Category: Other Series Racing

Leffler to carry the colors of long-time sponsor, Great Clips, Inc.

MOORESVILLE, NC (January 6, 2011) – For years, the Chili Bowl Nationals Golden Driller trophy has been a coveted, yet elusive, prize for three-time Midget National Champion, Jason Leffler. However, when close to 300 entries show up for the Silver Anniversary of the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals at the ¼-mile Tulsa Expo Raceway, January 11-15, Leffler feels he will have his best shot yet at capturing the famed trophy. The NASCAR Nationwide Series veteran who drives for Turner Motorsports, will wheel the No. 91x entry for Kasey Kahne Racing, carrying the colors of his Nationwide Series sponsor of six years, Great Clips, Inc.

Leffler’s illustrious USAC career boasts multiple championships, over 40 Midget feature wins and six Silver Crown victories. In 1998, he captured the USAC Silver Crown Championship and, in 1999, he etched his name in the record books by becoming only the third driver in history to claim three consecutive Midget National Championships. He has captured victories in almost every elite national Midget race over the last decade including wins at the Belleville Nationals and Hut 100 (both in 1997), the Copper Classic (1999), the Night Before the 500 (2002) and two Turkey Night events (1999 and 2005).

It is the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals title that has always eluded him but he looks to change that in next week’s 25th-annual running of what he deems “the greatest spectacle in racing.” His best performance in the five day-long event occurred in 1998 when he came away with a second-place finish. Other top finishes include a 5th-place in 2004 and 9th in 2000. Leffler did lay claim to the title as an owner when Damion Gardner won in the event in 2008, driving under the Leffler Racing banner. Still, Leffler hungers to win the event as a driver, a win which would certainly round out his USAC career quite nicely.

“The Chili Bowl is one of the most exciting races events you could ever see,” said Leffler. “You have over 300 guys competing for 24 spots in the A-Main feature with one prize. It is some of the fiercest on-track competition you could ever witness. If you are a race fan, The Chili Bowl is something you should experience at least once in your lifetime. I am excited to be driving for Kasey Kahne Racing and very proud to have long-time sponsor, Great Clips, on board with me for this event.”

The excitement begins for Leffler on Tuesday night as an exclusive club of 16 event champions and series legends will compete in the Chili Bowl Race of Champions, a special 20-lap race. He is then slated for the Thursday night qualifying round, when he will make a bid for a top-four finishing position to lock himself into Saturday night’s Chili Bowl Championship feature event.

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Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals Quick Facts

What: 25th Annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals

Where: Tulsa Expo Raceway – ¼-mile clay oval inside the QuikTrip Center at the Tulsa State Fairgrounds

When:

January 11-15, 2011

Tuesday – Warren CAT Qualifying Night plus Vacuworx Int’l Chili Bowl Race of Champions

Wednesday – River Spirit Casino Qualifying Night

Thursday – Qualifying Night

Friday – Vacuworx International Qualifying Night

Saturday – Lucas Oil Championship Feature Events

Past Winners: Kevin Swindell (2010), Sammy Swindell (2009, 1998, 1996, 1992 and 1989), Damion Gardner (2008), Tony Stewart (2007 and 2002), Tim McCreadie (2006), Tracy Hines (2005), Cory Kruseman (2004 and 2000), Dan Boorse (2003 and 1999), Jay Drake (2001), Billy Boat (1997), Donnie Beechler (1995), Andy Hillenburg (1994), Dave Blaney (1993), Lealand McSpadden (1991), Jon Heydenreich (1990), Scott Hatton (1988), Rich Vogler (1987).

Trade Show: Always a popular attraction at the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals is the Trade Show, which is open to the public each day (Tuesday through Saturday) free of charge. All variety of racing products, apparel and more is available with well over 100 different vendors. The Trade Show covers approximately 20,000 square feet.

Tickets: A limited number of reserved seats for Tuesday night’s Warren CAT Qualifying Event and the Third Annual Vacuworx International Chili Bowl Race of Champions are available for $43 per person and may be obtained by calling 918-838-3777 or at the gate if still available. Pit passes for all five nights are available at the gate as well.

Chili Bowl on TV: Portions of the 25th Annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals will be broadcast on SPEED TV on a tape-delayed basis.

Chili Bowl on the Net: All official news pertaining to the 25th Annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, including official entry lists, race results and recaps, is available first at http://www.chilibowl.com/ www.chilibowl.com. Also, all five nights of the Chili Bowl Nationals will be broadcast live (audio) on http://www.racinboys.com/ www.racinboys.com.

