11/07/2003

PLANS IN MOTION FOR 04 ATLANTIC CITY INDOOR RACE

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - Preparations are beginning to heat up for the 2004 Atlantic City Indoor Race at the seaside resort's famed Boardwalk Hall. The TQ Midget spectacular, set for Jan. 9 and 10, 2004, will take on a slightly different look in the wake of its successful return to the local racing schedule earlier this year.

Race organizer Lenny Sammons has announced that two complete feature-event programs will be presented on the Hall's concrete floor in '04. The Saturday TQ Midget format will remain almost identical to this year's, but the practice-only Friday card offered in '03 has been replaced by a full-fledged night of competition.

"Everyone was so excited about racing returning to Boardwalk Hall that the big question we received was: Why can't we run more shows?" said Sammons. "We'd love to do that, but there are two big reasons we can't--the cost of putting on the show and schedule conflicts with the building.

"But we've come up with what we hope is the answer to everyone's desire for more racing: back-to-back nights of racing. We figured that once everything is set up and everyone has traveled to Atlantic City, we might as well run two events in as many nights."

The Friday program will be streamlined, however, to allow a later 8 p.m. start time for racing. Only the top-40 qualifiers from Friday¹s time trials, which are tentatively set to begin at 5:30 p.m. following three hours of practice during the afternoon, will advance to the racing portion of the show.

Four heat races, two consolations and a 30-lap feature will be contested on Friday night. The top-two finishers in the main will be locked into Saturday night¹s A-Main and a special eight-car dash that will determine the starting lineup for the 50-lap finale.

All cars in attendance will race on Saturday. Another set of time trials and an E-Main will be conducted in the afternoon, followed by an evening program (6:30 p.m. start) that includes four heat races; D-C-B Mains; a dash; perhaps two semi-features (dependent on car count); and the 50-lap A-Main. Much of what made the 2003 Indoor Race so popular will go unchanged.

On the competitor side, TQ Midgets will once again compete head-to-head with 600cc Micro-Sprints under rules that almost mirror those used earlier this year. In addition, the team of officials that Sammons assembled for the event in January will return virtually intact, led by race director Bob
Miller, pit steward Robert "Smitty" Smith, chief tech inspector Andy Anderson and starter Warren Alston.

On the spectator side, a "FanFest" will be held on the racetrack prior to Saturday night¹s racing action so fans can get a close-up view of the cars and meet the drivers. The Hall's scoreboard video screen will also be utilized throughout the weekend to showcase replays as well as live footage. The most significant changes in 2004 will involve the track layout and the viewing area for crews and other pitside spectators.

In an effort to improve the racing, Sammons's staff is constructing a guardrail that will ring the inside of the track. This will replace the tires that were used to keep cars from sliding into the infield, which is
actually the building's hockey rink covered only by pieces of wood.

"We¹re hoping that having a guardrail instead of tires will be a big plus," said Sammons. "It will slightly widen the racing surface and should cut down on the accidents that were caused by cars clipping the tires and bouncing into traffic."

Pit-pass holders, meanwhile, will not be permitted to watch the racing action from the Hall¹s balcony as they were earlier this year. Instead, bleachers will be placed on the Hall¹s stage, which sits outside the track's third and fourth turns, to provide pit-side spectators an exclusive viewing area.

Indoor Race entry forms will be mailed to 2003 participants within the next two weeks. Others seeking entry forms can obtain one by calling 609-888-3618, e-mailing lhs@aarn.com or watching the upcoming issues of Area Auto Racing News.

Tickets for the weekend events will go on sale through Ticketmaster in mid-November.

Race and award sponsors and a host hotel for the event will be announced shortly.

Anyone interested in Atlantic City Indoor Race sponsorship opportunities should call Jeff Gravatt at 732-458-7794 or e-mail him at JeffRacerG@aol.com.

Sources:  AARN/LongIslandJam.com
Posted:  January 6, 2004