Qualifying Results Ryan Heuser dropped to the doldrums last week after an engine failure mid-race at Road America. 12 drivers are now in the brigade to make the chase, from 5th to 16th place in the points. Ken Pettit and John Battista both had terrible finishes last week, falling near the cut-line themselves. Seeing a strong start to the season fall to the wayside may seem scary, but New Hampshire provides the antidote. All 12 drivers have had a multitude of success and devastation at this racetrack. 12th in points Rick Jackson is on the pole for tomorrow.
Current Points Positions 5. Ken Pettit: +116 6. Matt Raboin: +81 7. Ryan Heuser: +76 8. Zach Michael: +54 9. Alex Crapser: +39 10. Johnny Reed Foley: +7 ----------------------------------- 11. Scott Jackson: -7 12. Rick Jackson: -35 13. John Tharp: -37 14. Jimmie Stevens: -39 15. Zakk Miller: -72 16. Dave Miller: -77
Connor Germain followed his unbelievable Daytona 2nd place finish with a practical DNS after blowing up on the starting line at Road America. He has now qualified a career-high 4th for New Hampshire. His Rookie-Of-The-Year competitor Dakota Wilkins is just ahead in the points for the award. He has failed to qualify, as Germain looks to steal the show with a possible top-20 today.
The difference between 8th and 16th in points is smaller than a granule of swiss cheese after a nice grating job. By the end, the distance will extend just a little, and two of the three drivers ahead of the cut will find themselves out. Will pole sitter Johnny Reed Foley be one of the drivers to knock the Jackson's out of the Championship bubble?
A climate of sunshine began the first Road America race in decades, as Johnny Reed Foley led the charge. After the second quick caution, David Baldinger took over the lead, barely hanging on with the faster Tony Pizzaro behind.
Followed were two horrendous accidents off of turn 1 into the tire barriers by Donald Stewart and Randy Dobbins. Zach Michael and Tim McDonnell made contact and clipped the #55 machine hard into the Goodyears. Dobbins suffered the same fate nearly last in the pack. They would finish just ahead of Connor Germain, who did not start the event after an engine failure on the grid.
Baldinger led his second straight restart and, eventually his 7th lap led on the day before coming on for a pit stop. Tony Pizzaro led the next 11 laps and pulled away from the field before green flag stops.
It was a Quick Silver Motorsports blowout at Road America. Both NOS Energy cars heaved massive smoke during the mid-portion of the race. Ryan was battling for the lead, losing 100+ points in the process and dropping to only 76 points out of the cutoff. Craig finished outside of the top-40.
Lap 28 turned into a tug-of-war battle between the #29 and #85. Ben Geer and William Perry came out of the pits, and before long they were destroying the infield and outfield grasshoppers. They made contact entering turn 2, with Ben flying through the grass and slamming into Perry's side while back on the track. Several corners later, they tapped again, with Geer flying hard into the outside tire barrier in the kink. He would finish 40th on the day.
John Battista's top-10 run came to a halt after a spin between turns one and two. Fortunately, he would not hit the barriers like most and keep on trucking. He finished 32nd on the day after flying through the field early. Just afterwards, David Baldinger could not re-gain the momentum he had early. An attempt to pass through the field turned sour after contact with Rob Scarberry sent both drivers into the tire barriers. The road ringer would not win today.
The final restart of the event saw Alex Crapser make multiple attempts to pass Pizzaro during the first lap. Good brakes entering Canada Corner saw the #04 come up on top, leading his first laps on the day.
Most drivers made their final pit stop before the 12-to-go mark, leaving Matthew Dominique, Dalton Lucas, and Johnny Reed Foley as the top-3. Rick Jackson and Alan Nesfeder were the final contenders to command the lead. When they came in, it was the tandem of Crapser and Tim McDonnell battling for glory.
McDonnell had fresher tires with the later pit stop, as the famous CAT crew put them in thr running. It took McDonnell three laps to catch the #04, though the excellent Lucas Racing brakes made it nearly impossible to execute a good passing opportunity. They were side-by-side three different times in the final five laps, but to no avail.
Alex Crasper has found the front minimally this season at the intermediate race tracks, and a road course was an excellent change-of-pace to propel him back into the Championship race. He would go from 11th to 9th in the standings, in perfect position with five races remaining in the regular se
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William Perry has been placed on probation for the rest of the 2021 season following an altercation with Ben Geer at Road America yesterday on lap 28. Coming out of the pit road, Perry made what appeared to be intentional contact with Geer entering turn 3, sending the #29 through the infield grass. Geer knocked the #85 into the outside grass after re-entering the racetrack, as the two scattered back into traffic. Perry was able to re-catch the Budweiser machine, bumping his rear end entering the braking zone in the Kink. Geer would lose control of his car and slam hard into the cheese barriers, knocking him into another daze of confusion in 2021. There is no indication of what pre-meditated the incident. Geer has escaped the crash with no penalty, other than another possible concussion.
