Ford Finally Breaks Through at Darlington After Wild C-Open Battle

DARLINGTON, S.C. — For weeks, Max Ford had the speed. At Darlington Raceway, he finally had the finish to go with it.

Ford completed a remarkable comeback Tuesday night at “The Lady in Black,” surviving an eventful 150-lap C-Open Series race to score his first Major League Sim Racing victory. Anthony Lee Abernathy followed him home to complete a 1-2 finish for Spectre Speed, while Rick Thompson rounded out the podium.

It was anything but a straightforward trip to Victory Lane.

Ford started from the pole and immediately established himself as one of the fastest trucks in the field. But Darlington’s abrasive surface, temperatures exceeding 100 degrees and rapidly degrading tires turned the race into a constant battle between outright speed, track position and tire strategy.

Ford Shows His Hand Early

Ford controlled the initial start before Chris Romano worked his way past for the lead during the opening portion of the race. Behind them, Thompson quickly climbed from ninth into the fight at the front while the field struggled with Darlington’s narrow racing groove.

The difficulty was evident almost immediately. An opening-lap incident triggered the first caution, and subsequent restarts produced several more incidents as drivers fought for space against a track that offered very little margin for error.

As strategies began to diverge, Ford remained a fixture near the front.

Shawn Hook emerged as another major contender, eventually leading a race-high 40 laps, while Howard Peeples spent 21 laps out front. Thompson led 17, and the constantly changing tire strategies kept reshuffling the running order.

Ford, however, never disappeared from the equation.

From Contender to Comeback

The defining moment of Ford's race came when trouble left the No. 5 damaged and buried deep in the running order.

What had been one of the dominant trucks through the opening third of the race suddenly became a recovery effort. Ford eventually found himself at the tail end of the lead lap with approximately a minute of repairs completed.

Yet the speed remained.

As the race moved into its final stages, Ford methodically worked his way back toward the front while several different strategies played out around him. Fresh tires proved enormously valuable at Darlington, with the broadcast noting differences approaching multiple seconds per lap between tire cycles.

By the closing laps, Ford had erased the setback.

And then Darlington delivered one final twist.

Peeples' Run Ends With Five to Go

Howard Peeples appeared positioned to have a major say in the outcome while trying to control a hard-charging group in the closing laps.

With five laps remaining, Thompson closed onto the rear bumper of Peeples while Romano and others waited just behind. Peeples lost control amid the battle and crashed, bringing out the caution and setting up a final sprint to the checkered flag.

The yellow completely reset the race.

Ford had somehow made his way all the way back to the front.

Two laps would decide it.

Ford Finishes the Job

Ford spun the tires slightly on the final restart, briefly opening the door for Adam Ramsey on the inside. Ford recovered quickly enough to retain the advantage while Abernathy settled in behind his Spectre Speed teammate.

That proved crucial.

While the drivers behind them battled for position, Ford was able to create enough separation to reach the white flag with the lead.

Romano made a final charge behind him, but time was running out. Contact and a spin involving Romano and Chris Cornett unfolded on the final lap, but by then Ford was gone.

After weeks of coming close, Max Ford finally crossed the line first.

“With this being the final lap, it’s Max Ford finally surviving.” — Precision Entertainment broadcast

Ford defeated Abernathy by just over half a second, giving Spectre Speed a commanding 1-2 finish. Thompson completed the podium in third, followed by Richard Wilson Jr. and Cornett in the top five.

A Win Weeks in the Making

Perhaps the most fitting part of Ford's breakthrough was what had happened only one week earlier.

Following another frustrating result at Texas, Ford told the Precision Entertainment broadcast that despite the setbacks, he remained confident.

“I know the win will come soon.” — Max Ford

Seven days later, it did.

Not because Darlington gave him an easy night, but because Ford survived everything the track threw at him.

Pole position. Early-race speed. Damage. Repairs. Strategy swings. A drive back through the field. And finally, a two-lap shootout with the race on the line.

At a track nicknamed Too Tough to Tame, Ford finally turned weeks of speed into the result he had been chasing.

Max Ford is an MLSR C-Open Series winner.