Beatty for the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series championship, both drivers have won once in 2025. Roger Turbush of Calverton will be aiming for his first win of the season in the 66 sits third in the season long championship chase,18 points behind Slepian. Chase Grennan of Glen Cove is fourth, 20 off the championship lead while Chris Young of Calverton sits fifth, 24 markers out of the lead. Grennan and Young are the only two drivers with multiple Riverhead wins in 2025 with two apiece.
While the tussle for the track championship remains close, it pales in comparison to the chase for the 2025 Crown Jewel Series Ted Christopher Cup. When Dylan Slepian won the Baldwin, Evans & Jarzombek 77 in mid-August, the victory moved him to the top of the Crown Jewel rankings, albeit by the slimmest of margins. Both John Beatty Jr. and Chase Grennan are a mere two points back of Slepian, with Beatty hoping to hold the TC Cup for a second time in his career, while Slepian & Grennan hoping to hold the coveted cup for the first time. Knotted for fourth in the Crown Jewel standings are Kyle Ellwood of Riverhead and Chris Young, they ten points behind the leader, while Roger Turbush and Matt Brode of East Islip are tied for sixth, just a dozen points out of the lead. Owen Grennan of Glen Cove, -14, CJ Lehmann of Lake Grove 120 and Chris Rogers of Patchogue, -22 round off the top ten in Crown Jewel Series rankings.
The chase for the NASCAR Modified title is not the only close race in the house entering Saturday as just six-points separating defending champion Jack Handley Jr of Medford and Sean Glennon of Northport for the 2025 crown when they go to post for 20-laps Saturday. The season long battle for wins between Handley & Glennon has been a highlight of the 2025 campaign, their crossovers and slide jobs leaving fans on the edge of their seat wanting more. Handley is chasing his fifth Super Pro Truck championship in six seasons since 2020, Glennon, the only driver to interrupt Handley from six championships in a row seeks his second SPT title. Sean holds the tiebreaker with five wins to Jack's two to date. Frank Dumicich Jr. of East Quogue, -46, Lou Maestri of Deer Park, -56 and Charles Sudano of Merrick, -58 round are third through fifth. After Saturday one race remains for the class Championship Saturday September 27th.
The Street Stocks compliment the Cecil Palm Tree 66 presentation with their 20-lap contest, their second to last points race of 2025. Veteran Brian Brown of Calverton holds an eight-point bulge over former Blunderbust champion Brandon Hubbard of Mastic. Brown has won twice over the course of the season while Hubbard has scored three triumphs along the way. With third place Jarrod Hayes of Calverton some 62-points out of the lead, it appears Brown and Hubbard will battle for the championship. Ricky Carman of Ridge, -72 and Danny Pizzo, who missed a race, -100 are fourth and fifth in the current rankings. The Street Stocks have been added to the Islip 300 program for a 40-lap, non-points race in November.
Counting Saturday's 20-lap tilt, the Mini Stocks have three points paying races remaining in 2025, with CJ Zukowski of Riverhead showing the way in the title hunt. CJ hopes to pad his championship lead as he races for his second career title having won his first in 2020. A two-time winner this season, Zukowski holds a 16-point margin over former two-time champion Paul Wojcik of Patchogue entering Saturday, Eoughan Heyward of Westhampton sits third, 50-points out of the lead. Charles Astacio of Shirley, -50, and Chris Olivari of Coram. -96 are fourth and fifth.
Completing the program Saturday are the Eddie Partridge Vintage All-Stars with the question there, can anyone stop Sal Accardi Jr. of Deer Park in their 15-lap feature?
Ace's Landscaping Pole Qualifying for the Cecil Palm Tree 66 is set for 5:30 PM. An anonymous donor has posted $100 in memory of former Figure Eight racer and owner of Ace's Landscaping, "Racin" Bobby Mason who passed away last Sunday. Over the years Mason and his Ace's Landscaping were not only a sponsor for some teams, but a beloved friend to all in the Riverhead Raceway pit area.
Opening ceremonies are at 6:30 PM, general admission gates open at 4:00 PM. Adults are $30. kids 6-12 $20, 5 & under free.
To track the 2025 championship chases and other news please visit http://www.riverheadraceway.com, emails reach us at [email protected], the phone number is 631-842-RACE.