Edmonton native Stefan Rzadzinski used a strong social media campaign, a wealth of local support from his home country and a genuine presentation of his desire to race against his racing heroes to capture the ROC Factor North America vote and compete in the Race of Champions in Miami later this month, on January 21-22.
Rzadzinski and Conor Daly, Verizon IndyCar Series driver and like “Razzle Dazzle” a talented young driver, emerged as the leading contenders among the 10 finalists, a list that also included up-and-coming Mazda sports car racer Glenn McGee and IMSA Radio pit reporter Shea Adam among others.
Several Canadian outlets profiled Rzadzinski, who competed in all three levels of the Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires from 2011 through 2013 before heading back to his home country and winning races in the Nissan Micra Cup ranks. Rzadzinski pioneered a new winning style – “reverse donuts” – in Micra Cup races.
A persistent social media push was also enough to keep Rzadzinski’s name alive and well, while Daly drew ardent support from his compatriots in the IndyCar series.
In the end, Rzadzinski, who just turned 24 on Thursday, emerged victorious. Both he and Daly were classy and gracious about the result, Daly among those to offer congratulations on social media.
Argentine native Gabriel Glusman won the ROC Factor Latin America vote for the opportunity to partner with another IndyCar driver, three-time Indianapolis 500 champion Helio Castroneves.
After an extremely close fight Argentina's Gabriel Glusman will represent Latin America at #ROCMiami with IndyCar legend @h3lio! Congrats! pic.twitter.com/9LoCaTcKTz
Three riders remain locked in a tight battle with 17 points separating the leader Cooper Webb from third-place Chase Sexton and these are only a few Supercross numbers to consider entering Seattle.Chase Sexton made a statement in Detroit with his second win of 2023. – Feld Motor Sports
Webb and Tomac won the last four championships with two apiece in alternating years, but they were not one another’s primary rival for most of those seasons. On the average, however, the past four years show an incredible similarity with average points earned of 21.0 for Webb and 21.3 for Tomac. With five wins so far this season, Tomac (23 wins) leads Webb (19) in victories but Webb (43) edges Tomac (41) in podium finishes during this span.
Tomac has won two of the last three Seattle races and those two wins in this stadium are topped only by James Stewart. Fittingly, if Tomac gets a third win this week, he will tie Stewart for second on the all-time wins’ list. Tomac tied Ricky Carmichael for third with 48 wins at Oakland and took sole possession of that spot with his Daytona win.
Sexton still has a lot to say and after winning last week in Detroit, he is speaking up. The Supercross numbers are against him entering Seattle, however, because a points’ deficit this large after Round 10 has been erased only once. In 1983 David Bailey was 47 points behind Bob Hannah, and like Sexton he was also in third place. Bailey took the points’ lead with one race remaining.
The seven points Sexton was penalized last week for jumping in a red cross flag section in Detroit could prove extremely costly.
In fact, it has been a series of mistakes that has cost Sexton the most. In the last two weeks, he lost 10 points with a 10th-place finish to go with his penalty. Erase those, and all three riders hold their fate in their hands.
Plessinger’s heartbreak in Detroit is still fresh, but the upside of his run is that was his best of the season and could turn his fortunes around. Prior to that race, he led only seven laps in three mains. He was up front for 20 laps in Detroit with five of those being the fastest on the track.
Last week’s win by Hunter Lawrence tied him with his brother Jett Lawrence for 17th on the all-time wins’ list. With the focus shifting to 250 West for the next two rounds, Jett has a great opportunity to pull back ahead. The real test will be at the first East / West Showdown in East Rutherford, New Jersey on April 22.
Last Five Seattle Winners
450s 2022: Eli Tomac
2019: Marvin Musquin
2018: Eli Tomac
2017: Marvin Musquin
2014: Ryan Villopoto
