Saturday, July 6, 2024

VP Sports Car Challenge: Mid Ohio, Race 1

A 22-car field of LMP3 and GT4 race cars is set to do battle here at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, for another doubleheader in the IMSA VP Sports Car Challenge.  Race one of the weekend, is about to start, right now.  They say good things come to those who wait.  Well, the weather this weekend is gorgeous.  This is one of the most challenging racing circuits in North America, and there is brand new pavement that has just been laid down which should make the racing very exciting to watch.  We have had a long layoff since the street course race in St. Petersburg, Florida, way back in March.  This circuit is right in the middle of Ohio, south of Cleveland, and we have a 2.4-mile circuit with 13 corners.  The first corner is the fastest turn on the whole track and watch for the action spot being The Keyhole.  That is where we are guaranteed to see many passes in both of these 45-minute races.

There is a single long straightaway.  Through turn four leads you to two different yet consecutive sections of the course that each have names.  There's Madness followed immediately by Thunder Valley.  Once you have exited Thunder Valley, the next crucial turn is The Carousel, the last segment of the circuit before reaching the finish line.  OK.  We join the coverage on Peacock and IMSA TV with Brian Till and Jeremy Shaw here to call all the action for both of these VP Sports Car Challenge events, the races happening today and tomorrow.  This brand-new racing surface has a bunch of grip and consistency on long runs for the tires.  The weather is fabulous.  The surface is extremely smooth but it isn't as grippy as people expected.

With that being said, the tire degradation on the Michelin tires for the LMP3 and the GSX (GT4) cars, will be minimal at best.  This circuit is temperature sensitive, but the dark colored asphalt will hold temperature, and we could see lap times during the doubleheader of races that were faster than what was achieved during qualifying.  On the pole position in LMP3 is the #87 car, the FastMD Racing with Remstar Duqueine D08 Nissan of Jagger Jones.  We will have a story to tell about him, because of his dominance in this championship, and the fact that his grandfather, the racing legend Parnelli Jones, passed away recently.

Some people have been scratching their heads about lap times and so on between testing and the races.  Listen.  This is racing time.  No time for head scratching.  No time for pondering.  No excuses.  Yes, drivers and teams are always chasing something.  But let's look at this way.  We have a clean sheet of A4 paper on the table.  The time for talk is over.  The race will deliver and tell the story.  So, join us for the next 45 minutes and we'll find out what happens, together.  On the GSX pole for the GT4 production cars, it is Jesse Lazare aboard the #21 Motorsports In Action McLaren Artura GT4.  The GT4 machines are the same cars we see in Michelin Pilot Challenge which is the marquee race here at Mid-Ohio this weekend, but of course, like LMP3, only a single driver per car for these short sprint races.

Jagger Jones on the overall pole.  Nine LMP3 cars and 13 GSX cars.  We have a debutant on the outside of the GSX front row alongside Jesse Lazare.  This is Josh Green at the wheel of the #78 Thaze Competition Mercedes-AMG GT4.  The second row in GS has the #59 KOHR Motorsports Ford Mustang GT4 with the quickest driver in Free Practice, Luca Mars, at the wheel of it, and to his outside, it is Scott Blind in the #45 Ruckus Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT4, the bright highlighter yellow automobile.  Blind is the best placed contender in the Bronze Cup for GSX.  

2023 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Grand Sport class champion, also for GT4 cars, Vincent Barletta, he leads a brace of five BMW M4 GT4's next up on the grid.  So, here are those five BMW entries to have a Captain Cook at throughout these races both today and tomorrow.  

#97 Vincent Barletta    Turner Motorsports
#88 Patrick Wilmot     Split Decision Motorsports
#25 Mark Brummond Auto Technic Racing
#12 Michael Dayton Swish Motorsports 
#96 Joe Dalton Turner Motorsports

The clock has begun counting down.  So, we are set to get started.  Jagger Jones, our LMP3 pole sitter is the only Duqueine M30-D08 chassis in LMP3.  All the rest are the Ligier JS P320 and of course every one of the LMP3 cars is powered by the 5.6 liter naturally aspirated Nissan V8 that is developed for racing but based on a Nissan Titan truck engine I believe.  So, Jagger Jones is on pole and at his elbow is the LMP3 points leader Steven Aghakani in the MLT Motorsports Ligier.  They are waiting to get into the start zone, and look, as there is some gamesmanship between Aghakani and Jones already, with the veteran LMP3 racer squeezing the rookie.

