JENNINGS, Okla. (April 7, 2013) – The SCCA Mid-States Conference Majors Tour wrapped Round Four of 10 on Sunday at Hallett Motor Racing Circuit, with four drivers still alive in the hunt for a perfect season.
Matt Reynolds, of Fair Oaks, Texas, drove his No. 71 Reynolds Brothers Racing/Jesse Prather Motorsports Mazda Miata away from the field for his fourth-consecutive win in E Production, matched in the opening race group by Kent Prather’s No. 26 PratherRacing/Mazdaspeed/Moss Mtrs Mazda Miata in GT-Lite and Charlie James’ No. 0 SafeRacer/BFGoodrich Tires MINI Cooper in B-Spec.
CJ McAbee, of Topeka, Kan., equaled the closed-wheel trio with an overall win in Group Two, despite starting his Formula 500 machine in the second wave of the split start. McAbee’s No. 15 AJ’s Import Garage/Hoosier AJ’s 2012/Rotax got a boost in the overall race by an opening lap incident that slowed the 25-lap race for six laps behind the pace car.
Naturally, each leads his respective class point standings.
Denny Stripling swept the weekend in Spec Racer Ford. Two wins in the No. 34 Lightspeed Motorsports Spec Racer Ford, along with a pair of podium finishes in the opening weekend at Circuit of the Americas, is worth a five point advantage over Verges’ No. 69 Apex Driving Academy SRF. Stripling had garnered a lead of several seconds in the opening laps before Verges spun, falling all the way back to fifth before climbing the ladder into second place.
Reynolds garnered a second win on Sunday by wrestling his No. 74 Reynolds Bros. Racing/Race Engineering Mazda Miata to victory in Spec Miata. Reynolds stalked polesitter Jim Drago’s No. 2 East Street Racing Mazda Miata and Chris Haldeman’s No. 73 Complete Dent Repair/X-factorracing.com Miata early, until Haldeman fell out on Lap Five with transmission trouble. Reynolds ran laps nine and 10 at an average of 0.7 seconds per lap quicker than Drago to close the gap, and then drove past Drago under braking into Turn One to take the lead on lap 11.
Drago reclaimed the lead on lap 17, holding the point until lap 20. With five to go, the pair made side-to-side contact while battling for the lead. Drago spun off course, and Reynolds was able to drive to the checkered flag.
Defending National Champion Drago rejoined the race in fifth position, climbing back up and passing the No. 97 Miata of Eric Stearns on the final lap for the final podium position. James – he of two B-Spec wins this weekend – finished second in the No. 40 SafeRacer Miata.
Though Hallett is known as a tight, twisty circuit, the GT-1 drivers put on a show for the second time in as many days. Tom Smith’s No. 62 USA Metal Recycling Chevrolet Camaro started on pole, followed within a car length by David Fershtand’s No. 05 Fershtand Race Prepared Chevrolet Corvette.
Like Saturday’s race, Fershtand was unable to find a way around Smith, with Smith crossing the stripe 0.503-second in front for the win.
After sitting behind the No. 23 Hillenburg Motorsports Formula Mazda of Darryl Wills for 24 laps, Alan McCallum drove the No. 1 Alan McCallum Racing Formula Mazda into the lead on the final lap of the day to grab his second win of the weekend.
The SCCA Mid-States Conference Majors Tour continues at Pikes Peak International Raceway, May 24-26, for Rounds Five and Six of 10.
More information on the SCCA U.S. Majors Tour, including results from Rounds Three and Four Hallett Motor Racing Circuit, is available at www.sccamajors.com. Follow SCCA on Twitter @SCCAOfficial, or like the Club on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SCCAOfficial.
JENNINGS, Okla. - Provisional race winners for Sunday’s Mid-States Conference SCCA Majors Tour Round Four at Hallett Motor Racing Circuit. Drivers are listed by Class: name, hometown, and car.
American Sedan: Jim Wheeler, Lenexa, Kan., Pontiac Trans-Am B-Spec: Charlie James, Joplin, Mo., Mini Cooper Formula 500: C.J. McAbee, Topeka, Kan., AJ’s 2012/Rotax Formula 1000: James Michael, Fort Worth, Texas, Stohr/Suzuki Formula Atlantic: Gaston Kearby, Cresson, Texas, Star Pro Mazda Formula Enterprises: Curt Harrelson, Owens Cross Roads, Ala., Formula Enterprises/Mazda Formula F: James Stiehr, Evergreen,Colo., Piper DF5 Formula Mazda: Alan McCallum, Houston, Texas, Formula Mazda Formula Vee: Bill Johnson, Leawood, Kan., FV Vortech/VW GT-1: Tom Smith, Springdale, Ark., Chevrolet Camaro GT-2: Mike McGinley, Overland Park, Kan., Chevrolet Corvette GT-3: Jim Speights, San Antonio, Texas, San Antonio, Texas GT-Lite: Kent Prather, Wakarusa, Kan., Mazda Miata E Production: Matt Reynolds, Fair Oaks, Texas, Mazda Miata F Production: Sam Henry, Republic, Mo., Mazda Miata H Production: Chris Albin, Maryland Heights, Mo., Volkswagen GTI Spec Miata: Matt Reynolds, Fair Oaks, Texas, Mazda Miata Spec Racer Ford: Denny Stripling, McKinney, Texas, Spec Racer Ford Sports 2000: Mark Mercer, Aurora, Colo., Lola 90/91/Ford Super Touring Lite: Bob Schader, Longmont, Colo., Mazda Miata Super Touring Under: Tom Kraft, Des Moines, Iowa, Mazda Miata Touring 2: Andy Wolverton, Papilion, Neb., Pontiac Solstice Touring 4: James Place, San Antonio, Texas, Acura GSR
Image: Matt Reynolds doubled up on Sunday at Hallett. Credit: Tim Turner/Hallett Foto Shoppe (For a web resolution sized image, right click and “save as”)
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Hallett Double Majors 2013 U.S. Majors Tour
