From Ernie Saxton
PROVIDENCE, RI – Drivers competing in the upcoming Coffee Cup at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, R.I., on December 4-5 will have an extra incentive.
The Tire Doctor of Blackstone, Mass., and Dr. Lowe of New Brunswick, N.J., are providing contingency awards to the two-day program that will give some added excitement among the large field of competitors.
The Tire Doctor is providing teams with an added bonus for winning heat races in the TQ Midgets and Sr. Champ Karts each night. The TQ Midget heat race winners will receive $150 and the winner of each Champ Kart heat race $50.
The Tire Doctor is a commercial truck and off-road equipment tire dealer, which sells, services and installs everything from pick-up trucks to large earth-moving equipment.
The business is located at 8 Federal Street, Blackstone, Mass. It can be contacted at 401-636-2411 or 508-876-9049. Those who want addition information can find Tire Doctor on the web at: www.tiredoctorllc.com.
In addition, the Tire Doctor is sponsoring rides in the two-seat TQ Midget for lucky clients on each night.
This will give those fans a perspective of what it is like for the drivers who bravely race around the concrete oval in speeds that reach 70 mph.
Dr. Lowe, who has been instrumental in providing contingency sponsorship for the Gambler’s Classic which is held every January at the Atlantic City (N.J.) Boardwalk Hall, is posting a $200 bonus to the driver who sets fast time in the Three-Quarter Midget class, along with a $100 Hard Charger bonus for the Friday night program and a $200 to the Hard Charger on Saturday night.
The Hard Charger bonus is based on the driver who passes the most cars from their original starting position in the respective main events.
Ironically, indoor TQ Midget driving great Lou Cicconi would have won some major bonus money in March when the inaugural Coffee Cup was held at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.
Cicconi had fast time with a lap of 8.6325 seconds on the Friday night program and he later won the heat race, meaning he would have collected $350 in addition to his feature-purse winnings.
The entry list for the TQ Midget class is nearly filled.
Indianapolis 500 veteran Davey Hamilton will drive a secondary Cicconi-owned car, while Cicconi will attempt to win his first-ever race in Rhode Island.
Other notable entries include NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion driver Ted Christoper, who won his second of two TQ Midget events of 2009 in Providence in March; Medford, N.J.’s Mike Iles, who won the inaugural race held in March; NASCAR great Mike Stefanik of Coventry, R.I.; and Canadian race car driver Stewart Friesen.
The format will be similar to the one used in March. The Three-Quarter Midgets and Senior Champ Karts will headline the two-day program. Feature events for both classes are scheduled each night.
Tickets can be purchased at all Ticketmaster locations and the Dunkin’ Donut Center box office.
Ticketmaster can be reached online at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Information on the event will be available at aarn.com or by calling 609-888-3618.
A special hotel rate of $79 per night is available at the Hilton, which is located within walking distance from the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. Racers and fans can find more information on a link at www.aarn.com or by calling 1-800-445-8667. In order to get the special rate, you must ask for the “Indoor Auto Race” rate.
The room rate block is available until it’s sold-out with a November 17 deadline.