Green flag!  Punch it!  VP Challenge race one at Mid-Ohio is go!  Into turn four for the first time of asking and Agakhani is wisely slipping into second place behind Jagger Jones right off the start.  Jones had to be thinking, "why are you playing these games, mate?  Why are you showing me up?  I am the pole sitter, and I will show you what I'm made of, tough guy!"  There is passing taking place already among the LMP3 cars through Madness and they call this part of the circuit Madness for a very good reason.  Right, left, right, left, right left.  No time to rest.  This is like a slalom course right in the middle of the circuit.

Drivers working hard at not just driving their race cars but also getting their tires up to temperature, so they maintain grip on this brand-new track surface here at Mid-Ohio.    The LMP3 cars head through Thunder Valley and into The Carousel, and we are going to pan the camera back, I am sure, to have a Captain Cook at the GSX battles as well.  This is a competitive motor race right from the drop of the green flag.  As is tradition here at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, the race began on the backstretch but now we have one lap in the book.  Appropriate for the sports cars of IMSA to be racing on a circuit with Sports Car Course, right in the name.

45 minutes of the race and we have been racing now for a lap, for two or three minutes.  Third place belongs to the best of the Bronze classified drivers in LMP3, this is the #23 car in the hands of Miguel Villagomez, from Ecuador, at the wheel of the Escuderia ABRO Ligier.  One driver right at the tail end, the tail of the dog, so to speak, is still struggling to gain tire temperature and traction.  That is Seth Lucas, the driver of the #61 Ave Motorsports Ligier JS P320.  This is Seth Lucas' first appearance in VP Sports Car Challenge in 2024.  I have mentioned his name in several sports car championships over the last few years.  But this is his first foray into VP Challenge.

The talent of the field here in VP Challenge is stacked and we have another new driver to keep an eye on aboard car #18.  This is Jordan Menzin out of Delray Beach, Florida, at the wheel of the Performance Tech Motorsports Ligier.  We have seen Performance Tech Motorsports in LMP2 and LMP3 competition in the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship.  But now they are focused exclusively on LMP3 and on the VP Challenge series.  Meanwhile, in the GSX class it is Jesse Lazare in the McLaren at the top of the shop, but Luca Mars in the Ford Mustang GT4 has made his way to second spot followed by Josh Green and Scott Blind.

Josh Green has been predominantly known as an open wheel racing standout and he participated in the Team USA Scholarship spearheaded by our mate in the broadcast booth, Jeremy Shaw.  This is a whole different kettle of fish for Josh Green driving production-based Grand Touring sports cars compared to single seaters.  Green worked his way all the way up to the second rung below IndyCar with Indy Next, which was formerly called Indy Lights.  He ran well there, and the budget was harder to raise and find opportunities.  Now, he is embedding himself in sports cars.  He made his sports car debut at Sebring way back in March, racing there in Michelin Pilot Challenge.  But now, Green is eyeing VP Sports Car Challenge as the steppingstone to gain seat time.

He is in third place as Jesse Lazare and Luca Mars have both pulled slightly ahead.  Lazare and Mars, both of these chaps have been racing GT4 cars now for a good while.  So far, in the four races we have had in 2024 for VP Challenge there have only been two winning drivers in the GSX class.  These are the two winners.  Jesse Lazare and Luca Mars.  The competition behind them must be feeling the heat and wants to get up to the front of the class and mount a formidable challenge, believe you me.  OK.  Up into the Keyhole, we have more scrapping in the LMP3 category as the cars run somewhat liner stern.

This is a battle for fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh place between Jordan Menzin, Alex Kirby, Ryan Phinny, and Jonathan Woolridge.  Menzin is in his first ever VP Challenge race.  He has done historic racing in HSR with the LMP3 cars now that these cars are actually also eligible for the vintage racing championship.  This young man is a student of the motor racing game and is incredibly analytical and smart about it.  So, he was asked by Brian Till, our lead commentator for this race and a former racing driver himself, "Jordan, what business were you in before you decided to go racing?"  Jordan's reply, "I am in software development."

Bingo.  Hence why he understands the analytical and data side of motor racing.  A sharp mind who is learning how to drive a sports car.  He was reasonably pleased with his qualifying effort.  Funny enough that Alex Kirby is one of his teammates in this championship.  Menzin and Kirby along with Jonathan Woolridge, they are the three team drivers for Performance Tech Motorsports in this championship currently.  In May, Jordan Menzin had the chance to open his career in an LMP3 event racing the vintage historic event at Road Atlanta, in May, the Walter Mitty Challenge or just known colloquially as "The Mitty", and that is how Menzin started racing one of these cars.

