Thornburg, Vir.—RVA Graphics and Wraps had an outstanding weekend of ChampCar Endurance Series racing at Dominion Raceway in Virgina, where they achieved a significant first for the team by sweeping both races.
The entire weekend, including an eight-hour race on Saturday and a seven-hour race on Sunday, was a showcase of RVA Graphics and Wraps performance. Known as an “8+7” event, this double endurance race format is a new one for the ChampCar Endurance Series. RVA Graphics and Wraps arrived with the 311 of Charles Reed and Taylor Harcum, while the 411 pilots were Austin Dodge and Alex Albert. The team’s two-car effort came away with the two wins as well as two second-place finishes following dominant performances.
Saturday’s eight-hour race got the green flag at nine o’clock in the morning, and both cars were mid-pack on the grid. Charles started in the 311, while Austin was behind the wheel of the 411. Both drivers got to work on moving up through the field, and they were at the front of the pack by the end of the first segment.
Charles and Alex took over at the pit stop, and they got to work extending both cars’ lead over the field. The track was a challenge for the cars, but crew members Teo Conrad, Jason Yarema, Terrell Burt, and Jake Saunders were up to the task, keeping both entries running strong and performing outstanding pit stops.
At the end of race one, the 411 of Austin and Alex was first, and the 311 was in second thanks to the efforts of Taylor and Charles. The one-two finish was especially memorable since it was the first time the RVA Graphics and Wraps endurance team had swept the top two spots on the podium.
Winning the race was something to celebrate, but it also presented a unique challenge in Sunday’s seven-hour race. According to the ChampCar rules, the winner of Saturday’s race had to start three laps down.
Austin took the start with his work cut out for him in the 411, but he was able to unlap himself by the end of his stint. Meanwhile, Charles started the race in the 311 and worked his way up from a mid-pack start to the top three.
When Alex took over in the 411 and Taylor slid behind the wheel in the 311, both drivers continued the charge and wound up battling for the top spot. The win for the 411 of Austin and Alex came down to Alex’s late-race pass for the lead with just 30 minutes remaining.
After experiencing a one-two finish for the first time on Saturday, the RVA Graphics and Wraps endurance team got to do it all over again on Sunday. It’s rare to say that a race weekend could not have gone better, but at Dominion Raceway, that’s exactly what happened.
