2018 Season Review (Part 1)

Races 2 - 11

Adidas 200 @ Watkins Glen

Evie Vance would start on pole for the 82 lap event but her lead would only last until the first caution as an accident would take out third place starter Yoshiko Tsushima and Bradley Stansfield. Vance herself would find trouble later on as an accident would end the races of herself, Jacob Eichholtz and 2017 champion Ruby McBrien.

Cautions would continue to reek havoc on the race, as last years winner Bradley Carlisle was taken out in the early going. The race would eventually settled down, and the lead was given to Grant Macintosh before his engine expired. Barney Ward, the rookie, would lead laps during the event, but he eventually faded to a 7th place finish.

Dominance of the event was shared between Ben Atkins and Kevin Miller, but the latter would become victorious, with Miller seeing the checkered flag for the first time since 2015.

TOP 5

1. #99 Kevin Miller
2. #2 Ben Atkins
3. #34 Mac Hanley
4. #57 Dustin Houston
5. #25 Connor Swift

Golden Corral 200 @ New Hampshire

The early running of the race would go caution free, until the first round of pit stops at the quarter way mark saw a heavy accident between Chiyo Minami and Watkins Glen winner Kevin Miller interrupt the pit sequence. Evie Vance had led the first 50 laps, but would be caught out by the caution. Eventually, Vance would only finish 26th.

Ben Atkins was the huge beneficiary of the caution, as he took control of the event, despite the amount of cautions that would follow. Atkins would lead 116 laps before he became his own worst enemy, colliding with the lap car of William Carmichael and carrying himself hard into the turn 4 wall. Atkins would fall out of the race as a result.

This handed the lead to Matilda Dillinger on a silver platter, and despite the efforts of Daniel Leckliter in the closing laps, Dillinger would hold on to take home the victory.

TOP 5

1. #11 Matilda Dillinger
2. #10 Daniel Leckliter
3. #34 Mac Hanley
4. #69 Tom Delgado
5. #00 Dean Donohue

STARS Hall of Fame 100 @ Charlotte

Evie Vance proved herself to be the queen of qualifying, as she took her third pole in a row. Vance would only lead 17 laps as she lost the lead to teammate Grant Macintosh early on.

Cautions for Neveah Laughlin, as well as accidents between Connor Swift and Maki Nishikino, and Tom Delgado and Jon Beaufort gave hope to Braxton Laughlin, as he found himself in control of the event for 17 laps, but the experience of Macintosh proved too much, as he passed him for the lead again.

A caution for Barney Ward with 8 laps to go made for an exciting finish, but Macintosh dealt with the pressure of a dash to the finish perfectly, holding off Kevin Miller and Ben Atkins to win his first of the season.

TOP 5

1. #12 Grant Macintosh
2. #99 Kevin Miller
3. #2 Ben Atkins
4. #92 Bradley Carlisle
5. #22 Chiyo Minami

Yousoro Boats 200 @ Bristol

Ben Atkins took a surprising short track pole position, breaking Evie Vance's chain of pole positions as she could only muster up a 29th place qualifying position, sharing a row with her sister, Riko, who was making her debut. Atkins did not lead a lap, however, surrendering the lead early to Matilda Dillinger, who only led three laps before truck regular You Watanabe took control of the event.

The lead swapped as cautions marred the majority of the event; the majority of the event lead by Ruby McBrien, You Watanabe and Tyler Everett. Everett eventually fell out due to clutch issues, while You Watanabe looked favourable to win the event before her car faded at the end, and she fell to an 8th place finish.

McBrien held on, however, pulling away from Dallas Hammond and Grant Macintosh as she took her first victory of the season, securing her own place in the playoffs.

TOP 5

1. #29 Ruby McBrien
2. #05 Dallas Hammond
3. #12 Grant Macintosh
4. #00 Dean Donohue
5. #91 Dia McBrien

Dabbing 100 @ Pikes Peak

Evie Vance took her fourth pole of the season at Pikes Peak, and lead the first third of the race before Grant Macintosh took control.

The race was largely clean. Cautions at laps 50 and 60 the only interruptions of the race, as Bristol winner Ruby McBrien passed Macintosh for the lead just passed the halfway mark, and she would hold off a hard charging Kevin Miller at the end to win by just less than a tenth. Another lap meant Miller would have stole the event.

TOP 5

1. #29 Ruby McBrien
2. #99 Kevin Miller
3. #10 Daniel Leckliter
4. #1 Evie Vance
5. #92 Bradley Carlisle

Ohara Hotels 100 @ OCMC Road Course

The Oklahoma City Motorsports Complex doubleheader started at the Road Course for a 16 lap event around the 5.8 mile roval course. Casey Lester took the pole but went off course early, handing the lead to Ben Atkins.

