Being #1 in PGRL starts with being #9 — at least at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Jeff Ward and Colton Salek continued their winning ways last Tuesday night, each winning one of the Tight on Time Twin 120s presented by Wrong Time Watch.
RACE 1 RECAP:
Jeff Ward led a 27-truck field to the green flag after setting a four-lap average qualifying time of 30.202 seconds. Ward led the first 25 laps before being jumped by Colton Salek on pit road. On the restart, Salek managed his clean air well to stay ahead of Ward and the #68 of Mike Rasimas. A caution with roughly 25 laps to go played into Ward’s hands perfectly. The #9 team had called their driver to pit road just before the yellow flew and didn’t lose a lap. When Salek and the other front runners stopped, Ward cycled back to P1. Jeff Ward held off the chasing pack on the restart, ultimately edging Mike Rasimas by just under two-tenths of a second to score his fourth win of Season 6.
RACE 2 RECAP:
Series debutant Mark Poe started Race 2 from pole position but was overtaken by Season 3 champion Thomas George, who lined up in P2. Points leader Michael Chrobok charged to the front on lap 6, and appeared in position to snap his season-long losing streak. Leading 49 of the race’s 80 laps, however, wasn’t enough. A conservative pit entry by Chrobok saw Colton Salek, who left nothing on the table, cycle out just ahead of the #72 on the final round of green flag stops. Salek and Chrobok split lapped traffic as they fought for the top spot. A smooth defensive move by Salek denied Chrobok’s attempted pass in the grass, and the #99 drove away to earn his fifth win of the season.
POINTS IMPLICATIONS:
With his win, Colton Salek gained ground on Michael Chrobok in the standings, Chrobok’s lead now 369 markers over second place.
AROUND THE TURN:
PGRL heads to Dover Motor Speedway for the Time for Tire Wear Dover Derby presented by Wrong Time Watch and Hans Wildork on December 5th. Catch all the action from Delaware on the Virtual Grip Network LIVE at 8:50pm Eastern.
FULL RACE REPLAY: