GRIDLIFE Rolls into Heartlands for TrackBattle Round 7

TOPEKA, Kansas - The quiet Kansas plains will roar to life with the sounds of GRIDLIFE competition at Heartland Motorsports Park in Topeka, Kansas, August 20-22. After intense front-pack battles at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course just two weeks ago, GRIDLIFE Touring Cup returns for an eighth points round in the 2021 season. Eric Kutil’s nearly certain victory at the Ohio course sunk into the gravel trap during heavy rain at the end of the weekend. Kutil remains runner-up in the current GLTC points standings behind leader Aaron Leichty. But with the points system allowing up to 14 races to be dropped, the repercussions of poor finishes for many of the front drivers are not yet known.

Tom O’Gorman, who snuck out the Mid-Ohio weekend victory after a spectacular spin-and-win, stands to gain the most with the drop races factored at the end of the season at Road America. He and Andy Smedegard Motorsports team owner Andy Smedegard make up just two of 21 entries for GLTC at Heartland Motorsport Park. 

Other notable entries include Eric Jensen, whose LS-swapped Scion FR-S made big gains at Mid-Ohio, and the return of the entire Myriad Motorsports and Team Kelly crew - three Honda S2000s and Justin Kelly’s FR-S. Luke McGrew, Erik Meadows, and Gary Wimble storm into Kansas with their Ford Duratec swapped third-generation Mazda MX-5s. McGrew lead the points deep into the season, but a falloff in consistency has relegated him to fourth in the standings, 41 points behind Aaron Leichty. With only two points rounds remaining after this weekend’s races, the championship fight continues to shape up prior to GRIDLIFE’s Midwest Festival in September.

A fifty-car GRIDLIFE TrackBattle Time Attack will compete on the 2.5 mile course at Heartland Motorsports Park this weekend. Familiar names like Josh Halka, Charles Miller, and Eric ‘Dewey’ Dewitt will aim to set the first track records for GRIDLIFE competition. In ClubTR, Dana Basinski in his K-swapped Subaru BRZ, Ryan Seiler in his #255 Honda S2000, and Jackson Jensen in his #527 Honda S2000 will each aim to best the other on the spec Falken RT660 tire.

Nick Anderson of Excelsior Springs, Missouri, enters his 2003 Dodge Viper into the SuperUnlimited category. On the other end of the speed scale, Sundae Cup remains a popular class, with Cooper Pierce, Rory Lonergan, Matt Williams, and Kyle Carstens all entering in Honda Fits. 

The skidpad at Heartland Motorsports Park will also be used by drift this weekend - and with over twenty cars signed up to slide, there will be no shortage of excitement at GRIDLIFE Heartlands this weekend.

With Heartland Motorsports Park new on the GRIDLIFE schedule for 2020, many drivers come in with little to no experience at the track; times will likely get progressively faster throughout the weekend as drivers optimize their laps at the 2.5 mile, 14 turn road course.

Follow along all weekend with the GRIDLIFE Live Blog, and follow GRIDLIFE on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for updates on the action. The blog will have session summaries, as well as links to live timing & scoring, entry lists, and more.