2013B NASA RallyCross Challenge Season

The 2013B NASA RallyCross Challenge Season will be the fifth season for the NASA RallyCross Challenge presented by Royal Purple. After the long hiatus due to lack of entries, Dylan Livengood, Revolution Racing, and Mitsubishi return as the defending Drivers, Constructors, and Manufacturers Champions.

Schedule Changes

 * After noise complaints and poor infrastructure, the Gifhorn event was removed after two seasons. Bent Twig was put in its place.
 * NASA held a vote as to which Proving Grounds track would remain on the schedule, and North was removed.
 * In light of the North Proving Grounds being removed, the Talladega SuperSpeedway was granted a slot on the calendar.

Team and Driver Changes

 * Cody Erdmann switches to #82.
 * Citroën Junior dropped Dylan Smith AND Xander Clements after Cheatgate, and hired Sam Limbaugh in their places.
 * Citroën NnN Racing collapsed when Nick DiPalmo left. Nick Kahrs has formed a new team with Keith Sherman.
 * The MONSTER WRT stated that "due to the current cirumstances, we do not wish to take part in the NASA RallyCross Challenge" with their driver Andrew Fessler.
 * Revolution Junior was shuttered and the resources put into the works team.
 * Schwartz Motorsports, Prestige WorldWide, TP Enterprises, Howe Autoport, and Smokey RallyCross dissolved when their respective owners left due to Cheatgate.
 * Due to Schwartz leaving, Daniel Bellamy has formed his own privateer effort.
 * Tristan Hagenstein has purchased his team back from the former owners.
 * Luke Fleming inks a contract with Subaru to get four works cars, much like Josh Mertz did with MRT in 2012B. There will be two Carolina Motorsports teams. A Class, which is the works team, and B Class, which is the semi-works team. Fleming and Dunn LaPradd will drive for A Class, while Jacob Krause and Corbin Wentz will drive for B Class.
 * Keith Sherman and Nick Kahrs form a new team, with semi-works support from Ford.
 * Eric Webler purchases his assets back from Schwartz to become a semi-works team.
 * Brandon Lambert will lead the WRC leading Volkswagen Polo into the NASA RallyCross Challenge.
 * ATN AutoSport returns, this time fielding Tanner Smith.

Round 1 - Round of Croft
The first round of the NASA RallyCross Challenge took place, as the four seasons before it, on the Croft Circuit in England. 10 cars competed in the final race. On pole was newcomer Tanner Smith, for ATN AutoSport. On the run down to the first corner, he was alongside Josh Mertz and Mertz had the edge into T1 - until he cut across Smith's nose prematurely and sent himself into the sandtrap. The race was the typical Croft event, a clean, frantic race filled with strategy. Smith held the lead, as Mertz rallied back from 10th (and last) place to get within a carlength of winning the event, thanks to Smith nearly crashing in the Gymkhana section of the course. Smith became the third driver to win in his first start, joining the likes of Elliot Porterfield and David Krikorian. The curse that affected Mertz since 2012A was over, as he finally repeated his second place finish from 2012A. Rounding out the podium was another newcomer, Luke Fleming, with his new Works team, Carolina Motorsports A Class. Defending champion Dylan Livengood had an engine failure on lap two exiting the pitlane, while his teammate Chris Wetz crashed from the transfer spot in the LCQ. Mertz's teammate Cody Erdmann was competing at Slinger Speedway in Wisconsin, which left Mertz in the lone Citroën for the event.

Round 2 - Round of Valkenswaard


Round Two of the championship took place in the Netherlands at Valkenswaard. The circuit, vastly different from Croft, however the featured the same beating and banging as in Croft. Coming into the event, Privateer Tanner Smith had upset the paddock by defeating the goliaths of the Citroën and Revolution teams. However, it was a vastly different story in Valkenswaard. Smith found himself on the outside looking in for the final in the Netherlands, while all three Drivers' champions won their respective heats. Going into turn one, Josh Mertz had the edge - but for the second week in a row was sent into the wall, this time by Chris Wetz. Several cars spun, but there was no restart and everyone kept racing. In the eight lap race, the drivers had to take the shortcut twice - and this wreaked havoc. Most, if not all, of the drivers were involved in incidents when the leading car slowed and caught the trailing car off guard, plowing into the leading car and spinning them out. Mertz took this to his advantage as Cody Erdmann crashed into Brandon Lambert and moved Mertz up a spot. There was a bit of tension between the Citroën drivers, as team principal Artus Davignon had told Erdmann to hold position and not challenge Mertz - but that changed when Lambert and Erdmann tangled again. In the midst of this action, it allowed Livengood to pull away unchallenged, except where Mertz found himself within a half a second of the double defending champion until he had snap oversteer and veered off track. This was all the buffer Livengood needed to win his second career race and the first of the season. Mertz ended up spinning out of the final corner and driving in reverse across the finish line, beating Lambert by a bumper. This was the first time all 3 Drivers' Champions were on the podium at once.

2013B Drivers' Championship
Points are awarded to the top 16 finishers.

2013B Manufacturers' Championship
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2013B Semi-Works Constructors' Championship
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2013B Nations Cup
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