Charlotte, NC (December 21, 2010) –As part of our Dakar highlight segment, we would like to emphasize the true essence of the race through the next series of press releases. We want our fans, sponsors and supporters to understand the amount of preparation and work that is involved in participating in the Dakar Rally and to fully understand the evolution of man and equipment for “the world’s toughest race.”

Just days until the start of the highly anticipated 2011 Dakar Rally, Robby Gordon and Team HUMMER are getting ready to head south to Argentina but the preparation for the Dakar Rally started months ago as the first shipment of equipment, including the support vehicles, left the Charlotte, North Carolina based shop on November 5th.  The massive Freightliner support vehicles were outfitted with supplies, car parts, and equipment necessary to run the 15-day event. Once complete, they made their way from Charlotte to Jacksonville, FL where they were loaded onto ocean container ships. The vehicles then made their more than 5,000 miles journey to Buenos Aires, Argentina where they will be met by the team and final details will be completed for the January 1st start date. Team HUMMER will be fielding two race vehicles in the 2011 edition of the Dakar Rally, both sponsored by SPEED Energy Drink.  “Proper preparation for the Dakar Rally is the first step toward an overall victory.   It entails many long days at the race shop making sure every single part of the race cars are perfect,” says shop manager, Johnny Kaiser.   Down to the smallest detail, the race vehicles are completely built in house.  Countless hours are put into the design, engineering, fabrication, machine work and assembly that go into building the specialized race vehicles. 

For the sixth year as a team owner in the infamous Dakar Rally, Gordon will be piloting a HUMMER in the 2011 edition of the rally.  Starting as a bare chassis or blank canvas, the HUMMERs individually transform into a work of art.   A work of art that must withstand the brutal punishment that is ahead: the dirt roads, rocky mountains and seemingly endless sand dunes that take their toll on the vehicles.  Every part and piece that is put on the race vehicles is scrutinized, making sure that it is capable of withstanding the elements. Although the process starts at the shop, it is not vacation when the team arrives in Argentina. After every stage, the guys stay up each night prepping the HUMMERs for the next day’s stage. This process continues for fifteen days until the final stage of the rally. 

In mid-December, the cars are loaded in a transporter and make their way to Miami, Florida where they are shipped via airfreight to South America. The team optimizes every hour working on these cars to ensure that every detail is complete. “I couldn’t be more proud of my guys for the effort and dedication they put into the preparation of the vehicles for the rally this year,” says Gordon.   “Being prepared is half the battle.” About SPEED Energy– SPEED Energy is available in three flavors: Unleaded, Fuel, and Octane, which provides the human machine with the fuel it needs to keep up with the SPEED of life. Each drink contains a potent energy blend of B-vitamins, caffeine, taurine and ginseng. SPEED is packaged in 12 ounce sleek cans that have a stylish black top and sexy body and are available in singles, four-packs, and cases.  SPEED Energy is available in the United States in major retailers, convenience stores, grocery stores, bars and nightclubs. For more information, please visit speedenergy.com.

Race Coverage– For fans tracking the Dakar Rally at home, please visit speedenergy.com, planetrobby.com, dakar.com along with Facebook and Twitter for daily updates on the team’s performance including a daily recap, photos and videos.  The team will also be doing a preview daily leading up to the Rally that details their Dakar program and what it takes to get the team ready to participate in the 14-stage event. The Versus Channel will provide coverage throughout the United States.  A 30-minute daily program featuring highlights from that day’s racing will be aired on Versus daily at 3:30 p.m. with a replay airing later in the day.  Check your local listing for exact show times.

Charlotte, NC (December 21, 2010) – 2011 marks the 33rd running of the international test of endurance and determination known as the Dakar Rally, which for the third consecutive year will take place in the South American countries of Argentina and Chile after security threats in Mauritania in 2008 caused the ASO, the race organizers, to move the race from Africa.  With more than 9,500 km (5,903 miles) to be completed from January 1st to 16th, 2011, the Dakar Rally is easily the “world’s most grueling race.”  

  Based on fourteen stages, known as “specials”, the winner of the rally is the team with the shortest elapsed time over the fifteen day event.  The terrain that competitors traverse is extremely difficult. Most of the competitive specials are off-road, crossing dunes, mud, camel grass, rocks among other elements. To be successful at the Dakar Rally, a team must possess three things: state of the art equipment, first rate driving and navigational skills, and true determination and perseverance.  The slightest mistake by man or equipment can cost a team valuable seconds in their effort to achieve the ultimate objective: winning the Dakar Rally. 

