Cangialosi First in Mixed Conditions
Alton, VA – It was Dario Cangialosi excelling in tricky wet conditions to take the win at VIR in a race that started dry and saw the skies open as teams had to execute pitstops for the second time on Saturday at VIR. K-Hill’s Cangialosi won a dramatic race ahead of Joey Essma and Sam Lockwood in third, who won the Masters Class with his best career finish to date for Raceworks.
“It was an interesting race,” said Cangialosi. “Yet again we had a pitstop in the middle of the race to put the rains on. I was almost dead last at that point. I just stayed clean after that throughout the race and went through everyone without making any mistakes.”
Essma, who won in similar conditions in the morning race, said: “There was a little strategy in the previous race. This one was to go out there and see what would happen. The crew has the pitstops down and we had a good car and brought it home.”
Lockwood added: “It would be nice if the weather would make up its mind. I almost threw that away on the slicks when it started raining.”
Christian Lall Dass and Joel Haas completed the top five, while Tyler O'Connor come home sixth, leading late in the race in round eight of the 21-race 2018 season.
With the race going green in dry conditions, the lead pack of four cars broke away, including Cangialosi, Essma and O’Connor.
With the rain sprinkling down, most of the leaders pitted for rain tires, with Essma staying out one lap later.
A full course caution flew, with Joel Haas, Christian Lall Daas and Sam Lockwood now the top three, all on dry tires.
That would last a lap, as they then headed to the pits and more rain tires.
That handed the lead to Dexter Czuba, followed by Chris Kierce and Tom Schwietz. Those three were on dry tires, and circulated behind the pace car.
As the laps wound down, they would have no choice but to pit as the rain picked up and the green flag came back out.
That cycled O’Connor, from K-Hill Motorsports, back to the race lead, ahead of Essma and Cangialosi.
The latter than passed Essma for second, and inherited first from O’Connor on the last lap en route to the victory in the No. 22 Mygale/Honda.