- Chouest Atop GT4 Class Driver Championship with Bell Hot on His Heels
- Nine Points Separate First and Second Position
- Holland Third, 18 Points Ahead of Newell
The GT4 Class in the GT America powered by AWS series has plenty of opportunity to shake up before champions are crowned in Indianapolis come October. Driver standings currently showcase the drivers who have had gained ground with the list of road courses but with a street race up next on the calendar, anything is possible.
Ross Chouest has had a remarkable season balanced out with highs off-track. He welcomed a new baby girl to his family while racing on the streets of St. Petersburg in the opening two rounds. He collected a win in Race One and in total has collected three wins to date. Those wins are complimented by four podium finishes in the No. 50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4.
“This season has been lots of fun so far,” Chouest said. “It started out great with me getting a win in St. Petersburg. I feel like we have finally settled into a nice place as a team and the crew has done an amazing job. Like any season it has had its ups and downs, some good fortune and some misfortune, but we have remained persistent and have tried to be as consistent as we can be. There is still lots of racing left, and I am sure this championship may come down to the final weekend once again. I am sure Indy will be very intense.”
Chouest has 159 points as the current leader, but Jason Bell leaves him no breathing room with 150 points. Bell sits second in the Drivers Points Championship. He pairs a win with six podium finishes in the No. 2 Flying Lizard Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4. Bell and Chouest will need to outdo each other at the Music City Grand Prix come August to solidify a lead.
Robb Holland has picked up steam since joining the series at Sonoma Raceway for rounds three and four. He kicked off the season with a win and collected a pair of wins at VIRginia International Raceway. In between the wins he earned back-to-back third-place finishes at NOLA Motorsports Park in the No. 99 Rotek Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport. Holland sits third with 119 points in the driver standings.
Gray Newell isn’t far behind Holland with 101 points in fourth place. Newell has earned four podium finishes this season in his No. 25 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4. Newell missed the final round of racing at VIR making his appearance in Nashville all the more crucial to his championship run.
In fifth place is Elias Sabo with 98 points. He has wheeled his No. 8 Flying Lizard Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 to two wins and a podium finish in the seven rounds of racing he has run since starting his season at Sonoma Raceway. Sabo will need clean racing to keep up his push for points.
Tony Gaples has 87 points and sits sixth in the points standings. He’s consistently participated over the course of the season and has two podium finishes under his belt with the No. 5 Blackdog Speed Shop Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R. Gaples runs the lone American manufacturer in the series.
Nicholas Shanny has competed in all 10 rounds of racing and in those rounds collected 53 points in the No. 21 Carrus Callas Raceteam Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO. This places him seventh overall. He’s followed by Todd Coleman with 41 points who has a podium finish to his name in eighth place. Tim Savage and Jon Branam round out the top ten. Savage has 30 points in ninth place and Branam’s 25 points come from a win in Round Four.
Drivers have four races remaining on the 2023 calendar. The next race for the GT America powered by AWS series is the Music City Grand Prix on the streets of Nashville Aug. 4-6.The season will cap off with two rounds of racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway the week of the Indianapolis 8 Hours endurance event.