The difference between 8th and 16th in points is smaller than a granule of swiss cheese after a nice grating job. By the end, the distance will extend just a little, and two of the three drivers ahead of the cut will find themselves out. Will pole sitter Johnny Reed Foley be one of the drivers to knock the Jackson's out of the Championship bubble?
Race Results
Points Standings
Schedule
A climate of sunshine began the first Road America race in decades, as Johnny Reed Foley led the charge. After the second quick caution, David Baldinger took over the lead, barely hanging on with the faster Tony Pizzaro behind.
Followed were two horrendous accidents off of turn 1 into the tire barriers by Donald Stewart and Randy Dobbins. Zach Michael and Tim McDonnell made contact and clipped the #55 machine hard into the Goodyears. Dobbins suffered the same fate nearly last in the pack. They would finish just ahead of Connor Germain, who did not start the event after an engine failure on the grid.
Baldinger led his second straight restart and, eventually his 7th lap led on the day before coming on for a pit stop. Tony Pizzaro led the next 11 laps and pulled away from the field before green flag stops.
It was a Quick Silver Motorsports blowout at Road America. Both NOS Energy cars heaved massive smoke during the mid-portion of the race. Ryan was battling for the lead, losing 100+ points in the process and dropping to only 76 points out of the cutoff. Craig finished outside of the top-40.
Lap 28 turned into a tug-of-war battle between the #29 and #85. Ben Geer and William Perry came out of the pits, and before long they were destroying the infield and outfield grasshoppers. They made contact entering turn 2, with Ben flying through the grass and slamming into Perry's side while back on the track. Several corners later, they tapped again, with Geer flying hard into the outside tire barrier in the kink. He would finish 40th on the day.
John Battista's top-10 run came to a halt after a spin between turns one and two. Fortunately, he would not hit the barriers like most and keep on trucking. He finished 32nd on the day after flying through the field early. Just afterwards, David Baldinger could not re-gain the momentum he had early. An attempt to pass through the field turned sour after contact with Rob Scarberry sent both drivers into the tire barriers. The road ringer would not win today.
The final restart of the event saw Alex Crapser make multiple attempts to pass Pizzaro during the first lap. Good brakes entering Canada Corner saw the #04 come up on top, leading his first laps on the day.
Most drivers made their final pit stop before the 12-to-go mark, leaving Matthew Dominique, Dalton Lucas, and Johnny Reed Foley as the top-3. Rick Jackson and Alan Nesfeder were the final contenders to command the lead. When they came in, it was the tandem of Crapser and Tim McDonnell battling for glory.
McDonnell had fresher tires with the later pit stop, as the famous CAT crew put them in thr running. It took McDonnell three laps to catch the #04, though the excellent Lucas Racing brakes made it nearly impossible to execute a good passing opportunity. They were side-by-side three different times in the final five laps, but to no avail.
Alex Crasper has found the front minimally this season at the intermediate race tracks, and a road course was an excellent change-of-pace to propel him back into the Championship race. He would go from 11th to 9th in the standings, in perfect position with five races remaining in the regular se
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