Summit Point was a race weekend that made you appreciate how special the season really was and thankful that the championship was wrapped up even before the first race of the weekend. It was a weekend to celebrate a job well done by Mateo and Team Pelfrey all season long.
Mateo started Race 1 in P5 from qualifying. He was hit going into Turn 1 and ended up rejoining the race at the back of the field in P19. He was able to pass several cars to finish in P10 before time ran out on the race.
Race 2 lap times are set by the fastest lap in Race 1 so Mateo started Race 2 in P4. It was a tight race with lots of lead changes. The lead group was about 8 cars fighting for position. With 5 laps to go, Mateo’s right rear tire got tapped, spinning him and collecting a few other cars. He was able to continue quickly and finished in 6th place under yellow.
Race 3 provided some symmetry to the season. If you have been following the season, you may recall Race 1 in Atlanta never went green and was officially not a race. Race 3 at Summit Point had 2 lightening delays before they eventually called off the race.
The challenges of this weekend, getting hit twice in 2 races and finishing off the podium just shows how remarkable 15 podiums in 19 races with 9 wins during the FRP season is to achieve. It was a special season with Team Pelfrey drivers Mateo Naranjo & Timothy Steele finishing 1-2 in the final points standings.
