Wright Closes in on Championship Three-Peat in Lionheart Race at Road America

This time he had to work for it, but Jake Wright held off Adam Blocker to grab his 10th win of the season – and seventh on a road course – in the Loc Precision 100 at Road America. Wright carries a 90 point lead into the season finale, in pursuit of his third consecutive championship in the Lionheart IndyCar Series presented by First Medical Equipment.

“This was one of the most intense road course races of the season,” Wright said. “The racing between Adam and I was so intense. The pressure was real tonight.”

Blocker pushed the pace throughout the event, even closing the gap by nearly a second after the final pit stops, setting up a mad dash to the line. But a spin in Canada corner on the final lap ended any shot at winning a drag race, and the rookie once again missed out on his first Lionheart IndyCar win.

“I was able to keep good pace with him, which surprised me because the pace really slowed from practice,” Blocker said. “I just never got a good enough run, a good enough chance. I didn’t make a mistake all race – until the last lap –  and he didn’t either, so that was it.”

Andrew Kinsella drove a steady race with a heavy heart, just days after his grandmother passed away. The Canadian rookie finished third, and solidified his spot on the podium in the standings as well.

“I’d like to dedicate this to my grandma for sure,” Kinsella said. “I had a couple moments…but I was able to hang on for third. This is the best road course I’ve run all season long so I’ll take it for sure.”

Dan Geren rebounded to fourth after a lap two spin. The finish keeps the Iowa natives championship hopes alive, although he will need Wright to encounter bad luck if he hopes to steal his first league championship. Joe Branch jumped to a tie for fifth in the standings with his top-five finish.

The race featured two major accidents. On lap 18, Dave Barber spun in Corvette corner, and upon re-entry to the track collected Joe Hassert. With three laps to go, Michael Goodman exited turn 5 wide and lost control, impacting the wall and falling out of fourth place.

The top four in the standings are unlikely to change at the double points Lionheart Championship 300 at Auto Club Speedway. Geren is the defending winner of the event, but a finish outside of the top 15 and a strong run from Kinsella could conceivably swap the duo in the standings. Geren leads Kinsella by 66 points for second place.

From fifth back, an intense battle is sure to emerge at Auto Club. Jason Galvin holds the tiebreaker over Joe Branch. Both have 801 points. Chris Stofer sits 24 points back of the duo, with Brian Yaczik and Pierre Daigle seven and ten back of Stofer, respectively. James Krahula sits tenth after missing Road America. From fifth to tenth, 40 points separate six drivers.

The Lionheart Championship 300 at Auto Club Speedway is set for Wednesday, December 13 and can be seen live at 10:40 p.m. EST on the Global SimRacing Channel. For more information on the Lionheart IndyCar Series presented by First Medical Equipment, visit www.LionheartRacingSeries.com.

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