2019 TM Master Cup Series | Race 1: Round of San Antonio

Edited in points, results, and Reject of the Race.

Hey, at least I won something!

Crucial Mistakes Cost Olenick in San Antonio
SAN ANTONIO, TX - While there were plenty of compelling stories to be found in the TM Master Cup Series' paddock for the opening round of 2019, the pace of the #23 Hodges-Walter Racing team driven by Connecticut native Joe Olenick quickly became one of the biggest. The 23 team showed formidable speed during every practice session, and that speed quickly carried over to race day.

Olenick dominated, leading the majority of the race and running, at times, nearly two-tenths of a second quicker than anyone else on track. The team made only two mistakes all race, and in the end, the second one cost them the win.

The first mistake came early, as the team tried to stretch their fuel mileage and ended up running out just before the first round of pit stops; luckily, Olenick was able to bring the car into the pits and maintained his lead. The second happened under caution. After a caution came out, Olenick waited for the pace car to pick him up from the lead and, not realizing the pits had been opened, missed the entry to pit road and pitted one lap later, sending him to the tail end of the field. Despite the speed he showed all weekend, Olenick simply ran out of time to pick his way through traffic and had to settle for seventh, handing the win to former series champion Adrien Devereux - the driver who Olenick replaced at HWR this season.

When interviewed after the race, Olenick had this to say:

"Man, seventh is rough after the weekend we had. This was easily the best car I've driven in my career; I didn't have to baby it or worry about being on pace for once. It was so refreshing to be able to not only compete, but to show just how good we can be as a team. I know we should have won, especially since ultimately it was my mistake at the end that cost us the win, but damn if we aren't coming out of the gate strong. This is easily the best opening race I've ever had in this series, and once we work out the bugs...man, we're gonna be in great shape."

Woodard satisfied with result, makes remarks on stacked restart by Fischel

Greg Woodard, the driver of the #41 Lycoia Intimidator, told reporters that while he was satisfied with the result he was able to achieve, he felt the tires faded too fast. "The tire package we brought weren't capable of holding up at this track. I don't know if the compound is to blame or if the track surface was as rough as high grit sandpaper." Woodard, who started 10th, was unable to stay out of the midfield, struggling with grip issues throughout the race. "[Ian] Cooper hitting me didn't help matters out any either. Although they may have had a faster car than me up until their nose received damage. As for why I faded so fast at the beginning? I think it was because the low line just had a better racing line, it happens all the time at shorter ovals like this." When asked about the rumor of the 8 car deliberately stacking on the restart, Woodard responded that if he [Fischel] had stacked the restart, it was likely a rookie mistake. "He probably got too excited and flubbed it, however the officials are the ones who have the final stay. All in all, I am happier that we [PSI] were able to keep our cars relatively clean, especially since I was heavily damaged from being run over by a lapped car last season."

When asked about Olenick, Woodard laughed, "If it hadn't been for his team's issues, he may have wound up winning the race! His car was literally riding on rails nearly the whole race."