It was arguably the best N.O.R.L. Dover race since 1989, when Harrison James finally lost after his 6-race win-streak at the track. That year, he blew up coming to the checkered flag, giving way to Rusty Arrington for his last of 2 career victories. It was almost the same this time, only with a fuel mileage run to the checkered.
It the last 8 Dover races, there have been 6 different winners. Brandon Beyke, Bill Werkheiser, Scott Jackson, Johnny Reed Foley, Zakk Miller, Tony Pizzaro, John Tharp and Rick Jackson have all taken the flag. The trucks line up to unload the cars for the weekend, with too many winning names not among the streak.
Ryan Heuser pulled away from the field immediately, leaving a ton of action behind during the first 48 laps. Dave Miller, Craig Lee, John Tharp, Zakk Miller, Rick Jackson, Dave Butterworth, Ken Pettit, Alan Nesfeder and Scott Jackson would all lead during this period, making it as competitive as ever at Dover.
On lap 49 Tony Pizzaro went from dead-last to first with 2 broken ribs in a crash at Talladega, even after getting involved in a crash. The trend would continue, as he seemed to pass 500 cars all day only to get involved in something else.
The second incident for #12 was caused by a sandwich. Tony Long and Steven Spears came out of turn 4 and wedged Pizzaro into a bind, spinning each other out. Bill Werkheiser got hit by Pizzaro, while Spears flew up the track in turn 1, getting tatered in the drivers side by Jonathan Skrabacz, ending the #65's day.
The third incident Pizzaro was involved in happened while leading. Walt Flowers and Brodrick Wittmann spun on the backstretch in front of Mark Guthrie, who leaders Pizzaro and Matthew Dominique ran into while trying to dive under the crash. Zach Michael went high, going from 6th to 1st after avoiding the incident.
Mid-race, it was a fierce battle between Bill Wekhesier and Zach Michael. They would swap the lead several times between lap 237 and 265, making it an excellent race for the fans but spawning some fast racecars back into the fray.
Pizzaro's car could not die, taking the lead again on lap 275. Zach would steal it back 7 laps later, and battled again after making green flag pit stops.
After a lap 310 caution involving Brandon Raines and WIlliam Perry, the three main-dogs were Ryan Heuser, john Battista and Pizzaro. Battista and Pizzaro passed each other seven different times, each giving way to Ryan on lap 359.
Fuel mileage became the deciding factor late, with Pizzaro coming in with 29 laps to go. Battista came in with 11 more circuits to run, leaving Ryan to fend for his own mileage. With 5 laps to go, Battista and Matt Raboin made contact, spinning on the backstretch and bringing out the caution to end the race. Heuser had just pitted as it came out, leaving many to wonder what the running order would be.
Tim McDonnell, Michael Henson and David Butterworth were the only three cars to not pit under green, but none of them could run the caution laps. McDonnell's crew chief Yogi Arnoux noticed how far back Heuser was to the pace car, sending him in for a splash & go as the others followed suit. It was the perfect call, with all three coming out in front of Heuser as Tim captured his first victory of the season, and closing to 7 points from standings leader Matthew Dominique. Congrats to Tim, crew chief Yogi, and the entire Top Geer Racing crew for an excellent victory!
The entire N.O.R.L. garage and fan-base is trying to figure out what is wrong with Ben Geer in 2019. Conrad Hoover has been pulled as crew chief of the #29 after Talladega, leaving Top Geer Motorsports team manager G.G. Sphere to take over the operations. G.G won the N.O.R.L. Championship with Tim McDonnell in 2011 during their last year with MFI. He and G.G. started "Overspeed Rennsport" in 2012, changing to #22 and teaming up with a struggling Ben Geer, eventually evolving into Top Geer. The pair could prove useful, looking to relive more of the consistency Ben has had in the past couple of years. A loss of Winston as sponsor has fortunately left room for his former 2006-2012 sponsor Budweiser to take the reigns. It is a new start, coming to Dover with nothing more to lose.
