Nearly Back Where it all Began

This weekend the TQ Midgets are racing for the first time in Baltimore, Maryland, indoors at the 1st Mariner Arena. This is perhaps the closest that the TQs have gotten to their roots in more than 60 years.

There is a large, run-down building next to the tracks near Union Station in Washington, D.C., 35 miles from the 1st Mariner Arena. In this building commuters park their cars in the morning and leave in the evening without pausing to take a look around. People walk by without a glance. Train passengers look out the window and think nothing of it. But it holds a signficant place in history... and in racing history.

The Uline Arena

It was called the Washington Coliseum when the Beatles performed their first U.S. concert here. Concerts, ice hockey, basketball, circuses, political rallies and much more are all a part of the history of the building that first opened as the Uline Arena in 1941. And when the Tom Thumb Midget Association, the organization that evolved to become the ATQMRA, staged its first-ever race, it did so in the Uline Arena.

It was November 20, 1950, when Tony Bonadies won the Tom Thumb Midget Association’s first race, indoors at the Uline Arena.

Tony Bonadies (Photo courtesy Ron Lauer)

The building was constructed by Miguel L. Uline for his professional ice hockey team, the Washington Lions. It was built along the tracks leading to Union Station in an area now known as NoMa (North of Massachusetts). Uline Arena was also home to the Washington Capitols of the Basketball Association of America, a team which was coached by Red Auerbach prior to his move to Boston.

But it wasn't until jewelry wholesaler Harry G. Lynn bought the arena in 1959, renamed it the Washington Coliseum, and made it a place for concerts that the place became world famous. That's because the Beatles performed their first U.S. concert there on February 11, 1964. Concerts featuring everyone from the Woody Herman Orchestra to the Royal Ballet to Bob Dylan were presented at the arena.

The Beatles perform where TQs had performed before

Newer venues later cut into the arena’s business, and by 1987 there was a planned $17.5 million renovation featuring convention space, a chapel, schools, and radio and TV studios for a faith-based organization. But these plans never same to fruition, and in 1994 the building was converted into, of all things, a trash transfer station.

Finally, following new regulations governing the handling of garbage, the building became the dismal parking garage that it is today.

The decaying interior of the Uline Arena today

Through the years there have been an remarkable array of events at the arena, including such diverse uses as an inaugural gala for President Eisenhower in 1953, and as a holding cell for many of the 12,000 people arrested during protests of the Vietnam War in 1971. But now, the only hope for the first race track on which the Tom Thumb TQ Midgets raced is yet another redevelopment plan, which currently is stalled, at best, due to today’s economic conditions.

A redevelopment concept for the Uline Arena

Perhaps one day the building will be restored to its former glory, since the neighborhood surrounding it is being redeveloped. It happened when Convention Hall in Atlantic City was renovated into Boardwalk Hall. It would be great to see the history of the Uline Arena honored and preserved while moving forward with a 21st century renovation.

Wally & Ray

Joe Macfarlan of 3WidesPictureVault.com grabbed this shot of Ray Evernham (right) pointing out a detail on his Modified to Wally Dallenbach, Senior (left) and Wally Dallenbach, Junior (center) at Wall Stadium's Turkey Derby this past Saturday.

What does this have to do with the ATQMRA? Plenty.

Ray Evernham, of course, achieved national fame as a championship-winning crew chief for Jeff Gordon in NASCAR, and then shepherded the re-introduction of the Dodge brand to NASCAR racing. But as most people in our region know, Evernham got his start in racing in the stock cars at Wall Stadium.

Wally Dallenbach, Sr., got his start on the short tracks of New Jersey before making it to the Indy 500, where he competed on 13 occasions with a best finish of fourth in both 1976 and 1977. Before Indy, Dallenbach raced not only at Wall Stadium but at long-gone tracks such as Old Bridge, and he raced both stock cars and open-cockpit cars. After retiring from competition, the senior Dallenbach forged a solid reputation as the Chief Steward for the Indy cars under the CART banner.

But what these two gentlemen also have in common is that they raced with the ATQMRA, Dallenbach in the early 1960s and Evernham in the late 1980s.

Both men were on hand at Wall Stadium for the unveiling of the restored XL-1 Modified, which Evernham resuscitated because of the memories he had of watching Dallenbach and others race the car. It was quite an event, with a huge throng gathered around, and once the car was revealed Dallenbach couldn’t take his eyes off it. We saw him more than once simply touch the car with his fingers, as if to confirm that it was really there.

The photo below is beautifully evocative, as Dallenbach, wearing his signature hat, took some slow laps around Wall Stadium in the restored car.

Victorious Vintage Vehicle

Last year, the oldest driver in the field won the Turkey Derby. This year, it was the oldest car.

In this photo, Greg and Kyle McGowan flank Joe Payne, Jr., after Joe won Saturday’s ATQMRA Turkey Derby feature at Wall Stadium... driving a car that is old enough to be Vintage Club eligible!

