#3 Salvages Season With Win At The Glen

 It was not at all an evening that went the way Ethan Maestri expected it too...it was even better. After having posted a dismal sixth place finish in the Daytona 125, a better finish was expected at Watkins Glen, but a win seemed a long shot.

Turn 1 mayhem as Travis Billingsley (#18 Big-O Tires Chevy) goes around and into the barrier in the first lap.

 It certainly didn't look well for Ethan early as an early round of practice before qualifying placed Travis Billingsley in the low 1:10's on Watkins short, a full half second ahead of anyone else on the track. Qualifying looked like it was going to go Travis' way easily. However, Paul Maestri made a late charge that just edged Travis off the top spot. Travis gathered himself for a push at the end but tagged the barrier hard in the Bus Stop, ending his run for the top starting position. Paul looked to be set for a pole position until Ethan Maestri posted a 1:10.792, edging Paul by less than 0.060 seconds.

 The race start would shift things even further toward Ethan's direction. As the crowd reached Turn 1, Travis would try and nose his #18 Chevy alongside Ethan's Toyota, diving deep into the turn. He was passed the commit point when he realized what danger he had put himself and others into by pushing in that far. He braced and tried to hold a steady line, but he and Ethan ran out of room, colliding, sending Travis into the barrier facing the wrong direction. This would set the #18 way back for much of the race.

Paul Maestri in the #33 Red Bull Toyota got a great start.

 Paul Maestri, in the #33 Toyota, got a fantastic jump through the outside line of the corner and sailed off into first place, chased by Ethan Maestri. Nicholas Hargrove in the #5 Chevy, Drew Dilbeck in the #41 Ford and Tony Tyree in the #47 Chevy would line out the top 5 in the early going. 4 laps in, Ethan would close on Paul, and when the #33 bobbled in Turn 1, his MBR teammate in the #3 would take advantage, the two MBR cars would remain locked in the first two positions for the rest of the race.

 While Travis did suffer early setbacks, he would settle into a grove that would see him climb from dead last up to third position. But bad maths in the pits let him down. He ran out of fuel in the second to last lap, he would fall to 6th place on the night. Drew Dilbeck started strong, riding in third position early on. But he would bobble in Turn 7 and would end up in the grass. He would hurry to recover and got a little too enthusiastic about protecting his position, sweeping up the track and into Nicholas Hargrove. Nick looked to have the pass cleanly, but the #41 of Dilbeck got into his rear fender and sent him to the wall. Drew would reclaim third place and hold onto it at the end. Nick would bring his #5 Chevy in fourth position. Tony Tyree ran well in fifth place early, eventually falling back to sixth behind Travis, but the #18's woe's came just in time for the #47 Old Spice car allowing Tony to snatch another Top 5.

Ethan Maestri scores his first win of this FASCAR season, giving MBR victories in both races so far this season.

 It was a return to racing for Chris Dilbeck. His effort in the #99 Ford was not a Top 5 finish, but the effort he put into the drive was certainly noteworthy, he would finish in seventh place. Rounding out the field of 8 cars was another new driver to the FRL, 12 year old Gabe Stauffer. His was certainly a learning experience on the night, but a solid effort from this young driver as he dips his toe into the FRL.

 The series moves on to Indianapolis for the FASCAR Indy 125 on Sunday, Oct. 8th.

Points For The Night

Ethan Maestri - 22
Paul Maestri - 19
Drew Dilbeck - 16
Nicholas Hargrove - 14
Tony Tyree - 12
Travis Bilingsley - 10
Chris Dilbeck - 8
Gabe Stauffer - 6

Series Points After 2 Races

1. Paul Maestri - 41
2. Drew Dilbeck - 35
3. Ethan Maestri - 33
4. Nicholas Hargrove - 30
5. Tony Tyree - 25
6. Travis Billingsley - 24
7. Brandon Adkins - 8
8. Chris Dilbeck - 8
9. Nate Turner - 6
10. Gabe Stauffer - 6

FRL Season 7 Set For November Start

 November 19th will begin the seven race, seventh season of FRL racing. Andrew Steppat has dominated all the previous six seasons of racing, but newcomers and old veterans alike are looking forward to a new season and new opportunities to improve their skills in this sim racing select series.

 This seasons MX Club Cup will feature the MX-5 Cup from Mazda. It will be run, unmodified, at its base rating of D-382. Indeed a much slower class than what we have been running, but on a track list that will maximize the fun factor for this pocket-rocket of a mini racer. However, even without upgrades, there are still a lot of adjustments that can be made to this vehicle. Suspension is fully tuneable, tire pressures, sway bars, etc. Aero, limited slip and transmission gearing will remain fixed. This is a spec series and all will have to rely more heavily on skill to get them around the track faster.

 The format for this series will feature three heats per event. Winners of any heat will be awarded a bonus point. Fastest lap time on the night will be awarded a bonus point as well. Series points will be awarded to finishers average position from all three heats of the event. Lap counts are still being calculated, but each event is expected to run no more than an hour per evening for all three heats.

 The tracks and dates selected for the 2017 MX Club Cup are as follows:

November 19th - Brands Hatch Indy Circuit
December 3rd - Lime Rock Full Circuit
December 17th - Prague Short
December 31st - Rio Mini Circuit
January 14th - Silverstone National Circuit
January 28th - Virginia International Raceway South
Feburary 11th - Road Atlanta Club Circuit

 We hope to see all our FRL drivers on the track for this exciting, compact, and final season of the FRL in the Forza 6 race engine!

