Lou Cicconi Jr. showed he is poised to better his 2007
runner-up finish by one position this time around. Cicconi took
the checkered first in the final M&R Midget 'Roaring 20' Friday
night at Boardwalk Hall during 'A-1 Racing Products presents
Qualifying Night,' a prelude to the "Gambler's Classic"
presented by SoBe Life Water to be contested on the hall's
concrete floor on Saturday (Jan. 19).
Cicconi was second to Joey Payne in the race's '07 running.
Tim Adams and Danny Shirey topped the other 20-lap TQ
Midget/600cc
Micro-Sprint qualifying events run on Friday night.
Aston, Pa.'s Cicconi, the 2004 & '06 winner of the "Gambler's
Classic," took the lead on the opening circuit of the nightcap
and wheeled his Hentrich Bros. No. 75 TQ Midget to a dominant
checkered.
Central Pennsylvania Sprint Car ace Stevie Smith of New
Oxford, Pa., drove to second place in the RAACE Foundation No.
19, a car built by Cicconi. Micro-Sprint ace Pat Bealer of
Walnutport, Pa., was third in Jason Van Doren's No. 22, with
Bill Davis development driver Bobby Santos III placing fourth in
Gary King's No. 1K Micro-Sprint.
NASCAR Sprint Cup racer Ken Schrader of Fenton, Mo., driving
the Alan Mollott No. 51, overturned during a lap-13 frontstretch
tangle. Schrader refired the car much to the delight of the
crowd, ran a handful of caution laps and retired to the pit
area. Late Model star Rick Eckert is slated to take over the car
on Saturday.
Tim Adams, a law enforcement officer in Hamilton, N.J., waits
all year to compete in Boardwalk Hall. His effort paid off with
a victory in the first M&R Products 20-lapper.
Adams's No. 9 inherited the lead when Fort Lee, N.J.'s Frank
Polimeda, who led laps 2-17, headed to the pit area. Adams led
the rest of the way to take the checkered first over dirt
Modified racer Mike Iles of Medford, N.J., who surged into
second on lap 18.
Ransomville, N.Y., teenager Erick Rudolph, a Western New York
asphalt Modified standout, was third and Mike Tidaback was
fourth.
Oberlin, Ohio's Danny Shirey, a 17-year-old Supermodified
racer, took the victory in the second 20-lap event driving a
Micro-Sprint he has run indoors on both dirt and pavement,
including the recent Fort Wayne (Ind.) event.
Shirey took command moments after a multi-car frontstretch
crash that collected a half-dozen cars, then fended off a
mid-race charge from James Michael Friesen to keep his No. 16
out front.
Friesen, of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., settled for second.
Johnny Payne of Milford, Pa., finished third, and Jack Spence of
Bear, Del., took fourth.
The top four finishers in the 'Roaring 20s' transferred into
Saturday night's 40-lap A-Main.
Dirt Modified legend Billy Pauch of Frenchtown, N.J., set
fast time with a lap of 9.217 seconds, besting fellow dirt Mod
racer/past event winner Jeff Heotzler (9.236 seconds). 2007 race
winner Joey Payne of Fairlawn, N.J., was third quick (9.353
seconds), the final time-trialer to be locked into the A-Main
field.
In Slingshot action, Matt Carman of Flemington, N.J., fended
off defending race winner Ryan Smith to take the checkered in
the first of the 'Dirty Dozen' 12-lap qualifiers. In the second
12-lap event, Gary Hieber, 18, of Langhorne, Pa., led from start
to finish from the pole. The final 12-lap 'Dirty Dozen'
Slingshot event featured a crowd-pleasing victory for Nazareth,
Pa.'s Tiffany Wambold. The 16-year-old thwarted a final-lap bid
from Jeff Hartman of Flagtown, N.J.
In the four 12-lap Champ Kart qualifiers, Timmy Solomito of
Islip, N.Y., Coby Cressinger of Selinsgrove, Pa.; Lockport,
N.Y.'s Larry Stolzenberg; and Tammy Smith of Binghamton, N.Y.,
were victors.
Racing continues on Saturday night (Jan. 19) with the second
night of the Len Sammons Motorsports Productions "Gambler's
Classic" featuring the 40-lap M&R Midget A-Main and 25-lap mains
for the Slingshots and Champ Karts and the Behrent's Performance
Warehouse Dash for Cash. A pair of TQ C-Mains and a TQ B-Main
will complete the program.
The on-track Fan Fest begins at 6:30 p.m., with pre-race
ceremonies at 7 p.m. and racing at 7:30 p.m. General admission
tickets are still available. Visit:
www.aarn.com.
M&R MIDGETS ROARING 20 RACE No. 1: Tim Adams, Mike
Iles, Erick Rudolph, Mike Tidaback, Cody Darrah, Kyle Newcomb,
Rob Vivona, Chris DeRitis, Billy Pauch, Sr., Tim Proctor, Frank
Polimeda, Billy Pauch, Jr., Bill Unglert, Brett Conkling, Jonny
Mannis, Frank Fischer, Mike Fedorcak, Ken Hirt, Ryan Smith, BJ
Mac Donald.
M&R MIDGETS ROARING 20 RACE No. 2: Danny Shirey, James
Michael Friesen, Johnny Payne, Jack Spence, Donald Zrinski, Jeff
Kot, Bruce Leote, Jesse Council, Ginny Quinones, Stewart
Friesen, Daniel Clover, Ted Christopher, Jack Conover, Jeff
Heotzler, Jr., Neal Blatt, Billy Murphy, Jeff Heotzler, Bob
Watkins, Jr., Joey Mongeau, Glenn Heverin.
M&R MIDGETS ROARING 20 RACE No. 3: Lou Cicconi, Jr.,
Steve Smith, Pat Bealer, Bobby Santos, Greg Cable, Mike Lichty,
Shane Braxton, Rudy Boetticher, Joey Payne, Monnie Wonder, Ken
Schrader, Matt Janisch, Willy Decker, Tim Behmer Jr., Mark
Yoder, Mike Osite, David Williams, Richie Coy, Matt Seavey,
Jimmy Broderick.
*Full Slingshot and Champ Kart finishes to follow.
Source: Ernie
Saxton/Ernie Saxton Communications PR
Posted:
January 19, 2008