It was an exciting endeavor for all who witnessed the spring Dega spectacle of 2019. There was 50 lead changes, and the three most dominating drivers fell into hard luck by the end, leaving it a competitive finish with drivers who you'd never expect to challenge for a victory.
Cars were here, there and everywhere early on. Pole-sitter Ryan Heuser and Tony Pizzaro dominated the opening laps, leading 31 of the first 32 as the rest of the field scrambles 3-wide behind them.
Race favorite Rick Jackson and Dave Miller blew up early, leaving some to speculate that the higher temperatures were to blame for the misfortunes despite having no tape on the cars. Dave would fall to 12th in the standings after the conclusion, with Rick falling to 9th after leading the points early on.
Alan Nesfeder and Bill Werkhesier were in the middle 3-wide near the front, causing a massive turn-3 pileup involving John Battista, Zach Michael, Michael Henson, William Perry and Craig Lee. All of them would continue on with moderate damage at worst, but it was an omen of things to come.
It became too much of a crowd at times, and the 4-wide madness became the norm even before the halfway point. Drivers Ben Geer and Tony Pizzaro desperately needed a good finish, but it would seem too impossible in a mess like this.
It proved to be true, as a lap 79 crash caused by Adam Crapser's blown engine sent Ken Pettit, Alex Crapser, Craig and Ryan into the wall. Tony Pizzaro would escape only to get creamed on the apron by William Perry, as Ryan and Ken finished him off in a horrifying incident. Tony would endure two broken ribs, leaving the team unsure about the already disturbed season.
The later stages of the event were dominated by Tim McDonnell. He would lead 64 laps, as former teammate Johnny Reed Foley lurked behind in a 1-2 punch. The rest of the field looked like they were running engines lubricated by mustard and ketchup.
The impossible happened with 14 laps to go. Tim McDonnell's crew did not put enough fuel in on the final pit stop, forcing them to come in and top-off. The most dominant car of the day would finish 20th and lose their points lead to Matthew Dominique, who had his worst race of the season until the end.
With less than 5 laps to go, David Courtney and Scott Deustch had a very realistic shot at a victory. Randy Dobbins and Dan Johnston led most of the waning laps, with David and Scott side-by-side coming to the white flag.
Johnny Reed Foley and Alex Crapser would attempt a miracle run after almost getting knocked out of the draft by Glenn Kaufmann's slow car. The two tangoed their way to the pack by the white flag, and made an enormous charge to steal the cinderella story away from the #13 and #16.
David Courtney and Scott Deutsch were managing the top-2 lanes in style, but the lack of horsepower prevented them from holding off Johnny Reed Foley. The #18 car drove to victory for the first time since last year's Dega race, becoming the first driver in N.O.R.L history to finish first after finishing last twice. Congrats to Johnny Reed Foley, crew chief Ronnie "Pure Love" Presley, and the entire Shake N' Bake Racing team for an excellent victory!
It was an amazing day for the masses! Many watched as the sun grew dim, awaiting the third short-track event of the season to commence. The first two were won by Randy Dobbins and Craig Lee, who are both in serious chase contention coming in. It will be a perfect opportunity for Johnny Reed Foley, Ben Geer, Tony Pizzaro, Alex Crapser and Zakk Miller to show off their talents and put themselves back into the hunt after a lackluster start.
Tony Pizzaro won the pole with an incredible 130.5 mph lap. He went on to lead the first 54 laps before lapped traffic took it's toll, forcing Craig Lee and teammate Ryan Heuser by. Alan Nesfeder also flew by the #12, having his best run of the season in third position.
Craig Lee held the lead through lap 109 when Jimmie Stevens and Adam Crapser made contact entering turn 3. Adam's car slid into the outside wall and softly tapped it on the drivers side, bringing out the first caution of the night. Craig was able to barely sneak by on the inside, as the incident occurred directly in front of him.
After a second caution that sent Brodrrick Whtmann upside-down, points leader Tim McDonnell and pole-sitter Tony Pizzaro decided to pit for tires. It was a terrible mistake, as both would be caught in heavy traffic trying to fly back to the front. Alan and Tim would made contact coming out of turn 2, sending Tim's car down into Tony's rear bumper. They would both smack the wall, with Tony recovering to a fourth place finish while Tim maintained his points lead.
