Play-by-play analyst Kyle Heyer puts it best in the intro to race two of the weekend for SRO GT World Challenge America. "Popularized by its famous slogan written in the 1960s, "Virginia is for Lovers", the state of Virginia features famous landmarks and tourist attractions. One of those attractions is Virginia International Raceway, which broke ground in 1957, for what would become a coveted American circuit. It retains most of its classic features save for the old oak tree that marked turn 12. This weekend, VIR hosts rounds seven and eight of the Fanatec GT World Challenge America season, where the drivers face a challenging course with immense natural beauty, in the state of Virginia."
This is the midpoint of the season, round four of seven. Paul Newman called this track "Heaven on Earth", and he was right. Wright Motorsports leads ST Racing BMW in Pro While in Pro-Am, it is an all-BMW battle between the second ST Motorsports BMW and the similar M4 GT3 campaigned by Turner Motorsports. We have seen the release of the 2025 schedule for Fanatec GT World Challenge America and we will come back to the track next year. Refer back to yesterday's race before things got started to see the track description.
It is a sunny Sunday afternoon for race two of the weekend for Fanatec GT World Challenge America, round eight of the 2024 championship. We have Kyle Heyer, and Calvin Fish calling the action from the broadcast booth and Amanda Busick, as always, reporting from the pit lane. The weather conditions today on Sunday are a true contrast to Saturday's racing with blue skies and sunshine. The DXDT Racing Corvette and the Wright Motorsports Porsche, these are two cars we will be keeping our eyes on throughout the race. DXDT swept both races in May at Circuit of the Americas while Wright Motorsports are the championship leaders at this stage.
We saw a new winner in yesterday's race in the Pro-Am division with Tom Sargent bringing home the victory for GMG Racing in their Porsche 911 GT3R alongside Kyle Washington. It is sunny and crowded in the pit lane for the grid walk for race eight of the 2024 season. Robby Foley and Neil Verhagen, there is some tension between these two drivers for BMW for two different teams. We'll see what is going to happen. There is a special personality here, the CEO of Virginia International Raceway who has a blue flower in her hair. This is Connie Nyholm, the track owner, being interviewed by our mate, Calvin Fish.
In May 1998, the track reopened thanks to Connie and her then business partner Harvey Siegel, they reopened the course and divided them into north and south and revitalized the support businesses. They have new garages, new villas coming, they have new partners, and are also a home for Skip Barber Racing School. The infrastructure and safety improvements really elp and they redid the pit lane. They replaced or supplanted the fencing and reworked the curbing. They have a great tea led by President and COO Kerrigan Smith. The facility looks great and the track races great, too.
Connie Nyholm is a great supporter of women and particularly women in motorsports. The Turnstahl High School Junior ROTC color guard is here and so is Drum Logic out of South Boston, Virginia, with their drumline. We have Kristy Wilkins from Yanceyville, North Carolina, here, to sing "The Star -Spangled Banner". OK. Neil Verhagen and Robby Foley apologized to each other for their accident yesterday. Alec Udell and his team want to execute for every race. Tommy Milner is starting race two today. Corvette, over the other brands, it is about the team at DXDT and Pratt & Miller who build the cars.
Now, before we go racing, we are going to look at how fans spend their time at the track. Are you ready to go camping? Well, we'll take a look and see what fans might be up to when the cars are not out there tackling the 3.27 miles of racecourse here at VIR. Now, trust me. If you have a motorhome, take a drive, and come to the track. Nothing beats having a bunch of GT3 cars with all their different engine notes, as your morning alarm clock. Grab a tent, a grill, and a hammock. But make sure those who you are camping with knows the right way to set up the tent and the hammock. That's hard work I am sure.
In the evening, what will you do? Probably hang around the campfire and reminisce about the racing you've just seen while making s'mores. Now, from personal experience, making s'mores on a campfire is not as easy as it seems. Trust me, you want to toast the marshmallow but not burn it. Marshmallows are tricky and can get very, very messy if you aren't careful. A VIR sunset must be absolutely gorgeous. For all of you thinking about it, yes, come to VIR for SRO America in 2025. It will be on their schedule.
Alright. Now, we are awake, alert, and ready to go for it. Young fan Christian Rose gives the command. Drivers, start your engines! This will be the pivot point for the championship. The cars roll off onto their formation laps and we are going to be keeping an eye out for the #63 DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R. I think Tommy Milner and Alec Udell once again might have the car to beat. Elliott Skeer and Adam Adelson swept the opening races of the year at Sonoma Raceway in the California wine country. You know they want another bite of the cherry and want ot get back to victory lane.
We have seen five weekend sweeps this year already. RS1 swept at Sebring, and they did so at Sebring with Trent Hindman and Spencer Pumpelly. We will indeed be keeping an eye, too, on the #29 Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT3 which had to go to a spare car. This is the team of Robby Foley and Justin Rothberg. It is warming up now. The track was dry yesterday, but the grass was soaked. We had a ton of water over 36 hours. Several cars crunched the guardrails yesterday. 3.27 miles, 17 corners on this track. Madison Avenue, the backstretch is a key area of this course. The climbing esses and The Rollercoaster, are also critical. You are not braking in a straight line.
