(Elite Series) FARC Lone Star Championships

Finish Pos Qual Pos Moved Car # Driver Qualifying Speed Finish Interval Laps Comp Laps Led Led Most Led @ Half Hard Chrgr Points Earnings Status
1 18 17 11 Reid Bullet (R) 188.383 mph 134.006 34 8       100 60100 Running
2 12 10 94 Isaac Lightener 190.148 mph -0.34 34 0       80 40000 Running
3 2 -1 33 Ralph West 193.840 mph -0.69 34 0       78 30000 Running
4 5 1 14 Bigsby Foote 192.349 mph -1.03 34 1       76 20100 Running
5 1 -4 422 Todd Stater 195.929 mph -1.72 34 6       79 20600 Running
6 7 1 24 Rip Tyler 191.510 mph -2.07 34 0       72 20000 Running
7 16 9 005 JW Lester 188.785 mph -2.41 34 0       70 20000 Running
8 29 21 090 Neil Miller (R) 183.811 mph -2.75 34 0       68 18000 Running
9 10 1 110 Robert Leckliter 190.867 mph -3.10 34 0       66 18000 Running
10 13 3 62 Carter Fitzgerald 189.967 mph -3.44 34 0       64 18000 Running
11 9 -2 251 Julia Ashcroft 190.968 mph -4.12 34 1       62 18100 Running
12 26 14 966 M Adachi 184.887 mph -4.46 34 0       60 18000 Running
13 34 21 264 Aoi Mizushima 179.641 mph -4.81 34 0       58 18000 Running
14 35 21 36 Jeremy Baker (R) 177.009 mph -5.16 34 0       56 18000 Running
15 40 25 15 AJ Young 124.178 mph -5.52 34 0     X 59 18500 Running
16 25 9 22 Makoto Yamada 185.217 mph -5.88 34 0       52 15000 Running
17 28 11 01 B George 184.156 mph -6.60 34 0       50 15000 Running
18 17 -1 105 Mike Malone 188.455 mph -6.96 34 0       48 15000 Running
19 11 -8 92 Joel Rodriguez 190.826 mph -7.33 34 0       46 15000 Running
20 14 -6 789 Lora Ocean (R) 189.880 mph -1L 33 0       44 15000 Running
21 21 0 79 Tanner Clason (R) 186.213 mph -1L 33 0       42 14000 Running
22 19 -3 798 Luke Ocean (R) 186.548 mph -2L 32 0       40 14000 Accident
23 37 14 90 Ashley Tucker 174.763 mph -2L 32 0       38 14000 Running
24 39 15 02 Ash Bridges 159.905 mph -2L 32 0       36 14000 Running
25 24 -1 619 Moe Lester (R) 185.268 mph -2L 32 0       34 14000 Running
26 15 -11 51 Ryan Barrett (R) 189.747 mph -3L 31 0       32 14000 Accident
27 31 4 590 Mark Thompson 182.482 mph -3L 31 0       30 13750 Running
28 6 -22 81 G Bryan 191.891 mph -6L 28 0       28 13000 Running
29 22 -7 77 Jim Hayes 185.516 mph -7L 27 16 X     31 12850 Accident
30 27 -3 07 Anthony Griffith 184.477 mph -8L 26 2       24 11600 Header
31 4 -27 64 Leslie Riggs 192.376 mph -8L 26 0       22 11000 Accident
32 8 -24 27 Richard Scott 191.252 mph -31L 3 0       20 10500 Accident
33 3 -30 49 Bobby Stewart (R) 192.678 mph -31L 3 0       18 10000 Accident
34 23 -11 4 Kiki Hitsuno 185.331 mph -32L 2 0       16 9500 Retired
35 38 3 97 Tommy Ashby (R) 174.081 mph -32L 2 0       14 9000 Valve
36 30 -6 35 Jesus Chavez III 182.896 mph -32L 2 0       12 8500 Accident
37 33 -4 19 Allie Riggs 181.226 mph -32L 2 0       10 8000 Accident
38 20 -18 71 Rachel Rainsford 186.483 mph -32L 2 0       8 7500 Retired
39 36 -3 93 Ben Atkins 174.921 mph -33L 1 0       6 7000 Accident
40 32 -8 29 Kerry Ians (R) 181.293 mph -34L 0 0       4 6500 Retired

