Lone Star Grand Prix: An Intense Battle at COTA
On Saturday, the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, TX, hosted the fifth round of the 2024 VSCA SportsCar Championship, a thrilling event named the Lone Star Grand Prix. This race also marked the third round of the 2024 VSCA Sprint Cup, making it a critical juncture for teams vying for both overall championship and sprint cup glory. With 20 challenging turns and a 3.42-mile track, the race tested the mettle of the competitors over a span of 2 hours and 40 minutes, starting at 5:35 PM local time and concluding near sunset.
Pole Position and Race Dynamics
Piers Stockton, driving the #46 Rising Panda Racing Dallara P217, secured pole position with a blistering lap time of 1:55.287. The race was marked by high-stakes drama and strategic maneuvers, featuring four lead changes in the LMP2 class and a significant full-course yellow period that lasted for 33 minutes.
The full-course yellow flag came out two hours and one minute into the race, and the race resumed 33 minutes later. Despite leading the most laps (66), the #46 Rising Panda Racing Dallara P217 faced a crucial setback when it received a 30-second post-race penalty for a car contact incident involving the #6 Torque Freak Racing Porsche. This penalty relegated the #46 from first to sixth place, reshaping the final standings.
Key Performances and Results
The #18 Gowin Racing Dallara P217, driven by Josh Gowin and Jack Hedgcoxe, capitalized on the situation to inherit the victory, finishing with a substantial 13.523-second margin. Gowin Racing demonstrated exceptional consistency and strategic prowess throughout the race, which were pivotal in their ascent to the top.
The #30 Texas Speed Sim Racing Dallara P217, piloted by Gavin Doumit and Michael Fairchild, delivered an impressive performance by climbing eight positions from a starting grid position of tenth to secure second place. Their resilience and adept handling of race dynamics earned them a well-deserved podium finish.
The #14 Fischer Motorsport Dallara P217, driven by Travis Linscome-Hatfield and Rico Kollmeier, completed the podium, showcasing solid teamwork and strategic execution.
Insights from the Race Winner
In the post-race interviews, Josh Gowin expressed his elation over the victory, noting the team's unexpected dominance in the sprint races. "It feels amazing to win this race! We’ve been putting together really strong performances for the sprints, which honestly surprises me a bit," Gowin said. He emphasized the team’s strategic focus and their awareness of race control decisions, which helped them stay competitive.
Reflecting on the intense late-race restart, Gowin described the chaotic scene and how they navigated through it. "Yea that late restart was crazy! We were starting to think there might not be a caution due to how late it was in the race," he remarked. He credited his teammate Jack Hedgcoxe's skillful driving, which was crucial in overtaking competitors and securing their position.
"The last caution came out just at our last pit window, so strategy wise it was a pretty simple decision to come in for a splash of fuel to go to the finish."
"We restarted in third, directly behind the #46 and one of the Tri-State cars. Then in turn one of the restart we were caught up in an incident from a spinning GT3, so we lost third to another Tri-State car. We kind of lost hope to fight for the win there."
"These mixed-class restarts are super challenging to navigate and having Jack behind the wheel at times like that is honestly amazing to watch him drive through it. We saw going into turn 11, both Tri-State cars were stacked up behind slower traffic on the inside, Jack made an aggressive decision to go to the free space on the outside and made the overtake on both of them to put us up in to second. Two overtakes in one corner! After that we tried to catch back up to the #46 but just ran out of time there."
Championship Standings
With this victory, Gowin Racing solidified their lead in the LMP2 SportsCar Championship standings, now holding 2136 points. Rising Panda Racing follows in second with 1985 points, and VRG Sport rounds out the top three with 1830 points.
In the LMP2 Sprint Cup standings, Gowin Racing also leads with 1365 points, followed by SCOWRS Esses Racing with 1143 points, and Rising Panda Racing with 1137 points. These standings reflect the intense competition and the high level of performance exhibited by the teams.
Josh Gowin on the championship: "It certainly is looking that way (the LMP2 championship turning into a two-horse race), but a lot can change in the remaining five races. There are a few more teams in LMP2 who show up each round with incredibly competitive pace, qualify well but one thing or another happens and they aren’t able to close the deal. I think for the rest of the season we will see another couple teams make the step up to the top step of the podium and secure a win, but I at least hope we’re joining them there too. Really, I think the key for both us and the #46 has been our consistency, round after round being in good points paying positions. We’re only halfway so there is still a ton of time for the championships to develop!"
Upcoming Challenge: 6 Hours of the Glen
The next race in the 2024 VSCA SportsCar Championship is the 6 Hours of the Glen, scheduled for June 15, 2024, at Watkins Glen in Watkins Glen, NY. This race will be the sixth round of the championship and promises to be another thrilling encounter as teams continue to battle for supremacy. The race will be broadcast live on GreenFlag TV, ensuring fans won’t miss a moment of the action.
As the season progresses, the fight for the championship is heating up, with teams fine-tuning their strategies and performances. The Lone Star Grand Prix at COTA has set the stage for an exciting second half of the season, and all eyes will be on Watkins Glen for the next chapter in this gripping motorsport saga.
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