The road course stretch proves dynamite for some of the chase contenders, as we head towards the first bi-weekly stretch of right handers to send off into the playoffs. Johnny Reed Foley comes in only 16 points behind 10th place Rick Jackson, as he lands his second pole of the season for the 62 lap event. He has only led 193 laps on the season, and looks to eclipse the 200 lap-led barrier for the first time since forming MFI Racing with Tim McDonnell many seasons ago. Road ringer David Baldinger will start on the outside front row.
7. Matt Raboin: +84 (Starts 6th)
8. Zach Michael: +45 (Starts 23rd)
9. Scott Jackson: +40 (Starts 8th)
10. Rick Jackson: +4 (Starts 20th) ---------------------------------- 11. Alex Crapser: -4 (Starts 11th)
12. Johnny Reed Foley: -16 (Starts 1st)
13. Jimmie Stevens: -24 (Starts 4th)
14. Dave Miller: -28 (Starts 14th)
15. John Tharp: -34 (Starts 12th)
16. Zakk Miller: -44 (Starts 13th)
This is easily the closest Championship chase race since it's inception nearly two decades ago. The difference between 8th place Zach Michael and 16th place Zakk Miller is only 85 points. The only four drivers who are relatively safe for the clinch are Tony Pizzaro, Tim McDonnell, Craig Lee and John Battista. Battista will start 41st in the field, dropping his "favorite" status just a tad as he rummages through the field.
Qualifying Results Last season, Johnny Reed Foley pulled off a miraculous dema-dodge move on the final green flag lap to pass a crashing Tim McDonnell and Dale Rosendaul for the win. He is in need of another victory at Daytona, already behind the 8-ball in the championship race. He is currently only 44 points out of the chase cutoff, but four points-positions behind in what may be the closest regular season chase battle in Extravaganza history. Jimmie Stevens fell off the mountain during the Pocono duels and Nashville, dropping him to 11th in the standings. Behind, him in 12th, John Tharp has gone from no-man's land to euphoria after three 2nd-place finishes in the last five events. Where will the momentum lie down the final seven-race stretch? It all starts here at the Super-Center of Speed!
Current Points Positions 7. Matt Raboin: +77 8. Alex Crapser: +31 9. Scott Jackson: +27 10. Zach Michael: +7 ----------------------------------- 11. Jimmie Stevens: -7 12. John Tharp: -29 13. Rick Jackson: -37 14. Johnny Reed Foley: -44 15. Dave Miller: -77 16. Zakk Miller: -106
Craig Lee is on the pole with his QSM teammate Ryan Heuser on the outside front-row. They've won two of the last three events, and look to dominate the final restrictor plate race of the regular season. Both drivers are well within distance of clinching their spot, boding well for a nothing-to-lose mentality and an aggressive demeanor on the racetrack. Everybody is looking to end the Lucas Racing sweep on the restrictor plate race tracks. Look for a surprise winner to capture the feat.
The second race in the Pocono mountains starts with yesterday's winner Ryan Heuser on the pole. He's one of the strongest cars at Pocono in every event, as he looks to claw his way towards the front of the standings. He looks to be the second driver in two years to sweep the Pocono duel events.
Ryan Heuser's car immediately blows up on the start, leaving the rest of the field with a huge advantage going in. He will battle attrition and finish in 38th place. Dakota Wilkins amazingly took the green up front and led the first two laps before Tony Pizzaro put him back into the pack.
With Rick Jackson battling for his chance at the Championship, the wick turned up for the #44 machine. His teammates were in the mix already, with Johnny Reed Foley as the only cog in the bunch. Ken Pettit would make a three-wide move for the lead in the tunnel turn early, proving he was ready to dominate the masses.
The first portion of the race saw Race-2-Win cars dominating the top-5, Foley looking to redeem himself after his Duel #1 accident. He would take the lead, only to see John Battista blow by with seemingly the fastest car in the field with Heuser out. He and Pettit would hash it out, with Ken leading 13 laps and JB 11 by the races end.
Craig Lee and Scott Jackson became a factor after saving their tires during the first fuel run. Lee was uncompetitive during the first event, but looked to hold the forst for the QSM bunch after the early misfortune. Jackson was ready to roll himself, looking for his fourth victory of the season to continue the lack-of-drought streak in 2021.
Lee and Ken pettit duked it out for several laps, with each driver looking for redemption over the next. Ken has not won a race in two-and-a-half years, though staying consistent through the battle. Lee just won at Nashville, and looks to overtake the points lead from Pizzaro and McDonnell to earn those fabulous chase bonus points.
Johnny Reed Foley and William Perry make contact mid-way through the race. Another turn-1 accident sends Foley into the outside wall for the second race in-a-row. Amazingly, he would rebound back to finish third, though still drop to 14th in the standings.
A huge wreck after the restart started with Alex Crapser and Zach Michael making contact entering the tunnel turn. As Michael slid slightly out of harms way and into the barrier, Crapser was pulverized by the field.
