Friday Night 9PM EDT: Nascar Heat 2 Cup Season 5/Race 2 Bristol
Qualifying for the Cup cars was even closer than the Trucks on Wednesday night, as the Top 3 qualifiers were all within .05 seconds of one another. Jake Giroux (JakeGirouX24) claimed the Pole as he did on Wednesday, besting Michael Caterino (vWardude) and Patrick Kevin (Green_MilePie) by very slim margins. Kyle Spencer (KDawgHonda777) and Charles Sumner (Hootius) rounded out the Top 5.
Jake and Charles would have issues in the 1st Segment, and find themselves in the back and trying to race themselves back up into the Top 5 throughout the race. Michael would claim the 1st Segment, followed by Kyle and Patrick receiving the bonus points. Kyle would take the lead in the 2nd Segment and swap positions with Michael. Aaron Webb (AaronWebb85) used pit strategy off of a late caution to claim the final bonus point of the Segment. To start the final Segment of the race, Charles would make a gamble call with 2 tires to try to gain track position back. He would lead a few laps before being overtaken by the fellow Top 5 qualifiers. The action would be close, fenders would be rubbed, and the leaders would also need to navigate through lapped traffic as well as battling with each other. When it was all said and done, Jake would claim his first Win of the Season (4th of his Career), beating Michael by a mere 1.029 seconds after 75 minutes of racing. Patrick, Kyle and Charles would round out the Top 5, having the drivers finish in the order that they qualified in. Michael denied Jake the Hat Trick as he took the “Fast Lap of the Race Award” and setting a new Bristol lap record for the League. Nick Michaud (NickCM12) and Owen Bridges (Habob69) tied for the “Hard Charger Award”, each gaining 3 positions throughout the race on route to Top 10 finishes.
After 2 races, the is no room for error on top of the Drivers Championship battle. Kyle Spencer (KDawgHonda777) leads Jake Giroux (JakeGirouX24) by 1 point, Charles Sumner (Hootius) by 4 points, Michael Caterino (vWardude) by 8 points, and Patrick Kevin (Green_MilePie) by 9 points.
In the Team Championship, TeamXstream {Jake Giroux (JakeGirouX24) and Patrick Kevin (Green_MilePie)} takes an early 15 point lead over Car Ramrod {Charles Sumner (Hootius) and Aaron Webb (AaronWebb85)}.