Maxson Wins Action-Packed Race 2 at Mid-Ohio

Tyler Maxson held on to take the No. 74 Robert Noaker Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse R to victory lane in the second race of the inaugural Mustang Challenge weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Maxson survived strong pressure from stablemate and RNR team owner Robert Noaker to lead a 1-2 finish for the team on Sunday.

After earning pole by setting the fastest racing lap in Race 1, Maxson led the 27-car field to green but would initially lose the lead to Sam Paley’s No. 26 Southern Paley Motorsports machine after the race’s first safety car restart.

However, Maxson would regain the position just before the race’s second yellow fell.

Noaker had been steadily climbing his way up the order after starting fifth, making his way up to second after racing resumed for the second time.

Just behind, Paley and Jeremy Fletcher then found themselves locked in a tight battle for third, with the pair trading places throughout the 45-minute race. Fletcher ultimately claimed the final step of the podium for McCumbee McAleer Racing.

Paley picked up fourth with KohR Motorsports’ D.J. Randall rounding out the top-five aboard the No. 94 Mustang.

Nate Cicero was in contention for the win in the early stages, but lost significant ground after going off-track attempting a pass on then-leader Paley, and later becoming lodged in the gravel in his No. 82 MMR entry, bringing out the race’s second yellow.

Zachry Lee inherited the Dark Horse Legends win after Alex Bachoura was penalized for contact with the No. 16 MDK entry of Gabe Tesh. While Bachoura took the checkered flag in the class lead, his ten-second penalty relegated him to second.

Nicholas Smither drive his No. 58 Dark Horse R to third in class.

An incident in the carousel at the start immediately brought out the full-course yellow when the No. 2 Max Opalski Racing Mustang collided with the back of Reid Sweeney’s No. 31 RNR entry as the green flag dropped.

Chloe Chambers nearly avoided being collected in the collision, taking evasive action at the exit of Turn 13, losing ground from her starting position of eighth.

Marcos Vento’s No. 18 JV Racing Team Mustang also hit and spun the No. 8 MDK of Tom Tait further back in the field at the start.

Tait was hit and spun two subsequent times by Automatic Racing’s Larry Webster, and Jim Farley. Both Webster and the Ford CEO were penalized for their separate incidents.

The yellow came out again when Cicero’s No. 82 MMR machine became lodged in the Turn 11 gravel trap, with the No. 52 KohR car of Christian Bach simultaneously finding the gravel runoff at Turn 1.

RESULTS: Race 2