After Ryan Heuser, Scott Jackson, John Tharp and Craig Lee all took turns leading, Alex Crapser took the position at the halfway point of the race. He would lead it throughout the rest of the fuel run, but relinquished it to Scott Jackson and Tony Pizzaro due to short-pitting. He would take it back on lap 328 as he and Craig began to pull away.
John Tharp and Matthew Dominique had stopped for gas on lap 170, meaning only they could make it the rest of the way on only one more pit stop. John came in successfully on lap 295, but Matthew scraped the pit entry wall coming in, narrowly avoiding complete disaster, but destroying his strategy in the process. For now, it was Tharp's time to shine under the perfect circumstances.
Disaster struck on lap 359, when Scott Jackson and David Courtney made contact in turn 3. David went spinning directly in front of Alex Crapser, who slammed head-on into the right side of the #13. He was hit again on the side by Zach Michael, deeming his car uncompetitive for the rest of the race. Alex would redeem to an 8th place finish by being one of the few cars still on the lead lap.
Pit strategy flew out the window due to Tharp losing immense time on old tires. Despite everybody else pitting, 8 cars managed to stay on the lead lap to see Tony Pizzaro pass Craig Lee for the lead on lap 173. Craig took it back on lap 379 after the two raced side-by-side for a couple of laps. With only 12 laps to go, Ryan was able to pass his teammate and brought along Matt Raboin to join the fight. It was #138 and #87 in first and second with 10 laps to go.
Coming on 9-to-go, Ken Pettit smacked the wall out of turn 2, causing Mark Guthrie and Adam Crapser to spin behind him. It created a 3-lap shootout, as Ryan was able to use the lapped car of Ben Geer to keep the others from getting close as he sailed on to victory. It was his long awaited triumph after being the consistent favorite to win every race other than Daytona, where Rick Jackson took the odds. Congrats to Ryan, crew chief Mustard Mahoney, and the entire Quicksilver Motorsports team for an excellent victory!
Remember last year at Indianapolis, when Dave Miller blew up in 6th position and hurled Alex Crapser into his second career chase? Only he and Johnny Reed Foley missed the chase after being in the top-10 for the first 8 races. Matthew Dominique was 17th in points by this point and also made the show. Unfortunately, Tony Pizzaro will have to come from 33rd to make it in. With the level of competition this year, it may be nearly impossible.Mr. Consistency Tim McDonnell is looking good on winning his second career N.O.R.L. Extravaganza Championship, so long as the momentum continues through Richmond.
2018 Standings After 8 Races:
1. Craig Lee -
2. Tim McDonnell -5
3. Ryan Heuser -22
4. Tony Pizzaro - 48
5. Johnny Reed Foley -55
6. John Tharp - 72
7. Rick Jackson -80
8. John Battista -106
9. Dave Miller -109
10. Scott Jackson -135
2019 Standings After 8 Races:
1. Tim McDonnell -
2. Matthew Dominique -11
3. Donald Stewart -47
4. Rick Jackson -57
5. Dave Miller -60
6. Ryan Heuser -88
7. Ken Pettit -90
8. Matt Raboin -93
9. Craig Lee -109
10. Zach Michael -120
It was a rare race where the middle-stages of the event sparked the most attention. There was side-by-side racing and plenty of lead changes by a few drivers who weren't expected to be on the lead lap by halfway. Besides that, the first and final third of the race were dominated by two teammates, and won would be the winner.
The first 30 laps saw Tony Pizzaro, Johnny Reed Foley, Steven Spears and Mark Guthrie having to pit due to either blown tires or engine failures. All four drivers were immediately out of contention from the start, with Foley becoming the first casualty.
