Cindi Finishes Just Behind Steve After Last Lap Melee

Much of the four-mile, 14-turn Road America course was socked-in early with fog and a heavy mist that turned to rain and back. Despite the damp conditions, team principle Fred Lux (Aloha, Oregon) elected to start both Vipers on dry-weather racing slicks. The No. 84 Dodge Viper ACR-X of Lee Saunders went with the full wet-weather grooved tires. The opening laps of the race were kept under caution for safety reasons. As the fog lifted, Trans Am Series officials called for the pole sitter, Lux, and fellow front-row starter Streimer to bring the class to the green flag. The grooved tires on the No. 84 allowed Saunders around both Northwest-based entries. As the track dried, Lux stalked the No. 84, pushing the third Viper as it searched for water off-line. The 12-time road racing champion would re-take the lead and begin to pull away with seven laps remaining.

Lux was heading toward the victory with Streimer in third entering the closing stages of the race - originally scheduled for 100-miles/25-laps. Then, coming off a caution, multiple cars came together in Turn Six. Lux, with a lead over second and third-places, slowed and began to work her way through the confusion of spinning cars. With a clear path in view, one last car spun back off the grass. Lux brought the American-made supercar to a standstill without making contact and prepared to maneuver around and continue. It was then that the cars behind her caught up. Unable to stop, Streimer made contact with his teammate sending Lux off into the grass. He moved around to the right while she fought through the wet grass. With the time required to clear the carnage too extensive, series officials called the race at its 75-minute limit. Guaranteeing Streimer his second Trans Am Series race win with Lux in second.

The race will be broadcast on the CBS Sports Network, Saturday, September 12 at 10 a.m. Eastern Standard Time.

Fred Lux, Lux Performance Group Team Principal: “With the last lap melee we all got tangled-up. I’m not sure how we even got out of that mess! Another one-two finish was a great result but, as the cars disappeared towards Turn One that last lap, it wasn’t the order we expected to see come back around. Both cars sustained some damage but not nearly what a lot of guys did out there today. This one was ugly! We’ll get the Lux Performance Group Vipers back in top-running order for the next race.”

Cindi Lux: “This is one of those days you are really happy for the team, however I’m frustrated as a driver. It’s absolutely perfect that Lux Performance Group took the top-two steps on the Road America podium and that Vipers led every lap of the race. The Lux team really did an amazing job with both cars all weekend. I’ve had a lot of good cars here over the years but this time it was setup so well for the long run. We really had things in hand until the boondoggle in Turn Six. Cars were everywhere. I had worked my way through and then got stopped. Looks like Steve had nowhere to go and got into the back of me. That put me off track and into the wet grass. It was impossible to gain traction. That was frustrating because we did everything right. It’s a bittersweet pill to swallow. On the other hand, Steve did a great job and taking advantage of the mayhem in Six at the end of the race proves how good he has become since joining Lux Performance. Overall, I’m so pleased with his improvement every race. The entire program is getting stronger. It is another one-two finish, another one-two start and it’s hard to complain about that. As a driver, we’ll go after it next time.”

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