Atkins would slide off from the lead, and his pursue to win his first race of the season would continue as he smashed into the wall.

Evie Vance would take control of the race, as she would finally convert her good qualifying form into a good result, restricting Dallas Hammond to yet another second place finish, winning her first of the season.

TOP 5

1. #1 Evie Vance
2. #05 Dallas Hammond
3. #29 Ruby McBrien
4. #19 Braxton Laughlin
5. #50 Gabriel Macena

SKY JOURNEY 300 @ OCMC SuperSpeedway

The second superspeedway race of the season took place at the 3 mile oval configuration of the Oklahoma City Motorsports Complex, one week after the road course event. Casey Lester, again, would take the pole for the event, but he would be taken out early on as contact with Ben Atkins would send him into a rollover.

Atkins would not be spared of any controversy there, as he would make further contact with Nico Yazawa, sparking the big one. This accident was not found to be Atkins' fault by STARS officials, however, as Yazawa was trying to slot into the inside lane, and was not clear of Atkins, who held the inside line.

Atkins would muscle past the controversy, however, as his car was simply too strong at the end. He would hold off Dallas Hammond and Chiyo Minami, leading the majority of the final half of the race to finally take a well-earned first victory of the season.

TOP 5

1. #2 Ben Atkins
2. #05 Dallas Hammond
3. #22 Chiyo Minami
4. #82 Joshua Sanders
5. #19 Braxton Laughlin

DP Enterprises 200 @ Texas World

The second triple crown event of the season would be at Texas World, as Ruby McBrien took the pole for the event.

Accidents were frequent in the event, despite them not taking cars out of the race. As a result, Dallas Hammond and Bradley Carlisle would pull away from the rest of the pack in the closing stages of the race.

Hammond was not to be denied any longer, however, and he would lead the most laps, holding off Carlisle to finally take home his first career victory after a string of runner-up finishes.

TOP 5

1. #05 Dallas Hammond
2. #92 Bradley Carlisle
3. #50 Gabriel Macena
4. #28 Ross Carter
5. #57 Dustin Houston

Buffalo Wild Wings 200 @ Texas Kansas

Kansas Speedway was the location of the last race before the International Tour, as Bradley Carlisle took the pole for the event. Tyler Everett, however, would take control of the event, leading 53 laps.

The race was marred by a giant crash for Kevin Miller, however. He was hit in the drivers door at full speed during a multi-car accident, and send into a spectacular set of rolls. The race was red flagged as Miller was extracted from the car. Miller suffered several broken bones, and as a result, Miller announced that he would be retiring with immediate effect later in the week.

The finish, however, took everyone's minds off the severe accident, as Ruby McBrien, Daniel Leckliter and Evie Vance put on a spectacular show for everyone, crossing the line three wide with McBrien being the victor.

TOP 5

1. #29 Ruby McBrien
2. #10 Daniel Leckliter
3. #1 Evie Vance
4. #02 Tyler Everett
5. #08 Yoshiko Tsushima

Weeb Pizza 100 @ Saitama

Evie Vance would take her fifth pole of the season at Saitama, while Caitlin Conway, giving up a likely Trucks championship to take over from Kevin Miller, qualified 9th in her first tenure out in the #99 Big Bang Ford.

Polesitter Vance was the first out of the race, as an optimistic three wide move for the lead by Ben Atkins sent her hard into the tire wall, and for a spectacular series of rolls. Atkins and Ike Durbin were also taken out of the event, with Atkins running over to Vance's car to assist her out of the wreckage. Thankfully, she was uninjured, and also held no grudges against Atkins.

Bradley Carlisle would take the lead, and would deny Daniel Leckliter of his first career win by leading the remaining 27 laps of the event to win his first of the season.

TOP 5

1. #92 Bradley Carlisle
2. #10 Daniel Leckliter
3. #54 Maki Nishikino
4. #12 Grant Macintosh
5. #69 Tom Delgado

Chase Grid After 11 Races

1. #29 Ruby McBrien (3 wins)
2. #92 Bradley Carlisle (1 win)
3. #2 Ben Atkins (1 win)
4. #12 Grant Macintosh (1 win)
5. #57 Dustin Houston (1 win)
6. #05 Dallas Hammond (1 win)
7. #1 Evie Vance (1 win)
8. #11 Matilda Dillinger (1 win)
9. #10 Daniel Leckliter (3rd in points)
10. #00 Dean Donohue (7th in points)
11. #34 Mac Hanley (10th in points)
12. #69 Tom Delgado (13th in points)
13. #77 Spencer Libra (14th in points)
14. #54 Maki Nishikino (15th in points)
15. #22 Chiyo Minami (16th in points)
16. #55 Honoka Kousaka (17th in points)

#99 Kevin Miller has a win and is 9th in points but is not chase eligible due to his retirement.