ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — The venue was the Jersey shore in January, not the Arizona desert in February, but as far as Mike Tidaback was concerned, he won the Super Bowl Saturday night at Boardwalk Hall.
Tidaback, the 39-year-old ATQMRA veteran who first watched the indoor midget races here with his dad in 1973, led the second half of the 40-lap Gamblers Classic to earn $5,000 at the wheel of his Petty blue No. 43, a 1993 Lindblad roadster with 750 c.c. Suzuki power. It was his first Atlantic City victory and his third indoor triumph.
Defending race winner Joey Payne was credited with second by inches over Tim Adams, who spun across the line after a last-corner bid to pass Tidaback. The top three drove Suzuki-powered TQ midgets, with Payne wheeling an upright Hyper chassis and Adams a newer version of the Lindblad roadster.
Bobby Santos III led both the 600 c.c. micro sprints and the out-of-state driving contingent by coming home fourth, ahead of Frank Polimeda, who won C and B mains to advance into the feature with the only two-stroke TQ in the field.
Typical of racing on the concrete floor of the cavernous hall where Miss America used to be crowned, the feature was a full contact affair with starter Warren Alston waving the yellow flag on a dozen occasions.
Ironcially, it was the only significant green-flag run, which proved decisive. Tidaback, who started fifth, passed polesitter James Michael Friesen for second on a lap-10 restart, just as fast qualifier Billy Pauch took fourth. For 10 green flag laps, he stalked leader Adams until they caught the tail of the field. Tidaback took the hazardous outside line and made it stick, but not without some contact.
“I was lucky to get past Tim in traffic,” the winner related. “I was sideways at the start-finish line to make the pass.”
Adams’s last-turn move sent him spinning down the frontstretch, losing second to Payne and getting thumped soundly by Polimeda after both had taken the flag.
“I had to try it. It was the last lap for $5,000,” Adams said.
Both support division features were won from deep in the field. Richie Tobias, the builder of the slingshot cars, showed his customers the fast way around after starting 22nd and spinning to the tail at mid-race. He passed Bobby Baker with two laps to go and led Ryan Smith and Baker to the checkered flag.
Chris Daley took the champ kart honors from 21st in the lineup.
The 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.