Good morning, everyone, from Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. It is day two of racing and the finale of the weekend for the GT America sprint championship. Yesterday, we saw a very compelling motor race if you were with us and this Sunday morning should prove no different. So, grab a cup of coffee or tea and your breakfast food of choice and join us for the opening motor race of the day here at Barber Motorsports Park. We are waiting for the livestream to begin, or as someone humorously put it, we are waiting for the livestream to "steam". Well, I hope not, because if it were steaming, someone would have exploded their radiator!
Ryan? Calvin? Wherefore art thou, boys? Amanda? Are you out there? Maybe, someone messed up the timing. Oh dear. Well, now it appears we will soon have a race start. Just had to wait a wee while longer. I was worried there, for a moment. We waited for a solid hour for the race to begin, but we are now set to go, thank goodness! Three races remain in the GT America season and SRO3 and GT4 championships hang in the balance here on a crisp, cool, autumnal day in the deep south at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. 18 points between three drivers in SRO3 and a slightly bigger spread in GT4.
Jason Daskalos on the pole for race two after his race victory yesterday. We are spoiled with a ton of competition on offer. If Isaac Sherman, in GT4, finishes in the top three, he can win the title before the finale at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Curt Swearingin has been a race winner, but he is slightly behind. The engines are about to fire up on the grid. Something about racing on a Sunday morning. Race Control deemed the Jason Daskalos and Justin Rothberg battle, as a racing battle. Rothberg and Daskalos gave each other a fist bump on the podium. Johnny O'Connell had damage on his Audi but the car is fine ad ready to go.
There are five different drivers who can win in this class, but Justin Rothberg is absolutely running on all cylinders. He has won in both GT America and Fanatec GT World Challenge America. The cars now roll off on the starting grid. Justin Rothberg will be on the gas pedal today. All three title contenders had damage yesterday, but the cars are fixed and ready to go now. We alluded to the fact that Daskalos didn't qualify where he wanted in race one. But he is on the pole this morning. Tons to play for in this race this morning. GT America has been a great show all season in 2024. Flagman Tom Hansing is ready.
Barber Motorsports Park races extremely well. This is both a motorcycle and car racing facility for sure. Alright! It is time to race, now! Green flag! Away we go! Daskalos to the lead and Johnny O'Connell side by side with Justin Rothberg. Kyle Washington goes wide through the downhill sweeper and Ross Chouest already fighting for a podium place. Isaac Sherman taks the GT4 lead and now, Nick Shanny and Todd Parriott are pushing each other hard through the Alabama Rollercoaster. O'Connell is on the back foot, under pressure from Ross Chouest. Jason Bell is beginning to make his move. Jason Daskalos leads the motor race with a wide entry into turn 17.
Daskalos won race one yesterday from fifth place. It took eight turns to complete the pass for Daskalos on O'Connell as Jason Bell spins in turn five, Charlotte's Web. Currently, the Chouest Povoledo Racing Mercedes-AMG gets better and better as Jason Bell is still trying to get out of the weeds and back onto the hard standing to continue in the race. Johnny O'Connell is struggling trying to catch the tpp two and Justin Rothberg is within striking distance of Jason Daskalos. Ross Chouest has Kyle Washington in the Porsche as Tim Savage cleans out Ross Chouest! Savage's race is over! Good grief! Todd Parriott is off the road too having spun and this is out of turn 17!
That was totally bizarre! Full Course Yellow. Safety Car deployed. Blimey! In this replay, Savage gets loose, hits the brakes, and cannons right into Ross Chouest! I think they have the one car and they need it for Fanatec GT race two later this afternoon. Good to see Tim Savage is OK but the front end is obliterated. I think there was a technical problem with the antilock brakes or something of that nature. Big damage and parts for the previous generation Aston Martin are not easy to come by. Ross Chouest climbs out, disappointed. The door is gone, and there's chassis damage on the left side.
