Zakk Miller sneaks within 10 points of Ken Pettit for the Championship lead! His victory at Bristol put him on the win column for 2024, leading the series in laps led after averaging 85 in the last three events. Up front, Tony Pizzaro and Bink Lucas will lead the field to the green with Rick Jackson, Ryan Heuser, Timothy McDonnell and Dave Miller starting 35th or worse. If they go down a lap early, the grandfather clock will vanish into the hellfire.
One night after Joe Mersdorf's fatal accident, the Geer-5 Racing team remains undecided on their status for the foreseeable future. Rumors had Cristiano De Sa to drive the #54 Statler Brothers entry for Talladega, but proved no merit. Teammate #55 Jonathan Cheeseman will continue his bid for the Championship in honor or Mersdorf's memory. Donald Stewart and Ben Geer will have his #54 racecar on their quarter-panel's for the Extravaganza Series event. He will be buried on the Beit Olamim Cemetery in Madison, Wisconsin on Thursday.
Jimmie Stevens makes the show after having to qualify for the Virginia 500, winning the 100-lap pre-qualifier! The #2 Ampio Lifesaver Racing team has finished better than 31st in only three events so far, entering Martinsville 36th in points. Logan Sheets, Ryan Heuser and Alan Nesfeder earned top 5-'s at Texas, Richmond and Bristol to gap themselves out of the hole and re-earn their provisional status. "Speedy" hopes to do the same. He'll start 32nd. Counterpart Steven Spears will miss his second-straight event after finishing second-to-last in the qualifying race.
A bonfire mishap causes a campground holocaust! Fire went ablaze after a man sprayed REPEL into his campfire, eventually throwing the entire 12-pack in a fit of rage! "It was worse than my mom's eye-lid operation" said an anonymous source. "We told Dwayne not to do it, but he consumed his eighth Genuine Draft popsicle and there was no stopping the man!" The race will be Genuinely postponed until further notice.
An enormous blow to the hearts of stock car racing. Just one night after leading the most laps in the Martinsville Busch Bonanza stock car race on Friday, "Smokin" Joe Mersdorf was killed in a highway accident near his home in Cumberland, Virginia while returning from a sponsorship appearance at the Appomattox courthouse. Mersdorf turned 36 last Wednesday, finishing third in the the 2023 Busch Bonanza Championship and was a leading candidate for the title in 2024. He watched the race from Glenn Kaufmann's motor home, driving a Toyota owned by the former Extravaganza Series independent. "He was going east on highway 60, steered into a curve and apparently lost control," said Kal Buckner, a Virginia state trooper. "Apparently he was traveling at a high rate of speed, went sideways and couldn’t correct it." Coincidentally, Buckner attended the North Wilkesboro race in which Mersdorf finished 6th last fall. Mersdorf's sliding truck was struck on the driver’s door by a westbound car. The driver of that car Janet Duffy, 68, of Lynchburg, Virgina, was also killed. The accident occurred at about midnight, according to police. John Hidley of Conover North Carolina, Mersdorf’s car chief and jackman, was injured and was taken to the Centra Lynchburg Medical Hospital for treatment. Glenn Kaufmann, a multi-car team owner and former Extravaganza Series regular who owns Geer-5 Motorsports, picked up Mersdorf after his success at Motor Mile Speedway. He began competing in the Late Model SCUM (Super Crown Ultra Modified) Division just four years ago, winning the Championship for Kaufmann in 2021. "This is an enormous shock and is a loss we will feel even more in the days and weeks to come." said Kaufmann. A memorial service will be held Wednesday at Motor Mile, the site of Mersdorf's finest racing accomplishments. He won two track Championships there in 2015 and 2016. Although originally from Madison, Wisconsin, Mersdorf maintained a residence and racing shop in Farmville, Virginia and also owns a gas station there. "Joe was one of the most promising young drivers in the Extravaganza Series pipeline, so from that standpoint it’s a terrible loss for everyone who enjoys the sport,” said Dalton Lucas, owner of Lucas Hauling and the Bonanza Series teams for Rhamondre Diggs (#41) and Ronaldo Scott (#40). "Personally, it really hits hard because his cousin is one of my best friends in racing, and I know how badly he and the rest of the family are hurting right now. Someone that young, it’s a real tragic situation." Glenn Kaufmann, in addition to managing Mersdorf's career, was crew chief on the car since Bob Watkins left the team during the offseason. "I've always tried to hire the best people I can get for the team." Kaufmann said recently when asked about the #54 team. "I didn’t have much choice with Joe, but he’s turned out pretty good."
