​Team #NailedIt Hopes to Dominate Pocono
    The Lionheart Indycar Series presented by First Medical Equipment will head to Pocono Raceway for the third season in a row to contest the first leg of the league's Triple Crown. As always, the Dirtyblinds.com 300 will offer league members the chance to win numerous prizes including a winner's plaque, trading card set, hardcover book and custom prints. 
    The most important prize may be the double points that will be paid to each entrant. With the championship standings tighter than ever after six rounds, a win at Pocono could push a contender into the championship lead or give a struggling driver a much-needed boost. Conversely, an early DNF could have season-long implications and possibly even cost some unlucky sim racers a shot at the league title.
    When it comes to Triple Crown races, there's little doubt that Team #NailedIt has become the most dominant team in Lionheart. Between Jonathan Goke's wins at Pocono and Indianapolis and Dan Geren's season-ending victory at Fontana, it's been a while since anyone else has visited victory lane in the league's biggest events. Unfortunately for Team #NailedIt's opposition, their winning ways could very well continue into 2017. 
    Defending race winner Jonathan Goke currently sits 15th in the championship standings due to disappointing results at Homestead and Watkins Glen, along with a missed start at Kentucky. However, Pocono just happens to be his favourite track – with good reason. Goke is the defending winner at the Tricky Triangle after leading 83 laps last season. The previous year, he won the pole and led 55 laps before finishing sixth. If that wasn't enough, Goke also won the recent Lionheart Retro Series sim race at Pocono in dominant fashion to take the first leg of that series' Triple Crown. 
    Dan Geren finished on the podium in every Triple Crown event last season including his visit to victory lane at Auto Club Speedway. He's won three poles already in 2017 and took the win at Motegi just a few weeks ago. Geren has already proven he can be fast at big ovals like Pocono. The only question he has yet to answer is if he can find a way to be faster than his teammate Jonathan Goke. There's little doubt the Iowa-based sim racer will be motivated because a win could easily push him into the championship lead.
    While Geren and Goke may be the favourites, their fellow #NailedIt teammates Michael Gray and Ian Adams should not be overlooked. Gray currently sits third overall in the standings and has finished inside the top ten four times – including twice on ovals at Homestead and Phoenix. Adams, meanwhile, has struggled to post results despite showing strong pace almost every week. He's led laps at three of four oval events this season and started fifth last year at Pocono. 
    Outside of the #NailedIt paddock, there are plenty of sim racers who would love to earn themselves a winner's plaque. Andrew Kinsella could take a stranglehold on the championship with a win but Jake Wright, Brian Yaczik and Michael Goodman could all overtake him if they have a strong finish this week. Ryan Otis, currently sitting seventh in the championship, shouldn't be counted out either. Otis finished second to Jonathan Goke in the recent Retro Series sim race at Pocono.
    Any list of potential threats in a Triple Crown event would not be complete without Joe Branch of Adrenaline Motorsports. Branch is easily the most consistent driver in the league when it comes to longer-distance races. The Indiana sim racer has finished no lower than fifth in five of the last six Lionheart Triple Crown events – including podiums in each of his last two Pocono starts.
    Joe Branch's teammates Chis Stofer and Tony Showen are the underdogs to watch this week. Stofer has struggled through a slow start but last season's Kansas winner could easily turn his luck around at Pocono. Notably, Stofer finished on the podium in the last Triple Crown event at Fontana. Showen, conversely, had a strong start to 2017 that included his first career Lionheart pole. He's since cooled off in the last few races but could easily find his early-season speed again. Impressively, Showen finished third in the recent Retro Series event at Pocono after starting twenty-seventh.
    Also notable this week will be the first Lionheart Indycar Series start for Brian Greenlee, who has been a regular competitor in the Lionheart Retro Series in 2017. His debut at Pocono seems appropriate since Greenlee recently drove his virtual Lotus 79 to a career-best fourth-place finish at the Tricky Triangle in the Retro Series.
    The Dirtyblinds.com 300 will be broadcast live on the Global Sim Racing Channel (GSRC) and iRacing Live on May 3rd beginning at 10:35PM ET. For more information about the Lionheart Indycar Series presented by First Medical Equipment, please visit www.lionheartracingseries.com. 

