FASCAR Daytona 125 - Review

                              Seven cars took the Green Flag for the start of the Daytona 125

 The first race of the Forzday Racing League's foray into the world of Stock Cars took place on Thursday night with seven FRL drivers taking to the track at the famed Daytona Speedway. Qualifying was led by Nicholas Hargrove, posting a lap fully .400 faster than the rest of the field. The momentum he demonstrated in qualifying would roll him right on into the lead in the early going of the race.

 As the Green flag waved, the #85 of Ethan Maestri got a fast start and pulled down to the yellow line heading off into Turn 1. Nicholas in the #88 Nationwide ride would pull in just behind him and set to work looking for an opening to the lead. At the rear, Matthew Smith would swerve hard to avoid getting into the #18 of Travis Billingsley and would lose the car exiting Turn 2. Fortunately he made no contact with the wall and was able to pull back onto the track without incident.

Matthew Smith would have handling problems in the early stages of the race and would be forced to retire

 As the field began to settle into the race, the lead two cars of Ethan and Nick would begin to pull ahead of the rest of the pack and soon Nick was moving around trying to find the best place to make his move around the #85 Soundcloud Ford of Ethan's. About lap 8 Nick saw an opening and did finally make a move. From that point on, both the #88 and #85 would run nose-to-tail with Ethan not able to pull alongside the Nationwide Chevy to challenge.

 The battle for third place would heat up among the three drivers of Tony Tyree, Drew Dilbeck and Travis Billingsley. All three drivers would make runs in the P3 position. But tough racing conditions led to all three drivers getting against the wall at various times. Eventually, Tony Tyree would put the #47 Frosted Flakes Chevy into the wall and would fade back to P5. Drew and Travis would continue a side-by-side battle for many laps until contact with the wall forced Travis to give up the fight for P3.

 After the pit cycle sequenced out, Ethan Maestri found himself in the lead again, just ahead of Nick. By lap 31 Nicholas had once again pulled alongside and passed for the lead. A few laps latter, Ethan would slide up the track a bit and lost the draft on Nick, allowing the #88 a commanding lead all the way to the finish at lap 50. This is Nicholas Hargrove's first victory as an FRL driver. It also gives him the distinction of being the first winner in the FRL's FASCAR series. Ethan Maestri would bring the Soundcloud Ford home in P2.

 Drew Dilbeck was able to secure the third place position and posts his first Top 3 finish in his FRL career. Tony Tyree was able to collect himself and charged ahead for the P4 position. Travis Billingsley had a rough go of it and fell back to P5. Owen Henderson made all 50 laps without incident, and although lapped by the front runners, was able to cling to Ethan Maestri's draft and showed that he had the chops to race at the front. He would finish P6 in his #48 Chevy. Matthew Smith would run the first 10 laps but an ill handling race car would force him to retire early from the race in P7.

 The series moves from the 2.5 mile tri-oval of Daytona to the sheer bliss of the Watkins Glen short track. The Watkins Glen 120 is coming up Thursday March 2nd.

FASCAR Daytona Race Results

Driver Finishing Order		Fastest Lap	Position Points	Led a Lap Points	Most Laps Led Points	Total Race Points
P1	Nicholas Hargrove	42.559	20	1	1	22
P2	Ethan Maestri	42.802	18	1		19
P3	Drew Dilbeck	43.045	16			16
P4	Tony Tyree	43.072	14			14
P5	Owen Henderson	43.212	12			12
P6	Travis Billingsley	43.011	10			10
P7	Matthew Smith	* 43.904	8			8
FASCAR Series Standings		Total Points		Race Wins
1	Nicholas Hargrove	22		Nicholas Hargrove		1
2	Ethan Maestri	19
3	Drew Dilbeck	16
4	Tony Tyree	14
5	Owen Henderson	12
6	Travis Billingsley	10
7	Matthew Smith	8

2017 FEC - Daytona Recap

This past Sunday, the FRL’s off-season came to an end in spectacular fashion as 12 FRL drivers took the start for the longest race in FRL history! The Forzday Endurance Championship began it’s 2017 season with a 40 lap event at the Daytona Sports Car Circuit.

A fifteen minute qualifying session ended up looking like a mirror image of the Rivals leaderboard as Andrew Steppat put his Nissan Z on the Pole with Bryan Dean parking his 911 next to him in row 1. As the green flag began the endurance event, the action heated up quickly as the field headed into Turn 1. Paul Maestri came in a little too hot into the corner, having started from P5, and bumped into the P3 car of Travis Billingsley. Travis’ Aston Martin Vantage suffered no ill effects, but Paul would need to pit to correct damage incurred in the altercation. Chris Rader would have an even more eventful ‘uh-oh’ moment and sent his Porsche 911 careening off the track flipping several times and incurring heavy damage.

