And Down the Stretch They Come…
June 26th, 2014 by Jaime Baker
At the start of 2014 Season 2 for the iRacing.com Silver Crown Cup, the outlook on the competition was as clear as a lap on a dirt track in the rain. However, this season has been loaded with excitement and wheel-to-wheel sim racing. With eight of twelve weeks in the books, drivers will be looking to salvage the remaining points following their drop weeks. Drivers such as George Hagon, Doug Berryman, and Brian Elmore will all need strong finishes in order to make up for their early season woes.
Fortunately, the iRacing Silver Crown Cup does not feature a Chase or Countdown to the Championship, so wins are not the strongest key to winning the overall championship. However, Vinnie Sansone is on top of the standings with a commanding 12 wins from just 22 starts. Following Sansone by just 57 points is Thomas “Rocket Man” Wargula, who has as many pole positions as Sansone does wins: 12.
However, there are a few more sim racers still in the hunt for the championship. Ryan Steele, George Hagon, and Doug Berryman are all within striking distance of Sansone’s dominance. The top five in the standings are separated by a slim 413 points. While that seems like a good chunk of change, it only takes one strong SOF and a visit from Lady Luck to make the comeback. Steele, who has recorded three wins and 14 top fives, is within range of the top two and will be looking to make a strong statement as the series heads to Tennessee’s Bristol Motor Speedway this Thursday.
This season’s intense action has also produced more caution flags than in the past. The yellow flag count from Week 8 is up dramatically since last season, and all drivers seem to be on the ragged edge of insanity. Granted, most sim racers would be on the ragged edge if they were trying to chase down a driver like Sansone.
The Final Four is upon us; and it isn’t even March! Three short tracks and a cookie cutter, half mile speedway await the sim racers for the home stretch of Season 2. The lights will be on this Thursday in Thunder Valley, for a pivotal 100 lap sim race. The driver who rises to victory will be looking to carry their momentum to Kentucky Speedway for a 67 sim racing laps under the lights once again.
The latter half of the Final Four includes the not-so fan favorite New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Last season, the 100 lap battle between Williams and Sansone set the stage for an epic season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. This season, however, the series returns to Lucas Oil Raceway for a second time for 100 more laps to bring the curtain down on the virtual Silver Crown.
2014 Season Two of the iRacing Silver Crown Cup has been anything but boring, and the hunt for a championship is in full bloom. Will Sansone take the title back from his heartbreaking second place finish last season, where he missed out on the championship by two points to Brandon Buchberger. Will Thomas Wargula overthrow Sansone? Or will a chaser like Ryan Steele, George Hagon, or Doug Berryman make an incredible comeback to take the Crown?
Only time, and iRacingNews, will tell.