VIR RACE RECAP: FAST CARS, A BRONZE WIN, AND A BUMPER THAT HAD OTHER PLANS

Virginia International Raceway started with a lot of promise.

Both cars were fast in practice, and the team seemed to be getting the setups where they needed to be. The No. 46 qualified P5. The No. 64 qualified P28 overall and P2 in Bronze. We had two good cars and two good opportunities.

Then racing happened.

The No. 64 ended the day with a Bronze win without actually finishing the race, while the No. 46 went from fighting for a podium to finishing P23 because most of its rear bumper decided it no longer wanted to participate.

Not exactly how we drew it up.

THE NO. 64 WAS RUNNING WITH THE PACK

The race started well for both cars.

The No. 46 immediately moved up one position, while the No. 64 was running well and staying with the GS pack.

About 25 to 30 minutes into the race, another car spun near the end of the back straight and kicked up a large cloud of dust and dirt.

Visibility disappeared.

I slowed because there was no way to know what was waiting inside the dust cloud. Unfortunately, the car behind me did not slow enough. It hit the 64 from behind and pushed us into the tire wall. The car restarted and I made it back to the pits. The crew patched it together as best they could, but technical officials called us back in and the car eventually went to the paddock for more extensive repairs.

The crew worked like crazy trying to get us back out. It felt like hours. It did not happen.

SOMETIMES YOU WIN BRONZE FROM THE PADDOCK

There was one strange piece of good news.

The car involved in creating the original dust cloud was also the car we were racing against in the Bronze Cup. By the time our day effectively ended, we still had two laps on them, and they had already withdrawn from the race.

So the No. 64 won Bronze.mWithout getting back on track.

I have had prettier wins. But they still give you the points for this kind. It certainly was not the way we wanted to win, but after the hit and the damage, we will take it.

THE NO. 46 HAD A REAL SHOT AT THE PODIUM

Meanwhile, the No. 46 was having a very different race.

After the driver change, the car moved into P2 and eventually led as the field moved through different pit cycles. Fuel strategy was tight, but the numbers were working.

The 46 appeared to have enough fuel to reach the end without another stop, while some of the competition was operating on a different pit cycle and would likely need fuel unless a yellow came out. That put the 46 in a very good position.

Then came the bumper. During close racing, another car made contact with the rear of the 46. The damage initially looked manageable.

It was not.

TWELVE MINUTES CAN BE A VERY LONG TIME

With about 12 minutes remaining, aerodynamic drag and side draft caused most of the damaged rear bumper to tear away. Most of it.

One piece stayed attached and began dragging on the ground. At the time, Matt was running P3. Then the race went yellow because pieces of the 46’s bumper were scattered around the track. Under caution, Matt even tried driving over the curbs to knock the remaining piece loose. Creative. Unsuccessful.

Race control ultimately black flagged the 46, forcing Matt into the pits so the crew could remove what was left of the bumper. By the time the car returned to the track, it had dropped to the back of the field. The podium opportunity was gone.

The No. 46 finished P23.

THE RESULT DOES NOT ALWAYS TELL YOU HOW THE CAR PERFORMED

If you only looked at the finishing positions, you would miss most of what happened at VIR.

The 64 won Bronze, which sounds excellent. It also spent much of the race damaged and sitting in the paddock.

The 46 finished P23, which sounds terrible. It had been running at the front, reached P2, led during the pit cycle, and was still in podium contention with roughly 12 minutes remaining.

That is racing.

Sometimes a finishing position tells you exactly how the weekend went. Sometimes it tells you almost nothing. What I care about going into the next race is that both cars were fast.

The setups are improving. The speed was there. The 64 came away with a Bronze win, however unconventional. And the 46 showed it had the pace to fight for a podium before circumstances took that opportunity away.

There are certainly worse problems to have than two fast race cars. We will fix the rest.

On to Indy.