Menzin was disappointed with his performance turning laps during testing here at Mid-Ohio in the 1:18 bracket.  The pole time by Jagger Jones was a 1:18.3.  He went down to the 1:16 range.  Jordan Menzin saw he was cutting a lap time in the 1:20 range and thought, "oh dear!  What am I going to do?!  I'm not quick enough!"  Jeremy had a discussion with Jordan saying, "look, mate.  You are brand new to this situation.  Brand new to this sport.  Get a grip.  Loosen up.  Take one thing at a time and don't get greedy.  Take what the track gives you and find more pace next time."

Well, this morning in qualifying he uncorked a 1:18.4.  So, the pep talk, with Mr. Shaw worked.  Find confidence, in anything, gradually.  Nothing comes to us overnight.  It takes time.  So, Jordan Menzin took the advice.  Kudos to you, young man.  Keep at it.  Sometimes in racing, talk is cheap.  But not in this specific case.  Jagger Jones continues to lead the motor race heading again for The Keyhole and down the backstretch.  Alex Kirby looks inside of Jordan Menzin, his teammate, and makes the pass.  Ryan Phinny in the #51 Rick Ware Racing with Ave Motorsports Ligier is coming right along with him.

This race will have an ebb and flow.  A tight battle pack behind as well as it appears Seth Lucas has made a pass on Jonathan Woolridge for seventh spot.  He was using the mirrors so much that I think he forgot to hit the brake and then got freight trained.  Focus forward.  Run the pace.  Don't worry about your mirrors.  Stay in the now.  This new Mid-Ohio track surface is exceptionally grippy.  That reward, if you push too hard, the grip goes away.  Wait a minute.  Wait a minute.  No pit stops are scheduled in VP Sports Car Challenge in these sprint races but our GSX leader, Jesse Lazare in the #21 McLaren is in the lane for some reason.

He has a problem with the car or he is serving a drive through penalty.  Ah!  It is a drive through penalty for a false start, for jumping the start of the race before the green flag waved.  He lined up on the wrong side of the grid.  Yikes!  Now we have a side-by-side GSX battle!  This is a three-way BMW scrap for position on the tricky track here at Mid-Ohio.  That is Patrick Wilmot trying to make his move on Vincent Barletta, and all the while, Mark Brummond has a watching brief and might poke his nose in if the other two blokes make a mistake.  

All of the BMW's struggled during GSX qualifying yesterday.  Now, Patrick Wilmot wants a bite of the cherry and is right alongside Barletta.  Wow!  He drives it all the way around the outside and takes the pass as Barletta loses oodles of track space and now has Brummond right on his six.  Wilmot trying not to slide wide and now Barletta is right on his back door.  Split Decision Motorsports out of Tennessee, these guys are ones to watch in this championship.  They have major sponsorship support from the Genie garage doors company.  Genie is based east of Mid-Ohio, about an hour down the road in Mount Hope, Ohio.  There will be fans of car #88 who are very happy.

The BMW teams are worried about Balance of Performance because they believe it has set them back into a rough spot, they would rather not be in.  The GSX drivers need to be on their toes because the LMP3 leaders are closing in on them and likewise, Jones, Aghakhani and the rest will be minding their P's and Q's as well.    It gives these drivers experience with multi-class racing if they have their ultimate goals set on the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship at the highest level of the sport in North America.  Ryan Phinny makes a move and now, look, here comes Jordan Menzin as well, absolutely going for it.

Jordan Menzin did run races in the WRL championship in a GT4 car, a Toyota Supra GT4.  But now he has stepped up to the prototype ranks.  Seth Lucas is chasing him down and Lucas has myriad experience driving in LMP2 as well as LMP3 and GT4 cars, at a home track for him.  Lucas is out of Columbus, Ohio.  Menzin might be getting flustered by Lucas being back there.  He turned into the corner late and left the inside line totally open.  Jagger Jones to the outside of Jesse Lazare as the LMP3 vs. GT4 scraps continue.  Jagger Jones knows he is dealing with an experienced driver who he can trust he can pass.

