FORT WAYNE, Ind. — In a return, of sorts, to its beginnings, the midget program of this year’s 27th running of the Rumble in Fort Wayne presented by Jason Dietsch Trailer Sales will see some format changes for the December 19-20 weekend with what will become The Burco Molding Race to 100.
Recently, veteran car owner Randy Burrow approached Rumble’s Larry Boos with a simple comment, “I think we need a change, it’s time to stir the pot to keep the product fresh.” With an open-mind Boos agreed to listen to Burrow who summed up his final thoughts with four words, “bring back the 100.”
With that – a little history.
Dating back to January 6, 1956, when the United States Auto Club was introduced to the world via the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, the headlining midget main event was contested at 100 laps.
Even though the event was transferred over to the newer and attached Expo Center in 1998, the distance remained the same. However, over recent years, for air quality concerns, the distance was reduced to 50 laps.
With those concerns in mind, Burrow, and fellow racers Mike Fedorcak and Joe Liguori collaborated with Boos on how to approach the return to 100 laps of feature racing.
The trio embraced the concept but universally conceded that it would require ingenuity to address the inherent need to refresh the air. Fedorcak summed it up.
“I love the challenge of 100 laps of midget racing at the Rumble, but we know we can’t go 100 laps straight without acknowledging that we will have to stop and clear the air, so let’s just plan on two environmentally friendly gaps,” Fedorcak said.
Burrow and Liguori agreed with Burrow then reminding the group “100 laps is still 100 laps regardless of how we get there – so we are racing to 100 laps to determine the winner.”
Liguori directed his comments to Boos with “we have to face reality and do what is best for the fans, and that is to give them a competitive race while remaining comfortable, and we, as racers, can do that, now you, as the promoter, need to come up with fan engagement during those breaks.”
Boos agreed and his dedicated Rumble team is in the planning process, accordingly.
With the Burco Molding Race to 100 comes a complete revamp of the weekend for the Midgets. Instead of two nights of individual racing programs, it will be truly a race to the 100.
Friday (December 19) will see the field split into even/odd groups after qualifying, with each group competing in their own heats and 25-lap main events. The top two finishers from each of those mains will automatically transfer to the Burco Molding Race to 100. Points will be earned throughout Friday night, with those points used to line up Saturday’s (December 20) heat races.
“The progression towards getting into Saturday’s Race to 100 will keep the fans engaged. And like I said earlier, it is time to stir up the pot a little and try something old and put it into today’s reality. I will be entering three cars again this year, and I have as much to gain or lose from this change as anyone, but I am raring to go,” summed up Burrow.
Over the course of the next several weeks, more details about the enhanced format and other Rumble information will be announced via social media and on the event’s website www.rumbleinfortwayne.com.
