Kasick was run into a fence and had to pull out of the race with a damaged kart several laps later. Oakley, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering from Greensburg, Ind. , took the lead in the second half of the race until his kart was involved in a minor collision. Watt, a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering technology from Napierville, Ill. , finished second. Thirty-three Purdue students, including last year's winner James Weida, a senior majoring in building construction technology from West Lafayette , competed in the annual event. Gray said it was an afternoon filled with disciplined aggression.
Guys get tired, tires get old.
We had our share of close calls, but that's the name of the game. The Purdue Grand Prix Foundation is a student-run, nonprofit organization that conducts the kart race and related events to raise money for student scholarships. Thomas Gray gets a hug from his mother, Connie Lund, in celebration of his second victory in Purdue's Grand Prix kart race. Gray, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering technology from Indianapolis, also won the race in 1999. Gray's sister, Jennifer Gray, and his father, Gary Gray, are in the background.