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Coming off a successful event at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) with Lucas Oil Formula Car Series, my time at the National Corvette Museum (NCM) track was definitely a challenge. Rounds 7, 8, and 9 at NJMP were great for me as I was able to secure two wins and obtain the points lead in the championship. Going into rounds 10, 11, and 12 at NCM this past weekend with the points lead was a great start. Unlike most circuits, none of the simulator programs have the NCM track on them. This created an even playing field for many coming into the weekend who had not raced on this circuit before.

Coming in blind to our practice sessions on day one, everyone was learning the layout of the course and trying to find the secrets to the track in Bowling Green Kentucky’s hot weather. I adapted well with the track but was off the fastest lap time by two to three tenths throughout the cooler sessions. Fortunately, I was always able to be in the top times during the warm sessions mid-day with my driving style. When qualifying for Race 1 came around on the second day, I was able to set a 1 minute and 35.114 second lap time which had me starting P3.

Having a good start in Race 1, I was able to make a pass for 2nd and create a gap between the positions behind me. After a few laps of running 2nd, I later fell back to 3rd and held the position until the end of the race where I was passed by two drivers and fell back to 5th. I ended up crossing the line 5th and setting a lap time of 1 minute and 35.201 seconds which had me starting P6 for Race 2. Unfortunately, during Race 2, my car had unforeseen mechanical issues on the 4th lap which led to me finishing 11th in the race.

When day three came around, I had high hopes my luck was going to turn around. With my car repaired, thanks to the great crew of mechanics with the Lucas Oil School of Racing, I had a new day on my side. During Race 3 qualifying, I was able to set a 1 minute and 35.092 second lap time which had me setting P5 for the start of the race. The start of Race 3 wasn’t the best, as I fell back a position, but ended up working my way back up to 5th. I was able to maintain my position and catch back up with the 3rd and 4th place drivers. On the second to last lap, my luck came around when the 3rd place driver spun in the last corner causing 4th to slow down as well. I was able to make the pass on both drivers and secure 3rd place.

Even with the ups and downs at NCM, I was able to learn many things and walk away with a 12-point lead in the championship. The next event is at Road America on September 16th – 18th. If anyone would like to see some great racing, come on up!


NCM Motorsports Park Track Map (West Track)

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