January 9-10 2004

The winter doldrums were once again banished for weekend when the TQ's once again invaded Boardwalk Hall in the City of the High Rollers - Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Lou Cicconi Jr. Rallies From Rear To Win A.C. Indoor Race Preliminary 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.

 

SATURDAY

Joey Payne Dominates Atlantic City Indoor Race Gambler's Classic

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - The megawatt smile on Joey Payne's face told the story of his victory in last Saturday night's 50-lap Atlantic City Indoor Race "Gambler's Classic" A-Main at Boardwalk Hall."This feels so good," Payne said after pocketing the Three-Quarter Midget event's $2,000 top prize. "I grew up watching the [winter series] TQ races here [in the '70s and early '80s], so winning at this place is really special."Payne, a 37-year-old NEMA Midget and ISMA Supermodified specialist from Fairlawn, N.J., dominated the weekend's finale. He burst by Kevin Bastian of Emmaus, Pa., to take the lead on lap three and never looked back.Nine caution flags and one red slowed Payne's pace once he gained command, but he easily outdistanced TQ regular Tim Adams of Hamilton Twp., N.J., by over a straightaway margin."That was the most hooked-up car I've ever had indoors," Payne said of his Shadow chassis machine, which is owned by Connecticut's Andy and Brit Anderson.
Payne, the 2003 NEMA Series champion, announced himself as an Indoor Race favorite during Saturday afternoon's time trials when he negotiated the tight concrete oval in a blistering 9.645 seconds. That was good only for second-fast time thanks to his good buddy, Lou Cicconi Jr. of Aston, Pa., who nipped him for the day's fast time award by .002 of a second.But Payne could lay claim to having the fastest TQ Midget in the A-Main field after Cicconi's potent No. 75 was sidelined by engine problems during the Gambler's Dash,
forcing Cicconi to start at the rear of the feature in another car.Stewart Friesen of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., was involved in several scrapes but survived to finish third in a TQ Midget owned by Buffalo's Harry Macy. The 20-year-old was the runner-up in last year's A.C. Indoor Race A-Main.Completing the top five was asphalt Modified star Ted Christopher of Plainville, Conn., who pitted to change a flat left-front tire on lap 32, and Russ Bailey of Helmetta, N.J.
   Just eight of 24 starters were running at the end of the rough-and-tumble event - and just five cars were on the lead lap.Sixty-eight cars participated in Saturday's time trials. Cicconi was already locked into the A-Main by virtue of his victory in the previous night's preliminary feature, but he took part in qualifying and grabbed the $200 fastest-lap award with a 9.643-second clocking.
Heat winners were Fred Rahmer of Salfordville, Pa., Kevin Nouse of Manchester, Pa., Lance Dewease of Fayetteville, Pa., and Bastian.Other qualifying-event victors included Charles Chance of Millville, N.J. (D-Main), Heath Hehnly of Reinholds, Pa. (C-Main), Stewart Friesen (First B-Main), Jamies Michael Friesen of St. Catharines, Ont. (Second B-Main) and Rahmer (Gambler's Dash).Jeff Trombley, a DIRT Modified regular from Altamont, N.Y., captured the evening's 20-lap Briggs & Stratton Slingshot division feature. He led the entire distance.

A-Main Finish (50 laps): 1. Joey Payne, 2. Tim Adams, 3. Stewart Friesen, 4. Ted Christopher, 5. Russ Bailey, 6. Ryan Bartlett, 7. James Michael Friesen, 8. Bruce Leote, 9. Wayne Turnbull, 10. Anthony Sesely, 11. Fred Rahmer, 12. Dan Biggs, 13. Billy Pauch, 14. Jon Gambuti, 15. Mike Dicely, 16. Jack Spence, 17. Lou Cicconi Jr., 18. Nathan Hauck, 19. Frank Polimeda, 20. Danny Sammons, 21. Bobby Watkins Jr., 22. Bill Thomas, 23. Lance Dewease, 24. Kevin Bastian.