Jimmie Lockhart stepped atop the Formula 4 United States Championship Powered by Honda (F4 U.S.) podium for the first time in his career in Race 2 at NOLA Motorsports Park on Sunday morning. The Floridian started from the pole position in his No. 48 Velocity Racing Development Ligier JS F4 after setting the fastest lap in yesterday’s race, and led all the way from lights to checkered.
“It’s amazing,” said Lockhart after the victory. “I finally got the opportunity to get out here, and was able to keep it up front the whole race. I just ran quali laps the whole time, so that was how it went. I was disappointed with what happened on the start yesterday, but I was able to come in, drop to the back, and just run a good lap to be able to start today’s race up front. That was probably what helped us the most today.”
Jesse Lacey (No. 16 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4) also had a solid race, starting in second and holding his position from the start of the race all the way to the checkered flag. The action really heated up for third through 10th place, with drivers often racing two and three wide while jockeying for position. Patrick Woods-Toth (No. 27 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4) found himself in a few of those intense battles, racing side by side with Michael Costello (No. 19 Jay Howard Driver Development / CSU One Cure / Lucas Oil / LHP Ligier JS F4), Frankie Mossman (No. 6 JHDD / CSU One Cure / Lucas Oil / LHP Ligier JS F4), and Lewis Hodgson (No. 30 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsports Ligier JS F4) throughout the final minutes of the race.
Costello briefly got around Woods-Toth, actually holding the third position as the field took the white flag. However, as Costello tried to pull to the inside of Lacey in Turn 1 in an attempt to overtake the second position, Woods-Toth also found some momentum to make a charge at Costello. With Costello unable to complete the pass on Lacey, Woods-Toth pulled up to overtake Costello as they raced through Turn 3.
As they rolled across the line on Hankook tires, it was Lockhart, followed by Lacey and Woods-Toth.
READ MORE: Race 2 Official Results
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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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