When you think of Memorial Coliseum, what do you picture? Concerts, hockey, expos, and other performances? 

Well, what about indoor midget car racing? 

Rumble in Fort Wayne is back for its 26th year of racing Dec. 27-28. 

This racing event stands out because of its opportunity for National, Regional, Kenyon, and Focus series to compete in the same class rather than separated. 

In addition to the midget car racing, there is also extremely competitive go kart racing as well. 

Fort Wayne tradition

Rumble in Fort Wayne put its wheels down for the first time in 1953 and continued to do so 36 more years. 

In 1989, the racing came to a stop as the Coliseum underwent renovations. 

Then, 1998 rolled around and Tony Barhorst and Jack Calabrase decided it was time to bring it back to The Fort. 

The event is full of talent and is held as a prestigious racing event within the racing community. 

The uniqueness of giving so many drivers the opportunity to race in a professional event that is recognized across the country in a 1/6-mile oval track is not something that happens often. 

Keeping a legacy

There is nothing like watching racing up close and fully in action. 

Within the race there are midgets, winged 600cc midgets, non-winged 600cc midgets, go-karts, wedge karts, kid karts, and Baker Racing Engines Quarter midgets. 

A $2,000 cash prize is also up for grabs again in the 360 Clone division John Limbacher Memorial Race. 

Limbacher of Limbacher Extreme Power was a respected man in the racing community. After his tragic passing in 2017, his family wanted to keep his passion for racing alive, leading to the memorial race.

This amps up the competition and leads to a more competitive and entertaining race day with money on the line. 

In a press release, Limbacher’s son, Jon, said the race has been an honor to his father’s memory.

“I’m sure dad is proud of what we are doing to carry on his legacy, especially with the intense competition that the Memorial has produced over the years.

“He loved coming to the Rumble and the racers are responding by producing racing action that simply ‘wows’ the crowd.” 

Another award that is offered is the David Lesiecki Award.

Lesiecki passed away in 2014, and his family felt it was only right to continue his legacy by making an award that represented who he was. According to friends and family, he was a loyal man and very enthusiastic about racing. The award is given to a racer that displays passion and dedication, just as Lesiecki used to. 

Dedicated drivers

Evidenced by the awards, those inside the midget car racing community are devoted.

“I grew up listening about racing around the dinner table,” Mike Fedorcak told Whatzup. “My dad had a couple cars that he built. I grew up with them at the Fort Wayne Speedway and I was always interested in it. 

“His advice to me as a child was that they really didn’t want me to get into racing, but if you do, midgets are the way to go. He built me a go kart when I was like 7 years old, but they didn’t want me racing, so I drove around the yard and wore out the grass. 

“In college at Tri State University (now Trine in Angola), they had a go kart race every year, and that was my opportunity to actually race. So I got some money together just to race in that event. 

“I saved my money and got my first midget car at like 28 years old.” 

He continued racing and ended up building his own car that he was able to grow with as he learned more about the sport of racing.

When it comes to what he’s learned at The Rumble, Fedorcak has wisdom.

“You have to be passively aggressive,” he said. “You’ve got to really be on top of it as far as car control and looking for little spaces to open up to put your car into. But you also have to be careful and mindful about what’s happening ahead of you. A lap lasts less than eight seconds. You have to have your mind free just to race and avoid things and to see things develop in front of you in real time.” 

Driving for Stewart

Many have competed at The Rumble year over year, but there can be only so many winners. Some of those high-profile names include Tony Elliott, Tony Stewart, Nick Hamilton, Justin Peck, and most recently Joe Liguori in 2023. Stewart holds the most wins at 12. 

This year, Joey Payne will be driving for Stewart, in his legendary No. 2 machine that was driven for those 12 stops in Victory Lane. 

“Tony and I have been friends for 35 years, and while I began racing indoors at Niagara Falls in the late ’80s and continue to race indoors with the Len Sammon’s promotions on the East Coast, the Rumble had always been on my bucket list,” Payne said in a press release.

“I finally got to the Rumble in 2018, and a couple of years ago Tony put me in one of his cars as a teammate to himself and Mike Fedorcak. That was cool, but last year was the ultimate. With Tony recovering from shoulder surgery and being unable to race, I got the call to drive. We were in position to win Friday night but got caught up in an oil spill, and then Saturday I was involved in a 10-car pileup on the first lap and I was done.”