New Dates For Boardwalk Hall Indoor Race, Motorsports 2014 Show
TRENTON, NJ – Len Sammons Productions has announced new dates for Motorsports 2014 and the Atlantic City Boardwalk Indoor Races. Both events will be held one week earlier than originally planned to avoid scheduling conflicts.
The 29th annual Motorsports show will be held Friday through Sunday, January 10-12, 2014 at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pa.
Indoor racing will be back inside Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall for the 12th consecutive year on Friday and Saturday January 24 and 25. The events will be preceded by a practice session on Thursday, January 23.
“The staging of the Super Bowl in New Jersey on the first weekend in February has forced us to rethink our plans,” said event producer Len Sammons.
“The casino hotels in Atlantic City expect to derive business from the Super Bowl and as a result, cannot guarantee us a discounted room rate or the availablity we desire. This is a consideration that we must take into account for the sake of our competitors and fans.”
In moving the indoor race ahead one week, Sammons has also determined the need to advance forward the dates for the 29th Annual Motorsports Show.
“The way the calendar falls in 2014, there are no date conflicts of any kind with this weekend (January 10-12) and the management of the Expo Center was able to make a swap for us,” said Sammons.
“It is a perfect fit.”
The Motorsports Show, fueled by Sunoco and distributed by Insinger Performance attracted huge crowds and showcased a near record number of exhibitors in 2013. NASCAR stars Michael Waltrip and Austin and Ty Dillon; along with 1963 Indianapolis 500 winner Parnelli Jones, made well-received appearances.
The NAPA Auto Parts Atlantic City Indoor Race Weekend produced a large field of drivers and highly competitive races in all divisions. Saturday night’s TQ Midget Gamblers Classic was a thriller with Anthony Sesely winning by a narrow margin over Jimmy Blewett after Ted Christopher took a late race flip while battling for the victory.
Exhibitor information will be available shortly for the Motorsports 2014. Information can be obtained for either event by calling 609-888-3618 or on the aarn.com website.
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HIGHLIGHTS
FROM THE
ATLANTIC CITY
INDOOR RACE
Gamblers Classic TQ Midget Win To Anthony Sesely; NAPA Auto Parts Indoor Weekend Boardwalk Hall Saturday Support Features Go To Erick Rudolph, Cody Sieber, Gary Hieber
ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (Saturday) – Anthony Sesely of Matawan, N.J. drove perhaps the most perfect race of his career and won the biggest race prize in Indoor TQ racing Saturday when he led the 40-lap Gamblers Classic feature wire to wire.
Erick Rudolph of Ransomville, N.Y. won his third 600 Micro feature in his last four starts, Cody Sieber of Mifflintown, Pa., won the Champ Kart main event and Gary Hieber took the checkered flag in the Slingshot feature.
Sesely’s route to the popular win was fashioned by holding off a variety of challengers including past Gamblers Classic winners Ted Christopher and Lou Cicconi, Jr. Sesely then had to hold off a determined Jimmy Blewett to secure the win. “Every restart, every lap was nerve wracking,” said Sesely. “But the car was good and I was able to hold my line even in lapped traffic when I had to.”
The race behind him took a dramatic turn on lap 38 when Christopher, making a bold bid for second place against Blewett, wound up becoming airborne off Blewett’s car and flipped wildly across the track. He was uninjured and Blewett’s car survived the collision without mechanical problems.
Rowan Pennink came from way off the pace to finish third with Lou Cicconi, Jr., Friday night’s TQ feature winner, fourth at the end and Mike Lichty taking fifth.
With the win, Sesely earned the Fatheadz Eyewear TQ Indoor Racing Series points championship. The series included events previously promoted by Len Sammons Motorsports Productions at Baltimore, Md., and Providence, R.I. in addition to the pair of NAPA Auto Parts Boardwalk Hall Racing Weekend races.
