Hoosier Tire Mid Atlantic ATQMRA Fueled by VP
July 29, Chemung Speedrome
Flying Ryan Tidman parked the Lenny and Donna Boyd 1B Laffler in victory lane for the fourth time in 2017 at the Chemung Speedrome to add a victory at another track to Tidman's already impressive TQ Midget resume. Joey Bailey was in tow in second with Buddy Sload rounding out the podium. Geoffrey Sutton and Jeff Kot were fourth and fifth. Heat Races were won by Tidman and Matt Janisch. Next up for the ATQMRA is a winged affair at the Waterford Speedbowl on Saturday August 12th in conjunction with the ISMA Super Modifieds and the NEMA Midgets. Fast on the heels of that is the highly anticipated race at Pocono Raceway the weekend of August 18th.
The front row saw a pair of 2017 BGF Chassis square off with Ron Mullen on the pole with Geoffrey Sutton outside. On the start Sutton was able to power into the lead entering one. Matt Janisch was close behind. Sutton would hold the lead only until the third circuit when Janisch was able to make a pass stick. The pair swapped the lead several times before Janisch was able to take command in the Alan Mollot Lindblad Badger 51. Janisch has been able to get to the front in the 51 car leading laps in about every race he has been behind the wheel of the ATQMRA's winningest car but hasn't been able to lead the final lap.
This race would be no different for Janisch as he was overtaken by Flying Ryan Tidman late in the race. The two continued to fly in formation with Janisch in striking distance. Janisch tried to make a move to the inside of Tidman entering turn one in the waning laps but couldn't make it stick and went around in a ring bringing out the caution. Janisch would charge from the back to a seventh place finish in the final few circuits.
Tidman would go on to win the race charging methodically from his 9th starting position besting Joey Bailey who started the race in the ninth position. Buddy Sload and Geoffrey Sutton waged a hard battle across the latter part of the race for the final podium position. Sutton tried a slider going into the third turn on the last lap getting alongside Sload but Sload's momentum around the top carried him across the line ahead of Sutton with Jeff Kot in his Behrents Performance Badger locking down a top five.
2016 Rookie of the Year Mark Yoder was sixth just ahead of a resurgent Janisch with Invader Rob Neely in the Bill Pippard Laffler Chassis car eighth with Matt Roselli in his number 98 Laffler nineth. The Acro Rookie of the race was Eric Corum in the Metz Racing Driver Development Program F8 after carrying them momentum past Fellow Rookie contender Cole Mullen in the waning laps. Cole's father Ron was behind him with Chad Parks in the lucky thirteen position making his first 2017 ATQMRA start at Chemung which is as close to a home track as Parks has. Jon Keller was followed across the line by Dave Gorbatuk.
The heat races were won by Matt Janisch and Flying Ryan Tidman to give Tidman a sweep of the day,.
Next up for the ATQMRA is a trip east to the Waterford Speed Bowl with for a night of wings in conjunction with the NEMA Midgets and the ISMA Super Modifieds on Saturday August 12th. Last year's lone Visit to the Speedbowl saw 2014 ATQMRA Rookie of the year Geoffrey Sutton park the Metz Racing 461 in victory lane with brick sideboards on his wing with Janisch rolling across the line second. Sutton is winless on the season so far and is looking to recapture his winning ways at Waterford.
The highly anticipated return of Midget racing to Pocono International Raceway on the weekend of August 18th will feature the ATMQRA cars in action on a temporary fifth mile oval on the track's front straight away. This will be an indoor rules style race where teams are allowed to race their indoor motors and 600 Micro Sprints are encouraged to compete. The event is being coordinated and promoted by The Classic Racing Times and Gary Mondschein. Teams are asked to send in their Registration forms and Registration fees as soon as possible.
Feature Race 25 laps1. 1b Ryan Tidman 2. 02 Joey Bailey3. 36 Buddy Sload4. 461 Geoffrey Sutton 5. 95Jeff Kot6. 75 Mark Yoder7. 51Matt Janisch 8. 38 Rob Neely9. 98Matt Roselli10. F8 Eric Corum11. 73x Cole Mullen12. 39 Ron Mullen13. 06 Chad Parks14. 20 Jon Keller1532 Dave Gorbatuk16/ 67 Joey Payne III(DNS)
Heat 11. 51Matt Janisch2. 02 Joey Bailey3. 461 Geoffrey Sutton 4. 98Matt Roselli5. 20Jon Keller6. 06 Chad Parks7. 73c Cole Mullen 8. 67 Joey Payne III
Heat 2. 1. 1BRyan Tidman2. 38Rob Neely3. 36 Buddy Sload4. 95Jeff Kot5. 73xRon Mullen6. 75 Mark Yoder7. F8 Eric Corum8. 32Dave Gorbatuk