Round 3 of the FEC Championship rolled into Austin, Texas with Andrew Steppat already holding a commanding lead in the points. Could there be a second race in a row without Steppat Racing scoring the top podium?
12 drivers took the green flag for 27 laps at Circuit of The Americas
It quickly became apparent that Steppat was back in full-form as he scored the pole starting position fully a half second faster than anyone else on the grid. At the start of the race, things would fall Andrew's way as well as Ethan Maestri would sit on the outside of the front row and had to gingerly make his way through a crowded and chaotic Turn 1. Paul Maestri in the #7 300Z and Bryan Dean in the #808 Porsche got together in the middle of the corner and stacked the field from 5th position, back.
The field sorts itself out from the mayhem at Turn 1
Exiting Turn 1, Travis Billingsley in the #18 Aston Martin simply had to follow on Andrew's heels and turned a P3 start into a close P2 spot early on with Ethan Maestri swinging in tight behind him. Andrew would slowly start to open a gap from him to the rest of the field as P2 thru P4 became a hotly contested set of positions. Travis, Ethan and Bryan all took turns in the P2 spot, but the curbs at Circuit of The Americas are just as tall and tricky as the ones at Sebring and all three drivers took their lumps and spun out on them at different times.
Travis Billingsley in the #18 Aston Martin washes out on a curb, giving away P2 early on
Bryan Dean would run well for many laps, but a lack of prep time eventually caught up with him and he would spin on the curbing several times, relegating him to P4. Travis would spin early, but recovered well and benefited from a tight battle between Ethan and Bryan, hauling himself back into the race for a podium spot. Once Bryan began encountering problems, he would hang behind Ethan and threaten from a distance for P2, but would settle for P3 as Ethan got the MBR Nissan in a groove and began posting solid laps.
While the front four distanced themselves from the rest of the field, the remaining 8 cars would fight tooth and nail for a Top 5 position. Paul Maestri in the Canon/Red Bull #7 Nissan and Tony Tyree in the Fender sponsored #47 Vantage would duel for many laps for P5. Eventually, solid clean laps and pit cycles would find Paul with a secure hold on the last spot for coveted double digit points.
Battles for every position could be found at any point on track
Chris Rader and Nicholas Hargrove would battle hard early on, banging fenders on at least a couple of occasions before Nicholas eventually was able to open a lead and bring his car in at the end P7. Drew Dilbeck had a great start to the race, finding himself in P3 at one point, but controller connection trouble would set in later and he would eventually have to retire from the race - his second FEC race with no points scored. Matthew Smith and Nicholas Hargrove would race for P7, with Nick eventually claiming that spot for himself. Danny McClain and Nate Turner would find themselves trying to best the other for the last point paying spot on the track this event, with Danny in his #42 Porsche besting Turner's #83 Aston Martin for P10.
As the round ends, we see Andrew Steppat once more on the top spot of the podium. Claiming victory and fastest lap honors, further extending an already extensive lead in the points. Second through fourth in points are separated by only 12 points. As that battle tightens, Andrew may be able to relax as they recede into his rear view further. How will the series be further shaped as we head to Watkins Glen at the end of the month? Stay tuned and see.
