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Cleetus McFarland was solely meters away from successful the Stadium Tremendous Vans‘ Race #2 within the Acura Grand Prix of Lengthy Seashore, however a clumsy touchdown off the ultimate bounce as a substitute shot him into the wall and ruined that dream. As McFarland spun, Robby Gordon snuck by to win for the fifth time on the road circuit and safe a Gordon household weekend sweep.
Saturday’s race results had been inverted to find out Sunday’s beginning grid, which positioned Ryan Arciero—who retired on Saturday with a brake situation—on the pole whereas Gordon and his son/Race #1 winner Max had been on the again. Arciero led the opening lap with Davey Hamilton Jr. and McFarland following, however the chief’s unfortunate weekend culminated in a lap two spin in flip eight.
Arciero’s misfortune was Hamilton’s present as he inherited the highest spot. Behind him, Jerett Brooks and Gavin Harlien drafted their approach as much as McFarland’s bumper and fought with him for second. By the competitors warning on lap 4, Harlien was capable of get by McFarland who in flip staved off Brooks’ problem.
The highest three took off on the restart and filed side-by-side, upon which McFarland capitalised to assert the lead as they reached the primary nook. Hamilton and Harlien gave chase as Matt Brabham lurked behind them earlier than becoming a member of the skirmish on lap six. Whereas going previous the fountain, Brabham tapped Harlien from behind and brought on him to skid into the flowerbed (the place Simon Pagenaud had beached himself within the NTT IndyCar Series race earlier within the day) earlier than bouncing into the wall.
McFarland continued to steer because the race exited the second competitors yellow to start out lap 9. Halfway by means of the lap, Zoey Edenholm spun in flip 5 whereas Hamilton ran huge as he raced Max Gordon, forcing him to overlook a bounce however leading to contact with Brooks that collected Robert Stout.
Robby Gordon caught McFarland because the penultimate lap commenced. Gordon cleared him in flip 5 and Brabham started preventing with McFarland for second, however he held his floor. Shortly after taking the white flag, McFarland obtained a elevate from Brabham’s draft to reclaim the lead in flip one. Gordon and Brabham spent a lot of the lap trying to find a gap to cross McFarland, to no avail.
McFarland held the within line as he navigated the ultimate hairpin which compelled Gordon to the skin; Brabham tried a transfer on McFarland’s proper that compelled him to brake, inflicting Harlien to rear-end him earlier than spinning. The highest three dashed for the end throughout the 2 ramps with McFarland holding the benefit, however after finishing the second bounce, he over-corrected the touchdown and spun into the wall. Gordon and Brabham rapidly averted the sideways McFarland and Gordon gained the drag race to the road.
After stopping in the course of the racing floor only a quick distance away, McFarland received out of his truck and, taking a web page out of Talladega Nights, ran on foot throughout the end and did a dive. Very like Ricky Bobby and Jean Girard in that film, McFarland won’t be categorised as an official finisher. Different retirements within the race embody Invoice Hynes and Shaun Richardson, the latter of whom had an erratic touchdown of his personal on the second bounce and slammed into the wall.
“Unreal. Thanks for watching. So grateful to battle these drivers. An insane end,” McFarland posted on Instagram.
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