In a repeat performance from 2016, Jake Wright proved his road course dominance once again at Watkins Glen. The defending series and race champion lead all but four laps from the pole en route to a win in the Lionheart Grand Prix at The Glen.

“I like this place!” said Wright in victory lane. “Tonight, whoever had the pole had the race. That’s how I figured this week would go, so I spent a lot of time just trying to get one qualifying lap into something that would get me up front. Luckily, it worked.”

The victory was Wright’s twelfth career series win, making him the all-time league leader.

Michael Goodman came home second, his best result in the Lionheart IndyCar Series presented by First Medical Equipment. Goodman led four laps during pit stops.

“It was intense; a lot of clean racing out there! Fortunately, there was a lot of give-and-take,” said Goodman. 

Michael Gray used a late race pass to get around his teammate, Dan Geren, and onto the podium. It was an impressive run for Gray, who started eighth and meticulously worked his way through the field.

“You had to make all the right moves in all the braking zones,” explained Gray. “At the end of the stint, I was struggling with understeer. Finishing third here at the Glen is a great feeling!”

Geren and Ryan Otis rounded out the top five. Jason Galvin, points leader Andrew Kinsella, Dustin Wardlow, Ron Hacker and Bob Mikes rounded out the top 10.

Sans a few solo spins and off tracks from cars avoiding slower cars, one major incident took out several fast drivers.

On the first lap, Ian Adams lost control and took Jonathan Goke and Jason Robarge with him. Several others were damaged or slowed by the crash.

30 of the 37 entrants finished the race. 18 cars finished on the lead lap.

Wright’s second win of the season propelled him to second in points, 5 back of Kinsella. Gray moved to third, with Brian Yaczik and Goodman rounding out the top five.

The first triple crown event of 2017, the DirtyBlinds.com 300, is up next. The 120 lap race at Pocono Raceway is worth double points and will set the tone for the summer stretch.

For more information on the Lionheart IndyCar Series presented by First Medical Equipment, visit www.LionheartRacingSeries.com. 

