Hubinette exits in Great 8 at Englishtown
Team Mopar driver Samuel Hübinette qualified fourth and advanced to the Great 8 before bowing out in a close "one more time" battle with event runner-up Tyler McQuarrie in the Formula Drift Round Three: The Gauntlet event at hot and hazy Englishtown (N.J.) Raceway on Saturday, June 14.
Two-time Formula Drift champion Hübinette matched up with Blake Fuller in the Top 16 battles. The "Crazy Swede" scored the first round win over Fuller in his NuFormz Racing Mopar Dodge Viper SRT10, prepared by team owner Shaun Carlson and the NuFormz crew of Brad Manka, Scott Stanwood and Derek "Wheelz" Graciano.
Next up was McQuarrie in the Great 8 round. Hübinette jumped out to an early advantage after the first tandem run, but McQuarrie evened it in the second go-round, forcing a tense "one more time" sudden-death showdown after which the judges advanced McQuarrie. McQuarrie's margin of victory—a mere one point.
"I think we definitely did well, considering we qualified No. 4 and this was a new venue. No one has ever been here before," said Carlson. "We moved to second in points, but it's going to come down to the end of the season, where it's decided by one or two points. This sport now is getting very tough, with so many good drivers. I think we're doing very well right now, and we're right there in the mix."
Hübinette is now in second place in the 2008 Formula Drift standings, just 31 points behind new leader Tanner Foust. Next up is another new venue, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, in the Formula Drift Round Four: High Stakes event. For more info on the Formula Drift Series, visit formuladrift.com.