Jones passes Patrick Wilmot as well who gives him racing room.  Wilmot currently fourth in the GSX class. Jones is 21 years old, from Scottsdale, Arizona, and comes from a racing family.  His dad, P.J. Jones, is a champion and so is his late grandfather, the legend, Parnelli Jones, who just passed away very recently.  A former Indianapolis 500 winner, and a Trans Am and offroad champion.  Jagger Jones doing his grandfather proud with a seven plus second lead.  Meanwhile, Miguel Villagomez has made a move on Steven Agakhani through traffic.  Jesse Lazare, who has just served the drive through penalty, he is not going to roll over and have his tummy scratched like a big Labrador retriever and just hand out places at will to the LMP3 blokes.  

He is putting up a fight, and he needs to.  Agakhani knows he needs to push.  We have debris on the side of the circuit, offline.  That's a piece of trim or something off one of the cars.  It needs a closer inspection by my old eyes.  It looks like part of a splitter from the Vincent Barletta BMW.  Oh dear.  Jordan Menzin, too, look, has gone off the road.  It is down at turn four, so he is close by "China Beach" which is the nickname here at Mid-Ohio of a giant gravel trap.  No worries as he is back underway.  He was up high in the corner and just lost it all by his lonesome.  He turned the wheel and lost control, spinning.  

A slight mistake.  He'll be upset but needs to get back after it.  Meanwhile, Steven Aghakhani has lost a place to Miguel Villagomez.  They work past Scott Blind who is running third in the GSX class in the #45 Ruckus Racing Aston Martin.  Villagomzed, the Ecuadorian driver, is now up to second spot.  Brian Till, talking to Jagger Jones yesterday, offered his condolences to Jagger about his grandfather and Jagger said, "he had a really good life and struggled over the last year, and is in a better place."  People were surprised to see Jagger Jones at the track, and he replied, "where do you think my grandfather would want me to be?"  So true.  Parnelli Jones was a racer, and so is P.J., and Jagger as well.  

Miguel Villagomez said his car would be better on long runs rather than short stints and that is being proven true as he has worked his way around Agakhani.  Villagomez had never heard of Daytona International Speedway before.  He has done some racing in Central America but has not done much in the states on the Pro level.  He has raced in the FARA series in south Florida, mostly.  Villagomez has not worked his way up to challenge Jagger Jones yet but as we look, Steven Aghakhani is leading the points by 210 over Villagomez and Villagomez is ahead of the points leader.

Last time by, Villagomez uncorked his best lap of the race last time by at 1:18.9.  Jagger Jones did not race the doubleheader at Daytona.  So, he is 670 points behind Steven Aghakhani, but there are many drivers in the championship ahead of him, not here at Mid-Ohio this weekend.  Eight more races to go including today.  If Jagger Jones performs this way, as he will be in the #87 car for the rest of the year, he really has a chance to catch up as the season goes on.  In GSX, a battle is on for fourth as Jesse Lazare is chasing Patrick Wilmot.  McLaren vs. BMW.  

At St. Petersburg, Jagger Jones swept both races and scored 700 points total.  Aghakhani finished third and sixth in each of the races and is 130 points behind Jones.  Jesse Lazare is charging back to the front from the penalty he has recovered from.  Ditto for Jordan Menzin.  Put the problems behind you and focus forward.  It is easy on the backstretch where you take the green flag, watch for the kink to the right so you don't cut the corner.  You cannot pull out of line before the green flag waves.  Jesse Lazare giving Patrick Wilmot a tough run for his money.  The car looked really loose, Wilmot's BMW, and maybe now it has settled down a wee bit.  

Aghakhani is now reeling in Villagomez again.  This is through turn 11 and The Carousel.  So, Jesse Lazare has finally passed Patrick Wilmot for fourth in class in GSX.  Scott Blind I think is too far ahead in third place.  Luca Mars in the Mustang continues to lead GSX ahead of the standout rookie in the Mercedes, Josh Green.  Lazare will be chasing Blind down.  The top four in the LMP3 division is Jones, Villagomez, Aghakhani, and then in fourth, Ryan Phinny at the wheel of the #51 Rick Ware Racing with Ave Motorsports Ligier.  

Alex Kirby is fifth.  Ryan Phinny is getting back into racing and has a great program and a five-year runway ahead of him which is a massive amount of time in motor racing.  Phinny had two fourth place finishes on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, earlier in the year.  He did not have the qualifying results he wanted but he is truly making hay while the sun shines.  More issues with debris on the road.  There is a dive plane on the circuit in the middle of the road, almost, and Phinny ran over it.  When they are solid, they are not as big of an issue.  But they can still cut down a tire.  It is when they shatter they are troublesome because they become like razor blades or a sharp knife.  

