11/29/2004

JOEY PAYNE RETURNING TO BOARDWALK HALL WITH WINNING CAR

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - Joey Payne knows he can win the 2005 ³Gambler¹s Classic² indoor race at Atlantic City¹s Boardwalk Hall. That¹s not because he¹s being cocky. He¹s just plain confident. Payne, after all, will enter the Atlantic City Indoor Race weekend on Jan. 21-22 behind the wheel of the same TQ Midget he drove to an emotional victory on the Hall¹s concrete floor 10 months ago.

³It¹s really the best car I¹ve ever driven indoors,² said Payne, who dominated last January¹s 40-lap ³Gambler¹s Classic² finale. ³I¹m glad I¹ll be able to run it again.² 

The TQ Midget now has a different owner, however. Shortly after Payne steered the machine to the checkered flag in January, Brit Anderson sold it to Bruce Wessel of Elmwood Park, N.J.

Wessel¹s 16-year-old son, Doug, ran the car in TQ events at Mahoning Valley (Pa.) Speedway throughout the 2004 season. But since Doug still won¹t be old enough to race a TQ in New Jersey by January, Wessel has enlisted Payne to return to the car¹s cockpit.

³Bruce asked me if I¹d drive the car again (in Atlantic City) right after he

bought it,² said Payne. ³I told him, ŒYou bet!¹² Payne, 40, of Hawthorne, N.J., originally planned to get reacquainted with the car by entering last weekend¹s Turkey Derby TQ Midget action at Wall Township (N.J.) Speedway, but that plan was scrapped after Wessel suffered a heart attack recently. Wessel is now back at home and is expected to make a full recovery.

Nevertheless, Payne has little doubt that he¹ll be able to quickly get the car up to speed when the indoor meet commences. ³Everything will be exactly the same, including the motor,² said Payne.

³Even ŒShadow¹ (Bob Debois of Shadow Race Products) will come along again to help set the car up.² Payne will come to Atlantic City hoping to erase memories of a tough-luck 2004 season on the Northeast¹s short-track circuit. The indoor triumph was undoubtedly the highlight of his past campaign, during which he fell short of defending his NEMA Midget Series title running the famed Gene Angelillo-owned No. 45 (he placed third in the points standings) and finished 18th in the International Supermodified Association (ISMA) points race driving for New Hampshire¹s Ronnie Pynn.

³Sometimes you go through years like this,² Payne said of the Œ04 season.

³We were really hoping to win another NEMA championship (with car owner Gene Angelillo), but we had some problems and it didn¹t happen.²

Winning a second straight ³Gambler¹s Classic² would make everything right for Payne, who has a special place in his heart for indoor racing in Atlantic City. As a child, he remembers watching cars fielded by his father, Joe Payne Sr., regularly run up front during the popular indoor TQ Midget events held during the 1970s in what was then called Convention Hall. ³I grew up going to the races every winter in Convention Hall,² said Payne.

³It brought tears to my eyes when I won there.² The A.C. Indoor race will again be a Payne family affair in January, with Joey¹s brother, Johnny, running a TQ Midget owned by Joe Sr. Johnny is also a regular on the ISMA Supermodified tour.

Tickets for the Indoor Race are currently on sale through Ticketmaster. Tickets are also available with no extra fee applied at the Boardwalk Hall box office and the Area Auto Racing News office in Trenton, N.J. Weekend activity will begin on Fri., Jan. 21, at 6:45 p.m. with TQ/Micro time trials. The 60 fastest drivers go directly into that evening¹s headlining ³Roaring Twenties²--Triple 20-lap events in which the top-four finishers in each earn their way directly into Saturday night¹s main event.

Friday¹s card is rounded out by two 12-lap Slingshot races, which will start the racing action at 7:45 p.m.  The Sat., Jan. 22, program kicks off at 12:30 p.m. with the ³Small Car Nationals² featuring Slingshot Young Lions (ages 14-16), Mini-Cup and Micro-Stock races. The afternoon activity also will include the TQ/Micro Last Chance Race.

The Saturday-night portion of the show is slated to begin at 7:15 p.m. Heat races and semis will lead up the 40-lap ³Gamblers Classic² for TQs/Micros, with Slingshots also on the schedule.

Fans who already have tickets for the Saturday-night program will be permitted to view the ³Small Car Nationals² from the balcony at no extra charge.

All Friday tickets are general admission, while reserved seats are available in the Hall¹s lower level for Saturday night¹s program.

Tickets purchased prior to Sat., Jan. 22, will allow early entrance to the balcony on Saturday evening and exclusive admittance to the special pre-race Fan Fest held on the racetrack from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The Sheraton Atlantic City Convention Center Hotel is serving as the host hotel of the Indoor Race weekend. A special $119 rate per day is available by calling hotel¹s reservation department at 1-888-627-7212 or following a link at www.aarn.com.

More information on the Indoor Race is available at www.aarn.com or by calling 609-888-3618 for information.

Sources:  Danny Sammons/AARN PR
Posted:  December 1, 2004