Rudolph, of Ransomville, N.Y., powered his way into the lead of the 20-lap 600 Micro feature on lap six after early leader Jimmy Carpenter got loose momentarily on a restart.
As Rudolph took the point, Friday night feature winner Kyle Lick moved to second with him. A succession of mid-race restarts gave Lick opportunities but he fell short in every instance. With just a handful of laps left, Lick’s car suffered a flat right front tire, and he was black flagged. Lick’s departure reinstalled Carpenter into second but he was quickly passed on lap 17 by Matt Janisch.
Rudolph navigated his way through lapped traffic adroitly to win with Janisch holding for second and Carpenter for third. Rob Vivona and James Morris rounded out the top five. Matt Seavey won the 600 Micro B Main.
In the Champ Kart 25-lap feature, Sieber moved by Brandon Rusczek and Danny Bouc with less than ten laps left then held off the pair all the way to the checkered flag. With the win, Sieber earned the Fatheadz Indoor Series points championship; Sieber had earlier won on December 31 in Providence, R.I.
Rusczek, who led the race at one point, was second at race’s end while Bouc ran third after challenging for the lead at the halfway point. Cody Slattery was fourth and John Hillmann authored a dramatic drive to march from a 26th place start to a fifth place finish.
Gary Hieber of Penndel, Pa., ended a quest for victory of several years when he led every one of the 25 laps in the Slingshot feature, sponsored by Herr’s Snack Foods. Hieber withstood a multitude of early race double restarts and another batch of second half single file race resumptions, holding firm in every instance.
Hieber’s brother Kyle, who competed in the 600 Micro feature, won the 2010 Slingshot feature; the Hiebers became the first brothers to win in Boardwalk Hall in the eleven history of Len Sammons Motorsports Productions events. Brett Bieber was a solid second with Anthony Perrego moving up from a mid-pack starting spot to grab third money. Jesse Hartman was fourth and Eddie Strada claimed fifth at race’s end. Bobby Trapper won the Slingshot B-Main event.
TQ Gamblers Classic (40 Laps): 1. Anthony Sesely; 2. Jimmy Blewett; 3. Rowan Pennink; 4. Lou Cicconi Jr.; 5. Mike Lichty; 6. Joe Lord; 7. Jon Gambuti; 8. Ryan Tidman; 9. Matt Janisch; 10. Erick Rudolph; 11. Billy Pauch; 12. Kyle Reinhardt; 13. Marc Rogers; 14. Ted Christopher; 15. Mike Iles; 16. Ryan Greth; 17. Glen Reen; 18. Tim Buckwalter; 19. Ryan Smith; 20. Matt Roselli; 21. Shawn Nye; 22. Shaun Carrig; 23. Chad Jones; 24. Mike Tidaback; 26. Joey Payne.
First TQ Scramble (12 Laps): 1. Rudolph; 2. Sesely; 3. Pennink; 4. Lichty; 5. S Nye; 6. Gambuti; 7. Jones; 8. Iles; 9. Rogers; 10. Tidaback; 11. Tim Proctor; 12. Jonathan Reid; 13. Erik Musto; 14. Kyle Lear; 15. Tim Buckwalter; 16. Daniel Bois.
Second TQ Scramble (12 Laps): 1. Pauch; 2. Reen; 3. Janisch; 4. Tidman; 5. Medeiros; 6. Greth; 7. Lord; 8. Matt Roselli; 9. Reinhardt; 10. Carrig; 11. Bruce Leote; 12. Zach Bealer; 13. Andrew Nye; 14. Paul Lotier Jr.; 15. Amanda Quinones; 16. Ryan Preece.
TQ Non Qualifiers Feature (12 Laps): 1. Johnny Payne; 2. Tyler Devault; 3. Pete Pazer; 4. Ben Quinones; 5. DJ Forbes; 6. Alex Malycke; 7. Chad Parks; 8. Ken Hirt; 9. Patrick Emerling; 10. Ginny Quinones; 11. Don Zrinski; 12. Ryan Bartlett.
