2022 Round Cup Results
Pearson grabs another one in Atlanta!
The 247 ANZCAR Cup visited Atlanta for the final time before it is transformed into the third incarnation in its long history. Originally a traditional “paperclip”, it was transformed in 1997 to the quad-oval layout with which we have become so familiar. Now it is to be transformed again, and this was to be the last visit before this took place.
Under the sunny skies of the Georgian summer, Barry Neale would make good on recent promise to line up on pole, with Neil Pearson joining him on the front row. Jason Martin would line up on row two after victory at the series' last oval race, with Daniel Hetterscheid alongside.
Neale would lead Neil for the opening laps with the two swapping positions on lap six, swapping back again two laps later. Bourke, Martin, Hetterscheid, Russell, Trahair and Turner made up the early supporting cast, with the track apparently not needing any changes to provide superspeedway style racing. Bourke would bump Neale out the way and lead for a few laps before being usurped by Hetterscheid a few laps later. Continued fighting over second place would allow Hetterscheid to open up a healthy lead. Lap twenty-six would see Pearson get loose, prompting a magical save but dropping the 9 from 5th to 11th place.
As the race passed forty laps, Russell had managed to whittle Hetterscheid's lead down to almost nothing, taking the lead on lap forty-two. This is where strategy would come into play as some drivers elected to pit at one third distance, while some would stretch the fuel and attempt to manage the race on a single stop. Pearson would drop in on lap forty-five, while Hetterscheid would do the same on lap forty-nine. This would leave Russell leading from Trahair, with Neale and Dyson also electing to stay out. Most of these runners would make it to half distance, and so the race would continue unabated until lap 122.
Exiting turn two on lap 122 Russell, who was defending his lead from Dyson, got sideways and lost the car down the backstretch bringing out the caution for the first time. This left Dyson leading from Neale, with Trahair, Pearson, Martin, Bourke, Lobb and Schultz following behind. Dyson would jump out well but on lap 128 Bourke would turn Trahair, then by allowing his car to roll across the track and strike Koch ensured himself a post-race disqualification.
Suddenly a race that had proceeded unhindered for all but a few laps of its scheduled length now faced a green white chequer, the overtime finish. DPR looked to be in good shape with Dyson, Pearson and Lobb occupying the first three spots on the bottom lane, however Neale would lead Mitch teammates Martin and Michelmore on the outer. Off the restart, Neale would spin his wheels and spin his car, collecting Lobb and spinning them both onto the infield grass. The resulting check up left Dyson and Pearson all but home and dry, with the only real question being who would be third.
Dyson would lead across the line but was disqualified for a rules infringement regarding his number, leaving Pearson as the winner with Martin second and Michelmore third. Turner would run home fourth with Schultz, Hetterscheid, Raymond, Phelps and Finlay completing the top ten.
Join us next week for the flat turns of Loudon, New Hampshire!
Incidents
Lap 122 - Jaiden Russell
Lap 128 - Wayne Bourke
Lap 134 - Wayne Bourke (protest)
Restart Infringements
N/A
Other
Lap 128 - Wayne Bourke - Fail to hold brakes - DQ + 6 month probation
Andrew Dyson - Wrong number displayed - DQ
The 247 ANZCAR Cup visited Atlanta for the final time before it is transformed into the third incarnation in its long history. Originally a traditional “paperclip”, it was transformed in 1997 to the quad-oval layout with which we have become so familiar. Now it is to be transformed again, and this was to be the last visit before this took place.
Under the sunny skies of the Georgian summer, Barry Neale would make good on recent promise to line up on pole, with Neil Pearson joining him on the front row. Jason Martin would line up on row two after victory at the series' last oval race, with Daniel Hetterscheid alongside.
Neale would lead Neil for the opening laps with the two swapping positions on lap six, swapping back again two laps later. Bourke, Martin, Hetterscheid, Russell, Trahair and Turner made up the early supporting cast, with the track apparently not needing any changes to provide superspeedway style racing. Bourke would bump Neale out the way and lead for a few laps before being usurped by Hetterscheid a few laps later. Continued fighting over second place would allow Hetterscheid to open up a healthy lead. Lap twenty-six would see Pearson get loose, prompting a magical save but dropping the 9 from 5th to 11th place.
As the race passed forty laps, Russell had managed to whittle Hetterscheid's lead down to almost nothing, taking the lead on lap forty-two. This is where strategy would come into play as some drivers elected to pit at one third distance, while some would stretch the fuel and attempt to manage the race on a single stop. Pearson would drop in on lap forty-five, while Hetterscheid would do the same on lap forty-nine. This would leave Russell leading from Trahair, with Neale and Dyson also electing to stay out. Most of these runners would make it to half distance, and so the race would continue unabated until lap 122.
Exiting turn two on lap 122 Russell, who was defending his lead from Dyson, got sideways and lost the car down the backstretch bringing out the caution for the first time. This left Dyson leading from Neale, with Trahair, Pearson, Martin, Bourke, Lobb and Schultz following behind. Dyson would jump out well but on lap 128 Bourke would turn Trahair, then by allowing his car to roll across the track and strike Koch ensured himself a post-race disqualification.
Suddenly a race that had proceeded unhindered for all but a few laps of its scheduled length now faced a green white chequer, the overtime finish. DPR looked to be in good shape with Dyson, Pearson and Lobb occupying the first three spots on the bottom lane, however Neale would lead Mitch teammates Martin and Michelmore on the outer. Off the restart, Neale would spin his wheels and spin his car, collecting Lobb and spinning them both onto the infield grass. The resulting check up left Dyson and Pearson all but home and dry, with the only real question being who would be third.
Dyson would lead across the line but was disqualified for a rules infringement regarding his number, leaving Pearson as the winner with Martin second and Michelmore third. Turner would run home fourth with Schultz, Hetterscheid, Raymond, Phelps and Finlay completing the top ten.
Join us next week for the flat turns of Loudon, New Hampshire!
Incidents
Lap 122 - Jaiden Russell
Lap 128 - Wayne Bourke
Lap 134 - Wayne Bourke (protest)
Restart Infringements
N/A
Other
Lap 128 - Wayne Bourke - Fail to hold brakes - DQ + 6 month probation
Andrew Dyson - Wrong number displayed - DQ