GMG start third today. We have a dozen cars starting the race. Robby Foley will be up on the wheel indeed. But they need help from yellows like we saw yesterday. Robby Foley and Jeff Burton will do the reverse strategy. To keep Jeff Burton close to the pack, the Regulator Racing team will be looking to make hay while the sun shines. After today, we have two regular 90-minute race weekends to go, so four more 90-minute races at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, and Barber Motorsport Park in Birmingham, Alabama. Then, we finish the season and bring down the curtain with the Indianapolis 8 Hours at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in October. That will be a double points race.
OK. The field of a dozen cars makes their way through Hog Pen, the final turn, and towards the VP Racing Fuels acceleration zone. The safety car has headed for pit lane. Tommy Milner for Corvette and Elliott Skeer for Porsche across the front row of the grid. Green flag! We're racing for the second time this weekend at VIR! Tommy Milner fires his way into the lead and now the second DXDT Corvette is eating up the #120 Wright Motorsports Porsche as well, look! Bryan Sellers has the hammer down right from the start! Tom Sargent looks to his inside. Bryan Sellers did all he could to thread the needle but that didn't work.
Off turn two, it is a tight squeeze as Bryan Sellers goes for third into Left Hook. Sellers third overall with the Pro-Am lead. Through The Snake and into the climbing esses they go. Varun Choksey, the starting driver in the #28 ST Racing BMW M4 GT3, he is one to watch as well, sharing that car with Bill Auberlen. Robby Foley has passed both Jeff Burton and Trent Hindman. He is reeling in Varun Choksey as we speak. Neil Verhagen passes Aaron Povoledo chasing down Tom Sargent as they fly down Madison Avenue and towards The Rollercoaster for the first time. Tom Sargent chasing down Bryan Sellers.
DXDT Corvette vs. GMG Racing Porsche. 5.5 liter naturally aspirated V8 vs. 4.2 liter naturally aspirated flat six. 160 miles an hour tipping it into The Rollercoaster, like a slalom skier. Neil Verhagen is reeling in Tom Sargent as the cars remain single file again out of Hog Pen and down the front straightaway. Lap one in the book. This is Tommy Milner's home race. He debuted here and won here at VIR. He and Alec Udell won race one yesterday. Adam Adelson and Elliott Skeer want to maintain their points lead because DCDT Racing are chasing. Foley and Hindman, both, are right on Varun Choksey's six and Choksey is doing very well to defend his position.
BMW vs. BMW from two different teams. ST Racing being harried and hounded by Turner Motorsports. Pro class car vs. Pro-Am class car. Keep in mind, in SRO rules racing for GT3 cars, the cars are all from the same class but the driver rankings make up how the classes work. A much better start to this race for Aaron Povoledo and his co-driver Ross Chouest in the #50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 than what they had yesterday with electrical problems that plagued the car at the start of race one. That team is making progress getting their heads around a GT3 car.
Oh dear! Out of turn 17, Hog Pen, the #93 Racers Edge Motorsports Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 is off course. Zach Veach at the wheel of it, sharing with Luca Mars. He trundles through the grass and is now back on the road. It is called Hog Pen. There used to be a pigpen sitting there but believe me, the poor old pigs would be scared out of their wits by the race cars. Foley and Verhagen both get by Tom Sargent in the meantime. Excuse me. Trent Hindman in the #85 RS1 Porsche. Irishman Adam Carroll for Esses Racing is having a good weekend here at VIR, and had a good performance in race one on Saturday sharing the #19 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo with Will Hardeman.
They had a wheel issue in race one yesterday. The wheel broke and the thing wiggled loose and fell off. Let's take a look at Zach Veach's spot of bother through Hog Pen a wee while ago. He jumped over the curb and spun off the road. I think he oversteered into the turn. The grass is thankfully dry today on Sunday as they plunge through The Rollercoaster. A new livery, a new car, and an emotional victory for Kyle Washington and Tom Sargent in race one yesterday. Neil Verhagen though is coming in a big hurry and wants a bite of the cherry as he is scrapping with Sargent fro second place. Kyle Washington is working hard and racing in several championships in 2024.
What's the news at Chouest Povoledo Racing? We're about to find out from Amanda Busick in the pit lane. Ross Chouest says that they thought there was trouble with the battery. When the team got the car back into the pits, the engine was flooded due to a faulty fuel injector. There wasn't a battery issue as we had first suspected yesterday. Thank goodness the car is back in action this afternoon. He fights the steering through Oak Tree before the launch down Madison Avenue. Again, the old oak tree is not in the corner anymore. The name stuck. I could have sworn I had heard someone planted an acorn but it is slow growing. It takes time for something like an oak tree to grow.
Will we see a new oak tree in that turn here at VIR in the future. Whoever is on the grounds crew at VIR, please, please, please, keep watering the acorn! All these different cars make speed in different ways in GT3. The BMW have a slight edge over everyone else. At the top of the shop, it is still Tommy Milner in the Corvette. Now, the 'Vette is not the fastest car but it is planted to the racing surface and handles extremely well. DXDT were concerned with tire degradation of the Pirelli P Zero tires. Right here and right now the #63 Corvette is fastest. It is built like a miniature prototype as some of these GT3 cars with mid-engine drivelines are. The Corvette Z06, Acura NSX, and Ferrari 296 GT3 (which we see in GT World Challenge Europe but have only occasionally seen in the American series this year), each have a mid-mounted engine layout.
