Story by BARRY ANGSTADT

It’s been a pretty amazing ride for Kyle Spence. In just three seasons of 600cc Micro Sprint competition, the 21-year-old second generation racer has established himself as one of the favorites each time he buckles into a methanol gulping, fire-breathing 600cc ground pounder. And he will definitely be ranked among the favorites to score the $5,000 victory in the very first East Coast Indoor Dirt Nationals Fueled by VP Racing Fuels on December 1st & 2nd inside the CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton, NJ.

Spence, who grew up in Bear, DE and now lives in Vineland, NJ, has accumulated 11 wins in 600cc Micro Sprint action during the 2017 campaign. And he’s racked up those triumphs in three different cars, with both winged and wingless checkered flags among his collection. The victories have been earned in his family-owned No. 25k, Gary Hunter’s No. 7H, and in Scott Rupp’s No. 53.

For the inaugural East Coast Indoor Dirt Nationals, Spence will pilot his fourth 600cc ride of the season, as he takes the wheel of North Carolina’s Jason Brown’s Hyper Chassis No. 59. Brown will also be in the field in Trenton, gassing the other Hyper in his stable. Spence will even have an opportunity to shake down his indoor chariot when he travels to Rockfish Speedway in NC for a two-day event on November 17 & 18.

“I think my experience at the Tulsa Shootout last January will be helpful when we get to Trenton,” said Spence. “The pressure that you face in Tulsa, in that stadium-style atmosphere, is very different and that is what we will experience in Trenton.”

“The real unknown, and the aspect that could throw everyone a curve, is the track that we will see – for the first time – in Trenton. No one really knows what to expect until we get on it, so that Thursday night practice session is going to be extremely important. We need to figure out what gearing will be needed, what kind of stagger to throw at it, and stuff like that,” continued Spence.

He is also putting a lot of emphasis on the Friday night qualifying card because “it’s going to be difficult to qualify for that A-Main with all the talent that will be there. Just qualifying, and hopefully getting a good starting spot for Saturday, is going to be everyone’s number one goal,” stated Spence.

If there’s anyone who can quickly pick up on the nuances of the clay oval that will be constructed inside the CURE Insurance Arena, it’s Spence. He’s proven that he can jump into just about any car, at any track, and be one of the front-runners in short order.

It was 2014 and Spence was authoring a standout season for himself in the 270cc ranks. Chris Snyder offered him a one race deal to drive in relief of the injured Jared Esh, and Spence was quick to accept the offer. It was his very first time in a 600, and he drove it to a third place finish against the uber-tough field at Lanco’s Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway. The following year, now driving the Hyper House Car in selected events, Spence won the July 4 Firecracker Frenzy event at the Clyde in his first-ever wingless race. He also captured the winged Dream at the Green that year at the Greenwood Valley Action Track near Bloomsburg, Pa. In 2016, he took home $3,000 for his wingless victory in the Micro Sprint National Open at Linda’s Speedway.

This season has been filled with lucrative wins including the King of No Wing Shootout at Kutztown’s Action Track USA, the Blaise Alexander Memorial at Greenwood Valley, the Kutztown Fair Nationals at Action Track USA, and a $1200 triumph in the wingless 600 Fall Shootout at Limerock Speedway in NY. There was also a five race win streak in the middle of summer at Clyde Martin, where he scored six wins overall, and a single victory at Spirit Auto Center Speedway at Bridgeport, NJ.

Following in the footsteps of his dad, Jack (who ran 270cc and 600cc Micro Sprints for many years), the younger Spence would like nothing better than to cap off his stellar season with a win in the East Coast Indoor Dirt Nationals Fueled by VP Racing Fuels. He will certainly have to earn it, as close to 100 throttle-jockeys, many of whom have extensive 600cc experience and great credentials, will also be gunning for glory in Trenton.

Saturday’s A-main will pay $5,000 to win providing the gambler’s challenge is taken, and a very attractive $200 to take the green in the first indoor dirt oval race in the northeast.

Thursday, November 30 is practice night at the CURE Insurance Arena, giving all the competitors their first chance to circulate the indoor clay playground. On Friday, December 1st, the agenda calls for heat races with passing points and four A-Qualifier feature races that will lock a dozen drivers into Saturday’s big race. On December 2nd, the remainder of the field will attempt to race their way through the alphabet mains and into the 40-lap A-Main.

Racing gets underway at 7 p.m. on Friday and at 5 p.m. on Saturday.

Oliver Communications Group (OCG) of Bordentown, NJ has come on board as an associate sponsor of the event. Other sponsorship packages remain.

Tickets for both days of the event are available at the CURE Insurance Arena Box Office or by phone at 800-298-4200. Additional information is available at www.indoorautoracing.com, by email at: motorsports@aarn.com, or by calling 609-888-3618 during normal business hours.

It’s gonna be wild…it’s gonna be exciting…it’s the inaugural East Coast Indoor Dirt Nationals Fueled by VP Racing Fuels!