Holden Wins 23-Lap All-Green-Flag Shootout
Summit Point, WV - Zach Holden was the winner following a lap-after-lap battle among the top five cars at Summit Point Motorsports Park in round 16 of the 2017 F1600 Championship Series season. It was a hard-fought and clean race that went all green from the start to the checkered flag and featured over 20 lead changes. Holden led K-Hill Motorsports teammate Yuven Sundaramoorthy to the finish, with Matthew Cowley third for Team Pelfrey.
"I was able to capitalize on a good finish and get some good points, keeping my head down," said Holden, in an interview in victory circle. "It was good, clean and close racing."
Clean and close F1600 racing has become a trademark for the Formula Race Promotions operated Championship. Competitors at Summit Point this weekend received over three hours of dedicated F1600 track time. Race one, held on Saturday afternoon, saw one brief caution period. At Pittsburgh, just four weeks prior to this weekend's Summit Point event, three races combined for a single caution flag period for two laps to retrieve a car that retired on the pace lap.
Holden improves one position compared to his charge to second from last in Saturday's race, after an early pit stop to clean out the radiators on the No. 96 Mygale/Honda left him at the back of the field.
Staying in the lead pack for the duration of today's 23-lap race, Holden not only started from pole, but ran the fastest lap, giving him pole position for the third and final race of the F1600 weekend at Summit Point scheduled for Sunday afternoon.
Sundaramoorthy, his K-Hill teammate, ran the second fastest lap of the race and will start second.
"I knew the lead group would be battling. I stayed with it and paid attention to my lines," added Sundaramoorthy of his second place finish.
Cowley completed the podium in the No. 80 Team Pelfrey Mygale/Honda following his Saturday victory.
"There was an issue with my teammates on the last lap that cost us, it was great racing throughout the race," said Cowley, who maintains a large points lead with his third place finish.
Jonathan Kotyk and David Osborne completed the top five in a pair of Team Pelfrey cars.
Joel Haas became a two-time winner in the Masters Class, beating Dave Petzko to the line by just a tenth of a second in a close race.
"It was a fun race, that was the way to run a race. Everyone was clean and we were passing each other, going back and forth," added Haas, who drives for Rice Race Prep.
Full results are available at www.F1600Series.com.
The third and final race of the F1600 weekend is scheduled for Sunday afternoon, round 17 of the season.