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43 haulers survived the trip from Sonoma! Michael Henson's Kenworth broke down in Modesto, hoping to track down Ernie Irvan while his team replaced the crankshaft. Sadly, Ernie was 2,600 miles away, feeding hay to his horses and mules in his Florida farmstead. Since we're at Daytona, maybe he can meet him now! Or maybe not. The hauler developed a gas leak near Amarillo, remaining there until a proper "Midas mechanic" can fix the issue. The #144 Black N' Decker Chevrolet was towed "hitch and ball" style with Michael inside, waving to enthralled Extravaganza fans on Interstate 40. Then, disaster struck. The hitch broke, leaving Michael off course towards the Hickson Lake Swamp! He slammed on the brakes just in time. "I wish they were this good at Sonoma!" exclaimed Michael, still fumigating over his 33rd-place finish.
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The annual Sonoma softball game was a success! 5,000 fans crowded the bushes, watching their favorite Extravaganza stars dominate the diamond. Injured man Johnny Reed Foley was forced to sit out. "We used him for second base" said Chevrolet manager Dan Johnston. The Non-Chevrolet's won 15-9, with Matthew Dominique going 5 for 6 with a blast over the left field dog park. The summer heat devastates the grandstands! Empty beer cans melt into the metal, infusing Busch-blue and Heiniken-green into the seats. Pole-sitter Craig Lee beats Alex Crapser into turn-2! He would lead the first lap, with Adam Crapser, Michael Henson, Doug Spark and David Baldinger each finding the dust. Doug Sup Park spins off of turn-7, with Ziggy Moonglow hitting rocks from the off-track dirt, blowing a tire. Alex Crapser, Craig Lee, Johnny Reed Foley, Markell Murphy and Matthew Dominique occupied the top-5! The #3 AC-Delco Chevrolet passed Lee for the second spot through the esses. Three laps later, he was on Crapser's bumper! The #04 defiantly held the spot, able to out-gas Foley off the corners with his Lucas Racing horsepower. Crapser would finally pit on lap-38, anticipating a caution-free race with three equal stints. Foley stayed out, hoping for less fuel on the final stop. The strategy race came to a halt! Debris on the frontstretch brought out the caution. It was a can! Somebody threw a Gumout can on the track! Reportedly, a fan overheard a guy yelling prior to the caution. "Gumout is a fuel additive? It thought it was adhesive remover!" The fan then proceeded to heave the can over the pit wall, directly in front of Dan Johnston's All-State Chevrolet. Points leader Markell Murphy and Rod Weston tangle entering turn-1! The second caution flag flies, with John Tharp leading the field for the lap-44 restart. Zakk Miller, Tony Gunk, William Perry and Logan Sheets followed him through, occupying the top-5 as the former leaders were mired mid-pack and worse. Craig Lee and Alex Crapser were relegated outside the top-25, with Johnny Reed Foley and Markell Murphy both suffering blown tires, dropping towards rear of the field. A morbid crash on lap-58! Tony Pizzaro and Dong Sup Park get together entering the hairpin, sending the #66 Reese’s Cup Petizione Chevrolet into the outside barrier. Both cars collide a second time, each pointed towards the pit wall tire wall. Park catapulted off the pit-side of the tires, continuing with a damaged front-end; limping to 35th. Pizzaro hit the wall head on, fortunate to strike at 68 miles-per-hour after ample time to slow. He would finish dead-last with contusions. A fronstretch crash on the restart flips Timothy McDonnell! Ken Joynt, Ben Geer, Scott Jackson, Matthew Dominique and Adam Crapser were each involved in the accident, with the #22, #29 and #25 out of action. The green flag waves! John Tharp maintains his advantage, earning the Halfway Bacon Bonus with a 1.5-second advantage over Zakk Miller. By lap-60, he and the “Bepis Man” gapped the rest of the field by 10+ seconds, hoping to dominate the remaining distance. It was not to be. Another debris caution re-bunched the field, with William Perry, Zach Michael, Donald Stewart, Logan Sheets, John Battista, Molemar Diggs, Jeremy Hebel, Alan Nesfeder and Alex Crapser staying out. No driver could make on fuel from here. ... Read more » |
