Flores, Janisch win indoor TQ Midget titles in Allentown
Ryan Flores, of Troutman, N.C., raced to the 40-lap TQ Midget feature race victory Saturday night inside Allentown, PA’s PPL Center. Flores took the lead from Kyle Reinhardt on the tenth lap of the Ironton Telephone Presented by BELFOR headliner and raced to the exciting win ahead of Scott Kreutter, Eddie Strada, Erick Rudolph and Earl Paules, who started the race from 23rd starting position.
Flores was accompanied by his wife and 17 month old daughter to post race celebrations.
“Jimmy Blewett, who has worked on my car for years, made a bunch of changes on the car between Friday and Saturday and it paid off,” Flores said.
Andy Jankowiak came back from an overnight motor change and a midrace penalty to finish sixth with Ryan Tidman, Tyler Thompson, like Jankowiak rebounding from a penalty, early race leader Reinhardt, and Justin Bonsignore who finished tenth.
In the companion 20-lap Slingshot main event, Jared Silfee took the lead three laps into the feature after disposing of front row starters Matt Mertz and Michael Lapicki. He then withstood Mertz’ and Lapicki’s followup challenges to win. Brett Bieber and Dylan Koch completed the top five.
Kyle Herve, Tyler Truex, Seth Spayd, Kurt Bettler and Matt Dealaman completed the top ten in the Slingshot headliner.
Four TQ Midget heat races that helped set the field for the headliner were won by Flores, Matt Janisch, who had won the Friday night PPL Center race, Kreutter and Joey Payne. Last Chance TQ BMains were won by Matt Roselli and Anthony Sesely.
Slingshot prelims went to Mertz, Lapicki and Silfee with the B Main by Anthony Raisner.
The Indoor Auto Racing Series Presented By VP Race Fuels scene now shifts to Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ for the running of NAPA Auto Racing Weekend on January 25 and 26, 2019.
Janisch takes top prize on Night 1
Matt Janisch, an accomplished multi-time Three Quarter Midget Outdoor champion and a perennial contender for Indoor top laurels, raced to a popular win Friday night inside PPL Center.
Janisch, of Nazareth, grabbed the lead on lap 24 with a bold inside move that carried him under Tyler Thompson, who led the first 23 circuits. Janisch drove a car owned by Roger Mahan Motorsports that was built on a Lafler chassis.
Once in front, Janisch had to weather numerous restarts and some lapped traffic issues to preserve the win. Erick Rudolph ended up second after besting Ryan Flores during the race. Justin Bonsignore, who never took a time trial lap, had to start last in his heat race and squeezed into the A Main field with a successful B Main effort, marched from a 21st place start to finish third.
Flores settled for fourth and Scott Kreutter battled his way through two early race pit stops to finish fifth.
Chad Jones, Kyle Lick, Joey Payne, Anthony Payne and Pat Bealer completed the top ten in the 24-car, 40-lap feature.
In the 20-lap, 20-car Matt Janisch raises the winner’s check after winning the indoor TQ midget feature at the PPL Center in Allentown on Jan. 4.
Champ Kart co-feature, Brandon Rusczek of Wallingford, Conn., led all the way in the Kart A Main. Tyler Brown raced to second with a late race charge with Ryan Kendall, JJ Pacovich, and John Berger trailing.
Tim Buckwalter set fast time among the 48 TQ Midget entries on hand. Briggs Danner, feature winner Janisch, Tyler Thompson and Earl Paules won the four TQ heat races. Timmy Solomito and Kyle Lick won the pair of B-Mains.
Champ Kart heats were won by Berger, Rusczek, and Jordan Modiano. Zachary Asklar won the B-Main.
Results