Scott Barnes Proud Of Showing At Cup Karts
Karting driver Scott Barnes expressed pride in his performance after competing against some of the top L206 class drivers in the United States at the Cup Karts North America [CKNA] Grand Nationals 8 at the weekend.
Barnes, who raced in the Masters class, made his debut in the prestigious event in New Castle, Indiana.
In the heats, he placed 14th, 21st, and 16th in a highly competitive field of about 50 karts, which earned him a 15th place start for the final.
In the decisive race, he finished ninth.
“Leaving my first Cup Karts North America Grand Nationals race feeling a little disappointed but still happy with our final results,” Barnes wrote on social media.
“We fought hard all weekend to change our Shifter kart driving style and get the kart to where it needed to be.”
Barnes highlighted the challenges he faced in adapting to the race dynamics but remained optimistic about the potential he showed.
“We definitely had something to fight for a podium in the final, but guys didn’t want to line up and push,” he said.
“We ran the second fastest lap time in the finals, faster than the top five podium, showing we had the speed to run up front and be a frontrunner, just took a bit too long to get up to the fast times.”
Barnes, who represented Maranello Kart USA, added: “This was the biggest 4-stroke [engine] race in the country, the best of 206 drivers from around the world, so pretty cool to know we can run with the top guys after a year of Shifter kart racing.
“I feel like a little more seat time on this chassis before this race and we would have run easy top ten all weekend. We got there; it was just a bit too late in the weekend.”
Barnes is sponsored by Butterfield & Vallis, representing their Powerade brand, as well as Simpson Motorsports.