Adam Crapser pulls off a miracle 14.751 mile-per-hour lap, the only driver inside the 15-second bracket! He comes in 35th in the standings, needing to showcase his regular short track speed and finish it off, something the #4 team has struggled to do over their tenure. He and Markell Murphy occupy the front row.
The high-line remains advantageous as Markell Murphy occupied the top-spot off of turn-2, leading the first 15 laps. Points leader Ken Pettit dropped from 6th to 30th during the same span with a racecar he deemed "demonic" during the first green flag run. Rookie of the Year contender and surprise of the season Steve Inkman took the lead from lap 15 to 20.
Markell Murphy took the lead from laps 21 to 37 while Imkman and Adam Crapser interchanged the second position. Chauncey Redmond Jr., Alex Crapser and Ryan Heuser caught up to the top-3 during the swaps, with the #47 back on top from laps 42 to 46. Steve Inkman led the ensuing two laps before Adam Crapser took over. Lapped traffic loomed ahead.
The Green Bay Packers #4 was unstoppable through lapped traffic. Only 23 cars were on the lead lap by lap 100, with points leader Ken Pettit, Craig Lee, Zach Michael, Timothy McDonnell, Scott Jackson, Rick Jackson and John Battista all falling to the wayside. By lap 142, only twelve cars remained. Adam's advantage over second-place Steve Inkman grew to a modest seven seconds. Unfortunately, contact between Johnny Reed Foley sent the #4 car hard into the outside turn-3 wall! John Tharp, Dakota Wilkins and Craig Lee smacked Adam in the front, turning the Packers Chevrolet into an acordion on wheels. A second crash after the restart rendered his car destroyed, losing several laps and unable to match the speed he previously occupied. Adam would finish 32nd after leading 98 laps. Jonathan Skrabacz, David Butterworth and Logan Sheets were also involved in the crash.
A speeding penalty took Chancey Redmond out of the lead, ending the reign of the NFL-sponsored cars. Saints-man Jimmie Stevens broke a gearbox on lap 211, finishing last on the day and dropping out of the top-35 in points. Up front, Markell Murphy remained up front through lap 169. Alex Crapser led from lap 170 through lap 194 before Ryan Heuser took the advantage. He, Crapser, Markell Murphy, Zakk Miller and William Perry swapped the top-5 positions for the remainder of the run.
Alex Crapser led the lap 220 restart after Jimmie Stevens' engine failure. He pulled away from the field in shades of his brother, leading the Halfway Bacon Bonus before lapped traffic pushed him back. Teammate John Battista earned his lap back after Adam's accident, working defiantly on his handling to take the lead on lap 265. William Perry earned the top-spot two laps later, with Jeremy Hebel earning five bonus points for his Rookie of the Year campaign. John Battista and Alex Crapser were back to 1-2 by lap 273.
The Pennzoil #04 and #138 NOS Energy Chevrolet's found their way past the Wendy's "Dave's Quadruple" #39. The immaculate lead changing brought the top-9 within two seconds of the leader, with William Perry and Zach Michael passing Heuser and the Lucas Racing duo. Michael took the lead outright on lap 280, pulling away from the field with Steve Inkman, Scott Jackson, Perry, Tony Pizzaro and John Tharp showcasing their long-run speed by passing the earlier contenders. Michael gaped to a five-second advantage over Steve Inkman before the next caution.
A Ben Geer spin took out Rick Jackson and Timothy McDonnell, with Rob Scarberry and Scott Jackson finding themselves sandwiched in the accident. Jackson continued on to finish 8th, with Scarberry limping to 36th on the day. Leader Zach Michael suffered a speeding penalty, handing William Perry the advantage on the restart. He, Inkman and Tharp occupied the top-3 before a Logan Sheets spin, followed by a Mark Heron, Jeremy Hebel, Scott Jackson and Bink Lucas accident in turn-1. Steve Inkman and Dan Johnston gambled by staying out on old tires, attempting to out-wit the other 11 lead lap cars in hopes of an upset victory!
