SST Long Beach Race 2 cut short by fence-ripping crash

Zoey Edenholm was not the first Stadium Super Trucks driver to end up in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach‘s catchfence (Pat O’Keefe in 2016 has that dubious honour), but her accident was enough to create the shortest official race in series history.

Sunday’s Race #2 was barely four laps old when contact between Edenholm and Saturday winner Max Gordon sent the former airbourne and into the fence, shredding a section of it. Although the damage was repaired in time for the weekend-ending GT America, SST could not be resumed. Due to time constraints, this is not an uncommon fate for SST rounds that serve as an undercard to larger series; in Long Beach’s case, SST supported the NTT IndyCar Series whose race took place directly before theirs.

Edenholm’s truck had slightly rotated mid-air while hitting the second ramp coming to the start/finish line to begin lap three, causing her to land sideways and run diagonally into Gordon’s path. Neither she nor Gordon were able to react in time before they collided, spinning Edenholm into the wall.

Gordon lost his hood in the incident and attempted to continue. As it turned out, he also lost his brakes and careened past turn one into a barrier. He and Edenholm walked away without injury.

Lap four was supposed to be the restart after a scheduled competition caution, with Edenholm and Gordon respectively restarting second and third. By lasting just four circuits, it is the shortest SST event in terms of lap count. Race #2 of the 2016 Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix only saw three laps completed prior to Matt Mingay‘s crash and resulting injury, but is not counted in series records.

Amidst the calamity, leader Myles Cheek pulled ahead and retained his position when the race was stopped and eventually called. Thus, he was declared the winner ahead of Matt Brabham and Bill Hynes, both of whom slipped past the Edenholm/Gordon crash. Although certainly circumstantial, it is Cheek’s first career victory after narrowly losing the Race #2 win in 2023 to Brabham. He is also the twenty-seventh different SST race winner.

With a third on Saturday and second on Sunday, Brabham won the weekend overall. Hynes rebounded from a damaged brake caliper in Race #1 to record his sixth podium in the series and first at Long Beach.

Edenholm had led the opening lap after passing David Bernstein in the final hairpin before Cheek claimed the position entering turn one. After starting first and second, Bernstein and his team-mate RJ Stidham struggled during the three-and-a-half laps of racing: Stidham spun into the turn nine tyre barrier during lap one while Bernstein received a tap by Brabham in the fountain sector and had to stop to avoid the wall.

Race results