FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Audio and story by Race Chaser Online Managing Editor Jacob Seelman – Chris Seelman photo –
After an opening night that saw all three of the potent Randy Burrow Racing national midgets miss the Rumble in Fort Wayne A-Feature, Billy Wease made sure that his team owner would not be denied again during Sunday afternoon’s matinee finale.
And this time, there was a bonus involved too – in the form of a trip to victory lane.
Wease started from the outside of the front row and patiently waited behind polesitter Matt Westfall for the first 15 circuits of the 40 lap main event, weathering a lap 10 caution for a spinning Geoff Kaiser before making his move.
At the 16th round, he stuck the nose to the inside entering turn one and surged to the point with a daring pass, but it was a move that stuck and allowed him to charge away from the field.
Despite two additional yellows, including a final one for Joe Ligouri’s spin in turn three that set up a four-lap dash to the finish, Wease powered home for his fifth career Rumble in Fort Wayne victory and first since opening night in 2012.
“This one’s pretty special; it was a pretty good day,” smiled Wease, who has scored all five of his Rumble victories in a Randy Burrow-owned car. “After yesterday, this is such a good feeling for the entire team. That was a bad day; nothing went right. Today though, everything went just how it needed to. We were on a mission and set to get it done, and we did just that.”
The win moves Wease one step closer to three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart’s all-time mark of nine victories in Fort Wayne, a record Wease hopes to be able to match while racing head-to-head with ‘Smoke’ in the coming years.
“Tony’s been fast every year he’s come and raced here. I’ve always dreamed of coming in here, racing head-to-head with him and coming out on top. It hasn’t happened yet, but hopefully one day soon it will and we can make it a great battle.”
Bryan Nuckles finished second – tying his best career Rumble effort after consistency notched him the points title one year ago – and Derek Bischak put on a spirited charge after winning the first of two Last Chance Showdowns, coming from 11th to end the night in third.
“I think I had a car that was capable of contending for the win,” Bischak, who won the finale feature in 2012, said of his machine. “Unfortunately, with starting 11th, I just had to use up the right front getting through there and didn’t have quite enough to get by Nuckles for second.”
“Even though we didn’t get the last break we needed to get all the way up there, it was still a good night for the team and we’re looking forward to coming back next year.
Kyle O’Gara finished fourth in his first Rumble A-Main appearance over three prior attempts, and two-time Rumble winner Justin Peck overcame an ill-handling race car to round out the top five.
Night one winner Russ Gamester could only muster a sixth-place result in the end, just ahead of true Rumble rookie Tyler Roahrig. Westfall, who started on the pole, faded to eighth after Wease overhauled him for the lead.
Husband and wife combo Joe and Lynsey Ligouri both made the A-main for the second time as a duo, following their 2013 finale night performance, and finished ninth and 11th, respectively.
The night’s most serious moment came before feature action ever got underway, on the opening lap of heat one for the midgets. JP Crabtree spun coming down the backstretch and washed up the track into the path of Dameron Taylor, who made contact with Crabtree and launched into the catchfence.
While Taylor was uninjured in the crash, two track workers were struck as the car took a large section of the protective fencing down before coming to rest. Both were transported offsite to a local hospital for treatment and observation. Repairs to the fence took roughly a half hour before racing was able to resume.
In addition to the national midgets, full programs were also held for the winged and non-winged 600cc modified midgets, go-karts and quarter midgets. For results and audio from the other preliminary features, click here.
Of note, Doc Hathaway – car owner for winged 600cc outlaw midget competitor Peter Hathaway – was presented with the second annual David Lesiecki Award for Untiring Dedication and Devotion to Motorsports following the conclusion of the night’s racing action.
The award was created in 2014 to honor the late Lesiecki, who passed away prior to last year’s Rumble and was instrumental in the operation and success of the quarter midget class at the event for many years. His wife Diana and sons A.J. and Jonathan, who also race 600cc midgets at the Rumble, have continued to operate the quarter midget program behind the scenes since his passing.
“This is a very special award and it’s an honor to receive it,” said Hathaway, a retired engineering professor. “I had the pleasure of knowing David for many years, and watched both what he put into the sport and what he put into his children as their love for racing was formed growing up.”
“I worked with David during his days with the supermodified program, and Peter also got to experience that passion when he competed in quarter midgets. It’s always been fun and I’ve been glad and humbled to continue the family relationship in recent years.”
“We created this award in honor of the man David was, and present it every year to someone who both best exemplifies David’s bull-headedness (laughs), and more importantly, has a desire to put racing ahead of himself at any risk or cost,” new event promoter Larry Boos added. “Doc Hathaway is that kind of person and he is a proud example of the spirit that the Rumble strives to inspire every year among all in attendance.”
The 19th annual Rumble in Fort Wayne moves back to New Year’s Eve weekend and returns to its traditional Friday-Saturday lineup, with racing action on Dec. 30-31.
For more information, visit www.rumbleseries.com.
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RESULTS: Rumble Racing Series; 18th annual Rumble in Fort Wayne; Allen County War Memorial Coliseum; Sunday, Dec. 27, 2015
National Midget Heat #1 (8 laps; two transfer): 1. Lynsey Ligouri, 2. Geoff Kaiser, 3. Derek Bischak, 4. J.P. Crabtree, 5. Heath Roberts, 6. Dameron Taylor
National Midget Heat #2 (8 laps; two transfer): 1. Kyle O’Gara, 2. Matt Westfall, 3. Joe Ligouri, 4. Chris Neuenschwander, 5. Austin Nemire, 6. Cory Guingrich
National Midget Heat #3 (8 laps; two transfer): 1. Justin Peck, 2. Billy Wease, 3. Dave Darland, 4. Tyler Roahrig, 5. Tony Main, 6. Chris Jagger Jr.
National Midget Heat #4 (8 laps; two transfer): 1. Nick Landon, 2. Russ Gamester, 3. Jim Anderson, 4. Stratton Briggs, Alex Watson, 6. Taylor Jagger.
National Midget Heat #5 (8 laps; two transfer): 1. Cory Setser, 2. Bryan Nuckles, 3. Rich Corson, 4. Justin Grant. DQ: Grant Galloway.
National Midget LCQ #1 (12 laps; two transfer): 1. Derek Bischak, 2. Tyler Roahrig, 3. Austin Nemire, 4. Alex Watson, 5. Cory Guingrich, 6. Taylor Jagger, 7. Stratton Briggs, 8. Justin Grant (DNS), 9. Rich Corson (DNS)
National Midget LCQ #2 (12 laps; two transfer): 1. Chris Neuenschwander, 2. Joe Ligouri, 3. Dave Darland, 4. Jim Anderson, 5. J.P. Crabtree, 6. Chris Jagger Jr., 7. Tony Main, 8. Heath Roberts (DNS), 9. Dameron Taylor (DNS).
National Midget Feature (50 laps): 1. Billy Wease (fifth career win; first since 2012), 2. Bryan Nuckles, 3. Derek Bischak, 4. Kyle O’Gara, 5. Justin Peck, 6. Russ Gamester, 7. Tyler Roahrig, 8. Matt Westfall, 9. Joe Ligouri, 10. Chris Neuenschwander, 11. Lynsey Ligouri, 12. Nick Landon, 13. Geoff Kaiser, 14. Cory Setser.
Lap Leaders: Westfall 1-15, Wease 16-40.
Audio with race winner Billy Wease:
Audio with third-place Derek Bischak:
Audio with seventh-place Tyler Roahrig:
Audio with 12th-place Nick Landon:
Audio with David Lesiecki Award recipient Doc Hathaway:
About the Writer
Jacob Seelman is the Managing Editor of Race Chaser Online and creator of the Motorsports Madness radio show, airing at 7 p.m. Eastern every Monday on the Performance Motorsports Network. Seelman grew up in the sport, watching his grandparents co-own the RaDiUs Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series team in the 1990s.
The 21-year-old is currently studying Broadcast Journalism at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., and is also serving as the full-time tour announcer for both the United Sprint Car Series and the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series.
Email Jacob at: [email protected]
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