Dan Johnston continued his 2024 late-race heroics by taking the lead away from Inkman with 112 laps-to-go. The four-tire armada rummaged through, with John Tharp and Alan Nesfeder swapping the top-spot through lap 415. Zakk Miller fl
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Ken Pettit extends his points lead to 73 over Zakk Miller after an immaculate victory at Richmond last week! Reese's cups fell through the sky in victory lane, leaving the Bob Marley team well fed for a repeat performance at the "Concrete Canyon". He will start inside the top five. Miracle-man Cristian Torres starts third behind pole-sitter Adam Crapser and Markell Murphy. Crapser currently stands 35th in the standings after three DNF's to begin the year. A lap led and a top-20 finish should take him out of the danger zone to make the show for Martinsville, one of his favorite race tracks. Tony Pizzaro and John Battista won the two events here last season. If they can do it again, it will be eight-straight winners to begin the 2024 season!
Molemar Diggs, Steve Inkman and Jeremy Hebel are in a dead-heat battle for the Rookie of the Year Championship. Diggs currently stands 9th in points after three masterful performances, capped by 105 laps led at Richmond. Inkman has finished every race so far in 2023, easily the underdog of the three with three-top-15 finishes. Jeremy has been the best qualifier, entering Bristol with with five-straight top-20's on the grid. This "triple-threat armada" could be the future of Extravaganza racing, with veterans Rob Scarberry and Bill Werkheiser struggling to find speed all season.
John Tharp did it again! A twelfth at Richmond keeps his streak of finishing between 11th and 19th in tact! He's currently 6th in the standings without a single top-10, rendering his "Extravaganza-Elite" status in limbo while glorifying his immaculate consistency. Here is John's results so far:
John Battista and Matt Raboin won the two events at Richmond last season. This blackballed Ryan Heuser from a victory at the track for the first time in nearly a decade, winning the Championship despite the failure. He was able to win the qualifying race to make the show after a morbid start to 2024. This is his opportunity to finally get the ball rolling, gridding 21st in hopes for a top-10 finish with two more short tracks ahead!
Michael Henson earns his first pole of 2024! The Black + Decker team earned three in 2022, all on speedway's en route to his top-10 finish in the 2023 Big Bud Shootout. He couldn't finish better than 21st in those events, hoping to break the mold today by earning his first victory since Bristol in 2017. Molemar Diggs starts his first race inside the top-20, starting on the outside pole. He's in a dead heat for Rookie of the Year with Jeremy Hebel, with Diggs in hope of earning his third-straight top-6 finish!
The #144 held off the charge for 13 laps before Molemar Diggs took the advantage, leading his first career Extravaganza Series laps. Molemar would dominate the run, with Johnny Reed Foley and Zakk Miller in tow throughout. Steve Inkman, Logan Sheets, David Butterworth, Ben Geer, Geno Sphere, Jeremy Hebel, Bill Werkheiser, Trae Larkin and Cristian Torres all fell down a lap to the advantage of Molemar.
A debris caution would bring an end to Molemar's reign, losing the lead to Johnny Reed Foley after the restart. The #3 AC Delco Chevrolet and Zakk Miller's Bepis Mustang would swap the top-spot before two caution flags in-a-row set the field at a standstill. Zach Michael, Alex Crapser, Dan Johnston and Markell Murphy all went for spins, recovering with minor damage while able to continue.
Zakk Miller dominated the second green flag run, clinching the halfway bacon bonus before coming in for a pit stop. Most of the field came in early in hopes of a tire advantage. William Perry, Molemar Diggs and Dalton Lucas attempted to stretch their fuel to the limit, succeeding in their strategy after a Dan Johnston spin brought out the caution on lap 254.
Only Johnny Reed Foley, Zakk Miller, Adam Crapser and Tony Pizzaro stayed out during the yellow flag. William Perry, Molemar Diggs, Dalton Lucas, Ryan Heuser, Ken Pettit, Alex Crapser, Rick Jackson and Dakota Wilkins came in for fresh tires towards a 140-lap shootout to the finish! Miraculously, all 43 cars were still running by this point, leaving an accident or engine failure for one driver as a devastating blow in the points.
