The SCCA Mid-States Conference used the 2.370-mile road course at Kansas Speedway as a tune up for the end of the season SCCA National Championship Runoffs presented by Garmin VIRB at Daytona International Speedway, running Round Seven on a hot, humid Saturday.
Twenty-eight drivers took wins in six race groups during the 25-minute timed Championship races.
The final two laps of the Formula Vee race were as hot as the pavement in the Kansas City sunshine.
It started with two laps to go, when Robert Neumeister thought he had the win in the No. 94 Hoosier Tire Vortech/Volkswagen. Neumeister got to the stripe just a nose in front of his battle with Charles Hearn and Bill Johnson, then relaxed – mistaking the white flag for the checkered flag.
That let Hearn’s No. 37 Noble Racing/Hearn Contractors Vortech/Volkswagen and Johnson’s No. 42 Portable Work Tool Vortech/Volkswagen to get a gap, and the two came flying around the banking for the final time looking for the win.
Hearn, in front coming off of NASCAR’s turn four, moved his Vortech to the lowest spot on the apron to try to hold on for the win. Johnson tried to dip even lower, and the two came together on the straight.
Both spun, with Johnson coming to a rest on the apron and Hearn stopping against the wall at the top of the banking, minus two wheels, just three feet short of the finish line.
The contact left Neumeister free to cross the stripe and get the win.
Close races are often characteristic of the spec classes, and the Majors at Kansas Speedway was no exception. Spec Racer Ford and Spec Miata were tightly contested, with the leaders coming around several laps bumper to bumper on the straightaways.
The group’s split start was delayed one lap as a car from the SRF split slowed during the pace lap, meeting up with the Spec Miata pack that followed behind. The pace cars maintained their position for another lap and gathered up the straggler. After an additional pace lap, both splits were able to take clean starts and begin their races.
Grayson Strathman started on the pole in his No. 19 Monster Energy Spec Racer Ford. The racing remained close between Strathman, Richard Wiese in his No. 35 machine, and Jim Cote, Jr. in his No. 20 Micro-Comm, Inc. SRF throughout the first half of the race, although the order remained the same.
Near halfway, Strathman began stretching out his lead, giving him firm control over the race. By the checkered flag, Strathman led flag to flag and had a six-second margin of victory.
In the Spec Miata race, polesitter Christopher Haldeman controlled the group with his No. 72 Mazda Miata as they headed to the tight turn one at Kansas Speedway. Haldeman set a strong pace, earning him the track record in SM, closely followed by Michael Ross in his No. 22 TPR Consulting/X-Factor Racing/Miata who spent many laps glued to the rear bumper of Haldeman.
Haldeman was able to hold the lead from green to checker, capturing the victory. Matt Reynolds, in the No. 71 Reynolds Bros. Racing/Vintage Connection/JPM/Miata, finished off the top three in SM.
Round Eight of the Mid-States Conference runs on Sunday at Kansas Speedway, with live timing, notes and video available at SCCA.com. Sunday’s races are 21 laps or 40 minutes, whichever comes first, beginning at 9:40 a.m. CDT.
Interviews from each of the race winners are available at SCCA.com.
Results can be found at SCCA.com/KansasSpeedwayMajors.
NHRA, IHRA, Motocross and other forms of motorsports Staff writer
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.
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