Rain passing through the area Saturday afternoon made that day’s Mid-Ohio Challenge Xfinity race an eventful one that ended with Justin Marks moving up from the 16th starting position to take the checkered flag.
Marks led 43 laps on a day when eight different drivers held the lead. Ohioan Sam Hornish, who started the race in pole position, finished second, while Ryan Blaney took third place.
Of the 40 drivers who started the race, 34 were able to finish as accidents and car issues took out a handful of cars during the course of the 75-lap event. The wet track conditions made it tricky for drivers to stay on the track and that, along with the need to change tires as conditions changed, ensured that the lead would change frequently.
The support races taking place earlier in the day, as well as on Friday, were generally contested under better weather conditions. Opening Saturday was the Trans Am 100, featuring three different classes of Trans Ams.
The 38-lap race was won by Simon Gregg, who also was the top driver in the TA class. David Pintaric was second and John Baucom finished third.
The TA3 class was won by Randy Mueller, who finished 11th overall. The top TA4 car belonged to Ernie Francis Jr., who was 17th in the 30-car race.
Taking place later in the day was the First Energy Muscle Car Challenge, featuring the TA2 class of Trans Ams. The 25-car race was claimed by Lawrence Loshak, who finished the 45-lap event in front of Tonis Kasemets (second) and Justin Haley (third).
Also taking part throughout the weekend were three races in the Formula 4 series, each featuring a different winner.
The first of two Friday races was taken by Kyle Kirkwood, who also had to deal with some rainy conditions. Skylar Robinson took second, while Jackie Ding was third.
In the second race, Robinson took the checkered flag, while Ding also moved up a spot into second place. Austin Kaszuba ran third.
The third Formula 4 race happened Saturday between the two Trans Am events. Cameron Das led the entire race to claim the win, while Kyle Kirkwood took second and Moises de la Vara ran third.