  Team HUMMER will be fielding two entries in the rally-raid.  Known as one of the best off-road racers in the world, Robby Gordon will be participating in his seventh Dakar Rally and piloting the No. 303 Speed Energy / Toyo Tires HUMMER.   Gordon will depend on his navigator, Kellon Walsh, to maneuver through the ever changing terrain of the cross country race.  Gordon knows how to win in the rally, becoming the first American to ever win a stage.  “To win a stage of the event was great, but to be the first American to win the Dakar Rally would mean so much more,” says Gordon.  “With experience also comes the understanding that you have to beat the rally before you can beat your competitors.”

  A formal announcement regarding the second HUMMER entry will follow early next week.

  To aid in their effort to challenge the Dakar Rally and factory teams, Team HUMMER will be touting a new sponsor, SPEED Energy Drink.  “This company is based on a commitment to SPEED, energy and relentless determination.  No one personifies those values better than Robby Gordon and no race encompasses those qualities more than the Dakar Rally, which makes partnering with Team HUMMER a perfect fit for our new SPEED Energy brand,” commented SPEED Energy representative, Steve Nichols.   “We’re excited to have SPEED Energy Drink on our HUMMER’s for the rally this year.  SPEED is a new company that is gaining a lot of attention in the U.S., and I’m looking forward to introducing it to the international market as part of our team’s branding exercise. In addition to representing SPEED Energy, I will also be representing our long list of elite partners. We just signed a three-year extension with Toyo Tires, and I couldn’t be happier to have them as a co-primary for this event,” says Gordon.   About SPEED Energy – SPEED Energy is available in three flavors: Unleaded, Fuel, and Octane, which provides the human machine with the fuel it needs to keep up with the SPEED of life. Each drink contains a potent energy blend of B-vitamins, caffeine, taurine and ginseng. SPEED is packaged in 12 ounce sleek cans that have a stylish black top and sexy body and are available in singles, four-packs, and cases.  SPEED Energy is available in the United States in major retailers, convenience stores, grocery stores, bars and nightclubs. For more information, please visit speedenergy.com.

  Race Coverage– For fans tracking the Dakar Rally at home, please visit speedenergy.com, planetrobby.com, dakar.com along with Facebook and Twitter for daily updates on the team’s performance including a daily recap, photos and videos.  The team will also be doing a preview daily leading up to the Rally that details their Dakar program and what it takes to get the team ready to participate in the 14-stage event. The Versus Channel will provide coverage throughout the United States.  A 30-minute daily program featuring highlights from that day’s racing will be aired on Versus daily at 3:30 p.m. with a replay airing later in the day.  Check your local listing for exact show times.

Mooresville, NC (December 17, 2010) Roush Yates Engines would like to congratulate Johnny Bridges of Cherryville, NC for becoming the proud owner of a new Roush Yates Sprint 360 engine. The engine was raffled off at the recent International Motorsports Industry Show in Indianapolis, IN and all proceeds were given to Davidson Day School out of Davidson, NC.

As the 2010 USCS Asphalt Champion, Johnny Bridges believes he is the perfect recipient for this year’s charity Sprint 360 engine because he will use the Roush Yates’ power to continue his winning streak next year.

“The Lord answered my prayers!,” said Bridges. “I was completely shocked when I learned I had won the new Sprint 360 Engine. I’m so excited about racing it next season. Roush Yates has always been the engine to beat on the track and I’m thrilled to be the owner of this new engine built by Jeremy Anderson.”

Bridges’ name was drawn on December 3, 2010 out of a collection of over 5,000 tickets sold. The Roush Yates Charity Engine Raffle piqued the interest of racers all over the world, with online ticket sales coming from as far as Australia and Russia.

“I want to personally thank everyone who purchased a ticket for this year’s Charity Engine Raffle,” said Doug Yates, CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “The money raised is going to a great cause and I’m honored to be a part of an industry that is known for an immense amount of charitable work.”

Money collected from the Charity Engine Raffle will be used by Davidson Day School, a pre-k through 12th grade college preparatory school that helps children prepare for the challenges of college and life beyond. The funds will bring innovative technology integration into the classrooms of all students.

“This generous donation from Roush Yates Engines will support technology and innovation at Davidson Day School, helping children ages two to 12th grade prepare for top colleges and lifelong success,” said Bonnie Cotter, Head of School. “We are so lucky that a family who has invested their three children in our care is helping our school in such a dramatic way. Their passion is making a difference in the lives of children for years to come.”