Chouest took quite a lick and is able to walk away with the integrity of the structure of modern race cars. This yellow is great news for Jason Bell because he has recovered from his spin. He has traffic to work through and has gained ground back. This is a massive step from GT4 to GT3. Jason Bell is beginning to get into that rhythm. Game over for Ross Chouest. He had some great battles with Kyle Washington yesterday, and here, he couldn't make the corner. The team will have to look at the car and see if it is repairable before the Fanatec GT World Challenge. It was not Kyle Washington. It was Tim Savage who cannoned into him.
Half an hour to go. Isaac Sherman is getting closer to scoring points and with a solid day he can seal the deal with the championship before the finale at Indianapolis. I wonder if there will be a class split between SRO3 and GT4. We'll see. What about Johnny O'Connell? He has been struggling with getting the Audi R8 into it's sweet spot. He is surely working with the tools in the cockpit. Maybe the tire pressures are down. Time is of the essence if he wants to catch Daskalos and Rothberg.
Daskalos had a great start to the 2024 season. Isaac Sherman was immediately on the pace on a racecourse he has never seen. Isaac Sherman and Rotek Racing, they are looking at Pirelli GT4 America for next year. Isaac Sherman is a fast driver and a nice guy. Robb Holland, too, is going for a title in Pirelli GT4 America along with Jaden Lander. We saw Jason Bell's spin. There is a message from Race Control that the #32 and #2 will be reviewed post-race. Maybe Bell had an assist. Bell has been allowed to move through the GT4 traffic and now, we are back to green and Jason Daskalos sprints away!
Kyle Washington all over Johnny O'Connell like a cheap suit. Side by side into turn five, nicely controlled by Washington, on the power. That was a power move from Kyle Washington! He is now up to third place! He is looking for back-to-back podiums in GT America powered by AWS as Alan Grossberg is buried in the kitty litter, another safety car, as the McLaren Artura GT4 must be recovered. Another Race Control message, the initial SRO3 start is under review. Jason Daskalos has a 24 point lead over O'Connell and 25 points over Rothberg.
241 points to 217 to 216. Jason Daskalos' crew chief Sheldon Miller has been fighting cancer. The team would love to get results and a championship for Sheldon. We have had two safety car interruptions and SKI Autosports' strategy has been completely turned on it's head. O'Connell has a new lease on life running for a title. O'Connell, a multiple champion with Corvette Racing in the old American Le Mans Series. Halfway home. It took Justin Rothberg six races to get on the podium but since then he has only been off the podium once. He has six consecutive podiums including a race win.
He could be a contender to win this race as through Museum corner, Alan Grossberg is still being rescued. Barber Motorsports Park is not a high-speed course like Road America. But it is all about handling. Race Control tells us a green flag might be imminent but there is gravel on the road. Green flag, int the second half of the race. Daskalos gets the jump. Rothberg right on Daskalos' six as Kyle Washington has passed Johnny O'Connell who is fading. Washington right on Rothberg's decklid. This is a three-car fight. Washignton and Tom Sargent have won a race in Fanatec GT competition.
Who has the pace in these cooler morning conditions? Kyle Washington, Johnny O'Connell, and Jason Bell have cut their best laps but Daskalos is the fastest of all. He has a gap where he can pick his own line. Rothberg has the power advantage and the grip advantage under acceleration. In GT4, Isaac Sherman leads but Gray Newell is hounding Curt Swearingin and Sherman has made good his escape but drops wheels off the road a bit. Gray Newell has been very consistent and is running the new Evo Aston Martin with his Pirelli GT4 America co-driver Roman De Angelis.
The top two have escaped from Kyle Washington who now has the Audi of Johnny O'Connell right on his tail. 15 minutes to go. O'Connell not enjoying what he is seeing. Washington using all the road and more, and Justin Rothberg is off the road! Was there contact? Does he have a mechanical problem? Flat right front tire for Rothberg! This is a long trundle to the pit lane. Too much drama! This will be a weekend for Rothberg to forget. There's still gravel, still debris on the road. Just a puncture. This is massive. Jason Daskalos is set free and has a 3.7 second advantage over Johnny O'Connell and Kyle Washington.
