Points leader Zach Michael enters Martinsville with a 33-point advantage over the field, completing every lap so far! He won this race last season, edging out rookie Jeremy Hebel and Jimmie Stevens to capture his first win of 2024. He will start eighth. Danger Zone teammate Zakk Miller nabs his first pole of the year. Ken Pettit starts on his outside, hoping to rectify his early-season woes with a victory in the Virginia 500.
Ken Pettit jumps the start! The officials seemed okay with the move, signifying their pity for the #8 Bob Marley's 2025 campaign. Pettit would pull away from the field, leading the first 46 laps with only Zakk Miller and John Tharp in tow. The steering was smooth! His brakes were in the groove! Just when the balance seemed right, disaster struck. Ken Pettit blows up on the backstretch, destroying his best run of the year since Daytona Speedweeks. He'll finish dead last, dropping to 38th in points after a fifth finish of 41st or worse.
New leader Zakk Miller, John Tharp and Johnny Reed Foley flew through the lapped traffic in style, putting Bink Lucas and Molemar Diggs down before Foley made his bid for the lead. The #3 AC-Delco Chevrolet took the top-spot on lap 100, putting Dalton Lucas and fourth-in-points Dakota Wilkins down before the first green flag stop. As the field cycled through, only 22 cars remained on the lead lap.
A turn-1 check-up sent Scott Jackson into the rear of the leader! Steve Inkman spun in the aftermath, failing to draw out the yellow. Foley's handling was unhindered, gapping to a two-second advantage before a Matthew Dominique blown tire put out the caution on lap 163. The ensuing restart saw Foley, John Tharp and Tony Pizzaro pull away from the pack, with Jimmie Stevens and William Perry both losing a cylinder during the stint.
Tony Pizzaro's Race-2-Win Motorsports "Fenway Frank" #12 took its first lead of the night on lap 222, edging out Foley before re-catching the lapped traffic. Points leader Zach Michael got a lap back on speed just before halfway, with Pizzaro earning the halfway bacon bonus after lapping all but sixteen cars. Foley and Tharp remained on his coattails, with the #3 AC-Delco Chevrolet taking the top-spot back on lap 271.
Foley, Pizzaro, Tharp, Ryan Heuser, Matt Raboin, Zakk Miller, Alan Nesfeder, Michael Henson, Steven Spears, Timothy McDonnell, Adam Crapser, John Battista, Craig Lee, Zach Michael and David Butterworth all fought maniacally to remain on the lead lap. A second round of fuel stops kept Foley ahead, with John Tharp taking the lead on lap 312. Tharp entered Martinsville without a top-10 finish. A victory could sanctify the #14 Zig-Zag season.
Ryan Heuser catapults to the front! A set of tires from the Gods sends the NOS Energy #138 from eight-seconds back at halfway to the lead on lap 378. Traffic loomed large, having to navigate through John Battista and Timothy McDonnell to continue his charge. He would fail. McDonnell and Cristian torres made contact off the fourth turn, slamming the #26 into the outside barrier front-first before Heuser slammed his rear-bumper with the right-front. The steering was completely towed out, limping to 27th after a miraculous day.
Cristian Torres makes Extravaganza Series history! The #26 Gamestop Toyota becomes the only car to finish 33rd in three consecutive weeks, amplifying his year despite running 37th in the standings. Both he and Ken Pettit will have to qualify for the Rebe
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Zach Michael drinks his Coke in style! 1,697 laps completed, hoping to become the first driver in Extravaganza Series history to run every lap in a season. "I quit my job as a Captain Crunch mascot to do this." said gas man "Two Can" Sam Elliott. "Now I'm fueling for the points leader!" The Danger Zone team started a new tradition after Zach's Atlanta victory, chugging five-year-old Aunt Jemima bottles from Steven Spears's basement. "It was a collectors item. Now it's food!" said Spears. Teammate Zakk Miller stands the best chance of the "expired maple swig", earning the pole with Spears and Michael inside the top-10.
Most Laps Completed (2025 Season) 1. Zach Michael: 1,697 2. Tony Pizzaro: 1,696 3. Alex Crapser: 1,696 4. Craig Lee: 1,696 5. Bink Lucas: 1,696
Ken Pettit makes the field! The #8 Bob Marley team starts on the outside pole with no provisional, hoping to finish better than 41st for a "Cool Change" of pace. "I was listening to my Little River Band record. They're the guys who sang Cool Change. I thought they found some nickels and said this is some cool change." On a sadder note, Jonathan Skrabacz misses the field, fueling the fire to a strenuous relationship with Castrol. Cristian Torres, Ben Geer, Chauncey Redmond Jr. and David Butterworth narrowly make the race, hoping for a top-20 finish to relinquish their early-season woes.
Palm tree needles fly onto the track! Heavy winds devastate the asphalt surface, with debris and Budweiser cans littering the front-stretch. 200 mops and 400 brooms were bought at Artie's "Sweep and Save" discount store on Coconut Palm Drive, hoping to clear the residue before race day. "We prayed at the local Buddharansi Temple for a clear day" said Jeremy Pringle. "Their vending machine had cricket-flavored mints. It was a sight to behold." Look for more "beholding sights" in the Homestead-Miami Speedway Pennzoil 400!
Chauncey Redmond Jr. nabs his second career pole! He, Ken Pettit, Geno Sphere, Jimmie Stevens, Dan Johnston, Jonathan Skrabacz, Michael Henson, Scott Jackson, Cristian Torres, Steven Spears, Mike Carroll, Ben Geer and Rod Weston pray for a top-20 run to solidify themselves into the top-35 before next week's Virginia 500. Redmond would dominate early, holding off charges from teammate Molemar Diggs and Zakk Miller.
Ben Geer battles side-by-side with Redmond! Both drivers show speed at an opportune time, with Geer 51-points out of the provisional cut-line. Redmond is 33 ahead, praying to hold off the field for the initial 60-lap stint. Matt Raboin uses his California-winning Viper to pass them both, sending Redmond and Geer to hover around 10th. By lap 18, Dakota Wilkins leads the field. Towards the rear, John Battista and Timothy McDonnell struggle outside the top-30.
Dan Johnston and Johnny Reed Foley dominate the remaining green flag stint. For Dan, it's his first laps led since the 2024 Food City 500; a whopping 34 races ago. Foley would lead his fourth out of six in 2025, mimicking his Championship run in hopes of a victory. He, Dan, Molemar Diggs and Adam Crapser pulled ahead during the later stages, leaving the remaining field to contemplate a short-pit strategy.
Alex Crapser came out the beneficiary, sacrificing fuel mileage at the notoriously low-attrition facility. He, Johnston, Rick Jackson, Dakota Wilkins and Steven Spears skirmished for the top-spot between laps 75 through 86, with the Crown Royal #44 coming out on top. He and Wilkins tag-teamed away from the pack, lapping Ziggy Moonglow and Jonathan Skrabacz in the process. Wilkins would take the lead outright on lap 121.
Another Alex Crapser short-pit put the #04 Pennzoil Chevrolet in reach of Wilkins and Jackson, pulling the triumvirate to a six-second advantage over "Smoking Man" Dave Miller! Crapser's #04 looked like a Cheerio trapped inside a jelly jar, mixing yellow and purple in a lead-pack cavalcade of the ages! Sadly, it would not last. A debris caution on lap 182 brought back all the colors, with Tony Pizzaro taking the lead after a loose lug-nut on the #77 team dropped them to fifth.
Pizzaro, miracle-man Steven Spears, Alex Crapser, Rick Jackson, Dakota Wilkins, Ryan Heuser, Dave Miller, John Tharp, Johnny Reed Foley and William Perry took the field inside the top-10 in a one-stop dash to the finish. Pizzaro and Spears held 1-2 through lap 215, before the horsepower cavalcade of Dakota Wilkins and Ryan Heuser triumphed over the Mello Yello #65. Up front, the Fenway Frank machine led the field to final green flag stops with around 25-to-go.
Horror devastates the Bob Marley team! A Goodyear puncture takes Ken Pettit o
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Zach Michael is in the groove! The #20 Team Danger Zone Coca-Cola Mustang has reached celebrity status, meeting A-lister Emo Phillips at the Mandarin Hotel. "He thought I was an astronaut" said Michael. "I told him I thought he was dead, and his performance on UHF was upstanding!" "He offered me a cigarette, signifying his secret to an enduring life. I said I don't smoke, I only Coke!" Emo was not amused by the advert. Miracle-man Chauncey Redmond Jr. earns his second career pole, hoping to extend his 33-point advantage over Scott Jackson for 35th place.
