Premier Series
The Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval hosted the Core Racing Premier Series first event of season 6 featuring the HPD ARX-01c. A total of 23 drivers looked for a strong start to the season, but the rust seemed to have set in over the off season, with only 3 cars finishing the race on the lead lap. Mason Smith #6 would pause the clinic he was putting on only once, finding himself involved in an incident with a lap car. A quick pit stop and use of Smiths 1 fast repair kept him on track to win the race.
Blazing a path through the field Brandon Mettler #15 did not let a poor starting position stifle his performance, claiming a total of 13 spots to finish solidly in 6th position. The fight for Rookie of the Year was topped by Patrick Shelton #04 with a respectable 8th place finish overall giving him a 7 point lead over the next rookie John Nobinger #44.
Mason Smith starts the season strong
GT3 Road to Rio Challenge
Sprint race
As the early evening haze settled into the Ardennes forests of Belgium, the “Core Racing – GT-3 Road to Rio Challenge” Sprint race took to historic Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps for the first event of the season. 28 drivers took the green flag for the 20-minute sprint race totaling 9 laps, all of which dominated by Nick Nickerson #2, followed by Mason Smith #6 nipping at his heels. Carl Handwerk #18 fresh off his teams win at the 24-Hour race would round out the podium in 3rd. Fellow 24-hour winners Adam Jones #46 and Derek Sherman #42 would see trouble early that sent them to the back of the field.
Nickerson dominates and claims the Belgium Sprint Race
Endurance
The haze cleared and the field inverted, a chance for redemption was on the table for those who struggled during the sprint. Adam Jones #46 capitalized on the opportunity and never looked back, leading all but 2 laps of the race. Pouhon (Turn 12), the notorious sweeping downhill corner claimed its fair share of cars in the opening laps of the race as everyone was eager to carve out their spot in the running order. Spa proved to be a formidable opponent as only 12 of 28 drivers finished on the lead lap after an hour on the course. Heading across the pond the series makes its next stop at Road America.
Jones makes up for a rough Sprint race with the Endurance win
Developmental Series
Class was back in session Tuesday night, as a fresh batch of students took to the Charlotte Motor Speedway for the season opener of the Core Racing – Developmental Series 6.1. Thaddeus Marshall #89 led Todd Caudle #02 and the field of Kia Optima to the green flag for the first couple laps of what would be a close race all the way to the checkers. Dylan Ashley #25 found his way to the front early, jockeying for the lead throughout the first half of the race and leading a total of 17 laps. Pack racing was tight at the superspeedway as the D-Series drivers got comfortable running 2, 3 and even 4 wide. Other lessons included setting up passes with the draft and fuel conservation. Thaddeus Marshall #89 would lead 39 of the 70-lap race, but despite his best effort would fall to 7th after running out of fuel with 3 to go. Premier driver Paul Owens #91 took the win away from the D-Series drivers, Marc Lapierre #08 the races hard charger and Terry Janssen #78 season 5.2 veteran rounding out the top 3. Lapierre said “I’m not really used to racing front wheel drive cars on a big track like Charlotte and was happy to pick up 4 fresh tires for the end of the race.” Terry Janssen #78 sits atop the points standings after race 1, scoring enough bonus points to beat out Marc Lapierre #08 by a single point. A mere 8 points separate the top 5 drivers headed into race 2, Dirt Legends at Lanier Speedway. Heading into race 2 will the dirt track racers like Thaddeus “No Gas” Marshall #89 be able hold off the Premier drivers and score a win for the D-Series? Catch all the action Tuesday Night!
Marc LaPierre battled all race and came home with a 2nd as the top D-driver
TNT Late Models
David Gargaro Jr. #042 had nothing but a dominate performance Thursday night at the Lucas Oil Raceway, leading 99 of 100 laps. An incident with lap cars mid race threatened to spoil his day, but a fresh set of rubber and straightening of sheet metal got Gargaro Jr. back on his way. Teammate Nathan Medina #6 also had a strong finish in second, followed by Adam Jones #46 in third. Heading into the rest of the season the duo of Gargario Jr and Medina will certainly have the attention of the other drivers as they have set the bar for the season high. Kevin Foster #8 was the big mover of the race climbing to 10th after also being involved in the one incident of the evening that would also collect Chris Storey #67.
Gargaro Jr sends a message after only week 1