Alan Mollot’s #51 was built in 1981, and a car needs to be 30 years old to be eligible to participate with the Vintage Club. Trouble is, a car also needs to be retired from active competition to be eligible to participate with the Vintage Club, and as long as this car continues to win what motivation does Alan have to retire it?

I am sure that there are plenty of other racers who wish Alan would retire the car... so that they could have a better chance at winning!

By the way, Joe Payne came verrrry close to winning the main event for the Dirt-style modifieds later in the afternoon, finishing a hard-fought second in a ride he picked up for the day.

Wall Weekend

But with the ATQMRA's annual appearance at Wall Stadium's "Turkey Derby" upon us, it seemed appropriate to post this Ace Lane photo from last year's event.  The Turkey Derby is an ATQMRA tradition that goes back 35 years.

While for many years the TQs were relegated to a supporting role on Friday, since Cliff Krause has taken over the management of the speedway the ATQMRA has enjoyed a starring role on Saturday, in the sunshine before an overflow crowd.  Mr Krause loves the speed and the competitiveness of the TQs, and he has continued and enhanced the ATQMRA's long history at the track.  The ATQMRA has raced every year at Wall Stadium for well over 50 years!

If, however, you think that there is not enough "Vintage" in this photo, just remember that the 2011 race pictured was won by the oldest driver in the field.  Robin Johnston, who himself dates back to the mid-1950s, bested all the young 'uns last year!

Full House

Jim Smith sent along this photo from the awards banquet this past Sunday, and as you can see, combining the banquets of the contemporary ATQMRA and the Vintage Club resulted in a full house!

It was cool too, to acknowledge the pioneers of TQ racing while at the same time honoring the young drivers of today.  Ryan Tidman repeated as ATQMRA champion for 2012, driving a car owned by Lenny and Donna Boyd.  Lenny's father, was a top car owner in the ATQMRA decades ago, and Lenny himself is a past TQ and Midget champion.

Jim Hempfill, who owns the restored car that was campaigned by Lenny's father, was on hand, making another connection between the past and the present.

A.J. Fuge was named the 2012 Rookie of the Year, in the presence of retired greats such as Hank Rogers, Jr., and Jim Maguire.  Mike Casario received the Vintage Club's Norm Smizer Preservation Award, with Norm's son, Ed Smizer, making the presentation.

There is a long unbroken line between the ATQMRA of a half-century ago and the ATQMRA of today.

An Old Friend Drops By

Championship-winning driver Nick Fornoro, Jr. – "Noki" to all his friends – was able to slip in to the ATQMRA banquet this Sunday almost unnoticed, thanks this disguise: Bald head, and silver facial hair that could earn him a spot with ZZ Top.

Despite not being recognized right away by many who have known him for years, Noki was warmly greeted, as was his son, Lanson. Lanson has followed in the family tradition, racing midgets, primarily with Northeastern Midget Association. Lanson’s father is a nationally-known midget racing champion, and his grandfather was as well.

Our thanks to another father & son combination, Ace Lane and John-John Lane, for the photo.

And speaking of Ace Lane, whose birthday fell on the day of the banquet and for whom a large birthday cake was prepared, he and John-John also provided us with this photo of all the award recipients on this day, both with the Vintage Club and the modern ATQMRA:

And here, ATQMRA President Mike Roselli, left, and Vintage Club President Gary Mondschein share a light moment.

It was an excellent banquet – nice place, good food, and great company.

The Riddle is Solved (Mostly)

A few weeks ago we posted this photo, identifying it as containing a puzzle.

The puzzle in our original post concerned the silver car. It was brand-new on that October afternoon at Pine Brook in 1967 when the photo was taken, and it was unpainted, with a masking-tape "X" for a number. At best it made only a limited number of laps in warmups and it did not race. Most significantly, and why we were interested all these years later, it was front wheel drive.

We asked, who built it? Who owned it? Who was the driver on this day? What became of it?

Well, Vintage Division member Ben Trimble remembers the car well, and has identified it as having been built by Jon Fick, the car owner for who Trimble drove for many years and for whom Trimble built engines. Trimble remembers that the front wheel drive components were taken from a foreign car of some sort.  Trimble remembers the car making only a few laps, but he does not recall who was driving it on this day – it was not himself.

We have the vaguest recollection that Joe Kidd may have been in it that day.

He remembers the story behind the car having never appeared again. Apparently, the car was somewhat controversial within the ranks of the ATQMRA. Jon Fick had been inspired by the front wheel drive Indy cars and perhaps also by the recent introduction of General Motors’ Oldsmobile Toronado, but the ATQMRA was not prepared to embrace the concept. There was talk of banning the car. Jon Fick, annoyed by this, took the car home, pushed it into the back of the shop, and that was that.

Years later, the car changed hands, but it still never again appeared on-track. It’s final fate, after parts had been harvested from it, was burial!