V6 turbo power for the Ferrari and the Acura. V8 atmospheric power with a flat plane crankshaft for the Corvette. Tommy Milner knows the Corvette better than anyone from all the testing he did. He knows this car backwards, forwards, inside out, and can read it like a book. Elliott Skeer pushes the limit into the Virginia clay out of Oak Tree and onto Madison Avenue. Alec Udell and Tommy Milner have won three races since they debuted this year as a driver pairing. They are leading now and you know they are feeling the heat as we speak from Elliott Skeer and Adam Adelson in the green and yellow Wright Motorsports Porsche, the #120 car.
The sister DXDT Corvette is also in the picture that debuted before the #63 did so. This is the #08 entry in the hands of Bryan Sellers and former SRO TC America touring car racer, Scott Smithson, who has skyrocketed into the GT3 class here in Fanatec GT World Challenge America. Bryan Sellers has experience and championships. The irony is that he runs a BMW M4 GT3 in a different championship for sports cars, so, he adjusts between that BMW and the Corvette with each passing race. He races a Corvette here in SRO America and a BMW in the IMSA series, the WeatherTech Sports Car Championship that we also cover here on the blog.
Sellers is a great mentor for Scott Smithson. EBoost Super Fuel is the sponsor in colorful form on the GMG Porsche. EBoost Super Fuel are energy drinks. They are energy and vitamin drinks as I am looking here doing a little research during the race. It appears they come in four flavors including blue raspberry, orange mango, strawberry lemonade, and ginger lime. A great looking paint scheme as they climb up into the esses. Through Oak Tree you must arrest the speed of the car and your mind. Now, Robby Foley has caught Adam Carroll after passing by Varun Choksey. Much experience and speed. Robby Foley teamed up with Vincent Barletta for a one-off race weekend he did in SRO GT World Challenge America here at VIR a year ago.
The BMW is very quick. Adam Carroll is in his first weekend of racing at VIR. Passing on the outside, Foley tries it and can't quite make it. But he tucks back inside through The Horseshoe and makes his move well. Trent Hindman, through NASCAR Bend is right on the tail of Varun Choksey. This is a battle that has been simmering for some time and now the burner has been turned up to the boiling point. This is a pass for third in Pro and ninth overall. Justin Rothberg and Varun Choksey are two rookies that are really proving themselves. They are very calm, too, resisting any challenges at all. I think Bill Auberlen must be the winningest GT driver in North America and maybe globally.
Zach Veach is now back on the road but there must be some grass in the front radiator inlet on that car which could be slowing the Acura NSX GT3 down. I really think Racer's Edge team boss Jon Mirachi would want to stay on the lead lap, but try hitting the pit lane just for the team to clean the grille inlet out so the car does not risk overheating. The Acura powered by a 3.5-liter twin turbo V6 engines of course. Bryan Sellers is now reeling in Elliott Skeer for second place in the overall. This is also for second spot in the Pro class as well. There is a maximum drive time of 50 minutes. The reverse strategy will mean getting the Am driver out and the Pro in. At 51:05 you can come in and serve the minimum pit time and you will be good to go.
The mid-engine layout is a massive departure from the front engine and rear wheel drive configuration Corvettes have been known for since being introduced as the original American sports car way back in 1953. Over decades and decades, the Porsche 911 has been refined over and and over and over again from it's 1963 introduction and of course, Porsche really began their company as Auto Union and then, with the venerable 356 model which was first introduced at the start of the company back in 1948. Scott Smithson looking on, looking at the data screens, staying cool, calm, and collected. In the meantime, for ninth and tenth in the overall and a battle for the overall podium in the Pro class it is Varun Choksey in the BMW vs. Trent Hindman in the Porsche. Varun Choksey is doing everything right and Trent Hindman has a Captain Cook to the inside.
He rolls speed and looks feisty. To the inside he goes. Through Left Hook, he might try diving to the inside. He is doing everything to mess with Varun Choksey's mind and force him into a mistake. These young drivers do not crack under pressure. The youngsters do not care how often the veterans have won races or titles. I am here to learn and to keep my position and I will fight you for it. Clean, fair racing. That is what we want. Adam Carroll in the Mercedes is whistling off into the distance ahead of these two. Carroll is doing all he knows to keep up with Robby Foley. Foley is quicker now than Povoledo, Verhagen, and Sargent at this point in time. Robby Foley is just 2/10ths of a second off the fastest lap of the race set by Tommy Milner.
Aaron Povoledo is picking up the pace as well, look, over Robby Foley. The Canadian GT3 newcomer is proving he is made of strong stuff. He and Ross Chouest have partnered and formed this team getting stronger and stronger against some of the biggest GT3 teams in North America. I thought Trent Hindman was going to pull the pin and try to reel in Varun Choksey but he realizes that at this stage there is no point in taking any risks as we have been racing for barely 20 minutes. There's plenty of time left on the board as we close in on the pit stop window. The professional drivers will be getting into the cars. The BMW M4 GT3 I think does have a speed edge over the Porsche 911 GT3R (992).