The #04 flew into the air, while Aaron Cummings went for the wildest ride of the season in the middle of the tunnel turn apron. He flipped over 2 times a second for several barrel-rolls before coming to a stop. Fortunately, Cummings was okay after the accident, though finished 41st.
The final green flag run were dominated by John Tharp, as Craig Lee sailed back nearly outside the top-10. Zakk Miller took the lead with just a few laps to go, as he and Tharp swapped places several times. John Battista took four tires on the previous caution, flew near the top-10 before getting bumped in the tunnel turn. He mbattled back, and took the lead outright from Tharp with less than three laps to go.
John Battista and Ryan Heuser have been neck-and-neck on the led laps, points and victories all season long. Battista would cruise to the finish line in first and tie Ryan with the most victories on the season with four. Congrats to John, crew chief Lew Money, and the entire Lucas Racing team for an excellent victory!
Rookie of the Year leader Dakota Wilkins qualifies a career-best third for the second Pocono event tomorrow. He finished 41st in the first race with an engine failure, as purple nuts and bolts flew into the tunnel-turn bushes. His backup motor may be the dark-horse of the race. First race winner Ryan Heuser starts on the pole, looking to be the second driver in-a-row to sweep the Pocono Duels.
The misty Pocono mountains fade as the sun arises to excellent Pocono Raceway action. The two points leaders await the green flag on the front row, as Craig Lee and the rest follow the draft line to a possible victory.
Scott Drake and Steven Lowe bring out the first two cautions quickly after check-ups entering turn 2. Randy Dobbins and Philip Parker were also involved in the melee's, and neither would recover to finish inside the top-35. Lowe and Drake would finish 24th and 37th by the end.
Tony Pizzaro and Tim McDonnell came in for tires during the multiple yellow flags. Dave Miller came out the leader entering the first green flag run, with John Battista and John Tharp each taking turns at the front.
Tharp, Johnny Reed Foley and Rick Jackson each dominated the run, with Pizzaro losing a lap after a blown tire in the tunnel-turn. McDonnell could only muster through the field up to 4th, as teammate Ben Geer followed through the pack in a Cinderella effort.
McDonnell, Geer, Ken Pettit and Alex Crapser bottled up to the front as Dave Miller lost grip on his older tires. Foley and Jackson both led double-digit laps by the end, and seemed to be the top-goers for the victory. It was proved as the wrong analysis quickly, as Ryan Heuser stole the show from nowhere to take his first lead of the race.
A battle for 2nd place with 39 laps to go turned deadly, as Foley and Pettit made contact entering the first corner battling for second. Foley slammed the outside wall rear-first as the oncoming chaos meandered passed the stopped AMP-mobile. Fortunately, he was not hit by oncoming traffic.
Zach Michael took the lead several laps after the restart. He and Ryan mustered enough horsepower to pull away from the pack with Ben Geer tagging along. It was a 3-wide melee for 4th between all three R2W and Team Danger Zone cars, who were clearly the cream of the crop other than Ryan and Ben.
Heuser and Michael swapped the lead six times before the final green flag stop with 12 laps to go. The #138 led a race-leading 40 laps while the #20 led 11 by the end. Geer followed the two in the awe of his dramatic top-3 performance. He had not recorded a top-13 all season.
Michael and Geer came in first, with Heuser in one lap later. The Domino's mobile came out over a second, but was reeled in by the "Rocket Man" in time for the final debris caution to come out. In the meantime, Johnny Reed Foley attempted to stretch the fuel all the way to the finish.
It was a three-lap shootout to the finish. Heuser and Michael were side-by-side for the entire first lap before the #138 took charge off of turn-3. Geer made his move past on the oncoming front-straightaway, as Michael was left to hold off his teammates and the R2W crowd to stay in 3rd.
Ben Geer came extremely close to victory, drafting up to the NOS Energy machine on the front-stretch coming to the checkered. The Quick-Silver horsepower ended up stealing the show, crossing the line in first and earning his league-leading 4th victory of the season. Congrats to Ryan, crew chief Mustard Mahoney, and the entire Quick-Silver Motorsports team for an excellent victory!
Second-in-points Tim McDonnell has not recorded a top-7 finish in 9-straight events. Last season, he went from "Mr. Consistency" to "The McDoninator" after his Pocono sweep set him on course to his second-straight series title. Craig Lee closes in with 5 top-7 finishes in the same span, only 19 points behind McDonnell and 125 out of the lead. He will start the first Pocono race in 18th, as Tim and points leader Tony Pizzaro monopolize the front row.
11th through 14th in points are separated by only 12 points in total, ranging from 73 to 85 points behind Matt Raboin for the cutoff with 9 races left in the regular season:
9. Scott Jackson:+91
10. Matt Raboin:+73
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11. Zach Michael:-73
12. John Tharp:-82
13. Johnny Reed Foley:-83
14. Dave Miller:-85
The two Pocono events take up 23% of the remaining races, as drivers remain vigilant to the Championship prize. Who can dethrone the American off-brand dominance in the second half of 2021? Perhaps nobody.
