Thomas Christ Wins The ObamaCare 125 At Chicagoland Speedway!!!

Joliet, IL is where the Sure Fire Racing League was at this weekend for the running of the Obamacare 125 and it was Thomas Christ who had what it takes to bring home the checkered flag. With 15 drivers bringing their machines to Illinois for what drivers were saying was a white-knuckle race from start of the race to the checkered flag. As are a handful of tracks that the Sure Fire Racing League has on their schedule, Chicagoland Speedway has a very loose and unforgiving track surface. As treacherous of a track as Chicagoland is, only four cautions slowed the field. But it didn’t slow down the #55 of Thomas Christ!

The fast time of 29.610 put the #8 of Josh Lambert on the pole and right beside him was the #55 Thomas Christ with 2nd fast time of 29.778. As the green flag dropped for the start if the race, the #85 Trevor Malone was abducted by aliens, taking driver and car and just vanishing into thin air, never being seen again for the remainder of the race. We at Sure Fire, hope that the aliens are finished probing Trevor and have returned and race ready in two weeks. At the front of the line, it was Josh Lambert who took the lead from the very start while Christ dropped from 2nd all the way back to the 5th position. Lambert would hold on to that lead but Lap 4, Turn 2, Lambert gassed his machine just a little too early and put himself into a slight loss of control, giving up the lead to the #77 of Justin Anderson.

It wasn’t long for the caution flag to come out as it did for the #51 of Paul Cohen on Lap 5. Cohen trying to show some muscle came out of Turn 2 just a little bit too hard and as his car went from the racing groove, to the bottom of the track. In an effort to try to keep racing and not lose any positions, Cohen’s Good Humor Chevy, came back up and smacked the outside wall and bouncing him into the #071 of Dean Viney and then into the path of the #29 Cliff Cockrell, causing some major damage to all three vehicles.

On Lap 12, it was the #27 Terry Walters who showed fans how much of a handful these cars are at Chicagoland Speedway as he dipped a ½ a car width below the white line on the front stretch and as he tried to get back on to the track’s surface, started fishtailing, losing control. Sawing right and left on his wheel, the apron, the track, the apron, the grass, the apron, the track, all the way thru Turn 2 is what it took Walters to regain full control of his Widow Wax Ford Fusion, putting him well behind the rest of the drivers. Just not being his day, three laps later, Walters loses control again this time coming out of Turn 2, swiping the inside wall and running the length of the backstretch thru the grass. Being forced to make a green flag pit stop, Walters comes out four laps down. Ahead of Walters, the #48 Mark McFadden showed his driving skills as he came out of Turn 2, losing control, getting into the grass and keeping it off the wall and not spinning his machine around. Great job Mark!

Lap 23 found some excitement for the #57 James Tyler as he loses control coming out of Turn 2 and slapping against the inside wall of the backstretch. Drivers and Turn 2 just are not mixing as the #89 Matt Quick finds out on Lap 34 as he loses control and puts his machine into the inside wall spinning round and round like a record on a turntable.

Your race leader, #77 Justin Anderson, goes into a long slow sideways spin going into Turn 3 finally coming to a stop in Turn 4 bringing out the 2nd caution of the day. No other cars were collected and the only thing that was hurt was Anderson’s pride. On Lap 45, it is the #33 Mark Koschik trying to show this Chicagoland track that he is in control, but unfortunately, the track won this debate. Koschik had his hands full as he tried to maintain control of his Mesa/Boogie Ford Fusion but lost this battle as he came to a rest at the entrance to pit road in the grassy area.

Lap 58, the caution flag is out for the 3rd time of the day as the #27 Terry Walters loses control coming out of Turn 2, this time smacking the wall and doing some extensive damage. And on Lap 68, the #29 Cliff Cockrell was reported as yelling, “OH SHIT” as he passed the #55 Thomas Christ below the white line on the front stretch for 2nd place, but as he tried to come back onto the track, Cockrell’s Thrustmaster Chevy, went into a sideway slide thru the Turn 1 grass and bringing him back out onto the apron and onto the track in Turn 2, losing valuable position.

Lap 94 brings trouble again to the #51 Paul Cohen as he loses control and tweaks his Chevy and is forced to pit. The caution flag comes out Lap 114 as the #89 Matt Quick self-spins in Turn 2 and kept it in the middle of the track, collecting the #12 Mark Arthur who had no idea where to go when he couldn’t see thru the thick smoke cover.

With a six-lap shootout and only six cars on the lead lap, it was anyone’s guess and drivers knew it was a crapshoot for the checkered flag. The first four cars started pulling away almost immediately from the rest of the pack. Thomas Christ, your leader, would lead the restart with Justin Anderson right there challenging him the entire lap. Third was Dennis Brasfield, hoping to get a chance and Cliff Cockrell running fourth. It was hard racing for all and the #38 was showing that he wanted this win bad as he drove his Noritz Chevy deep into Turn 3 and had to get on his brakes hard so as not to lose control and in doing so, lost his 3rd place position to the #29 of Cliff Cockrell.

With the race in its final laps, Brasfield driving his machine to its limits, rear tires lost grip in Turn 2 and just couldn’t hold on to it as he spun, went up the track where he slapped the wall and then came back down the track in front of the speeding field. Drivers did a fantastic job avoiding all contact with Brasfield, continuing the charge. Anderson knowing that he only had two laps to make his move, tried everything he could to get his Raybestos Ford Fusion ahead of Christ to take the win, but it was Thomas Christ who won that battle winning the Obamacare 125. Justin Anderson finished a close 2nd, just .096 seconds behind Christ. Cliff Cockrell finishes in 3rd, Dean Viney pulls it in 4th and Mike Campbell comes home in the 5th position.

The Sure Fire Racing League is off next Sunday as Super Bowl 50 will have most everyone’s attention, but they will return the following week, Sunday, February 14 for the Lover’s Road Rage 100 at Watkins Glen.