Kester Gains Eight Positions for Championship Points

Alton, VA (April 26, 2009) – As round two of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear commenced this afternoon, the four Kester Racing with Team 3G cars found themselves starting the race in four consecutive positions. The first lap saw a series of passing from all four of the drivers, but the overtaking was quickly followed by a series of unfortunate events. Several caution laps consumed the majority of the race placing J.C., Chris, and Taylor at the back. Kristy kept her racing momentum going until the end, gaining eight positions and finishing on the lead lap.

Kristy on the race: “We did really well in practice and qualified with the fast group. In qualifying, we had brake issues which forced us to start at the rear. I had a great start in the race and passed six cars on the first lap. The race had a lot of yellow flags and restarts which were critical. Fortunately, I had a great restart, but I had trouble getting on the back straight. Overall, it was a good race for championship points. It wasn’t the outcome I would have liked, but considering where we started, it was a decent finish.”

J.C. on the race: “I had a really great start and passed five cars, but I was rear-ended going into turn one and had to come into the pits for a new wing. The guys did a fantastic job getting me back out on the track quickly, though. I’m ready to go to Utah and try again at the next race.”

Taylor on the race: “We started off this weekend really well. I had some great practice sessions, but I just started circling backwards from there. We tried something new in the second practice for qualifying, and I started 18th. In the race, we moved pretty far up through the field at the beginning, but it was a crazy race with a lot of yellow flags. I got tangled up with Chris trying to pass him and broke my suspension. The guys worked really hard this weekend, and we were really fast, so it’s unfortunate that we ended up with a bad result. I’m looking forward to racing in Utah in a few weeks because I did really well there last year, so it should be good.”

Chris on the race: “I’m disappointed with the race because we were running really well and the car was really good. Unfortunately, my race was cut short when I had contact with Taylor in a turn that is really difficult to pass in. I want to thank the team for giving me a great car this weekend.”

Jeff Kester, Team Owner: “We had a couple of great practice sessions, but we need to work on our qualifying efforts. All the drivers gained some positions at the start of the race, and the cars were running really well until J.C. got into it in turn one. He had to come in for a new nose, but the crew did a great job getting him back out there fast. Taylor and Chris wrecked out as well, but it was a decent finish for Kristy. It wasn’t exactly where we wanted to be, but we’re moving forward. I appreciate all the crew’s hard work this week. Thanks to all the sponsors, Texas World Speedway, Motul, VC Sims, Sparco, Snap-on, K&N Filters, Chassis Sim, Advertising Edge, and Signature Consultants for another good race weekend. We’re looking forward to a fresh start and a new outlook in Utah in a few weeks.”

The action of the Star Mazda Championship continues in just a few short weeks at the Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah.