Top: Mikael Carter, Durbin, Anderson Flop: Lusk, Lachner, Glossum
Carter makes history; goes from worst to first to win Imperial 250
It was a really quiet night for the AMP Energy team early on, starting last meant the team was probably content with a top-20 finish. No driver who had started 42nd has ever won an AERS event, and nobody felt confident in that happening at a track like Delaware.
Carter slowly made his way up into the top-15 midway through the race, taking advantage of the inside line that was so coveted throughout the races’ entirety. He described the car as “good” over the radio, but just wanted to salvage the nice run he’d had.
After the team had an exceptional pit stop, Carter found himself on the cusp of a top-10 finish, and a fortunate caution brought the 39 into contention.
On the final couple of runs of the Imperial 250, Carter did a wonderful job of utilizing the bottom line and worked his way into the top position. He needed to hold off several different 2nd place drivers over the final 20 or so laps, but he got it done, and this time, there wasn’t any controversy.
“I don’t think anyone, even in our garage, thought we’d win tonight. We were hoping for a nice points day, maybe a 20th or 15th, just stay out of trouble and get some points and move to next race.” Carter said, “To be in victory lane just tells you what kind of team we have here at JN Motorsports, it was a team effort, a hell of a race. From worst to first just shows that qualifying doesn’t mean anything. We believed in ourselves and here we are. What a win!”
With the win, Carter not only becomes the first ever winner from 42nd, but also is the first repeat winner of 2018, after winning here, and at Miami.
“We’ve been good here before”, he said, “Came so close last year and I really thought something like that was going to happen again. But nope here we are, it’s a nice feeling. Woo!”
McGuire not happy with Lester; Vermette not happy with himself
Seth McGuire ended up having a solid race, finishing higher than he’d have expected given that his car wasn’t up to par with teammates Jonathon Ringer and Mikael Carter. However, late in the running, McGuire almost was dumped by Casey Lester, something he didn’t appreciate.
“He’s lucky we saved it.” he said, “It’s a short track, I get it, but man if people just used their heads, and I know I’m not the one to talk after last week, but if people use their heads we all have a better time out there. Casey just was too aggressive tonight, and it almost cost both of us.”
Madison Vermette, still chasing down that first win, was in position to get it late in the race. Unfortunately, he was shuffled to the high lane and ended up outside of the top-15. Vermette was visibly frustrated.
“Driver error, not my teams fault on anything. They gave me such a good car again and I messed it up. It’s frustrating, we are right flippin’ there man.”
His teammate Alex Jates ended up in 2nd, and despite missing the first race of the year, has solidified his spot as a championship contender.
“We were quiet today but that was all part of our gameplan and it worked to perfection,” he said, “It was a nice car from the boys and we really worked hard for this one. Very happy to just bring it home in one piece let alone get a top-2, thank you to all my guys, I am truly blessed. Adversity doesn’t slow us down.”
Tommy Ritcher has wild race, finishes 3rd
He was pretty good all night long, Tommy Ritcher was. He battled for the lead at times early on, running 4th for most of the opening run. A bad pit stop sent the 2 car a lap down. Things weren’t looking good for the Ford Ford, but a late race restart allowed him to get his lap back, and another restart allowed him to drive his way to a remarkable 3rd place finish. Ritcher was seen with 3 gatorades and an ice pack following the race, but it typical Tommy Ritcher fashion, he had a huge smile on his face.
“I really am glad we have the ability to do this.” he said, “Not many teams can do what we did. It’s a special group we have here. We battle, we work hard, and we do it all together. I’ve never been apart of a team like this and I just hope we can use this to our advantage and grab some points here the next couple of weeks.”
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Subject: Re: 2018 AERS Race 8 - Delaware (Imperial 250) Sat May 05, 2018 11:54 am