The USAC AMSOIL Sprint season came down to five final races out West in Arizona and California. With the team just gaining some momentum coming off of two USAC wins in September (Kokomo Smackdown and Lawrenceburg) and Kokomo Klash win in mid-October, JG and the team were looking forward to some fun battles out West.
The first Western World race at Arizona Speedway proved to be quite a show, with JG taking home a first place win after starting on the pole. The second night didn't bring home a podium finish, but the team finished a strong top ten finish in 6th.
Prior to the Oval Nationals at Perris Auto Speedway, Justin was undefeated there this season and he was hoping to keep that streak going. The first race on Thursday night allowed the team to showcase how resilient and talented they really are, with a great ending in Victory Lane. JG qualified 11th and earned a transfer spot to the feature in his heat race, but he still had some work to do starting from 10th place. The lead came down to the final two laps after Tyler Courtney had lead most of the race. JG was able to dig in and get past Courtney in lapped traffic and came away with the Victory! He also earned Hard Charger for coming up to first place after starting from the 10th place position.
Night two of Oval Nationals started off strong with JG earning quick time in qualifying. After transferring to the feature in his heat, JG started 6th in the Feature due to the invert. He knew he had some work to do with some talent ahead of him, but the team had a confidence going that they knew would get them to the front where they needed to be. The feature once again found a battle for the front. In the final laps, JG was able to chase down the front runner and while he was going for the lead with a big run on the cushion, front and back bumpers collided, allowing JG to take the lead. While he earned a spot in Victory Lane for the second time in a row, going two for two on Oval National races at Perris.
With tensions running high, the team went into the Finale of Oval Nationals with hopes of earning the third consecutive win and the $25,000 paycheck that went along with the Oval Nationals Champion title. The evening started with the Super Six Dash, as JG was 2nd in Oval Nationals points and was already locked into the evening's Feature. He raced against the top 6 in Oval Nationals points in lieu of qualifying. Finishing 5th in the dash put him starting 5th in the Feature with some strong competitors surrounding him. JG and the team ultimatley walked away with an 8th place Feature finish after a strong battle the entire race.
With five wins on the season, the team finished 8th in Driver Points and 6th in Owner Points in the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint standings. The road started out a little bumpy in 2018 for JG and the team, but we're proud of the work that we put in to get some great successes at the end of the season! Thank you to all of our loyal sponsors and fans for all of the support throughout the season - we can't do it without all of you!
