Two weeks after getting smashed into the wall, Johnnie Gloor IV, driver of the No. 1 Legends model car at Riverhead Raceway, took the checkered flag Saturday afternoon for the first time this season, cruising out in front from start to finish.
The victory secured not only a tie for second place in the standings behind leader Kyle Ellwood, but also a sponsorship — a true accomplishment for any race car driver.
Gloor was involved in a pretty severe wreck two weeks ago as fellow racing prodigy, 15-year-old Brendon Bock, who happens to be tied with Gloor for second place, drove him right into the wall.
“We wrecked the front clip, damaged the roll cage, wrecked the rear clip, wrecked the whole oil-cooling system, damaged the clutch plate on the engine and I even bent the brake pad a little too,” Gloor said.
“Literally, every part on the front of the race car except for the engine was damaged,” he said.
Gloor and his team put in many strenuous days, late into the morning, preparing the car to be raced and barely made it to the raceway in time last week.
“We got the car together in the last minute,” said Gloor. “We missed practice and got to the track around 2:30 p.m., right in time for qualifiers.”
Despite the car not being 100 percent, Johnnie still finished 12th, securing much needed points.
Though the win was his first of the season, Gloor is no stranger to the winner’s circle. He has won countless races, dating back to his early childhood, when he raced go-karts at Riverhead Raceway.
Up until this year, the 21-year-old always funded himself, usually using parts and tires way past their normal wear. After the 2012 season — the only season Gloor missed due to a blown engine in his car — he met up with John Visconti, a long-time car owner.
Gloor wanted to strap back into a race car, and Visconti had the car for him to do it.
“We were the perfect match,” Gloor said, speaking of his car’s owners. “I had the ability to drive and set-up the car and they had the ability to fund me with a top-notch race car.”
“He saw my earlier success as a low-budget team and that’s what initially impressed him,” he said.
Gloor, too, brought along his ever-important pit crew.
“I got a whole group of guys that just really donate their time for something that they love,” Gloor said. “It’s so cool to see everything sync up and work together. It’s incredible that in a little less than a week, we built together an entire race car.”
“Winning two weeks after totaling your race car is really a loud statement to all of our competitors,” he said.
Visconti Barton Motorsports, the No. 1 car’s owner, had been looking for additional sponsors to team up with them in order to offset some costs. And as a result of the early success, they have.
After Saturday’s race, they picked up a sponsor to cover the tires so he can finally change his tires next week. He won on five-race-old tires this week, even though the tires are typically recommended for a maximum of three races.
Now with nine races remaining, the Visconti Barton Motorsports team has established three sponsors: One Stop Market in East Hampton, Precision Auto Center in Brooklyn and Mauceri Sign Company in Ozone Park.
With the extra funding, there is no doubt that Gloor will garner continued success.
“Hopefully we can continue what we’re doing,” said Gloor. “My ultimate goal in racing is just to be able to race. And with my sponsorship, I kind of feel like I have achieved my goal. With this opportunity, I can truly give 110 percent towards something I love.”
Photo captions: (Top) Johnnie Gloor in the winner’s circle at Riverhead Raceway July 6. (Bottom) His No. 1 Legends car on the track.
RiverheadLOCAL photos by George Faella
Editor’s note: Due to an editing error, this story was originally published under the wrong byline.
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