600 Micro Feature (20 Laps):1. Erick Rudolph; 2. Matt Janisch; 3. Jimmy Carpenter; 4. Rob Vivona; 5. James Morris; 6. Stephen Kemery; 7. Lou Cicconi Jr.; 8. Steve Walters; 9. Brandon Azzalina; 10 Jason Ormsby; 11. Tim Iulg; 12. Pat Bealer; 13. Shelby Harper; 14. Jack Conover; 15. Luke Thomas; 16. Ed Wilburg; 17. Mark Yoder; 18. Kyle Lick; 19. Kyle Hieber, 20. Phil Durham; 21. Jerry Schott Jr.; 22. Matt Seavey; 23. Jonathan Cortright; 24. Tyler Walton.
600 Micro B Main (10 Laps): 1. Matt Seavey; 2. Jerry Schott Jr.; 3. Tim Iulg; 4. Shelby Harper; 5 Sierra Weaver; 6. Mike Fillbrunn; 7. Stephen West; 8. Steven Bracall; 9. Jerry Mack; 10. Jimmy Weiss; 11. Austin Bishop; 12. Justin Moensch; 13. Louie Horvath; 14. Greg Smith.
Champ Kart Feature (25 Laps): 1. Cody Sieber; 2. Brandon Rusczek; 3. Danny Bouc; 4. Cody Slattery; 5. John Hillman; 6. Mike Perry; 7. Justin Bonsignore; 8. Joey Milza; 9. Glen Meisenhelder; 10. Gavin Soraghan; 11. Ron Midford; 12. Joey Breunig; 13. Missy Ford; 14. Douglas Stearly; 15. Anthony Colandro; 16. Todd Crenshaw; 17. James Hayden; 18. Ryan Edwards; 19. James Folds; 20. Kevin Elliott 21. Shawn Solomito; 22. Brian Sullivan; 23. Tim Sullivan; 24. DJ Shaw; 25. Chris Daley; 26. Zach Smith.
Champ Kart First B Main (12 Laps): 1. Brian Sullivan; 2. Joey Bruenig; 3. Jeff Shellenberger; 4. Skylar Sheriff; 5. Tom Kelly; 6. Todd Root; 7. Stephen Beattie; 8. Will Shields; 9. Andrew Swisher; 10. Eric Zeh; 11. Michael Pares; 12. Brad Hinkelman; 13. Mark Stewart; 14. Peter Zellers; 15. Eric Snow; 16. Danny Gamache; 17. Dalton Rovira.
Champ Kart Second B Main (12 Laps): 1. Ryan Edwards. 2. John Hillman; 3. TJ Laro; 4. Kevin Baird; 5. Brien Hamer; 6. Brianna Page; 7. Dustin Prettyleaf; 8. Paul Hartwig; 9. Kyle Kania; 10. Mark Lawshe Jr.; 11. John Berger; 12. Jimmy Wolcott; 13. Les Phelps; 14. Coby Cressinger; 15. Damon Schuster; 16. Matt Fenn; 17. Kenny Green.
Slingshot Feature (25 Laps): 1. Gary Hieber; 2. Brett Bieber; 3. Anthony Perrego; 4. Jesse Hartman; 5. Eddie Strada; 6. Frank Yankowski; 7. Robert Hocker; 8. Jimmy Spellmon; 9. Mark Sensenig; 10 Shannon Smith; 11. Brandon Azzalina; 12. Bobby Trapper; 13. Ricky Yetter; 14. Kevin VanValkenburg; 15. John Bockhorn; 16. Danny Spellmon; 17. Simon Egan; 18. Kurt Bettler; 19. Steve Yankowski; 20. Cody Kline; 21. Troy Langendoerfer; 22. Rejean Plante; 23. Vern McLaughlin; 24. Ben Whitaker; 25. Mike Butler.
