ATQMRA Winging it at Oswego
The ATQMRA will be invading the inner oval at Oswego Speedway this coming Saturday June 13thlead by Point leader Joey Bailey. The TQ midgets will be running a full program of heat races and a 25 lap feature. Also on the card is the headlining ISMA Supermodifieds that will run a full program headlined by their fifty lap feature under the lights. The day will begin with a “Racing for Ronald McDonald House Charities of CNY” walk at 9:30. The TQs can pit into the speedway at 1:30 Warm ups at 3:00 with racing to begin at 6:30. Haulers under 10 ½ feet tall will be permitted to stay in the infield.
Last year’s ATQMRA Classic was won by current Point runner up Ryan Tidman who is winless two races into the season. Always a contender Tidman will be on the march to the front. Bailey is fresh from his first victory of the season at Wall Stadium where he captured his second career TQ main a few weeks ago and is looking to carry the momentum of that win into the Steel Palace.
Based on the expected entries for this Saturday’s race only two past race winners will be on hand. One being Tidman and the other Alison Cumens who is a TQ Classic winning driver. It could open the door for a first time Oswego Speedway winner.
“Hot Rod” Jon Gambutti will be behind the wheel of the Alan Mollot 51 for Oswego. The car is a past winner at Oswego but hasn’t visited victory lane at Oswego with Gambutti behind the wheel. Two of the previous winning efforts by Mollot were with the “Jersey Jet” Joey Payne and perennial ATQMRA champion Donnie Adams.
The “Sandman” Ray Sand Jr. will be back behind the wheel of his Laffler TQ midget number 71 when the club hits Oswego. The Sandman holds 6 track championships and over 85 feature wins in 600 Dirt competition. This will be the third season Sand Jr. will be competing in the TQ midget ranks at the Steel Palace. Sand is in competition in a SBS at Oswego in 2015 and continues a family heritage at Oswego where his father Ray Sand Sr. was a regular competitor across the years in the familiar 71 Super.
The racing Chiropractor Greg Richardson will be making his second ATQMRA start at Oswego on the 13th. He purchased the number 44 Orange Peeler machine from Rich Salvamini and raced the 2014 TQ Classic. Richardson is a regular with the NYPMA Midgets this season in the Orange Peeler that has the classic lines of a 1970s Edmunds Midget.
Carl Silvernail plans on having his TQ midget on hand as well with a driver to be named later. The car had Jimmy Zacharias behind the wheel indoors this winter, but a driver has yet to be named for Oswego.
Following Oswego the ATQRMA continues its New York Swing on June 20th with its sole visit to Bethel Motor Speedway. SK Modified racer Nick Ladyga tested his brand new Laffler TQ midget recently at Waterford Speedbowl. After a successful shake down Ladyga plans to make his ATQMRA season debut at Bethel on the 20th.
In past events at Oswego teams were required to unload their trailers and park them outside the pit area. For this event teams with standard haulers under 10 ½ feet tall will be permitted to keep their haulers in the pits. Those haulers over the 10 ½ foot mark will have to unload and park outside the track.
9:30 AM “Racing for Ronald McDonald House Charities of CNY” walk
1:30 PM Front Office Pit window opens and Hauler parking begins.
3:00 PM Warm ups
5:00PM ISMA Time Trials
6:30 PM Heats
TQ Midgets
ISMA Supers
Features
TQ Midgets 25 Laps
ISMA Supers 50 Laps
ATQMRA News and Notes: Congratulations to 2014 ATQMRA Rookie of the Year Geoffrey Sutton for sweeping the heat and feature in Xcel Modified competition at Mahoning Valley Speedway this past Saturday. This past Wednesday the ATQMRA’s own racing Matt’s were in competition at Kutztown Speedway. Janisch and Roselli were again in competition in their SpeedSTR and 600 micro sprints. Both posted their best finishes of the season with Janisch finishing seventh and Roselli tenth.
Sources: Blu Metz/ATQMRA PR