The 2024 VSCA SportsCar Championship continued its relentless march towards the season finale with the Virginia Sports Car Grand Prix at Virginia International Raceway. This eighth round of the season, which also marked the final round of the Sprint Cup, provided everything motorsports fans could hope for—intense battles, high-speed drama, and a nail-biting finish.
The race, held on Saturday, featured the 3.27-mile, 17-turn course that pushed drivers and their machines to the limit. With only two races left in the series, every lap counted, and the competitors knew it. Despite the intensity, it was the cool-headedness of Nicholas Gowin and Jack Hedgcoxe in the #18 Gowin Racing Dallara P217 that ultimately prevailed.
The final lap of the race was nothing short of chaotic. Jack Hedgcoxe, driving the #18 Dallara, faced immense pressure as he charged down the long straight after Turn 12. Rico Kollmeier in the #14 Fischer Motorsport Dallara had spun just moments before, and GTP class traffic was bearing down on him. To add to the drama, Hedgcoxe encountered a spun Ferrari and a slow GT AM car, which nearly derailed his pursuit of victory. Despite these obstacles, Hedgcoxe held his nerve, crossing the line just 0.312 seconds ahead of the #46 Rising Panda Racing Dallara, piloted by Christian Campregher, securing the season's fifth win for Gowin Racing.
Rising Panda Racing's Strong but Heartbreaking Finish
While Gowin Racing celebrated, the #46 Rising Panda Racing team experienced a bittersweet day. Starting from pole position after Christian Campregher’s blistering lap of 1:34.749, the team led the most laps in the LMP2 class, a total of 48, and seemed poised for victory. However, the last lap’s chaotic sequence of events saw them narrowly miss out on the win by the slimmest of margins—just 0.312 seconds.
The result was particularly significant for the championship standings. Entering the race with a 13-point lead in the LMP2 series, Rising Panda Racing's second-place finish meant they relinquished their championship lead to Gowin Racing, now trailing by 32 points. Despite the disappointment, their performance was commendable, especially given the all-new driver lineup of Campregher and Michael Löffler, who showed exceptional skill and teamwork throughout the race.
A Fight to the Finish for the Top Ten
The top ten finishers of the Virginia Sports Car Grand Prix demonstrated the depth of competition in the VSCA SportsCar Championship. The #112 Rusty Spatulas Racing Dallara, driven by Finnish duo Jan Zilliacus and Henri Miettinen, secured the final podium spot with a strong third-place finish. They managed to stay out of trouble and capitalized on the late-race incidents to earn valuable points.
In fourth place, the #11 Vision 1 Motorsports Dallara, driven by Damien Behnke and Jeremy Carter, impressed by gaining four positions from their starting grid spot. This result was a testament to their resilience and strategy, especially given the challenging conditions and the single full-course yellow that disrupted the race flow early on.
Rounding out the top five was the #321 Tri-State Racing Dallara, with Chris Cadiz and Garret Spenst delivering a solid performance. Despite not having the outright pace of the front runners, they maintained consistency, which paid off with a top-five finish.
Further down the field, the #14 Fischer Motorsport Dallara of Rico Kollmeier and Michael Adamczyk, which had shown promise throughout the weekend, had to settle for sixth place after the late spin. The #048 SCOWRS Esses Racing Dallara, driven by Rein de Boer and Kyle Granger, took seventh, followed by the #123 Tri-State Racing Dallara in eighth, the #86 GSE Racing eSports Dallara in ninth, and the #216 Vulture Motorsports Dallara rounding out the top ten.
Victory Lane Reactions
In the aftermath of the dramatic finish, both drivers from the winning #18 Gowin Racing Dallara were visibly emotional as they stepped into Victory Lane. Nicholas Gowin, a 35-year-old veteran from Wilmington, NC, was all smiles as he reflected on the race.
Nicholas Gowin: "It feels amazing [to win the race and Sprint Cup]. We've worked hard to be competitive all season. Winning the Sprint Chips certainly makes all the hard work worth it. It means a great deal."
Jack Hedgcoxe, the young 23-year-old from Allen, TX, was equally reflective.
Josh Gowin: "It’s incredible to see how far we've all come as a group of friends, racing together for over four years."
Winning the Sprint Cup is a huge achievement and I'm just so incredibly proud of the focus and effort everyone's put in to make this happen."
"Funnily enough, showing up with an enduro mindset was one of the keys for us, I think. And always keeping the checkered flag in mind. Especially on those opening laps when the field is stacked up and everyone is amped up on adrenaline. I always tell the guys, "It doesn't matter who's at fault if the car ends up in the fence."
Looking Ahead
With the Virginia Sports Car Grand Prix in the books, the teams now shift their focus to the penultimate round of the 2024 VSCA SportsCar Championship—the Miami Sunrise 6 Hour, set for September 21 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. This upcoming race will play a crucial role in determining the championship fate of several teams, especially with the LMP2 class battle as close as it is.
Gowin Racing, with their newfound championship lead, will enter Miami with momentum, but Rising Panda Racing will undoubtedly be eager to reclaim the top spot. The race, broadcast live on GreenFlag TV, promises to be another thrilling chapter in what has already been a spectacular season.
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