Road Racing on Memorial Day weekend at Lime Rock Park is a long-standing tradition for the 1.5-mile track tucked in the northwest corner of Connecticut. After a hosting the final round of the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge in 2012 and 2013, North America’s premier street-stock racing series returned to tradition when it convened at Lime Rock Park for the final weekend in May in 2014.

Fall-Line Motorsports drivers Trent Hindman and John Edwards came into the weekend with a sizable points lead, though Rum Bum Racing sat 6th in the points, and have won two of the last three races at Lime Rock Park. The weather would prove to be a pivotal factor, as the weekend’s forecast called for cool temperatures and scattered rain showers. What the short, one-and-a-half mile course lacks in length it makes up in elevation change: the track features two distinctive sections, known as “The Uphill” and “The Downhill.” It’s not uncommon for faster cars (or rear-engined Porsches) to lift all four tires from the track at The Uphill. Of Lime Rock’s seven flowing turns, only one is a left, so savvy teams set their cars up with a “asymmetric” setup that favors grip in right-hand turns at the expense of grip when turning left.

Because the track’s layout only has one major braking zone that is followed by a series of turns, outright horsepower is less of an advantage at Lime Rock Park. Cars with good balance that can maintain momentum through a series of turns are the ticket.

That being said, the quickest times in both practice sessions were set by the No. 01 CKS Autosport Camaro Z/28.R driven by Eric Curran and Lawson Aschenbach. Mustang BOSS 302Rs were also quick, with Jade Buford and Scott Maxwell piloting the No. 15 Multimatic Motorsports Mustang BOSS 302R and Joe Acquilante and Kurt Rezzetano setting second-fastest times in practice sessions one and two, respectively.

As predicted, rain dampened the qualifying session scheduled for Friday afternoon. Rather than have teams risk themselves while frantically setting a fast time on a wet slippery track, IMSA rules sets the grid according to championship points, and the session was changed to a practice. As such, the #46 Fall-Line Motorsports BMW M3 of Trent Hindman and John Edwards would start on pole. Third in points were Lucas Bize and David Levine, the highest-positioned Mustang BOSS 302R in the championship standings, started on the inside of the front row.

Because of the short track and the relatively large number of cars in both the ST (slower) and GS (faster) classes in the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, Saturday featured separate races for each class. The afternoon’s headliner was the GS-class race featuring 28 entries. At the start, starting driver in the #46 Fall-Line Motorsports BMW, John Edwards spearheaded the field while Lawson Aschenbach (No. 01 Camaro) hit a curb after tangling with Kris Wilson (No. 07 Aston Martin) while the two battled for second place into turn one. Lucas Bize (No. 78 Racers Edge Motorsports Mustang BOSS 302R) capitalized on the confrontation and moved to second place.

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Top Row: Left: The No. 32 Phoenix American Motorsports Mustang BOSS 302R of Andrew Acquilante and Kurt Rezzetano sits on a setup pad after unloading on Thursday at Lime Rock Park. The setup pad measures the amount of load on each tire, and the information is used to change how the car handles in different turns. Right: Galante and Piscitell shared the No. 79 Racers Edge Motorsports Mustang BOSS 302R at Lime Rock park, shown here entering No Name Straight during Friday morning’s practice session. Bottom Row: Left: One of Lime Rock’s features is “The Downhill,” an extremely high speed diving turn that tests drivers nerve as well as their car’s ability to hold the track. Here the No. 78 Racers Edge Motorsports Mustang BOSS 302R of Lucas Bize and David Levine leads two BOSS 302s and a Nissan 370Z during Friday afternoon’s practice session. Right: The Downhill leads onto the front straight at Lime Rock Park. Here the No. 78 Racers Edge Motorsports Mustang BOSS 302R of Lucas Bize and David Levine drafts the seven-liter No. 6 Camaro Z/28.R at the exit of The Downhill to maximize speed down the straightaway, and (hopefully) set up a pass into the braking zone into turn one.

