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Despite starting 17th on the grid after a difficult qualifying run, Stephen Cox set fast lap for the event and charged to a 2nd place finish in the first of two amateur events in the GT Challenge Series on Sunday at Tulsa’s Hallett Motor Racing Circuit.

The following race appeared to be even more successful when Sopwith’s Boschett Timepieces/Impact Racing/Hoosier Tire 1975 Datsun 280z, which started fourth in the second event, took the lead on the first lap. Cox was still leading the Production Stock A class comfortably halfway into the race when he was forced to retire with ignition failure.

“The best prepared guys win, and Tom and Nate were prepared and drove really well,” Cox said of class and overall winners Thomas Hawley and Nate Stacy. “We can’t show up every race and have a new excuse, even in the amateur races. We were leading here in August and the engine overheated. We led half the race again today and lost the ignition. Having a fun day and setting fast time is nice, but we’ve got to finish races and this is two in a row where we haven’t.”

Cliff Gottlob, who finished on the podium for Chevrolet in the 1970 24 Hours of Daytona, was on hand as a guest of Sopwith Motorsports. The weekend wraps up a solid season at Sopwith in which the team competed on both ovals and road courses, earning two runner-up finishes, five top-5’s and six top 10’s.