Johnny Reed Foley meandered through the inside traffic after the restart, extending his lap-led total on the season to 250. Perry's #70 Flex Fuel Dodge fought back to the forefront to occupy second place, passing Diggs and Miller in persuit of his second lead of the night. Tex hasn't won a race since Martinsville of 2016, narrowly making the Reese's Cup 400 field after starting the season 37th in points. He is now in contention for the victory.
Perry, Molemar Diggs and Dalton Lucas used their immaculate pit strategy to underdog the field, occupying the 1-2-3 positions after crossing the 100-to-go mark! Perry hasn't won since 2016. Molemar has never been to victory lane. Lucas is looking for career win #2, two years removed from his Daytona 500 glory. At the 60-to-go mark, the #88 Little Caesar's Chevrolet made his bid for the lead and took it outright from Perry!
Five laps after losing the lead, William Perry came in for his final stop. Lucas entered the pits two laps later, coming out just behind Diggs before disaster struck! Ninth-place point man Dakota Wilkins blew a right-front tire off of turn-2, stacking the field and sending last week's winner Bink Lucas and pole-sitter Michael Henson for a spin. Craig Lee and Chauncey Redmond Jr. power-slammed the #144, blocking the racetrack in front of the second and third-place drivers. Molemar was able to navigate through in immaculate style! Lucas plowed the #144, destroying his radiator after his greatest Richmond performance to date. John Battista, Rod Weston, Ben Geer, Matt Raboin, Dakota Wilkins, Cristian Torres and Adam Crapser all couldn't stop in time. Only Weston was able to continue.
Michael Henson and Molemar Diggs pull off a miracle front-row in hopes of holding off the field for the entire 400-lap distance! This is the first time since Rick Jackson and John Tharp that cars numbered only one and four occupy the front row. One plus four is five, which means Bink Lucas could win two in-a-row! New points leader Ken Pettit comes in as the only driver finishing all six events in the first-half of the field. He will start 17th today. Richmond dominator Ryan Heuser made the field after a horrid start to the season. He is the favorite to win the Reese's Cup 400!
Ryan Heuser, Jimmie Stevens and Alan Nesfeder, William Perry, Steven Spears, Geno Sphere and Jonathan Skrabacz all needed to qualify for the Reese's Cup 400 field at Richmond. Only Jonathan Skrabacz failed to make the field, missing his first Extravaganza Series event in over a half-decade! The #48 Castrol Chevrolet's finished 40th or worse three times this season, including a devastating accident at Homestead that nearly took him out of the car. Jonathan's last top-5 finish was at Daytona in 2022. Fortunately, he has Bristol coming up next week, a track he led 47 laps at in the summer race last season.
Points Standings (After 6 of 36 Events) 36. Jimmie Stevens: -4
37. Alan Nesfeder: -25
38. Ryan Heuser: -30
39. William Perry: -30
40. Geno Sphere: -37
41. Steven Spears: -41 42. Jonathan Skrabacz: -73
Ryan Heuser, Jimmie Stevens and Alan Nesfeder, William Perry, Steven Spears, Geno Sphere and Jonathan Skrabacz attempt to qualify for Richmond! Only eight spots are available, with fifteen drivers ready to roll for the 80-lap pre-qualifier. Extravaganza put a stop to buying rides in 2024, so it's a true "go home" scenario for any driver who can't make the field.
Russ Charneski sits back in his New Jersey home, reclining in style to watch a gargonic 400-mile Extravaganza! His crash in 2019 led to the new-wave tungsten chassis, as well as the Texas reconfiguration that made Fort Worth a hot ticket for all! Coming in, superstar's Matthew Dominique, Jimmie Stevens, Alan Nesfeder, Logan Sheets and Ryan Heuser all fight for the top-35!
300,000 screaming fans roar over the Speedway as Zach Michael takes the field to the green! He, Tony Long and Steven Spears pulled away from the pack early, giving the #15 and #65 desperately good runs as they lurk outside the top-35. Long's job was reported in jeopardy after missing the Daytona 500 and Rockingham. This is a huge win if he can finish the day inside the top-15.
Team Danger Zone stands 1-2-3-4 for the first time in history! Ken Pettit broke up the party, with Markell Murphy taking the lead away from his flagship driver on lap 82. Both Pettit and Spears would take their turn at the spotlight before the lap-90 mark, with Long, Johnny Reed Foley and Dan Johnston running the leaders down.