Finish Pos Qual Pos Moved Car # Driver Qualifying Speed Finish Interval Laps Comp Laps Led Led Most Led @ Half Hard Chrgr Points Earnings Status
1 14 13 40 Jack Dempsey 196.779 mph 103.361 34 2       100 60100 Running
2 24 22 61 Ryan Matthews 192.802 mph -0.06 34 0       80 40000 Running
3 19 16 78 Andrea Kinasa 194.489 mph -0.12 34 25 X     83 30600 Running
4 10 6 87 Frank Azure (R) 198.793 mph -0.48 34 0       76 20000 Running
5 12 7 96 Kelly Splison 197.759 mph -0.92 34 0       74 20000 Running
6 9 3 70 Packer Carroll 198.866 mph -1.27 34 0       72 20000 Running
7 35 28 38 Vincenzo Fochesato R 186.425 mph -1.43 34 0     X 75 20500 Running
8 25 17 45 Harry S. Enola 192.596 mph -2.25 34 0       68 18000 Running
9 1 -8 114 Jon Halks 203.428 mph -2.95 34 0       71 18500 Running
10 23 13 1 Aaron Singer 192.864 mph -3.05 34 0       64 18000 Running
11 34 23 43 Robert Nelson (R) 186.981 mph -3.36 34 0       62 18000 Running
12 21 9 10 Dan Leckliter 193.472 mph -4.41 34 0       60 18000 Running
13 30 17 16 Libby Bell 189.733 mph -4.53 34 0       58 18000 Running
14 31 17 82 Azarov/Stanoytchev 189.095 mph -4.61 34 0       56 18000 Running
15 7 -8 8 Lucas Sweeney 199.468 mph -4.68 34 0       54 18000 Running
16 4 -12 238 Gabriel Macena (R) 201.432 mph -5.64 34 7       52 15100 Running
17 16 -1 12 Trey Ashby 195.553 mph -5.99 34 0       50 15000 Running
18 2 -16 125 Cade Taylor (R) 201.862 mph -6.13 34 0       48 15000 Running
19 36 17 63 Kevin Monroe 185.765 mph -6.63 34 0       46 15000 Running
20 8 -12 99 Zachary Zins 199.424 mph -7.16 34 0       44 15000 Running
21 20 -1 314 Michael Madrigal 194.301 mph -8.98 34 0       42 14000 Running
22 22 0 888 L Pellerin 193.050 mph -9.09 34 0       40 14000 Running
23 18 -5 2 Jason Bates 194.609 mph -9.39 34 0       38 14000 Running
24 5 -19 91 Seiji Daiho 199.933 mph -13.82 34 0       36 14000 Running
25 37 12 59 Jessica Graham 185.739 mph -15.58 34 0       34 14000 Running
26 13 -13 9 Taylor Brillon 196.972 mph -1L 33 0       32 14000 Running
27 17 -10 717 Scott Dalitz 195.256 mph -1L 33 0       30 13750 Running
28 40 12 17 Joseph Howard 174.312 mph -9L 25 0       28 13000 Header
29 33 4 41 Zack Webster 187.696 mph -17L 17 0       26 12250 Retired
30 27 -3 88 Kelly Posadas 190.698 mph -21L 13 0       24 11500 Header
31 6 -25 46 Nick Azure 199.712 mph -25L 9 0       22 11000 Retired
32 39 7 821 R Stanoytchev 184.716 mph -26L 8 0       20 10500 Retired
33 29 -4 56 Nick Howard 190.127 mph -26L 8 0       18 10000 Retired
34 3 -31 05 Alex Whitt (R) 201.839 mph -26L 8 0       16 9500 Clutch
35 38 3 7 Bob Stephans 184.767 mph -27L 7 0       14 9000 Retired
36 28 -8 666 Roy Koch 190.469 mph -27L 7 0       12 8500 Accident
37 26 -11 3 Laura Cyrus 191.381 mph -32L 2 0       10 8000 Retired
38 32 -6 5 Stacie St. Martin R 188.193 mph -33L 1 0       8 7500 Retired
39 15 -24 83 Tammy Barnton (R) 196.171 mph -2.92 34 0       0 7000 DQ
40 11 -29 84 Caitlin Richler 198.661 mph -11.02 34 0       0 6500 DQ