Robby Foley is in the green zone, going faster and cutting faster lap times than Aaron Povoledo is. He is running down the Mercedes driver. He is chipping away the deficit. Sargent, Verhagen, and Povoledo have all just uncorked personal best lap times but Foley, I man, blimey! He is really motoring. Did he have extra coffee at breakfast this morning or an energy drink before the race? One of those Super Fuel energy drinks? He is really turning it on right now. Trent Hindman now side by side through turn one with Varun Choksey! He fires it into turn one and says to Varun Choksey, "so long, mate. I am out of here, marching forward to the next position!"
There might have been some argy bargy that we didn't see. You know that Varun Choksey will not roll over to have his tummy scratched like a big dog, a big labrador retriever. Choksey is going to be more like a terrier and fight for this spot. Choksey will be doing all he can to catch Skeer and Milner who are the next Pro class cars that are up the road. Up into the climbing esses and Hindman has put a tremendous amount of daylight between himself and Choksey. Bill Auberlen, looking on, on the ST Racing pit box with their two-car team. Robby Foley closes the gap to Aaron Povoledo through The Horseshoe and into NASCAR Bend. NASCAR raced here at VIR decades and decades and decades ago.
Through The Snake they go. Povoledo charges Oak Tree and now the dyno run down Madison Avenue, deep in the slipstream. I see. He goes to the inside and makes the move. Povoledo has to concede because running side by side into The Rollercoaster, braking and steering at the same time, can end in tears. Robby Foley is now sixth and fourth in the Pro-Am class, and now, he will be chasing down, Neil Verhagen. No love lost between these combatants for two separate BMW teams. You know that this is going to be a barnburner when these two blokes find each other on the track. Play fairly, gentlemen. Do not try to rekindle any kind of rivalry. Let's make this fight fair, and clean. Coin toss, anyone? I think both of them don't want a replay of yesterday's argy bargy.
Trent Hindman has freed himself from Varun Choksey's inroads but is now making his presence known to Adam Carroll in the Mercedes as they come back down Madison Avenue once again. Mercede-AMG GT3 vs. Porsche 911 GT3R (992). Points as they runin the Pro-Am class has Neil Verhagen and co-driver Samantha Tan leading the championship by 43 points over Robby Foley and Justin Rothberg in second place. Again, this is a battle between two BMW teams. Verhagen and Tan on 159 points and Foley and Rothberg on 116 points, a difference of 43 markers. Rothberg has had great success in GT America, the single driver series.
Trent Hindman has a long look at Adam Carroll and Carroll leaves half a lane open for the Porsche driver diving for turn one. Through The Horseshoe Hindman is flying running laps in the low 1:47 range. Lunging into Left Hook, this is getting dicey, and I wonder if discretion may turn out to be the better part of valor in this instance. You must compromise as a driver. You cannot be hardnosed about it or someone is going for a ride, slithering their way through the wet grass. Coexist and give eachother racing room. This is such an old school circuit with no paved runoff anyplace.
If you take a bite of the apple too soon, it is going to turn sour on you. Hindman regrouping having been the cork in the bottle a wee while ago. The #19 Mercedes lost a wheel in race one yesterday. Now trust me, it is never any good when different parts of the car are doing different lap times. You picked a fine time to leave me, loose wheel. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, we can see Bryan Sellers in the Corvette still in hot pursuit of Elliott Skeer in the Porsche. Sellers sliced 4/10ths of a second out of Skeer's gap. We will see a fun second half of the race with co-drivers getting into the car. We expect to see Scott Smithson in the #08 Corvette, Samantha Tan in the #38 ST Racing BMW, Kyle Washington in the #32 GMG Porsche, Justin Rothberg in the #29 BMW, and more.
Tommy Milner is now 3.3 seconds to the good, in the lead of the motor race over Skeer and Sellers and Skeer is still the meat in a DXDT Corvette sandwich. We haven't heard a peep out of Robby Foley for a wee while which means he is working on the next gap, and he is reeling in Neil Verhagen. Again, no love lost between these two even though they seem to have patched up their differences from yesterday's little shemozzle. The battle for eighth place is still raging as yours truly has been chuntering on about other cars in the field. We are still seeing Adam Carroll being pursued hotly by Trent Hindman.
Into the corner at South Bend and then through Oak Tree we see Adam Carroll in the #19 Mercedes wriggle his way through there. Set the car up to the right to widen the radius and float the speed through the turn. So easy to drop a wheel on corner exit into Oak Tree at turn 11. As you are turning downhill it is taking grip away and the tires, in this case, the Pirelli P Zeros that are used in SRO, cannot bite into the track surface. The elevation happens in a hurry. When we go to our next doubleheader weekend of races at Road America, there is a ton of elevation change there, but it happens more gradually and not as quickly as it does around the circuit here at Virginia International Raceway.
