NASCAR Modified Tour Champ Ryan Preece Aims for Indoor Racing Success at Atlantic City; Patrick Emerling Looks for Redemption After ’13 Disaster; First Battle of Trenton Indoor Race Follows AC
ATLANTIC CITY/TRENTON, NJ — Reigning NASCAR Whelen Modified Touring Series champion Ryan Preece and 2011 NASCAR Whelen Modified Rookie of the Year Patrick Emerling bring youth and extensive outdoor paved track racing experience to Indoor TQ racing as entries in the pair of upcoming events in Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall and Trenton’s Sun Bank Center.
The twelfth annual NAPA KNOW HOW Atlantic City Indoor Races on Friday and Saturday Jan. 24 and 25 and the first ever Battle Of Trenton Indoor races presented by PRC Industries/ Angela House Charity on Friday and Saturday Feb. 7 and 8 will feature Three Quarter Midget racing along with Champ Kart and Slingshot races.
The pair of Indoor events are produced and promoted by Len Sammons Motorsports Productions and make up the Fatheadz Eyewear Indoor Series.
Preece, of Berlin, Ct., and Emerling, of Orchard Park, N.Y., will be among the most prominent of the TQ racers. “I tried racing indoors last year for the first time and liked it,” said Preece. “This time around, I’ll be much better prepared.”
Preece has dismantled and rebuilt a car he had purchased from Lou Cicconi, Jr. in 2013. “We’ve made extensive changes to the car,” Preece revealed. “It will be much faster.”
Emerling, who had been among the contenders for victory last year at Atlantic City, crashed on his first time trial lap, tearing up his car and putting him well behind for the remainder of the weekend. “Just a mistake, my fault,” admitted Emerling. Prior to his crash, he had been among the fastest drivers in practice.
NAPA AUTO PARTS, the nation’s leader in automotive supplies, has signed on for the second consecutive year as the title sponsor for the Atlantic City Indoor Auto Races.
Anthony Sesely of Matawan, N.J., is the defending champion of the NAPA KNOW HOW Gamblers’ Classic Saturday night Atlantic City Indoor race.
Billy Pauch of Frenchtown, N.J., a winner of more than 700 feature races in his career including one inside Boardwalk Hall, is always among the TQ favorites. And Jimmy Blewett of Howell, N.J., whose shift from asphalt Modified to dirt Modified racing in 2013 was among the year’s biggest racing stories, is in the TQ field once again after finishing second in his first Indoor start last year in Boardwalk Hall.
The NAPA KNOW HOW Indoor racing events inside Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall will be preceded by a closed to the public practice session on Thursday, January 23.
PRC Industries/Angela House Charity has come aboard to sponsor the first Battle of Trenton Indoor races.
Fatheadz Eyewear will pay bonuses to the top three overall TQ Midget drivers from the two event, four feature race series. Drivers will receive points based on their qualifying efforts and feature finishes from Friday and Saturday night at both events towards the overall series crown.
Among the TQ entrants other than Preece, Emerling, Sesely, Pauch and Blewett are Midget and Modified standout Tim Buckwalter of Royersford, Pa., NEMA Midget past champion Randy Cabral of Plymouth, Ma., ARDC Midget standouts Tony DiMattia of Malvern, Pa., and Ryan Greth of Jonestown, Pa., perennial Indoor TQ contenders Matt Janisch of Nazareth, Pa., and Mike Lichty of Innerkip, Ont., up-and-coming Micro Sprint driver Brett Michalski of Penndel. Pa., past Atlantic City Indoor race winner Mike Tidaback of Little Falls, N.J., second year Indoor TQ driver and rising dirt Modified racer Neal Williams of Pittsgrove, N.J., second generation Midget racers Avery and Bethany Stoehr of Lakeville and Bridgewater, Ma., respectively, Modified dirt track ace Richie Pratt, Jr., of Woodbury Heights, N.J. and past Indoor TQ winner Erick Rudolph of Ransomville, N.Y.
The ultra-quick Champ Karts and the identically prepared Slingshots, the two support classes at both the Atlantic City and Trenton, have responded in such huge numbers that waiting lists for both classes at both Atlantic City and Trenton have been established.
NASCAR Modified star Justin Bonsignore of West Islip, N.Y., past Indoor winners Andrew Swisher of West Chester, Pa., and Glen Meisenhelder of Feeding Hills, Ma., asphalt Modified ace Justin Gumley of Howell, N.J., New England Champ Kart expert Mike Perry of Dighton, Ma., and asphalt Late Model rising star D.J. Shaw of Center Conway, N.H. are among the top entries.
Slingshot favorites on the roster include Accord Speedway Modified champion Jackie Brown, Jr. of Hurley, N.Y., Orange County Speedway Modified rising star Anthony Perrego of Pine Bush, N.Y., Wall Stadium Modified rookie Nick Shaw of Chatham, N.J., the Flemington, N.J., based racing family of Mark, Jesse and Kalli Hartman, ARDC Midget rising star Kyle Lick of Catasauqua, Pa., who will drive John Kovatch, IV’s car, and first timer Randy Myers of Schenectady, N.Y.
The PRC Industries/ Angela House Charity Sun National Bank Center schedule calls for Twin 20 lap features for the TQ Midgets, a full program of Slingshots on Friday, Feb. 7; and a complete program for TQ Midgets and Champ Karts on Saturday, Feb. 8.
Visit aarn.com for tickets and for details on all Len Sammons Motorsports Productions events.
Sponsorship programs are available by calling 609-888-3618.
Sources: Ernie Saxton Communications