2018CalSpeedMagazineNov

The postponement of the Sprint Series Finale seemed to cause a wave of impatience and tapping foots– waiting a whole other month to settle a championship would certainly add drama to the whole thing. For onlookers looking to see this season to a close, the Samuel Hunt vs Spencer Russell rivalry would be the battle to watch. Behind them, a storm brewed for the final step on the podium with the likes of Evan Karp, Randy McKee, and Mark Sternberg as all potentials for the last piece. Also returning to the fold would be last year’s Sprint Series Champion, TJ Blackledge, the proverbial wrench thrown into the game. The season would surely wrap up in very exciting fashion… Juan Avina, Mark Gomez, and Shelby Blecker started the top 3 for the final Sprint Series C-Main of the year. With each lap, Avina would extend his lead to eventually over 4 seconds, leaving no chance for any contention whatsoever. Blecker in the meantime would catch up bit by bit to Gomez, improving his lap time with each cross of the start/finish line. Once the checkered flag was in the air, it would be a win for Avina followed Gomez and Blecker. In the B-Main, Mark Sternberg would sail away quickly at the start while the battle for P2 and P3 would be between Tom Zevin, having started near the front, and Rodney Bryant who already made headway at the green for multiple positions. About midway through the race, it was anyone’s game as Zevin and Bryant fought with several drivers, going both up and down the ranks constantly with each crossing at the start/finish. Sternberg’s lead continued to stretch to over a second, saving him from the hornet’s nest behind him. By lap 6, Zevin would be in P2 and Bryant eventually just behind after successfully dispatching a number of drivers to get to the 3rd spot. Sternberg would go on to score the transfer to the A-Main followed by Zevin and Bryant. Finally, the A-Main. A championship was about to be settled and the final step of the podium was still up for grabs. The participants: Blackledge at the front, Hunt off-pole, Karp 3rd, Alvarado 4th, and Russell 5th. In past A-Mains this season, Hunt would often take the helm and enjoy effective wins, unbattled for extended portions of the race. This race day, he may have stolen the lead from Blackledge after only a lap, but the heat was on and there was no getting away easy this time. The top 5 clustered together for a true nail- biter of a race. Karp ousted Blackledge for P2 and began his attack on Hunt, seizing the lead by lap 8 and forcing Hunt down to 3rd but also allowing championship hopeful Russell a jump to 2nd. With one lap to go, the top 5 came to a head and names would shuffle almost all down the line. As the dust settled, Evan Karp racked up his very first career Sprint Series win– knabbing 3rd overall for the season in the process. Hunt followed for P2, officially stamping his title as the 2018 Sprint Series Champion. A Main Podium B-Main Winner Mark Sternberg C-Main Winner Juan Avina Round 10 Nov 3