Slingshot B Main (10 Laps): 1. Bob Trapper; 2. Kevin VanValkenburg; 3. Shannon Smith; 4. Ricky Yetter; 5. Tom Arntz; 6. Andy Bachetti; 7. Ryan Raidline; 6. Robert Dmuchowski; 9. Mike Lapicki; 10. Rejean Plante; 11. Kalli Hartman; 12. Gaby Tetreault; 13. John Bockhorn; 14. Henry Anderson; 15. Miek Fogler; 16. Steve Heckman; 17. Ray Nemeth Jr., 18. Mike Glass.
Cicconi Returns To Boardwalk Hall Victory Lane; Kyle Lick Is Surprise 600 Micro Feature Victor; Champ Kart, Slingshot Fields Set For NAPA Auto Parts Saturday Finale At Boardwalk Hall
ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (Friday) – Lou Cicconi, Jr., Lester, Pa., rebounded from suffering a blown engine in his originally assigned car, climbed behind the wheel of a mount owned by BJ MacDonald that he has previously driven to two wins inside Boardwalk Hall and picked up the win in the 30-lap NAPA Auto Parts Indoor Race Weekend headliner Friday night.
Kyle Lick of Catasauqua, Pa., utilized patience, avoided pitfalls that claimed several leaders over the last five laps of the 20-lap 600 Micro feature, and dirt tracked his way to the biggest win of his career. Cicconi made his bid for the lead against fellow front row starter Ted Christopher with a daring outside pass following a mid-race restart, then held off a late race charge by first time Indoor TQ starter Jimmy Blewett to preserve the win. “This was a great win,” said Cicconi. “With the blown engine this morning, the win helps pay for it. It’s good to be back in this car, it’s like an old pair of shoes. They still smell good when you put them back on,” Cicconi said.
Runnerup Blewett moved from the fifth row at the start to finish a solid second. “I have to thank the fans for coming out tonight,” said Blewett. “This win is for my grandfather. He bought the car for me, and is recovering from open heart surgery. This should cheer him up,” Blewett said.
Ryan Smith, Christopher, and Erick Rudolph rounded out the top five. Rudolph survived a mid-race brush with the wall to rebound for a top five placing. Ryan Preece, Anthony Sesely, Ryan Tidman, Tim Buckwalter and Paul Lotier completed the top ten in the TQ Midget feature. “These are dirt cars but there are only five or six of us who actually ran on them on dirt last year,” said 600 Micro feature winner Lick. Needless to say he was one of them.
Matt Janisch took the lead from his pole position at the start of the 20-lap 600 Micro feature with Kyle Hieber challenging initially. By lap eight, Lou Cicconi Jr. and Erick Rudolph passed Hieber to move in on Janisch. As the laps unreeled, Janisch kept the lead despite a driving car that seemed to be developing a loose condition.
The first key moment of this race came on lap 14 when Rudolph, who had moved by Cicconi for second and was challenging Janisch for the lead, went around in a spin. Then, on the restart from this mishap, Janisch and Cicconi collided in front of the field. Elevated to the front of the pack by these turns of events was Rob Vivona but his stay in front was a short one; he crashed on the next lap.
This turn of events elevated the unlikely duo of Brandon Azzallina and Kyle Lick, who had started the race from the seventh row, to the front row for a four lap sprint finish. Lick grabbed the lead, but Erick Rudolph was on his tail. Lick held off Rudolph to score the biggest win of his career.
Rudolph blistered TQ time trials with a time of 8.312 seconds, a full two tenths of a second quicker than his nearest rivals. Glen Reen (8.518), Anthony Sesely (8.523), Ted Christopher (8.525) and Ryan Preece (8.567) comprised the balance of the top five time trialers. Seventy-two entries took time. Rudolph also was quickest in the 600 Micro timed lap sessions with an 8.928 circuit. Lou Cicconi (9.007), Rob Vivona (9.047); Jason Ormsby (9.101) and Pat Bealer (9.174) were the remainder of the fast time. Among the fifty-six Champ Karts entered, Justin Bonsignore raced his way to a 9.326 lap, best of the pack. Chris Daley (9.475), Shawn Solomoto (9.561), Zach Smith (9.591) and Mike Perry (9.619) wrapped up the fast five. Gary Hieber ran a 9.917 lap in the Slingshot class to set quick time. Brett Bieber (10.332), Mike Butler (10.350), Jesse Hartman (10.362) and Kurt Bettler (10.388) completed the top five from among thirty-eight entries.
