Max Lange in Third Place in the Championship, 6 Points Behind
The Superspeedway race in Nashville went smoothly without many cautions. Max L. started from pole, while the other two team drivers began from the midfield. After a pit stop, Max L. launched a comeback from P18, ultimately finishing in third place. Unfortunately, both Heileks lost many positions due to their strategy, finishing in 17th and 18th place.
Results for the NASCAR-FAN Store Threewide Racing Team:
3st place: Max Lange
18th place: Michael Heilek
17th place: Max Heilek
Race Report Max Lange #66:
The PWA Oval Series Playoffs began on the 1.3-mile concrete track in Nashville. The race featured 150 laps and a stage caution at lap 50.
This time, I was able to start from pole thanks to a strong qualifying lap. My plan was to conserve my tires early on, as they would start to degrade after just 25 laps. Because of this strategy, I lost the lead to the #20 on lap 9. After that, I focused on keeping the gap to the leader within one second. My approach paid off, and by lap 37, I was back within striking distance. Five laps later, I attempted a move for P1, but just at that moment, an accident occurred in the back of the field, leaving me stuck in second place.
During the caution period, 16 cars pitted, while the remaining nine, including me, stayed out to collect valuable stage points. By the stage caution, I was still in second place, securing 9 crucial points for the championship standings. Then, the nine of us who had stayed out headed to the pits for fresh tires and fuel.
When the race resumed on lap 54, I had to start my charge from P18. By my green-flag pit stop on lap 100, I had climbed up to fourth place. After exiting the pits, I was six seconds behind the leader. Due to lapped traffic and battles between the front-runners, I managed to close the gap to second place by lap 130. I fought side by side with the #23 for the next five laps, but my tires overheated, forcing me to back off.
In the end, the #20 took the win and secured a ticket to the Round of 8, while the #23 held onto second place. I finished with a solid third-place result.
Unfortunately, my teammates didn’t have luck on their side today. However, I’m confident that after the next race, we’ll see at least two of our team’s cars in the Round of 8.
Race Report Max Heilek #12:
The NASCAR-Fan Store Threewide Racing Team is still in the fight with Max and Max.
Unfortunately, we lost one car in the battle for the championship—Michael Heilek in the #75 missed out on a postseason spot by just a single point. The margin couldn’t have been any closer.
For the first of two races in the Round of 16, we headed to Music City to race at Nashville Superspeedway, a track that has historically suited me well.
Additionally, it’s one of the cleanest tracks on iRacing, which made me hopeful that I could use my strength—tire management—to my advantage.
As expected, the race was relatively calm, allowing me to execute my strategy. However, in the first 20 laps, I lost more time than I could realistically make up later in the run, even though I was likely one of the fastest cars on track toward the end.
A caution just before the stage break gave me a chance to gain some track position, which I was able to convert into a valuable stage point.
Unfortunately, my struggles remained the same—I simply couldn’t maintain enough speed in the early laps of a run to capitalize on it later.
After the stage caution, the race ran green all the way to the finish, though it wasn’t without incidents. Around the halfway mark, there was a multi-car crash involving several playoff drivers. A caution at that moment would have helped me a lot, but we’ll never know what could have been.
I tried to stay out as long as possible during the pit cycle, hoping for a caution, and was able to lead the field for a few laps in my #12 NASCAR-Fan Store Threewide Racing Ford Mustang.
In the end, finishing outside the top 15 was disappointing but ultimately fair. The good news is that I’m only 10 points away from eighth place and advancing to the next round, so I still have a realistic shot at making it through in Pocono.
Race Report Michael Heilek #75:
After a miserable practice and qualifying session, my expectations weren’t exactly high. Unfortunately, things didn’t improve much in the race either.
At the start, I lost control of the car and dropped to last place, and a bit later, I caused the first caution. Luckily, thanks to mistakes from other drivers on the restart, I was able to gain a few positions back.
After the stage caution, the race ran green until the end, but everyone still had to pit once more for fuel and tires. Surprisingly, most drivers pitted very early, while I still had enough fuel for another 20 laps.
Once I finally made my pit stop, my charge through the field began. The fresher tires made a huge difference, and I gained time with every lap. In the end, I was able to recover two more positions on the final corner.
Ultimately, I had to settle for P18—though I wasn’t happy about it at all.
