SugarBush Racing: Season 3 Week 1 results (cont.)

Moving south, the teams head to Watkins Glen International Raceway, an historic track in upstate New York. All the teams were unfamiliar with the setups needed, as no one had done any testing at the track prior to the race weekend.

Tex's car was dialed-in, right off the trailer. Easily taking qualifying, a full two seconds over his competitors. The cars weren't that far off though, as the finishing order would prove. HiWind started 2nd, slotting in ahead of Zoomy on his last, timed lap.

The race start should've probably been redone as HiWind got off to a bad start and veered over into Zoomy's lane forcing him off the track. He spun trying to get back onto the track and ended up facing the wrong way. He got turned around okay, but it still cost him time that was gonna be hard to make up.

Nevertheless, everyone continued racing with HiWind recovering to lead Tex going into turn one. HiWind got a good jump and pulled away a bit but Tex caught up at the bus stop chicane and was on his bumper thru the horseshoe. HiWind must've been driving in his mirrors because he braked way too late for the next corner and drove off into the sand trap allowing Tex to drive by and take the lead.

Fortunately for HiWind, he didn't get stuck in the sand. He drove thru and rejoined the race in second place.

Zoomy had closed up but was still in third place, a few seconds behind HiWind. His car was still giving him problems with the kerbing and it came back to bite him at the end of the 2nd lap. His rear tires hit the kerb at the exit to the last corner, spinning him out, nose first, into the guardrail at the pit entrance. He actually landed up in the pit lane, backwards, nose busted off and laying on the track.

Unaware of the drama taking place behind them, Tex and HiWind were locked in their own battle. HiWind was pushing hard to make up the gap between them. Tex was able pull out to a bit of a gap but HiWind was right there to take advantage of any mistakes Tex might make. And that's exactly what happened! Tex did the exact same thing that Zoomy did and spun out at the exit to the last corner, on the last lap!

Tex wasn't quite so lucky tho' and hit the end of the pit lane wall, smashing the side of the car and destroying the rear suspension. Unable to continue, he was forced to retire. Zoomy was able to finish but because he was 2 laps down, he wasn't able to pass Tex for position.

The finishing order was HiWind in 1st, Tex in 2nd and Zoomy in 3rd. HiWind was credited with the fast lap of the race awarding him the bonus championship point for this round.

Watkins Glen race results

Our last stop before we head to Europe is Lime Rock Park. For this race, Zoomy had his race on. He took pole, won the race and had the fastest lap during the race. That gave him the extra bonus point.

That left it to Tex and HiWind to battle for the remains. It looked like HiWind was probably faster than Tex but Tex was just fast enough to hold him off. The two held station for the first four laps. HiWind lost traction at the exit of turn 1 and had his car veer off track. It cost him whatever shot he may have had of moving up that one position.