Kuzma Returns To Winning Ways!!!
Week #7 is here for the Southern National Track Championship Series with a crispness in the fall air as the season winds down. Charlie Kuzma unloaded his #113 from the trailer and was fast all through practice and topped the time sheet with a lap of 13.458 while last weeks race winner Eric Nordhoff posted the 2nd best lap with a time of 13.535. Qualifying saw some chassis adjustments pay off for Trevor Malone as he put his #85 machine on pole with a time of 13.459 while Kuzma was 2nd with a lap of 13.529.
The inverted field would see TJ Christ lead the field to the green flag with Tyler Simmons on the outside of the front row. Christ waited little time putting his #55 in the wind while Simmons found tough going on the outside and allowed Clifton Cockrell and Daryl Tiezzi to scoot past him. Malone and Kuzma would begin their charge from the back of the pack as the field got sorted out. On lap #10 some handling issues would begin to surface for the #29 of Cockrell as he slipped up the track and allowed Tiezzi to move his #16 up to 2nd place. Christ would continue to lead while Malone and Kuzma picked off cars on the way to the front. On lap #40 Kuzma got around Malone to establish himself in the 2nd spot.
Cockrell fought his ill handling car all night but on lap #57 it got the better of him for a moment as he looped the #29 off of turn 2 but made no contact and was able to keep going. All the leaders hit pit road for service except Kuzma who appeared to be a sitting goose against fresh tires and hungry drivers. Kuzma and Christ led the field to green and Christ did not get the restart he wanted and fell back through the field with slight contact against the wall. He would settle into 5th place. Malone took the restart in 3rd and was locked to Kuzma's bumper and hounded him for several laps but was unable to find a way around him and lost ground. Jay Harned had a quiet and uneventful race but when it mattered most he was able to get around Malone for the runner up spot. In the end Kuzma displayed super smooth driving to keep his tires under him for the entire race distance and pick up the win.
1. #113 Charlie Kuzma
2. #44 Jay Harned
3. #22 Eric Nordhoff
4. #85 Trevor Malone
5. #55 TJ Christ
