12/29/2003
FAST-RISING NEW
ENGLAND STAR BOBBY SANTOS III PRIMED FOR ATLANTIC CITY INDOOR
RACE
ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - Bobby
Santos III is arguably one of the fastest-rising stars on the
Northeast short-track racing scene.
Thousands of fans will get a
chance to see why when he competes in the Atlantic City Indoor
Race, scheduled for Jan. 9-10 at the seaside resort's famed
Boardwalk Hall.
Santos, 18, of Franklin, Mass.,
shined behind the wheel of Supermodifieds, Midgets and SK
Modifieds during the 2003 season. He will add TQ Midget action
to his increasingly thick resume next month.
"It's more valuable seat
time," Santos said of his A.C. assault. "I couldn't
turn down a chance to run this race."
Santos, whose grandfather is a
legendary figure in New England asphalt racing, will go to the
post at Boardwalk Hall in a 600cc Micro-Sprint owned by Jeff
Preece of Kensington, Conn. Ted Christopher of Plainville,
Conn., drove for Preece in last January's A.C. Indoor Race,
but the pavement Modified standout plans to run next month's
show as a teammate to Lou Cicconi Jr. of Aston, Pa.
"I've known Bobby and his
family for years," said Preece. "When Teddy decided
to hook up with Cicconi, the first person I thought of putting
in my car for Atlantic City was Bobby."
Preece considers Santos, who
was a spectator at last January's Indoor Race, the
"perfect choice" to fill his coveted seat. His
confidence in the teenager was demonstrated when he stayed
true to him after USAC supernova David Steele called Preece
last week to express his interest in racing Preece's No. 4 at
the Hall.
"Bobby's top-shelf,"
Preece said of the high-school senior. "He's small,
aggressive and versatile. He's used to racing in tight
quarters from his quarter-midget days. As far as I'm
concerned, he's the perfect choice.
"I'm really looking
forward to the race. I feel like we're bringing a gunslinger
to a gunfight."
Preece will provide Santos
top-notch equipment. The youngster will drive a 600cc
Micro-Sprint built by upstate New York's Gary King, who
constructed and set up the Micro that DIRT Modified star Tim
McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., piloted to a third-place finish
in last January's A.C. Indoor Race A-Main.
Unlike many of the
Micro-Sprints that will face off against the TQ Midgets on the
Hall's concrete surface, Santos's ride has never been run on a
dirt track. It saw action in just three events on the
Indianapolis Speedrome pavement during the past season, with
Preece's teenage son, Ryan, who is too young to compete in New
Jersey, handling the driving chores. Preece calls the car a
"new and improved version" of the radical King Micro
that McCreadie drove 11 months ago in A.C.
"It has a different front
axle, better weight distribution, front brakes," said
Preece, who sold the car that Christopher ran last January.
"We're expecting a lot from it."
Observers will also be
expecting a lot from Santos, who has emerged as a driver to
watch since debuting in New England's 350 Supermodified ranks
as a 13-year-old in 1999. He enjoyed his finest season in
2003, winning NEMA Midget features at Waterford (Conn.)
Speedway (two) and Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway and
an ISMA Supermodified event at Oxford Plains (Me.) Speedway.
Santos's career will take
another step forward in 2004. Most notably, he's planning to
run the pavement races on the USAC Silver Crown Series
schedule for Bobby Seymour. He also might make some USAC
Midget starts for Seymour; he'll enter selected NEMA Midget
and ISMA Supermodified shows; and he's exploring options to
hit some NASCAR Featherlite Modified Series events.
*****
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.
The Slingshot by Tobias
division will run 20-lap features on both Friday and Saturday
night. Briggs & Stratton is sponsoring the appearance of
the class which will compete in qualifying events during the
afternoon hours both days.
Reserved-seat tickets are on
sale through all Ticketmaster outlets. For more information
call 609-888-3618.
*****
Scott Martel is another Supermodified regular with designs on
winning the A.C. Indoor Race.
The 39-year-old from Bradford,
Mass., is hoping to improve upon his performance in last
Januaryıs spectacular, when he finished 17th in the C-Main.
"Last January was my first
experience with indoor racing," said Martel, who scored a
top finish of third (twice) while running a limited schedule
on the 2003 ISMA Supermodified tour. "We learned some
things that will hopefully let us do better this year.
Martel will drive a 600cc
Micro-Sprint owned by John Greenhalgh of Hampton, N.H.
Greenhalgh will also compete in the Indoor Race, albeit behind
the wheel of a TQ Midget.
*****
Ryan Bartlett, a young DIRT Modified driver from Adams, N.Y.,
will be back to take his second stab at A.C. Indoor Race
glory. He enjoyed a respectable outing last January, driving
his TQ Midget to an 11th-place finish in the B-Main.
*****
USAR Hooters ProCup regular Danny Sammons of Bordentown, N.J.,
is set to challenge the venerable Boardwalk Hall as a teammate
to TQ Midget standouts Tim Adams of Hamilton, N.J., and Gary
Betsy of Hamilton Township, N.J.
Sammons, who finished 14th in
last January's A-Main, will drive a Tom Williams-owned TQ that
Adams ran for much of the 2003 season. Adams, the 2001 Wall
Township (N.J.) Speedway TQ Midget champion, will pilot
Williams' brand-new No. 9, while Betsy, a regular at Wall, is
slated to steer another Williams mount.
*****
Anthony Sesely of Matawan, N.J., a 20-year-old who chased the
Race of Champions Modified Tour in 2003, will make his first
Atlantic City start in a 600cc Micro-Sprint fielded by Rob
Virona.
With the Sesely and Virona
families being longtime friends, Anthony was tapped to compete
in the Indoor Race because Virona's son is not old enough to
drive in New Jersey.
*****
No one wants to win the A.C. Indoor Race more than Bobby
Watkins Jr. of Levittown, Pa. After all, Watkins grew up
attending Atlantic City's wintertime indoor events through the
1970s and early 1980s. His father, Bob Sr., is also a former
A.C. Indoor Race winner. Watkins, who competed on the ARDC
Midget Series in 2003, will be looking to improve on his
10th-place finish in last January's B-Main. He has a second
car entered in the weekend's action but has not yet named a
driver for it.
*****
A host of top-name drivers have sent word to the Area Auto
Racing News office that they are extremely interested in
finding rides for the Atlantic City Indoor Race.
The group includes Johnny
Sauter, who will drive Richard Childress' AOL No. 30 on the
'04 Nextel Cup schedule; Martin Truex Jr., a New Jersey native
who will drive Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s car on the 2004 Busch
Series; Mr. DIRT Modified champion Alan Johnson, who led the
Northeast in feature wins in 2003; Mr. DIRT 358-Modified
titlist Tim Fuller; and DIRT Modified standout Gary Tomkins.
Car owners who would like to
talk with any of the drivers can get in touch with them by
calling the AARN office at 609-888-3618.
Sources: AARN/LongIslandJam.com
Posted: January 6, 2004
