Short Track Legend Billy Pauch Looking For Win Indoors At A.C. Boardwalk Hall
Fatheadz Eyewear Indoor Racing Series Presented By Precise Racing
Racing Super Star Billy Pauch Seeks First Main Event Win In Napa Auto Parts A.C. Indoor Race In Boardwalk Hall On Feb. 2
ATLANTIC CITY, NJ — With nearly 700 feature event wins to his credit over a driving career that spans over three and a half decade, Billy Pauch, Frenchtown, N.J., has done just about all there is to be done in short track auto racing. All that is except win the main event at the NAPA Auto Parts Atlantic City Indoor Race, inside Atlantic City, N.J.’s Boardwalk Hall.
The 11th running of the marquee event run under the direction of Len Sammons Motorsports Productions, is planned for Friday and Saturday nights Feb. 1-2, 2013. The event will be the third and final race of the Fatheadz Eyewear Indoor Series.
Recently named one of Area Auto Racing News’ ‘Greatest Drivers Of It’s First Fifty Years’, Pauch’s credentials are incomparable. He earned more than 100 feature event victories at three New Jersey speedways – the currently operating New Egypt Speedways and the now closed Flemington and East Windsor Speedways.Pauch will have a golden opportunity to make good on his Boardwalk Hall quest. He will be reunited with the same car he drove to a win in the ‘preliminary night’ event of 2009. “It takes some luck to win indoors but with a good car you can make some of your own luck,” Pauch has said. “I had some luck the night I won the prelim race.”Highly respected car builder Colin Martin will be preparing Pauch’s car.
Pauch will nevertheless be at a slight disadvantage; he did not race in either of the December, 2012 Fatheadz Indoor Series races while three dozen of his competitors did. Ted Christopher of Plainville, Ct., and Mike Lichty of Innerkip, Ontario, Canada won these races, proving the prowess of their race cars in the process
.Another Three Quarter Midget (TQ) driver whose entry has drawn much attention is that of Jimmy Blewett. The Howell. N.J. Wall Stadium and NASCAR Touring Series favorite will be making his Indoor driving debut at Boardwalk Hall. He has purchased one of Jim Lafler’s Ransomville, N.Y. prized
mounts and intends on competing with the same degree of intensity indoors as he has outdoors.
Anthony Sesely of Matawan, N.J., fourth in the December 8 Baltimore Indoor TQ race and second in the December 31 Providence, R.I. event, could be a surprise in Atlantic City. Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park, N.Y., third in the race and third in Fatheadz points, also expects to be in the mix. He led most of the way in the Rhode Island race.
Champ Karts. 600 Micros and Slingshots are the three support classes that will join the TQs indoors.
DJ Shaw and Cody Sieber won the pair of Champ Kart races at Baltimore and Providence respectively but Brandon Rusczek of Wallingford, Ct., is the Fatheadz Indoor Race Series points leader after two races.
Rusczek, Shaw and Sieber are among over fifty Kart racers who will qualify on Friday, then race on Saturday night in their feature race.While the TQ Midgets and Sr. Champ Karts already have two indoor races under their belts this winter, the 600cc Micro Sprints and Slingshots will be racing for the first time during this indoor racing season. Both types of car have been on the Atlantic City Indoor race schedule in the past and their entry list has been full for over a month. Overall, more than 200 teams are expected to be vying for starting berths in the four feature races.
Last year’s winners indoors in Atlantic City were Erick Rudolph, who won the Gamblers Classic TQ race and both 600cc Micro main events, Christopher, winner of the remaining TQ race, Simon Egan, winner of the Slingshot race and Chris Daley, victor in the Champ Kart main event.
All 2012 winners are among the entries for the 2013 NAPA Auto Parts Racing Weekend.
Tickets for the Atlantic City events are on sale at Ticketmaster outlets online at www.ticketmaster.com and at the Boardwalk Hall box office. Ticket sales have been very brisk but some good seats still remain.
Further information can also be obtained by calling the Len Sammons Motorsports Productions administrative offices (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) at 609-888-3618.
Sources: Steve Barrick/Ernie Saxton Communications