Corey Weber knew going into this year’s American Iron championship race that he would have a bull’s-eye on his Ford Mustang. Weber had won back-to-back American Iron championships and was seeking another.
There was little the seven other teams could do as Weber convincingly won his third consecutive American Iron title.
“I think we lucked out because we could see up until the checkered flag and then it was brownout conditions,” Weber said.
Weber dropped the hammer starting on Friday where he was the fastest qualifier and beat his nearest competitor’s best lap time by 3 seconds. He followed it up the next day by pushing his 1994 Mustang, which was the oldest car in the field, to another easy win in the qualifying race.
American Iron series director Rob Capetz knew that catching Weber in the gusty conditions would be a tough task. Capetz was in a dogfight with Martin Daszkal just to hang onto the second spot, but he outlasted Daszkal in the 16-lap race.
Last year Capetz earned third at the Western States Championships and he improved by one spot this season. Capetz used his post-race interview to promote the series, which he expects to grow to as many as 14 racers at each SoCal Region event.
“There’s nothing like the thrill of driving a big V8 car,” Capetz said. “It’s cost effective. A crate motor is only $6,500 compared to the Porsche that are $40,000 or whatever.
“You can still keep your family and your kids in shoes and your wife in a house and have a new car.”
This year was the first season for Daszkal in American Iron after campaigning a Porsche GT3 Cup car in Super Touring 1. During Sunday’s championship, Daszkal started at the back of the pack by placing seventh in qualifying. It was hardly ideal especially trying to catch Weber who was turning out sub 2-minute lap times.
“I had to start last because my car broke on Friday, but I was able to work through the field,” Daszkal said. “It’s actually probably one of the most fun races I’ve ever had. Starting last and working my way through the field was a blast.”
