Q2 2019 results

Brian Ackerson - 4th (Record: 2-2) (Qualified: 5th) Handicap - TCS [4]

• Drivin' Brian Ackerson had a wonderful performance behind the wheel. I would argue his best to date. He didn't get the most of qualifying, but still started better than his power ranking suggests by qualifying 5th. Things didn't get much better from there as he lost his Winner Quarterfinals match up against Travis Roof after each driver went 3 turns and 9 laps each. To make matters worse, he used all three of his extra laps for purchase during this race as well. Things were not looking good for Brian but then something changed. Maybe it was because he was driving a 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Sport Coupe (C2) or maybe it was because he found the zone, but his next match up against Preston was a marathon that Brian had just a bit more speed. A few times Brian was able to pull out his infamous last lap focus to set a new mark down. It was the match up of the night. The issue was, how much more was left in the tank? Well we found out there was quite a bit more as he looked for redemption against his first loss of the day to Travis. For the third straight race, he had multiple seat changes this time racking up 4 turns. He was able to get the best of Travis this time to knock him out and advance to the Loser's Semifinals, one win away from his first podium. Unfortunately the tank was finally on empty as Jeff was able to set a lap that couldn't be beat during Brian's first turn. All in all, Brian can hold his head high as he tied his best ever finish and proves that he still is improving. One of the driver's of the day for me personally.

Greg McKeever - 5th (Record: 0-2) (Qualified: 3rd) Handicap - TCS [2]

• Greg is a bit of an enigma as a driver. There is no doubt that he has speed as he proved by qualifying 3rd, but this event he had issues getting on top of his races and refused to use any of his extra laps for purchase. In his first match up, he had a tasty one for the viewers as he went up against Stephen Trigueiro in their first meeting ever. These two racked up the 2nd places in 2018, so it was a highly anticipated match up. Greg started strong by forcing Stephen to use one of his extra laps for purchase during his first turn, but Greg couldn't beat it within 4 laps during his time in the seat. This knocked him down into the Loser's Bracket and he got a bye in his first match up because of the odd number of drivers. In his Loser's Bracket Quarterfinals match up, he went up against Jeff Meisenzahl (last event's 2nd place finisher) and ran into a buzz saw. Jeff set a good lap during his first turn and Greg couldn't beat it within his first 4 laps. No worries, he still had all three of his extra laps for purchase but he decided not use them! Not a single one. It certainly was an interesting strategy, but it didn't pay out this time as he finished a disappointing 5th. Greg will come back strong, he has all the equipment needed to excel in the future.

Jeff Meisenzahl - 3rd (Record: 3-2) (Qualified: 2nd) Handicap - TCS [1]

• Jeff "Gordon" was coming into this event after finishing 2nd in the previous event. With the last event winner out of the picture, he was looking for his first win of his Gran Potato Cup career. He started right where he left off by tying his personal best of 2nd in qualifying. He then made quick work of his first match up against Preston Woods by needing only 1 turn to secure the victory. This put him one win away from a podium finish for the 2nd event in a row. Unfortunately, his match up was a dirt race which is Jeff's achilles heel when he is behind the wheel. He also went up against Stephen Trigueiro who's driving style suits rally driving. All of these combined factors proved too much as Stephen needed only 1 lap as the lower seed to knock Jeff down into the Loser's Bracket Quarterfinals. Jeff recovered well though as he beat Greg in 1 turn, followed by another 1 turn and done against Brian in the Loser's Semifinals. He had a chance to get revenge against the person who knocked him down to the Loser's Bracket. This time though, the battle was on asphalt. After 3 turns and 10 laps, Jeff once again couldn't beat Stephen after using one of his 3 extra laps available for purchase. So Jeff finishes in 3rd place and takes home $15. He also secures his 3rd podium in the last 4 events and is 5 points behind 1st place in the GP Cup Championship standings. Not too shabby.

Mike Hansen - 1st (Record: 3-0) (Qualified: 1st) Handicap - JC Method (TCS [0] + In-Car View)

• I don't know who pissed off Hansen for this event, but he came out a man who was ready to beat anyone who stood in his way. He got the envious position of qualifying last and only needed 2 laps to get pole position and secure premium parking for the next event. Because of the odd number of driver's for the event, he got a bye in the Winner's Quarterfinals. That meant he only had to only win one match up to continue his streak of getting a podium at every event. He navigated a very difficult combo of the Dodge Viper on dirt against Travis and once again only needed 1 turn and 2 laps to pick up the win. In the Winner's Bracket Finals, he went up against a familiar foe who he has had success and difficulties with in the past, Stephen Trigueiro. Still Hansen was focused and needed only 1 turn and 2 laps to beat Stephen and secure a top 2 place minimum. In the Grand Finals, Stephen worked his way back up through the Loser's Bracket to meet once Hansen once again. Guess what happened? Hansen only needed 1 turn and 2 laps to get the win and get 1st place to take home $58 and also take the lead of the championship by 5 points. This was his 4th victory in 6 events and was about as dominate as you can get. To do it with the handicap he had, is impressive to say the least.

