Indoor Auto Racing Events In Baltimore, Providence And Atlantic City Taking Shape; Christopher, Tidman Among Early Entries
TRENTON, NJ – The roar of auto racing engines outdoors, soon to be silenced across the Northeast, will reverberate anew in December with Indoor Auto Racing events planned for Baltimore, Md. and Providence, R. I. over a three week period. Lightning fast Three Quarter (TQ) Midget race cars and nimble Champ Karts will be featured at 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore on December 8 and at Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence on December 31. A two day card of Indoor racing is also planned for Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. N. J. on February 1-2, 2013.
The three events are produced by Len Sammons Motorsports Productions headquartered in Trenton, NJ. The first driver to confirm his entry in the Baltimore and Providence races was Plainville, Ct. ace Ted Christopher, a winner of TQ Indoor races in both Dunkin’ Donuts Center and Boardwalk Hall in the recent past.
Christopher, the 2012 SK Modified champion at Stafford (CT) Motor Speedway, will be driving the same car he has experienced his prior successes with. Ryan Tidman, Levittown, PA. , the 2012 and 2011 outdoor TQ champion, is also among the first wave of entries committed for the inaugural Baltimore race and the sixth Indoor meet at Providence. Another prominent early entrant, Patrick Emerling, of the Buffalo, NY suburb of Orchard Park, is NASCAR’s Whelen Modified Touring Series 2011 Rookie of the Year. Emerling’s prowess on NASCAR’s short tracks should prove to be invaluable in competing on the tenth mile Baltimore and Providence tracks and Atlantic City’s eighth-mile speedway.
Other TQ drivers who have entered both of the Indoor December races are Ken Andreas, Hamilton, NJ, Steve Craig, Levittown, Pa. , Tony DiMattia, Malvern, Pa. , Paul Lotier, Lebanon, Pa. , Erik Musto, Lockport, N. Y. , Shawn Nye, Lancaster, N. Y, Mike Osite, Brooklyn, N. Y, Tim Proctor, Hamilton, N. J. , the Quinones sisters Amamda and Ginny from Indian Trail, N. C. , and Jonathan Reid, Loekport, N. Y. Entries have been coming in at a steady rate as well for the Baltimore and Providence Champ Kart class. Heading this list are Glen Meisenhelder, Feeding Hills, Ma. , Ron Midford Jr. , Tolland, Ct. , Brandon Ruszek, Wallingford, Ct. , and the Sullivan brothers, Brian and Tom of South Windsor, Ct. Entries for both races are limited to 60 TQ Midgets and 42 Champ Karts.
Registration forms, technical rules and race procedures for both events are available on line at www. aarn. com or by calling 609-888-3618. In Baltimore, each class will compete against the clock in time trials that will determine starting positions in a series of qualifying heat
races. The heat races will narrow the entries down to twenty-two starters for a 40-lap TQ Midget A-Main and a 25-lap Champ Kart feature event. The Saturday, December 8 time schedule calls for truck parking and unloading beginning at 8:00 am. The first on-track activity begins
with practice at 1:00 p. m. Time trials will begin at 4:15 p. m. Grandstand gates will swing open at 6:00 p. m. with racing starting one hour later beginning with qualifying heat races.
The addition of the Baltimore race to the previous two events provides TQ drivers and Champ Kart racers with three major events in three destination cities. “Baltimore is a great location for an Indoor race,” said event event organizer Len Sammons. “It is easily accessible from central Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey. We expect the event to be as popular as our Atlantic City and Providence races have become in its very first year. ”
The 1st Mariner Center is near the very popular Camden Yards and is in the middle of Baltimore’s trendy Inner Harbor area, a tourist mecca with dozens of shops, restaurants and attractions. A host hotel will be the Holiday Inn directly across the street from the Center.
The Providence race in Dunkin’ Donuts Center is the fifth Indoor race at that venue promoted by Sammons. The December 31 scheduling – on New Years Eve – has provided race teams and their followers with a rare opportunity to compete against one another, then party the night away and herald the coming of the New Year. The Clarion Inn in Seekonk, Mass. will serve as the host hotel for the Providence Indoor race. Located less than ten minutes from the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, Clarion guests will enjoy the ease of parking their vehicles at no charge in a secured area. Reservations, available at a reduced nightly rate of $89. 00, may be made by calling l-508-336-7300. With making reservations, ask for the "Indoor Racing" special rate. A gala post-race New Years’ Eve Party has been planned at the Clarion, featuring beef and turkey carving stations, fruit and cheese displays, complimentary beer and wine from 11 p. m. until the stroke of midnight and a champagne toast to herald the arrival of 2013. A cash bar will be open from 10 PM to 1 AM. A DJ will provide music until 2 AM. Hats and noisemakers will be supplied.
Tickets are available by calling the Len Sammons Motorsports Productions office. Entry forms for two-day Boardwalk Hall Indoor Race, featuring TQ Midgets, Champ Karts and Tobias Slingshots, will be available shortly.
The 2013 running at Boardwalk Hall will be the eleventh event under Len Sammons Motorsports Productions. Racing indoors in Boardwalk Hall took place for the first time in 1938. Title, associate and race sponsorships are being sought for each of three races. The signing of a major sponsor for the three event Indoor Race Series is anticipated. Advertising is also available in the three event programs. Information is available by calling the LSMP office at 609-888-3618 or by visiting the comprehensive website at motorsports@aarn. com.
Sources: Ernie Saxton/Len Sammons Motorsports Productions PR