Rumble in Fort Wayne 07

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http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5269431801940106097 Sat 600 feature

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8207895289943941490 Sat 600 Heat

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5511556840416396940 Friday night Midget Explosion

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-76366029973632462 Tony Stewart Interview

Click above to go to video from Fort Wayne

Additional racing -- by correspondent Ron Ware

600cc Winged Midgets Friday Night

*ATQMRA Alumni in blue

Qualifications -- 1. Erick Rudolph, 72, 7.974 seconds; 2. Dennis Veach, 13, 8.079; 3. Jack Spence, 2js, 8.189; 4. John Ivy, 02, 8.194; 5. Larry Joe Sroufe, 21, 8.231; 6. Joey Payne, 2p, 8.242; 7. Timex Morgan, 7m, 8.247; 8. A.J. Lesiecki, 8.271; 9. Ryan Smith, 8.271; 10. Ben Gaerte, 51g, 8.281; 11. Dean Gaerte, 15, 8.326; 12. Jimmy Broderick II, 5b, 8.332; 13. Cap Henry, 04, 8.338; 14. Amanda Quinones, 00q, 8.423; 15. Jason Ormsby, 51o, 8.432; 16. Mike Illes, 711, 8.473; 17. Richard Smith, 12, 8.486; 18. Ryan Nawrocki, 5n, 8.489; 19. Mike Osite, 59, 8.533; 20. Jake Wright, 59t, 8.554; 21. Cody Parrah, 89, 8.565; 22. Rusty Strausbaugh, 29, 8.590; 23. Aaron McClure, 73, 8.598; 24. Russ Belt, 19, 8.618; 25. Nick Eastin, 8.618; 26. Gary Klein, 68, 8.631; 27. Halen Shafer, 36s, 8.673; 28. Jason Holibaugh, 04, 8.703; 29. Aaron Farney, 50, 8.721; 30. Howard McCormick, 26m, 8.752; 31. Harold Johnson, 12m, 8.801; 32. Cole Ketcham, 41, 8.824; 33. Jeremy Glasford, 11, 8.865; 34. Brett Smith, 25s, 8.933; 35. Dave Williams, 3, 8.951; 36. Brent Turner, 51t, 9.017; 37. Roger Ritchey, 25r, 9.048; 38. Tim Moore, 55, 9.068; 39. Ben Taylor, 19t, 9.119; 40. Steve Myers, 88, 9.172; 41. Bill Dunham, 84, 9.182; 42. Mark Zumbrun, 35z, 9.185; 43. Junior Gould, 65, 9.189; 44. Cheryl Erwin, 00e, 9.205; 45. Benny Trimble, 80, 9.286; 46. Tom Noel, 32, 9.340; 47. Trent Wilson, 7w, 9.368; 48. Daniel Robinson, 24d, 9.596; 49. Dakota Jackson, 3d, 9.625; 50. Larry Fox, 28, 12.549; 51. Nick Wilson, 77w, 14.721; 52. Chris Malaterre, 79, NT; 53. Kevin Stephenson, 9, NT; 54. Marc Orr, 77, NT; 55. Chase Briscoe, 88m, NT; 56. Matt Palmer, 40, NT; 57. Danny Shirey, 16, NT.