Preston Woods - 7th (Record: 0-2) (Qualified: 7th) Handicap - TCS [5]

• Preston Woods continues to show vast improvement in his driving. It did not look so good as he had to qualify second and after 6 laps, he started from the back row. In his first match up against Jeff Meisenzahl, he didn't put up much of a fight either. He lost during his first turn in the seat and used one of his extra laps for purchase in doing so. This meant he was knocked down in the Loser's Bracket Round 2. Every once in awhile though, things seem to click for Preston and he unlocks a new level of speed. It could of been the alcohol from Qualifying, but one of these "click" moments occurred the next time he got in the seat. This time he was up against Brian Ackerson in an old 'vette on an oval circuit layout. This match up was the most entertaining of the night as each driver took 5 turns and combined for 29 laps before Preston conceded victory by 0.140 seconds. I think Preston felt good about his performance and can't wait for the next event to get his first match up win.

Stephen Trigueiro - 2nd (Record: 3-2) (Qualified: 6th) Handicap - TCS [1]

• Stephen Trigueiro had a day of rematches during the Q2 2019 Event. He started off slow by qualifying 2nd from last in 6th. He was looking like he was gonna have a repeat from the last event by losing in the Winner's Quarterfinals this time against Greg McKeever. He used one of his extra laps for purchase, but was able to pick up the pace and beat Greg to make it into the Winner's Semifinals. Up against Jeff Meisenzahl, he was in for a tough one, but one thing favored Stephen over Jeff even though he qualified much lower. That thing is dirt. Jeff has a bit of a stigma on dirt tracks and Stephen is right at home on them. This proved prophetic as Stephen dispatched of Jeff with only 1 lap. This meant he secured a podium again after an off showing in the previous event. In the Winner's Finals he ran into a man possessed in Mike Hansen who beat him in one turn and forced Stephen to use his final two extra laps for purchase. This meant he dropped down to the Loser's Bracket Final and went up against Jeff once again. This match was a bit longer than his first one against Jeff, but the result was the same. Stephen guaranteed himself a top 2 finish and now had to beat Hansen two times in a row to win the event. Unfortunately for Stephen, Hansen was still on fire and finished the event in the first round of the Grand Finals. Stephen bounces back strong by placing 2nd and taking home $32 for his efforts. This was also a massive jump for him in the standings. He is right back in the thick of things to take home the Gran Potato Cup in the 2019 season.

Travis Roof - 6th (Record: 1-2) (Qualified: 4th) Handicap - TCS [3]

• Travis Roof had a pretty average day behind the wheel. It didn't look that way from the start though as he had the unenvious position of being the first to qualify but still managed to get 4th. Things looked even better after he matched up with Brian Ackerson in the Winner's Quarterfinals and was able to get the victory. This was not a walk in the park by any means and he had to use one of his extra laps for purchase to do so. This meant he needed only one more win in the Winner's Semifinals to get on the podium and place a new personal best for event finish. Things on paper looked favorable even though he was going up against Mike Hansen. He had a pretty good advantage in terms of handicap, it was on a dirt track which Travis excels at, and it was in a tough car to drive on dirt in the Viper. Still Hansen was able to figure out the combo in 2 laps to beat Travis and force him to use another of his extra laps for purchase. This dropped him into the Loser's Bracket Quarterfinals and another date with Brian. This once again was a great meeting between the two where Brian forced Travis to use his last extra lap for purchase. For the first part of their match up, they were trading fastest laps every single lap. Travis eventually ended up admitting defeat after 5 turns and 10 laps to finish in 6th place once again. Once Travis gets more consistent in his speed, he will make a breakthrough and shock the GP Cup community.

FUN FACTS:

Match Ups

• Most total turns - 12 Turns: Race #11 (Brian Ackerson vs. Preston Woods)

• Most laps (individual) - 16 Laps: Race #11 (Preston Woods)

• Most total laps - 29 Laps: Race #11 (Brian Ackerson vs. Preston Woods)

• Closest margin - 0.055 Seconds: Race #17 (Jeff Meisenzahl vs. Stephen Trigueiro)

Event

• Most match ups - 5: Jeff Meisenzahl & Stephen Trigueiro

• Most turns - 15: Brian Ackerson

• Most laps - 36: Brian Ackerson

Link to Bracket

More Info on the Car/Circuit Combos

Final standings of the Q2 2019 GP Cup Event: