A showdown between the greats of extravaganza commence, as Tony Pizzaro and John Battista start up front looking to win another exhibition race. This time it will be for a front row spot for the Daytona 500. Jack Paynter, Steven Spears, Glenn Kaufmann, Brodrick Wittmann, Kevin Corbat, Nate Moorehead, Alec Stelloh, Stephen Lowe and Brian Lowe will be attempting to race their way in.
It didn't take too long for the carnage to ensue. Early on, Jonathan Skrabacz made contact with Steven Spears, sending the entire field behind into a frenzy. Fortunately, most cars were able to escape without serious damage and continued to fight their way for a spot in the Daytona 500.
Just past the mid-way point, cars took advantage and short-pitted, leaving many to wonder who would come out on top. So far, no specific car has outclassed the field.
A serious distance was left between the first and second packs after green flag pit stops. Meanwhile, Champion Tim McDonnell and Adam Crapser made contact on the backstretch, sending the #22 into the infield.
With tfive laps to go, the second pack caught up to the first and became a 15+ car showdown to the checkered. By the final lap, Jonathan Skrabacz pulled past Zakk Miller and Matthew Dominique to take the lead!
Brian Lowe was battling for the second position into turn 3 before getting hooked. Zakk Miller got squashed into the outside wall and flipped hard, ending his race immediately while the Lowe's victimized themselves out of the Daytona 500. Nate Moorehead, Jack Paynter and Steven Spears flew by with glee and tears in their eyes.
Amid the craziness, Skrabacz crossed the start finish line uncontested for his first ever N.O.R.L. Extravaganza Series win! Congrats to Jonathan Scrabacz and the #48 team for an excellent victory, and a first-row spot for the Daytona 500!
Lucas Racing will not sweep the Duels this year. All of them will race in Duel #2, as the Jacksons, John Tharp, Johnny Reed Foley and half of the top-dog's in extravaganza try to win the pole for the Daytona 500. Meanwhile, Mark Guthrie, Dale Rosendaul, Scott Drake, Philip Parker, Mike Carroll, David Baldinger, Jim Fitzmaurice, Scott Deutsch, David Courtney, Jaxon Vaccher are racing for four Daytona 500 spots!
There was plenty of action during the initial laps. Matt Raboin won the pole for the duels and was the fastest car in speedweeks, losing the lead early before Rick Jackson took over. Johnny Reed Foley also flew through the field and raced up front early.
A lot of the drivers racing their way in to the Daytona 500 led some laps during the middle-stages. Mark Guthrie was out front for seven circuits, with Jim Fitzmaurice, Philip Parker, David Baldinger and Scott Deutsch all taking turns for the lead. It eventually cycled back to Ben Geer, Dan Johnston and the top-team cars fighting for the win.
Scott Deutsch almost saw their Daytona 500 hopes go into a tailspin during a lap-17 get-together, but both drivers managed to save their cars and continue. Four laps later, Dale and David Courtney turned in front of the field, sending the #11 into Jim Fitzmaurice. Both cars were damaged as well as Aaron Cummings, with the #13 escaping practically unharmed. The final caution saw David make contact with Jaxon Vaccher, spinning the #83 around on the back-straightaway.
Matt Raboin led the 16-lap shootout to the finish. Dave Miller made a three-wide move in turn one a couple of laps later, assuming the lead for a lap before Ben Geer passed. He, Alan Nesfeder and Rick Jackson dominated the next 10 laps before Johnny Reed Foley and Ken Pettit flew by.
Ken Pettit took the lead from the #18 with 5 laps to go and the field followed until the end. John Tharp and Foley tandemed past the Matt Raboin machine to run 2nd and 3rd, without a good opportunity to pass the #8. Congrats to Ken, crew chief Slim Horton and the Race2Win team for an excellent win and the pole for the 2020 Daytona 500!
