Four Past ARDC Champs Enter East Coast Dirt Nationals In Trenton

Story By: ERNIE SAXTON / SAMMONS PRODUCTIONS – TRENTON, NJ – Get your tickets now, don’t risk standing in line, the inaugural East Coast Indoor Dirt Nationals Fueled By VP Racing Fuels is going to be huge!

The event, the only indoor dirt oval track race in the northeast, will be held at CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton, N.J., on Friday and Saturday, December 1st and 2nd and race fans can’t wait to see the action.

Rich black clay has been ordered and the track crew is preparing to make it banked, smooth, tacky and fast. Race teams have responded by entering their 600cc Micro Sprints for top drivers in big numbers making this a must see event.

Four ARDC Midget car driving championship: Alex Bright, Trevor Kobylarz, Steve and Tim Buckwalter all have eyes on contending for the $5,000 first place prize.

Bright, of Collegeville, PA., the 2016 ARDC driving champion, has entered as the driver for the No. 20 car owned by Greg Stevens of Phillipsburg, N.J. Bright wrapped up the 2017 season ranked second on ARDC series standings.

Kobylarz, of Birdsboro, PA., won the 2013 ARDC title. He will be driving a car owned by Ian Borden of Lakewood, N.J. Kobylarz was eighth in 2017 ARDC standings.

All four drivers bring a wealth of experience in 600 Micro racing, having refined their talents in Micros. Each could be expected to have an edge over the competitors who do not have their background.

Steve Buckwalter from Royersford, PA. is a full-time 410 Sprint Car driver with a winning background in both Midgets and Micro Sprints. The 2010 ARDC Midget Car series champion will be driving the Royalton Recycling / BDB Graphics No. 74 in Trenton.

Steve’s cousin, Tim is coming off an outstanding championship season at Pa.’s Kutztown Speedway in SpeedSTR and 600c Micro Sprint competition. Timmy, the 2012 ARDC champion, is one of racing’s more versatile drivers. He won a dirt Modified feature this season as well and is a regular competitor in TQ Midget competition on the Indoor Auto Racing series.

Tim will be competing at the dirt event and the three Indoor series races held in three states on concrete floors driving for Lou Cicconi, a three time ARDC Midget driver champion in 1991, 93, 94.

Entries have already been received from competitors in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, Colorado, Connecticut, North Carolina, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

The field includes the best of Micro Sprint racing, plus top drivers from many other forms or racing that have landed rides for the event. The list includes three top Sprint Car drivers.

Ryan Smith of Kunkletown, Pa., who finished second in Tony Stewart’s All Star 410 Sprint Car series this year, has announced his attentions to compete. So has New York state 360 Sprint car drivers Scott Kreuetter and Joe Trenca.

In response to the all-new nature of the event and the wide array of drivers who have entered, Sammons has added a Thursday night practice session to the schedule. The session will take place on Thursday, November 30.

Though the East Coast Indoor Nationals is a brand new event, the CURE Insurance Arena (formerly Sun National Bank Center), has hosted TQ Midget racing for the past four years on the arena’s concrete floor.

The race, the first of its kind in New Jersey, is being produced by Len Sammons Motorsports Productions as one of four Indoor Auto Racing Series Fueled By VP Racing Fuels events. It will be the only race of the events held being run on a clay surface and it will not count towards the overall series point championship.

The racing schedule will tentatively call for heat races with passing points and four A-qualifier feature races on Friday night. On Saturday it will be “alphabet mains,” with racers having the opportunity to advance from F, E, D, C and B-mains to the 40 lap “A” feature.

The agenda calls for racing to start at 7 p.m. on Friday and 5 p.m. on Saturday.

Saturday’s A-main will pay its winner $5,000 to win (for those enrolled in the Gamblers program). Fifth place pays $1,000. Twenty four starters will take the green flag in the A-main, with $200 offered to start the event.