Both drivers would catch a huge break as track timing and scoring issues brought out the caution flag and forced an early restart. The restart would prove to be quite a bit more tame and the field immediately began to set into the long 37 laps that remained in the event. Defending champion Andrew Steppat would have an early off coming into Turn 1 that would allow the close following Porsche of Bryan Dean to take the lead away early. Andrew would recover and maintain P2 just ahead of Travis Billingsley. Several laps later, Andrew’s Nissan would close on the #808 911 of Bryan’s and make an attempt to pass for the lead. There was some confusion on Bryan’s part and he moved down the track, touching Andrew’s car at 180 mph coming up toward the Start/Finish line. Bryan’s 911 would wiggle a bit but was able to roll on, Andrew was able to save his Nissan from spinning up into the wall, still some light contact removed his side-view mirror from a useful position.

Further back, a fairly intense battle was playing out for Paul Maestri, Drew Dilbeck and Tony Tyree in P’s 6-8. Drew Dilbeck would encounter some trouble in the Bus Stop chicane and would settle back into P8. However Paul and Tony would run nose-to-tail for a few laps more. Finally, as the two were setting up to exit the International Horseshoe, Tony would dive the #47 Apex Racing Aston Martin a little too deep into the corner, allowing enough room for Paul to power the #86 MBR Vantage around Tony’s inside and out onto the straight away, taking P6.

Nicholas Hargrove would have a very good qualifying effort, starting in 7th position and making his way up to P5 early on. But eventually he gave ground to Paul and brought the #5 Gasmonkey Vantage to a P7 finish. Owen Henderson made his debut in the #24 MBR Xbox One sponsored Aston Martin, and ran very well until developing a connection problem and was retired from the race. Tony Tyree would put up a hard fight for much of this event, but several lapses in concentration led to some fairly big off’s on the track. Drew Dilbeck was able to regain his position over Tony and eventually teammates Nick Hargrove and Matthew Smith were able to pass as well. Tony would finish in P9. Nate Turner and Chris Rader were able to return to the FRL for this event as well. While not at the sharp end of the field they did run all 40 laps and were the very definition of gentlemen drivers on the track. They were not the cause of any accidents, nor did they challenge leaders as they approached.

In all it was a fun race night for all. Andrew Steppat takes the win at Daytona and an early lead in the points.Bryan Dean posts a very respectable second place here. Travis Billingsley held down P3 nicely. We head down to central Florida and Sebring International Raceway for next month’s event.

FEC Daytona Race Results

Driver Finishing Order		Fastest Lap	Points		Team Points
P1	Andrew Steppat	1;47.056 (+3)	28*		Apex Racing	30
P2	Bryan Dean	1;48.126 (+2)	20*		MBR	30
P3	Travis Billingsley	1;48.498 (+1)	18*
P4	Ethan Maestri	1;49.389	12
P5	Paul Maestri	1;50.206	10
P6	Drew Dilbeck	1;50.838	8
P7	Nicholas Hargrove	1;50.272	6
P8	Matthew Smith	1;53.341	4
P9	Tony Tyree	1;51.302	2
P10	Chris Rader	1;57.057	1
P11	Nathan Turner	2;03.032
P12	Owen Henderson	1;52.353
FEC Series Standings		Total Points			Race Wins
1	Andrew Steppat	28			Andrew Steppat	1
2	Bryan Dean	20
3	Travis Billingsley	18
4	Ethan Maestri	12
5	Paul Maestri	10
6	Drew Dilbeck	8
7	Nicholas Hargrove	6
8	Matthew Smith	4
9	Tony Tyree	2
10	Chris Rader	1

Steppat Racing Returns for FEC 2017

2/18/17 - (Lincoln, NE) Just ahead of the start of the 2017 FEC Season opener at Daytona International Speedway, Andrew Steppat officially announced the return of Steppat Racing to the FRL's biggest stage. The six-time Champion had this to say for the team's return:

 "Last season with Apex Racing was considered a big success. I enjoyed my time working and collaborating with drivers Tony Tyree and Travis Billingsley. Unfortunately, due to new regulations and the opportunity to work with Nissan and their Nismo racing division, I have met with Travis and Tony and expressed my intentions to reopen the Steppat Racing garage. SR is actively preparing for the upcoming season and opening race at Daytona. I wish nothing but the best for Travis and Tony, as well as newcomers, Matthew Smith and Nicholas Hargrove, and the whole Apex Racing garage. I am hopeful that I can once again work with Apex Racing at a future time!"

 The new season is set to begin Sunday, Feb.19th at Daytona. 

   Get used to it.

Apex Racing Announces Lineup for FEC 2017

 West Fork, AR - 2/14/17: Apex Racing will be entering the 2017 FEC series with a 4 driver garage. Aston Martin will be the manufacturer for the entire team of drivers. Apex will be headed up by two drivers that raced with the team last year by way of #47 Tony Tyree, and #18 Travis Billingsley. They will be joined by two drivers that will be under the Apex logo for the first time; #5 Nicholas Hargrove, and #12 Matthew Smith. When questioned about the team and car selection, the following responses were provided.