Delgado Furious With Hayes After Wreck From Lead

Jim Hayes had his biggest opportunity to make a statement in the driver's championship in Sprint 1 of the FARC Lone Star Championships, but wrecked from the lead thanks to some over-aggressive driving against lapped car Joel Rodriguez. Afterwards, Tom Delgado was absolutely livid with his driver.

"There's no excuse, absolutely no excuse for that! Jim just cost himself the championship with that piece of excessive aggression. Of course I'm freakin' livid with my driver, he destroyed a very strong car as well as his championship hopes. Add onto the fact that Reid (Bullet) won and adds a 1st place finish to his rookie of the year average, forcing Frank (Azure) to come up with a good result in his sprint, and this is a terrible night for TDR. We had the opportunity to make a major statement that we wouldn't go away, and all we did was gift Ryan (Matthews) the title as long as he doesn't <censored> up. If that doesn't make you angry, then you're a better person than I can ever be. What a waste!" Delgado said without taking a single breath. He then threw his headset against the pit box and stormed off.

Jim Hayes will compete in the Lone Star Championships Feature Race despite his 29th place finish, bumping 20th place finisher Lora Ocean from the race. With Reid Bullet's first place finish, it now forces Frank Azure to come up with a good result in his sprint to keep himself atop the Rookie of the Year standings.

Atkins tantrum after Sprint 1 crash ends his FARC tenure

Ben Atkins didn't have a ceremonious exit to his then-ARLA career in 2012, throwing his helmet at one of his competitors, and 2 years on, not much has changed in the hot-tempered Atkins, as another helmet toss ended his season, but not at a competitor, rather across the HQS garage.

Atkins got into Allie Riggs on lap 1 of the event, causing two other competitors into the wall. While Atkins' radio was quiet after this incident, another accident on lap 2, which took him out, caused Atkins to scream over the radio. Atkins yelled at his spotter, saying he called the wreck wrong, causing a brief argument. When Atkins got out of his car, Atkins threw his helmet across the garage, breaking several items in there from his own area.

Atkins did not confront any other drivers about the incidents, but Atkins did exclaim over Twitter "Fuck you all", referring to the other competitors in the series. Atkins left the track before Sprint 1 was over, despite his drivers Tammy Barnton and Caitlin Richler having not raced yet.

Who Was That Masked Man?

Bell Encouraged BY Bullet Sprint 1 Win

Reid Bullet finally made into the winner's circle. Not that it took the Rookie that long to accomplish the feat. "It sure seemed like it did," Bullet exclaimed. "We've come a long way in a short amount of time-- I've come a long way too." Bullet has an eccentricity where he keeps his face partially obstructed for public appearances and had been tagged as the "Masked Man" in the paddock. He even wears it under his helmet on the track!

Bullet piloted his #11 Loan Ranger Lenard into victory lane after starting 19th on the grid. And it didn't go unnoticed by teammate Libby Bell. "I have to say that I'm more encouraged now that Reid won from further back in the field. Makes starting Sprint 2 from 31st seem a little less terrible."

SPI had a nice day as all three of their entries snared top 10 finishes as Bigsby Foote came in fourth and 2011 champion Rip Tyler garnered sixth.

"A lot of things broke my way," Bullet stated. "But we're not done here. We still have a job to do in winning the feature."

