- Xfinity 250 - Martinsville Speedway - 1. (#91) Zack Saunders - 2. (#1) Cory Mott - 3. (#29) Steward Harding Walker - 4. (#69) Caleb Tipton - 5. (#94) Thomas Wolfe - 6. (#22) Nic Vasquez - 7. (#6) Stephen Menke - 8. (#3) Ben Lawson - 9. (#37) Joe T. Wright - 10. (#16) Nathaniel Campbell - 11. (#57) Michael Deitch - 12. (#00) Garth Griswold - 13. (#11) Nishil Condoor - 14. (#7) Steven Carlile - 15. (#8) Zach Johnson - 16. (#99) Justin Bell - 17. (#74) Caleb Sheets - 18. (#30) Mason Hoeffner - 19. (#96) Vince Mitchell
CHICAGO- Thomas Wolfe arrived on the streets of Chicago with determination, following skepticism about his road course skills earlier in the week. As soon as he settled into the cockpit of his #94 RYCO Performance Chevrolet, he was resolute in his aim to dominate.
Despite only two of the four Backroad Bandit Racing Team drivers making it to Chicago, they managed to secure the front row for the 110 Mile race sponsored by the Bryan A. Leach Foundation. Wolfe demonstrated his speed and prowess by taking the pole position with a time of 1:28.116, and his teammate Zack Saunders followed closely, qualifying second with a time of 1:29.429.
Wolfe took the green flag and immediately pulled away, leaving the field trailing with a ten-second lead in just the first four laps. Race favorite Zack Saunders encountered trouble on lap four, failing to slow his car sufficiently before entering Turn 6 and colliding with the concrete barrier, resulting in significant damage to the right front. Saunders returned to the pits, falling several laps behind and dashing his hopes for consecutive victories on the road courses.
By the 10th lap, Thomas Wolfe had increased his lead to 28 seconds. However, navigating through a field of lapped cars, many with front-end damage, posed a new challenge. On the 12th lap, Wolfe and Nic Vasquez were involved in multiple incidents, beginning in Turn 1 where Vasquez, braking too late, collided with Wolfe, sending him into the Turn 1 wall. Despite the damage, which resulted in a “meatball” black flag for Wolfe, he maintained pace and caught up to Vasquez in the chicane between turns 9 and 10. Attempting a pass, Vasquez made contact with Wolfe, causing Wolfe to spin. Penalties have been issued for this incident and you can view the penalty report here.
Cody Porter seized the lead while Wolfe was receiving repairs, ultimately securing the Stage 1 victory. Starting from the 20th position, Steven Carlile navigated through the chaos to finish 4th in Stage 1. During the stage caution, most of the field pitted, with Menke emerging in the lead off pit road to begin Stage 2. However, Menke’s advantage was brief as he and Oskar Jensen collided into the Turn 1 wall, prompting the first and only full course caution.
Cory Mott took the lead after the caution and maintained it to win Stage 2, marking his third stage victory of the year. However, he would not secure the overall race win, as he spun out after Turn 1 on the restart. Steven Carlile then took the lead, only to be overtaken by Cody Porter. Porter’s lead was brief, as Crown Jewel Officials penalized him with a drive-through for changing lanes on the restart before reaching the start/finish line.
“I am going to battle Steven (Carlile) hard for this win, but at the end of the day if I don’t win this, I am rooting for him to win.”
Cory Mott #1 Top Tier Chevrolet
Carlile has held a strong position in the season’s point standings, yet a victory remains elusive. Securing 2nd place in every road course race this year, Carlile was on the cusp of a win. As lap 40 began, Carlile had a 10-second lead, but Wolfe, now in 2nd place, was closing in fast, targeting Carlile and the lead. On Lap 41, Wolfe clocked his fastest lap at 1:28.181, nearly 4 seconds quicker than Carlile’s. With only five laps remaining, Carlile approached Turn 2 too quickly, hit the wall, and Wolfe seized the opportunity to take the lead, his first since Lap 12.
Wolfe secured his second victory of the regular season at the Grant Park 110, affirming his status as one of the premier road course racers in the Crown Jewel Racing League. Carlile, once again, finished in second place, falling prey to Wolfe’s prowess. Following the race, Carlile made the following statement.
” I am not to torn up about it since Wolfe was the fastest driver out there and deserved to win but coming up 2nd again on a road course (for the 3rd time) is a bit frustrating. In the end the only thing we can do is to get ourselves in a position to have a chance each week, then avoid the mistakes.”
Steven Carlile #7 +MVT Racing Chevrolet
With 6 races to go, the playoff battle is really heating up for those final playoff spots. Check out the playoff standings to see which drivers are desperate for that first win next week in Long Pond, Pennsylvania for the HighPoint.com 225 at Pocono Raceway.