By way of their fifth win of the season in Saturday’s Virginia Sports Car Grand Prix at Virginia International Raceway, Gowin Racing out of Wilmington, North Carolina has clinched the 2024 VSCA Sprint Cup championship in the LMP2 class.
It was a hard earned win by the team, that ultimately seemed to come down to a better strategy, making only one driver swap opposed to two by their arch rivals, the #46 Rising Panda Racing Dallara, who finished second.
And so it was the #18 Dallara captured the win at VIR and topped off an impressive Sprint Cup campaign in the team’s debut season in the series.
In five Sprint Cup rounds, the new title holders earned an incredible four wins, equaling the record set by last year’s LMP2 Sprint Cup runners-up Trading Paints Racing, when the Sprint Cup season consisted of seven races.
Joint by their four wins were five top-fives and five top-tens, which allowed Gowin Racing to take the Sprint Cup championship by a 157-point margin.
Road America marked the only Sprint Cup race the team did not win, when the team took fifth place - still good enough to make it a perfect five-for-five on top-fives.
Visibly emotional, Josh and Nicholas Gowin were available for a championship interview in victory lane at VIR.
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.”
Nicholas Gowin: “It feels amazing. 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 and Josh certainly put in the work on the Sprints this season. A lot of emphasis on keeping cool heads in the car and not making mistakes, with a little bit of luck too.”
Josh: “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.’ Keeping the car clean and fast for the final stint has been critical to maximizing our race weekends.”
Nicholas: “Overall speed. I don't think we were the fastest on track in the sprint races but we made up for it with consistency and decent strategy.”
Every season, even a championship caliber season like this one, has its challenges, ups and downs, the Gowin brothers confirmed.
Josh: “Road America was tough for us, with the weather and all. We prepared like crazy, itching for redemption after a wreck the race before. But come race day, our car just never came alive like it had in practice and we were on the back foot all race. The rain was an added challenge that compounded our woes. It was humbling to struggle so much, while a lot of our competitors sailed - I guess figuratively, but sometimes literally - away from us. Nick and Jack doubled down on the preparation for VIR, to great effect!”
So how will the freshly baked Sprint Cup champions celebrate their championship?
Josh: “We are going to spend some time just enjoying the moment, but not too long! There are still two important races to go and we're fully focused on bringing home the Endurance Cup and series championship as well. It's been a great fight with the guys over at Rising Panda this season. But you know us. We're here to “Gowin” it all! (laughing)”.
“Also, I would like to thank a couple folks. Firstly, everyone on the team, thanks for being the best group of guys to race with. To our family and friends who have tuned in to watch our races, the support means the world to us! And to the other two Sprint Cup drivers Nick and Jack. Nick, it’s been a few years doing this with you and I've loved getting to share this hobby with you. Jack, you're the man, thanks for always being right there with us with your frustrating ability to instantly be faster than either of us!”
Nicholas: “Well, Josh is getting the trophy. He's been our captain this season and the push behind our motivation to do well. As for celebrating, we may make a toast. Like Josh said, we still have two championships left to win after all. That is where our focus is now.”
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