The #51 Roush Performance Mustang Boss 302R hangs the inside front hangs its inside front wheel as it crests turn five during Thursday’s test session. The turn’s nickname is “Madness,” and it’s easy to see why.

Billy Johnson and Jack Roush Jr., driving the #61 Roush Performance Mustang Boss 302R, captured their second win of the 2012 Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge season on June 9th at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. It was Johnson’s first win at the 2.26-mile road course, and the eleventh of his Grand-Am career.

The driving duo of Johnson and Roush Jr. were fast all weekend, with Roush Jr. qualifying eighth for Saturday’s race. Bryan Heitkotter snatched pole position with his #14 Nissan 370Z, with Nick Longhi (#13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche) starting the race on the outside of row one. At the drop of the green flag, Longhi took the lead, followed by Eric Curran (#01 CKS Autosport Camaro) and Bret Spaude (#35 Subaru). Polesitter Heitkotter dropped to fourth.

The first full-course caution came out on lap ten, about fifteen minutes into the race. None of the leaders opted to pit, but with the course green and after the required thirty minutes elapsed for drivers to receive points, the three Fall-Line Motorsports BMWs howled down pit lane, including the championship-leading #48 Fall-Line BMW M3 which Charles Putman handed over to Charles Espenlaub.

A couple laps later, Bill Auberlen (#96 Turner Motorsport BMW M3) was stranded on the course, and the yellow flag came out so Auberlen could be retrieved safely. The leaders headed to the pits for fuel, tires, and driver changes. The first of those who stayed out was Ashley McCalmont (#00 CKS Autosport Camaro). On the restart, Bryan Sellers (#46 Fall-Line Motorsports BMW M3) launched from third position to the lead, followed by Hugh Plumb (#45 Fall-Line Motorsports BMW M3) and John Edwards (#9 Stevensen Motorsports Camaro). All three drivers had already pitted, but would likely have to stop again for fuel before the end of the race.

Bob Michaelian went for a wild ride after his Rehagen Racing Mustang Boss 302R boiled its brake fluid on pit lane during Thursday’s testing session. He went off in “typical Mid-Ohio fashion” at turn two. Co-driver Dean Martin reasoned, “Losing your brakes is the most helpless feeling. It’s easy to do here, especially since we have the first stall on pit lane.” That’s because you come off the track hot, and there’s an uphill slope to pit lane. There’s a tendency to rest your foot on the brake (to keep the car from rolling backwards), which transfers heat from the rotors to the caliper, which can boil the fluid. The Rehagen Racing crew worked feverishly to repair the car in time for the next day’s practice sessions.

This season, it seems like nobody wants to win the championship. At each race, the series leader coming into the race is knocked from the top spot by a catastrophe. At Mid-Ohio, front-runners Charlie Putman and Charles Espenlaub blew their engine after giving the Matt Plumb’s #13 Rum Bum Racing Porsche a significant “love tap.” The fateful contact broke their oil cooler, and drained the engine of the vital liquid. Their #48 BMW had to be recovered on lap 36, one hour into the race. Two laps later, Sellers, Hugh Plumb, and Edwards pit for fuel, handing the lead to Billy Johnson. The Roush Performance crew gambled that Johnson had enough fuel to go the distance.

Billy Johnson leads the field to a late-race restart. Johnson successfully held off all competitors to take the checkered flag—his eleventh of his Grand-Am career.

Several caution periods during the last hour of the race meant the gamble paid off, and Johnson held off all challengers during the re-starts to bring the red #61 Boss 302R to the checker first, followed by Lawson Aschenbach (#01 CKS Autosport Camaro) and Matt Plumb (#13 Rum Bum Racing BMW).

Their consistency means that BGB Motorsports now leads the 2012 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series standings, albeit by a single point over Rum Bum Racing and Fall-Line Motorsports, who are tied for second. In two short weeks the series moves to historic Road America for a spectacular race that starts at 6:15PM and runs to dusk. We’re looking forward to glowing headlights and brake rotors as road racing’s top drivers continue to battle in this exciting and competitive series!

Jack Roush Jr. and his crew celebrate their victory on pit lane while co-driver Johnson emerges from the winning Mustang Boss 302R.

 Images and Captions:

Shelby Blackstock qualified the #51 Roush Performance Boss 302R in 9th position, and co-driver Jade Buford showed consistency by bringing it home in the same position.

Billy Johnson pilots the #61 Roush Performance Mustang Boss 302R over the crest of turn five during Friday Morning’s practice session.

The battered #52 Rehagen Racing Mustang Boss 302R heads down the front straight at Mid-Ohio during Friday’s mid-day practice session. After some time with a port-a-power and some fresh body panels, it was as good as new…well, almost. Bob Michaelian went on to qualify the car 15th later that afternoon.

Steve Randall rounds turn eleven during qualifying. Randall qualified the car in 20th position.

The #78 Racer’s Edge Motorsports Mustang Boss 302R streaks past campers after emerging from “Thunder Valley” in qualifying. Steve Randall’s co-driver Brad Randall finished a respectable 13th in the race.

Rod Randall co-drove the #79 Racer’s Edge Motorsports Mustang Boss 302R with 2009 series champion Ken Wilden. Randall qualified 22nd.

The 61-car Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge field takes the green flag at Mid-Ohio.

The diversity of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge is evident in this image. Here a Nissan, Aston Martin, two Porsches, three Camaros, a BMW and a Mustang jockey for position through turn four.

Billy Johnson leads the field while cresting “Madness” during the closing laps of the race. The turn is a popular place for spectators to watch the racing action.

Ken Wilden (#79) pressures Jade Buford (Red #51) while defending his position from the #08 Porsche.

Roush Performance teammates Roush and Johnson share the podium with CKS Autosport drivers Eric Curran and Lawson Aschenbach, and Rum Bum Racing’s Matt Plumb and Nick Longhi.