It was a challenging weekend in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin as Crown Racing packed up their five-driver lineup and headed across the country from their home base of Apex Motor Club in Arizona. Looking to take the Blue Marble Radical Cup North America by storm at the 4.048-mile, 14-turn famed Road America, racing action proved to be drama-filled in rounds seven through nine as the series reached the midway point.
Qualifying Results
Platinum
Jason Plotke – 11th
Pro 1340
Seth Bacon – 5th
Jace Bacon – 7th
Andy Voekel – 9th
Evan Wolf – 10th
It was a grueling first race for the Crown Racing drivers as contact on track hindered any chance of a podium performance among the quintet of competitors. Plotke proved to be the best of the finishers and the Crown Racing driver who gained the most positions in class moving from 11th on the grid to P6 in the Platinum class. In the Pro 1340 class, it was another story as Jace Bacon led the team on the results sheet with a seventh-place finish as he was closely followed by Evan Wolf in eighth, Seth Bacon in ninth, and Andy Voekel in the tenth position.
“It was not our best day at the track,” expressed Crown Racing’s Joey Martin. “The competition in the Radical Cup program is so tough that even the most minor of slip ups or mistakes can send you down the running order. We will be back tomorrow for race two and hopefully turn things around with race wins and podium results.”
Saturday saw Jace Bacon find his way to a podium result in the Pro 1340 class as a solid drive netted him a five-position increase throughout the 12-lap race. Adding valuable points to his title bid, Bacon would look for more on Sunday. Father Seth Bacon challenged for a top-five result early on but eventually settled for P8 on the result sheets ahead of Evan Wolf in eighth and Andy Voekel in tenth putting all four Pro 1340 drivers in the top-ten. Adding a top-five to the impressive results was Platinum driver Jason Plotke who gained two positions in class throughout the race to finish fourth, narrowly missing the final step on the podium.
Sunday saw the quintet of Crown Racing drivers hit the track for their third race of the weekend directly following the conclusion of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES race on Sunday afternoon. Seth Bacon led the way for the team as he worked his way forward and narrowly missed the podium crossing the line in fourth. Andy Voekel put a pair of Crown Racing drivers in the top-five with a P5 result, his best finish of the weekend as Evan Wolf followed suit with a P6 result as Jace Bacon was classified in eighth. Jason Plotke was able to continue his presence in the top-five in the Platinum class showing his racing prowess to finish fourth.
“We had a good weekend, just not a great weekend,” expressed Joey Martin. “Several of our drivers had never been to Road America before so it was a big learning experience for most. We continued to push throughout the event, learn, and gain experience that will help us in the future, but as a race team and racing drivers we want to win. Our next opportunity will be in Canada on the Streets of Toronto.”
Next up for Crown Racing and the Blue Marble Radical Cup North America program is a trip north of the border to Toronto, Canada to compete in the Streets of Toronto over the July 14-16 weekend.
For more information on Crown Racing or to contact Joey Martin, please email Joey Martin at jmartin@crownconceptsusa.com or by phone at 520.900.7586. Crown Racing can also be found online on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram by searching “Crown Concepts” or by visiting their website, www.CrownConceptsUSA.com.
Photos: RTD Media