Ryan Heuser dominated the opening stage of the race, leading every green flag lap through lap 220. A broken jack during a yellow flag pit stops sent him to the rear of the field, forcing him to driver aggressively for the rest of the night,
There would only be three cautions all night, which was a testament to the drivers meeting. Many were concerned about the aggressive maneuvers at such high speeds last week, resulting in the near fatality of Russ Charneski. They proved their concern to be genuine.
Scott Jackson braked late entering turn 1 on lap 92, spinning Ben Geer to bring out the first caution. Coming to the flag, John Tharp and Zach Michael made contact and spun into the outside wall with Zakk Miller.
Points Leader Rick Jackson blew a tire on lap 153, shattering his streak of top-22 finishes. He would fall to 4th in the standings after a 37th place finish, 57 points behind new leader Tim McDonnell. Adam Crapser would blow an engine and finish outside the top-40 for the second straight week.
Dalton Lucas led a miracle 107 laps after starting dead last, the most in his N.O.R.L. Extravaganza career. He would be surpassed by Donald Stewart, who would lead 5 laps before losing it to Mathew Dominique.
Lugster would pass Matthew back and lead another 21 laps before Dalton re-took the top-spot. With green flag pit stops looming, everyone up front wanted the top-spot so they could lead the strategy play coming to the final stretch of the race,
Craig Lee and him QSM horsepower wound up outmatching the winless veteran, passing Dalton with only 120 laps to go. He would go on to short-pit and come out over five seconds ahead of the field by the end of the pit cycle.
Craig was on his way to a sure victory when Glenn Kaufmann and William Perry made contact, erupting an enormous crash and sending both Scott Jackson and Dan Johnston for a wild ride. Miraculously, both drivers would finish in the top-10, limping for the final 10-lap run.
Craig would pull away from the pack easily, making it a race for third following teammate Ryan Heuser crawling his way back to second. Tyler Scott pulled off a miracle by winning that race, his first top-5 since the spring Talladega race in 2017, and first ever at Bristol. Craig Lee broke a 27-race winless streak of his own, and moved back into the top-10 in points after his engine failure at Texas. Congrats to Craig, crew chief Spook Millikan and the entire QuickSilver Motorsports team for an excellent victory!
It was a fast-paced race filled with several surprises. The top-11 drivers would all lead a lap, and the winner needed their victory more than anyone in the field. Unfortunately, the race also ended in a life-threatening injury, leaving us all left to wonder whether the speeds have gone to high.
The race started with Rick Jackson at the point with a 210.461 mph qualifying lap. The race pace was intense from the start, with Jimmie Stevens and Ben Geer (twice) ending up in incidents. There would be 19 lead changes before green-flag pit stops on lap 69, between Rick, Craig Lee, Alex Crapser, Matthew Dominique, Scott Jackson, Ryan Heuser, John Battista, Matt Raboin and Johnny Reed Foley.
On lap 120, Kevin Corbat and Jonathan Skrabacz made contact on the backstretch. Kevin hit the inside wall hard, flying back onto the racetrack. The smoke from the incident was so bad that Tony Pizzaro hit him head-on, flying Kevin into John Battista's hood. He then pirouetted 11 times in 4 seconds before Zach Michael's hit forced his car to stop. Corbat, Battista and Pizzaro all suffered minor injuries, while Michael would remain hindered for the rest of the race.
William "Tex" Perry, Johnny Reed Foley and Tim McDonnell would end up in incidents quickly, with Tex the only one suffering severe damage. Afterwards we would see a lot of good racing, including a rare appearance by Michael Henson up front. Ryan Heuser, Matt Raboin, Alex Crapser and Randy Dobbins all led a lap during this period.
Rick Jackson and Ryan Heuser were pulling away from the field when disaster struck. Alan Nesfeder and Ben Geer made contact out of turn 4, spinning Alan out. Dave Butterworth and Zach Michael hit him hard, sending Alan's car straight into Rick and Ryan. Both were damaged after the incident, Rick severely, and each of the top-6 were involved. It would be the wreck that changed the outcome of the race.
