On the fast track in Riverhead

John Beatty Jr. is doing a fine job avoiding the sophomore jinx at Riverhead Raceway.

The NASCAR Modified driver from Merrick produced a solid second-place finish in the 35-lap feature race July 16 to move into fourth place in the point standings with 302 a year after earning Rookie of the Year honors. Don Howe of Water Mill earned the checkered flag a car length in front of Beatty, who quickly maneuvered his way up after starting sixth.

“The first two weeks this year didn’t go as planned, but we’ve had a bunch of quality races and tonight I had enough car to win,” said Beatty, a 1994 graduate of Valley Stream Central High School employed as a Rockville Centre village police officer. “You need a little bit of talent and a lot of luck to be successful,” he added. “I’ve been fortunate to avoid any serious wrecks and I’ve got a great crew behind me.”

Beatty competed in the Legends division at Riverhead and various cities along the eastern seaboard in 2008-09 before transitioning to the Modified — the highest level of local racing. “Being in more than 50 Legends races afforded me the opportunity to meet a lot of great people and eventually make the move to the Modifieds,” Beatty said. “It’s working out well.”

Sponsored in part by North Shore Recycling, Freeport Collision, Precision Installation and D & D Auto Body, Beatty burst onto the Modified scene last spring and finished sixth out of 38 in the driver standings. All the stars were aligned for him last Aug. 14 when he crossed the line first in his 1994 Spafco.

“The night I won was probably the calmest I’ve been behind the wheel for any race,” Beatty said. “My family was in the crowd and everything just fell into place. There’s nothing better than the feeling of winning and being able to sharing it with family and friends.”

While Beatty said racing is an expensive hobby, he can’t put a price on spending quality time with his father, John Beatty Sr., crew members Glen Dixon and Jarrod Hayes, as well as others. “I’m a competitive person and passionate about racing, but in the end it’s all about family, friends and fun,” he said.

Bob Finan, the race announcer and public relations director at the 60-year-old Suffolk County ¼-mile oval track, said he’s not surprised of Beatty’s strong performance. “John’s made the quantum leap from the Legends to Modifieds and hasn’t looked out of place,” Finan said. “He has raw driving ability.”

Eriksen leads Late Models

Veteran Late Models driver Peter “Buzzy” Eriksen of Baldwin is in contention for a fifth points title and sits in first place, four points ahead of both Hayes and Scott Kulesa, with three races remaining for the division.

Eriksen, a 1979 graduate of Oceanside High School with more than 40 career victories at Riverhead, won point championships in 1988, ’89, ’93 and 2001. “You always want to be on top, but I’ve been going the wrong way the past three races,” he said after finishing sixth July 16. “We’ll try to get things turned around when we get back in a few weeks. Tonight the car gave me five good laps.”

Prior to the rough patch, consistency was the biggest reason Eriksen found himself atop the leaderboard. Sponsored by Nassau County Harley Davidson, All-Island Marine Corp., Ace’s Landscaping, Big Sal’s Race Engines and Tom’s Marine Service, he produced three straight runner-up finishes, including one by half a car length.

Seeger back behind the wheel

Oceanside resident Joe Seeger returned to Riverhead following a four-year absence and plans to compete in at least half of the events in the Blunderbust Division for the foreseeable future. The 1985 Baldwin High School graduate raced full-time from 1999-2006.

“I’m a clean driver who’s well-respected,” he said. “I’ve finished second a few times and been in the top five a few times, but I’m still looking for that first win. I’ve got the car to do it and hopefully it’s just a matter of time.”

Sponsored by Custom Vinyl Graphic of East Rockaway, J.C. Automotive of Oceanside and Sebor Brothers of Baldwin, Seeger recently earned a sixth-place finish in his 1986 Chevrolet Caprice despite starting 24th. “I really missed racing,” Seeger said. “It’s in my blood.”