Trent Hindman is a demon on the brakes! Holy smokes! He looks inside and Adam Carroll wisely lets him go. No risk. Don't fight with a different class car. Trent Hindman is a couple tenths faster than Elliott Skeer in second place currently. Both are at the wheel of Porsche's but from two different teams, two different prep shops, between Wright Motorsports and RS1. They need a yellow to erase the gap to the leaders. Zach Veach in the beleaguered #93 Rscer's Edge Acura is currently caboose on the field in 12th spot. That said, he is running down Jeff Burton in the #91 Regulator Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 for 11th overall.
Burton going defensive up Madison Avenue. The Acura has a head of steam, Veach passes, Burton does not fight it. 58 minutes of this race left on the board. We will soon approach the halfway mark. Down through Hog Pen at the bottom of the hill. A Full Course Yellow has not appeared so far unlike the handful we saw in race one yesterday. Acura have always been quick here at VIR. They didn't have the best of luck last year in 2023 when they had Ashton Harrison and Mario Farnbacher as the drivers. Racer's Edge were bullish about qualifying but it didn't work. For Regulator Racing and Jeff Burton, they have that reverse strategy plan going. In the #91 camp, Ellis is cooling off with ice. It is hot, it is toasty. 87 degrees ambient with real feel temperature of close to 100 degreees! Yikes!
Now we are watching a battle for the lead in the Pro-Am class. Corvette vs. Porsche. DXDT Racing vs. GMG Racing. Bryan Sellers vs. Tom Sargent. The pit window will be opening shortly. You get baked in these GT3 cars even with air conditioning. Cool suits are not the most efficient and, in the cockpit, it can be 150-160 degrees! Particularly, with a front engine car like the Mercedes, the Aston Martin, or the BMW, the heat comes at you through the firewall. So the driver is like a roasting chicken the whole time. In the pedal box, it is like putting your foot in a hot fire under braking. Adrenaline will push you through the thresholds in an endurance race.
We think, in this championship, of the crown jewel races like the Bathurst 12 Hours, the 24 Hours of Spa, or even the Indianapolis 8 Hours in the fall. Robby Foley is really up on the wheel. The gap between Verhagen and Foley was four and a bit seconds and is now down to 2.3 seconds, inching closer to Neil Verhagen. 54 minutes left on the clock, closing in on the halfway mark in the race. Think of both the maximum drive time and the minimum pit stop delta. Regulator Racing are eyeing the pit stop as Jeff Burton is super fit and he ski's, hikes, plays golf, to stay in shape. He is in his mid 60s but he can still drive the wheels off a GT3 car. Elliott Skeer feeling the pressure from Bryan Sellers. But Tom Sargent, the Australian, is coming in a big hurry.
With 40 minutes left on the board, the drivers must be in pit lane to not exceed the minimum drive time of 50 minutes according to the rules stipulated by SRO. Sellers, Sargent, Verhagen, Foley, Povoledo, they will all stay out as late as possible. Tom Sargent is running right within the ballpark of the leader Tommy Milner's lap times. He is 4/10ths quicker, just a tenth off of Milner. There is some lap time drop off give or take. The lap times have been in the 1:47-1:48 range due to the heat. We have a Full Course Yellow. The Safety Car is on course. We are so, so close to the pit widow and Aaron Povoledo has stopped the #50 Mercedes between The Snake and The Climbing Esses.
It looks like a tech issue. Something is wrong with the car. It looks like a Control, Alt, Delete. But I hope there is no smoke in the cockpit of that Mercedes-AMG GT3. Smoke means fire. I wonder if that fuel injector issue has reared its head again. This safety car happens at the perfect time for Regulator Racing with the compressed field. Philip Ellis will jump into the car and have less work to do. He will indeed be a happy bunny. This could open the door for the #91 Regulator Racing car to score a great result. Bank on a yellow to compress the field.
Ellis will be much quicker than a Scott Smithson or a Kyle Washington who just don't have the same level of experience. Ellis will need to carve his way through the field. The pit window is open even under the safety car but the lane is not open yet. A tough, tough weekend for Chouest Povoledo Racing as a belt has come off the 6.2-liter V8 engine in the front of the Mercedes. If that is a serpentine belt, a drive belt, the engine is busted, and they are going no further. Everybody, save for the Turner Motorsports BMW are coming down the pit lane for service. Foley staying out.
DXDT double stacking in their pit box. Sticker Pirelli P Zero tires going on with fuel being added. 65 seconds is the minimum pit stop time that must be met. We no longer have a joker to work with in SRO America like we used to. You can be underneath it by up to one second, but every second underneath is a multiple of ten for a post-race penalty. Maybe the #32 car was not at the proper pit speed, now with Kyle Washington at the wheel of it. If there is overlap, you'd assume Kyle Washington is up to speed. If you have any overlap between the working lane, the transition lane, and the fast lane, the inside car must yield and give it up. I am confused by Turner Motorsports' strategy because Robby Foley is now in P1 ahead of Adam Adelson, Alec Udell, Kyle Washington, and Scott Smithson.
The whole field is going to come around and be right on his six. Justin Rothberg has not gotten in the car yet. They have not pitted. They want to extend his drive time under Full Course Yellow. It is a double negative because you will lose time to the pack, and you will lose time by being forced to pit under green compared to doing so under the yellow. I am baffled by this strategy play from Turner Motorsports. This is a strange situation. Safety Car lights off. Onto a restart? No. Robby Foley dives for pit lane and we see that the safety car is still on track with the lights on.
