Monitor Editor
KEYSTONE HEIGHTS— The inaugural Nitro Rallycross event at Florida International Rally and Motorsports Park, within the Keystone Heights Airport featured a NASCAR star, controversy and the crowning of the tour’s founder as the Supercar Series Champion.
NASCAR Cup Series 2020 champion Chase Elliot was a last-minute announcement into the Supercar lineup. Elliot, son of NASCAR legend Bill Elliot, has been recognized as NASCAR’s most popular driver over the last four years.
Last month, NASCAR star Kyle Busch raced at the Nitro Rallycross event in Phoenix, finishing fourth.
Star power and controversy
In the Supercar class, two drivers face off in a one-on-one matchup, with the winner advancing through a bracket to the finals.
Each of five rounds consists of three laps around the rally course, which features a mixture of asphalt and clay surfaces and a two-story-tall ramp that can launch cars 40 feet into the air.
In Round 1, Elliot was matched with Tanner Foust. The 26-year-old Georgia native stayed with Foust through the first two laps, tapping Foust’s back bumper on the second lap. In the third and final circuit Elliot took an inside line on the final turn, slamming into the
right side of Tanner’s car and beating Tanner to the corner. Elliot then sprinted the final three seconds of the lap to take the checkered flag.
Race stewards later penalized Elliot for avoidable contact and awarded Tanner the win.
Founder captures series championship
In the Supercar final, Timmy Hanson placed first followed by brother Kevin Hansen and Scott Speed. Nitro Rallycross founder Travis Pastrana finished fourth at Keystone, but previous finishes combined with the fourth-place finish gave him enough points to claim the series championship. Speed and Timmy Hanson finished second and third for the series title.
Attendance for the event fell well short of the 10,000 to 20,000 spectators predicted by government and tourism officials.
Keystone Airport board chair David Kirkland told the city council that the official attendance had not been released but he estimated a crowd of around 3,000. City Manager Lynn Rutkowski put the attendance at 5,000.
