Jenks On Top After Exciting VIR Race

Alton, VA – Steve Jenks took his second F2000 Championship Series victory of the season on Saturday morning at VIR in round five, surviving the mayhem ahead of him to climb to the top step of the podium for Tumenas Motorsports. Jenks, driving the No. 68, extends his points lead, and led Tim Paul and Kerry Jacobsen to the checkered flags at VIR.

Jenks started third and escaped the contact around him on turn one on lap one.

With a full course caution out, he found himself third again on the restart, and now with a different set of leaders touching in front of him, which promoted him to the lead for the rest of the race.

“I got a good jump at the start. We went three wide into turn one and I think someone (hit) Brandon Dixon from the rear. I dropped back to third. On the restart I had a feeling there was a chance one car may get into another. I watched them and sure enough, there it was,” said Jenks, who also posted the quickest lap of the race.

Paul drove to second place, his best finish to date this season.

 “Hopefully we have broken the streak of bad luck. There was some carnage in turn one, and more after the restart,” said Paul, driving for R-Sport. “It was really hard racing. We were able to drive through it and we drove to the end.”

Jacobsen made his Series debut with a strong showing in the No. 95, finishing third.

“The success in that race was based on staying out of trouble. There was a wild start with cars all over the place. It is my first time in the Series, and this is a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to race two,” said Jacobsen.

Brandon Dixon, who started from pole, was hit in turn one on the first lap, and fell through the order. Dixon soldiered home to a fourth place finish.

“I got clobbered down in turn one. It was good hard racing down there, I had Reece (Everard) on the inside, Jenks on the outside, and I was in the middle. We were going to work all of that out but someone hit me in the back,” said the 2017 Champion. “The car wasn’t quite the same after that.”

Just a handful of miles from the iconic Dan River, the 17-turn VIR played host to multiple plot twists over the 11-lap F2000 race on a hot and humid morning.

The restart saw Reece Everard in the lead, with James Roe executing a daring pass in turn one. Those two wouldn’t come around again, making contact mid-way through the lap and ending the days for both drivers.

There was also Aaron Jeansone, failing to finish after a lap one issue. Paul Farmer tangled one of the F4 cars, also ending his day.

As the race went on, Davis Durrett charged to third, but would also fail to finish.

Rob Allaer was another story, passing Tim Paul for second with three laps to go, and running the second fastest lap of the race in the process. Allaer, in the No. 52 Polestar entry, would trim Jenks’ lead down to under a second, but retired with a reported issue with two laps to go.

F2000 action continues from VIR, with round six of the 14-race 2018 season, scheduled for Sunday.

Full Results.

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Sources: Monty Mathisen | MathisenMedia

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