Cicconi celebrates – Stewart Announces No Chili Bowl this Year

By RON WARE – Classic Motorsports

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Lou Cicconi Jr. couldn’t wait to celebrate.

So he yanked the steering wheel, stomped the throttle and began a dizzying series of 360-degree spins — right there in the middle of the second turn, no more than two seconds after the checkered flag waved, with traffic bearing down on him.

The 44-year-old East Coast standout reached a personal goal Saturday by beating NASCAR star Tony Stewart to win the 60-lap midget feature that capped the final night of the 11th annual “Rumble in Fort Wayne.”

Forget champagne. Cicconi wanted donuts.

“I was so excited,” the driver known as Liquid Lou said, still effervescent a half-hour later. “I’ve been thinking about this for a year — beating Tony Stewart.”

Stewart, the winner here on Friday, finished nearly a third of a lap behind in a race that went green all the way after a caution on lap 12. Jon Stanbrough finished third, giving Rick Daugherty the Rumble Series car owner championship, with Mike Fedorcak and Dave Darland completing the top five on the 1/6-mile indoor track at the Memorial Coliseum Expo Center.

Stewart, whose resume includes two NASCAR titles and another in the Indy Racing League, had won six of the past nine races here and a record seven overall.

“I think he was as fast as me,” said Cicconi, a three-time ARDC midget champ. “But he would have had to have been twice as fast to get by me tonight. I wanted this one. He wasn’t going to get past me unless he drove right through me.”

Cicconi, who started fourth in the 14-car field, grabbed the lead on lap 16 when Stanbrough slid wide in turn four and hit the lapped traffic just right all night. Stewart, meanwhile, had to come from ninth after a tangle with a slower car in his heat cost him a much better starting position.

Before Stewart could catch a glimpse of Cicconi, he was gone.

“The track got really good at the end,” Stewart said, “but there were about five really good cars all going about the same speed. Obviously, Lou got in front and checked out on me. He had a lot better car tonight than last night. I don’t think I could have got past him.”

The win was especially sweet for Cicconi, who had endured only frustration in the four previous Rumble Series indoor races. After qualifying in the top three each time, he had finished 12th, 13th, 10th and 12th.

Earlier in the week, he had abruptly announced he was selling his new Munchkin chassis — the one purchased specifically to try to beat Stewart — and quitting the series after disagreements with officials over car specs.

“They were busting my (chops),” Cicconi said, his smile disappearing. “I don’t like people busting my (chops). As of now, I’m not coming back.”

Stewart, now owner of his NASCAR Sprint Cup team, confirmed that this was his only indoor racing appearance of the winter. He said he will attend the Chili Bowl Nationals next month in Tulsa, Okla., but won’t race due to other commitments.