ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – Just months after formally announcing his retirement from racing, Ransomville, NY asphalt Modified ace Chuck Hossfeld has become the latest TQ Midget entrant in the NAPA Know How Indoor Auto Racing Series events inside Atlantic City, NJ’s famed Boardwalk Hall.
“When I made the announcement to retire I could not believe the attention I got,” said Hossfeld, “It has been very flattering and it is something that I will never forget.”
He won’t have to.
When the Indoor Auto Racing VP Series storms into Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall, Hossfeld will buckle up behind the wheel of Joe Brainard’s No. 98 Tim Nye-built TQ Midget.
It will be the first ever Indoor Auto Racing Series start for Hossfeld, whose racing legacy includes four Race Of Champions Modified Touring Series titles achieved 21 years apart (1997, 2011, 2014, 2018), His last RoC Series win came this past summer, in July, at Lancaster, NY Speedway.
Hossfeld finished second once and third twice in the points on the on NASCAR Whelen Modified Touring Series on the strength of seven career wins .
He also has made ten career NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck starts between 2000 and 2001 driving for Jack Roush with one top ten finish.
Andy Jankowiak, Ryan Flores and Erick Rudolph, the last three winners of the headline Gambler’s Classic TQ Midget races in the building come to Atlantic City are pre-race favorites.
‘Andy J’ of Buffalo, N.Y. still savors his 2019 Gambler’s Classic win as the highlight of his driving career and he wants nothing more to do it again.
After two rounds of Indoor Auto Racing Series action fueled by VP Racing Fuels, Matt Janisch is the current leader in the Championship standings. Janisch, of Nazareth, PA, had Allentown finishes of third and seventh.
Janisch leads upstate New York dirt Modified driver Ryan Bartlett in the TQ points heading into Atlantic City by ten points. Bartlett made his first start behind the wheel of a new-to-him Lafler built TQ Midget.
Allentown, Pa. opener winner Erick Rudolph is third, 17 markers out of first and Briggs Danner is fourth, 20 points out of the lead. Jankiowiak completes the top five, 24 points out of first.
Jeremy Haudricourt, Shawn Nye, Tim Buckwalter, Ryan Flores, who also won in Allentown, and Anthony Payne are sixth through tenth.
The wild and crazy Slingshots and darty Champ Karts will make up the tripleheader program as they have in the past.
Dylan Hoch and Tyler Brown, winners of the Allentown Indoor opening races in Slingshot and Champ Kart action, are atop their point standings heading into Atlantic City.
Danny Buccafusca is the reigning Atlantic City Indoor Slingshot race winner and Doug Stearly was the 2019 Champ Kart Atlantic City race winner. Both are entered in this year’s races.
Racing action begins on Friday at 7:30 p.m. with Saturday action getting the green flag at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 on Friday night. On Saturday doors open at 5 p.m. with fans holding reserved tickets given the opportunity to attend Fan Fest on the speedway. All cars competing in the program will be positioned on the speedway and drivers made available for autographs until 6:30.
Following the BELFOR “Concrete Series” event in Atlantic City, a special non-point event will be held on a banked clay oval. The third annual East Coast Indoor Dirt Nationals will again be held at the CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton, N.J. on Friday and Saturday nights February 21st and 22nd featuring nearly 100 wingless 600cc Sprints.
The “Concrete Series” season finale follows on Friday and Saturday March 13th and 14th in a second year return to the brand new Expo Center located on the grounds of the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse. N.Y.
Tickets are currently available in a range of different prices for all the Indoor Series events through links on www.indoorautoracing.com and the different venue box offices.
Lower level reserved seats for Saturday night in Atlantic City, which will gain attendees access to the coveted Fanfest are nearly sold out, but plenty of additional tickets are still available.
Corporate sponsorship at a variety of levels is available for all remaining events. Interested parties should contact Danny Sammons at 609-888-3618 or e-mail danny@aarn.com.