Lionheart IndyCar Series iRacing Michigan 200 Report

Roaring up for another race was the Lionheart IndyCar Series in iRacing as they visited Michigan for the Buttkicker Michigan 200.

The Lionheart Indycar Series in iRacing continues to deliver high quality racing, the Buttkicker Michigan 200 went down to the wire.

Written by Darren B of simrace247.com

Top 5 on the grid

1. #1 Blocker
2. #19 P. Kraus
3. #91 Maleczka
4. #44 Harrington
5. #88 Brophy

Here we go, 32 cars and 100 laps, green flag. Blocker punches it and a clean opening lap by everyone, single file, two wide, 3 wide it’s all happening early on. Van De Sandt is getting his elbows out, 7th to 3rd, and its a slight gap of air that separated him with Harrington, VDS has hit the red afterburner button, and he takes the lead. Riggs spins out and brings out the yellow.

With the yellow out, we see a bunch of cars visit the pitlane for a top off of fuel, the strategic plan is always working on the fly. Lap 10, its the green flag, here we go again, can VDS keep that early momentum going? Blocker takes the lead, Benci is up to third and P. Kraus is sitting P4, Benci takes the lead.

Lap 15 top 10

1. Benci
2. Blocker
3. Van De Sandt
4. Harrington
5. P.Kraus
6. Laarkamp
7. Jenkins
8. Kinsella
9. Carey
10. Maleczka

Its starting to get feisty on lap 15 with a contact incident, Kinsella, Galvin, Carey and Pinheiro are all involved, yellow flag. Under the yellow, more drivers come into pit lane to brim the fuel tanks. Lap 19, green flag and Blocker leads, VDS is lurking, sets it up and now leads. Harrington is working his way back up the field and is currently in P7 as he has Graaf in front of him, Benci takes the lead. the top 15 are covered by 1.2 seconds with drivers in very close proximity to each other, great racing. It’s shuffling up a lot, with the drivers switching positions, Maleczka has a great save on lap 29.

Lap 30 top 10

1. Van De Sandt
2. Blocker
3. Benci
4. Branch
5. Beard
6. Harrington
7. Bomerbach
8. Maleczka
9. Mussleman
10. Taylor

Its one of those races that is calm, but you know the fireworks are coming, the drivers are getting a good run under their belts with putting clean laps in after the 2 cautions. The entire grid of 27 cars remaining is covered by 3.5 seconds, at this point, we have not seen any breakaway. VDS pits in at the end of lap 36, and we start to see other drivers filtering in lap after lap. Maleczka is leading and switching the lead with Harrington, it’s fast and no one can get a break. They are working well by switching up draft duties with P. Kraus up to third.

We are at the halfway point with no time at all separating the top 5, now we are starting to see some air between the cars, Maleczka pits in, Harrington follows suit on the next lap. More drivers are coming into the pits, now the shuffle up is happening on the leaderboard, Maleczka leads.  P. Kraus exits the pits in P3 and sits behind Blocker and Maleczka, its going to get interesting.

Lap 65 top 10

1. Maleczka
2. Blocker
3. P. Kraus
4. Harrington
5. Riggs
6. Brophy
7. Taylor
8. Frazier
9. Brant
10. Branch

The top 10 is covered by 1. 2 seconds, Riggs has made up 23 places as well as Brant making up 24 from their starting positions.VDS drops into the pits for his final stop,  You get the feeling that the calm before the storm is coming with the drivers out on track, it’s consistent green flag racing, but no one is showing their hand…..yet. Blocker Pits in at the end of lap 71. The laps are clicking down fast, Kraus is leading and Mussleman fishtails before the breaking point coming into the pits, he saves it, Maleczka trailblazes smoke coming into the pits as he hits the anchors before the pit speed limit line.

Lap 80 top 10

1. P. Kraus
2. Harrington
3. Brophy
4. Riggs
5. Frazier
6. Brant
7. Lanini
8. Hacker
9. Calisto
10. M. Kraus

Frazier spins the car around as he has contact with Taylor on track and sends him unofficially down pit lane, P.Kraus was just ahead of him and for a moment you think Frazier was going to collide with him, but we stay green. Other drivers are filtering into pit road, its tense times with 17 to go. P. Kraus and Blocker have slight contact on track, is there any damage, Brophy is slowing up, he has had such a great race up until now.

Have the fireworks now been lit, the elbows are coming out further with 12 to go, the top 6 is covered by 0.3, this is it, no time for friendship it’s all about the victory, let battle commence with 10 laps remaining. 3 wide dueling, Blocker leads its super tight with the drivers so close to each other, 4 wide racing, exceptional stuff and skill from these drivers. The nerves will be high now, Blocker leads, Maleczka battles with Brophy and P. Kraus, Riggs and Harrington are ready to pounce, 3 laps to go, fantastic racing, 4 wide racing again.its the final lap, a real showdown, he is going to win, its so tense, even im sweating watching it, 4 wide to the chequered line, who gets it!

Victory in the ButtKicker Michigan 200

After a sensational battle to the end where anyone could have won the race, the smallest of margins handed victory to Adam Blocker where the top 6 was covered by 0.179 seconds and the top 3 by 0.0052. Top class racing from these drivers like i have always said, Lionheart delivers once again. Speaking in Hyperx victory lane is your race winner “Alex (VDS) and I worked together so we could make it on fuel and saving and then I could push flat out for the rest of the race”. A fantastic race and congratulations.