​    The Lionheart Indycar Series presented by First Medical Equipment returns to Watkins Glen this week for a second consecutive season. The historic road course located at the southern tip of Seneca Lake was one of the most popular stops on the Lionheart calendar last year. Jake Wright surpassed pole-sitter Christian Steele to earn his first career road course victory. It turned out to be the first of many as Wright would earn an additional five road wins on his way to a second league title. 
    Returning one year later as the obvious favourite to win, Wright currently sits third in the standings just 28 points back of leader Andrew Kinsella. The defending champion has found his groove again after a slow start and already has one road course win under his belt thanks to a dominant performance at Imola. As an additional boost of confidence, Wright is also coming off a thrilling strategic victory last week in the Lionheart Retro Series event at New Hampshire. 
    Andrew Kinsella won't give up his championship lead without a fight and it's very likely that the rookie from Adrenaline Motorsports will be Wright's biggest challenger this week. A third-place finish at Imola proved that Kinsella can hold his own on the road, even if he wasn't able to catch the leader. That might change at Watkins Glen, one of Kinsella's favourite tracks. If it does, it's entirely possible that the Canadian could follow in Christian Steele's footsteps and earn Adrenaline another pole. Of course, getting ahead of Wright and staying there are two different things. Kinsella has surprised before and the rookie could well have an upset victory up his sleeve this week.  
    The wildcard this week will be Ryan Otis. Otis, who has proven himself to be a road course ace already in the series, has yet to find a way to outrun Jake Wright – at least, in the Indycar. Otis already has two wins this season in the Lionheart Retro Series, including a dominant victory at Watkins Glen earlier in the season where he finished twenty-two seconds ahead of second-place Wright. If Otis can find that same kind of pace in the Indycar, it could turn into a three-car battle up front and Otis could well emerge with another win at The Glen.  
    With more road course talent in the series than ever before, there are a long list of championship contenders who will be competing for top spots – and the important points that go along with each position. Brian Yaczik is only 10 points out of the championship lead, while Michael Gray, Dan Geren, James Krahula (who finished third last season), Michael Goodman, Jason Robarge and Jonathan Goke should all expect to be in the upper half of the field. If a battle at the front claims one or more casualties, an unexpected winner could be crowned from the list of names above.
    Meanwhile, several other names to keep an eye on include Travis Jegerlehner, who finished second at Imola, along with Dustin Wardlow, who also ran near the front at Imola until an incident took him out of the race. These sim racers have yet to establish themselves on ovals, but should be a solid threat on the road.
    Other drivers to watch this week include Pierre Daigle who started sixth last season but was collected in a race-ending incident early in the run. The same fate befell Jason Galvin, who finished twenty-second after starting a solid fourth. Brandon Limkemann had an incident-free race last season and finished tenth. Limkemann has been strong this season but he is looking to rebound from a poor showing at Kentucky. All three sim racers currently sit outside the top ten and could use the points from a solid finish this week. 
    A solid finish in the Grand Prix at the Glen should be the primary goal for every sim racer in the field because the league's first Triple Crown event of 2017 is just one week away. With double points on the line in next week's Dirtyblinds.com 300 at Pocono Raceway, the standings could shift dramatically in very short order. With the battle for positions tighter than ever, one mistake could have serious consequences for weeks to come. 
    Regardless of finishing order, Robert Blouin will have reason to celebrate this week as he is slated to make his seventy-fifth career Lionheart Indycar Series start. Blouin becomes just the second sim racer in league history to reach that milestone. 
    At the other end of the spectrum, Frank Beiser will make his first career start in the Lionheart Indycar Series presented by First Medical Equipment this week. Beiser has been a regular in the other Lionheart-sanctioned series for some time and hopes to have a solid run in the Dallara DW-12. 
    The Lionheart Grand Prix at the Glen will be broadcast live on the Global Sim Racing Channel (GSRC) and iRacing Live on April 26th beginning at 10:35PM ET. For more information about the Lionheart Indycar Series presented by First Medical Equipment, please visit www.lionheartracingseries.com.     

