Kreutter, Bonsignore win big races at Allentown indoor weekend
Scott Kreutter of Buffalo, N.Y., won his first career Indoor Auto Racing Series Fueled By VP Racing Three Quarter (TQ) Midget feature Saturday night inside Allentown’s PPL Center Arena in front of a good crowd.
The versatile driver, who does most of his outdoor racing on dirt in Central New York behind the wheel of a 360 Sprint Car, took the lead from his outside front row starting spot on the initial start of the 40-lap main event, then held off a variety of challengers including Friday night winner Justin Bonsignore, past Series champions Erick Rudolph and Ryan Flores and Ryan Preece. Rudolph passed Bonsignore for second with two laps to go in the race. Bonsignore held for third ahead of Matt Roselli, and Jon Reid.
Preece, Andy Jankowiak, Bobby Holmes, Brandon Azzalina, and Joey Payne completed the top ten.
Kreutter’s win came in the same car Trey Hoddockbuilt car that Jankowiak had won with and that the late Ted Christopher had driven in the 2017 Indoor Auto Racing Series.
“I had some big shoes to fill,” Kreutter said. “Teddy was last guy to drive this year and Andy was a proven winner in it. I kept thinking, ‘just don’t make a mistake in traffic, and don’t slip up and get turned around’. I couldn’t be any happier.”
NASCAR Whelen Modified Touring Series competitor Justin Bonsignore of Holtsville, Long Island, N.Y., raced his way to the win in the first feature of the weekend Friday night.
Bonsignore started 20th in the 25-car field.
“I had to start way back when the front end of my car broke in my heat race,” Bonsignore said. “I had to win the B Main to even start 20th. But the car was always fast. It was just a matter of having the luck to get through the wrecks.”
In the Slingshot co-feature, Danny Buccafusca won his second career PPL Center Indoor Auto Racing Series event. Buccafusca faced down two determined rivals. Kyle Herve was on Buccafusca’s bumper for the first 15 laps of the affair and actually passed Buccafusca for the lead but the pass was negated with a crash reverted the serial scoring back to the previously completed lap.
Herve never challenged again and instead was himself passed by Anthony Raisner, whose charge from deep in the field earned him the E. Schneider & Sons ‘Scrapper Of The Race’ award and $150. Brett Bieber and Dylan Hoch completed the top five.
Five TQ qualifying heat races were won by Holmes, Azzalina, Kreutter, Shawn Nye and Tommy Catalano. Earl Paules won the C Main, and Tyler Thompson the B Main. Catalano won the TQ Dash.
Slingshot qualifying heats for the 33 entrants were won by Chris Kurtz, Marc Daniels and Kurt Bettler and Seth Spayd. Joe Toth and Raisner won the pair of B Mains.
The next race for the Indoor Auto Racing Series Fueled By VP Race Fuels is on January 26 and 27 inside Atlantic City’s historic Boardwalk Hall.
Friday’s results