Patrick Wilmot has caught Scott Blind and is now right on his six.  We are into the second half of race one (round five) of the VP Sports Car Challenge, here at Mid-Ohio.  Great racing for the two different classes in LMP3 and in GSX.  Stephen Aghakhani has passed back by Miguel Villagomez.  Villagomez left the door open.  Meanwhile, a spin for the second Thaze Competition Mercedes-AMG GT4, car #37 in the hands of Eddie Killeen.  He gets turned by Will Wachs aboard the #17 BGB Motorsports Porsche Cayman.  Wachs is the driver out of Independence, Ohio, so this is a home race for him in a sense.  Wachs went over the curb and onto the grass.  For some reason he moved over on Killeen whp is just now getting back on the road.

Wachs has come out of that one much worse and has a flat right rear Michelin tire.  So, I am afraid it is game over for the #17.  It was a separate incident which looks to me like a cut down tire.  Many racetracks today allow drivers with mechanical issues to get off to the side of the course and allow racing to continue.  Meanwhile, Patrick Wilmot works his way past Scott Blind for position.  Wilmot has an evil handling BMW under him moving to fourth place.  In the meantime, with 17 minutes left to run, we heard from Wilmot being not happy about the setup.  But it seems he is driving it just fine.  Now, we are focused on another LMP3 battle.  Wilmot's best qualifying time was a 1:29 flat.  

Seth Lucas has moved up to sixth place, chasing down Alex Kirby.  He runs slightly wide passing Patrick Wilmot.  If you step slightly over the line, Mid-Ohio will bite you in a big hurry.  If that was a battle with an LMP3 car he would not have come away from it very well, as we have seen ebbing and flowing in pace.  Jager Jones has a comfortable margin out in front, with 15 minutes to go.  Seth Lucas is having a great race today in sixth place.  He is from Powell, Ohio, outside of Columbus, and so Mid-Ohio is his home track.  He is only 18 years old.  Lucas is making his VP Sports Car Challenge debut.  But I have watched him race in GT4, GT3 and prototype cars and he is undoubtedly quick.

Maybe, instead of trying out several types of sports cars to see which ones fit him, he should stick with one and focus on building towards a championship effort.  Lucas has driven GT4, GT3, LMP3, and LMP2 cars in recent years.  He is currently sixth and turning good lap times closing in on Alex Kirby up the road.  Jagger Jones leads the way, serenely in the black and red Remstar sponsored Duqueine through Thunder Valley and into The Carousel.  He is working through lapped LMP3 traffic.  Jordan Menzin does not want to go a lap down.  The pace is relentless currently.  Meanwhile, the battle remains here between Seth Lucas and Alex Kirby.  Kirby doing everything he knows to keep Lucas at bay.

Performance Tech Motorsports had to put a new nose on Kirby's automobile after an off-course excursion in FP1 yesterday.  Seth Lucas has closed in and is cutting laps in the 1:19 range, a tenth of a second out from his best lap of the race.  Meanwhile, Steven Aghakhani in second, he has uncorked a new fastest lap of the motor race, turning a 1:18.1.  Jagger Jones, in the meantime, has a sizable lead of eight seconds.  Good pace is what he needs to run.  Luca Mars, he has the class lead in GSX currently, aboard the #59 KOHR Motorsports Ford Mustang GT4.  At Daytona International Speedway, the opening race of the year, Mars swept both races and the car was so fast that IMSA hammered it with Balance of Performance adjustments.

KOHR Motorsports team boss Dean Martin, is a massively experienced driver with Ford who is a former development engineer on these Mustang race cars.  Mars is only 18 and is out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  He is showing his development and is running both VP Sports Car Challenge and in Michelin Pilot Challenge, so he will feature in the 4-hour Michelin Pilot Challenge race coming up tomorrow.  Coming into view behind Luca Mars is the #78 Thaze Competition Mercedes-AMG with Josh Green at the wheel of it.  Green is holding station but not losing ground to the Mustang either.  The young drivers in this series want the track time and want to make a name for themselves, for drivers who want to explore sports car racing and might in future years, move up to Michelin Pilot Challenge and eventually to the WeatherTech Championship one day.