David Butterworth is in dismay! Five-straight finishes of 34th or worse puts him 43rd in points, 116 behind 35th entering Homestead. "I choked on a slim jim wrapper during Speedweeks" said crew chief R.L. Fazio. "We haven't been the same since". Thirteen drivers stand a realistic shot of making the top-35, with Ken Pettit, Scott Jackson, Jimmie Stevens and Ben Geer the biggest surprises to miss. Geno Sphere hopes to keep W.A.S.P. Motorsports alive! Chauncey Redmond Jr. fights for his ride on a contract year. Jimmie Stevens needs a boost after a sub-par 2024. Dan Johnston fights for his Allstate sponsorship. Michael Henson hopes to keep Shake N' Bake Racing alive! Scott Jackson hasn't missed a race in over two-decades. Cristian Torres needs to impress Toyota. Steven Spears needs to impress Mello Yello! Mike Carroll needs to impress SPAM to keep his free shipments in tact. Rod Weston is just glad to be in Extravaganza. Whatever the result, expect Week 7 qualifying at Martinsville to rise in ferocity.
Points Standings (After 5 of 36 Events) 29. Geno Sphere: +40 30. Ken Pettit: +36 31. Chauncey Redmond Jr.: +33 32. Jimmie Stevens: +26 33. Dan Johnston: +19 34. Jonathan Skrabacz: +10 35. Michael Henson: +6 ------------------------------------- 36. Scott Jackson: -6 37. Cristian Torres: -6 38. Steven Spears: -11 39. Mike Carroll: -33 40. Ben Geer: -51 41. Rod Weston: -59
The fires are down! A winner will be crowned! Tenuous speculation on whether a California race will be run in 2025. The wood burned mightily, but the steel-rigged grandstands stayed afloat despite the immaculate conflagration. "I'm ready to roll!" says poll sitter Dakota Wilkins. "This track is like a fine wine; smooth and to the point!" Wilkins will start at "the point" for the Laurel Canyon 400.
Wilkins' Cinderella story in 2023 was outmatched. He passed the entire Danger Zone brigade en route to victory number one! In 2024, he and crew chief Joe "Novacane" Densham won five times, looking for their first victory-circle interview in the new campaign. He, Alex Crapser and Johnny Reed Foley shuffled the top-spot for the initial eight-lap stint. Crapser would take it outright, leading through lap-28.
Speedway masters Dave Miller and Rick Jackson struggled mightily early in the go. By the first green flag stop, they remained mired outside the top-20, with green-men Adam Crapser and Logan Sheets logging towards the rear. Tony Pizzaro, points leader Zach Michael and Ken Pettit made the biggest improvements, showcasing their speed in front of the West Coast sell-out.
Miracle-man Ziggy Moonglow entered California with four-straight top-30 finishes, hoping to revitalize his soul after a hard-luck pit-wall crash at Sonoma two years ago. Since then, he's missed several races due to injury, slower speed and lack of points. Now he's back looking for vengeance! Moonglow stole the lead from Crapser on lap-29, only to relinquish it to a dueling Zakk Miller and Ken Pettit just two circuits later.
The #30 Team Danger Zone Bepis Chevrolet leads the field to lap-50 fuel stops. By the end, Tony Pizzaro came out leading a six-car cavalcade to the promised-land! He, Moonglow, Johnny Reed Foley, Matt Raboin, Miller and Zach Michael held a three-second advantage over the Ryan Heuser-led second pack. Michael, Foley and Miller all made their bid for the top-spot, dismantling their advantage from the rest of the pack.
William Perry makes Superman look like Captain Crunch! A 40-lap jaunt from 18th to 1st puts the #70 Flex Fuel Dodge in line for the Halfway Bacon Bonus, flying past Tony Pizzaro and Zakk Miller exiting the second-turn. Towards the rear, Mark Heron and Doug Spark were lapped by the front pack. Chauncey Redmond Jr., Dalton Lucas, Scott Jackson, Jeremy Hebel, Jonathan Skrabacz and Rick Jackson all fought maniacally to keep their lead-lap status alive.
An immaculate lead by William Perry! 1.6-seconds over the field despite the multi-car draft, trucking along like a tandem-rig on the Ventura Highway. A late pit stop put Tony Pizzaro and Zach Michael back on top, hoping to make it on fuel despite the risky pre-half short-pit. Perry would lose the lead while nabbing the halfway bonus. He would never recover, finishing a respectable tenth. Bonanza Champion Mike Carroll would blow up for a second-staight week, becoming the first driver in 2025 to finish dead-last twice.
