[Legacy] Phoenix Raceway - 2008

Ted Newman put on a masterclass at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday, converting his pole position into a dominant victory in Round 11 of the FMA Gen 4 Series by ChaseZilla Customs. Starting from the front of a 20-car field, the #31 machine was the class of the field across the 100-lap distance, with Newman leading 98 of those laps and crossing the stripe ahead of #32 Nick Biddy, who matched his starting position of P2 at the finish. Three cautions slowed the field for 10 laps total, but Newman's command never wavered in any meaningful way, with just two lead changes recorded across the entire afternoon. For Newman, it marks his first win of the season and his first in the series all-time — a result that carries serious weight given where he now finds himself in the standings.

Behind the front row, #132 Nathan Fuller delivered one of the cleaner runs in the field, advancing three spots from his P6 starting spot to take the final podium position while recording zero incidents across 100 laps. Fuller's composure stood in contrast to the struggles of #03 Jeremy Eshleman, who started third but fell back to eighth by the checkered flag, accumulating 12 incidents along the way — the highest tally among classified finishers. #5 Ryan Peters also had a difficult afternoon, slipping eight positions from P7 to P15 to register the second-worst positional loss of the race.

The story of the day outside the top three belonged to #8 Nyjoel Steeley, who earned hard charger honors with a seven-position gain from 12th to fifth. Steeley posted that charge with only four incidents on his card, threading through a mid-pack battle that saw drivers like #961 Scott Oleson and #26 Chase Matsko pick up significant incident counts. On the positive side of the ledger, #103 Joshua Dufrene and #117 Mark Osier both advanced five spots from their respective starting positions of P16 and P17, with Dufrene notably leading two laps during his run — a detail that speaks to at least one sequence where the race's rhythm shifted before Newman reasserted control.

Newman's victory reshapes the points picture considerably. Chase Matsko holds the standings lead with 1,693 points after his ninth-place finish, but the margin over second-place William Gay — who slipped one spot to finish sixth — has tightened to 70 points. Newman's win vaults him to third in the standings at 1,613 points, just 10 behind Gay and 80 behind Matsko, meaning three different drivers within 80 points sit ahead of the rest of a field that includes Cody Deak and Chess Hamby in fourth and fifth. With Newman now carrying momentum and Matsko's lead narrowing, the FMA Gen 4 Series is shaping up into a genuine multi-driver fight as the season presses forward.