FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The Autocraft VW engine which once dominated USAC midget racing has long been outmoded by a variety of more powerful (and more expensive) engines for most purposes, but its light weight and abundant low-end torque make it the powerplant of choice for racing on a flat concrete floor.
The entry list showed 19 VWs, and they powered seven of the 14 feature qualifiers on Friday and eight of 14 on Saturday.
Also represented were a couple of other variations on the midget power theme, the Yamaha-powered Kenyon midgets found in Indiana, and USAC’s nationwide Ford Focus division. Brandon Knupp was third, and best non-VW, with his Yamaha in Friday’s event.

• More second generations of familiar racing names were noted among the non-qualifiers at the Rumble. Dillon Welch, running as a teammate to Mel Kenyon, is the son of Indianapolis-based ABC and ESPN sportscaster Vince Welch, while Cale Conley is the son of former ASA driver Dr. Yale Conley.

• Harvard undergraduate Matt Estep couldn’t buy a break Saturday night. He spun out while in a qualifying spot in his heat, then lost his consolation starting spot for not observing the requirement that refueling must be done outside the building. He ran a few laps in the consi before pulling in.

n Total entries for the Rumble, including karts and quarter midgets, numbered more than 400. Despite the huge number of events, the fans were sent home both nights by 11 p.m.

• When Tony Stewart crashed out of the feature on Friday, the grandstand exodus began. Comparisons offered on press row were Dale, Jr. dropping out at Talladega or both Ferraris retiring at Monza. Saturday was just the opposite, as hundreds stayed around to savor the moment.

• Billy Wease, a developmental driver for Penske Racing competing again in the Rumble in Fort Wayne, is planning a move to Las Vegas from his home in the South. Wease, a native of Noblesville, Ind., will be competing in the NASCAR West stock-car division in 2008 with occasional outing in the Western Speed Toyota midget.

• A silent auction of memorabilia to benefit the Kenny Irwin, Jr. Memorial Foundation generated $1,233. Items, many autographed, included photos, books, die-cast cars and clothing.

• Fourteen-year-old Drew Charlson of New Bremen, Ohio, brought his ARCA RE/MAX stock car to display in the Indy Fan Zone area of the 10th annual Rumble in Fort Wayne. Charlson, a regular competitor in the Kenyon Car regional series during the summer, cannot compete in his stock car until he turns 16.
 
• When Rich Corson took to the track, fans found themselves wondering which car he was wheeling. Corson’s car owner, Steve Savage, has traditionally ran a white-and-blue color scheme with a No. 15. While the car number was the same, the car — a new “used” Spike — sported a black paint job similar to that used by Tony Stewart, Mike Fedorcak and several other racers. Savage conceded he had difficulty spotting his own car when ran under those colors at Grundy County Speedway in Morris, Ill., earlier this year.

• Tyler Nuckles, 17-year-old son of former USAC Indoor Midget champion Jeff Nuckles, made his first start in a midget at the wheel of Dick Myers’s Kalamazoo Twister. Though he would like more opportunities to race a midget, Nuckles said lack of monetary resources will prevent it. Nuckles missed the feature on Friday but earned his first-ever start in a USAC feature after a spirited battle with Matt Westfall for the final transfer spot Saturday night. He later dropped out with mechanical problems.

• Multi-time 600 Winged Modified Midget winner John Ivy had his string of six straight feature wins at Fort Wayne broken on Friday night when Erick Rudoph of Ransomville, N.Y., won the main event. Ivy returned to victory lane on Saturday night.

• The 600 Winged Modified Midget division attracted drivers from as far away as Delaware and Connecticut, along with a strong field from Indiana, Ohio and Illinois.

• Stewart sported an open-face helmet and bandana during Friday’s practice session before switching to a full-face helmet during the race.