The reporter wanted to express her gratitude to Bullet for the interview but Bullet had disappeared. "I never even got a chance to thank him," the reporter lamented.

Bell is 61 points behind championship points leader Ryan Matthews with Jim Hayes sandwiched in between. However, SPI teammate Rip Tyler overcame a 72 point deficit on the final race weekend to win the championship in 2012. Tyler started on the outside of row 14 (28th of 30) that night. Hayes wrecked himself from the lead and may have crushed his championship hopes.

"It's not impossible," Bell continued. "Rip Tyler proved that. Maybe we could be the team of destiny this year! It all hinges on our Sprint 2 performance."

HQS Racing disqualified in wake of Atkins tantrum

Ben Atkins' Sprint 1 tantrum over Twitter and in the garage has seen his team disqualified from the Lone Star Championships. Atkins, after a year of bad luck and general anger, threw a rage after another crash at Texas, but that rage seen his other two drivers, Tammy Barnton and Caitlin Richler disqualified from their Sprint race as well. Barnton had crossed the line 9th, but will not partake in the event.

Barnton, despite having been complementary about Atkins in the past, was furious with Atkins after the race. Barnton was seen on the phone to staff at The ATK Race Team, the new Dash Cup team, also owned by Ben Atkins, after the race and it was believed Barnton cancelled her contract with the team with immediate effect. It is now unknown where Barnton will land.

Caitlin Richler was also unhappy, however, not with the team. Richler's instagram post failed to upload due to a lack of wifi signal at the Texas Motor Speedway, and Richler complained for a short time about the issue before learning she'd been disqualified from the event. This did not effect her as greatly as it did Barnton, as Richler finished outside the top 20 anyway. Richler also accepted an interview.

"OH MY GOD" said Richler "Like, I know that my owner threw a HUUUUUGGGEEEE tantrum and stuff but do we REALLLYYYY need to disqualify us??? I feel really bad for Tammy, but I guess she's not upset. Mind you, she's pretty composed but I'm NOT BECAUSE OF THIS INSTAGRAM WON'T UPLOAD."

HQS Racing also released a statement apologising for Atkins' actions, accepting the penalties and apologising to the fans for a disappointing end to the teams time in FARC. Atkins himself has not yet said anything after the incident.

Azure Gets Huge Boost in Rookie Challenge After Top 5 Run, Howard's Title Defense Ends on a Crane

After giving up his spot so that Joseph Howard could have one more race in his title defense, Tom Delgado was disappointed to see Howard get taken out in yet another wreck not of his own doing. It basically summed up his attempt to repeat as Elite Series champion. "Bad luck. Bad, bad luck. Thank you for everything Joseph, you're the one who really put TDR on the map. I'll always be in your debt" is what Delgado said over the radio to the legendary former TM Master Cup champion as Howard was retired from the race.

Meanwhile at the front, Frank Azure will have one more chance to grab a FARC Elite Series win that he has been so close to numerous times this season. He finished 4th in sprint #2, and as long as he finishes ahead of Vincenzo Focchesato in the feature, he should win Rookie of the Year honors.

Jon Halks: "I'm extremely disappointed that we couldn't turn the pole into a win. We're not satisfied with finishing second anymore. We want to win. Hopefully, the feature turns out different."

Webster Short in Comments After Sprint #2

Not much to say. Got taken out by a couple of idiots. Story of our season. Congrats to Jack Dempsey for carrying the flag for Accelerator Motorsports. Glad to get the win for ourselves a few weeks ago. Can't really show the kind of equipment this #41 team has when it keeps getting torn up by others' carelessness.

Bells Gains 17 Spots But Still Loses Ground!

Libby Bell began Sprint 2 with visions of a championship dancing in her head. Bell began her quest for her first championship in 31st and managed to finish the day in 14th-- an improvement of 17 spots! A pretty decent run for most, but Bell's dreams may have been crushed. Bell took the green flag only 61 points behind points leader Ryan Matthews but by days end found herself trailing by 87 points when the checkered flag flew. Matthews had finished 2nd in Sprint 2 all but securing himself the championship barring a catastrophe.

