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theGRIT
As the page began, Malcolm Jumped out to an early lead in heat one. Rallying around the lead lap with the fresh loam looking glorious. He had instantly returned to that race rhythm he finished with in prac- tice earlier in the day where he qualified 2nd behind Jeremy Martin. By lap three of the heat, Stewart
and Martin Davalos had gapped the field by nearly six seconds, both of them alone out front. Neither wanted to let up, although there seemed to be a certain type of confident composure that helped keep the #50 in front. No charges were made by Davalos as he settled in behind Stewart over the next few laps and Malcolm rode comfortably to the end. When the checkers flew, the championship ticker clicked away with six laps down and thirty-six to go before the season closes. Avoiding the LCQ, Stewart had a long break before the main but, once again, wasted no time in resuming the tempo quickly. He came across the first turn in 8th, taking advantage of the inside line to come out of turn two in 5th. In the next straightaway, the Geico Honda railed around McElrath for 4th and began the charge to the podium. Dicing and slicing on the New Jersey soil, Stewart was in 3rd by the final turn of lap one and wasn’t finished. In fact, directly leading up to the final turn was the tunnel jump and a short whoop section that Malcolm feasted on throughout the rest of the night. On the next lap, Stewart reeled in Bowers and got by, you guessed it, in the turn before the finish. Seriously, Stewart was steaming and there wasn’t relief in sight for the rest of the 250 class.
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