Cole Potts Launches to Victory in Round No. 9 of Stadium SUPER Trucks at Mid-Ohio - Speedway Digest

Cole Potts would out duel Greg Biffle with an incredible pass to the outside of the KMC Wheels ramp in the last segment to capture Stadium SUPER Trucks first ever event at the Mid-Ohio Sport Car Course.

Race pole sitter Bill Hynes of Nazareth, Pennsylvania would jump out to the early lead in his bright blue United Fiber & Data truck before Gavin Harlien of Mesa, Arizona driving the VP Racing Fuels & Lubricants entry would quickly apply pressure and drive past into the lead at the close of the first lap.

On the next lap Vancouver, Washington driver Greg Biffle making his third ever SST start would pull up along side Harlien, and battle him for the lead. As the two banged doors with one another Biffle would pull out front for a brief second but only for Harlien to battle back and regain the position. Biffle would slide wide into the grass and loose a position to Scottsdale, Arizona driver Arie Luyendyk Jr.

As Harlien would start to pull away from the field, the race for the second position started to heat up as Cole Potts would move the Security State Bank truck in the mix with Luyendyk and Biffle.

After the first competition caution on Biffle would work his way back close enough to battle Harlien for the lead. As the two once again would bang doors Harlien would develop a problem and drop back out of the mix. Biffle would inherit the lead for the next three laps as Potts would move past Luyendyk for the second position.

As the final competition caution would wave Potts would strike immediately working his way to the outside of the KMC Wheels ramp exiting the keyhole turn to catapult his truck into the lead past Biffle for the lead.

Potts would waste no time working his way out to the size able lead the final two circuits.

Friday’s fast qualifier and current Stadium SUPER Trucks points leader Matt Brabham of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia would start the race with a conservative approach for the first portion of the race from his eighth starting spot as he normally does, but this race proved to be a bit different for Brabham as he found himself in the fourth position after just four laps. After working past Luyendyk Jr. for the third position the driver of the Carlisle/Headstrong entry would need to hold off challenges from Robby Gordon the next several laps to remain in the third position as Potts and Biffle just were too fast for Brabham to track down.

Potts would go on to win his second SST race of the year ahead of Biffle and third finishing Brabham.

Second fastest in Friday qualifying Robby Gordon of Orange, California driving his familiar bright Orange SPEED Energy truck would lurk mid-pack for majority of the race letting things sort themselves out. After the second competition caution Gordon would make his move battling hard with Brabham and Hoffman for third. As the checkered flag flew over the field Gordon would finish behind Brabham in fourth.

Toyo Tires driver Jeff Hoffman of Phoenix, Arizona would encounter problems from the start of the race falling back from his sixth starting position. The driver whom was third fastest in qualifying would go off the track and fade to the back for first eight laps. Hoffman would look to make his move after the second competition caution ultimately finishing in the fifth spot.

Scottsdale, Arizona driver Arie Luyendyk Jr. driving the bright yellow SPEED Energy entry this weekend would immediately move his truck to the front of the field from his fifth starting position, and remain in the second spot for the first four laps. But as is the case in SST racing maintaining your equipment throughout the race is half the challenge, Luyendyk would over heat his brakes and begin to fade to the back of the pack. Luyendyk Jr. would be scored in the sixth position in his first SST race of the 2019 season.

After leading the majority of the first lap before being passed by Harlien, Bill Hynes would hang strong in the top five the next lap before dropping back in the pack after missing his braking mark and running wide. Hynes would go on to finish the race in the seventh position.

After leading majority of the race Harlien would develop a fuel pressure issue on Lap-6 as his trucks engine would start stumbling. Harlien would pull into the pit lane to see if the SST technicians could diagnose the problem. After having a great beginning to the race Harlien would complete the required amount of laps off the pace in the eighth position.

SPEED Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks Race 2 will be contested Sunday afternoon at 2:05 P.M. local time prior to the start of the NTT IndyCar Series Honda Indy 200.

Tickets are still available at http://www.midohio.com/

Fans that are at the track Sunday are invited to come to the SST Drivers Autograph session at 12:45 PM at the SST merchandise trailer adjacent to the SST paddock.

However fans that are unable to be at the track can tune into the race by visiting http://www.stadiumsupertrucks.com or by visiting the Stadium SUPER Trucks Facebook Live at http://www.facebook.com/StadiumSuperTrucks

Author
Recent Posts

Adam Sinclair

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.