ELKHART LAKE, Wisconsin (August 7, 2024) – Max Opalski and his Max Opalski Racing survived a rough and tumble IMSA Ford Racing Mustang Challenge weekend at Road America to earn a pair of finishes solidly in the top 10. The effort with his family-run team was tops among all single-car teams in the championship, trailing only those with multiple data points to use for car setup.
The No. 2 Team MOR/Opal Enterprises Ford Mustang Dark Horse R earned a pair of sixth-place finishes at the four-mile circuit and moved into the top 10 in points for the season-long championship.
Saturday’s race began with a fourth-row start, where Opalski moved into seventh-place just after the green flag. Three full-course cautions for incidents, including one with just over two minutes remaining in the 45-minute race, slowed the action at the front and left the 18-year-old unable to move forward any further.
Sunday saw more activity for Opalski. Starting fifth but on the inside line, he was wrestled back to sixth on the first lap before yet another full course caution came for an incident elsewhere on track. He was seventh when a second caution period bunched the field with just under 30 minutes remaining, and put his mind to moving forward when the race resumed with just more than 20 minutes and 30 seconds to go.
He made up one of those positions into Turn One on the restart, then added another spot into the top five under braking in Turn Five. Unfortunately, he was deemed to have made unnecessary contact with a competitor during that move in a call that stood despite disagreement from the team. The assessed penalty was 10 seconds added to his post-race time.
Opalski didn’t let that call faze him, however. He put his head down and closed the gap on those in front of him while pulling away from the field behind him, giving him enough of a gap at the finish after crossing fifth that he only lost two positions, scored in seventh.
“We gave it everything we had this weekend but, unfortunately, it just wasn’t enough to make something happen,” Opalski said. “Even though we didn’t have the pace we wanted we were still on track for a respectable fourth-place finish until we got that penalty. Despite that, everyone put it so much effort this weekend and I feel we did good with the car we had.”
The pair of finishes in a weekend that caught out a number of his rivals elevated Opalski four positions in the standings, to tenth, as he continues to erase a deficit that occurred on the opening weekend. He’s begun the climb with a top-five at Watkins Glen and the pair of sixth-place finishes this weekend, his best point weekend of the season.
Up next for Mustang Challenge is a Labor Day weekend race at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, alongside the World Endurance Championship August 30 to September 1. That doubleheader will serve as rounds seven and eight of the 10-race championship, which concludes at Indianapolis Motor Speedway the first weekend of October.
About Max Opalski Racing: Founded in 2024 by 18-year-old racer Max Opalski, Max Opalski Racing has put its maiden-season effort into the IMSA Mustang Challenge championship featuring the brand-new Ford Racing Mustang Dark Horse R race car. Based in Mooresville, North Carolina, Max Opalski Racing is dedicated to championship-winning racing efforts within their customer racing program, which includes driver coaching at races and testing in their program. Away from the Mustang Challenge program, Max Opalski Racing utilizes the skills and abilities of Opalski for coaching, both in real life and through sim racing. More information on Max Opalski Racing can be found at MaxOpalski.com, on Facebook and on Instagram.