"It was do or die for us today-- and we died," stated Bell, her voice quivering.

"We lost 26 points today! Rip Tyler overcame a record 72 points to win in 2012. So for us to win, we'd have to top his record comeback. It can be done, but it's gonna take something miraculous. But miracles do happen, right? I"m just devastated right now," Bell stated, choking back her tears.

One step away: Matthews expands points gap
If Ryan Matthews was feeling any pressure heading into the FARC Lone Star Championships weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, he certainly didn't show it in Sprint 2.

Faced with the task of holding off three of his four title rivals in the race, a poor starting position (24th), and the additional adversity of a damaged race car thanks to an early incident, Matthews responded the only way he could.

He charged to the front.

Matthews delivered the statement of the weekend, as he was barely edged by Jack Dempsey for the victory.

"I told the guys, 'Whatever we did to fix that car, don't touch it,'" he said after the race. "We were on rails after the first couple pit stops. I just wish we had another lap...we'd have won this thing!"

Matthews' second-place effort moved him 68 points ahead of Jim Hayes and 87 markers ahead of Libby Bell.

Engine Failure Condemns TDR to Defeat in Championship Battle

The night had been going so well, too...

Jim Hayes fought his way through the field to give himself a chance of winning the FARC Elite Series championship, but all of a sudden the engine went up in smoke on the #77 CanSwav Aluminum Plant Lenard, ending Hayes' night as well as his championship hopes, leaving Ryan Matthews unopposed to claim his first championship.

"Frustrating isn't the word for it. We're all heartbroken" Team owner Tom Delgado said after the race. "Jim's pissed, but I expect that. He wanted this championship even worse than I did. There are no excuses for our failure. We dropped the ball for Jim and I'm devastated for him. The man's without a doubt the best driver in this series and his efforts have not gone properly rewarded with the championship he deserves" Delgado added.

There were many long faces in the Tom Delgado Racing section of the garage afterwards, many crew members not wanting to leave, all standing around in shocked silence. Meanwhile on the other side of the garage, the Matthews Motorsports crew were celebrating as their man Ryan Matthews took home the championship.

"We won't be down for long. Keep that championship warm for me, Ryan. It's coming back where it belongs in 2015" Delgado continued as he started consoling members of the #77 crew.

Halks scores maiden FARC Elite Series win before moving on to TM Lights in 2015

Jon Halks wanted one thing before moving up to the TM Lights Series in 2015: a FARC Elite Series win.

On Sunday night, in a wild, crash- and engine failure-filled 500-mile season finale at Texas Motor Speedway, he and MT Motorsports finally got what they were looking for: a FARC Elite Series winner's trophy.

After the disappointment of Sprint 2 the night before, when Halks started from the pole, but never had the speed, and finished tenth, he and his team put together a dominant second half in the 334-lap feature race, where they executed a very effective pit strategy and made fast stops, allowing Halks to stretch his lead, and beat runner-up Harry S. Enola by a large margin.

Over the last third of the race, Halks managed to take the lead on the track, and hold it through pit cycles. He carefully tip-toed his way around lapped traffic, and hoped there would be no late-race caution. The latter never came.

"I'm just so relieved we finally got a win," the Little Rock, Arkansas native said. "This team has worked hard these last two years, and we deserved to win a race. The guys were perfect on pit road in the second half, and I won this race by a huge margin because of them."

Halks's two seasons in FARC were marred by bad luck, like getting caught up in crashes caused by other drivers, ill-timed caution flags when running high in the order, and mechanical failures. Halks had a car good enough to win one of the two races at the Texas doubleheader last year, but the engine failed. In Sprint 1 at Talladega earlier this season, he was on the outside of leader Jason Bates coming to the white flag, only to have the caution come out because Joel Rodriguez broke down on track, and FARC's green-white-checkered finish policy does not apply to the sprint races.

