2019CalSpeedMagazineApril

W e entered the Sprint Series Round 4 with the Sportivo configuration providing a fresh challenge to drivers. It being the 4th installment of 5 for the Winter Subchampionship, the conclusion would prove to make things very interesting for both the overall and the Winter contest. Some may say that the winner of this round wasn’t really a big surprise, but the championship has a giant question mark on it… We’d see the best qualifying times come out of the third group, as is par for the course. It would be no surprise here as we’d see familiar face Pietro Moro score his second pole position with a 1:03.162 after getting his first one last round. Heat 1B began with Jacob Abrams at the helm with Sam Hunt in tow. Meanwhile, 4th place starter Tyler Redman was gunning for the lead, making very quick inroads towards Abrams, taking the lead for himself by lap 3. Abrams and 2018 champ Sam Hunt slotted right behind for the rest of the race and the two would take to dueling with only a few laps to go. Redman would cross for the win as Hunt followed with a freshly earned 2nd over Abrams. 2R driver Hunt had the lead at the A-Main’s green flag but was overtaken by Ronnie Swaim at the next time by. About halfway through, his grip waivered and it was just enough for 3 drivers to sneak on by. Hunt and Redman jostled over the top spot for a spell until the former settled quietly behind Redman, 3 laps left in the race, with Swaim meanwhile regaining composure as third in line. At the white flag, Hunt had to fight for it at the end, making a final corner pass on Redman for the #1 in Round 4. As we begin to approach the final round of the Winter Sub-championship, the big question is how overall points leader Redman and sub-champ leader Swaim will come out of the fray. We’ve seen a different winner every single round thus far in 2019, two of which who aren’t even playing the long game as 2R drivers. The spread across the top 6 in points leaves many possibilities wide open for the rest of the season… A Main Podium B-Main Winner Devins Baker C-Main Winner Blayke Phillips Round 4 - April 6