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Congratulations to Many time ATQMRA and indoor champion Mike Tidaback on his First Gambler's Classic Victory

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Walter Elliott

Jan. 21

Wall Recap: Tidaback, Others Star in A.C. Weekend

By Walter Elliott

    ATLANTIC CITY -- Former Wall Township Speedway three-quarter midget champion Mike

Tidaback, of Little Falls, N.J., were among those Jersey Shore speedway drivers who starred

here in Boardwak Hall Friday and Saturday.

    Tidaback came from fifth starting spot to narrowly win the Fourth Annual Atlantic City Indoor

Racing Gamblers Classic headliner Saturday night. The FedEx No. 43 Lindblad Badger-Suzuki

GSXR driver grabbed second from Can-Am Midget Racing Club star and poleman James Friesen

by lap five. Tidaback used lapped traffic in turn three on the one-10th-mile indoor concrete oval

to oust Adams by lap 20.

    Tidaback endured five cautions the remaining 20 laps to win his first ACIR M&R Midget main.

Adams, of Hamilton, in a last-lap lead pass bid, spun to third. International Super Modified

Association racer Joey Payne, Sr., of Fair Lawn, snared second from Adams.

    Tidaback, who started his racing career in micro stocks at Pine Brook Speedway in the early

1980s, also captured $5,000 winners and Gamblers Classic bonus. The 2006 American Micro

Stock Racing Association Co-Champion and Wall TQ track titlist has won at least one feature in

the last 16 years, including indoor victories in the Niagara Falls (N.Y.) Convention Center

and New Haven, Conn.'s Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

   Tidaback, who has also raced INEX Legends Cars at Wall last year and previously 270cc micro

sprints at Delaware's Airport Speedway, thanked his crew - including engine builder/competitor

Rudy Boetticher, of Totowa - for his triumph. He also called father Bob Tidaback, Sr., while in

victory lane.

   "We're a small team with me, Dad, and a couple of guys," said Tidaback, who is a local Fed Ex

delivery driver between races. "Dad's recovering from gall bladder surgery since September. This

is like our Super Bowl but with 100 of the bust guys from the Northeast going for 26 feature

spots."

    Tidaback's emotional victory and record-setting, however, almost did not happen. He was

running fifth to Adams in the first of the Roaring 20s qualifiers Friday night when another driver

dropped out in the late laps. Tidaback finished fourth, making the ACIR feature for the first time

in his four years of entering.

     Although the M&R division were open to TQ midgets and 600cc micro sprints from the

Northeast and Canada, six of the top 10 feature finishers are American Three Quarter Midget

Racing Association Wall Township Speedway runners. Indeed, drivers with Wall ties were

entered among some 200 TQ/600cc micro, champ kart and Slingshot drivers.

    Reigning World Karting Association class champ Chris Daley, of Pleasant Valley, N.Y., won the

the 25-lap champ kart feature Saturday. Wall Sunday Series racers George Bark, Jr., of W.

Milford, and Mark Lawshe, Jr., of Westampton, finished 10th and 11th.

    Modified micro stock king Tom Ervin, of Ewing, finished 14th in his champ kart debut. WSS

Senior Champ Kart titlist Jon Stewart, of Ringoes, was placed 16th after crashing out while

bidding for the lead. Wall Sportsman Champion Kevin Eyres, of Colts Neck, was entered.

   The Wall Sunday Series features Legends, Bandolero, kart and kart-based racing on the inner

fifth-mile oval on selected Sunday afternoons. "Big Wall," the historic banked paved one-third-

mile oval, is for Wall's NASCAR Whelen All-American Series modifieds, RMP Modified Affordable

Division, sportsmen, street stock, factory stock, Legends and the ATQMRA on most April

through October Saturday nights.

    Wall factory stock champion Vernon McLaughlin, Jr., of White House Station, and car

owner Tom Cannola, of Pt. Monmouth, tried to be a Slingshot feature factor. McLaughlin, in his

first run aboard the Tobias-Briggs and Startton Vanguard No. 21, started 16th but was placed

19th after a collision early in the 20-lap race. Cannola usually fields cars at Cuddybackvile,

N.Y.'s Oakland Valley speedway, one of several area dirt tracks that the half-sized modified

stock cars compete on.

      Second-generation driver and Slingshot maven Rich Tobias, Jr., of Annville, Pa., won the

division's feature.

      A Wall Township Speedway display was found in the nearby VP Racing Fuels Motorsports

2008 public and racing trade show in the nearby new Atlantic City Convention Center. Five of

Wall's regular divison cars were on display plus a tentative 2008 schedule was distributed

between noon Friday and 5 p.m. Sunday. WTS won the show's "Best Appearing

Speedway Display" last year.

      Len Sammons Productions have moved their annual Motorsports show to the new ACCC

last year. The Trenton-based promoter and "Area Auto Racing News" publisher also revived

racing at Boardwalk Hall - the original ACCC - in 2005 after a 24-year absence.

M&R Midget Feature Finish– Mike Tidaback, Joey Payne, Tim Adams, Bobby Santos III, Frank Polimeda, Jack Spence, Steve Smith, Rob Vivona, Mike Lichty, Tim Proctor, Billy Pauch Sr., James Friesen, Chris DeRitis, Jeff Heotzler, Jeff Kot, Johnny Payne, Danny Shirey, Greg Cable, Donald Zrinski, Lou Cicconi Jr., Matt Janisch, Erick Rudolph, Mike Iles, Pat Bealer, Stewart Friesen, Monnie Wonder

M&R MIDGETS ROARING 20 RACE No. 1: Tim Adams, Mike Iles, Erick Rudolph, Mike Tidaback, Cody Darrah, Kyle Newcomb, Rob Vivona, Chris DeRitis, Billy Pauch, Sr., Tim Proctor, Frank Polimeda, Billy Pauch, Jr., Bill Unglert, Brett Conkling, Jonny Mannis, Frank Fischer, Mike Fedorcak, Ken Hirt, Ryan Smith, BJ Mac Donald.

M&R MIDGETS ROARING 20 RACE No. 2: Danny Shirey, James Michael Friesen, Johnny Payne, Jack Spence, Donald Zrinski, Jeff Kot, Bruce Leote, Jesse Council, Ginny Quinones, Stewart Friesen, Daniel Clover, Ted Christopher, Jack Conover, Jeff Heotzler, Jr., Neal Blatt, Billy Murphy, Jeff Heotzler, Bob Watkins, Jr., Joey Mongeau, Glenn Heverin.

M&R MIDGETS ROARING 20 RACE No. 3: Lou Cicconi, Jr., Steve Smith, Pat Bealer, Bobby Santos, Greg Cable, Mike Lichty, Shane Braxton, Rudy Boetticher, Joey Payne, Monnie Wonder, Ken Schrader, Matt Janisch, Willy Decker, Tim Behmer Jr., Mark Yoder, Mike Osite, David Williams, Richie Coy, Matt Seavey, Jimmy Broderick.