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SYRACUSE, NY MARCH 2, 2022 . . . The Indoor Auto Racing Series Fueled by VP presented by BELFOR Property Restoration 2022 season finale at the New York State Fairgrounds Exposition Center March 11-12 has been spiced by a late pair of driver changes in two of the most highly touted TQ Midgets.
Timmy Solomito of Islip, NY has picked up the seat in the FX Caprara Cars No. FX1 that had been driven by Max McLaughlin in the prior Allentown and Atlantic City races.
Indoor TQ rookie McLaughlin successfully qualified for both races but he’s not available for the event. Solomito, a NASCAR Modified star brings prior TQ Indoor experience to the Caprara car and is expected to be a threat.
“Feels great to be back, I’ve had the itch to go indoor racing ever since Atlantic City in 2020. So, when the call came after being recommended by Jimmy Blewett to Frank Caprara it was an easy answer,” said Solomito.
Car owner Jason Simmons, of Fulton, NY will have a two-car assault with Tyler Thompson racing one entry, joined by veteran Bobby Holmes driving a second car.
Holmes, a popular New York State racing figure for years, won the 360 Supermodified portion of the Oswego Classic last year. Thompson won the Supermodified Classic 200 in 2019.
Solomito, Holmes and Thompson are just three of an entry roster of over 50 who will contend for victory in the first Indoor Auto Racing Series event in Syracuse since the 2019 inaugural race.
The race weekend is sponsored by IndyKart Raceway. Scott Kreutter, who finished fifth in the most recent series event inside Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall, is the owner of IndyKart Raceway located at 17 Miracle Mile Drive in Rochester, N.Y.
Kreutter will be competing in the event in the Trey Hoddick No. 49, looking to lock into Saturday’s event with a victory in one of three Triple 20s on Friday night.
Oswego Speedway and Circle T Enterprises Ready Mix Division have signed on to sponsors those exciting Friday night Triple 20s which allows every TQ Midget competitor a chance to run in a feature event.
Thanks to sponsorship from Oswego and Circle T Enterprises, each of those 20 lap features will now pay the winner $1,000, double the $500 standard purse.
PA drivers Tim Buckwalter, Briggs Danner and Matt Janisch will be traveling north to Syracuse after podium finishes in the most recent series race held inside Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall.
Buckwalter, a 2021 Dirt Modified track champion, won the Atlantic City Gambler’s Classic. Danner, a big winner last season in USAC dirt wingless Sprint Car competition, finished second and Janisch, a TQ expert, was third.
Buckwalter’s second career Indoor TQ Midget victory along with a fourth at the opener in Allentown, PA brings him to Syracuse with momentum and a slim 15-point lead over Janisch.
A New Yorker, however, has won the Indoor Series fueled by VP championship the last three years and won both TQ Midget features held back in 2019 when the series made its debut at the Fairgrounds Expo Center prior to 2020 and 2021 Covid cancellations.
Defending series champion Andy Jankowiak of Tonawanda, NY with drive east to Syracuse fourth in the points after a disappointing AC finish, yet still very much in the title hunt.
Jankowiak led both the series opener in Allentown, PA and the AC event but failed to win either. He rallied back from the rear to finish 12th. But thanks to a strong qualifying effort that included a Friday Night Triple 20 win, he heads to Syracuse fourth in the standings 30 points behind Buckwalter.
Jankowiak’s most recent race was in the Menards ARCA Series race at Daytona International Speedway where he qualified 12th, and finished sixth, surviving a late race spin by mounting a late race charge.
Kreutter comes to Syracuse third in the series, 26 points out of first, seeking his second career Indoor Series win in front of his hometown fans. Kreutter’s first Indoor TQ win came in Allentown, PA where he finished fifth this year.
Another pre-race favorite to win is New York North Country dirt Modified driver Ryan Bartlett of Watertown. Bartlett, a longtime supporter of the Indoor Series, enjoyed back-to-back top 10 finishes this season including a 7th in AC to enter his home-state event ninth in the standings in a TQ owned by his brother Tyler, the promoter of the Can-Am Speedway.
The Hoosier Tire Champ Karts and Action Track Slingshots will make up the three-division program with over 100 entries expected to compete.
A large contingent of Champ Karts will be residents of New York including AC winner Dan Marsden of Mexico. Two PA drivers, however, are currently one-two in points led by Allentown winner Jonathan Keister and JSR driver Tyler Brown.
The always exciting Slingshots have also been dominated by PA drivers Brett Bieber, Jared Silfee and Scott Neary, who have finished in the same order in both 2022 series races.
Qualifying events will also be held for the TQ Midgets, Slingshots and Champ Karts. On Saturday, qualifying races will again be held for the three divisions followed by their feature events.
Tickets are available in a range of different prices through links on www.indoorautoracing.com or by calling the Area Auto Racing News office on weekdays from 10 am to 4 PM at 609-888-3618.
Remaining tickets will also be available for each race night starting at 3 PM at the Exposition Center Box office the day of the events. Wearing masks and proof of vaccination is not required.
The Indoor Auto Racing Series made its debut in the new Exposition building in Syracuse in March of 2019 with exciting racing on both days attended by huge crowds. The Saturday night event in 2020 was projected as a sell-out, before Covid-19 developed days before the event and it was canceled after the track was set up on Thursday afternoon.
The 2021 event also bowed to Covid restrictions, but they have all recently been lifted by the State of New York and this year’s event will return to normal without the need to wear masks or be vaccinated.
For race fans who cannot make the trip to Syracuse to see the races in person, DirtTrackDigest.TV will be sending high-quality video coverage to subscribers from multiple cameras. The action will be called by the Indoor Auto Racing series veteran announcer Shane Andrews accompanied by Steve Ovens.
DTD-TV is well respected and experienced in the live broadcast of racing events. They received high marks for their production of the Indoor Auto Racing Series 2022 events at Allentown, PA and Atlantic City, NJ in January.
For up-to-date information, visit indoorautoracing.com.
