Indycar star Marco Andretti to make appearance at Allentown indoor race
IndyCar star Marco Andretti will be an interested spectator at the PPL Center in Allentown, Pa., on Friday, January 5 and Saturday, January 6 when the Ironton Telephone/ Avaya Indoor Auto Racing fueled by VP events are held.
Marco, a third-generation racer from the legendary Andretti family from nearby Nazareth, will be a spectator for the Indoor Auto Racing Series event but plans to test drive a Three Quarter (TQ) Midget during the weekend. The 30 year-old has been offered the chance to drive a car that will be in competition at the event by one of his friends, Kyle Lick of Lehighton, Pa.
While fans won’t get a chance to see him compete against a field of 50 other drivers in the TQ Midget division, they will have an opportunity to get his autograph. Marco has volunteered to join all the weekend competitors to meet fans and sign free autographs during Fan Fest which opens the Saturday evening program from 5:30 to 6:30.
At that time, those with free Fan Fest tickets will allowed on to the racing floor of the center to get a close up look at all the race cars competing that night as well as collect autographs. These free Fan Fest tickets are available by clicking the “Fan Fest option” when ordering tickets on-line or when purchasing them at the box office.
TQ Midget racing and Indoor Auto Racing competition are nothing new to the Andretti family. Marco’s grandfather Mario Andretti won a TQ event inside N.J.’s Teaneck Armory in 1962. He also won in the TQ Midgets outdoors at N.J.’s Pine Brook Stadium before embarking on his legendary, internationally known Hall of Fame career.
Marco began racing in Go-karts at the former Flemington, N.J. Speedway, on an infield road course. He quickly advanced to become the youngest ever IndyCar driver at the age of 19 as a teammate to his father Michael.
Since then, Marco has won two IndyCar events. He’ll be driving again next year for the Andretti Herta Autosports team. While he is restricted by contract not to compete in the TQ Midget events, he is allowed to test that car and is eager for the opportunity.
The January 5-6, 2018 Ironton Telephone Allentown event schedule calls for racing to start at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and 7 p.m. on Saturday. TQ Midgets will run a full program of racing with feature events both nights.
On Friday, the TQs will be joined by the Champ Karts who will be racing in a complete show. Then on Saturday the Three Quarter Midgets will be joined Slingshots backed by the Action Track USA Kutztown, PA Fairgrounds.
For tickets, contact the PPL Center Box Office by phone at 610-347-TIXX (8499), online at pplcenter.com. Those wishing to avoid online fees may purchase directly at the Box Office, but are encouraged to do so in advance to avoid possible box office lines the day of the event.
The series moves to the NAPA Auto Parts Indoor Auto Racing Weekend at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. For tickets, contact the Boardwalk Hall Box Office or the Area Auto Racing News office at 609888-3618.
The finale 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.
Information including ticket and hotel links is available at indoorautoracing.com.
David Gravel’s Sprint car racing season went from very good to outstanding in 2017. The rising star of the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series kicked off his season with a win in the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions Sprint car race at Volusia Speedway Park in Barbourville, Florida and then closed it out with a huge win in the in the Textron Off Road World of Outlaws World Finals at the Dirt Track.
Gravel and his CJB Motorsports team, owned by Chad and Jenn Clemens, will part of the Pioneer Pole Buildings Motorsports 2018 Racecar and Trade Show Presented by Sunoco and Fueled by Insinger Performance at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA January 19-21.
The win at Charlotte put Gravel third in the final World of Outlaw standings. Overall during the season he won 18 WoO features and a total of 20 features. The Connecticut racer, a fast rising star in Sprint car racing, earned 72 top-10 finishes out of 86 races entered. He led a total of 421 laps.
One of the team’s rare disappointments came on Sprint Car racing’s biggest stage. While leading this year’s $150,000 to win Knoxville (Iowa) Nationals the motor blew. The team rebounded quickly by winning the Williams Grove (PA) Speedway National Open to pocket $50,000.
“We obviously still have the goals of winning an Outlaws championship, a Knoxville Nationals title and a Kings Royal. We have identified areas where we can do better,” said Gravel recently.
Unique will be the opportunity for show attendees to meet Gravel on Saturday afternoon and collect an autograph while hearing him talk about his great season and plans for 2018 in a casual setting near the team display. CJB Motorsports will have one of their new GoMuddy. com. Big Game Treestands sponsored No. 5 410 Sprint Cars and their hauler on display and will be open for tours.
The team will be debuting a new sponsor, Wiekert’s Livestock, who will join C&S Lawn & Landscape, Nyce Crete and Landis Block and Concrete, Bair’s Tree Service, J.R.C. Transportation and Ecynbro Trucking on his year’s race cars.
Gravel will be honored by the Area Auto Racing News on Saturday along with other top Northeast winners.
The group will include top Northeast dirt Modified and overall biggest winner Matt Sheppard at the stage prior to the evening’s Oliver Construction sponsored Ms. Motorsports competition at 6:30 p.m. along with overall top winner and top Modified winner Matt Sheppard at the stage prior to the Saturday evening Mr. Motorsports competition.