WATERFORD, CT — Joey Bailey dominated en route to a wire-to-wire victory as the Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic ATQMRA fueled by VP Racing Fuels returned to The New London-Waterford Speedbowl.
The afternoon began with heat race victories by Geoffrey Sutton and Bailey, both driving Alan Mollot-owned machines. Sutton won the opening heat, while Bailey captured the second. Sutton subsequently drew the pole for the feature.
At the drop of the green, 2026 ATQMRA Champion Kyle Taraska surged past Sutton to take the lead entering the first turn. However, Bailey wasted little time moving forward, powering from fourth to the top spot by the time the field reached the third turn.
Bailey maintained a commanding advantage throughout much of the 25-lap, non-points event, stretching his lead to more than 2.5 seconds. Taraska mounted a late charge, cutting the margin to just over half a second in the closing stages, but Bailey held on to secure his first ATQMRA feature victory since 2023.
Taraska finished second, followed by NEMA Midget and All Star Pavement Midgets competitor Dylan Coutu, who impressed in his TQ Midget debut at Waterford. Coutu gained several positions en route to a podium finish.
Sutton finished fourth, while Blake Barney rounded out the top five in his Waterford TQ Midget debut. Steve Craig finished sixth, with ATQMRA rookies Anthony Tufano and Jim Tomaino completing the field of running cars.
Joey Payne was credited with a ninth-place finish after engine trouble during qualifying forced him to retire from the event in Dave DiSalvo’s No. 14 Yuhas Chassis.
The ATQMRA extends its appreciation to Dave DiSalvo, Skaket LLC Property Management, and The New London-Waterford Speedbowl for their collaboration in bringing the series back for Fall Finale weekend.
The Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic ATQMRA fueled by VP Racing Fuels returns Saturday, October 10, for Championship Night at Wall Stadium.
HEAT WINNERS
Heat 1: #51 Geoffrey Sutton
Heat 2: #51M Joey Bailey
FEATURE RESULTS (25 LAPS)
#51M Joey Bailey
#1B Kyle Taraska
#22 Dylan Coutu
#51 Geoffrey Sutton
#12 Blake Barney
#55 Steve Craig
#59 Anthony Tufano
#19M Jim Tomaino
#14 Joey Payne — DNS
Finish Line Bookkeeping Fast Lap Award: #22 Dylan Coutu — 13.883 seconds