Jeremy Fletcher kept his GR Cup championship hopes alive with a victory in Sunday's race at Barber Motorsports Park. TechSport Racing's Spike Kohlbecker led the majority of the 45-minute race after setting a new GR Cup track record earlier in the day during qualifying. A late-race full-course caution set up a restart that reshuffled the front of the field.
On the ensuing restart with six minutes remaining, Fletcher was able to capitalize and made the pass on Kohlbecker to seize the lead. Moments later, BSI Racing’s Ethan Ayars also slipped past Kohlbecker to claim second just before an incident by Lucas Rowell brought out another full course yellow with minutes remaining.
Fletcher crossed the finish line under yellow to secure the win, with Ayars and Kohlbecker rounding out the podium. This result slashes Kohlbecker's championship lead from 33 points down to a 13-point margin heading into the final two races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Behind the podium finishers, Ethan Goulart secured fourth, while Will Robusto and Max Schweid finished fifth and sixth to secure a pair of top six finishes for RVA Graphics Motorsports. Fletcher’s Copeland Motorsports teammate, Beltre Curtis, finished in seventh, while Amilio DiLauro, Michael Edwards, and Malbec Ramos rounded out the top 10.
WWEX Group Legends Cup
Alcyr Araujo rebounded on Sunday to claim his second Legends Cup victory of the season for BSI Racing. Rutledge Wood earned his second consecutive runner-up finish in the class, while Saturday's winner Will Conklin finished third to secure a podium in each of his first two GR Cup series starts.
Podium
Jeremy Fletcher's victory marked his fifth in the GR Cup, and his 12th career podium moves him into sole possession of fifth on the all-time list. For Ethan Ayars, the runner-up result was a career-best finish and his second podium in the series. Rounding out the podium, Spike Kohlbecker secured his 29th career podium finish, further extending his all-time record.
Race Awards
- Fastest Lap: Along with his runner-up finish, Ayars clocked the fastest lap of the race on Lap 4 with a time of 1:37.743.
- Hard Charger: Jay Thomas swept the Hard Charger award at Barber Motorsports Park, gaining four positions in Race 2.
- Endava Highest Finishing Female: Ava Schletz also swept the Endava Highest Finishing Female honors at Barber, finishing 16th overall in Race 2.
- WWEX Group Highest Finishing Legend: Alcyr Araujo's Legends Cup victory came with a 19th place overall finish, earning him the Highest Finishing Legend award.
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