01/17/18 - Atlantic City Racing News

NASCAR MODIFIED TOUR ACE TIMMY SOLOMITO ENTERS NAPA KNOW HOW RACING WEEKEND IN ATLANTIC CITY, JAN. 26-27


NASCAR Whelen Modified Touring Series driver Timmy Solomito charges into NAPA Know How Weekend In Atlantic City. NJ secure in the knowledge that he can only do better than he did in his first attempt at conquering his Three Quarter (TQ) Midget rivals inside the city’s historic Boardwalk Hall.

“I had a good car last year, but to be honest, the driver struggled,” Solomito, 26, of Islip, Long Island, N.Y. said.

“With a year of experience behind me, and a different car to drive, I’m sure I can make the Gambler’s Classic field. Then I’ll see what I can do.”

For the Classic, Solomito will drive a Mark Lafler chassis outfitted with a Dave Pippard built engine. The car is an upstate New York piece owed by Joe Brainard. It’s the same car that Tommy Catalano nearly won with in 2017 in the Indoor Auto Racing Series feature at Allentown, PA.

“I look at running TQs indoors as a way of staying sharp, getting the rust off before the outdoor season starts,” Solomito offered. “Last year was a little frustrating. This year will be much better,” Solomito predicted.

Part of Solomito’s enthusiasm comes from his longtime friend and competitor Justin Bonsignore’s recent indoor win in Allentown, PA earlier this month. Bonsignore had never won an Indoor race before.

Nevertheless, the prestigious Gambler’s Classic is a difficult race to win. In fifteen previous runnings, only eight men have won the race. Only one of them, the late Ted Christopher, was a rival of Solomito’s on the NASCAR Modified Touring Series circuit.

Solomito won five NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour events in 2017 and finished second in points. Bonsignore was third in the standings.

The quest for victory in the prestigious Gambler’s Classic will begin when the NAPA Know How weekend begins on Friday, January 26th, with TQ Midgets racing in four 20 lap events that will determine the front end of the starting lineup for Saturday’s Gambler’s Classic.

The unpredictable Slingshots and agile Champ Karts will also run Friday night events that set their grids for Saturday.

NAPA Know How Weekend moves into high gear on Saturday, January 27 with the running of the 16th annual Gambler’s Classic TQ Midget 40-lap main event. Champ Karts and Slingshots will run 25-lap features on Saturday.

On Friday, January 26th, doors will open for spectators at 6:00 PM with racing starting at 7:30 PM.

The Saturday schedule calls for doors to open at 5:00 PM with racing starting at 7:00 PM.

The early opening of the Boardwalk Hall doors Saturday is to allow fans for extra time to visit ‘Fan Fest’, a fun and exciting time for fans of all ages to meet the drivers and car owners, have their souvenir programs and event shirts autographed and have pictures taken with their favorites before the racing starts

For tickets, contact Ticketmaster, the Boardwalk Hall Box Office, or the Area Auto Racing News office at 609-888-3618.

The finale Series will be a first annual event in New York State, on February 9-10, 2018 in the Times Union Center in downtown Albany, N.Y. For choice tickets, contact the Times Union Center Box Office, charge-by-phone at (800) 745-3000, or visit online at ticketmaster.com.



Ernie Saxton