JakeCraig
Holeshot Driver Systems Senior Max
Sunday Report
The final round of action Sunday set up for one of the most
dramatic days in the Challenge history. Three drivers entered
the day with a shot at the title, with every position and point
vitally important.Qualifyingbeganwith two rookies stars steal-
ing the spotlight, as Rolison Performance Group drivers Luke
Selliken and Blaine Rocha earned the top two position in the
timed session. Their RPG/Kosmic teammateand championship
contender Phillip Arscott was third, with veteranMatt Johnson
(FA Kart) and JakeCraig (Tony Kart) completing the fast five.
Selliken went wire-to-wire for his first ever Prefinal win, con-
tinuing the day of first for the youngdriver. Pressure early from
Arscott was the only challenge, as the defending Senior cham-
pion tried for the lead and failed, dropping outside the top-
five. The veteran fought back, inchinghisway towardSelliken,
but ran out of time in the end and would settle for the second
position. Craigdrove to third, with Paganodriving up to fourth
after contact early involving Rocha and Joey Wimsett (CRG)
allowed him tomove forward. Utah driver McKay Snow (Kos-
mic) completed the top-five.
The scenario entering the Final was one for the storybooks.
Three different drivers, racing for three different positions on-
track, all with a shot at the title. Arscott put himself in the best
position, the lead. Knowing victory was the best chance, he
took the lead on lap seven and ran away. He nearly clocked
off the fast lap of the race, which was a vital five points de-
pending on the position of Craig and Pagano. Craig fought
with Selliken for the runner-up spot, and needed that position
to earn more points then Arscott to steal the title. Near the
halfway point, Rocha stole the fast lap honors, and the five
bonus points, putting the pressure on both Arscott and Craig
to rip one down.
As the race progressed, Craig settled into third, and thus
attention turned to Paganowho needed to finish sixth or better
for the title. He fought with Rocha and Snow early on, with
Rochagetting shuffledbackandgave Pagano the sixth spot by
at least two seconds. That was until the charging veteran John-
son, who never quit after getting spun around at the opening
corner from contact with AndrewWeiner (ART GP). Running
times similar to that of the leaders, Johnson fought his way
forward lap after lap, and eventually reached Pagano on the
final two laps. An inside move on Pagano opening up the fi-
nal lapmove Johnson to sixth, and dropped the championship
contender back to seventh. Pagano was unable to fight back,
and saw the title slip from his hands.
At the checkered, it wasArscott with the victoryover Selliken
and Craig, asWimsett - the #GoRotax Hard Charger Award
winner - andSnow earned their first top-five finishof the series.
Championshipwise, Arscott earned his second straight Senior
title by just two points over Craig, with Pagano back by only
three - making it the closest finish inChallenge history.
Sr. Max