45 minutes to go and this puts Adam Adelson at the top of the shop. Samantha Tan in the #38 ST Racing BMW M4 GT3 is now sixth and with all this mix up, Justin Rothberg will reenter the racetrack in 11th place out of 12. So, this is going to likely be a strategy which could backfire on Turner Motorsports if they are not careful. Maybe there was a radio issue. Turner Motorsports is smart with strategy, so I don't get the idea they have on this strategy play. This is an oddball situation. That is a weird deal as we just pass the halfway point here at VIR. Robby Foley clearly not happy. He drove right through half of the field in the first half of the race.
Rothberg had gone to the restroom before being informed of the driver change. This is a no, no. Get your business done well before you are scheduled to get into the car. When you have to go, you have to go. But, next time, be more prepared. That was unfortunate timing. Safety Car lights off. Adam Adelson and Wright Motorsports lead the way over Alec Udell and DXDT. We could see pit lane penalties. An early restart before Adam Adelson punches it and we are green again! Into turn one, they go. Spencer Pumpelly is now making a move on the sister #08 Corvette GT3 of Scott Smithson. Adelson judged it perfectly.
A big lunge from Spencer Pumpelly past Scott Smithson in the Porsche #85. Smithson is now being monstered by both ST Racing BMW's! Samantha Tan drops in line behind Bill Auberlen. Spencer Pumpelly slides through Oak Tree in his bid to get by Kyle Washington as they thunder onto Madison Avenue again. Phillip Ellis wants by Luca Mars, and this is three wide with contact! Luca Mars, the co-driver now in the #93 Racer's Edge Acura was also in that shemozzle! It is go time with the clock ticking, 41 minutes on the board. Ellis slides past Will Hardeman and has the time to work. Adam Adelson leading in Pro while Kyle Washington leads Pro-Am trying to sweep the weekend. Luca Mars has work to do.
Regulator Racing and Phillip Ellis are on the move through the field. The DXDT Corvettes are now beginning to charge. Alec Udell is right behind Adam Adelson while Scott Smithson is right on Kyle Washington's six. Alec Udell had a very slow pit stop, six seconds outside the minimum. The #63 car has been the Corvette at the pointy end of the field this weekend. Samantha Tan in tow, as we watch Luca Mars who is nose to nose with Will Hardeman. Auberlen all over Pumpelly like a cheap suit as the BMW veteran is carving his way through the field. Alec Udell is keeping Adam Adelson honest. Corvette vs. Porsche. This is getting speicy and Phillip Ellis is in this fight too.
Ellis is up to third place. He is going to make moves, believe me. Flying up Madison Aveue and into The Rollercoaster, Alec Udell is right on Adam Adelson's rear bumper! He is not intimidated. He believes he needs to be leading these races. Alec Udell has much more experience in sports car racing than Adam Adelson does, but these two blokes are going to be scrapping for it to the bitter end. Pumpelly and Auberlen also closing in a big hurry. Ellis around the outside of Smithson and is now chasing down Washington in that multicolored Porsche, the fruity energy drink car.
Scott Smithson now has his hands full with the Acura of Luca Mars. #93 is now on the scene. Samantha Tan in the BMW, she also wants a bite of the cherry. This is getting spicy in the midfield. We are in for a grandstand finish here at VIR in the next 36 minutes. Do not go to the fridge. I hope you all have a snack and a drink before the end of this race because you don't want to miss a moment of this thrilling motor race, ladies and gentlemen! This is going to be a barnburner. Ellis looks inside of Washington. No dice. Tan steals a spot from Smithson. Alec Udell in the sister car is swarmed by Spencer Pumpelly! Oh, my heavens!
While this scrap is going on, Adam Adelson says, "thanks a lot, suckers!" and begins making good his escape! The Corvette has dropped to P3. Udell got stymied, big! Be careful dragging your tires through the dirt off Oak Tree. Big trouble for Kyle Washington and GMG Racing. They will cop a drive through penalty from the stewards for a pit lane violation. They lead the Pro-Am class, and this must be for speeding. Violation of an article in the rulebook. So, now, the #91 Regulator Racing Mercedes of Phillip Ellis takes the Pro-Am class lead. Washington bypasses the lane this time. The team arguing the case but the computer, the radar gun, knows all.
Luca Mars has pace, and we'll see if he can hang tough with Philip Ellis, the only Pro-Am car in the top six. Adam Adelson leads the race overall, but Spencer Pumpelly is closing in all the time and dragging Alec Udell right with him. It is a four-horse race for first place. Spencer Pumpelly was a race winner weeks ago in GT3 and GT4 in another championship north of the border in Canada. Udell looking to the inside of Pumpelly and can't quite make it stick. Udell tries swinging the long way around Pumpelly but can't make it. Ellis uncorks the new fastest lap of the motor race at 1:46.972. The penalty was for being too slow out of the pit box for Kyle Washington. Not a constantly held speed. That is the penalty. Yikes!