2017 has been a good year for Bob Mikes. 
    With wins already under his belt this year in the Lionheart Challenge Series and the Lionheart Retro Series, Mikes proved that he was equally capable of visiting victory lane in the Dallara DW-12 with an impressive strategic win under the lights in the Kentucky 200 presented by Dragonfly Racing. 
    After a modest nineteenth-place qualifying effort, Mikes consistently worked his way forward while championship favourites Dan Geren, Jake Wright, Andrew Kinsella and Brian Yaczik battled at the front of the field in the early laps. By the midway point in the race, Mikes had positioned his Von Hanson's Dallara inside the top ten.
    The key moment in the race came on Lap 66. With a caution flag slowing the field right in the middle of the second pit window, a group of leaders remained on track while the majority of the field – including Mikes – pitted for fuel and tires. He emerged from the pit stop in twelfth position, but unlike many ahead of him, Mikes had enough fuel to complete the race on a single stop.
    With no cautions in sight, those who'd rolled the dice and remained on track were forced to pit early. Among the leaders who were short on fuel were pole-sitter Dan Geren and teammate Ian Adams, along with the AGR duo of Jason Galvin and Jason Robarge. Chris Stofer was also short but his race ended abruptly when he spun entering the pits and hit the wall. 
    Among those using the more conservative strategy were points leader Andrew Kinsella, second-place Brian Yaczik and Mikes, who became the leader of the pack when both Kinsella and Yaczik found trouble on pit lane during their final stops. It was the conservative strategy that proved correct and Mikes eventually cycled back to the lead shortly before a late caution ended the race with 3 laps to go. 
    “It was a heck of a race out there! Everyone was racing so close!,” said Mikes in victory lane. “I didn't even know that I was going to be leading. I was just running my race hoping for a top five.”
    “It was a struggle last year; I had the rookie luck. To come in and finish with a half-gallon of fuel left, it felt great!” added Mikes, who finished thirty-third last season at Kentucky. 
    Not only was the victory Mikes' first in the Lionheart Indycar Series presented by First Medical Equipment but it was also the first win in the series for his Controlled Chaos Racing team. In addition to Mikes' win, his teammate Dave Barber finished eighth – a career-best for the Wisconsin-based sim racer. 
    Rookie of the Year contender Ryan Otis finished second, matching his earlier podium result at Phoenix. The strong finish moves him to second overall in the rookie battle, 42 points back of Andrew Kinsella. Overall, Otis now sits in eighth position heading into Watkins Glen.    
    “I'm really thrilled to come in second. I took a gamble on strategy and it definitely worked out in my favour,” said Otis. “I've definitely got a good feel for the car. I'm not quite as at home as I am in the Lotus 79,” added the Oregon-based sim racer, who already has two wins in the Lionheart Retro Series this season. 
    Joe Branch enjoyed his first podium of the season with a third-place result. Michael Goodman, Jake Wright, defending winner James Krahula, Brian Yaczik, Dave Barber and Pierre Daigle rounded out the top ten. Pole-sitter Dan Geren would finish seventeenth, the best result among those who chose the alternate fuel strategy.
    The race was stopped by four cautions for just 14 laps. The only major incident of the night involved contact between Scott Bolster and Tyler Turnbull in Turn 4 that ultimately collected Rory Collins, Vincent Bluthenthal and Joe Hassert in a spectacular wreck. 
    Through five races, the series has seen five different winners from four different teams. That parity is reflected in the standings where Andrew Kinsella remains in front by just 10 points over Brain Yaczik. Defending series champion Jake Wright is now up to third, just 28 points out of the lead. From there, most positions are separated by less than 5 points.
    The series takes a week off before returning to action at Watkins Glen on April 26th for the Lionheart Grand Prix at the Glen. 
    The league will not be quiet next week as the Lionheart Retro Series will be back in action. The classic Lotus 79 will head to Loudon, New Hampshire for the Indy Elite Grand Prix Of Loudon. The 150-mile sim race will be broadcast live on the Global Sim Racing Channel (GSRC) and iRacing Live on April 20th beginning at 10:35PM ET. 

