Driving the No. 55 Supercar Life Ferrari F430, Scott Tucker captured the win in race three of the Ferrari Challenge Series at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga. Tucker set the fastest lap time of all drivers, clocking in at 01:28.012, a full 2.92 seconds ahead of second place finisher Zak Brown (01:28.511).
After posting a strong qualifying time of 01:27.023, Tucker took third position on the starting grid hot on the heels of pole winner Richard Fant in the No. 42 car. Sunny Yu, driver of the No. 90 F430 settled in next to Tucker in fourth position.
As the green flag dropped, Brown, who started in second position, moved into the lead, taking advantage of Fant's slow start. Though Tucker slipped back in the opening lap as a result of Fant's misstep, he quickly regained himself and next started gunning for the leaders, looking to advance to the head of the field.
The fast pace of the race continued in true Series style, climaxing on lap eight, when Ferrari of Beverly Hills' Yu, who was now leading Tucker in third position, lost grip and crashed into the wall going into turn 10. The incident forced race officials to red flag the field and close the track while repairs were made to the wall.
Tucker capitalized on the break in momentum once the race was again underway. His superior handling skills put the No. 55 Supercar Life Ferrari F430 machine in a familiar and powerful position during the second half of the race. By lap 15, he had gained two positions within the field, placing himself in second. Four laps later, Tucker passed Brown to take over first position, putting eight car lengths between himself and the No. 99 car with Henri Richard following.
The action heated up further back in the pack where, with just minutes to go, Boardwalk Ferrari teammate Ted Skokos, driving the No. 2 Ferrari F430, began intently working on a pass over Bruce Gingrich in the No. 7 car. But Skokos fell victim to the same turn 10 that Yu had been approaching earlier in the race when he wrecked; clipped by Gingrich on his pass approach, Skokos and the No. 2 car finished in 17th place.
As the race came to a close, Tucker emerged victorious taking the win. The No. 99 Brown (01:28.511) and No. 42 Richard (01:28.409) crossed the finish line several seconds behind Tucker in second and third, respectively.
Drivers John Farano (01:29.020) and Mike Zoi (01:29.965) in the No. 59 and No. 8 cars rounded out the Top Five.
After today's race three win, Tucker continues to lead the Series standings (600 points) with Mark McKenzie in second (450 points).
"We're right where we wanted to be-up front and on the podium," Tucker said. "Battling with Brown for the top position today gave me a run for my money; we've been able to put on a good show. I have to thank the team, as they did a fantastic job. Now hopefully we can go out and put on another good race for tomorrow."
Qualifying for race four takes place Sunday, April 19, at 9:20 a.m. EST with the race scheduled to begin at 2:45 p.m. EST. Please note that weather conditions may move up race four's starting time.
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