Heading into the last race weekend of the year, NASA SoCal Teen Mazda Challenge driver Joey Andrews had a decent points lead for the regional Spec Miata championship. But it would require more from him than a “start and park.” The championship was still going to be close. His first goal for the weekend was to get a good qualifying position and be sure to finish on the podium. Andrews secured pole position and led the lion’s share of the race when a full-course caution came out for one lap.
That bunched up the field and put fellow Teen Mazda Challenge competitor Christian Hoagland in second place. Coincidentally, Hoagland was also second in the points race, so the double-yellows presented something of a double threat to Andrews.
Once the pace car pulled off, Andrews was able to take the lead and hold it authoritatively until he and Hoagland came up on traffic in the closing laps.
“I had a 12-second lead up to that point. And while yes, it would’ve been nice to just go dominate to a win, I did like how that safety car really made the second half of the race pretty interesting because at Chuckwalla, with the multi-class racing, it’s very difficult to pass” Andrews said. “I could not get through the 944s. They were faster on the straights. I was faster on the corners. And Christian who was in second, he just kept closing in me, closing in on me. And the last three laps, he was right on my bumper the whole time.”
On last lap on the back straight, Andrews, Hoagland, Sam Spencer and Sophia Storey were four wide. Andrews covered the inside, which thwarted Hoagland’s attempt to pass, even with the double-bump from Spencer and Storey. Traffic from the 944 Spec and Spec E30 cars made it all the more challenging.
In the last turn before the front straightaway, where the checkered flag was coming out, Hoagland got close enough to attempt an outside pass. As with many last-gasp passes, it was working right up to the point that it no longer did, when Hoagland dropped the two outside wheels off track. He was able to save it, but lost a position.
“We were coming up on two- or three-car traffic last three corners. Joey was too close to the person in front of him and he got slowed down,” Hoagland said. “So I ended up getting a way better run and setting myself up to get the highest speed out of the second-to-last corner to slingshot me. And basically I got the slingshot and I was going right toward the back of Joey’s car and then I swiped out to the right of him and then that’s when I went two wheels off front, right rear, and the car kicked sideways. From there it was just kind of dancing with it.”
At checkers, it was Andrews with the win, Spencer in second and Hoagland in third. That was also the podium for Teen Mazda Challenge.
“Joey was really quick all weekend and it was nice coming back to Chuckwalla and having a teammate who was quick,” said Hicks Motorsports teammate Spencer. “So it helped me get my pace up pretty quickly, especially without Cooper (Hicks) there to coach me.”
The win was a boon to Andrews, but it was not enough to lock down the regional championship. They tallied the points Sunday morning, and learned that all Andrews needed was to finish.
Sunday’s qualifying race had Andrews on pole, and he finished first. That put him on pole for the last race of the season and set the stage for Andrews to finish with a grand slam. He scored pole position, led every lap, nailed the fastest lap of the race and took the win.
“Of course, everyone at Hicks Motorsports did a great job on prepping the car and I felt confident. And Sunday’s race ended up being my most dominant drive of the year,” Andrews said. “I remember when I crossed the finish line, there was this feeling of relief of, ‘Oh my gosh, we did it.’”
Spencer finished behind Andrews in second place after some confusion, with William Rasmussen finishing third. The TMC podium was the same.
“Sunday was a tough race. It was the last one that I’d be doing that season and I think it was the last one for all of us,” Spencer said. “There was a huge bunch up toward the end with a safety car that may or may not have turned his lights off and some radio miscommunication and yeah, it was a big bunch up a few laps before the end so it brought everyone together. It switched up some spaces and ended up being just kind of a crazy last race.”
After winning both races and the regional and TMC championships, Andrews set his sights on the Spec MX-5 scholarship he won at the Mazda Shootout last year.
“I knew it was going to be an emotional weekend for me. Obviously, it was my last Spec Miata race, my last race at Hicks Motorsports, my last race with NASA SoCal,” Andrews said. “Coming off of winning the Shootout, I was already excited for this weekend going in knowing I’m going to get to see everyone, we’re going to have a great celebration no matter how it goes. And I just knew it almost felt like a homecoming. And I think from an off track point of view, that weekend really felt special of truly enjoying the time that I got to spend at everyone that weekend. I think that was another key part of what made that weekend so special.”