For those who didn’t win, you can still get your own Roush Yates Sprint 360 engine in time for next season. To learn all about the Sprint 360 that won two ASCS Regional Championships and 21 races in 2010, please contact Jeremy Anderson at (704) 658-1540 or janderson@roushyates.com.

About Roush Yates Engines

Roush Yates Engines designs, engineers and crafts high performance racing engines with the power to perform and the horsepower and durability you’d expect from legendary NASCAR pioneers Jack Roush and Robert Yates. The partnership of power and precision has come from merging the knowledge and experience of two legendary engine builders, both with a passion for winning today and powering up for tomorrow. In 2009 Doug Yates purchased his father’s half of Roush Yates Engines to become a co-owner in the company.

As CEO, Doug Yates leads a staff of 180 engineers and technicians who design, assemble, test, and service racing engines at two separate state-of-the-art facilities in Mooresville, North Carolina. Here, the best minds and latest technology are hard at work producing nearly 1,500 racing engines each year for teams in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, ARCA, Grand-Am, FIA GT3, Dirt Late Model, Sprint cars, and NHRA Pro Stock. At Roush Yates Engines, the mission is power and performance, which is achieved through innovation, design, precision, engineering, and skillful craftsmanship. Building the best engines in racing today, providing service that’s second to none, and honoring a commitment to research and development are the heart of Roush Yates Engines.

(DECEMBER 18, 2010, PLACENTIA, CA) While many in the racing community are taking time off for the holidays, the new trio at the helm of the California Lightning Sprint Car Series is hard at work preparing for the fast approaching 2011 campaign. Dan Hillberg, Tobey Sampson and Bobby Michnowicz are working feverishly as they try to bring the series back to its glorious past.

Hillberg, who resides in Placentia, California, Sampson, who makes his home in Torrance and Michnowicz, who lives in Lomita, have nearly 100 combined years of racing under their belts. They believe that experience will help them revive the CLS Series. Hillberg began his racing career with the USRC Midgets in the late 1970s. Sampson, a native of Oklahoma, began racing in the Sooner State before heading to Indiana to race and then ventured west to California. Michnowicz started racing as a child in ¼ Midgets, progressed to ¾ Midgets with the original NMRA and on to Sprint Cars where he won the last ever CRA championship in 1994. Hillberg will serve as president, Sampson is vice president and Michnowicz will be the secretary.

With the down turn in the economy, the CLS series, like all of racing, has faced significant challenges over the past few years including a declining car count. The powers that be hope to rectify that problem.

“We want to get the club back to the way it was a few years ago,” Hillberg said over the phone. “We want to increase the car count and we want everybody to have fun. The last two races after it was announced we were taking over, the car count did go up. We hope that continues throughout the 2011 season.”

The 2011 California Lightning Sprint Car Series schedule is nearing completion and will be released in the very near future. The club will officially release its brand new web site within the next few days. Renowned racing Webmaster Lance Jennings designed the exciting new site.

Born in 1994, the California Lightning Sprint Car Series has been a stepping-stone for many of the West Coast’s top open wheel stars including three-time USAC/CRA champion Mike Spencer, David Cardey, Greg Bragg and Darren Hagen to name just a few.

Anyone wishing to come on board as a series sponsor, racer or for general information can call or E-mail Dan Hillberg at (714) 719-0295 or CLS.Dan.Hillberg@gmail.com .

PAST CALIFORNIA LIGHTNING SPRINT CAR CHAMPIONS

1994 Tony Everhart

1995 Gary Sexton

1996 Rob Sczymczak

1997 Jon Rahe

1998 Chris Rahe

1999 Brent Sexton

2000 Greg Bragg

2001 Greg Bragg

2002 Greg Bragg

2003 David Cardey

2004 Keith Janca

2005 Johnny Bates

2006 Donny Ganson

2007 Shane Rosson

2008 Brent Sexton

2009 Stuart Hielshier Sr.

2010 Jarrett Kramer

HILLIARD, Ohio (Dec. 16, 2010) – A capacity crowd of 150 young drivers, family members, managers, coaches and assorted guests participated in the Road Racing Drivers Club/FIA Young Drivers Symposium on Dec. 11, at the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show in Orlando, Fla.

Hosted by RRDC President, Indianapolis 500 winner and BMW-Rahal Letterman Team co-owner Bobby Rahal, the third in a series of free “Safe is Fast” workshops – with S.A.F.E. an acronym for Skilled, Assured, Fit, Empowered – was supported by a grant from the FIA Motor Sport Safety Development Fund.

