2019CalSpeedMagazineSeptember

F or the penultimate round of the 2019 Sprint Series, drivers would take to the Classico CCW layout with quite a bit on the line. A championship clinch was possible, as well as some shuffling for the rest of the top 3. Fresh off the action of last month’s Classico GP Weekend, the results of this race would prove interesting for the title fight… Throughout the season, we’ve seen driver after driver rise up the ranks in qualifying. The weekend’s event saw one driver charging up the ranks both in speed and in the points– it would be Ayrton DeMoss, and for this round, he’d grab pole position on the Classico CCW configuration. Pole position would set the stage for what was about to become an excellent performance… Heat 1A drivers took to a bit of a cold track but things would heat up pretty quickly. Ayrton DeMoss was the torchbearer from the getgo, keeping up an excellent defense for the entirety of the race. Meanwhile, Sheng Wu in P2 was not leaving any breathing room for the leader along with Yauney who dispatched multiple drivers to get up to P3. Things would only change ultimately at the final lap where Wu would finally lay out his attack to bring home the win over DeMoss and Yauney. The A-Main’s key contenders saw several drivers with a shot at the win: current championship leader Tyler Redman, Max DeMoss in P2 who quickly ousted Redman for the lead at the first corner, his son Ayrton, Sheng Wu, Seth Willits, Doug Yauney and Michael Hazlewood all the way in a P7 start. Drivers were treating every lap like the last lap so there was no shortage of suspense for who would come out on top. Max maintained the lead early on but Redman stole the reigns midway through the race– would he finally break that P2 curse he’d endured for the season? The battle amongst all drivers saw Hazlewood catch up to the top pair, all while Ayrton snuck by to take the lead himself, away from Redman. With the checkered flag in the air, Ayrton would snag his first Sprint Series win over Redman and Hazlewood; but another big result from this would be Redman clinching the title one round early for the 2019 Sprint Series Championship! All said and done, the final round still leaves a question mark as to who will score the Summer Subchampionship and the Overall 2nd and 3rd pieces of hardware. The day was not the best for Chase Nickells, who by the wiles of Ayrton DeMoss is now relegated to 3rd overall by a slim 14 points– the both of them can easily still swap positions. The Summer Subchampionship too is up in the air– Redman and Ayrton are separated by only 10 points, an easy gap to jump. Hazlewood also remains in that conversation. A Main Podium B-Main Winner Greg Pelaez C-Main Winner Tyler Kravetz Round 9 - Sept 7