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*The annual Sonoma pre-race "techno-explosion" circa 1998 King Joe Dawkins is on the hot seat! A second top-5 at Gateway puts he and driver John Tharp back in the Championship hunt. Better yet, they arrive at their best facility! The #14 PHR Racing "Zig-Zag" organization has dominated Sonoma in recent years, winning the 2024 event with an average finish of 8.43 since 2019. "This is a good time to get fired. I live right down the street!" exclaimed Joe, who's "Hemet Hideaway" is a dismal 493 miles from the track. With their current 8th-place starting spot, his "pepperoni and beer" retirement may have to wait. Ryan Heuser, Markell Murphy, Alex Crapser, John Battista and Zakk Miller have shown the way! Each driver enters Sonoma well ahead of the Chase cutoff, focusing purely on victory lane, while the rest mire themselves in stress and agony. "I've got more ulcers than hairs!" exclaimed Dave Miller, who shaved his head to defeat the Sonoma summer heat. He comes in 14th in points, failing to earn a top-5 since California in March. Dakota Wilkins also dropped out of the top-10, finishing 35th or worse five times in his last seven events. Both drivers are dismayed at the three road courses left on the regular season schedule, hoping to survive the trepidation with top-20 runs. Everyone from William Perry in 35th has a shot a Chase birth with nine races left! Friday, July 17th, 4:00 ET |
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From "Stan The Man" to "The Greatest Show on Turf", St. Louis has ruled the sports world. The inception of the St. Louis Brown Stockings in 1875 was a godsend after the tumultuous Camp Jackson Affair just fifteen year earlier. This team provided avenues for Lip Pike, Jumbo McGinnis, Tip O'Neil, Rogers Hornsby, Cool Papa Bell, Mule Suttles, Willie Wells, Dizzy Dean, Enos Slaughter, Ken Boyer, Bob Gibson and Ozzie Smith to thrive beyond the depths of comprehension. The racetrack across the river will continue their story tonight in the fifth annual Budweiser 300! The green flag waves! 200,000 screaming fans jump like amphibians, ready to "croak" their favorite driver to victory. Pole-sitter John Battista starts off with a bang, shooting to a one-second lead over the field. He, Chauncey Redmond Jr., Zakk Miller, Ryan Heuser and Craig Lee dominate the initial stages before a Trae Larkin and Tony Gunk crash brings out the yellow. Towards the rear, points leader Markell Murphy struggles to find pace, riding in the 40th position and in danger of dropping a lap. Craig Lee beats Battista out of the pits! A 1-2 QSM punch at the front, hoping to pull ahead after the lap-53 restart. It was not to be. Battista and Zach Michael powered past Heuser, pressuring Lee for the following ten-lap stint. Lee would eventually pull ahead, with Battista dropping positions to Heuser, Ken Pettit and Chauncey Redmond Jr. in a four-car cavalcade at the front. During the caution flag, third-in-points Alex Crapser smashed Donald Stewart on the pit road, putting his 19-race top-half finishing streak on the line. A blown tire from Alan Nesfeder drops him down a lap. William Perry would suffer the same fate, jumbling up the field before Rick Jackson and Adam Crapser collide in turn-1. Both catapulted off the outside wall, able to continue with distressed automobiles. Jackson would limp to 41st-place before his engine finally gave out, dropping to 23rd in points. Crapser dropped to 27th, 341 points behind the Chase cutline. Up front, Craig Lee continued to lead the field. Ryan Heuser gets turned! The newly acclaimed points leader spins battling for the 5th position after contact with Logan Sheets. Amazingly, the car hit softly on the driver-side, with only a minor toe-out issue to bare for the remainder of the event. He would fall back with points counterpart Markell Murphy, with Alex Crapser already losing a lap. With the top-3 in the standings suffering issues, it's time for John Battista and Zakk Miller to shine! Craig Lee, Tony Pizzaro and Zach Michael were the class of the field! With 100-to-go, they gapped a four-second advantage over Chauncey Redmond Jr., navigating the facility to extreme perfection. Pizzaro took lead from the Lee with 75-to-go, hoping to dismount from a devastating 63-race winless streak. A debris caution with 56-to-go halted the progress of the top-3 cars, with Logan Sheets, Adam Crapser, Tony Gunk, Michael Henson and Ken Pettit dropping a lap after their fuel-save strategy went down the tubes. The green flag waves! Craig Lee makes a bid on Pizzaro with 38-to-go, taking the top-spot with Bink Lucas, Chauncey Redmond Jr. and Zakk Miller entering the fray. A crash involving Dakota Wilkins and David Butterworth brought out the caution, dropping Wilkins outside the top-10 in points for the first time in 2026. A three-wide move through the middle saw Bink Lucas in "Desperado Mode", hoping to achieve glory for the first time this season. It was not to be. He would bump himself and Pizzaro into the turn-3 marbles, watching Craig Lee, Zakk Miller, Donald Stewart, Ryan Heuser, Matthew Dominique, Chauncey Redmond, John Battista and John Tharp fly by on the inside.