The three-hour program featured a total of six industry experts who relayed a wealth of information and know-how covering such topics as mental preparation (Jacques Dallaire, Ph.D, founder and president of Prime Performance), physical fitness (Jim Leo, C.S.C.S., president of Pit Fit Training), safety (Stephen Olvey, M.D., and Terry Trammell, M.D., founding members of the International Council of Motorsports Sciences and founding fellows of the FIA Institute for Motorsport Safety), integrated driving and coaching (Michael Zimicki, president of Sliderule Motorsport) and sponsorship and branding (Jim Jordan, Manager for Alternative Marketing at Mazda North American Operations).

The symposium attracted drivers from a wide variety of race series and activities ranging from karting and quarter-midgets through all branches of open-wheel, sports car and stock car racing. Among them, the attendees represented all the major race sanctioning bodies in North America, including American Le Mans Series, Grand-Am, IndyCar, NASA, SCCA, USAC, NASCAR, ARCA and a plethora of karting entities.

“We couldn’t have been more pleased with the response,” said Rahal. “We saw drivers from just about every discipline you could imagine, and it was exciting to see how enthralled they were with the presentations.”

Attendees were equally effusive in their praise for the symposium: “I found it very educational,” said Collete Davis, 16, a student of mechanical engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla., who hopes to race in the 2011 U.S.F2000 National Championship. “I learned in just a few hours what people would usually take years to learn.”

“This was the second time I had attended the symposium at PRI,” said Trent Hindman, 15, from Wayside, N.J., who last week won a full scholarship to contest the 2011 BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Championship Presented by Mazda. “This year, to be honest, I was a lot more prepared to take in all this information. Dr. Dallaire’s method of thinking really helped me out a lot, so I’m going to try to take all of that and apply it and hopefully go faster on track.”

It wasn’t just the youngsters who picked up valuable information to help them maximize their potential. “I thought it was excellent,” said former IndyCar driver turned television analyst Scott Goodyear, who was joined by his 14-year-old son Michael, a burgeoning kart racer. “There was a lot crammed into a short period of time, but I think that if you can just even take away 10 or 20 percent of what you heard, that’s going to make you better both on and off the track. For me personally, it was an opportunity for my son to hear all these things from a different source – because I’m talking about it all the time – so he can then understand it and realize the importance of it all.”

“I really enjoyed the mental and the physical fitness side of it because that’s one thing that isn’t always foremost in your mind when you go to the race track,” added former Atlantic competitor John Thompson, from Perkaise, Pa., who accompanied his 16-year-old son, Colin, a competitor in this year’s VW Jetta TDI Cup Series. “The fact that it’s a seven-day, 24-hour-a-day activity really makes sense. You really can’t just prep yourself for the weekend, you’ve got to prep yourself all week for what you’re going to be doing at the weekend.”

About the RRDC: The Road Racing Drivers Club was formed in 1952 as a way to give champion drivers a say in their sport, particularly in the areas of safety, and has evolved to serve the future of road racing by mentoring new drivers on both amateur and professional levels. The Club’s membership includes leading industry professionals, race officials and motorsports journalists, in addition to prominent racing names.

President Bobby Rahal is the 1986 Indy 500 winner and is co-owner, with David Letterman, of the 2004 Indianapolis 500 winning Rahal Letterman Racing team. Six-time SCCA National champion John Fergus is the Club’s Vice President/Treasurer, and five-time SCCA National champion Tom Davey is the Secretary.

In addition to RRDC members lending their expertise to up-and-coming drivers, the Club presents three annual awards: the Phil Hill Award for rendering outstanding service to road racing; the Mark Donohue Award for personal spirit and performance at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs; and the Bob Akin Award – the top award presented to amateur and semi-professional racers – for speed with style, passion, sportsmanship and contribution to motorsports.

The RRDC also supports the Team USA Scholarship, which has been assisting young Americans in the early stages of their careers since 1990.

Membership in the RRDC is by invitation only. Additional information on the organization may be found at www.rrdc.org .

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MORGAN READY FOR MULTI-CAR ASSAULT ON ATLANTIC CITY AND PROVIDENCE INDOOR RACING EVENTS

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ AND PROVIDENCE, R.I. December 16, 2010 – Timex Morgan is bringing a gun to the fight this time.

That’s how he describes the upcoming indoor Three Quarter Midget (Tqs) Car races in Atlantic City, N.J., and Providence, R.I.

