Sprint #1 (7/6/2019) - 45 Minutes - Portland International Raceway:
We didn't have a lot of time between the endurance race and the sprint and there was some work to do. After my dad bumped the wall, the left rear fender was rubbing on the tire and the splitter support needed to be bent back.
After getting things straightened up I lined up for the start. I was lined up behind the #987 Mustang and a very nice black Evo running in the Super Dog class. He gets off to a rocketing start, and I try to just keep him visible. I make it around the #987 Mustang in the twisty section, but can't make any ground on the Evo. A couple laps later however, the Evo takes care of itself. It was apparently a new build and I believe it had popped an oil cooler line.
With white flags waving and a safety vehicle on course, I get passed by another fast Mustang, the white #12 of Three Thieves Racing. He make his way to the front, and somehow never gets called in even though we are not allowed to pass under a white. As I'm distracted by the Mustang.. the white flags drop, and the #39 Honda Civic of SMRT (Socket Monkeys Racing Team) gets past me. That puts me down in 3rd place. As the #987 Mustang gets more in the groove, he starts to put more pressure on me. He's significantly faster than me on the straight, and once he gets a good enough run on me there is no holding him back. I run a 1:29.5 and turn the car over to my dad. He puts up a valiant fight, but we finish in 4th place. Without the attrition and pit stop strategy of an endurance race, our car just doesn't have the horsepower.