John Edwards extended his lead on the field to over two seconds during the opening laps while Kris Wilson moved his Aston Martin up to second place behind Edwards’s BMW. After 21 laps, Ryan Eversley charged his No. 77 Compass 360 Racing Subaru WRX up to 7th after starting 26th! Meanwhile John Edwards (No. 46 BMW) led Kris Wilson (No. 07 Aston) by 2.544 seconds, followed by Lucas Bize (No. 78 Mustang), Scott Maxwell (No. 15 Mustang), Nick Longhi (No. 13 Porsche), Brad Jaeger (No. 14 Nissan).

A half-hour into the 2.5-hour race, John Edwards (No. 46 BMW) extended his lead to 4.127 seconds, while Ryan Eversley (No. 77 Subaru) passed Nick Longhi (No. 13 Porsche) for fifth. Michael Marsal (No. 97 Turner Motorsport BMW) sustained suspension damage when he and Ian James (No. 158 Mustang BOSS 302R) tangled with Ryan Winchester’s #76 Subaru WRX in turn one. Both Marsal and James were forced to pit to make repairs. A few laps later, Ryan Eversley moved up to fourth in his No. 77 Subaru after passing Scott Maxwell (No. 15 Mustang BOSS 302R).

With forty-five minutes remaining, the time required for starting drivers earn points was satisfied, and many teams called their drivers in into the pits for fuel, tires, and to change drivers over the next few laps. With their cars back out on track, it was Trent Hindman (now driving the No. 46 BMW) leading Peter Ludwig (second driver in the No. 07 Aston) by 18.123 seconds. Kyle Gimple was third after taking over driving of the No. 77 Subaru from Ryan Eversley, followed by Matt Plumb (finishing driver of the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche). Jade Buford resumed 5th place in the No. 15 Mustang.

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Left: Jade Buford greets fans on the pre-race Fan walk next to his Mustang BOSS 302R. Co-driver Scott Maxwell started the race, while Buford took over to finish the race. Right: Andrew Acquilante, driver of the No. 32 Phoenix American Motorsports Mustang BOSS 302R, chats with a fan before the 2.5-hour race at Lime Rock park.

A few laps later, Jason Montgomery slid his Camaro GS.R off at turn one, and had to be retrieved. This brought out the race’s first caution flag. Several cars immediately ducked into the pits for fresh fuel and tires. Rum Bum racing called in driver Matt Plumb. The crew elected to only change tires on the left side, shaving precious seconds from their pit stop. Curiously, a few teams that stayed out the first lap called their drivers to the pits on the second lap, including the leading No. 46 Fall-Line Motorsports BMW of Trent Hindman. While Hindman was in the pits, Plumb passed Hindman, rejoining the race in sixth position.

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Left: David Levine sends off co-driver Lucas Bize who started the Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park in the third spot. The drivers finished the race 25th after encountering problems during the race. Right: The pre-race fan walk is always popular with fans of the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge.

The delayed pit stop was pivotal for the race’s outcome, as Hindman lost precious time battling Jade Buford for fourth place, and was unable to catch Plumb, Gimple, and Lally. Light sprinkles also added an element of uncertainty to the race, but Matt Plumb and co-driver Nick Longhi handily won Lime Rock with a five-second margin on Andy Lally (No. 9 Camaro Z/28.R) and Kyle Gimple (No. 77 Subaru WRX). Lally, who shared the No. 9 Camaro Z/28.R shared the car with Matt Bell, who won last year’s race at Lime Rock Park.

The win for Rum Bum Racing drivers Plumb and Longhi was their third victory in four years at the New England track. Although they weren’t able to capitalize on their dominant performance through most of the race, John Edwards and Trent Hindman extended their points lead by coming across the stripe fourth.

The series heads to Kansas Speedway for the series’ 5th round of the 2014 IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge June 7th.