The 2015 Hoosier Tire US Formula 1000 Championship Fueled by Sunoco took place Saturday on the road course at Daytona International Speedway. The race got off to a rough start for outside polesitter Kevin Roggenbuck when he was pushed wide as the field entered turn one. His car got up on the curbing which damaged the sidepod and broke the oil cooler. The oil leak sprayed on the hot exhaust and caused a devastating fire, ending Roggenbuck's race without making a lap.
The field was brought to pit lane and reshuffled back to the original starting order, negating the gains that some drivers had on the first start. When the cars started rolling again it was decided the race would be timed instead of the scheduled 14 laps, resulting in an 8 lap race. When the green flew for the second time, J.R. Osborne jumped out to the lead, followed by Alex Mayer. Jason Bell got shuffled back allowing Gary Hickman and Glenn Cooper to take over the 3rd and 4th spots. Behind them, Joel Haas and Tyler Thielmann also got great starts and were waging a battle for 5th. Throughout the race, they were nose-to-tail and used the draft to gain on Cooper and challenge for 4th. On lap 3, Thielmann took 5th from Haas and started reeling in Cooper until lap 6 when he was able to pull alongside as the entered the chicane on the backstretch. Cooper held him off and as they climbed the banking in NASCAR turn 3, Thielmann's engine showed signs of faltering. He held on for another half lap until it gave up, forcing him to retire. By that time John LaBrie, who had been lurking in 7th was able to close on Haas and made his move on the last lap, taking 5th at the checkered flag.
Up front, Osborne ran a solid race to stay just ahead of Mayer who had his hands full with Hickman's challenge. Hickman's car was better in the infield portion and he was able to close right up to Mayer's rear wing under braking but when they got back on the oval Mayer was able to pull enough gap to hold off Hickman on the critical run to the line. At the finish, Osborne clinched his 5th national championship and his second in a row. For the second year in a row, Mayer finished 2nd and Hickman finished 3rd.
Final results:
1. JR Osborne
2. Alex Mayer
3. Gary Hickman
4. Glenn Cooper
5. John LaBrie
6. Joel Haas
7. Jason Slahor
8. Jeremy Hill
9. James Michael
10. Tim Pierce
11. Peter Frost
12. Bill Falatick
13. Tyler Thielmann
14. George Levien
15. Jose Gerardo
16. Rod Rice
17. Jason Bell
18. Michael Crowe
19. Shane Prieto
20. Kevin Roggenbuck
With a dominating weekend, Osborne scored maximum points to ensure that he clinched the 2015 championship. Mayer came a little short and had to settle for second. Jeremy Hill had a forgettable race, finishing 8th but retaining 3rd in the final points standings.
1. J. R. Osborne-251
2. Alex Mayer-214
3. Jeremy Hill-196
4. Glenn Cooper-118
5. Jason Bell-82
6. Jason Slahor-74
7. Mike Meyers-69
8. Nicolas Ortiz-64
9. Joel Haas-55
10. Tyler Thielmann-54
11. Pete Frost-51
12. Zane Gibbs-47
13. Shane Prieto-37
14. William Falatick-31
15. Jose Gerardo-23
16. Doug Hertz-17
17. Michael Crowe-8
18. Kevin Roggenbuck-0
Prize Payout:
Championship standings:
1st place - J.R. Osborne - $2,000
2nd place - Alex Mayer - $1,000
3rd place - Jeremy Hil l -$500
Fast lap of the week: J.R. Osborne (1:50.711) - $250 cash from Taylor Race Engineering
Sunoco Hard Charger: Jason Slahor (moved up 7 spots)- $500
Geared Up for the Podium: 4th place-Glenn Cooper- free sprocket from Sprocket Specialists
