ALLENTOWN, Pa. — When the Indoor Auto Racing Series returns to the PPL Center ifor a 10th time on January 9-10 for the Ironton Global race weekend, Huntersville, N.C., driver Ryan Flores will once again be the odds-on favorite to win at least one of the two TQ Midget features contested on Friday and Saturday night.
Flores’ record on the PPL Center’s concrete floor speaks for itself. In 17 TQ Midget events held to date, the New Jersey native has captured an incredible seven victories. Remarkably, all seven wins have come in the same white No. 15 TQ Midget that Flores will return with for his tenth year of Allentown competition.
Only Erick Rudolph of Ransomville, N.Y. – the inaugural winner in 2016 – has more than one Allentown victory, with two. Seven other drivers have each won once, including last year’s champion Andy Jankowiak of Tonawanda, N.Y. Jankowiak scored his first Allentown victory on Saturday night in 2025, snapping an 0-for-14 drought at the venue, after Flores won Friday’s series opener.
Jankowiak, who will be testing in Daytona Beach, Fla., in the days leading up to the Allentown event, may miss Friday night’s program but is expected to return Saturday to chase a second PPL Center win.
Other one-time winners looking to repeat include Pennsylvania drivers Matt Janisch and Tanner VanDoren, along with New York’s Scott Kreutter.
More than 40 additional TQ Midget drivers from eight different states will be on hand, all seeking their first-ever Allentown victory. The entry list includes Allentown native Briggs Danner, who finished third in the series standings last year behind Jankowiak and Flores.
Mathematically, the Catalano family of Ontario, N.Y., may have the best odds of success, with four brothers entered. Oldest brother Tommy, a perennial Allentown contender, finished fourth in the standings last season. Tyler placed 10th, Trevor – who competes against Tommy on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour – was 11th, and Timmy finished outside the top 20. All four qualified for the 24-car feature field in Allentown last year.
Another asphalt Modified standout, Matt Swanson of Harvard, Mass., is expected to contend for an indoor win driving Ken Sebring’s No. 89. Swanson finished a career-best second to Flores in the 2025 Indoor Series finale in Atlantic City, ending the season sixth in points.
Joining Swanson as a teammate is Asphalt Late Model star D.J. Shaw of Conway, N.H., who will pilot the No. 21.
Midget car racer Joey Bailey of Gardnerville, N.Y., returns to Lenny and Donna Boyd’s iconic yellow No. 1B following a fifth-place finish in the Atlantic City finale and ninth in the standings. Tyler Ferris of Wall, N.J., enters with momentum after winning the ATQMRA season-ending Turkey Derby at Wall Stadium Speedway for the second consecutive year in the Brien Hamer-owned No. 7.
Ryan Tidman of Southampton, Pa., a multi-time ATQMRA winner, rejoins the series driving Tyler Bartlett’s No. 93 from Watertown, N.Y. Another New York–New Jersey pairing features Billy Pauch Jr. returning with Fulton, N.Y., car owner Jason Simmons as they search for a second Allentown victory. Pauch’s teammate will be rising Supermodified standout Josh Sokolic, who will make his TQ Midget debut driving for his hometown owner.
New Jersey car owner Mike Corigliano enters his second Indoor TQ Midget season with Tyler Wagner and his uncle Don Wagner driving the team’s No. 19 entries. With a year of experience under their belts, both PA drivers will be seeking their first indoor win.
Paulie Hartwig III, last year’s series Slingshot champion, will make his Indoor TQ Midget debut driving the Tolerico Motorsports No. 83. The 14-year-old from Galloway, N.J., finished an impressive third in the standings on the southern SMART Asphalt Modified Tour last season.
Another 14-year-old, Mason Hanel of Clarence Center, N.Y., has landed a TQ Midget ride with car owner Bill Pippard, who previously enjoyed series success with Tim Buckwalter. Buckwalter has since moved to a Lou Cicconi-owned TQ, which will make its debut in Allentown.
The TQ Midgets will contest a 30-lap feature on Friday night and a 40-lap main event on Saturday. Drivers will again have the opportunity to claim the Ironton Auto Body Challenge by winning both features.
Friday’s winner will be offered a guaranteed starting position in Saturday’s main event—provided they start tenth. Accepting the challenge earns a $1,000 bonus, with an additional $4,000 awarded if they charge from tenth to win Saturday’s feature. Combined with Saturday’s purse, a weekend sweep would total $10,000. Flores won Friday night’s event last year, accepted the challenger, but came up just short finishing in second place to Jankowiak.
If the challenge is not completed, Ironton Auto Body will roll over a portion of the bonus to the Atlantic City Indoor Race. Flores accomplished the feat last season at the NAPA Gambler’s Classic, earning $10,000 including challenge bonus money and support from the Atlantic City Sports Commission and Visit Atlantic City.
Friday night will also feature the Will Cagle Shootout, sponsored by Ricky Harring, pitting the top 10 qualifiers in a 15-lap dash where drivers choose their starting positions. The pole position pays $240 to win, increasing by $120 per position. A driver winning from tenth would earn $1,320.
The headline TQ Midget division will be joined by Slingshots and Champ Karts.
