Jankowiak Wins Battle of Trenton Three Quarter Midget 40 Lap Indoor Race; Second Place Changed Constantly; Gary Hieber Takes Companion Slingshot Feature
TRENTON, NJ December 21, 2014 . . . Buffalo, N.Y. driver Andy Jankowiak started up front and finished there at the end of the 40-lap Battle of Trenton TQ Midget feature Saturday night in Sun National Bank Center. Jankowiak was challenged by any number of racers who made it as far as second place only to be taken out by accidents or mechanical problems. Ryan Flores of Mooresville, N.C., was the eventual runner-up in the Len Sammons Motorsports Productions (LSRP) event.
In the companion 20-lap Lentini Auto Salvage Slingshot finale, Gary Hieber raced to the win in a rugged race that saw the Langhorne, Pa., ace move in front at mid-race, then pull away from the pack.
“I had to be good on all of the restarts,” said Jankowiak. “There were a couple of times when Teddy (Ted Christopher) got my rear wheels off the ground but I held on to it.”
Second place behind Jankowiak was not the place to be on this night. Kyle Reinhardt was in the hot seat for the first four laps before he fell back after Christopher passed him on lap five. Erick Rudolph then assumed second following a restart by getting under Christopher but his stay ended abruptly on lap 23 when his car shut off coming down for a restart. Ryan Flores, close behind, spun, and went to the rear of the field as a result.
This put Jimmy Blewett in second, up from a 25th place start. Blewett then spun after contact with Anthony Sesely. Enraged, Blewett slammed into Sesely under caution, ending his race. Sesely went to the rear.
Ryan Susice was elevated to second on the next start, at lap 25. Matt Janisch then gained second only to be passed by Christopher. Flores, who had been involved in a lap 23 spin, charged back through traffic to pass Christopher with six laps left only to have Christopher take the spot back a circuit later.
Over the final laps, Jankowiak remained perfect with Flores a solid and remarkable second, the eleventh and final time second place changed hands. Christopher was third, Mike Lichty a quiet fourth and Janisch fifth.
The welter of mishaps included one serious accident. On lap 15, Lou Cicconi, Jr., who had spun one lap earlier, slammed the fourth corner wall, stopping the race. Cicconi was extricated from his car with great care and precaution and was transported from the arena. Cicconi’s injuries were determined not to be of a serious nature; indeed as he was being wheeled across the track, Cicconi saluted the concerned spectators with the classic ‘wave to the crowd’ who cheered lustily.
Hieber’s Slingshot win came in an event that slowed numerous times by spins.
“Once I had a clear track, the only thing I had to worry about was lapped traffic,” Hieber said.
Ricky Yetter was the runner-up followed by Kurt Bettler, Taylor Eccles, and Nick Shaw, who thrilled the fans with his outside groove racing which brought him all the way to second only to fall back with a softening tire over the final laps.
Next on the LSRP agenda is the 2015 Pioneer Pole Building’s Motorsports Racecar & Trade Show January 23-15, 2015 at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center, Oaks, Pa.
The second Indoor Racing event on the LSRP schedule is set for January 30-31, 2015 with the running of the NAPA Know How Atlantic City Indoor races inside historic Boardwalk Hall. TQ Midgets, Champ Karts, and Lentini Auto Salvage Slingshots will be on the calendar with the TQ Midgets racing in feature events both nights.
Battle of Trenton TQ Midget Feature (40 Laps): 1. Andy Jankowiak, 2. Ryan Flores, 3. Ted Christopher, 4. Mike Lichty, 5. Matt Janisch, 6. John Gambuti, 7. Geoff Sutton, 8. Ryan Susice, 9. Kyle Reinhardt, 10. Carl Medeiros Jr., 11. Bobby Butler, 12. Pat Bealer, 13. Earl Paules, 14. Zane Zeiner, 15. Tony DiMattia, 16. Anthony Sesely, 17. Jonathan Reid, 18. Joey Payne, 19. Jimmy Blewett, 20. Erick Rudolph, 21. Ryan Tidman, 22. Patrick Emerling, 23. Neal Williams, 24. Lou Cicconi Jr., 25. Rob Neely, 26. Shawn Nye.
Lentini Auto Salvage Slingshot Feature (20 Laps): 1. Gary Hieber, 2. Ricky Yetter, 3. Kurt Bettler, 4. Taylor Eccles, 5. Nick Shaw, 6. John Gilroy, 7. Eddie Reeder, 8. Billy Thornton, 9. Chris Tavarez, 10. Matt Carman, 11. Joe Bodenschatz, 12. Joe Kata, 13. Kyle Herve, 14. Daniel Morgiewicz, 15. Matt Stangle, 16. Matt Langbein, 17. Cody Kline, 18. Kevin VanValkenburg, 19. Paul Hartwig, Jr.
Sources: Ernie Saxton Communications