Adelson is gaining over everyone else. Ellis leads Pro-Am. How much does he want the overall victory? We are in the zone of entering the final third of the race. Two wheels off the road for Bill Auberlen! Yikes! Double yikes! He is pushing hard. Luca Mars is half a second quicker than the Pro class leaders as well with lots of time on the board yet. In this replay, he grabs the edge of the curb and runs off into the grass. That grass grabs you under full speed and full power. The exit of turn 17 is a narrower, older curb, out of Hog Pen. Udell is doing all he can to pick Spencer Pumpelly's pockets here. Alright. Half an hour to go. What can Alec Udell do to figure out the answer to Spencer Pumpelly's riddle? That is the question.
Ellis is a full second quicker than everyone ahead and Auberlen uncorks his personal best lap too. Don't throw it away getting into battles you don't need to. Alec Udell pulls alongside Spencer Pumpelly down Madison Avenue as they nudge! Pumpelly runs wide and, zing... like a dart, Auberlen makes the pass and resumes chasing Alec Udell. That was down into The Rollercoaster with poor old Spencer Pumpelly going off into the weeds. Auberlen all over Udell like a cheap suit and here comes Pumpelly again! Auberlen says, "not now, sunbeam" and slams the door in his face. Two veteran sports car drivers in a heated battle.
Adam Adelson continues making good his escape now 8/10ths of a second ahead of Alec Udell. Adelson running away from everyone in the Pro class. Ellis still holds fastest lap of the race. His co-driver Jeff Burton says something finally went well for them. Ellis is the fastest bloke on track. Regulator Racing wants to go get the rest of these guys. Ellis is being turned loose but his lap times have slowed down and he might be purposely in a vacuum right now. The stewards are now putting the argy bargy between the #63 DXDT Corvette of Udell and the #85 RS1 Porsche of Pumpelly under review. No great surprise.
In this replay, Udell got the launch and I think they just touched before Udell dropped the left side tires into the dirt. I don't think that was a blatant chop across the bow. Udell now second and Pumpelly has been demoted to fourth and has his hands full with Philip Ellis. Udell can now focus forward. He has the pace and can chase down Adelson as they go through South Bend and Oak Tree and back up the hill. Pumpelly fighting down Madison Avenue. Ellis cannot afford to get feisty and now, Pumpelly wriggles into Rollercoaster and Ellis needs no second invitation. Ellis up to fourth spot.
Pumpelly, I think he has Fred Flintstoned his tires. He's squirming around out there with less traction than the rest. Ross Chouest is now behind the wheel of the beleaguered, delayed #50 Mercedes-AMG GT3. Now, Alec Udell is turning on the heat and he is closing on Adam Adelson for second. Oh boy. This is the battle for the Pro class lead. Ellis, charging uncorking the fastest first sector time of the race. Leaping down through Rollercoaster, the #91 Mercedes quickest in sectors one and two and Alec Udell quickest in sector three. Ellis has had a magical 2024 season winning in class at Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen, and Spa, a lot of the big enduros.
Ellis again, 1:46.959, a new fastest lap! 22 minutes to go. What are Adam Adelson and Alec Udell going to do when Philip Ellis comes on the scene? I think Udell will use it to his advantage and try messing with Adam Adelson's mind. Scott Smithson in the #08 DXDT Corvette, the sister car, is third in the Pro-Am class behind both Ellis and Samantha Tan. Justin Rothberg is in recovery mode in the #29 Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT3. For the overall lead, Alec Udell blows past Adam Adelson like he was standing still! Wow! Adelson is on offense now. 20 minutes to go! This is going to get spicy! Adelson wriggled through Hog Pen and now, Udell is opening the gap.
Ellis to the inside of Bill Auberlen, job done through Left Hook. Auberlen now must stick to Ellis like glue. Not in the same class, but in the same fight overall. Udell, Adelson, Auberlen, the top three in the Pro class. The #91 will give everyone a tough run for their money, shortly. Big correction for Auberlen with no speed, wriggling through Hog Pen and onto the frontstretch. Adelson defending from Ellis. Ellis is looking at the big picture with no need to worry about taking any risk. In Pro-Am the second place battle is Tan, Smithson, and Rothberg. Corvette, the meat in a BMW sandwich.
Ellis is making a pass on Adelson down the frontstretch. Adelson does not need to fight Ellis because now, he has Bill Auberlen right on his six. Auberlen looking to pass Adelson into NASCAR Bend! Auberlen tried the inside, but no. Adelson is feeling the heat right in the wheel tracks of Bill Auberlen, one of the most experienced BMW drivers of all time. Bill Auberlen has now been racing with BMW for 28 years having started way back in 1996. Hence, the number on the car. With 15 minutes left on the board, Ellis is chasing down Alec Udell for the overall race lead. Regulator Racing are employing a strategy to try and win races. It is all circumstantial.
Alec Udell and Tommy Milner aboard the #63 DXDT Corvette are going for their fourth consecutive Pro category and overall SRO GTWC America victory in 2024. Jeff Burton is amazingly going along with this strategy call. It is a team sport and a two-driver lineup. Keep the car on the road, execute in the pits, and avoid incidents. Ellis is still 3/10ths of a second quicker than Alec Udell. He has fresh, clean air on the nose of the Corvette. How much does he want the overall win and want to avoid fighting Philip Ellis for it? Ellis is reeling Udell in hand over fist through Oak Tree. Mercedes-AMG vs. Corvette.