There are many Bronze-rated competitors as well.  Down the hill into the section of the circuit called Madness, we are watching another good battle between two BMW M4 GT4's.  This is for sixth and seventh place in GSX.  Vincent Barletta racing with Mark Brummond.  The #97 Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT4 of Barletta and the #25 Auto Technic Racing BMW M4 GT4 of Brummond.  They head down into Madness, turns four, five, and six.  Seth Lucas, in the meantime, continues reeling in Alex Kirby for position in LMP3.  This position has actually changed.  He just set his best lap of the motor race a wee while ago.

Lucas moves to the inside of Kirby and that was incredible!  Into turn nine, it takes complete commitment and Lucas absolutely tucked Alex Kirby up like a kipper on that one.  That was a powerful move!  Holy cow!  Ryan Phinny caught right up to Miguel Villagomez but now he has had a whoopsie and lost time.  You don't see those passes into turn nine like that very often.  Ryan Phinny is stuck behind Jordan Menzin, looking to the inside and Menzin goes wide and lets him go.  That was not a pass for position, however.  A couple fastest laps of the race as both Jagger Jones and Steven Aghakhani have set more fastest laps with just over five minutes to go.

Menzin has some damage on the left front corner.  Meanwhile, Jagger Jones is on a Saturday drive, and everything is working out.  The Duqueine chassis has done everything he has asked of it.  Focus forward, extend the lead, don't be complacent.  Jones is about to complete his 30th lap here at Mid-Ohio.  30 laps, 68 miles in the book.  He is about to lap the third place GSX McLaren of Jesse Lazare.  Jagger Jones is keeping himself in the game and has no pressure.  He is aggressive when he needs to be but is very measured in his driving.  Stay cool, calm, and collected.  My late father always said that, and it is true.  It is an adage in racing, and in life.

Don't dwell on the past.  Focus forward.  So, Steven Aghakhani has now uncorked a new fastest lap of the motor race at 1:17.696.  Just over three minutes left on the board.  Aghakhani has a healthy championship lead and so a second-place finish will be absolutely fine.  Miguel Villagomez had a good pace from halfway to 2/3rds of the way through this race.  Now, he seems to be losing a little bit of pace.  Hold the phone.  Folks, I think I spoke too soon, because Villagomez just cut his best lap of the race so far as we close in on the finish.  

The fastest overall lap has been traded between Jones and Agakhani and Jones just uncorked his fastest lap at 1:17.9.  With the sun on the race track it would be better later in the day and it is not hot at all here at Mid-Ohio.  The weather and track conditions are pleasant.  Jesse Lazare in the #21 MIA McLaren, he is third, running 20 seconds behind Josh Green in the GSX class.  White flag.  2.258 miles remaining in this race.  Just over a minute to a checkered flag for Jagger Jones.  No time to coast.  Stay focused.  Head down.  Stay with it.  Team boss Remy Lataine at Remstar/FastMD Racing looking on.  Two or three corners to go as Steven Aghakhani reset fastest lap of the race.  Jagger Jones makes another mark.  Three for three!  Hat trick!  They will celebrate.

So will Luca Mars in the GSX winning Ford Mustang GT4 with Jesse Lazare in the McLaren in third spot.  At the end of race two tomorrow, we will be halfway home in the championship season.  Aghakhani extends his Bronze category championship lead over Miguel Villagomez who will move ahead of Brian Thienes who finishes eighth today.  

Overall/LMP3: #87 Jagger Jones            FastMD with Remstar Duqueine D08 Nissan
             GSX: #59 Luca Mars                 KOHR Motorsports Ford Mustang GT4

The victory for Jagger is special especially after his grandfather passed.  The accomplishments of Parnelli Jones in motorsports are amazing and will live on throughout history.  He was the first driver to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 at over 150 miles an hour.  He won four NASCAR stock car races.  He drove in off road races and in sports cars in the SCCA Trans Am Series especially.  Everything he touched was special and turned to gold.  Godspeed, Parnelli.  I know you are proud of your grandson today.  

We'll see you tomorrow for the second race of the weekend for VP Challenge.  What a sweet taste of victory today for Jagger Jones with the memory of his grandfather and his dominant drive.  He salutes his grandfather with the #1 salute.  A lot of emotions for Jagger Jones but focuses on the racing job and wins flag to flag in round five of the championship.  We'll see you tomorrow for round six as we went green flag for the full 45 minutes today.  It was a fun race to watch.  The fans got to see a good one, and we'll have round six tomorrow.

For now, bye bye.




 


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