Points Adjustment for FRL Season 7

 A quick note about the upcoming season of racing. The points will be adjusted away from the FIA points progression to one that has been adopted for the FASCAR series. This will still reward top drivers in both position and fastest lap times, but will minimize the chance for a large gap from top tier to bottom.

 Points will be awarded in the following order: 20 points will go to the race winner, 18 points to second, 16 points to third position, etc. Beyond tenth position, no points will be awarded. Bonus points will be awarded differently as well. A single point will be awarded to the driver with the fastest (clean) lap time for the event. A single point will also be awarded to any driver winning a heat in the event. These points will not stack, if you win a heat, you get the bonus point. If you win all three heats, you still only get one point.

 These adjustments will hopefully make points keeping easier and promote closer points races in this and future series.

Paul Maestri Wins Daytona 125 To Begin Season

Drew Dilbeck leads the field into Turn 1 at the start of the FASCAR Daytona 125

 The start of a new season of FRL Stock Car racing signaled a chance for everyone to start over fresh. If last seasons win list was any indication, a new season was wide open for anyone to win. Except maybe for someone like Paul Maestri. Since he was racing with a controller, it might have seemed a tall order for him to get a win over the wheel drivers in the 8 car field. However, as the 50 laps wound down and he fended off several charges against him, Paul would gain the victory.

 As the green flag waved and Drew Dilbeck sailed off into Turn 1 with the lead, Paul would settle into the middle of the group. Ethan Maestri would latch onto Drew's rear bumper and the two would slowly pull ahead of the rest of the field. Nicholas Hargrove and Tony Tyree would fall into step a short distance behind them. Paul was left to fend off early challenges from Brandon Adkins. Brandon showed strength early on, but would swing high into Turn 1 a few laps into the race, brushing the wall and putting himself in peril. He would swing high again into Turn 2, still trying to recover his #26 Chevy. He wound up squeezing Travis Bilingsley into the wall, ending both of their runs at the front of the field for the night.

 Up front, Drew and Ethan would exchange lead changes before Ethan made too bold a move and caught his front splitter on the apron of the track, sending him into a spin and early into the pits. He would find himself a lap down and in 5th place, but poised to make a run to the front again as pits cycled. However, Nate Turner was having a rough go of it on the high banks of Daytona and spun into the wall in Turn 2. His #19 Toyota would drift down to the bottom of the track, collecting Ethan in a race ending incident. Nate would officially retire a few laps later. Ethan would drop back to 6th position.

 Tony Tyree and last seasons Daytona 125 winner, Nicholas Hargrove, would have an eventful few laps together with both vying for third position, then second, as Ethan spun out. Tony Tyree would end up in front as Drew brought his race leading Ford in for a pit stop. Moments later, both he and Nicholas would pit, ceding the lead to the #33 of Paul Maestri. Pit stops would cycle out, Paul being the last to come in on the main cycle. He would exit pits just ahead of Nicholas and Drew who were both vying to be the new leader. Paul would fend off attacks by both drivers to cement his position at the front.

 In the end, it was a race of who could make the fewest mistakes or avoid the mistakes of others. Paul Maestri was able to navigate all 125 miles of the race and claim the checkered flag for his own. It is a victory that Paul has had to wait a long while for, his last race victory being more than 3 years ago. For Drew Dilbeck, this race proves his ability as a stock car racer in the FRL. His second place finish all but insuring that he will be a strong contender for a championship win. For Nicholas Hargrove, third is small consolation when you consider his dominating victory in this race last season. However, it is a strong run and something to build on for this series.

 With the series begun, the drivers turn their attention from high banked speedways to the subtle undulation of a road course at Watkins Glen.

Series Points after 1 of 5 Races:

1. Paul Maestri - 22
2. Drew Dilbeck - 19
3. Nicholas Hargrove - 16
4. Travis Billingsley - 14
5. Tony Tyree - 13
6. Ethan Maestri - 11
7. Brandon Adkins - 8
8. Nate Turner - 6

FASCAR Set To Begin September 10th

 As Fall comes around again, the sim racing season gets ready to begin. The FRL is set to begin its final season of racing in the Forza 6 engine on Xbox One before moving on to Forza 7. Several drivers are looking forward to getting the most out of their NASCAR expansion pack before seeing what else Turn 10 has in store for the community.

 Reigning champion Ethan Maestri enters the series with a new look and a new manufacturer, with MBR switching from Ford to Toyota and a retro sponsorship with Coors Light. Last seasons third place finisher, Travis Billingsley, has confirmed he is returning in the same Toyota, Big-O Tires ride. Paul Maestri returns with MBR as well, making the switch to Toyota and bringing with him his multi-series Red Bull sponsorship.

  Last season, Tony Tyree and Nicholas Hargrove ended up tied for 4th place in the final points. This season they look to renew their rivalry. Tony returns in his Old Spice sponsored Chevrolet. While Nicholas is sporting a very sharp Konica Minolta liveried Chevy. We also have Brandon Adkins returning to the FRL. He gets set to start the Daytona 125 in a Chevy as well.

 Still no word from the second place finisher in the championship points from last season, Drew Dilbeck. Owen Henderson has thus far made no announcements to join either. We'll have to wait and see who does finally show on Sunday night. The Daytona 125 will be a 50 lap event on the famed Daytona Speedway, under the lights no less! Fireworks won't just be in the air over Turn 1 as we should see plenty of sparks on the track as well. This event kicks off a 5 race mini-series for the FRL's Stock Car Championship series.