Americas Rallycross is rough and tumble racing

Episode 267

June 9, 2019

Subaru wins their first ARX race in America

ARX Supercar season opener at Mid Ohio Sports Car Course resulted in multi-time rallycross champion Scott Speed, center, taking the win. This was Subaru USA’s first win in rallycross. Second place belongs to Loenbro Motorsports Ford Travis PeCoy on left. PeCoy’s teammate Steve Arpin on the right finished third. Tanner Foust who filmed Top Gear USA in the County a few years ago finished fourth with the Andretti Autosports VW Beetle (ARX photo)

In August I hope to be touring the Vermont Sports Car new shop in Milton, Vermont. I suspect the mood will be upbeat especially since the Subaru USA team has notched their first Americas Rallycross (ARX) victory.

Scott Speed, the multi-time champion of rallycross, switched teams from Andretti Autosports VW to Subaru USA over the winter. The move proved to be fruitful for Subaru with Speed’s victory Sunday at the newly constructed rallycross track at Mid Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio.

Newly constructed ARX course at Mid Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio. They utilize the keyhole portion of the track. Dirt makes up 40 % of course. (ARX photo)

Loenbro drivers in Ford Fiesta ST, Travis PeCoy finished second after his teammate, Canadian Steve Arpin, was assessed a five second penalty for a shortcut on course. Tanner Foust finished fourth in the Andretti Autosports VW Beetle.

Andretti Autosports VW driver Tanner Foust on his way to a fourth place finish. Foust has been in the County when he filmed an episode of Top Gear USA at Loring in 2014. (ARX photo)

In my opinion, the best sponsor wrap at the ARX in Mid Ohio is the Cabot Bigham #2 VW Andretti Autosports with Oink Clothing onboard. (ARX photo)

A couple of reasons I like ARX is that the races are short in duration and the racing is incredibly tight. The Tanner Foust VW is caught in a Subaru Sandwich in the opening lap at Mid Ohio Sports Car Course. Three wide typically results in tricky work in the turns. Speed ended up bumping his teammate Atkinson sideways. Foust spun Atkinson who made it to the finish despite a damaged left rear wheel made it to the end. Atkinson finished last . (ARX photo)

ARX 2 spec cars in action on Saturday. Left to right #35 Fraser McConnell finished 6th, #24 Alex Keyes won the race and #24 Sage Karam finished 2nd. You may recognize Karam from his starts in IndyCar Dreyer & Reinbold who field this car for him also. (ARX photo)

Heather Hershkowitz, Addison, Vermont, who you have read about in previous episodes, worked for DirtFish at the Mid Ohio ARX2 races. She race prepped the #70 car of Brad Deberti who finished third on Saturday and did not qualify for the final on Sunday. She awaits the ARX2 start. Heather is engaged to Garrett Holler, Holler Customs owner.(ARX photo)

New for 2019 are the ARX3 cars built by Sierra RX Cars in Salt Lake City, Utah. These entry-level single seater feature a 200 horsepower engine with six speed sequential shift transmission. They weigh 900 pounds and can go 0 to 60 in 2.8 seconds. (ARX photo)

The ARX3 cars are introduced in this video clip from Sierra cars:

https://www.facebook.com/ARXRallycross/videos/2069918716450646/

The next ARX races will be at Gateway Raceway near St. Louis, July 13 & 14. The weekend will feature dual final races for each class, one on each day.

What I will be keeping my eye on or participating in this week

  1. Rusty Wallace Driving Experience will be at Spud Speedway Friday June 14. Still time to register to drive a super late-model on a real race track. Check out Spud Speedway Facebook page for prices and details
  2. NMKA kart racing season premiere Presented by Pat’s Automotive Saturday June 15 at 9:30 am. Pits cost $10 per person, grandstands are free.
  3. WAR will be at PASS race at Speedway 95 on Father’s Day. Hopkins Milling & Paving 150 starts at 2 pm. This is an Oxford 250 qualifier race.
  4. Kody Swanson will hope to add to his slim 6 point lead over second place Justin Grant at the 100 lap USAC Silver Crown race at Williams Grove Speedway, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. The race is Friday evening.
  5. I predict Fort Kent’s Austin Theriault will be announcing this week which team he will be driving for and who the sponsor(s) will be at the Monster Energy race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway July 21.
  6. Northern Maine Soap Box Derby on Derby Hill, Houlton, Maine. Races get underway Saturday June 15 at around 8 am.

Happy Father’s Day 2019

Hope you have a chance to wish your Father a Happy Father’s Day this year. I miss my father and wish I could greet him with a Sunday morning phone call wishing him a great day. We probably would have gotten together at church, talked, and laughed about some of the dumb things we did recently.

If your relationship with your father is strained, I suggest you find a way to get past the hurts and begin healing that bond. He will not be here forever.

Let’s go racing,

Tom Hale

Soli Deo Gloria (Matthew 5: 14-16)

A bonus video from Don Schumacher Racing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SU14RE9QhlI&feature=share

Tom Hale

About Tom Hale

Tom wrote 14 years as freelancer for the Bangor Daily Sports covering motorsports in Maine. Now blogging and concentrating on human interest stories about people and places in racing. He races Champ Karts and owns HTF Motorsports in remote Westmanland, Maine