PWA Oval Series: Talladega and the Big Ones prevented a better result for our team

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Typical Talladega: first you’re up front, and then at some point the big ones happen and ruin all the hard-earned results

The new PWA Oval Series season started at Talladega Superspeedway for our team. From the beginning, Max Lange was up front. Max and Michael Heilek were solidly in the midfield. Then, what had to happen, happened – the Big Ones. None of our drivers escaped unscathed, and the top result we had at the start was ruined

Results from the NASCAR-FAN Store Threewide Racing Team:
18th place: Max Lange
19th place: Max Heilek
27th place: Michael Heilek

Race Report Max Heilek #12:

Well, what can I say? I started the race and the season with an incredible amount of confidence, riding a huge wave of positive momentum.
My plan was to establish a fast line on the outside, as the NextGens typically struggle to overtake on the inside, allowing me to calmly run my laps for most of the race.
Unfortunately, the reality looked quite different because absolutely no one shared that plan, and everyone just left me hanging. The other NASCAR-Fan Store Threewide Racing Team cars were unfortunately spread too far apart, so we only managed to come together briefly near the end of the race.
On the two occasions when the outside lane worked, I moved up from the back into the top 3 within a few laps, even taking the lead at one point, only to be shuffled out of the draft again just three seconds later.
The most frustrating moment came during the final pit stops. I was running in 3rd place, following the leading car into the pits. As 2nd place suddenly decided to pit as well and then inexplicably braked down to 18 mph instead of the allowed 55 mph right before the entrance, it caused a major pile-up. I also got hit with a stop-and-go penalty for passing under yellow, which crushed all my ambitions…
A late free pass and multiple crashes on the last lap helped improve the final result to 19th place, but the audience on twitch.tv/rainbowlion12 has probably never seen me so frustrated.
Definitely not the league comeback I had hoped for, and overall, an extremely frustrating race, especially since the NASCAR-Fan Store Threewide TV Team Ford Mustang remained completely undamaged over all 94 laps and (most importantly) was incredibly fast. It could have easily been in Victory Lane if anyone had worked with me, and if that one senseless move by the #50 hadn’t negatively impacted my race so much.
Big thanks nonetheless to Tom Schlimper and Maik Rateischak for their trust in me. I’m very confident that I’ll find my luck again in Las Vegas, the city of gambling, and compete for a good top 5/top 10 finish. The cookie cutters should suit me well.
Race Report Max Lange #66:
The season opener of the PWA Oval Series took place at the Talladega Superspeedway, with 38 drivers on the grid. I was able to start the 94-lap race from P2. By the end of Stage 1 at lap 30, we had already had two caution periods due to accidents. I finished the stage in P3. With fresh tires and a full tank, I started the final stage from P4 on lap 34. After 16 laps of exciting pack racing with many position changes, there was a big one in lap 50 involving around 10 cars.
During the subsequent pit stop, there was a traffic jam at the pit entrance, and I was blocked, forcing me to return to the track and complete my stop one lap later. However, I entered the now-closed pit lane, which resulted in a black flag and a 15-second stop-and-go penalty under green. After getting the lap back with the Lucky Dog, I was involved in another crash on lap 79 and had to repair 4 minutes of damage in the pits.
Of course, now with just 6 laps to go and my damaged car, I was at the back of the field. Thanks to another big one on the final lap, I was able to move up from P27 to P18
Race Report Michael Heilek #12:
I’m excited to be part of the team. At first, I was just happy to be able to start the race, despite the hardware issues I had, which I managed to fix just two hours before the start. When I saw the iRating of many of the other drivers, I lowered my expectations for a good finish and realistically hoped just to make it through the race. Unfortunately, my planned top 20 finish didn’t happen because I was taken out on the backstretch in the penultimate lap, and my teammates passed me. All in all, I’m satisfied and hopeful for better results in the upcoming races for our team.

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