Posted (06/30/2014) -
Team Sahlen came into the Watkins Glen International weekend off a high of finishing in 2nd place and setting fastest race lap. And as Yogi Berra once said, it was déjà vu all over again. In a very good way, with the Team securing another 2nd place finish and setting fastest race lap.
Team Sahlen had a good feeling coming into the weekend, having tested at Watkins Glen International earlier in the Spring. With the track much warmer in June though, there was still some extra fine tuning to the set up that was necessary. In session one, Team Sahlen was 10th fastest. Then in session two, the changes overnight rose the team up to 5th. After qualifying, Team Sahlen secured 11th and 25th on the grid.
The start of the race was a bit hectic. As the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series rolled to the front straightaway, the front GS class had a huge pile up, with over 5 cars involved. Will Nonnamaker further adds his thoughts to the excitement – “As we roll around the last turn, in anticipation of the green flag, Kate Crawford is shouting in my ear,,,,wreck on the front straightaway. I am now thinking how can I just weave my way through this carnage. Apparently, my fellow ST competitors had other visions. Because once we got to turn one past the wrecked cars, 3 ST cars in front of me took each other out. It all was quite amazing. I ended up in p9 in 2 turns before we even went to full course.”
As the race went back to green, Will Nonnamaker and Joe Sahlen held strong in their positions. Will continued to keep pace with the leaders, sitting in 10th place. And Joe Sahlen in the #43 machine was peaking at the Top 20.
The race was back to green for only a few short laps, until another full course caution came out at the 50 minute mark. Team Sahlen wisely choose to pit both cars during this period. #42 saw a full driver change. While the #43 choose to go off strategy, and short fill & not change drivers. This dual split strategy paid off with Wayne retaining 10th place, and Joe moving up to 19th place for the restart.
Watkins Glen International is known for having several cautions during a Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge event through the years. So many competitors, including Team Sahlen, fully anticipated that this yellow at the 50 minute mark would not be the last. But this year was an exception to the rule, with the final 1 hour and 40 minutes going full green.
This meant that near the end of the race, many teams were either short shifting to make it to the end, or having to pit for fuel. Early on in Wayne Nonnamaker’s stint, he was instructed to start short shifting to conserve petrol.
Wayne Nonnamaker added his thoughts - “It was a challenging race, to try to move through the pack, while still conserving fuel. Just after I would pass one ST car for position, lapping GS cars would put that ST car back in front. It was a tough battle for sure. With a few laps to go, we were in 5th place, then one had to pit for fuel, one car ran out of fuel and was stranded on track. Then coming to the checkered flag, I was right on the tail of the HART car. I don’t think I had the pace to pass him, but I pulled to the right anyways. Thankfully I did, because their car choked for fuel just before the line, and I passed him for 2nd place.”
Joe Nonnamaker & Joe Sahlen completed the race in 23rd spot. Despite a few hiccups along the way, they brought the car home in one piece, with lap times along the way.
The 2nd place finish puts the #42 Team Sahlen racer in 3rd place in the points, only 3 points out of the lead.
The Watkins Glen International Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race will be aired on FOX Sports1 on July 6th at 10 am est
The next event is at Canadian Tire Mosport Park on July 12th
2014 Team Sahlen Campaign Partners:
Turbo Performance Center, Tarett Engineering, MOMO, Guard Transmission, Forgeline, Porsche of Beachwood, Pittsburgh International Race Complex, HubstandsPRO, MSI Racing Products, NGK Spark Plugs, TheRacingInsiders, CM Racing Products, Mothers Polishes, Winding Road Racing, Grassroots Motorsports Magazine, Maxima Oil, CV Products, Design Engineering Inc., Hella, Racing Print Media, Hard Brakes, CRC Chemicals, Penske Shocks, Alcon Rotors, Lamin-X, Optima Batteries and TheRaceSite.com.