Morgan has an arsenal of cars – three to be exact – ready for what will be the busiest two weeks of the winter season as the Rochester, N.Y., resident will be an entrant and owner in both the Gambler’s Classic, which is scheduled for Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., on Jan. 27-29, 2011, and the Coffee Cup, which is scheduled at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, R.I., on Feb. 5, 2011.

“Until this year, we had the 600cc Micro Sprints and we were racing indoors against the TQ-Midgets,” Morgan said. “That’s like bringing a knife to a gunfight. Now, I feel as if we have a gun and we’re coming prepared to the gunfight.”

Preparation is an understatement.

Morgan has ace driver Joey Payne in one of his cars along with female driving star Jessica Zemken. Both will drive entries in Atlantic City along with Morgan in the third TQ-Midget entry.

Payne and Morgan will drive TQ-Midgets in Providence, R.I., and Zemken is a tentative entry dependent on her travel and outdoor racing plans.

And Morgan put an offer on the table for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car owner and driver Tony Stewart.

“Let me just say that if Tony wants a ride, we’ll make sure he has one,” Morgan said. “I know he has several options available if he wants a ride.”

Although Stewart has not committed to participate as a driver, he did attend last year’s Gambler’s Classic in Atlantic City, N.J., and he expressed an interest in possibly driving indoors.

Morgan has become the poster boy of racing indoors.

He landed Dunkin’ Donuts as a sponsor for his racing team as a result of taking part in the indoor racing events.

And he’s represented the business well on all fronts. He fields a two seat race car that offers fans and dignitaries an opportunity to experience the thrill of racing.

“We had a great experience this past year,” Morgan said. “Thanks to Dunkin’ Donuts, we had a child, who was part of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, ride along with us. It was his thrill of a lifetime. It didn’t matter how bad out night was, and we did have a bad night, but the smiles from that child made everything go away.”

Although Morgan races outdoors, it is the indoor scene that he thoroughly enjoys.

“If it was up to me, we wouldn’t race outdoors,” Morgan said. “There is nothing like going 70 mph indoors with cars inches from you. It’s a battle of inches rather than one of feet.

“Plus, you get the regional top drivers at each event. Look at the entry list. There are guys who win in asphalt Modifieds, dirt Modifieds and so many other divisions who enter these indoor events. In think indoor racing separates men from the boys.”

Thanks to Mark Lafler of Lafler Chassis, Morgan will have his first true TQ-Midget at his disposal.

Payne drove one of the cars to victory already after claiming a division main at Wyoming County International Speedway in Perry, N.Y. Morgan was in contention of winning the Casey’s TQ-Midget Series title, but he finished second although he did claim the series Rookie of the Year title.

“It’s a big difference (switching car designs),” Morgan said. “Joey got out of his car and he said, ‘Now, that’s a race car that can win.’”

Despite it being a month away, Morgan is stoked for the best two weekends of the year.

“The adrenaline and anticipation is already building,” Morgan said. “I go back to what (multi-time Indy 500 veteran) Davey Hamilton said last year.

“He came in and asked us how we drive these things. He said Indianapolis is one thing, but this kind of racing is way harder. That was up in Providence.”

In addition to the TQ-Midget entries, Morgan is fielding a 600cc Micro Sprint Car for Ray Sands to drive in Atlantic City.

Tickets for the Atlantic City Indoor Race are currently on sale through Ticketmaster (1-800-736-1420) or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are available with no extra fee applied at the Boardwalk Hall box office and at the Area Auto Racing News office in Trenton, N.J. at 609-888-3618 Activity in Atlantic City will begin on Thurs., Jan. 27, with paid practice from 5-10 p.m. Weekend activity will begin on Fri., Jan. 28, at 4:30 p.m. with time trials. The night will include heat events for TQ-Midgets and B-Mains for the 600cc Micro Sprint Cars, Slingshots and Champ Karts. It will culminate with a 20-lap 600cc Micro Sprint Car main event and a 30-lap TQ-Midget feature race. The Sat., Jan. 29, program kicks off at 5 p.m. with the Fanfest, which will be held on the indoor racing surface. The Saturday-night portion of the show is slated to begin at 7 p.m. Heat races and semis will lead up the 40-lap “Gamblers Classic” for TQ-Midgets, with Slingshots and Champ Karts also on the schedule.

Tickets for the Coffee Cup are available at the Dunkin’ Donuts box office, online at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000.

TQ-Midgets and Champ Karts will share the one-day card which begins at 7 p.m.