The main event is Saturday, Feb. 2 with the TQ Midgets racing for 40 laps in the Gamblers Classic, the most prestigious Indoor race of the season. The 600cc Micros compete in their second feature of the weekend, joined by Slingshots and Champ Karts for a four-division feature. Action starts at 7:00 p.m. A one hour Fan Fest, during which time ticket holders will be invited to trackside to meet and greet the drivers who will be competing in the Saturday night racing action, will be held. At the end of the Saturday night action, Len Sammons Motorsports Productions will crown its Fatheadz Eyewear Indoor Season champions in TQ Midget and Champ Kart classes.
The Series incorporates earlier indoor events at Baltimore, Md., and Providence, R.I. with results of the Boardwalk Hall races.
TQ Midget Feature (30 Laps): 1. Lou Ciconi Jr.; 2. Jimmy Blewett; 3. Ryan Smith; 4. Ted Christopher; 5. Erick Rudolph; 6. Ryan Preece; 7. Anthony Sesely; 8. Ryan Tidman; 9. Tim Buckwalter; 10. Paul Lotier; 11. Mike Iles; 12. Billy Pauch; 13. Mike Lichty; 14. Matt Janisch; 15. Marc Rogers; 16. Glen Reen; 17. Rowan Pennink; 18. Joe Lord; 19. Shawn Nye; 20. Carl Medeiros Jr.; 21. Chad Jones; 22. Zach Bealer; 23. Tim Proctor; 24. Andrew Nye. TQ Midget Heat Winners: Tim Buckwalter, Rowan Pennink, Ryan Smith, Jimmy Blewett. TQ Midget Match Race Winner: Ted Christopher.
600 Micro Feature (20 Laps): 1. Kyle Lick; 2. Erick Rudolph; 3. Brandon Azzalina; 4. Luke Thomas; 5. Mark Yoder; 6. Jimmy Carpenter; 7. Jack Conover; 8. Tyler Walton; 9. Matt Janisch; 10. Ken Andreas; 11. Jonathan Cortright; 12. Kyle Hieber; 13. Pat Bealer; 14. Rob Vivona; 15. Lou Ciconi Jt.; 16. Jason Ormsby; 17. Phil Durham; 18. Steve Walters; 19. Stephen Kemery; 20. James Morris. 600 Micro Non-Qualifiers: Justin Moensch, Jerry Mack, Greg Smith, Steven Bracall, Shelby Harper, Jerry Schott, Matt Seavey, Mike Fillbrunn, Sierra Weaver, Tim Ilug, Louie Horvath, Stephen West, Jimmy Weiss.
Champ Kart Top 16 Qualifiers (Transferred To Saturday A Main): 1. Justin Bonsignore; 2. Chris Daley; 3. Shawn Solomito; 4. Zach Smith; 5. Mike Perry; 6. DJ Shaw; 7. Anthony Colando; 8. James Folds; 9. Ron Midford; 10. Todd Crenshaw; 11. Kevin Elliott; 12. Brandon Rusczek; 13. Cody Sieber; 14. Gavin Soraghan; 15. Missy Ford; 16. James Hayden. First Champ Kart Heat (Top 3 To Saturday A Main): 1. Danny Bouc; 2. Cody Slattery; 3. Douglas Stearly. Second Champ Kart Heat (Top 3 to Saturday A Main): 1. Glen Meisenhelder; 2. Tim Sullivan; 3. Joey Milza.