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Three drivers enter the fifth annual Budweiser 400 in a congested battle for regular season supremacy! Markell Murphy, Ryan Heuser and Alex Crapser each have a realistic shot of exiting Gateway with the points lead, hoping to continue their season-long dominance throughout the often than rock bands earn their royalties (just ask American street performer Wild Man Fisher). Fortunately, top-20's have been Murphy and Crapsers' oyster in 2026, hoping to rebound from their morbid 23rd and 38th starting positions. For Heuser, it's the only active track he's failed to win, nearly pulling off the feat in 2024 before a late-race pass by the AC-Delco #3. With Foley still in severe agony, this may be his chance. Points Standings (After 16 of 36 Events) 11. Timothy McDonnell: -40 (-1) Friday, July 10th, 4:00 ET |
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Tony Gunk's miracle victory in 2025 gave hope to all! Another rags-to-riches story could be in the cards, with the #59 Kelpo Dodge looking stronger than most in practice. Doug Spark earns his second-straight top-15 starting spot, with Geno Sphere hoping to dominate the early laps for a second-straight Budwesier 400. Pole-sitter John Battista understands how tough victory is for the low-budget teams. "We flipped in our first race in 2012." exclaimed Battista. "McDonald's gave us some cash after I won the "snack wrap" eating contest, so me and my friend Mumford bought a Ford and headed to Dover. By the end, the "M" on the hood looked more like a swastika." Hopefully today's "young guns" will fair better luck. Points Standings (After 16 of 36 Events) 1. Markell Murphy: +590 Friday, July 10th, 4:00 ET |
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The seventh night-race of 2026! 43 cars sail into the dusk, hoping for balance in the frigid and frosty Old Dominion climate. A 20-degree drop from practice sparks worry in the Doug Spark camp, starting a career-best fourth in the #03 Overspeed Rennsport Volkswagen. "If we hold them off for a lap, we'll be satisfied." Points leaders Markell Murphy and Ryan Heuser start directly in front, hoping to continue their dominance in immaculate style! Heuser should have no trouble, winning everything including the infield "reaper chili" competition. Molemar Diggs earns the pole! His second in 2026, joining Ryan Heuser, Zakk Miller and Logan Sheets in the "two or more" club. Speaking of two, he would hold off the field for the first two laps, adding his season lap led total to thirteen; a positive omen for the junior-year contender! Points leaders Ryan Heuser and Markell Murphy passed through on the inside, with the #138 Quick-Silver Chevrolet leading his 13th event of the year. Murphy enters Richmond with a 35-point advantage over Heuser, already losing ten despite his second-place standing. The #47 Red Bull Mustang would lose the runner-up spot to Adam Crapser on lap-24. Leader Heuser extended to a four-second advantage, ready to put Championship contenders Dakota Wilkins, Rick Jackson, Ziggy Moonglow and Timothy McDonnell down a lap. Moonglow, Jackson and Wilkins would fall to the "Rocket Man", with McDonnell's #22 CFM Motorsports Volkswagen saved by the yellow flag. Three-wide action electrifies the grandstands! The crowd was stiff as cordwood last week at Pocono, watching the single-file promenade as Ryan Heuser sailed into the atmosphere. This week, Heuser remains dominant, with fifth-on-back in pandemonium! Doug Spark successfully defended the spot through lap-65, creating a bottleneck between sixth and the remaining field. Heuser, Adam Crapser, Alex Crapser and Markell Murphy occupied the top-4 positions. Ben Geer goes for a spin! The "Twinkie Man" gets roughed up by Chauncey Redmond Jr.. Both cars smacked the outside wall, dropping from mid-pack to the tail of the lead lap. Geer would limp to 40th by the finish. Redmond regained his stride despite a dilapidated front end, finishing 15th. Up front, Ryan Heuser and Alex Crapser pulled to a two-second advantage by the lap-100 mark. By lap-130, Matthew Dominique caught and passed both of them, taking his first lead of the night. Leader Matthew Dominique overheats! Debris on the grill forces an early stop on lap-191, losing three laps after building a four-second advantage on the field. He would finish 41st, leading a season high 63-laps on a disappointing night. Points leader Markell Murphy inherits the top-spot, leading his fifth-straight event! Just two laps later, Tony Pizzaro's "Fenway Frank" #12 took the advantage, stealing the Halfway Bacon Bonus. He would lead the field through lap-250. The #12 Boston Red Sox Fusion hasn't won since Watkins Glen in 2024! Pizzaro, Ryan Heuser and John Battista pulled to a three-second advantage, lapping title contedner Timothy McDonnell and second-race-man David Rattler in the process. Ten laps later, Heuser made his move. A clean pass on the frontsrtetch; going for his fourth win in his last five tries! John Battista would spoil the plan, taking the advantage with 113-to-go. Teammate Alex Crapser and a charging Matt Raboin closed in on the trio. The caution flag flies! Tony Pizzaro, Adam Crapser, Doug Spark, Jeremy Hebel, John Tharp and Zach Michael get trapped a lap down. Matt Raboin comes out ahead of the pace car, keeping his lap. In fact he inherits the lead! The remaining lead lap cars would pit, dropping John Battista, Alex Crapser, Markell Murphy, Ryan ... Read more » |
