IRP 86

BROWNSBURG, Ind. — After a Bristol finish that left teammates tangled together and a dominant performance unrewarded, Chris Chavez Essary delivered a much different ending at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. This time, the No. 21 finished the job—and brought two Red Snapper Racing teammates with him. Chavez Essary led 102 of 125 laps to win Race 4 of AARN O’Reilly Series Season 2, finishing 8.606 seconds ahead of Phillip Chavez. Michael Kurdziolek completed the podium, giving Red Snapper Racing a 1-2-3 sweep and its third consecutive victory.

It was the kind of response that needed little explanation. At Bristol, Chavez Essary had controlled much of the race before late contact—including a final-lap incident with teammate Brian Burchett—cost him a potential victory. At IRP, he started from the pole, controlled more than four-fifths of the distance and completed the entire race without an incident. The result was his second victory in three starts this season, and it moved him four positions higher in the championship standings.

What began as an impressive RSR debut at Gateway has quickly become a sustained challenge to the rest of the field. Chavez Essary’s performance extended well beyond laps led. He also recorded the fastest lap and collected all five bonuses available for leading, leading the most laps, winning, setting the fastest lap and finishing with zero incidents. His 48-point night was the highest total in the field.

There were opportunities for others to take command. The race featured five lead changes among four drivers, with Aaron Gerwitz, Alan Warneke and Charles Allen Jr. joining Chavez Essary at the front. But with only three cautions for 12 laps, the event offered considerably more than a series of short sprints and restart chances. Over the full distance, the No. 21 separated itself.

For Phillip Chavez, second place completed the brothers’ one-two finish that had slipped away at Gateway earlier in the season. The No. 27 started fourth and finished second, completing all 125 laps and earning 42 points. There was no repeat of the late spin that had interrupted his Gateway run. At IRP, Phillip secured his first podium of the season and gave RSR the second step alongside the race winner.

Kurdziolek made the team result even stronger. Starting eighth, the No. 91 advanced five positions to finish third, 10.509 seconds behind Chavez Essary. After finishing runner-up at Gateway and enduring a difficult Bristol race, Kurdziolek returned to the podium and climbed seven positions in the standings, into a tie for 12th with Jason Thomas at 107 points. Burchett, the Bristol winner, added an eighth-place finish after starting 16th.

That gave Red Snapper Racing four cars inside the top eight, with a different driver winning each of its last two races. The organization has now won at Gateway, Bristol and IRP. This was its most complete finishing result yet. Gerwitz was the strongest challenger outside the RSR podium sweep.

The No. 9 started second, led 18 laps and finished fourth, collecting bonuses for leading and completing the race without an incident. His 42-point result matched Phillip Chavez’s runner-up total and moved him back to second in the championship. Warneke followed in fifth after starting sixth and leading three laps. Like Gerwitz and Chavez Essary, he completed the night with zero incidents.

Warneke did not have the winning result, but he retained something RSR is still chasing: the championship lead. The No. 72 earned 41 points and now leads the standings with 148. Gerwitz is second with 138, followed by Gary May at 136 and Chavez Essary at 132. Warneke’s record now includes three top-five finishes and four top-10s through four races—a steady foundation while the wins have gone elsewhere.

Chavez Essary’s victory nevertheless brought him closer. He entered IRP 23 points behind Warneke and leaves only 16 back, despite having made one fewer start. With two wins and 271 laps led in three appearances, the No. 21 has quickly established itself as a serious threat to the points leader. Justin Hewitt finished sixth and was the final driver to complete all 125 laps.

Joseph Essenberg advanced from 11th to seventh for Great Lakes Racing, while Burchett, May and Shane Morris completed the top 10, each one lap down. May’s ninth-place finish moved him to third in the championship, but his Wagner Brothers Racing teammate Tyler Wagner suffered one of the night’s most costly results. Wagner started third and completed only 29 laps before his race ended. He was credited with 17th and earned 27 points, dropping from a tie for second to fifth in the standings.

With 128 points, Wagner remains only 20 behind Warneke, but IRP was a missed opportunity on a night when several of his closest rivals finished near the front. Thomas also left with ground to recover. The Lucky Dog Racing driver finished 16th after completing 106 laps, while Ideal Racing’s Chuckie W. Allen completed only 22 laps and finished 18th.

Dave W. Allen had a more productive evening for Ideal Racing, advancing from 15th to 11th and earning a clean-race bonus. Behind the leading five in points, Hewitt holds sixth with 126, Morris seventh with 125 and Charles Allen Jr. eighth with 120. Essenberg remains ninth with 118, while Burchett’s eighth-place finish moved him into the championship top 10 at 113.

The early standings remain close enough that another strong result can move a driver several places. The biggest organizational movement belonged to RSR. The podium sweep helped Red Snapper Racing jump from fourth to second in the team championship with 365 points, only 21 behind Wagner Brothers Racing’s 386. RSR had trailed by 66 after Bristol, meaning IRP erased 45 points from that gap in one event.

Lucky Dog Racing dropped to third with 350, followed by Ideal Racing at 338. Great Lakes Racing holds fifth with 118, ahead of Major Motorsports at 65. For all the attention on the individual victory, that team swing may prove just as important. RSR has participated in one fewer round than the organizations it is chasing, yet now sits directly behind the team leader.

IRP gave Chavez Essary the response his Bristol performance deserved. It gave Phillip Chavez and Kurdziolek podium finishes, and it turned another RSR victory into a sweep of the first three positions. Warneke still leads the driver championship. Wagner Brothers Racing still leads the team standings.

But after three consecutive wins—and now an entire podium occupied by its drivers—Red Snapper Racing is closing on both. The AARN O’Reilly Series is supported by race partner Tier One Setups. Use code AARN for 10% off setup purchases.