The growth of the ATQMRA comes from the rookies. Last year Geoffrey Sutton earned the coveted ATQMRA rookie of the year honor. A handful of new drivers will be joining the ranks of the ATQMRA for 2015. In addition to the new teams to the circuit a handful of racers from years past will return to competition as well as the invasion of the 600 micro sprints. The ATQMRA kicks off the 2015 season at Mahoning Valley Speedway in Lehighton, Pa on Saturday April 25th.
New to the tour will be Patrick Force in the former Roselli Racing Drinan car that he recently purchased from Paul Lotier Jr. Patrick is the son of ATQRMA Vintage Division President Bill Force Sr. who raced with the organization in the 70s in the same 26 car in vintage competition today that he raced back in the 70s. Patrick will be teamed with his brother Bill Force Jr. in his beautifully prepared 26 car. Bill Force Jr. spent much of the 2014 season on the sidelines but will be back running a part time schedule with the club.
Patrick Force's car will be numbered 18 and he intends to run all of the shows in 2015 and contend for ATQMRA rookie of the year. Patrick's first racing experience came in the 2 stroke division of the vintage ATQRMA and in the Metz Racing F8 at Borger's Speedway as well as turning laps in his brother's Dart TQ midget. He hopes to learn the ropes with the ATQMRA and hone his driving and setup skills and work toward rookie of the year honors with the organization. Patrick has Victoria Grace Hair to Please and Gotcha Covered Home Services sponsoring his efforts.
Drag Racer Mike Glaser will be back behind the wheel of the Metz Racing F8 in competition at many of the races with the ATQMRA. Glaser who won NHRA Drag Racing Championships at Englishtown Speedway and spent many years competing in the realm of straight line racing seems to have found a new home at Metz Racing learning the oval track craft. Mike ran the last several races at Borger's Speedway in 2014 and was gaining experience. He now looks forward to improving his oval track skills on the bigger tracks with the ATQMRA.
George and Marilyn VanVarrick will be fielding their 600 at select events with Micro Sprint and Slingshot Hot shoe 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. also took a turn behind the wheel of the VanVarrick car at the end of the season. When the club shows up at MahoningValley for the opener it will be Bettler's second time running with the ATQMRA at its MahoningValley opener. Bettler ran the feature event in the Metz Racing F8 at the 2014 club opener.
Returning to the ATQMRA tour in 2015 will be 2013 Points Runner up Brent Conklin. He will be piloting the Green Flag Driving Experience TQ that he raced in Atlantic City's indoor races this past winter at select races with the organization.
Micro Sprint stand out Rob Vivona who was Borger's Speedway 2012 Dirt car champion and that same year's Oktoberfest Champion will be running the ATQRMA opener at MahoningValley as well as the $1000 to win TQ Open at Chapel Hill NY Speedway in the Metz Racing 46b. Vivona has been a contending racer at the indoor events since the return of indoor racing to Atlantic City and runs his 600 wingless micro sprint regularly in true outlaw fashion around the northeast. Vivona will be sharing time in the 46b with New York's Shilo Boyce. Boyce is a competitor in the ultra fast 1000cc Lightening Sprints and made a handful of TQ midget starts the last few years. Kristian Aleixo will be gaining experience in the Metz Racing team cars during the season with the hopes of contending for top rookie honors.
Anthony Payne will be making his debut with the ATQRMA in 2015. Teamed with his father they are putting together the Laffler car that Joey raced in years past indoors. Anthony started his career in the quarter midgets at Little Wall and has been racing a NEMA Light the last couple years. He is looking forward to gaining the experience in the lightening fast TQ midgets following in his father and Uncle Johnny's footsteps.
Ronnie "the Rocket" Mullen will be behind the wheel of a Metz Racing TQ midget for each of the organization's races at Wall this year. Mullen has the distinction of having won in every division that race on the high banks of Wall Stadium. He hopes to gain the experience necessary to put himself in a position to ad a TQ midget win to his impressive Resume.
Long time ATQMRA racer Jeff Kot will be back in active competition in his 95 Badger TQ midget for the first time in a few years. The car was completely rejuvenated by BJ MacDonald at Classic Competition Specialties in preparation for the coming season in time for the Atlantic City Indoor races. The car was changed over to thirteen inch rubber and a host of other changes were made. Kot will surely be in contention whenever he rolls his Badger out of the trailer at an ATQMRA event.
The versatile Earl Paules will be running selected events with the ATQRMA in a Laffler TQ Midget. Paules adapted quickly to the Laffler car indoors and hopes to replicate his speed indoors at select events with the club including the races at his home track of MahoningValley where he has won in the past with the ATQMRA.
Returning to the ATQMRA tour in 2015 will be 2013 Points Runner up Brent Conklin. He will be piloting the Green Flag Driving Experience TQ that he raced in Atlantic City's indoor races this past winter at select races with the organization.
With all of the new names and a handful of old coming back into the fold, 2015 should be an exciting year for the ATQMRA heading into its 59th season of sanctioning Three Quarter Midget Racing. The Melting pot of diverse experiences should make for interesting competition for top rookie honors.
The ATQMRA kicks off the 2015 season at Mahoning Valley Speedway in Lehighton, Pa on Saturday April 25th.