2018 Round 13: Watkins Glen

Canadian Tire proved to be a race many fans found entertaining. A decisive battle between 6 different drivers in terms of the lead put the crowd on their feet. James Richardson ended up being the victor in the race, giving Turner Performance the run they truly deserves, especially after heartbreak at Road America. It keeps Richardson as the winningest driver in the series.

The points battle has been getting closer. TJ Martin and Jake West are 2 points apart from each other, but Hannah Allen has placed herself in the mix, and she's 9 points back from obtaining the points lead. The others have been gaining some ground on the top 2 in points, and the championships is just as intense as it has been as we reach the halfway point of the season.

Watkins Glen is another road course that many road ringers will see as an opportunity to gain some ground in the championship. Alex Benyacko and Richardson both see this as a golden opportunity to gain some ground. Hannah Allen has been solid at the road courses, and she's one of the few looking to try and find some more success at the road courses. Though originally on the Sony Cup Series schedule, the Hardee's National Series has decided to keep the track for the weekend, deeming it as "a track that many fans and drivers alike have looked forward to."

With the championship hunt getting closer, will more contenders jump into the fray, we'll have to wait and see how things will pan out.

Entry list:

#0 - Hannah Allen (R)
#2 - Matt Daleo
#4 - Jake West
#5 - Eric Demax
#6 - Sean Angel (R)
#7 - Caleb Farrell (R)
#8 - Alex Benyacko (R)
#9 - Chris Louviere
#05 - Alexander Rowe
#07 - Emmett Juckem
#12 - Blaze McKinney
#14 - Cory Williams
#15 - Jake Rogers (R)
#17 - James Richardson
#22 - Jeffrey White (R)
#26 - Vince Freeze (R)
#27 - Bobby Jones
#29 - Max Ledger (R)
#36 - Kyle Keith (R)
#39 - Daniel Olson (R)
#40 - James Shelly
#51 - Rob Evans (R)
#53 - Jon Bunnell
#59 - Jack Hallec (R)
#60 - Aiden Shepherd (R)
#61 - Bradley Bishop Jr.
#62 - Samet Ozkan
#65 - Patrick Smith (R)
#66 - Anthony Marchesi (R)
#69 - Paul Jackson (R)
#70 - Carlie McDowell
#71 - TJ Martin
#74 - Robert Harrison
#81 - Elisheva Stolarz
#82 - Jonathan Wong
#86 - Kyle Basaglia
#88 - John Arndt
#90 - Chris Dodd
#92 - Will Lewis
#94 - Nick Samon
#95 - Jek Porkins (R)
#96 - Eric Monaco (R)
#99 - Vance Caldwell (R)

A hotlap video has been uploaded to help fellow HNS drivers on what they need to do in order to succeed. However, the test car is on a much different setup, and the engine is limited compared to an average HNS car, but it showcases the sectors and areas in getting better.

Points leader TJ Martin to the top of the board

Points leader TJ Martin has been looking to find some solid speed after struggling at Canadian Tire, and it looks like he found it. The youthful Martin grabbed the pole over Hannah Allen and Blaze McKinney. Canadian Tire winner James Richardson will be starting 10th. Despite the amount of controversy surrounding him, Aidan Shepherd will be starting in the 4th position, looking to try and gain some ground after getting in multiple confrontations with drivers over the past rounds.

P # DRIVER TIME
1 71 TJ Martin 1:08.694
2 0 Hannah Allen 1:08.747
3 12 Blaze McKinney 1:08.763
4 60 Aidan Shepherd 1:08.787
5 88 John Arndt 1:08.797
6 92 Will Lewis 1:08.830
7 95 Jek Porkins 1:08.872
8 66 A Marchesi 1:08.910
9 14 Cory Williams 1:08.934
10 17 J Richardson 1:08.935
11 8 Alex Benyacko 1:08.950
12 4 Jake West 1:08.962
13 86 Kyle Basaglia 1:08.978
14 6 Sean Angel 1:08.989
15 5 Eric Demax 1:09.007
16 07 Emmett Juckem 1:09.078
17 2 Matt Daleo 1:09.200
18 7 Caleb Farrell 1:09.268
19 94 Nick Samon 1:09.293
20 05 Alexander Rowe 1:09.393
21 90 Chris Dodd 1:09.393
22 40 James Shelly 1:09.483
23 9 Chris Louviere 1:09.608
24 62 Samet Ozkan 1:09.657
25 81 E Stolarz 1:09.673
26 61 B Bishop Jr. 1:09.701
27 70 Carlie McDowell 1:09.974
28 27 Bobby Jones 1:09.975
29 26 Vince Freeze 1:09.998
30 22 Jeffrey White 1:10.002
31 15 Jake Rogers 1:10.114
32 29 Max Ludger 1:10.219
33 74 Robert Harrison 1:10.223
34 82 Jonathan Wong 1:10.231
35 51 Rob Evans 1:10.261
36 36 Kyle Keith 1:10.299
37 96 Eric Monaco 1:10.332
38 53 Jon Bunnell 1:10.346
39 65 Patrick Smith 1:10.356
40 99 Vance Caldwell 1:10.378
41 39 Daniel Olson 1:10.378
42 59 Jack Hallec 1:10.585

DNQ: #69 - Paul Jackson

Tommy Turbo(President/CEO of CM Racing): "Man what an up and down race for the CM Racing team... Super proud of the whole team, getting 3 of the 4 drivers in the Top 6, but man we could have had all 4 drivers in the Top 10, and maybe even a win, if it wasn't for a few certain lap cars... Still, a really solid run overall."

Chris Dodd(39th): "...Well that sucked, being forced 4-wide at Watkins Glen is never good..."

Pretty cool for Aidan to get his first victory. TJ had a good, consistent race, while James got dumped coming out of turn 6. Nice fun race to relax to in the home state.