Las Vegas 150

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Red Snapper Racing’s introduction to the AARN O’Reilly Series is no longer simply an impressive start. It is becoming a takeover. Chris Chavez Essary controlled 60 of 100 laps Sunday night at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and held off Aaron Gerwitz by just 0.131 seconds to capture Race 5 of Season 2, giving the No. 21 its third victory in four starts and extending Red Snapper Racing’s winning streak to four consecutive races. RSR has now won every O’Reilly race it has entered.

Chavez Essary won the organization’s debut at World Wide Technology Raceway. Brian Burchett survived the wild Bristol finish a week later. Chavez Essary returned to Victory Lane at IRP, and now Las Vegas belongs to the No. 21 as well. This one nearly slipped away.

Gerwitz stayed attached to Chavez Essary through the closing laps and crossed the stripe barely more than a tenth of a second behind. The two were comfortably clear of third-place Alan Warneke, who finished 6.947 seconds back, but the battle for the win remained undecided until they reached the checkered flag. Chavez Essary started fifth and steadily moved into control. He led a race-high 60 laps, completed all 100 circuits with zero incidents and earned four bonus points for leading, leading the most laps, winning and finishing clean.

The result produced an event-high 47 points. It also continued an extraordinary statistical start to his AARN career. Through only four starts, Chavez Essary already has three victories, three top-five finishes, four top-10s, two poles, three podiums and 331 laps led. His 179 points now place him third in the driver standings, only 12 behind championship leader Warneke despite having one fewer start.

Gerwitz was nearly able to spoil the RSR streak. Starting third, the No. 9 led 26 laps and matched Chavez Essary nearly stride-for-stride during the decisive portion of the race. Gerwitz finished clean and collected two bonuses for leading and completing the race without an incident, giving him 44 points. The runner-up finish moved Gerwitz within nine points of Warneke for the championship lead.

Warneke remains first after another characteristically strong performance. Starting from the pole, the No. 72 led 14 laps and finished third. His bonuses for leading and completing the race incident-free gave him 43 points and increased his season total to 191. Warneke still has not won through five races, but his consistency continues to be the standard the rest of the championship field is trying to match.

He has four top-five finishes and has finished inside the top 10 in every race. The championship picture leaving Las Vegas now has Warneke at 191, Gerwitz at 182 and Chavez Essary at 179. Only 12 points separate the top three. Michael Kurdziolek gave Red Snapper Racing another strong result, finishing fourth after starting sixth.

He recorded the fastest lap of the race at 30.344 seconds, earning a bonus point and climbing three positions in the championship standings to ninth. Jason Thomas completed the top five, while Robert Wyant finished sixth after starting fourth. Daniel Dunaway placed seventh, followed by Phillip Chavez in eighth and Justin Hewitt in ninth. Hewitt’s finish included a zero-incident bonus, and although he lost one position in the standings, he remains fifth overall with 162 points.

Shane Morris rounded out the top 10, but his afternoon looked much different from the drivers ahead of him. Morris completed 79 laps and finished 21 laps behind the winner after beginning the night second on the grid. Las Vegas itself was relatively restrained compared with the chaos seen at Bristol. The race featured only two cautions for six laps, leaving most of the 100-lap distance to unfold under green.

There were nine lead changes among only three drivers—Chavez Essary, Gerwitz and Warneke—which meant the same trio repeatedly found its way back to the front as the race developed. The closing margin reflected just how evenly matched the top two were. Chavez Essary’s average lap was 35.103 seconds. Gerwitz averaged 35.104.

Over 100 laps, the difference was almost nothing. Yet at the finish, the No. 21 had exactly enough. The race also carried major implications for the team championship. Red Snapper Racing entered Las Vegas second in the standings, trailing Wagner Brothers Racing by 21 points.

It leaves first. The combination of Chavez Essary’s victory, Kurdziolek’s fourth-place finish, Phillip Chavez’s eighth and the organization’s broader points haul pushed RSR to 489 team points, 17 ahead of Wagner Brothers Racing at 472. Lucky Dog Racing sits third with 464, followed by Ideal Racing at 424. Great Lakes Racing has 180, with Major Motorsports at 65.

That team championship swing may be the clearest sign yet of how quickly RSR has established itself. They did not participate in the season opener at Darlington. Four races later, they lead the team standings. Their four-race stretch has produced victories from two different drivers, nine top-five finishes, 12 top-10s and 19 bonus points.

And Chavez Essary is now closing rapidly on the individual championship as well. Gary May remains fourth in points with 167 after a difficult Las Vegas race ended after 31 laps. Tyler Wagner also lost ground after not competing and receiving provisional points, falling two positions to seventh. Those setbacks allowed Chavez Essary, Hewitt and Morris to continue reshaping the upper portion of the standings.

Five races are complete, and the early championship picture has become increasingly clear. Warneke remains the points leader because he has consistently finished near the front. Gerwitz is nine points behind. Chavez Essary is 12 back and has won three of the four races he has entered.

And Red Snapper Racing has now taken the team championship lead after winning its fourth consecutive event. At Las Vegas, the No. 21 needed all 100 laps to shake Gerwitz. The margin at the checkered flag was only 0.131 seconds—but Red Snapper Racing’s impact on Season 2 is becoming much harder to measure. The AARN O’Reilly Series is supported by Tier One Setups.

Use code AARN for 10% off setup purchases.