Mike
Tidaback could only sum up his "Gambler's Classic" presented by
SoBe Life Water victory with three words: "dream come true."
Tidaback, who first attended races at Boardwalk Hall at age five
back in 1973, etched his name in the prestigious list of race
winners on Saturday night, earning $5,000-plus as the victor of
the 40-lap M&R Midget (TQ Midget/600cc Micro-Sprint) headliner.
In doing so, the ATQMRA regular upheld the honor of the Three
Quarter Midget contingent against a talent-laden field of
superstars.
"We're
kind of waving the ATQMRA flag tonight," quipped the Little
Falls, N.J., driver after celebrating before a near capacity
crowd. Tidaback drove an 18-year-old Lindblad Chassis with a
Rudy Boetticher Sr.-built engine. "We're a small team with me
and a couple guys," Tidaback, 39, surmised, noting the
importance of a victory at Boardwalk Hall. "You run against a
lot of the best Northeast guys here. It's big for us. This is
kind of our Super Bowl."
Tidaback started fifth in his No. 43 and used a spectacular move
in lapped traffic to take the lead from Hamilton, N.J.'s Tim
Adams at the halfway mark. Adams, who had surpassed Canadian
James Michael Friesen for the top spot on a lap-four restart,
was momentarily boxed in behind slower traffic through turns
three and four. Jumping to the outside, Tidaback pulled event at
the center of turn
three, nosing ahead on the frontstretch. The cars momentarily
tangled, with Tidaback's car jumping sideways. Both drivers
regained control before entering turn one.
"I
stuck it on the outside," he recalled. "We came off turn four
side-by-side and I think Timmy (Adams) gave me a wheel. I was
sideways at the start/finish line (to click off lap 20) taking
that pass."
Tidaback survived a final scrape with Adams on a restart with
three circuits remaining for his breakthrough Boardwalk Hall
triumph, besting his previous effort of seventh from 2007.
Fairlawn, N.J.'s Joey Payne, the '07 "Gambler's Classic" winner,
fought hard for a second-place finish. Payne started 13th,
pitted to replace a flat tire on a lap-four restart and
edged out a spinning Adams for the runner-up spot. Adams, who
crashed across the finish line, was credited with third,
followed by Bill Davis Development driver Bobby Santos III in
Gary King's No. 1K 600cc Micro-Sprint. The Franklin, Mass.,
driver was the first Micro-Sprint across the line. After winning
the C- and B-Mains just to qualify for the feature,
Fort Lee, N.J.'s Frank Polimeda charged to fifth.
Earlier in the night, Aston, Pa.'s Lou Cicconi Jr. earned $500
as the winner of the 10-lap Behrent's Performance Warehouse
Dash-for-Cash. Cicconi's bid for A-Main glory was derailed by
two backstretch tangles, the second of which knocked him from
the event on lap seven.
Versatile Rich "Toby" Tobias Jr. of Annville, Pa., hopped into a
borrowed car and authored a stirring drive to victory in th
25-lap Slingshot main event. The creator of the Slingshot
division started 22nd, survived a lap-10 spin and charged into
the top spot just two circuits from the finish with a bold,
turn-three pass of race-long
leader Bobby Butler. Tobias, who was driving a No. 64x typically
wheeled by his nephew, Paul Lotier Jr., donated his earnings to
the National Fragile X Research Foundation. Past race winner
Ryan Smith was second, followed by Butler, Bill
Van Inwegen Jr. and Steven Intravaia.
Pleasant Valley, N.Y.'s Christopher Daley thwarted a late charge
in the form of North Carolina's Bob Baker to win the 25-lap
Champ Kart main. Baker was a close second.
After
a successful event, plans are already in the works for the 2009
running of the "Gambler's Classic" event by Len Sammons
Motorsports Productions.
M&R
Midget Feature Finish: Mike Tidaback, Joey Payne, Tim Adams,
Bobby Santos III, Frank Polimeda, Jack Spence, Steve Smith, Rob
Vivona, Mike Lichty, Tim Proctor, Billy Pauch Sr., James
Friesen,
Chris DeRitis, Jeff Heotzler, Jeff Kot, Johnny Payne, Danny
Shirey,
Greg Cable, Donald Zrinski, Lou Cicconi Jr., Matt Janisch, Erick
Rudolph, Mike Iles, Pat Bealer, Stewart Friesen, Monnie Wonder.
M&R Midgets D-Main No. 1 Phil Dimario
M&R Midgets D-Main No. 2 Marco Michetti
M&R Midgets C-Main No. 1 Frank Polimeda
M&R Midgets C-Main No. 2 Jack Conover
M&R Midgets B-Main Frank Polimeda
George Stockinger Gambler Consolation Sponsored by Dr. Lowe $500
Joey Payne
C&B Race Products, RTS Chassis, Hyper Racing First 600 in
Feature -
$600 Bobby Santos III
First TQ In Feature - $200 Mike Tidaback
M&R Midgets Triple 20s Hard Luck Award Frank Polimeda
Cargo Trailer Sales Long Haul Bob Baker Lexington, N.C.
Nick Fornoro Staff Member Robert Smitty Smith
Slingshot Feature Finish: Rich Tobias, Ryan Smith, Bobby
Butler,
Bill Van Inwegen Jr., Steven Intravaia, Matt Carman, Jamie
Yannone,
Bill Van Inwegen Sr., Ron Smykla, Joel Smith, Ray Woodall Jr.,
Marc
Daniels, Gary Hieber, Mike Carman, David McCullough, Mark
Hartman,
Michael Glass, Scott Goodrich, Vernon McLaughlin III, C.J.
Faison,
Tiffany Wambold, Kyle Rohner, Jeff Hartman, Kevin Van Valkenburg,
Rob Marino.
Champ Kart Feature Finish: Chris Daley, Bob Baker, Nick
Herriven,
Timmy Solomito, Shawn Solomito, Ron Midford Jr., Cale Reigle,
Anthony Colandro, Andrew Hutchinson, Andrew Swisher, George
Bark,
Mark Lawshe Jr., Rich Kuiken Jr., Tom Kelly, Tom Ervin, Jon
Meyer,
Jon Stewart, Alan Purser, Steven Hricko, Larry Stolzenberg, John
Hillman, Nic Davidson, Vinny Delaney, Matthew Remick, Coby
Cressinger, Andy Burkholder, Merl Brehm, Ken Andreas, Tammy
Smith,
David Pantanella.
Source: Ernie
Saxton/Ernie Saxton Communications PR
Posted:
January 20, 2008
