PORTLAND, Ore. – West Pro/Am team Jon Miller and Harry Gottsacker won Sunday afternoon’s GT4 America SprintX race at Portland Int’l Raceway, part of the 59th annual Rose Cup Races presented by Fastlife.TV.
Matt Travis and Jason Hart won the national Pro/Am class.
Overall race pole-sitter and West Am competitor Drew Staveley led the pack to the line for the 60-minute, 45-lap contest. Third-on-the-grid Pro/Am driver Hart had a great start and vaulted up into second through turn one.
West Pro/Am class driver Jason Wolfe started second and slotted in behind Hart in third. In the SprintX Am division, Matthew Keegan slotted into seventh overall on the first lap.
On lap two, Hart and Wolfe would go side by side through turn one, with the driver of the No. 38 machine taking back second. Gottsacker moved up into fourth at that point.
The leaders held their positions through lap 19 and into the 10-minute pit window for driver changes. Gottsacker was the first of the lead group into the pits and handed over the reins to teammate Miller. Keegan then came in and handed over to Preston Calvert.
Wolfe came into the pits on the 23rd lap, with teammate Samantha Tan getting behind the wheel. On lap 24, Hart came in and handed over to Travis. Staveley remained out on track and came in just before the pit window expired on lap 25.
With the pit window closed, Frank Gannett exited the pits behind the wheel of the No. 24 machine and reassumed the overall race lead, with Travis in second, Tan in third and Miller fourth. Calvert slotted into ninth overall and first in Am.
By lap 26, Travis passed Gannett for the overall race lead, Miller had moved past Tan into third, and Rearden Racing’s Vesko Kozarovhad charged up into fifth – teammate Jeff Burton started 15th on the day.
Calvert remained in ninth overall and first in the Am class. Miller continued his charge to the front passing Gannett through turn one on lap 30 and then Travis on lap 34.
Kozarov then began hunting down Gannett for the West Am lead and moved up into fourth overall in the race. By lap 38, Kozarov caught Gannett and executed a pass through turns eight and nine to move up into third overall and first in the West Am category.
Kozarov then passed Travis to slot into second overall in the race.
At the checkered, Miller crossed the line ahead of Kozarov, Travis, Gannett and Tan.
Calvert finished 10th overall and first in Am, while Miller and Gottsacker claimed the West Pro/Am win, with Kozarov and Burton coming in as winners of the West Am division.
Travis and Hart won the national Pro/Am class.
“The race went well. I was able to have a clean start, held my ground and was able to give Jon (Miller) a great race car,” said Gottsacker in victory circle. “Jon literally just tore them up out there and went straight to the front and got a good gap to finish it.”
“It was an awesome race. Two green flag races all the way which is for our driver pairing Harry (Gottsacker) and I we hope for green flag racing,” added Miller. “It plays into our strategy. That’s what happened this weekend and especially today. Harry set the pace up from and left me some tires at the end which for our car; that’s where we struggle is keeping the tires on it. I just took it to the end and the overall win. Super happy.”