The flavor of young and talented open wheel drivers along with the experienced veteran racers shows through with every passing lap in Fort Wayne. Creating opportunities for young drivers is one of the key ideas behind the Rumble. One young driver using the Rumble for a stepping stone is young Tyler Nuckles of the Nuckles family that owns and operates the NASCAR weekly track known as Columbus Motor Speedway in Columbus, Ohio.
The open wheel roots run strong with the youngster as his father, Jeff, is a former USAC National Midget winner as well as winning in many other Midget associations. With a handful of 305 Winged Sprint Car races under his belt, Tyler, a former Quarter Midget and current Legends Car driver, was entered in the famed Kalamazoo Twister car No. 56 for the 2007 version of the Rumble. After suffering mechanical difficulties on opening night, the younger Nuckles was able to race his way into his first-ever USAC feature race on the second night of action. The former Rumble in Fort Wayne Quarter Midget Champion, in 2003, finished a respectable 10th.
Another youngster, 14-year-old Drew Charlson, cut his teeth in the Rumble by winning the Senior Champ Kart feature in 2005 and first racing with the Midgets in 2006 in a Kenyon Midget. That same year, at the age of 13, Charlson drove his Kenyon Midget to win a heat race and ran a solid Sixth in the feature. With over 150 Go Kart wins the 15-year-old racer used his success to secure a ride in an ARCA RE/MAX Series car in 2009. The New Bremen, Ohio, native turned 15 in February and will be testing a Ford Fusion at ARCA test sessions in 2008. In 2009 Charlson will be of age and allowed to compete in ARCA RE/MAX Series races.
Complete with autograph sessions each night, race simulator competitions, a fan expo area, and a silent auction for charity, the Fort Wayne Rumble continues to produce each year. You just never know who you will see walking the Rumble area-names like Gary Benttenhausen, Larry Rice, Tom Bigelow, and Kevin Olsen come to mind, not to mention Poncho Carter.
The 2007 Rumble drew over 4,000 fans on Friday's opening night. Saturday's final events had a sold-out crowd and fans were turned away at the front gate by 4 p.m. due to no more available seats, and pit passes were sold out by 2:30.
Though this event is scheduled as a USAC sanctioned event, it is not a point race.
A Midget in action provides...
A Midget in action provides fun for the spectator and driver.
The open wheel Midget is a pure racing machine, to say the least. Pound for pound it is one of the most powerful cars touring the American racing circuits. The small engines, powered by a variety of manufacturers, will produc e upwards of 250 horsepower torqueing an 800-pound tube frame. One of the major reasons open wheel racing has been long accepted by the racing community is the simple fact that the open cockpit allows the driver to be seen battling the wheel and tossing the car around at breakneck speeds. The cars differ from other open wheel vehicles in that they weigh less, corner faster, require quicker driver reaction, and because of their size, can run two or three abreast more frequently.
Midget racing can be traced to the 1930s and has gained recognition by both competitors and fans across the nation. Midget racing has long since established itself as one of the most versatile divisions of auto racing in existence.