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DJ Shaw to Battle Indoors at Atlantic City
Super Bowl Weekend Means Banging Bumpers in New Jersey for Shaw
Just about everyone else in New England will be spending their upcoming weekend glued to their television sets as the NFL’s Patriots play for a Super Bowl Championship. The Super Bowl may be exhilarating for some sports fans, true racers like DJ Shaw need just a little bit more speed from their weekend.
The excitement of a Super Bowl isn’t even
close to the amount of action Shaw will be
witnessing this weekend. Instead of cheering
for the hometown team in front of a
television, he will taking part of a far more
exhilarating battle – inside his Champ Kart
during the Atlantic City Indoor Race this
weekend in New Jersey.
Shaw has entered his own #60 machine in
the indoor event along the Boardwalk in
Atlantic City, New Jersey. He will battle
against scores of up-and-coming racing
talents with hopes of kicking off the 2012
season on a high note.
“We dabble with the karts a lot and we just wanted something to do over the winter,” said Shaw. “We went down to Providence last year for that indoor show and ran pretty well. This one’s under the same sanctioning group and Atlantic City just has more prestige to it. A lot of Southern competitors come up there, so we wanted to give it a shot.”
Before getting embroiled in a busy season of short track racing in New England and beyond, getting a chance to knock the off-season rust off and have a little bit of fun at the same time is too good of an opportunity for Shaw to pass up.
“I don’t know why it is, but indoor racing just seems more fun. It’s a weird sensation running on the concrete indoors. It’s just a fun thing to do for a racer.”
Shaw made his indoor Champ Kart debut in a major regional event in 2011 at the “Coffee Cup” event at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island. He finished third in a stout field of racers. This year, he’s hoping for a repeat performance.
“We did pretty well last year in Providence, so I have a better outlook on these kinds of races this year. I’m not necessarily expecting to win because we’re not a full-time kart operation. But I’d like to qualify decent, make the A-main and see how things go from there.”
The indoor event in Atlantic City also is a break from Shaw’s many hours spent in the Dale Shaw Race Cars shop in New Hampshire getting his PASS Super Late Models ready for the 2012 season.
“We’re about halfway done with the new car. We’re just starting to pick away at it. We’ve got a second car ready and hopefully both of them will be ready for Beech Ridge and to go testing a time or two before then. We’re trying a few different things with it - nothing in the geometry, but a little bit in the frame design in the back end. We’re just trying to improve on the chassis and lighten it up at the same time.”
Dale Shaw Race Cars and Mulkern Excavating are supporters of Shaw’s #60 Champ Kart in Atlantic City.
The Atlantic City Champ Kart events kick off with rig parking on Thursday, February 2nd. Practice and qualifying events are on Friday, February 3rd, with final qualifying rounds and the feature on Saturday, February 4th.
Shaw’s 2012 PASS North season will begin on Saturday, May 5th at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, Maine.
DJ led some laps in his Champ Kart in the 2011 indoor event in Providence, RI. (Jamie Williams Photo)
