Senerchia Looks to Defend Turf on Memorial Day by Matt Panure

(Fort Atkinson, WI) May 17, 2006
Any fan who frequents the Grundy County Speedway in Morris, Illinois is more than likely familiar with the #77 Mid-American sportsman driven by Johnny Senerchia. Senerchia is a regular front runner who will look to defend his place at the top as the Mid-American Stock Car Series is set to invade “Illinois Finest Third-Mile High Banked Paved Oval Track” on Monday, May 29th. Senerchia is currently the point leader at Grundy over Mid-American hot shoe Jeremy Bloomberg of Hampshire Illinois and is second in the Mid-American Stock Car Series, a mere two points behind Lyle Nowak of Wausau, Wisconsin.
Mid-American drivers may see Senerchia as the man to beat at Grundy, “I race there every week, so I might have a little advantage,” said Senerchia. However, Senerchia realizes that the task of winning on Memorial Day may be easier said than done, “(The series drivers) know how to put their stuff together, and there are a couple of guys at Grundy that are fast too.”
Perhaps those “couple of guys” that Senerchia is referring to would include 2004 track champion at Grundy, Dave Gentile Jr. from Elwood, Illinois. Gentile edged out Senerchia to win the feature on May 5, Gentile’s first night of racing in the 2006 season. Senerchia may also be referring to Jeremy Bloomberg, who throughout his career has won multiple features at Grundy and Lake Geneva. However, it is Senerchia who would seem to be on the hot streak. Senerchia’s last 5 starts in Mid-American style races have resulted in two wins(Lake Geneva 10/2/05, Rockford 10/29/05), two second place finishes (Rockford 4/2/06, Grundy 5/5/06), and a fifth (Grundy 4/28/06).
Senerchia proved he will be a force to be reckoned with among Mid-American Series drivers at Rockford’s Spring Opener as he advanced through a tough field of competitors from an 8th place starting spot to a second place finish. By the time Senerchia passed Scott Null of Lake Mills, Wisconsin for second, the amount of real estate between he and eventual winner Lyle Nowak was too great to overcome. Does Senerchia think he had enough to pass Nowak on that overcast and slightly humid Sunday afternoon? “I might have been there, I don’t know if I would have gotten by him, it’s so tough to pass there on the bottom,” said Senerchia. Had he been able to catch Nowak, Senerchia states that he would not have used any overly aggressive tactics to secure the win, “I didn’t really want to touch him to get by him, I didn’t want to start bad blood between everybody.”
Senerchia is still undecided as to whether or not he will run the Mid-American Series in its entirety, “My decision is that I was going to make it after Grundy, I’m leaning towards it,” he said. Senerchia enjoys the competition and goodwill of fellow Mid-American Series drivers. “These guys know that sometimes you have to run two nights in a row, you feel safer,” said Senerchia. As for whether or not Senerchia thinks he could be the 2006 Mid-American series champion he responded, “Everything would just have to fall into place, I feel like I have the equipment to win, but it’s just the luck of the draw sometimes.”
Memorial Day may indeed be a decisive one for the driver of New Lenox, Illinois. Senerchia will continue the quest to “have everything fall into place” when he takes on fellow competitors of the Mid-American Stock Car Series at the Grundy County Speedway on Monday May 29th. For more information on the Mid-American Stock Car Series visit www.midamericanracing.com. For more information on Senerchia go to shorttracknews.com/Jthunder.html.