It was the second to last event on the 2024 Toyota GR Cup North America calendar, but it was an experience building one for Nitro Motorsports. Entering a pair of drivers in Jade Avedisian and the young Jackson Tovo, both drivers showed speed to compete and had decent results, all while gaining experience at the challenging Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Alabama.
Tovo led the Nitro Motorsports duo in qualifying on Saturday morning clocking the 12th fastest lap of the session in only his second career GR Cup Series event. Graduating from the Nitro Motorsports karting program and into the car racing world, Tovo is a product of excellent coaching and consistent faces, all within the same race program. Jade Avedisian clocked a time that saw her 20th on the charts as she began her wheel-to-wheel racing from the outside of row ten.
Race one saw two stories with Avedisian making moves and working her way forward. Eventually inside the top-15, the female driver crossed the stripe in 14th in a positive race for her. On the other side of the page, Tovo ran into issues falling down the running order and was classified in 23rd.
“It was a good race for Jade as she continues improving. She kept the car clean, moved forward and we will look for much of the same tomorrow,” explained Nitro Motorsports’ Nick Tucker. “Jackson, one of the youngest drivers in car racing, had a career-best GR Cup Series qualifying effort, but trouble in the race gave him a result that he did not warrant.”
Back to the track on Sunday for qualifying two and race two, Avedisian had one of her best qualifying sessions of the year, running inside the top-ten before eventually being classified in the 12th position. Tovo, looking to repeat his qualifying performance from the day prior, slotted himself into the 17th position and would look to start race two from row nine.
Avedisian had a strong race and was battling hard for a top-ten result before a clutch issue relegated her down the running order. Classified in the 19th position, Avedisian was the highest-finishing female despite the on-track issues. Jackson Tovo was able to gain more experience as he completed the full race distance, moving forward to finish 14th in only his second career Toyota GR Cup North America event.
Tucker continued, “It was a good weekend for Jackson as he continues to learn this car. He is very young and has a bright future ahead of him, and we are excited to support that at Nitro Motorsports.”
Next up for the Toyota GR Cup North America program is a trip to the holy grail, the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway, October 3-6. With additional cars in the Nitro Motorsports fleet, any interested driver is asked to contact Nitro Motorsports.
For more information on Nitro Motorsports, please visit them online or contact Nick Tucker via email HERE or visit them online at www.RaceNitro.com.
Photo Credit: RTD Media