0
0
Vinnie Christiano III Crowned 2025 Mighty TQ Midget Series Champion
Howard Boundy Photo
LANCASTER, N.Y. (September 27, 2025) – Ontario, NY’s Tommy Catalano dominated the Sportsman main event at Lancaster Motorplex Saturday night to kick off the 37th U.S. Open Weekend. Ryan Lagoda from Middleport, NY won the Super Stock main event. Hunter McKay from Depew, NY won the 4 Cylinder main event. Mark Schulz from Newstead, NY won the Mighty TQ Midgets main event and Vinnie Christiano III was crowned the 2025 series champion.
The King Wolf Productions Big Wheels held their 2025 Awards Banquet and Ceremony. Congratulations to our champions Harrison Seger (3-5 years old), Charlotte Szafraniec (6-8 years old), and Jameson Seger (9-12 years old).
Tommy Catalano and Daryl Lewis Jr were on the front row for the Sportsman feature event, with Catalano in the lead ahead of Lewis, Alan Bookmiller, and Paulie Hartwig III. Off a lap two restart, Catalano would take off in the lead ahead of Lewis and Hartwig. The caution would come out on lap five as John Barber spun in turn two and collected Matt Alix and Chris Pennell. Barber was able to continue after a pit visit, but Pennell and Alix ended their night on the back of a tow truck. Tony Carbone would work his way to fourth early on, and pressured Hartwig for third. Hartwig would take over second, with Shawn Nye passing Carbone for fourth place, with Alan Bookmiller in third place. The caution would fly once again as George Skora and Joe Papin spun in turn three. Both were able to continue racing, On the restart, Catalano would have the lead ahead of Harwig, Bookmiller, Nye, and Carbone. After starting 15th on the grid, Andy Jankowiak would take over seventh place on lap 11 and then passed Lewis for sixth the following lap. Jankowiak would then move into fourth following a lap 13 caution and would set his sights on the top three. Cory Grenzy would hit the turn three wall on lap 19 to bring out the caution. Carbone and Jankowiak would battle for third on the restart, with Jankowiak taking over the position on lap 22. Jankowiak passed Hartwig to take over second on lap 26. The leaders would encounter lap traffic with 20 laps remaining, After an early race spin, George Skora III would take over eighth place on lap 31 and then would take over sixth after passing Shawn Nye on lap 44. Carbone and Hartwig would battle for third place and would take over the position on lap 36, with Trevor Catalano racing in fifth place. Tommy Catalano would dominate the event, winning his second Sportsman US Open in three years over Jankowiak, and Tony Carbone.
Andy Cryan and Chris Batorski shared the front row for the Super Stock main event, with Cryan in the lead ahead of Ryan Lagoda. Jason Dieter would pass Batorski to take over third place on lap three ahead of Josh Hunter, Eric Kocher and Dustin Novoa. Lagoda would take over the lead on lap four and would pull away from Cryan and Dieter. The leaders would hit lap traffic, with Lagoda stretching his lead over the field. Dieter would challenge Cryan for second place on lap 17 entering turns three and four, with Dieter taking over the spot on lap 19. Josh Hunter would continue to hold off Eric Kocher for fourth place, just as Dieter started to reel in Lagoda for the lead. Outside pole sitter Chris Batorski spun in turn two to bring out the caution on lap 28. On the restart, Lagoda would take the lead, as Dieter, Cryan, and Hunter battled for second place. Cryan would slow on the back straightaway to bring out the caution on lap 32. Josh Hunter would take over second place on lap 33, with Dieter, Tim Welshans, and Kocher racing in the top five.
Brad Whiteside and Jimmy Dunkleman III were on the front row for the 4 Cylinder feature on Lancaster’s ¼-mile oval, with Whiteside showing the way, with Chris Deyoe Jr taking over second place. Hunter McKay would go three-wide with Russ Bulger Jr and Evan Reardon to move into fourth place on lap three. McKay would challenge Dunkleman for third place on lap seven and would complete the pass just one lap later. The lead trio would catch each other in lap traffic, with Deyoe taking over the lead on lap 12. McKay would take over second on lap 15 and would challenge Deyoe for the lead. McKay would take over the lead on lap 18, with Reardon taking over second. McKay would go on to score the victory.
Mark Schulz and Vinnie Christiano III brought the Mighty TQ Midgets to the green flag for their Championship event, with Schulz in the lead ahead of Nick Groff, Christiano III, Kyle Hutchinson, and Dave Wollaber. Andy Jankowiak would take over fifth place on lap eight, as Schulz pulled away from the field. Groff, Christiano III, and Jankowiak battled for second place for much of the main event, with Christiano regaining the spot on lap 13. Schulz would go on to score the win, his third of the season at Lancaster. Vinnie Christiano III from Tonawanda, NY with his second-place finish would earn the 2025 Series Championship over Nick Groff and Brendan Wallace.
Racing continues at Lancaster Motorplex on Sunday, September 28th with the Tour-Type Modifieds headlining the program with their 75-lap feature paying $5000 to win. The Late Models, Street Stocks, and the Rusty Diamond Cores Pro 4 will all be action. Pit gates Sunday will open at 10:00am, with grandstands opening at 11:30am, and racing gets underway at 1:30pm.
For more information, follow Lancaster Motorplex on social media and visit the website at www.lancastermotorplexny.com
RACE RESULTS – SATURDAY AT THE 37th U.S. Open
Sportsman: TOMMY CATALANO, Andy Jankowiak, Tony Carbone, Paulie Hartwig III, Trevor Catalano, George Skora III, Shawn Nye, Mason Hanel, Jake Christman, Andy Lewis Jr, Alan Bookmiller, Mike Fiebelkorn, Chris Finocchario, Andy Nye, Joe Papin, John Barber, Daryl Lewis Jr, Jesse Kent, Jake Boerman, Nicole Boyer, Joey Van Lare, Carson Kelchlin, Tyer Harbst, Jake Vernon, John Wilber, Josh Sokolic, Cory Grenzy, Matt Alix, Chris Pennell, Chris Ridsdale, Paul Townsend
Did Not Start: Scott Wylie
Qualifying Heats: Trevor Catalano, Tommy Catalano, Chris Finocchario
Super Stocks: RYAN LAGODA, Josh Hunter, Jason Dieter, Dustin Novoa, Eric Kocher, Tim Faro, Tim Welshans, Chris Batorski, Jeff Whalen, Alex Bialkowski, Bob Palmer, Brandon Larner, Andy Cryan, Griffin Miller
Qualifying Heats: Ryan Lagoda, Eric Kocher
4 Cylinders: HUNTER MCKAY, Chris Deyoe Jr, Jimmy Dunkleman III, Mason Russo, Ryan Hessler, Ben Adams, Mikey Place, Andy Danielwicz, Ashton Hannon, Bob Palmer, John Byrd, Megan Schoelles, Connor Kurdziel, Mason Offhaus, Kennedy Alix, Evan Reardon (DQ), Brad Whiteside (DQ), Russ Bulger Jr (DQ)
Qualifying Heats: Evan Reardon, Russ Bulger Jr
Mighty TQ Midgets: MARK SCHULZ, Vinnie Christiano III, Andy Jankowiak, Nick Groff, Kyle Hutchinson, Dave Wollaber, Brian Schulz, Brendan Wallace, Vinnie Christiano Jr, Ronnie Flaim, Tony Petrea, Jacob Schulz, Josh Terwilliger, Jeff Chapman, Sherri Hogan, Kevin Wilson, Ricky Farina, Mike Westwood
Qualifying Heats: Mark Schulz, Vinnie Christiano III