    The Lionheart Indycar Series presented by First Medical Equipment returns to North America for the first time in almost a month. The Kentucky 200 presented by Dragonfly Racing will be held under the lights at the 1.5-mile Kentucky Speedway on April 12th. It will serve as the first of four night races on the 2017 Lionheart calendar.
    The trip to Kentucky could not come at a better time for James Krahula. The Texas-based sim racer is fresh off a thrilling battle with Dan Geren at Motegi that saw the two championship contenders race side-by-side for most of the closing laps. Although he ultimately finished second, it was Krahula's first podium of the season and moved him into the top ten overall.
    Perhaps more importantly, Krahula is defending champion in Kentucky after leading his No Name Racing teammates Jake Wright and Pierre Daigle to the first-ever podium sweep in league history. The win came thanks to a risky fuel strategy call with 40 laps remaining in the sim race. With a timely caution to help them out the team dominated the closing laps and took a stranglehold on the team championship that they never relinquished. The victory was ultimately key to Krahula's fourth-overall finish in the standings. 
    The entire No Name Racing team arrives at Kentucky in a even stronger position this year. Jake Wright has rebounded from a disappointing start and now finds himself eighth overall. Pierre Daigle has come close to his first career Lionheart win on several occasions this season while Joe Hassert seems primed for a breakout after a slow start. Finally, Brian Yaczik sits second overall in the championship and continues to be the team's most consistent performer. Ironically, Yaczik was in the GSRC broadcast booth for last season's race and will now, one year later, be on the hunt for his first Lionheart win.  
    While No Name Racing would obviously love another podium sweep, their rivals at Team #NailedIt may have something to say about it. Dan Geren is not only coming off his first win of the season at Motegi, he's also the defending pole-sitter in Kentucky. Geren led 24 laps last season before unlucky yellows and an incident in the closing laps relegated him to twenty-second. 
    Meanwhile, Michael Gray remains fourth-overall in the championship and despite a modest sixteenth-place finish at Motegi, Gray has been strong in all four rounds thus far. He remains #NailedIt's highest-ranking driver and would love to have a solid finish at Kentucky where he ended up 35th last season. Ian Adams was equally unlucky last year, ending up 34th. Thus far, Adams has yet to find his groove in 2017 but he's shown solid pace each week and seems poised for a breakthrough.    
    Unfortunately, Team #NailedIt will be without Jonathan Goke at Kentucky. Goke, who sits third overall after Motegi will miss his second-consecutive Kentucky race due to his commitments with the United States Air Force. Goke will return to action on April 26 at Watkins Glen.
    Adrenaline Motorsports is making a strong case this season to be included in the conversation as one of the league's elite teams. Tony Showen is coming off an impressive pole run at Motegi and despite his misfortune during the race, he has shown strong pace all season and could easily be a threat once again. Showen, along with Joe Branch and Chris Stofer all led laps at Kentucky last season, with Branch and Showen finishing fourth and fifth respectively. Meanwhile, newcomer Andrew Kinsella continues to be solid at every track he visits. Kinsella remains the championship leader and would obviously love to widen the gap between an increasingly large group of challengers behind him. 
    While the top teams are always obvious contenders, Kentucky offers hope to the entire field due to the unpredictability of the caution flags. Last season, Dragonfly Racing teammates Chris Lanini and Patrick Taylor found themselves leading the field with less than twenty laps to go. However, their fuel tanks ran dry just before a late caution would have ensured them a top finish. Luckily, Robert Blouin turned a thirty-first starting position into an eighth-place result thanks to a slightly different strategy. With Dragonfly's Ed Tutwiler sponsoring the race, the team will be hoping for their best showing of the season at Kentucky. 
    Other drivers to watch this week include Ron Hacker who has endured a difficult start to the season but seems poised for a turnaround. Hacker had a career-best fourth-place showing at the last 1.5-mile track the series visited in Atlanta last season. Jorge Anzaldo finds himself in the same position and could easily have a breakout night under the lights. Anzaldo finished eleventh at Atlanta. Finally, Tyler and Jared Turnbull have struggled through a very difficult start to the season but they too showed speed in Atlanta, finishing seventh and tenth respectively. A trip to Kentucky could be just what they need to turn things around in 2017.
    The Kentucky 200 presented by Dragonfly Racing will be broadcast live on the Global Sim Racing Channel (GSRC) and iRacing Live on April 12th beginning at 10:35PM ET. For more information about the Lionheart Indycar Series presented by First Medical Equipment, please visit www.lionheartracingseries.com.     