600cc Winged Midgets Saturday
Qualifications -- 1. Joey Payne, 2p, 7.581 seconds; 2. Erick Rudolph, 72, 7.675; 3. Larry Joe Sroufe, 21, 7.679; 4. Jimmy Broderick II, 5b, 7.739; 5. Danny Shirey, 16, 7.818; 6. John Ivy, 02, 7.877; 7. Mike Osite, 59, 7.958; 8. Ryan Smith, 2rs, 7.977; 9. Mike Iles, 711, 8.018; 10. Daniel Robinson, 24d, 8.067; 11. Timex Morgan, 7m, 8.109; 12. Cap Henry, 04, 8.138; 13. Ben Gaerte, 51g, 8.166; 14. Benny Trimble, 80, 8.200; 15. A.J. Lesiecki, 14, 8.207; 16. Aaron McClure, 73, 8.221; 17. Mark Zumbrun, 35z, 8.237; 18. Jack Spence, 2js, 8.251; 19. Howard McCormick, 26m, 8.265; 20. Amanda Quinones, 00q, 8.273; 21. Richard Smith, 12, 8.300; 22. Gary Klein, 68, 8.307; 23. Rusty Strausbaugh, 29, 8.316; 24. Jake Wright, 59t, 8.335; 25. Trent Wilson, 7w, 8.337; 26. Dave Williams, 3, 8.345; 27. Russ Belt, 19, 8.404; 28. Harold Johnson, 12m, 8.436; 29. Jason Ormsby, 51o, 8.472; 30. Tim Moore, 55, 8.542; 31. Nick Wilson, 77w, 8.585; 32. Dennis Veach, 13, 8.617; 33. Jason Holibaugh, 04, 8.631; 34. Brent Turner, 51t, 8.632; 35. Roger Ritchey, 25r, 8.639; 36. Dean Gaerte, 15, 8.656; 37. Kevin Stephenson, 9, 8.725; 38. Brett Smith, 25s, 8.726; 39. Dakota Jackson, 3d, 8.765; 40. Ryan Nawrocki, 5n, 8.852; 41. Bill Dunham, 84, 8.861; 42. Jeremy Glasford, 11, 8.971; 43. Steve Myers, 88, 8.974; 44. Cole Ketcham, 41, 9.049; 45. Cheryl Erwin, 00e, 9.083; 46. Tom Noel, 32, 9.207; 47. Halen Shafer, 36s, 9.273; 48. Junior Gould, 65, 9.332; 49. Aaron Farney, 50, 9.546; 50. Chris Malaterre, 79, 9.811; 51. Marc Orr, 77, 10.489; 52. Cody Parrah, 89, NT; 53. Matt Palmer, 40, NT; 54. Chase Briscoe, 88m, NT.
First heat (8 laps) -- Payne, Ivy, McClure, Ri. Smith, Williams, N. Wilson, Dunham, Noel, Orr, D. Gaerte, Morgan.
Second heat (8 laps) -- Rudolph, Osite, Zumbrun, Veach, Klein, Henry, Belt.
Third heat (8 laps) -- Spence, B. Gaerte, Sroufe, Ry. Smith, Strausbaugh, B. Smith, Myers, Gould, Johnson, Glasford.
Fourth heat (8 laps) -- Iles, Broderick II, Wright, McCormick, Jackson, Turner, Farney.
Fifth heat (8 laps) -- Robinson, Lesiecki, T. Wilson, Nawrocki, Ritchey, Quinones.
First consolation (8 laps) -- Sroufe, Morgan, McClure, Ritchey, Strausbaugh, B. Smith, Ketcham, Malaterre, Williams, Dunham, Quinones.
Second consolation (8 laps) -- Shirey, Ri. Smith, Belt, Jackson, Erwin, Belt, Zumbrun, Holibaugh, Gould, Wright.
Third consolation (8 laps) -- Ry. Smith, Parrah, T. Wilson, Turner, Noel, Klein, Nawrocki, Myers, N. Wilson, McCormick, Farney.
Feature (50 laps) -- 1. John Ivy; 2. Larry Joe Sroufe; 3. Joey Payne; 4. Mike Osite; 5. Danny Shirey; 6. Aaron McClure; 7. Ben Gaerte; 8. Mike Illes; 9. Jimmy Broderick II; 10. Ryan Smith; 11. Erick Rudolph; 12. Jack Spence; 13. Cody Parrah; 14. Cap Henry; 15. Richard Smith; 16. A.J. Lesiecki; 17. Daniel Robinson; 18, Timex Morgan.
 

Teams  came to Fort Wayne with wild set ups on their race cars.. 

Payne Looks to Capitalize on Rumble Success to Repeat
at Upcoming Gambler's Classic
Fairlawn, NJ:  Joey Payne, Jr. of Fairlawn, NJ, ushered in the New Year just the way he resolved to do - aboard an open-wheel racing machine. Payne intends to continue his off-season racing by winning his second-straight Atlantic City classic title later this month.

Payne posted a pair of top-five finishes over the weekend of Friday, December 28 & Saturday, December 29, 2007 in a 600cc winged Midget for owner Jim Morgan in the Rumble at the Fort Wayne Memorial Coliseum Expo Center in Fort Wayne, IN. After qualifying sixth in time trials on Friday night, the Northeastern Midget Association (NEMA) regular finished second in heat race followed by a fourth-place finish in the 50-lap feature.  Payne picked it up on Saturday night by turning fast time in 600cc division qualifying and winning his heat race. A third-place finish in Saturday’s feature concluded a very successful weekend. 

Payne is no stranger to indoor racing victories. He has captured both the Niagara Falls Indoor and the Atlantic City “Gamblers” championships twice. He looks to carry the momentum over from Fort Wayne to Atlantic City. Payne is in search of back-to-back victories in the "Gambler's Classic" Indoor Auto Race at the Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall on January 18&19, 2008.

The 2007 “Gambler’s Classic” winner will be back with the same package that he had when he beat out Lou Cicconi last January. Payne will pilot a Three-Quarter (TQ) Midget for owner Colin Martin. Crew Chief Allan Mollot will turn the wrenches in search of the repeat. Sponsors of this year’s efforts will come from Spitfire TQ Midgets and Bell Helmets.

During the off-season, Payne has worked closely with Hoosier Racing tires to help develop an improved new indoor tire.

“I owe a lot to Hoosier Racing Tire for their support of my indoor racing in the past,” said Payne. “Recently, I had the opportunity to pay them back a little bit.  I worked with product manger Irish Saunders and the engineers with compounds and tire sizes to develop an indoor "Little Car” tire that should prove to be fast and effective for all of us at Atlantic City this year.”

If Payne was a gambling man, he just might put his money on his own team. 

“I love coming to Boardwalk Hall to race,” continued Payne. “This place is fun and fast and it has so much history.  And I really enjoy racing with Colin, Allan and the guys.  I think that we have what it takes to win this thing again.”
Payne will have to best the likes of arch-rival Lou Cicconi, who he has locked horns with on a number of occasions at Atlantic City and otherwise; fellow NEMA contender Randy Cabral and his International Supermodified Association (ISMA) rival Mike Litchey; and up-and-comer Jimmy Broderick III. Along with the likes of Ted Christopher, Rick Eckert, Ken Schrader, Mike Tidaback, and the popular and talented father-son duos of Jeff Heotzler Sr. & Jr. and Billy Pauch, Sr. and Jr., Payne will even have to vie for supremacy against his own brother Johnny Payne.