The day after Thanksgiving, six drivers converged on Chandler, AZ, ready to work off the holiday's extra calories behind the wheel of a Formula Mazda. Firebird International Raceway's Main Track played host to the third round of the Bondurant Championship Race Series.

Joining previous participants Phil De La O, Jamie Slone, Alan McCallum, and Neil Alberico were two newcomers: Jason King of Ontario, Canada, and CJ Wilson, from Huntington Beach, California. King is a product of the Bondurant School of High Performance Driving's multi-tiered driving programs, having participated in the school's shifter kart classes and Grand Prix Road Racing courses. Wilson has jumped head-first into the world of racing, driving MX-5 Cup cars and a variety of formula cars in close to ten races over the the last year.

The BCRS utilized Firebird's Main Track for the first time: a 1.6 mile-long, 11-turn course, with a long straightway that utilizes the facility's NHRA drag strip. The drivers were challenged by the hard left-hand turn at the end of the straightway, a difficult carousel, the quick, back-stretch esses, and the "tower turn" that Bondurant instructor Corey Hosford described as the course's "biggest test of a driver's corner entry-and-exit skills."

Through three practice sessions on Friday, the drivers lapped the course in the 1:10-1:03 range as they experimented with sway bar adjustments and probed the limits of their Goodyear radials. Despite having never driven Firebird Main, Phil De La O drove a 1:03.576 lap in the final practice session, besting the closest driver by seven-tenths of a second.

With new tires on Saturday morning, the drivers found their cars sticking much better to the road. By the time qualifying started, every driver's rear wing was practically parallel to the tarmac to reduce drag for the track's long straightaway. Neil Alberico took pole position with a very quick lap of 1:03.228, and shared the front row with Jamie Slone. Phil De La O and Alan McCallum qualified third and fourth, followed by CJ Wilson and Jason King in row three.

The pack stayed tight at the wave of the green flag, with De La O making a run on Slone heading in to turn one. De La O was able to pull ahead, but the veteran in the 7 car was able to retake P2 several corners later. Alberico stayed focused on the empty road in front of him, trying to increase his lead through consistently-quick laps as the rest of the pack battled.  Alan McCallum fell briefly to fifth, regained fourth position a lap later, and then clawed his way towards the podium. Having run the fewest combined laps in practice and qualifying, McCallum and his tires were better prepared for Saturday's conditions. He snagged third position from De La O on lap six, and took advantage of a mechanical issue with Slone's car to move into second. On lap 18, McCallum turned a 1:03.223 -- fastest of the race -- and De La O grabbed the third podium spot from Slone. Jason King finished fifth after a spin by Wilson effectively ended his day.

After receiving congratulations from family members, friends, and Bondurant instructors and crew members, the three drivers climbed atop the podium back at the Bondurant museum.

A dust storm blew through the race track on Sunday afternoon, possibly stirred up by the torrential wheel-to-wheel action in race six. Alberico, De La O, and McCallum each ran only six laps in practice to conserve tires, a strategy which paid off in qualifying. Alberico took pole position again with a blistering lap of 1:03.009, the fastest of the weekend. He was followed closely by De La O (1:03.314), McCallum (1:03.432), Wilson, and King. The big story Sunday morning was Jamie Slone deciding to switch cars. He shook down his new car in practice but skipped qualifying, as the five-position penalty for the change would have forced him to start last even if he qualified on pole.

Having been on track together for a full hour the previous day, the drivers were anxious to get in to their cars for Sunday's race. The two teenagers in the front row battled wheel-to-wheel, with De La O taking an early lead. Negotiating the tower turn at the end of the first lap, he went too wide and left the door open for both Alberico and McCallum to cut inside and ahead as they came on to the front straight. After starting in the back, Jamie Slone made a statement by quickly cutting through the field and in to third. That set the stage for the rest of the race as Slone tried to make a run towards the top, attempting to pressure McCallum into a mistake on the back stretch.

McCallum didn't flinch, fending off a hard charge by Slone in turn seven. Their battle gave Phil De La O an opportunity to click off several consistent, quick laps in the middle of the race to catch up to Slone, who suddenly found a new challenger to battle. They traded positions four times over the last half of the race, briefly made contact as they exited turn four, and got everyone in attendance cheering for the last few laps. Slone made one last advance down the straightaway but was shut down by De La O, who is becoming more steely behind the wheel of a Formula Mazda.

The podium was once again claimed by the youngsters. Alberico took his second win, triumphantly pointing at the photographers after he crossed the finish line. He was followed by Alan McCallum in second and Phil De La O in third. After completing first two races of his career, Jason King walked away with perhaps the biggest smile of the group after his two fifth-place showings. "I had a long flight coming down here, didn't sleep much and had a lot of good excuses, but I learned a lot and I had a blast," said King. Back in the Bondurant Formula Shop, everyone stared in amazement at the streak of yellow and black that Slone's Goodyear left on De La O's car, as the two avoided touching tires by only a couple of inches.

After presenting the trophies, Bob Bondurant congratulated the drivers and said he was "impressed by everyone's performance and the close, competitive racing." Series Director Alan Rudolph stated, "The field keeps growing in the Bondurant Championship Race Series, the competition is heating up, and we're all excited for December's race which is just two weeks away."

Final Results:

Race 5 (11/28/09)
1st - Neil Alberico
2nd - Alan McCallum
3rd - Phil De La O
4th - Jamie Slone
5th - Jason King
6th - CJ Wilson
Fastest lap: Alan McCallum (1:03.223, lap 18)

Race 6 (11/29/09)
1st - Neil Alberico
2nd - Alan McCallum
3rd - Phil De La O
4th - Jamie Slone
5th - Jason King
6th - CJ Wilson
Fastest lap: Alan McCallum (1:03.230, lap 12)