Danner Dominates the Derby
Monday, November 29th, 2021 — WALL TOWNSHIP, NJ- Briggs Danner stole the limelight from Hoosier Tire ATQMRA powered by VP Racing Fuels regulars, earning his first career Turkey Derby Championship in the 48th Annual at Wall Stadium Speedway this weekend.
The afternoon started off looking like it would be 47th Annual Champions day. Kyle Taraska (#22 Chick-fil-A, Personal Comfort), set quick time for the second straight Turkey Derby with a lap time of 13.168 seconds in time trials. Taraska, a fan favorite on this particular day, after his sponsor Chick-fil-A New Jersey Shore Market donated over 1500 coupons for free chicken sandwiches to the fans in attendance.
Taraska edged out reigning ATQMRA champion and teammate, Joey Bailey (#1B, Boyd Chassis) by .007 seconds, earning the Boyd Speed Shop the fastest two times of the day. After the top-12 redraw, Avery Stoehr (#23, Badger) earned the pole position for the DiMario Family. Bailey and Taraska would redraw 2nd and 3rd respectively.
Stoehr led a full field of 25 cars that took the green, in what was the strongest ATQMRA field in any event since 2018.
Stoehr’s time at the top of the scoring pylon was unfortunately short-lived. Taraska initiated contact with Stoehr sending him for a spin in front of the field. While Stoehr would recover to round out the top 10, it was not the result they had wished to earn.
On the restart, Bailey began to expand his lead on teammate, Taraska, and third place Brianna Page (#76, Stavola Companies, A&A Truck Parts) as Danner began to make his charge through the field from 8th. Danner led the charge of the outside row from 8th on back, as three of the pre race favorites Joey Payne (#51 Lindblad Badger), Buddy Sload (#36, Spitfire Chassis) and Jeff Kot (#95, Behrents Performance Warehouse) favorites followed in suit- eventually charging to the top-5. Payne however, experienced some tough luck getting tangled in a lapped traffic incident, none of his doing, causing Payne to fall to the back half of the top-10.
Danner got underneath Page for third, and took advantage of a near spin by Taraska trying to get through lapped traffic for second, before a caution for Chris Allen’s (#19M, Malik Racing) motor expired in turn two.
On the ensuing restart, Bailey and Danner put on a show for the ages! Danner jumped to the inside of Bailey for the lead, and Bailey banged nerf bars with Danner sending his left side tires into the infield grass in turn 2. Danner would hang tough in a wheel-to-wheel drag race down the backstretch. While the leaders dueled, Sload, Taraska and Kot kept them honest with the top-5 on track positions all within a half a second. Danner earned the lead at the right time, as Tyler Wagner (#32, Bettinger Built Products), went for a solo spin in turn 4.
With the caution coming out just past the halfway mark, Danner led the field down to a single-file restart. Bailey would give Danner one last shot on the restart. However, Danner’s Yuhas Chassis was too much of a match for Bailey and the field. Briggs Danner would go on to not only his first career victory in the ATQMRA, but his first career Turkey Derby victory as well.
Bailey would finish 2nd. Buddy Sload, the winningest driver and VP Checkered Flag Award recipient for the 2021 season, rounded out the podium.
Kyle Taraska ended his 2021 season with another top-5 in fourth, and hard charger Jeff Kot rounded out the top-5 in fifth, after starting in 12th.
The Jerzy Jet, Joey Payne, hung in there all day and recovered from a near mid-race disaster to finish 6th. 2021 RYNO Rookie of the Year Brianna Page finished a strong 7th.
Paul Dodorico (#55, Martha Baker D.M.D) had a great run in 8th. Dodorico, had one of his best runs in a TQ Midget in sometime, after hanging tough in the top-10 all day after making the redraw in morning time-trials.
3X ATQMRA Champion Matt Janisch made his return to the division for the first time since 2018, to finish in 9th. However, Janisch’s proud moment of the day was to be the winning car owner for Briggs Danner.
