TRENTON, N.J. — Dan Robinson and Chase Cabre will be making long trips to New Jersey to compete in the BELFOR Property Restoration-sponsored East Coast Indoor Dirt Nationals on Feb. 24-25.
The two accomplished drivers are not doing so to finish second, but they are also among a group of 90 who feel they to can win Saturday’s 50-lap A main inside the CURE Insurance Arena and take home the $5,000 first-place prize.
Robinson will be making an 885-mile, 13-and-a-half hour trip from Illinois. The 37-year-old veteran midget car driver might not be a household name to Northeast fans, but he’s got winning credentials racing wingless and indoor competition. The talented driver won the POWRi National Midget series Junior Knepper Memorial last December to end his season on a high note.Â
Robinson has also been a regular competitor indoors in Tulsa, Okla., in the Chili Bowl National midget event and Micro Sprint Shootout as well. For the Trenton race, he’ll be driving a No. 33 Hyper Chassis 600cc wingless micro sprint.
Another driver making a long trip is Cabre, who will be trekking 588 miles north in less than nine hours from Denver, N.C., with the Stringfellow Racing Team No. 23S.
The 24-year-old has made a return to dirt car racing after an attempt to advance into elite NASCAR competition. From 2017 to 2020, he competed on the ARCA National and ARCA East series in the Rev Racing No. 4 NASCAR development ride in a Toyota Camry. Despite two ARCA East victories in Memphis, Tenn., and on the new New Hampshire Motor Speedway Mile, Cabre returned to his roots in micro sprint racing after he elected not to chase further stock car opportunities.
This year’s entry list includes drivers from nine different states.
Jon Keller and dirt modified superstar Billy Pauch Jr. lead a group of home-state drivers hoping to take the victory.
Keller started last in the A main the previous time the event was held in 2020 and won it after he started from the rear in the E main as well. While he never won a qualifying event that night, he finished in a transfer spot in the E, D, C and B mains to earn the last starting spot in Saturday’s A main. From there, he made the impressive and historic drive to victory.
The micro sprint rich states of Pennsylvania and Delaware will have a real shot at gaining a first win. Talented PA drivers such as Tim Buckwalter, Alex Bright and Briggs Danner are expected to be top contenders. Coming off success at this year’s Tulsa’s indoor Chili Bowl Nationals, Delaware’s Kyle Spencer could bring a first win for the First State.
This weekend’s program starts on Friday with four 20-lap A main qualifiers. Each winner earns $1,000, while the top three in each transfer directly to Saturday night’s $5,000-to-win A main. Finishing positions and passing points from Friday will then set the lineups for Saturday’s events for the remainder of the drivers who fail to finish in the top three on night one.
The drivers with the least points will begin Saturday’s program in one of two E mains that transfer the top four to the back of those assigned to the D main. This process continues with each letter until the top six finishers in each B main fill-out the field for Saturday night’s 24-car A main.
Tune-in to SPEEDSPORT.tv to watch the action.Â