On Sunday night, Halks had a reason to be concerned that the win might not happen, despite starting inside the Top 10. Numerous drivers experienced engine failures, and there were many crashes in the early going, one of which Halks narrowly avoided. Libby Bell and Jim Hayes, the only two drivers who remained a threat to Ryan Matthews's hopes of winning the Elite Series championship, both had engine failures before the race was even 50 laps in (or even ten laps in, in Bell's case), handing Matthews the title, and allowing him to drive without pressure.

Once the attrition rate slowed down, the race fell into Halks's favor. He managed to get to the front and stay there through good pit work. In the early part of the final third, he did have to put up with challenges from Matthews and Enola, as well as Jeremy Baker, before slowly pulling away late.

"I had to fight hard," Halks said. "This did not come easy, no matter what the final margin of victory is. Nothing in FARC is easy. You have to earn it."

"Jon did a great job, I'm so proud of him, and the guys on pit road," said MT Motorsports owner Fred Caldwell. "That trophy cabinet at our shop in Murfreesboro [Tennessee] is getting more and more full. We're becoming a power in the motorsports world. Hard work pays off."

2014 has been a season of ups and downs for Halks, but this win is not the biggest up. That was his impromptu August wedding in Las Vegas to his long-time girlfriend, Emily. The couple eloped with only their parents present. When Halks got out of the car in Victory Lane on Sunday, he and Emily shared a big kiss.

"I just love her," Halks said. "She's my best friend. She's always supported me in this. This win is as much for her as it is everybody else who has helped me through the years. We never went on a honeymoon after we got married. Tomorrow, we leave for Barbados. Gonna celebrate this win and this marriage all week, just me and her. Flying out of Dallas."

The 22-year-old Arkansan will be moving up to MT Motorsports' TM Lights program for 2015. He's looking forward to the challenge, and the chance to grow even more as a person.

"I'm ready to move up. I hope I find success up there. 2015 is gonna be a year of change. First year in TM Lights, first full year as a husband. Emily and I are closing on a house in Murfreesboro when we get back from our honeymoon. It's gonna be a busy offseason after this week, but, I'm looking forward to it."

Fitzgerald's night in Fort Worth a short one
This wasn't the night at the races Carter Fitzgerald envisioned.

Fitzgerald, who was looking to end her 2014 season on a high note, instead ended it three laps into the 333-lap Lone Star Championships Feature, when she was collected in the incident that saw George Bryan slide down the Turn 2 banking on his roof.

"Miss me?" Fitzgerald quipped as she left the infield care center. "I don't get it. Who goes three-wide on the third lap of a 500-mile race? At least I can laugh about it, though. It's good to keep a good sense of humor."

With that, Fitzgerald's role switched from teammate to cheerleader, as boyfriend and Elite Series points leader Ryan Matthews was still in the race.

"I gotta go," she said. "Time for me to get my pom-poms out!"

#DidItForTiffany: Matthews is champion
With one race to go in the battle for the FARC Elite Series championship, Ryan Matthews was uncharacteristically calm.

After all, he was sitting in the catbird seat, 68 points in front of primary title contender Jim Hayes, and 83 points in front of Libby Bell.

But what was billed as a three-team battle to the finish turned into an anticlimactic cakewalk, as both Bell and Hayes suffered mechanical failures, leaving Matthews as the last man standing a mere tenth of the way through the 500-mile FARC Lone Star Championships feature event.

And to add an exclamation point to what would become a championship campaign, he challenged for the win throughout the race, eventually settling for third, making the final points gap 132 points.

Matthews climbed out of his Saar Eagle on the backstretch near the spot where late wife Tiffany's accident in the 2012 Hanmore World Championships happened, knelt down to kiss the asphalt, and then jubilantly pointed both hands in the air.

Shortly thereafter, he was joined by the entire Matthews Motorsports staff, who had been on hand to watch the race in a hospitality tent, including sister Taylor Matthews and girlfriend Carter Fitzgerald, who had retired from the race on Lap 3 after being involved in an incident in which George Bryan flipped.

