Unofficial Race Results
Recap courtesy of IMSA News Wire
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – In a warm, four-hour Continental 240 at The Glen Saturday at Watkins Glen International, thrills and heartaches were abundant, but there was one Grand Sport (GS) class team that had consistency throughout.
The No. 8 Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT4 of Chad McCumbee and Patrick Gallagher started the Continental Tire 240 in second place behind another fellow Mustang, the No. 80 AWA Ford of Martin Barkey and Brett Sandberg.
The No. 80 set sail for the first 37 laps but was involved in a mid-race incident with another GS car, resulting in significant rear end damage too difficult to overcome. Meanwhile, the No. 8 Mustang was sitting patiently in second place and when the opportunity presented itself, the team seized it and never looked back.
The GS win is a first for both drivers, as Gallagher is in the midst of his rookie season and McCumbee’s previous six wins came in the Street Tuner class in a Mazda MX-5.
“This is awesome and what a race to [get back to Victory Lane],” said McCumbee, who also co-drove with Gallagher in the Mazda MX-5 Cup Series. “Watkins Glen is one of my favorite sports car tracks. I didn’t come from road course racing, but this has quickly become one of my favorites. Hats off to ModSpace, all the guys at Multimatic, Mazda and Ford. There are so many people that got Patrick and I in this position and I am very thankful.”
After the team’s nearly flawless performance at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course one race ago – in which the No. 8 started from the pole but wound up second, narrowly missing the victory – the team was closing in on a victory.
“Chad did a great job all day and the guys at Multimatic and ModSpace gave us a good rig, so hats off to them and all the guys in the heat changing our tires and stuff,” said Gallagher. “We were knocking on the door of a win at Mid-Ohio and I’m glad we finally got one here. I’d have liked to win at Mid-Ohio being a Buckeye, but I’ll take this one too.”
By the end of the race, the No. 8 built a large enough lead to cruise to victory, but the battle for the remaining podium spots was close. Tyler Cooke in the No. 82 BimmerWorld Racing BMW 328i charged through the top five during the last half hour of the race to finish second with co-driver and BimmerWorld Team Owner James Clay, the team’s third podium in four races.
Taking the last spot on the podium were Nate Stacy and Kyle Marcelli in the No. 60 Roush Performance / KohR Motorsports Ford Mustang. After back-to-back wins at Sebring International Raceway in March and at Mid-Ohio, a third-place result keeps the team’s podium streak alive heading into the halfway point of the season next week at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
Bryce Ward, driver of the No. 57 GS class entry, was transported to Schuyler Hospital after an incident during the race. He underwent a CT scan on his head and was diagnosed with a concussion.
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