Yea, that's pretty dang close and much closer a margin than should be reflected between a twin turbo car and a naturally aspirated car. No doubt Kevin's driving ability, the ACR's torque curve and aero package is what made it that close.

As a point of reference, the race starts at 9390' in elevation, rises 4720' in elevation to the 14,115 ft summit. Along the way is 12.56 miles of road and 156 turns. Naturally aspirated engines loose 30% of their power towards the top whereas a turbo engine will only loose 10-15% depending on tune parameters. The thin air also impacts drivers, so it isn't simply a mechanical function that altitude can impact. Hyperventilation, loss of strength, and errors in judgement can impact a driver unaccustomed to the altitude.

Yes, I hope Kevin can jump on here and provide his point of view of the events.