JANKOWIAK WINS INDOOR AUTO RACING SERIES THREE QUARTER MIDGET FINALE

ANDY JANKOWIAK WINS INDOOR AUTO RACING SERIES THREE QUARTER MIDGET FINALE; BONSIGNORE NAMES 2018 SERIES CHAMPION; NICK DELCAMPO RACES TO SLINGSHOT CHECKERED; CODY KLINE IS TITLE WINNER; BROWN BEATS ROSS IN CHAMP KART HEADLINER

Story By: Ernie Saxton/LSMP

Photos By: Dave Dalesandro/RacersGuide.com

ALBANY, NY February 9, 2018 . . . Andy Jankowiak of Tonawanda, N.Y., passed Tim Buckwalter six laps into Saturday’s 40-lap feature to win the Indoor Auto Racing Series feature at Times Union Center in downtown Albany, N.Y.

“This is the one I wanted to win,” Jankowiak said. “I’ve won ‘em before but this is the first I won in my own car. It was perfect. I couldn’t be happier. I did everything but win last night and to get it tonight is all I could ever ask for.”

At the other end of the spectrum, Justin Bonsignore nursed a car with an engine that he described as ‘blown up’, to win the Indoor Auto Racing Series Fueled By VP Racing Fuels 2018 championship.

“I don’t know how this car finished,” Bonsignore said. “The motor was coming apart ten laps into this thing. The championship means a lot to me and to this team.”

Buckwalter retained second for the last 34 laps after losing the lead to Jankowiak while Timmy Catalano survived a mid-pack start and minor involvement in several crashes to finish third. Matt Janisch was fourth in the finale with Erick Rudolph fifth.

Rudolph could have had a shot at the title with Bonsignore’s subpar outing but never got untracked.

Anthony Sesely managed a sixth-place finish flipping his car during the race. Jonathan Reid, Ryan Tidman, Tim Nye and Friday night winner Anthony Payne rounded out the top ten.

Nick DelCampo of Blauvelt, N.Y., won the 20-lap Slingshot main event.

“I’m in tears right now. These races are so tough. This is just such a humbling experience,” DelCampo said. “We had been bringing fast race cars to Indoor races for years. We finally got one.”

Cody Kline of Hellertown, Pa., was the 2018 Indoor Auto Racing Series 2018 Slingshot champion.

“This Indoor racing is tough,” Kline said. “I didn’t really want to know where I was in the points but last night my crew told me I was ahead. Very happy to be able to do it. A lot of people have worked hard to make this happen.”

The Champ Kart 20-lap, 20-Kart main event, remarkably, ran from green flag to conclusion without a single caution flag. A titanic battle for the win between Cale Ross of Lambertville, N.J., and Tyler Brown of Fulton, N.Y., developed with Brown passing Ross for the first time with five laps left.

Ross then regained the lead two laps later only to lose it on the final circuit. Ross had not lost in 2018 Indoor Auto Racing Series competition but couldn’t hold off Brown in the race to the finish line.

Gene Gregoric ran third behind the leaders for the entire race. Ryan Kendall and Jeremy Tuttle completed the top five.

“It was all about being patient,” Brown said. “That was the key to this race. I was kind of holding back a little with the lapped traffic. Once I got him, he kind of surprised me when he got me back. So I had to repass him.”

Four TQ Midget heat race often laps were won by Jankowiak, Buckwalter, Bonsignore, and Reid. The pair of TQ B-Mains of ten laps each were snared by Tidman and Tommy Catalano.

The trio of Slingshot heat races went to Seth Spayd, Austin Silfee and Jared Silfee.

Champ Kart ten lap prelims were won by Cale Ross, Tyler Brown and Gene Gregoric. Damon Schuster won the B-Main for Karts.

TQ Midget Feature (40Laps): 1. Andy Jankowiak, 2. Tim Buckwalter, 3. Timmy Catalano, 4. Matt Janisch, 5.Erick Rudolph, 6. Anthony Sesely, 7. Jonathan Reid, 8. Ryan Tidman, 9. Tim Nye, 10. Anthony Payne. 11. Justin Bonsignore, 12. Chad Jones, 13. Matt Roselli, 14. Scott Kreutter, 15. Tyler Thompson, 16. Tony DiMattia, 17. Brett Conkling, 18. Andrew Molleur 19. Briggs Danner, 20. Shawn Nye, 21. Ryan Bartlett, 22.Tommy Catalano, 23. Mike Lichty. 24. Geoffrey Sutton.

Champ Kart Feature (20Laps): 1. Tyler Brown, 2. Cale Ross, 3. Gene Gregoric, 4. Ryan Kendall, 5.Jeremy Tuttle, 6. Brandon Ruscek, 7. Jamie Shutts, 8. Anthony Colandro, 9.Mike Perry, 10. Ron Midford, Jr., 11. Dominic Roselli, 12. Zachary Asklar, 13.Damon Schuster, 14. TJ Reed, 15. Richie Davidowitz, 16. Eric Zeh, 17. Jake Nelke, 18. Vinny Delaney, 19. Chris Hitt, 20. Nick Demling.

Slingshot Feature (20Laps): 1. Nick DelCampo, 2. Cody Kline, 3. Matt Mertz, 4. Joe Toth, 5. Dan Morgiewicz. 6. Danny Buccafusca, 7. Kyle Herve, 8. Kurt Bettler, 9. Tom Arntz, 10.Austin Silfee, 11. Alan Selemba, 12. Bryce Cherko, 13. Jared Silfee, 14. Steve Svanda, 15. Brett Putnam, 16. Craig Pellegrini, 17. Chris Kurtz, 18. Brian Tobey, 19.Seth Spayd, 20. Spencer Cherko.