The TC America Powered by Skip Barber field returned for more action on Sunday morning for Race 2. The entirety of the 40-minute event ran under green flag racing conditions, and drivers across all three classes truly put the pedal to the metal and kept everyone on the edge of their seats.
Colin Garrett claimed his second victory of the weekend in the TCX class, with Jeff Ricca showing off his unmatchable pace in the TC class to take another win. Devin Anderson rose to the occasion and capitalized on every opportunity in the TCA class, taking first place after a thrilling battle that came down to the final lap.
TCX class
Colin Garrett had a clean getaway from pole position, flying down the track in his No. 44 Rooster Hall Racing BMW M2 CS (Cup) as the green flag waved to kick off the action in Race 2. He kept the lead from start to finish, completing a picture perfect weekend to secure his fourth consecutive win, clinching the championship title in the process.
Lucas Catania was on the charge from second on the grid in the No. 26 Rigid Speed Company BMW M2 CS (Cup), but it was Joseph Pizzuto who got the jump on Catania in the opening lap on board his No. 45 Extreme Velocity Motorsports BMW M2 CS (Cup).
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Catania remained on the hunt as he attempted to close the gap to Pizzuto, and the two exchanged fastest laps as the race progressed. It was an exhilarating chase, which came to a head in the final laps as Catania found the right opportunity to sweep past Pizzuto into second place, using traffic from other classes to his advantage to gain some extra momentum.
TC class
Jeff Ricca had an excellent start in his No. 78 Genracer/Ricca Autosport Hyundai Elantra N TC, and never looked back. He picked up his second win of the weekend and put his experience and speed on full display with another masterful drive around Sebring.
Cristian Perocarpi was applying pressure behind in second place for the majority of the race in his No. 37 MINI JCW Team Mini JCW Pro TC, and completed a strong drive and got some redemption following his untimely retirement in Race 1. However, Ricca’s pace was simply unbeatable, and he accumulated a nearly 10-second gap between himself and Perocarpi as the time on the clock continued to dwindle away.
It was a difficult day for championship contender Clayton Williams, who dropped down the field after an issue on track for his No. 60 MINI JCW Team Mini JCW Pro TC halted his progression and temporarily removed him from podium positions. However, he fought hard to make up ground, and was eventually able to recover back up to second place in order to keep the championship battle alive, with Perocarpi swapping to third place.
TCA class
Championship front-runners Spencer Bucknum and Devin Anderson were running very closely together in the No. 5 LA Honda World Racing Honda Civic Si FE1 and the No. 22 TechSport Racing Subaru BRZ throughout the entirety of the race, but it was ultimately Devin Anderson who walked away with top honors after some last-lap drama.
Class traffic made their battle even more precarious, with Anderson temporarily moving into the lead with just over 5 minutes to go, but Bucknum took it right back later on the same lap. However, this fight was far from over, as the two went wheel to wheel lap after lap. It all came down to the final corners, with a small error from Bucknum sending him running wide off track, allowing Anderson to move into the lead once and for all, relegating Bucknum to second place.
William Lambros had some additional hurdles to overcome as he served a penalty for improper race start procedure, dropping his No. 77 Skip Barber Racing School Honda Civic Si FE1 down the last in the class order. From there, he focused on recovering and making his way back into the podium battle, wrapping up his weekend with a third-place finish.
The 2023 race season comes to a close next month at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.