After a long, hard-fought season, the 2019 Hoosier Tire Mid Atlantic ATQMRA powered by VP Racing Fuels championship stage is set.
Championship favorites Joey Bailey and Buddy Sload are ready to square off and compete to earn the ATQMRA’s highest honors this weekend at Bethel Motor Speedway in Swan Lake, New York. Contenders Geoffrey Sutton and Ryan Tidman seek to give it their all, as they fight some adversity to potentially earn the championship crown themselves. The ATQMRA Championship event will be one of the many highlights of Bethel Motor Speedway’s “Novemberfest Weekend,” the final event of the speedway’s season.
Joey Bailey has been the driver to beat this season. Bailey’s #51B Yuhas Chassis, co-owned by his father Russ and Alan Mollot enter Bethel with a 20 point lead over the field. With each on-track position equaling 4 points, Bailey must finish 4th or better at Bethel regardless of how contenders Sload, Sutton, and Tidman place.
Season to-date, Joey Bailey has earned a 2.3 average finishing position through 10 sanctioned events. The stat is driven by four feature wins, not including his rain-out, non-sanctioned victory at Pocono in August. While this is dominate, Bailey is coming off his worst finish of the year, which was 7th, at Wall Stadium in the beginning of October.
There is no question that Bailey has the speed, talent, and determination to earn his first career championship this season. Furthermore, between co-owners Russ and Alan, who each have a wealth of knowledge in their own rights, the #51B has a strong support group to bring home the title. Bailey not-only seeks his first career championship, but he also seeks to be one of the youngest to accomplish the feat at age 22.
While Buddy Sload already has a championship to his name, he certainly would love to add another to his racing resume. Sload’s statistics nearly mirror Bailey’s. With three feature wins, and an average finishing position 2.8, Sload has kept Bailey honest throughout the season. However, Sload’s worst finish of the year was at Bethel this August, where he finished 8th.
Spitfire Racing owner Colin Martin has earned quite the reputation for success over his storied career. The #36 Spitfire Racing Team has a lot of depth this year beyond driver and owner, which lies behind the craftsmanship of both BJ Macdonald and John Smith. Although this team does not entirely control their destiny, expect this talented group to put up a strong fight until the checkered flag flies.
Contender’s Geoffrey Sutton and Ryan Tidman look to throw a Hail Mary and pull off the upset this year if either where to bring home the Championship. Both drivers have had a great year. However, it just hasn’t been the year both the #51B and #36 Teams have had.
Sutton enters Bethel third in points, 32 markers behind leader Bailey. Sutton has earned two feature victories this year, both which came at Wall Stadium Speedway. Sutton, racing Alan Mollot’s legendary Lindblad Chassis, would like nothing more than to bring home another championship to Mollot.
Along with Sutton’s success on asphalt, his pair of feature wins on dirt in the Xcel 600cc Modifieds solidify his talents as a diverse driver, and certainly a deserving champion if circumstances were to fall his way this weekend. Sutton will be backed by both Alan Mollot as mentioned, and his biggest fan, father Greg Sutton.
Speaking of deserving champions, Ryan Tidman is a five-time ATQMRA Championship himself. While both Tidman and car-owner Lenny Boyd haven’t earned the success that either stride for this year, they have scratched and clawed to remain in the title-fight all the way down to the wire. Tidman enters Bethel with one win to his credit this year, which just so happened to come at Bethel this past August.
Like Sutton, Tidman needs some good fortune beyond a great finish to fall his way in order to earn his sixth championship, as he enters the race 38 points behind leader Bailey. Nonetheless, be assured that The Boyd Racing Team with the support of John Cerny and Lenny’s wife, Donna, will make every lap count at Bethel.
Other top-10 point standing battles and notables include the following:
Regardless of what happens on-track, Mark Yoder has clinched 5th place in championship standings.
The father and son duo of both Ronnie and Cole Mullen have a points battle of their own to earn 6th this season. Ronnie enters Bethel 34 points ahead of son Cole.
Friendly-rivals Jeff Kot and Kyle Taraska have a tight battle for 8th in points, neither running a full season. Kot enters Bethel 20 points ahead of Taraska.
Tim Proctor currently owns the 10th position in standings. Proctor leads a brigade of driver mathematically eligible to take over the position. They include Dave Gorbatuk, Steve Craig, and Paul Dodorico.
The Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic ATQMRA Powered by VP Racing Fuels will conclude their 56th Championship Points Season at Bethel Motor Speedway on Saturday, November 2nd, 2019. As always, the ATQMRA will take part in the prestigious Turkey Derby weekend at Wall Stadium Speedway on Saturday, November 30th 2019 for a year-end non-points showdown.
