SYRACUSE, N.Y. – With the first two Indoor Auto Racing Series races in the books, all attention now turns to the finale March 11-12 inside the New York State Fairgrounds Exposition Center.
When the green flag drops in Syracuse, N.Y., to turn loose the TQ Midgets, no less than six drivers have a realistic shot at the winning the prestigious championship after races were held in Allentown, Pa., and Atlantic City, N.J.
Tim Buckwalter (210), Matt Janisch (200), Scott Kreutter (187), Andy Jankowiak (187) and Briggs Danner (170) will come into the Expo Center 40 points apart. Any of the quintet could win with the right results combined with lesser performances in the feature finale from their rivals.
Ryan Flores, who won the A-Main in both Allentown and Atlantic City, and leads the points with 243, will be unable to race in Syracuse due to commitments with the Penske NASCAR Cup team at Phoenix Raceway. This leaves the championship race wide-open.
Among the five contenders, only Jankiowiak is a past champion, having won the Series crown in 2020, the last year the series raced. The 2021 series as well as the 2020 Syracuse races were all canceled due the pandemic by state officials.
Buckwalter and Danner won outdoor 2021 championships, Buckwalter at Big Diamond Speedway in 358 Dirt Modified action and Danner at Action Track USA in SpeedSTR competition.
Buckwalter, in particular, is hungry for a race win and a championship.
“Second again,” Buckwalter exclaimed after finishing behind Flores in the Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall TQ race on Jan. 29. “I really want to win one of these races and if I can in Syracuse, the championship will be a bonus.”
Janisch might be the pre-event favorite to win both the race and the championship. A long-time TQ Midget racer, Janisch struggled in Atlantic City but rebounded from the rear of Saturday’s field after taking a provisional starting spot to finish fourth.
Kreutter, who likewise had a bad start and great finish at Atlantic City, is another contender for both honors.
Jankowiak might well have been leading in the standings heading into the Syracuse Series race. He was bidding for his third consecutive Gambler’s Classic TQ Midget Series victory in Atlantic City when he tangled with race leader Erick Rudolph and then both spun. He rebounded to finish 12th, keeping him in the title hunt.
Entries have been pouring in for the Syracuse races, on a pace with the 2020 series event which had 55 TQ, 35 Champ Kart and 38 Slingshot drivers ready to take the green flag before the races were canceled owing to the pandemic.
Car owner Jason Simmons’ two-car team is entered, but Simmons is not yet certain of his driver lineup. Past Syracuse winner Justin Bonsignore and young Tyler Thompson, 2019 upset winner of the Oswego Speedway Supermodified Classic, drove Simmons’ cars in Atlantic City.
Champ Kart racer Jonathan Keister, and Slingshot dominator Brett Bieber are division points leaders heading into the climatic Syracuse round.
The same exciting, challenging race schedule of events used at Allentown and Atlantic City will be duplicated in Syracuse.