Race 2 Results: Round 3 Racing, Loftsgard, Tait Claim Mustang Challenge Championships
Round 3 Racing, Cole Loftsgard and Tom Tait were crowned Mustang Challenge North America champions as the series closed out its season in Austin, Texas at Circuit of The Americas.
The battle for the two drivers’ championships came down to the final corners of the Ford Racing one-make series season finale. Devin Anderson took the lead from Loftsgard early in the race and remained in the lead to bring home his second Dark Horse win of the weekend, but by finishing second, Loftsgard scored enough points to come out on top in the Dark Horse championship. In Dark Horse Legends, Tait started third and moved his way up to first position. He was dropped back to third after receiving a post-race penalty for incident responsibility, but a third-place finish was enough for him to clinch the Dark Horse Legends title. Round 3 Racing was crowned team champion after an impressive first year in the Mustang Challenge North America series with the team scoring 12 wins across the third season of Mustang Challenge North America.
CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
UNOFFICIAL DARK HORSE CLASS TOP THREE
- Cole Loftsgard – No. 42 Round 3 Racing
- Devin Anderson – No. 22 TechSport Racing
- Will Lucas – No. 34 Wheelhouse Motorsports
UNOFFICIAL DARK HORSE LEGENDS CLASS TOP THREE
- Tom Tait – No. 8 Wheelhouse Motorsports
- Chris Clarke – No. 9 Paley Motorsport with AAG Racing
- Paolo Salvatore – No. 84 Torre Racing
UNOFFICIAL TEAM TOP THREE
- Round 3 Racing
- TechSport Racing
- Wheelhouse Motorsports
RACE 2 RESULTS
UNOFFICIAL DARK HORSE CLASS TOP-FIVE FINISHERS:
- Devin Anderson – No. 22 TechSport Racing
- Cole Loftsgard – No. 42 Round 3 Racing
- Will Lucas – No. 34 Wheelhouse Motorsports
- Ethan Low – No. 25 Flying Lion Motorsports
- Sandy Satullo – No. 7 Wheelhouse Motorsports
UNOFFICIAL DARK HORSE LEGENDS CLASS TOP-FIVE FINISHERS:
- Brad McCall – No. 70 Round 3 Racing
- Paolo Salvatore – No. 84 Torre Racing
- Tom Tait – No. 8 Wheelhouse Motorsports
- Chris Clarke – No. 9 Paley Motorsport with AAG Racing
- Joseph Dederichs – No. 63 Wheelhouse Motorsports
COLE LOFTSGARD No. 42 Round 3 Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse R, Dark Horse Champion – “Coming into this season, we wanted to show that we could be competitive and compete for race wins. I never really allowed myself to think about what it would be like to be champion; I didn’t want to think about it until the last checkered flag flew. It’s still soaking in for sure, but it’s incredible. I can’t thank everyone at Round 3 Racing enough, they gave me a great Ford Mustang Dark Horse R all season.”
TOM TAIT, No. 8 Wheelhouse Motorsports Ford Mustang Dark Horse R, Dark Horse Legends Champion – “We had a great result today and it was enough to bring home the championship. [Chris] Clarke and I have had some great battles this season, and I really enjoy racing him. Thanks to the Wheelhouse Motorsports crew for all their hard work this season and for helping me come back stronger today after a tough race yesterday.”
BRAD MCCALL, Team Owner, Round 3 Racing, Team Champions – “It’s almost indescribable, winning the team championship. To come here in our first season and win is beyond my wildest dreams. This is a huge testament to Cole and the team and their faith in our ability to win. I didn’t imagine it was going to be this incredible coming into it, but I’m really happy with the way things turned out.”
Race 1 Results: Clarke Claims Maiden Mustang Challenge Win
Chris Clarke scored his first victory in Mustang Challenge North America to keep himself in the fight for the Dark Horse Legends championship.
In Saturday’s race at Circuit of The Americas, Devin Anderson led from flag-to-flag to bring home his third Dark Horse victory of the season. With the win, Anderson also earned to JKTG Driving Research Award for being the highest finishing Ford Racing Driver Development competitor. Clarke ran in second for most of the race in Dark Horse Legends, inheriting the lead in the final minutes.
The Dark Horse championship is still technically up for grabs, but with one race remaining, Cole Loftsgard has a comfortable lead, sitting 120 points ahead of Anderson. In Dark Horse Legends, the championship is incredibly close, with Tom Tait leading by only 70 points over Clarke. 370 points are available in Sunday’s finale.
UNOFFICIAL DH CLASS TOP-FIVE FINISHERS:
- Devin Anderson – No. 22 TechSport Racing
- Cole Loftsgard – No. 42 Round 3 Racing
- Will Lucas – No. 34 Wheelhouse Motorsports
- Tate Pritt – No. 98 Automatic Racing
- Sandy Satullo – No. 7 Wheelhouse Motorsports
UNOFFICIAL DHL CLASS TOP-FIVE FINISHERS:
- Chris Clarke – No. 9 Paley Motorsport with AAG Racing
- Brad McCall – No. 70 Round 3 Racing
- Paolo Salvatore – No. 84 Torre Racing
- Joseph Dederichs – No. 63 Wheelhouse Motorsports
- Dan McKeever – No. 77 Wheelhouse Motorsports
DEVIN ANDERSON, No. 22 TechSport Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse R (DH) – “We just had an amazing Dark Horse R. I spent most of the race focused on managing my tires, and it definitely paid off in the long run. We came here wanting to make a statement and end the year strong, and I think we did exactly that. I’m looking forward to hopefully doing more of the same tomorrow.”
CHRIS CLARKE, No. 9 Paley Motorsport with AAG Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse R (DHL) – “For me, the race was about managing the tires and keeping myself in the championship fight. Tomorrow I will just do the best I can to finish on top of the podium again and hopefully bring home the championship.”
