DRAG racers spin out of control, kill 2 on popular strip for racing

OCEANSIDE, N.Y. (AP) _ The street where a pair of drag-racing sports cars careened out of control, killing two people, is a popular spot for racing, residents say. <br><br>Sunday's wreck left the cars

Monday, June 25th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OCEANSIDE, N.Y. (AP) _ The street where a pair of drag-racing sports cars careened out of control, killing two people, is a popular spot for racing, residents say.

Sunday's wreck left the cars unrecognizable twisted lumps of metal, with debris strewn along the roadway.

Residents in this Long Island suburb said racing, and wrecks, were common on that strip of road.

``It's known for racing,'' resident Stu Nagel said. ``Almost every week, there's an accident.''

Witnesses told police that the drivers of a Lamborghini and a Corvette were speeding and weaving in and out of traffic for several blocks before the Lamborghini smashed head-on into a Volvo.

Killed in the crash were Michael Vasapolli, 30, who was driving the 2001 Lamborghini, and the Volvo's driver, Glenn Jacofsky, 43.

The Corvette, which had a vanity plate that read, ``LOV2XLR8'' (Love to Accelerate), lost control and hit a parked school bus, police said. Its driver, Kevin Hart, 27, was treated for minor injuries. He was charged with two counts of manslaughter, police said.

According to police, Vasapolli crossed into the northbound lanes to pass a Cadillac, but could not get back into the southbound side fast enough to avoid hitting Jacofsky.

Jacofsky's wife, Amy Jacofsky, and Vasapolli's wife, Karen Mauro, were both taken to hospitals with injuries that were described as non-life-threatening.