Three across and now, O'Connell passes Washington, and the rimshot didn't work. O'Connell back to second place putting a boost in his championship aspirations. Still 12 minutes left on the board. Poor old Justin Rothberg has been so competitive, and a solid run has been ruined today. We have seen attrition in this race. He will not score worse than fifth. This is painful as the tire is changed and he will finish the race. It was a long, slow road back to the pits. Justin Rothberg has not finished off the podium since Circuit of the Americas race one back in May. O'Connell has escaped the clutches of Washington.
11 minutes to go and now there is an 18-point spread between Daskalos and O'Connell. O'Connell much faster than Daskalos! Mama Mia! Rosella Manfrenato, the engineer at SKI Autosport, is incredible. O'Connell drove for GM for years with Corvette Racing and Cadillac Racing, both. O'Connell is now pouring on the steam to catch Jason Daskalos. Nine minutes to go equaling about seven laps. O'Connell is coming in a hurry! He was quicker in all three sectors than Daskalos. Under nine minutes to go in the third to last race of the 2024 season. O'Connell has rallied to second spot.
O'Connell has clawed back by three seconds. The chase continues. 2.6 was the margin across the stripe last time by. Personal best middle sector for O'Connell. The gap is shrinking to 1.7 seconds. O'Connell has time on his side. Daskalos needs more speed. Average speed around Barber Motorsports Park at 93 miles an hour. Slower speeds at 76-77 miles an hour is factored by yellows. Into the Museum corner, the miniature corkscrew. 145 miles an hour through turns 12 and 13. O'Connell is flying! He is catching Daskalos hand over fist! Six and a half minutes left.
O'Connell now 1.3 seconds behind. Daskalos responding, as O'Connell has the pace. In GT4, Isaac Sherman leads Curt Swearingin and Gray Newell by five seconds. O'Connell chasing down Daskalos to retake the points lead headed for the final two races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. O'Connell is feeling the grip, and the Audi has come to life. These two are matching each other in at least one sector on the track. The gap is under a second. New fastest lap of the race for O'Connell at 1:23.797. A good, stable braking zone there. O'Connell racing against Daskalos and the clock.
Traffic ahead for the leaders with four minutes to go. Daskalos mastered the traffic in race one yesterday. O'Connell up a tenth and then back down between sectors. Grossberg allows the leaders by in the McLaren Artura GT4. O'Connell not making ground up. Daskalso digging deep with Ryan Dalziel on the radio coaching him and giving him lap times. Nick Shanny is the next GT4 car to pass. Maybe Daskalos can clear him and now. O'Connell gets stymied by Shanny's car and O'Connell runs full chat through the grass! That hurts him through corner entry. Not great for O'Connell.
He might run out of time. Daskalos trying to sweep the weekend. Racing for his crew chief, Sheldon Miller. O'Connell came from fourth, dropping back, and rallying to the front. Daskalos is a fighter. He will not give up. This is a boxing match. Daskalos has been runner-up in the GT America championship the last two years. He wants this title. O'Connell bites two tenths of a second out of the cherry. Daskalos needs to make a mistake for O'Connell to get to him. White flag this time by. One lap to go.
Daskalos looking to sweep. The gap is 9/10ths of a second which is too much for Johnny O'Connell to recover from. Clear road ahead for now. This is a heads-up duel between two of the three championship contenders. Daskalos runs wide! Can O'Connell close? He can indeed. He is as close as he's been all race long. Daskalos running his line through the final corners. Daskalos breaks out the broom and sweeps with two races to go! Isaac Sherman dominates GT4! He will lock up the title in the GT4 class with ten wins making it 11 and earning a title with two races to spare!
Isaac Sherman wins the race and wins the GT America GT4 championship in style! Curt Swearingin second and Gray Newell third. Double podium in SRO3 for Kyle Washington.
Overall/SRO3: #27 Jason Daskalos CRP Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3
GT4: #098 Isaac Sherman Rotek Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport
Cue the dance music for the results. Isaac Sherman clinches the GT4 title in his first season of GT racing. A deserving champion indeed! So, that's all for GT America at Barber Motorsports Park and we'll see you for the finale races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway coming up in a month. Looking forward to it.
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