"We finally did it!" Matthews said with a huge smile. "These guys and girls worked their asses off all season to get me here. This championship is as much theirs as it is mine. We're all taking a vacation after this one...we've earned it!"

Matthews was also asked about seeing his title rivals drop by the wayside with reliability problems.

"When I saw Bell go out, I was feeling a little better," he said. "Then when I heard my crew chief tell me over the radio that Hayes went out it was almost like a giant weight had been lifted from my shoulders. We definitely had a guardian angel watching us tonight, that's for damn sure."

Matthews finished with 16 top 10 finishes, and made a league-best 31 starts, a far cry from his 2013 campaign, which was woefully inconsistent as he routinely was in the lower half of the standings and recorded a league-worst 15 DNFs.

Before moving the party off the race track, Matthews had a surprise for girlfriend Fitzgerald: he asked for her hand in marriage. She enthusiastically accepted.

"I was planning on asking her no matter what happened tonight," Matthews said. "I felt that here and now was the best time and place to turn the page on my life. I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea: Tiffany will always be part of me."

"But you can't keep dwelling on the past," he added. "It's time to move forward. And we've now got a title to defend."

And with that, Matthews left to join the party.

Vincenzo Fochesato Closes out 2014 FARC Season as Rookie of the Year Runner-Up

The inaugural running of the Faulkner Auto Racing Championships came to a close with the 50th race of the 2014 Elite Series season on Sunday. The first running of the FARC Lone Star Championships marks the first time since 2008 that the season finale was not the prestigious Rockford 200, which had once again been dropped from the calendar, but it was an exciting spectacle, nonetheless.

Ryan Matthews arguably had the most memorable night of anyone on the grounds of the Texas Motor Speedway; winning the series championship almost exactly two years after his wife, Tiffany, passed away as a result of a crash during the Hanmore World Championships at the very same track. There was another title to award following the race, however; that of the Rookie of the Year. At the beginning of the 500-mile feature race, that battle had come down to Frank Azure, Reid Bullet, and Vincenzo Fochesato.

A sophomore racer in the FARC LoBo Truck Tour, Fochesato had surprisingly been in contention for ROTY throughout much of the season. Starting his 19th of the series’ 51 races (including the Apex Racing School Rookie Shootout), he found himself behind only Azure as the Sun fell and the lights came on.

Despite high confidence and optimism from the Italian, however, he would eventually come up short. Failing to finish the race, he would end the year with an average finish of 16.4; barely enough to beat Bullet, and 0.9 too high to beat the average finish of Azure.

Fochesato would speak to reporters in the garage area after the checkered flag.

Vincenzo Fochesato: "I could, I cannot express how proud I am of what my crew chief, my car chief, the engineers, the mechanics, the pit crew, and my dad have done here in 2014. We took a team that was new to FARC one year ago and didn’t even compete in the Elite Series, and we nearly won Rookie of the Year. We had fast cars and great races, and at the end of it all, we’re second. I know that we had a chance to win, and it would have certainly been amazing, but to be racing in FARC and to have this much fun is enough for me to enjoy. I’m very, very grateful to have had the opportunity!"

Focus Autosports’ 2014 part-time Elite Series team will be regrouped to field the #3 Lenard in next year’s inaugural running of the FARC Duckroll Super Series, which will be driven by NRC racer Riley Durbin. It has also been rumored that FAS is looking into returning for select races in the FARC Elite Series Powered by Smash Beer, especially with the series visiting the Berlin Raceway.

As he departs for international touring car racing, Fochesato ends his short FARC Elite Series career with four top 5 finishes and seven top 10’s in 19 starts, all of which were this season with the exception of the Mini Indy 500 in 2012. His best result is a 2nd-place in the shortened feature race of this year’s Epps Premium Synthetic Oil 200 at the New York Autoring. In addition, he scored two pole positions this year (his first for the feature at New York Autoring, and his second for Sprint 2 at Talladega Superspeedway), and, of course, was the 2014 runner-up in Rookie of the Year honors.