Slingshot Top 12 Qualifiers (Transferred To Saturday A Main): 1. Gary Hieber; 2. Brett Bieber; 3. Mike Butler; 4. Jesse Hartman; 5. Kurt Bettler; 6. Rejean Plante; 7. Robert Hocker; 8. Ben Whitaker; 9. Jimmy Spellmon; 10. Mark Sensenig; 11. Eddie Strada; 12. Troy Langendoerfer. First Slingshot Heat (Top 4 To Saturday A Main): 1. Cody Kline; 2. Anthony Perrego; 3. Steve Yankowski; 4. Frank Yankowski. Second Slingshot Heat (Top 4 To Saturday A Main): 1. Simon Egan; 2. Vern McLaughlin; 3. Brandon Azzalina; 4. Danny Spellmon.
Rudolph Blisters TQ, Micro Fields In Practice; Meisenhelder, Gary Hieber Also Fastest In Thursday NAPA Auto Parts Weekend Practice At Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall; Races Friday, Saturday
ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (Thursday) – Erick Rudolph of Ransomville, N.Y., left little doubt as to his prowess when he outran both the TQ Midget and the 600 Micro fields in practice laps Thursday. Rudolph won three of the four races in last year’s NAPA Auto Parts Indoor Race Weekend and Thursday’s results made him the odds on favorite for another sweep.
Champ Kart racer Glen Meisenhelder of Feeding Hills, Mass., and Slingshot driver Gary Hieber, Jr. of Penndel, Pa., were the fastest drivers in their respective divisions Thursday as 172 cars took to the track in anticipation of two days of racing in the NAPA Auto Parts Weekend inside Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall.
In the TQ Midget sessions, Rudolph ran a lap of 8.434 in the fourth and final timed session of the night, quickest of the sixty eight TQ Midgets in the pit area. Jimmy Blewett, who had never driven a TQ Midget indoors before this evening, was second fastest with a 8.603 lap. He was trailed by Anthony Sesely (8.648), Ryan Preece (8.663) and Ryan Tidman (8.668) to round out the top five.
The 600cc Micro class saw Rudolph turn the track in the time of 9.270 seconds to outrun thirty other competitors. Pat Bealer (9.301), Lou Cicconi Jr. (9.484), Brandon Azzalina (9.485), and Steve Walters (9.526) were second through fifth.
Meisenhelder stopped the clocks with the time of 9.686 in the Champ Kart timed sessions. He was trailed by Chris Daley (9.721), Justin Bonsignore (9.722), Skyler Sheriff (9.793) and Tim Sullivan (9.799). Thirty-eight Champ Karts were part of the practice.
Hieber’s time of 10.394 was tops among 35 Slingshot teams on the track. Trailing in the top five were Rejean Plante (10.510), Ben Whitaker (10.537), Mike Butler (10.548) and Eddie Strada (10.579). The optional practice allowed teams to shake down their mounts in anticipation of two days of racing action that begins tonight and continues Saturday.
Racing Friday, Feb. 1 features TQ Midgets and 600cc Micro Sprint classes running a complete program culminating in a main event. Starting time is 7:30 p.m. The main event is Saturday, Feb. 2 with the TQ Midgets racing for 40 laps in the Gamblers Classic, the most prestigious Indoor race of the season.
The 600cc Micros compete in their second feature of the weekend, joined by Slingshots and Champ Karts for a four-division feature. Action starts at 7:00 p.m. A one hour Fan Fest, during which time ticket holders will be invited to trackside to meet and greet the drivers who will be competing in the Saturday night racing action, will be held.
At the end of the Saturday night action, Len Sammons Motorsports Productions will crown its Fatheadz Eyewear Indoor Season champions in TQ Midget and Champ Kart classes. The Series incorporates earlier indoor events at Baltimore, Md., and Providence, R.I. with results of the Boardwalk Hall races.
Good seats are available for the Friday and Saturday nights of racing at the Boardwalk Hall Box Office or through www.ticketmaster.com.
