01/09/2004

LOU CICCONI, JR. RALLIES FROM REAR TO WIN PRELIM FEATURE

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - Being forced to the rear of the field by an original-start tangle didn't stop Lou Cicconi Jr. in last Friday night's 30-lap Atlantic City Indoor Race preliminary feature at Boardwalk Hall.

Unwilling to let his involvement in the multi-car incident dull an evening he began with a blistering track-record lap of 9.842 seconds in time trials, Cicconi rallied to score a convincing $1,000 victory.

Cicconi, 39, of Aston, Pa., drove his brightly-colored TQ Midget by asphalt Modified star Ted Christopher of Plainville, Conn., on a lap-14 restart to take the lead for good.
Mike Dicely of Lewisberry, Pa., who started 22nd in a 600cc Micro-Sprint, chased Cicconi for the final 11 laps but never offered a serious challenge. He settled for runner-up money, nearly a straightaway behind the thankful winner.

Cicconi took the initial green flag from fifth place, but was sent to the rear seconds into the race because he stopped to avoid a turn-one accident precipitated by second-row starters Fred Rahmer and Lance Dewease.

"We got lucky - that's the bottom line," said Cicconi, "We needed some breaks to get back to the front and we got 'em."

Those breaks came in the form of several crashes that knocked out drivers in front of Cicconi, who deftly avoided the mayhem after his early problem on the tight, concrete-surfaced oval.

Billy Pauch, a dirt Modified superstar from Frenchtown, N.J., finished third in a TQ Midget owned by division standout Don Adams of Robbinsville, N.J. The main's 14th-place starter snagged the position by passing Christopher off turn four on the last lap.
Christopher, Cicconi's teammate for the weekend, faded to a fourth-place finish after advancing from the 18th starting spot to lead laps 7-14, and Colin Turnbull of Cambridge, Ont., took fifth.

Early leaders Stewart Friesen of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., and Frank Polimeda of Fort Lee, N.J., saw promising runs go bad on lap six. First Friesen was eliminated in a turn-two tangle, and on the ensuing restart Polimeda slammed the turn-two wall after coming together with Blane Heimbach of Selinsgrove, Pa.

Seventy-seven cars signed up for time trials, which saw Cicconi become the first driver to break the 10-second barrier on the current Boardwalk Hall track layout.

Heat races, which featured the evening's top-40 qualifiers, were won by Jeremy Lynch of Houston, Del., Willie Harrington of Newark, Del., Heimbach and Cicconi. Kevin Nouse of Lewisberry, Pa., and Christopher captured the consolations.

Tim Howell of Madison Twp., N.J., scored a flag-to-flag win in the companion 20-lap Briggs & Stratton Slingshot feature.

A-Main Finish (30 laps): 1. Lou Cicconi Jr., 2. Mike Dicely, 3. Billy Pauch, 4. Ted Christopher, 5. Colin Turnbull, 6. Bob Maxwell Jr., 7. Ryan Bartlett, 8. Jon Gambuti, 9. Willie Harrington, 10. Chris Arnold, 11. Dan McMahon, 12. Craig Mackereth, 13. Larney Johnson, 14. Fred Rahmer, 15. Blane Heimbach, 16. Kevin Nouse, 17. Frank Polimeda, 18. Stewart Friesen, 19. Nathan Hauck, 20. Ira Landrum, 21. Jeremy Lynch, 22. Steve Stull, 23. Jeff Heotzler, 24. Lance Dewease.

DNQ: Joey Payne, Bobby Santos III, Kevin Bastian, Don Adams, Bill Unglert, Anthony Sesely, Pete Pernesiglio, Wayne Turnbull, Tim Adams, Charles Chance, James Michael Friesen, Heath Hehnly, Russ Bailey, Curtis Friesen, Mike Stull, Bobby Watkins Jr., Greg Cable, Chuck Sherby, Randy Oswald, Bill Thomas, Danny Sammons, Desrosieros, Glen Halbing, Kevin Battele, Gary Betsy, Adam Cantor, George Chevalier, Chris Zrinski, Bruce Leote, Tim Arre, Ted Durfee, Don Zrinski, Harry Weed, Gary Conkling, Scott Martel, Mike Blair, John Payne, Bob Berry Jr., Dan Biggs, Art Lawshe, Monnie Wonder, Jack Spence, Ken Zrinski, Pete Pazer, Jack Arute, William Lowe, John Greenhalgh, Ed Wilberg, Robin Johnston, Pat Pontello, Greg Furlong.

Slingshot Feature Finish (20 laps): 1. Tim Howell, 2. Dave Pecko, 3. Keith Tucker, 4. Bill Weaver, 5. Curtis Truex, 6. Jeff Hartman, 7. Billy Pauch, 8. Jesse Hartman, 9. Jay Hartman, 10. Jeff Trombley, 11. Bob Devault Jr., 12. Stan Friedman, 13. Lenny Boyd, 14. Lindsey Rutherford, 15. Steve Hicks, 16. Rich Raidline, 17. Pep Corradi, 18. John Wesp, 19. Russ Kisselburg, 20. Andrew Damiani, 21. Ed Windt, 22. Randy Smith, 23. Mark Kislowski, 24. Ron Neil Jr., 25. Travis Nolan.

Sources:  AARN/RacerHub.com
Posted:  January 12, 2004