 Tony Tyree: “I'm excited to get this season started. Aston Martin has really out done themselves to be the dominant car on the track this series, which hopefully means we'll see some really close racing.”

 Travis Billingsley: “It is great to be driving with Tony under the Apex banner again, and also working with new to the team drivers Nicholas and Matt. We have a solid team of drivers, and paired with the very reliable and competitive Aston Martin, I expect a rather good season for Apex Racing.”

 Both new recruits to the team shared sentiments of enjoying the teamwork and cooperation among the four drivers, and look forward to seeing how the team can help each other hone their racing skills.

 When Apex management was questioned about the very obvious absence of previous Apex driver Andrew Steppat, he stated; "The loss of Mr Steppat from our team is big.  Rule changes since the last FEC season required Andrew to find a new garage to drive with this season.  He will be missed at Apex for sure, but who knows what might happen next season."

MBR Officially Enters Forzday Endurance Championship

2/7/2017, Joplin, MO - Registration continues for the upcoming season of endurance racing in the FRL. Today Maestri Brothers Racing officially threw their hat in the ring with their registration announcement.

"We are very happy to announce our partnership with Aston Martin and will use the Vantage - hopefully to our advantage - in the coming 2017 FEC season. The Vantage has proven to be one of the most stable, dependable cars available to us for this seasons racing. With new and continuing support from our sponsors for the #85, #86 & now #19 cars, we look forward to developing our team even further." - Ethan Maestri

 The garage also took the opportunity to "officially" announce the addition of another driver to the lineup. Drew Dilbeck of Rocket Boy Racing joins the team for this season in the #19 Shell/Pennzoil sponsored Vantage. He states: "I'm really excited by this opportunity MBR is giving me. I have always driven my best in every FRL event, but now with a chance to collaborate and learn in a garage like MBR's is really exciting. I mean heck, look at my car! Paul designs the best stuff on the track! Who wouldn't be happy to be asked to jump in and drive it?"

 In usual fashion, Paul Maestri spared few words for the press: "Really looking forward to the hunt."

The FEC's second season kicks off in less than two weeks at Daytona, Feb. 19th.

Long Beach One-Off Challenge

Keeping the GT theme going in the One-Off's this year, the FRL announces today the Long Beach GT in April. With interest high in GT racing and the extended gap in One-Off's between now and May, the FRL invites all driver to participate in exciting urban racing in the premier cars of North American endurance racing. The event is scheduled for Sunday, April 2nd.

The cars selected are:
- 2014 Corvette C7.R
- 2014 Ferrari 458 GTLM
- 2016 Ford GT Le Mans (#66 race version)
- 2011 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR

Tentatively the Performance Index will be maintained at R-865. We will update this if necessary and also post the number of laps for this event in a future post.

Bathurst One-Off Results

The race at Bathurst started off rough for several players, and ultimately ended rough for several players.  Eight drivers took to the grid Thursday night for 20 laps around the difficult track.  With the green flag still waving in the rear view mirrors, trouble begin on lap 1, turn 1.  A brake lock from Andrew Steppat up front initiated contact with Paul Maestri that soon had the entire field behind scrambling for a clean way around the jam.  As Paul got turned sideways mid track, Travis Billingsley arriving late to the party from the back of the grid could not avoid contact with the parked Audi, and both received significant damage.

That was just the start of the string of pit stops that would be required for multiple drivers in the field.  Andrew managed to keep his driving mostly clean the entire race and was never really contested for first place.  Owen, making a nice start to this race, and holding a 2nd place spot would have his connection drop less than a half dozen laps into the race.  Paul, stricken with several more damage and car related issues would eventually have to retire in hopes of having enough car for the next race.  Drew Dilbeck would also have connection issues near the mid point of the race that would see him removed from the race while holding a top 5 position.

Andrew would cruise the last half of the race to a victory.  Travis would manage to pull up to a 2nd spot finish.  The real battles were happening for 3rd place.  Tony Tyree, Nicholas Hargove, and Matthew Smith would all make pushes for a podium finish.  In the end, Matthew held that position as the checkered flag waved.

Racers now begin prepping in earnest for the upcoming FEC series, with the first race scheduled for Feb. 19th at Daytona International Speedway.  The next scheduled one-off event is the FRL Indianapolis 200 scheduled for May 25th.

Bathurst One-Off Results and points			2017 Year One-Off Standings
P1	Andrew Steppat – 25		1	Andrew Steppat – 50
P2	Travis Billingsley – 18		2	Travis Billingsley – 33
P3	Matthew Smith – 15		3	Matthew Smith – 21
P4	Nicholas Hargrove – 12		4	Tony Tyree – 20
P5	Tony Tyree – 10		5	Ethan Maestri – 18
P6	Drew Dilbeck – 8		6	Paul Maestri – 18
P7	Paul Maestri – 6		7	Drew Dilbeck – 16
P8	Owen Henderson – 4		8	Nicholas Hargrove – 16
			9	Owen Henderson – 4