As noted, Avery Stoehr remarkably rounded out the top-10 recovering from an early on-track incident where he was spun from the lead. Stoehr have the DiMario’s #23 Badger a great run to end the 2021 season. Tyler Ferris (#33, Hamer Heating and Cooling), rounded out the lead lap finishers in 11th.
On a somber note, earlier this week the ATQMRA lost one of their own, with the passing of Johnny Coy Jr. at the age of 72. Tolerico Motorsports #83 with driver Ryan Tidman ran a commemorative logo on the wing of their TQ Midget to honor Coy. Tidman earned a 12th place finish in the event.
The ATQMRA would like to thank title sponsor Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic and Precise Racing Products, and presenting sponsor VP Racing Fuels for their unwavering support of The Premier TQ Midget Racing Division. The ATQMRA would undoubtedly not be as strong as it is today without the support of these brands.
The ATQMRA would also like to thank new sponsor, RYNO Classifieds, for sponsoring our Rookie Class of 2021. The ATQMRA also recognizes the continued support of associate sponsors M.N.O, Racing with Jesus Ministries, and Ames Construction.
The ATQMRA also thanks Turkey Derby monetary bonus sponsors Lisa Brice (highest former 1/4 midget driver finisher *Briggs Danner*), NAPA Auto Parts -Brice Auto Supply and owner Bill Brice (lap 28 leader *Briggs Danner*) and Jim Murdoch of Big Jim’s Videos (7th place finisher *Brianna Page*)
Last but not least, thank you to our drivers, car owners, officials and fans for being apart of a very successful 2021 season. Together, we are not only preserving, but continuing to add to the history of a racing division that has been in competition since it’s inception in 1956.
The Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic ATQMRA powered by VP Racing Fuels will return in 2022. We congratulate Turkey Derby XLVIII Champion Briggs Danner, and ATQMRA Champions Joey Bailey with Team Owner’s Donna and Lenny Boyd on their successes this season.
Race Results:
Time Trials (Redraw):
1. #22 Kyle Taraska 13.168 (3)
2. #1B Joey Bailey 13.175 (2)
3. #51 Joey Payne 13.182 (7)
4. #95 Jeff Kot 13.257 (12)
5. #48 Briggs Danner 13.319 (8)
6. #36 Buddy Sload 13.335 (10)
7. #76 Brianna Page 13.488 (4)
8. #55 Paul Dodorico 13.546 (11)
9. #23 Avery Stoehr 13.565 (1)
10. #66 Ryan Flores 13.619 (9)
11. #33 Tyler Ferris 13.620 (6)
12. #73 Cole Mullen 13.623 (5)
13. #55C Steve Craig 13.709
14. #51T Matt Janisch 13.737
15. #83 Ryan Tidman 13.792
16. #75 Mark Yoder 13.893
17. #27 Robert Willis 13.976
18. #32 Tyler Wagner 13.996
19. #39 Ronnie Mullen 14.223
20. #98 Zack Burd 14.240
21. #91 Bobby Watkins 14.284
22. #09 Rich Barlow 14.346
23. #19M Chris Allen 14.350
24. #9C Sean Case 14.413
25. #26 Bill Force Jr. 14.418
30-Lap Feature:
1. #48 Briggs Danner
2. #1B Joey Bailey
3. #36 Buddy Sload
4. #22 Kyle Taraska
5. #95 Jeff Kot
6. #51 Joey Payne
7. #76 Brianna Page
8. #55 Paul Dodorico
9. #51T Matt Janisch
10. #23 Avery Stoehr
11. #33 Tyler Ferris
12. #83 Ryan Tidman
13. #73 Cole Mullen
14. #75 Mark Yoder
15. #55C Steve Craig
16. #32 Tyler Wagner
17. #27 Robert Willis
18. #39 Ronnie Mullen
19. #26 Bill Force Jr.
20. #98 Zack Burd
21. #09 Rich Barlow
22. #66 Ryan Flores
23. #19M Chris Allen
24. #9C Sean Case
25. #91 Bobby Watkins
Sources: Kyle Taraska/ATQMRA PR