ATQMRA Welcomes 600 Micro Sprints to the Fold
The ATQMRA is opening the door for teams with 600 micro sprints to come race with the TQ midgets. After many years of flirting with bringing the 600s around to race with the ATQMRA it was made official at the Wednesday March 25th spring meeting to allow 600s to compete. The closure of Borgers Speedway for the 2015 season left many teams with pavement style 600s without a place to race their cars. The ATQMRA decided to provide a place for them to continue racing on pavement under a common sense rules package.
After years of racing head to head with 600 pavement cars indoors and during the last few years outdoors at Borgers Speedway it only made sense for the organization to embrace the handful of teams with micro sprints who wish to do some racing on pavement. The flirtation with the 600s began in the late 90s when the 600s were in their infancy and has been an off and on across the years. At this point the membership of the club is embracing the idea of bolstering their numbers by bringing the 600s into the fold.
Any micro sprint team wishing to compete will be required to join the ATQMRA and will receive the full benefits of membership including the Brice’s NAPA Auto Parts Clean Start Package. Micro sprints will be required to conform to the rules package adopted by the ATQMRA. Chain drive 600s will be limited to a 60″ overall width and must use a US6A legal engine for competition. The 600s will use the same Hoosier LC5 spec right rear tire as the TQ midgets. At winged events cars must us an ATQMRA legal wing. Like racing in Atlantic City cars must be equipped with seat belts no more than two years old. All cars must pass the same safety inspection as the TQs and meet the minimum weight of 800 lbs.
Larry Hoagland and Kurt Bettler are some of the first 600 competitors form Borgers who are looking to race their 600s on the bigger tracks with the ATQMRA.
Currently the 2014 Borger’s Speedway TQ/600 Championship winning team of Larry Hoagland in the Fred Bittner owned car is planning on racing their Hyper Hugger with the ATQMRA. Car owner Fred Bittner wanted to try something different after several years of fielding 270s at Hamlin Speedway with Hoagland in the seat. The team purchased the Jason VanDohren Hyper Hugger that was raced to victory by Ryan Smith
Indoors at Fort Wayne and successfully at the Sammons indoor series of races. They purchased the Hugger and went pavement racing at Borgers Speedway in 2014 and turned their foray into pavement racing into a championship their first year on the tarmac.
George and Marilyn VanVarrick will be fielding their 600 at select events with Kurt Bettler behind the wheel. That car incidentally raced at Hamlin on the dirt and has won indoors at Fort Wayne in winged competition with Matt Janisch behind the wheel and won races at Borger’s wingless with Kurt Bettler and Brandon Azzalina at the controls. Billy Pauch Jr. took a turn behind the wheel of the VanVarrick car at the end of the season.
Anyone wanting to learn more about running their 600 with the ATQMRA should contact ATQMRA President Buddy Sload at 484-880-0907.
Sources: Blu Metz/ATQMRA PR