​The Lionheart Indycar Series presented by First Medical Equipment continues their international trek this week with a stop at the Twin Ring Motegi oval in Japan. Unlike last week's visit to Imola the unique Motegi oval
is familiar territory for the sim racing series.
            Last season Lionheart visited Japan on what would have been Dan Wheldon's 38th birthday. The 37 sim racers who took the green flag did not disappoint; they put on one of the most exciting sim races of the 2016 season. Jason Galvin emerged as the winner after a frantic run to the finish that saw numerous fuel strategies come into play. Appropriately enough, it was Galvin's first career Lionheart win, earned at the same track where Wheldon himself won his first Indycar race in 2004.
            It remains to be seen how this year's event will unfold but there certainly are no shortage of stories heading into the series' fourth round. The main area of focus continues to be the top of the standings where many familiar names are still missing – replaced by new and unexpected championship contenders.
            Surprise points leader Andrew Kinsella already has a win under his belt heading into his fourth career Lionheart start. Thus far he's showed the same kind of consistency that has earned Jake Wright so much success over the past few seasons. Last week he made a major statement with a solid third-place finish on the Imola road course proving that he can be as consistent on the road as he has been on the ovals. There is every reason to believe Kinsella can run up front again this week especially since his Adrenaline Motorsports team placed three cars in the top ten at Motegi last season and is likely a stronger team this year.
            Michael Gray of Team #NailedIt has always been a threat on the road and it was no surprise to see him in the top five last week at Imola. However, Gray has also finished in the top ten at all three events thus far in 2017 never finishing lower than seventh in a schedule that included two diverse ovals. The consistency has left him just 16 points out of the championship lead and another solid finish in Japan could move him closer to the top. Gray finished a respectable twelfth last year and the Australian gained 13 positions during the 100-lap event.
            Brian Yaczik currently sits third overall in the standings – a position he's achieved without much fanfare. However, the HPP-sponsored sim racer has followed a modest start at Homestead with two top-five finishes at Imola and Phoenix earning a podium in the Arizona desert. More impressively he's been the strongest and most consistent entry from talent-rich No Name Racing. Yaczik made his Lionheart debut last season at Motegi where he finished 21st. He was the highest-finisher on the team despite falling victim to a rare team-wide strategy misfire. No Name Racing is expected to be back in top form for their return to Motegi and it's entirely possible Brain Yaczik will once again lead the charge. Scoring his first career win in Japan would certainly earn him some much-needed fanfare!
            Although it's refreshing to see some new names at the top of the standings, familiar contenders Jonathan Goke and Jake Wright are quickly finding their form. Both sim racers have rebounded from poor starts with Goke earning a repeat win at Phoenix and Wright winning last week at Imola. Both sim racers are also seeking redemption at Motegi. Goke won the pole last year and dominated the early part of the event, leading 59 laps before being shuffled back to seventh. Jake, meanwhile, finished 23rd as part of the failed No Name Racing fuel gamble. With both sim racers motivated to climb their way back to the top, Goke and Wright could find themselves battling each other for much-needed points.
            The sim race could prove to be historic if Jake Wright does find his way to victory lane. Wright is currently tied with fellow two-time league champion Jesse Vincent for the most wins in league history. Wright's next win will be the twelfth of his career.
            Beyond the obvious contenders, the list of potential threats is impressive. Brandon Limkemann currently sits fifth overall in the standings and has been strong thus far on ovals in 2017. Limkemann is also in search of his first career win and would love to follow in Jason Galvin's footsteps by winning in Japan. Tony Showen, Michael Goodman, Ryan Otis and Bob Mikes are also potential first-time winners. Those who are superstitious should consider putting their money on Mikes, who will be making career start number twenty-six at Motegi. (Jason Galvin won last season in what was his twenty-sixth Lionheart start.)
            Finally, Galvin shouldn't be ruled out as a potential repeat winner. While his victory came in the midst of strategic chaos, Galvin started sixth overall last season and showed strong pace throughout the race; the Bakersfield native could easily do so again in 2017. His AGR Motorsports teammate Jason Robarge has been quietly consistent thus far in 2017 and could also be poised for a breakout in Japan after finishing just behind Galvin last year. Robarge is searching for his first win since Season 3 at Atlanta.
            The We're There When You Need Us 150 will be broadcast live on the Global Sim Racing Channel (GSRC) and iRacing Live on April 5th beginning at 10:35PM ET. The race is presented by Lori Perez, a veteran paramedic and Ambulance Commander with the Chicago Fire Department.
            For more information about the Lionheart Indycar Series presented by First Medical Equipment, please visit www.lionheartracingseries.com.