For the second day in a row, Jaxon Bell and Spike Kohlbecker led the field to green from the front row after Bell secured his third Continental Tire Pole Award of the season. Lucas Weisenberg wasted no time in his charge towards the front as he took Kohlbecker and Will Robusto three-wide for second into the first turn before ultimately settling into fifth.
Early issues came about for the No. 31 of Jackson Tovo and No. 21 of Ford Koch as they tangled coming into Turn 12. Both drivers made their way down pit road following the incident while the field stayed green.
While there was action deeper in the field, the top six leaders started to break away from the pack and battled each other up front. Race 1 winner Ethan Goulart overtook Weisenberg for fifth, while Westin Workman and Christian Weir were in the mix for the final podium position.
Kohlbecker was able to get past Bell for the race lead with just over 30 minutes remaining as the two continued to go back and forth. Just a few minutes later, the two drivers went off track as the Bell’s No. 7 machine slid through a turn, forcing Kohlbecker wide into the dirt, ultimately packing his grille with grass and bringing him down pit road to assess the damage.
In the meantime, Goulart snuck by for the race lead followed by Workman and Robusto. With less than 15 minutes left on the clock, Workman was able to get by Goulart for the top spot as Robusto also took advantage and passed Goulart for second. The battle for the lead intensified as Workman went wide exiting Turn 12, handing the lead over to Robusto as a four car break away commenced down Madison Avenue.
In the closing laps, a five second penalty was assessed to the No. 2 car of Robusto, transferring the lead over to Workman who was trailing just behind. Workman was able to hold onto the lead and took the checkered flag to claim his third career GR Cup win in the last four races.
Podium
Workman victory was his third career win and 19th overall podium finish, inching him closer to the GR Cup record of 22 podiums set by Gresham Wagner. In second, Goulart tallied his third consecutive podium while Christian Weir captured his second career podium finish in third, and his first since Road America in 2024.
Race Awards
Along with taking home the checkered flag, Workman clocked the fastest lap of the race with a time of 2:08.501 on the fifth lap. With an eighth-place finish, Isabella Robusto earned the Endava Highest Finish Female award as well as the Hard Charger Award by gaining seven positions throughout the race. The WWEX Group Highest Finish Legend went to Livio Galanti who finished in 20th, just ahead of fellow Legend competitor John Lennon.
What’s Next
The Toyota Gazoo Racing North America (TGRNA) GR Cup Series will return to action at Road America on August 15-17. Tickets for the ‘National Park of Speed’ are on sale now.
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