12/02/2003

LANCE DEWEASE LANDS ATLANTIC CITY RIDE

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - Central Pennsylvania Sprint Car star Lance Dewease will make a return to his racing roots on Jan. 9 and 10 during the Atlantic City Indoor Race at the seaside resort's famed Boardwalk Hall.

Well, sort of.

Dewease has landed a ride for the two-day event in a Gary King-built and-prepared 600cc Micro-Sprint--not exactly a 250cc Micro-Sprint in which he launched his racing career over 20 years ago, but pretty close.

"I've never driven a 600 [Micro] because they weren't really popular [in Pennsylvania] when I ran Micros," said Dewease, whose last appearance in a Micro race came over a decade ago. "But I ran a lot 250 [Micro] races, so it'll be neat to get back in a small car like I used to run."

Dewease, 38, of Fayetteville, Pa., will be at the controls of perhaps the most feared Micro-Sprint in the Indoor Race field. After all, everyone in the pit area will recall that King, a well-known Micro builder from upstate New York, fielded the car that DIRT Modified standout Tim McCreadie drove to a third-place finish in last January's Indoor Race A-Main.

The radical machine that McCreadie steered in A.C. 11 months ago doesn't belong to King any longer; he recently sold it to a racer from North Carolina. But the things King learned while running it in 2003 on the Boardwalk Hall concrete and in a handful of asphalt shows should translate smoothly to the car he puts under Dewease.

"I'm not building a full-blown [special] car for the Indoor Race like I did [in January]," said King. "But that's not just because I'm too busy [at his business] to devote the time to it. I don't think I need to build a car like that."

Instead, King will simply prepare a standard Micro he's borrowing from Jerry Mack, a resident of Selinsgrove, Pa., who runs King Motorsports cars. King's own 600cc engine will power the machine.

"I've learned so much more from when we got to [Atlantic City] in January," said King. "As far as getting the car to handle around the racetrack, I should be much more prepared than I was before. I figured out things in the front axle and the steering that should make a difference."

King has no doubt that Dewease can battle for the Indoor Race victory with the TQ Midgets, lower-slung, roadster-like cars that compete head-to-head with the Micros in the event. The fact that Dewease has never run an indoor race on a concrete surface barely phases King.

"Guys like Lance and Timmy [McCreadie] are just so good," said King. "They just have to get in a car and they're a contender."

Dewease is confident as well. He's yet to meet King-Dewease's brother, Kirk, arranged the deal--but knows he'll have a stout piece at his disposal.

"When my brother talked to Gary and asked me if I'd be interested in running in Atlantic City, I said, 'Sure I am,'" said Dewease. "I know Gary will put together a quality car.

"I thought it would be neat to try running the race [last January] but I didn't pursue a deal. I'm glad I have a good deal this year. It'll be a lot of fun."

King said that while hooking up with Dewease for the Indoor Race is "good for business" because his base Micro-Sprint clientele in central Pennsylvania is more familiar with the Sprint Car star than McCreadie, he wants to find McCreadie a ride so he can take another stab at the event.

King has some possibilities for McCreadie, but the 29-year-old talent isn't yet sure if his schedule will allow him to compete. King said he'll have a handful of other King Motorsports Micros in the Indoor Race, including one driven by Blaine Heimbach, a former Micro standout from Selinsgrove, Pa., who won 17 full-size 410/358 Sprint Car features in central Pennsylvania during the past season. Heimbach will run a Micro fielded by Don Heistand.

Other Micro entries already confirmed for the event include Nathan Hauck of Manchester, Pa.; Jack Spence of Bear, Del.; and Bill Unglert of Mooresville, N.C.

The 2004 installment of the Atlantic City Indoor Race will feature two full nights of racing competition. The Fri., Jan. 9, program will see the top-40 drivers from time trials compete in four heats, two consolations and a 30-lap feature. Time trials are scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. and the first green flag will fly at 8 p.m.

Another round of time trials will be contested on Saturday afternoon, with all drivers getting a chance to race on Boardwalk Hall's concrete oval. A format of A-B-C-D-E mains will be utilized, with the 50-lap A-Main topping the card. Race time is 6:30 p.m.

Reserved-seat tickets are on sale through all Ticketmaster outlets. For more information call 609-888-3618.

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