Tony Ave dominates Nazareth race

By Patrick Jennings - Motorsport.com

Pole sitter, Tony Ave dominated the second round of the Toyota Atlantic Series race Sunday morning at Nazareth Speedway en route to recording his first win of the season and the second of his career. Ave's dominance was so complete that runner-up, Hoover Orsi, was never able to mount a serious challenge for the lead. Orsi, whose second-place finish allowed him to take the series points lead, also finished second in the season opening race at Long Beach. Rookie Rodolfo Lavin's third-place finish marks the highest finish of his young career.

Ave's win completes his comeback to the Toyota Atlantic series after spending last year competing in the SCCA Trans-Am Championship and testing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and the Busch Grand National Series. Since his first Toyota Atlantic Series win at Homestead in 1996, Ave has competed in a number of different series including the USAC Midgets, USAC Sprints, and the Pan-American GT Series.

Except for a spin by Frank Dancs on the first lap and a three-car incident in turn-two of lap19, the 65-lap event resembled a parade of sorts. Dancs was able to finish the race, while T.J. Bell and teammates Grant Ryley and Tom Wood were checked and released from the infield car center shortly after the three-car pileup. In fact, rookie, Joey Hand, was the only drive able to complete a pass in the top-five when he passed Stephan Roy on lap 9. After that, it was clear sailing for Ave and his P-1 Racing-Miller Genuine Draft Swift.

Jonathan Marci and Stephan C. Roy rounded out the top-five.

The series will hit the track again in a little less than a month at the Milwaukee Miles on June 2.