Michael Henson crashed on lap 313, leaving Alex Crapser and Dave Miller to race hard for the final 16 laps. Tim McDonnell, Ken Pettit, Johnny Reed Foley, Ryan Heuser and Scott Jackson would all duke it out behind them, but it easily became a two-man race up front. Alex would take the point from lap 321 to 329, and Dave from lap 330 to 332.
On the final lap, Alex and Dave were side-by-side coming out of turn 4 trying to avoid the slow Michael Henson. Crapser used his skills to force Miller outside so he couldn't avoid having to slow, giving Crapser the lead coming into the final lap. Steven Spears, however, was not as patient as Dave. With a small three-wide opening, Spears took a chance to ensure his top-15 finish and it backfired dramatically. Scott Jackson hit the wall head-on and suffered a cracked collarbone. Spears himself ended up with his second concussion in five weeks. Russell Charneski ended up flippiong 20 times in 6 seconds and is currently in critical condition suffering from severe head-trauma, a fractured skull, broken collarbone, three broken ribs, two collapsed luings and a bruised heart. Only Alex, Dave, Tim McDonnell, Ken Pettit and Ryan Heuser would be able to cross the line on their own power, the only five drivers to finish on the lead lap.
After all of that, Alex Crapser was able to fly by the ensuing carnage to grab his first victory in his only flag-to-flag competitive race of the season. After finishing 10th in points last season during a sub-par chase, everyone figured he would bounce back this season at full stride. Unfortunately, good qualifying results have resulted into poor finishes every race so far, until now. He is currently up to 19th in points, and very much in chase contention after this win. Congrats to Alex, crew chief Jeremy Hebel and the entire Lucas Racing team for an excellent victory!
Russell Charneski flipped over a miraculous 27 times in a horrifying crash on the final lap coming out of turn 2. Action Ice Motorsports is in severe devastation, praying for their driver. It remains to be seen whether they will race again, with a new driver, or at all.
Martinsville became a race dominated by front-runners, and finished with a top-10 filled with cars who struggled in practice all week long. The journey begins...
Sunday's wide world of short track racing began with Ryan Heuser's third pole of the season. It became a wild scramble for those wanting to stay on the lead lap by the halfway point, knowing the Rocket Man's savvy at Martinsville.
The first incident of the day came on lap 8, with Adam Crapser getting spun out in turn-2 with contact from Dalton Lucas.
Tim McDonnell, Matthew Dominique and Alex Crapser battle for the lead early. Dominique prevailed in the end, dominating most of the show while the others eventually dropped out of the top-10.
Dale Rosendaul went on a rampage, spinning out John Tharp and Scott Jackson in the same corner. Tharp would recover for a 15th place finish, while Jackson finished 30th, dropping him out of the top-10 in points.
Rick Jackson and Craig Lee tangle entering turn 3 right after Ryan Heuser made a green flag pit stop Jackson and Lee struggled onward, finishing 22nd and 23rd. Heuser finished 39th, also falling out of the top-10.
Zach Michael goes 3-wide for the lead and takes it temporarily. Him, Dominique, Matt Raboin and Alan Nesfeder would pull away from the field as the top-4 during the next two runs.
Matthew Dominique, who led 330 of the 500 laps, would get spun out by Donald Stewart and bring out the caution flag. Pizzaro, Miller, Battista, R. Jackson, Pettit, Crapser and Dominique himself would all fall a lap down, giving some new front-runners a chance at an unlikely victory.
With an excellent set of tires, Randy Dobbins passed 5 cars in only a few laps to take the lead away from Zach Michael. He would never relinquish it for the final 48 circuits.
It's been a long road for Randy Dobbins. Teamed up with Rick Jackson and Bill Wekheiser as a force to be reckoned with in the early 2000's, the WASP motorsports team has lost it's edge in the last half-decade. Many said that Rick's move to the modern Race2Win Motorsports in 2011 was indicative of changes to come, and they were correct. Fortunately, a racetrack like Martinsville proves to be a great equalizer, as Randy proved he can still get it done even after all these years. Congrats to Randy, crew chief Ward Boom and the entire WASP Motorsports team for an excellent victory!