Zakk Miller took his turn at the front on lap 89. He and Johnny Reed Foley would pull away to a near two-second advantage, with the #3 AC Delco Chevrolet taking the top-spot on lap 123. Foley came in as the points leader, leading 209 laps and adding to his total today.
A short-pit strategy brought the #30 Bepis Mustang back to the forefront. Dave Miller and Markell Murphy caught up to the front two, all meandering by lapped traffic in immaculate style! Foley would take the top-spot back just after Miller won the halfway bacon-bonus.
Tire strategy starts to pay dividends in the second-half. Both Zach Michael and Dakota Wilkins had been short-pitting all day, finding themselves 1-2 with their tire-over-fuel tactics. Former leader Johnny Reed Foley received a 15-second penalty for entering the pits through the infield, dropping him to 19th. Up front, Dakota took the lead on lap 219 as Michael dropped back, holding his own over John Battista and Ken Pettit despite the older rubber. The Wendy's machine finally took the lead on lap 263, holding the spot before the next green flag stop. Wilkins would regain the advantage before the only caution flag of the night.
Three drivers up in the points fell to the wayside today. Tony Pizzaro's Fenway Frank Fusion blew up on lap 52, finishing dead-last on the day. Pole-sitter Zach Michael led 86 circuits, earning ten bonus points before a valve flew into the grandstands. Timothy McDonnell also dropped late, with all three finishing 43rd, 44th and 45th.
A mortifying accident on lap 286 send the backstretch grandstands into hysteria! Contact with John Tharp in turn-2 sent points leader Johnny Reed Foley into an altercation with the wall. Ziggy Moonglow, Alex Crapser and Steven Spears tangled trying to avoid the spinning car. Dalton Lucas and Adam Crapser couldn't avoid the chaos, slamming the #04 into a fly of the ages! Alex catapulted into Moonglow's roof and power-lined over the racetrack. Running parallel to the rim of the catch-fence, he would eventually land roof-first onto the backstretch apron.
Alex Crapser was miraculously okay after the two-second fly. Teammates Adam and Dalton mangled hard, sliding down to the inside-wall for a stop. Jonathan Skrabacz, Rod Weston, Mark Heron, Donald Stewart, Bill Werkheiser, Rob Scarberry and Craig Lee were also involved in the accident. With Foley down, Ken Pettit would nab the points lead away. Skrabacz and Steven Spears would fail to make the top-35 due to the crash.
The old tires on Dakota Wilkins attempt to hold off the rest of the field for a 43-lap shootout to the finish! There was no chance. An unbelievable three-wide maneuver under Wilkins and Ken Pettit charged John Battista to the front! He would remain there with Bink Lucas and Zakk Miller in tow. Behind them, Logan Sheets would clinch the top-35 in points while riding in the 5th position! Ryan Heuser rides inside the top-10, though was too far behind and will have to qualify for Richmond. Up front, both Battista and Lucas meandered through all the lapped traffic and battled it out for he win! Lucas made his move in t
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A mortifying accident involving three Lucas Racing cars ends without serious injury! Johnny Reed Foley's turn-2 spin sent Ziggy Moonglow, Steven Spears and Alex Crapser into a backstretch slide. Dalton Lucas smashed the #04 on the driver-side like a man smashes his alarm clock on a work day. Damnation immediately ensued! Crapser's Pennzoil Chevrolet flew over the power lines while Foley, Ziggy, Dalton, Spears, Adam Crapser, Mark Heron, Jonathan Scrabacz, Ben Geer, Rod Weston, Rob Scarberry, Donald Stewart, Bill Werkheiser and Craig Lee slid underneath and into the chaos!
Carnage Ratings (10,000 is Critical)
Adam Crapser: 9,310
Ziggy Moonglow: 9,107
Alex Crapser: 8,857
Dalton Lucas: 7,893
Adam Crapser's outside wall impact proved more devastating, going for a half-flip before stopping on backstretch apron. The accident was the only caution of the event, with every car seemingly out of contention prior to the carnage. Wendy's Triple-Pounder John Battista brought it home with a second place finish to heal the wounds!
