TRENTON, N.J. – Two open wheel specialists, Mike Bednar and Eddie Strada, were the fastest drivers Thursday night in an optional practice session for the 600 micro sprints division that will compete in the third annual East Coast Indoor Dirt Nationals on Friday and Saturday.
The practice session for the drivers and teams entered in the third annual East Coast Indoor Dirt Nationals this weekend inside Cure Insurance Arena in Trenton, N.J., saw 62 of the 92 registered drivers and teams take to the clay.
Bednar, a regular in the SpeedSTRs in Kutztown, Pa., and an Indoor Auto Racing Concrete Series veteran, was fastest in the first hot laps session, posting a 9.460-second time. Doug Snyder and Austin Quick were close behind Bednar for fast time in session one.
The second session was paced by Strada, who clocked in at 9.468 seconds. Carl Locuson was second quickest and Alex Bright, driving one of three micro sprints owned by Bob Hummer, was third fastest.
The changing nature of track conditions between the two sessions was illustrated by the fact that only Strada was able to post top-10 times each of the sessions.
“Practice nights are a test for everyone, drivers, race teams, our track staff and our officials,” noted East Coast Indoor Dirt Nationals promoter Len Sammons.
Erick Rudolph, the defending race winner of the Nationals, was 22nd and 37th quickest in the pair of sessions.
Rudolph’s Tom Fraschetta teammate, Brian Montieth, will be trying to qualify Friday, will then race in Lincoln Speedway’s 410 sprint car opener Saturday afternoon, and then head for Trenton Saturday night as soon as the Lincoln race ends.
Whitey Kidd III, the 2017 race winner, did not practice, nor did Larry Wight, who earned three Volusia Speedway Park Super DIRTcar Series wins last week.
Kidd will suit up in the same car he drove to victory in the 2017 running of the Nationals and Wight will drive Ken Vincent’s Delaware-based micro sprint. Vincent contacted Wight after his regular driver Luke Thomas was unable to race due to back injuries suffered late in the 2019 outdoor season.