July 13, 2024

The scorching heat set the stage for a thrilling Round 6 at Atlanta Motorsports Park. With temperatures soaring to 92 degrees in direct sunlight and the track itself reaching a blistering 130 degrees, racers faced challenging conditions. Today’s recap focuses on the LO206 Senior Division, where drivers battled not just each other but also the intense heat in a high-stakes showdown.

Danny May took home the trophy in the LO206 Senior division. Danny fought with mechanical struggles all day but relied on his lucky bumper to win his second consecutive race at Atlanta Motorsports Park. Let’s break down how he pulled off one of the greatest upsets in recent AMP history.

Twenty-five drivers would take the green flag for the Pre-Final. Austin Johnson (115) would lead the field to green with a fast time of 1:00.888. Alongside Johnson on the front row would be the no. 2 of Ryan Fiorentino. The green flag would drop and Allyssa Vascocu in her signature pink no. 107 would rocket up three positions. Vascocu is technically a rookie in this division and has been a steady hard charger since the first race this season.

Vascocu and Wesley Bacon (06) would lock into a heated battle for the second position, exchanging blows back and forth. Vascocu would overcome Bacon and attempt to challenge Johnson for the lead. Lap 5 would be a pivotal point for Vascocu as she would pass Johnson. Danny May (9) would hard charge past Johnson and claim the second position.

Your Smokey Bear Cigar & Cafe midway top five: Alyssa Vascocu, Danny May, Wesley Bacon, Austin Johnson, and Ryan Fiorentino.

With three laps remaining Johnson would overtake May and Vascocu, pushing both drivers down a position. The final laps would wind down with Johnson still leading the charge into the final corners. Vascocu, Bacon, and Johnson would enter the final corners three wide! Vascocu would have the advantage, exiting the corner with a nose just ahead of Johnson. Johnson would have the higher gearing and pull ever so slightly ahead of both Vascocu and Bacon. Crossing the line three wide the order would be Johnson, Bacon. then Vascocu in a margin of completion of less than .030 seconds.

With the completion of the Pre-Final, Johnson would start on pole for the Final along side Ryan Fiorentino. Twenty-two karts would take the green flag of the 12 lap Final. Johnson would take to the point early, followed by Vascocu and Bacon to round out the early podium. Lap two saw Fiorentino and Austin Klein make contact and spin out in the front of the pack. This would shift both drivers down to the 19th and 20th positions. Lap four would result in a red flag stoppage of the race for an incident in Turn 16. An unknown number of karts made heavy contact in turn 16, resulting in a blockage of the track. All drivers were examined by medical personnel and all drivers were fine.

The red flag would stack the field back single-file for a 20-kart-deep restart with 8 laps remaining. From the loop, Johnson, Vascocu, and May would be the top three for the restart. The green would drop and the action would heat up quickly. Before the second turn, May would hard charge past Vascocu to the second position. May and Johnson would pull ahead and the battle to the end would begin.

May and Johnson would take jabs at each other with six laps left. May and Johnson would put a solid four to five kart gap on Vascocu. Danny May would jump to the lead in Turn 14 with three laps remaining. With two laps remaining, May would lead the field into Turn 14 with Johnson right on his heels.

Johnson and Vascocu would then come side-by-side with May into the final corner. May would fight his way back to the lead before the stripe and take the white flag. Entering turn two, Vascocu would jump to the second position, and May would slingshot his way to a five kart lead. The field would bunch, and a train of six karts would pressure May, whose lead had now shrunk to a kart-length entering the final corner. May would hold off Vascocu and Bacon for a great finish.

“Man this day was absolutely terrible, we struggled all day to find speed and well we thought we’d pull out the secret weapon, my special bumper,” said May.

The bumper he was referring to is a special painted bumper that his daughters painted for him a few years ago.

Danny May would receive the Blazers Award for moving 21 positions throughout today’s events.

You can find all of the results on RaceHero from today’s events. Be sure to join us for next month’s AMP Kart Race on August 24th for the seventh round of our summer series.