FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Report and photo by Race Chaser Online Managing Editor Jacob Seelman —

Mike Fedorcak will get a chance to race a National Midget at the 2014 Rumble in Fort Wayne after all.

Fedorcak, a winner at the Rumble in 2002 and the builder of the famous Munchkin chassis, was tapped to replace fellow chassis specialist Mike Streicher behind the wheel of the Russ Belt Racing/Widow Wax No. 19 Munchkin following Streicher’s qualifying run.

Streicher, who recently underwent back surgery, said he felt uncomfortable in the car during his run due to the vibrations in the racing seat, but still managed to put down an 8.3 second lap in qualifying after getting behind the wheel for the first time in three years earlier today.

“He just wasn’t feeling comfortable in the car when he went out,” Streicher’s son Rich said in the Munchkin pit area. “Some of the vibrations were messing with his back and he figured it was better not to push his luck. He still laid down a great lap in qualifying though for not having been in the car in quite a while,” the younger Streicher laughed.

Fedorcak is simply excited to have a chance to race one of his cars again at the Rumble.

“I didn’t think this was going to happen this morning when I got here and now, here we go,” Fedorcak smiled. “We finished second in a borrowed car last year. Maybe we can make some magic happen again.”

Fedorcak replaces Streicher, who replaced Russ Belt in the car originally this morning after Belt withdrew due to an aggravated neck injury after a crash in one of last night’s consolation features.