The Corvette is a horse for all courses and does everything well. 12 minutes remaining in round eight. Udell has a slight bobble through turn one! Ellis sees his chance! The door is open! Side by side. Corvette vs. Mercedes! Udell defending into NASCAR Bend. Both these guys want the overall win and Alec Udell lets Ellis go. Ellis needs this. This will put an exclamation point on the weekend for Regulator Racing, running under DXDT. Funny because the DXDT team is also the Corvette effort. These drivers might share coffee or ice cream off track but when you get out on the track and push comes to shove, there is a rivalry there, a team rivalry.
Tommy Milner said that Ellis is on a charge. The Mercedes is under the DXDT umbrella of course, with Regulator Racing. Nerves on the pit box for Jeff Burton must be through the roof. Ten minutes to go. In Pro-Am, the story is not quite over yet as far as the podium. The battle for second in class continues in earnest between Samantha Tan in the BMW M4 GT3, Scott Smithson in the sister Corvette Z06 GT3.R, and Justin Rothberg in a similar BMW M4 GT3. ST Racing, DXDT, and Turner Motorsports. Smithson is doing a very good job compared to yesterday. Bryan Sellers is talking him through, maintain focus, bring the car home.
This battle is glowing embers. Adam Adelson still fending off the challenge from Bill Auberlen. Auberlen digging deep and Adelson showing resilience. Auberlen to the inside of Adelson approaching turn one. Late on the brakes, they make contact! Adelson goes for a lazy spin and now will need to regroup and ends up on the back foot. Neither of those cars needed that. Adelson back on his way. How did that transpire? Adelson and Auberlen too close for comfort approaching the apex. The eyes of the stewards will be on that one. This promotes both Spencer Pumpelly and Luca Mars back up the order. Auberlen cops a drive through penalty for the contact with Adelson. A quick decision handed down by the SRO stewards.
I thought Adelson would save it but that didn't happen. Luca Mars could get on the podium here with six minutes to go. Adelson and Skeer swept the weekend at Sonoma and came second at both Sebring and Circuit of the Americas. DXDT could have more wins in less races. Still a few minutes left. The battle for third in Pro-Am is still hot between Scott Smithson in the sister DXDT Racing Corvette and Justin Rothberg in the Turner Motorsports BMW. Samantha Tan raced with John Edwards for a while, and they were very successful before Edwards changed career paths and traded racing sports cars for flying planes in private aviation. A similar skillset required for flying a plane as driving a race car, that is for sure.
Auberlen trundling down pit lane for the drive through penalty. A tough weekend for Bill Auberlen and co-driver Varun Choksey. Luca Mars wants more in the Acura. Spencer Pumpelly dangling the carrot in front of him. Into The Snake they go and through the climbing esses. There has been nothing finalized with the contretemps we saw earlier between the #63 Corvette and the #85 Porsche. Three minutes left on the board. Two laps, minimum. Should everything stand, DXDT Corvette have maximized and now, in Pro-Am the sister car of Scott Smithson is side by side with Justin Rothberg! Oh my! Braking late, Smithson defends the inside line that is rightly his.
He washes out wide. Rothberg still probing. Bill Auberlen is still in the fight. He has a lot of ground to make up to get back to Adam Adelson. Elbows will be out. The next round is at another high-speed circuit. Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. We may very well see more new entries for the Road America round next month in August as well as the penultimate races of the championship in September at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. Then, the crown jewel will close out the season as a round of GTWC America and the Intercontinental GT Challenge finale, the Indianapolis 8 Hours at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
That will be the first weekend in October. I have not heard anything about entries for that race, but I am predicting we might see a bumper grid of North American entries and maybe, just maybe, a handful of contenders from SRO Europe also coming over to join the party. We'll have to wait and find out what is going to happen. Through Oak Tree corner for the penultimate time. Philip Ellis on his final lap around Virginia International Raceway. Same for Alec Udell, seven seconds to the good over Spencer Pumpelly. In Pro-Am, Rothberg battling Smithson, can't keep the overlap into NASCAR Bend. Smithson keeps it together.
He has 3/4 of a lap to go before earning a podium. The clock is at zero. Through the esses for the last time. This is a massive day for Philip Ellis, Jeff Burton, and Regulator Racing! They win race two at Virginia International Raceway. DXDT win four races in a row in the Pro class! For the Pro-Am podium, as Pumpelly and Mars finish out the Pro-Am podium. Smithson beats Rothberg.
Overall/Pro-Am: #91 Ellis/Burton Regulator Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3
Pro: #63 Milner/Udell DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R
Wow! What a motor race! What a motor race! An unbelievable drive by Philip Ellis and Jeff Burton. Erin Gerhagen, Tommy Milner's sister, is team manager for DXDT and in both camps. Cue the dance music for the race results. Next up, we head to another classic racecourse at Road America in the Kettle Moraine in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. That race will be in the middle of August, so, in about three weeks or so. We will see you in vacation country in Wisconsin, very soon. Take care, everybody. Bye for now.
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