Pizzaro and Michael pulled to a three-second advantage! By lap 133, John Battista, Matt Raboin, Johnny Reed Foley, Ryan Heuser and Zakk Miller all caught the lead-duo with rubber to spare. The #39 Lucas Racing Wendy's Chevrolet took the top-spot just two laps later,
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Ken Pettit prays for justice! The #8 Bob Marley team wallows in their heartbroken state, paying the price for their Daytona 500 pole with three DNF's to begin the year. "I can't eat cornbread and play the harmonica at the same time" said Pettit, currently 42nd in points "but I can damn sure finish a race!" Pettit recently received his "Golden Coral" award for earning double-digit top-10's in 2024. Hopefully he can pull off the feat once more. John Tharp, Ben Geer and Scott Jackson share in his dismay, desperately in need of a top-30.
Four-straight top-11's for Zach Michael! A victory stolen away in the waning laps dropped him to fourth, holding a 75-point lead after Ryan Heuser's misfortune. Tony Pizzaro, Alex Crapser, Matthew Dominique, Bink Lucas, Dakota Wilkins and Jeremy Hebel hope to catch the Coca-Cola man at California. Michael starts 28th; mired inside the 45-car logjam. A smooth three-wide move could catapult him to the front. Look for Timothy McDonnell, John Tharp and Rick Jackson to spring towards the lead pack early. Dakota Wilkins wins the pole, hoping to replicate his Cinderella victory here two years ago. Friday, March 21st, 9:00 ET
The West Coast Swing begins! Phoenix and California sets the stage for the sixth race at Homestead, locking the top-35. John Tharp, Ken Pettit and Scott Jackson suffocate behind the cut-line. Ziggy Moonglow and Geno Sphere stay afloat with consistent top-30 finishes, narrowly making the Little Caesars 500 field. Phoenix only starts 43, knocking Doug Spark and Tony Gunk out of the running for the first time in 2025.
Champion Johnny Reed Foley wins the pole! 19 laps at the helm before the Team Danger Zone cavalcade took the reigns. Markell Murphy, Zach Michael and Zakk Miller enjoyed a five-lap procession inside the top-3 before "Cigarette Man" Dave Miller took the third spot away. Steven Spears also enjoyed an early top-10 run, solidifying his top-35 status. John Battista, Molemar Diggs, William Perry, Adam Crapser and Dan Johnston all showed speed during the early laps.
Teammates Zach Michael and Markell Murphy battled defiantly during the mid-stages of the first green flag run, with Michael coming out on top. He, Murphy, Dave Miller and John Battista pulled away from the field before green flag stops, cycling back to Murphy despite pitting on the same lap. The #47 Red Bull Mustang enjoyed their most dominant performance to date; leading the entire stint through lap 128.
Pit stops failed to show mercy again with Battista beating out the Danger Zone brigade. Michael passed Murphy and Battista within a three-lap span, re-taking the advantage as they raced for the Halfway Bacon Bonus. Battista made his move on lap 150, clearing the #20 to earn the slab before relinquishing back to Michael. Mike Carroll would blow up from the 38th position during the stint, finishing last and dropping from 27th to 32nd in the standings.
Logan Sheets, Molemar Diggs, Zakk Miller, Dave Miller, Adam Crapser, Steven Spears and Ryan Heuser rounded out the top-10 by the halfway mark. Only Rod Weston, Jimmie Stevens and Michael Henson lost a lap during the full-green, with Ken Pettit, Rick Jackson, Matthew Dominique and Scott Jackson all struggling mightily to find speed. Pole-sitter Foley dropped outside the top-15, dropping spots to Dalton Lucas and teammate Timothy McDonnell.
Ryan Heuser explodes! A horrible break for the NOS Energy man; locked in a tie with Zach Michael atop the standings. Their quest at monopolizing the 2025 season would end, with Ken Pettit hitting the oil and slamming into the rear of the #138. Heuser dropped from first to eighth in the standings. Pettit suffered his third DNF in four events, falling to 42nd in points in shades of Heuser's disastrous start one year ago.
John Battista's #39 Wendy's Chevrolet leads the field to green! By lap 170, Zach Michael re-took the spot as the two tag-teamed away from the remaining cavalcade. 37 drivers stayed on the lead lap despite the long green flag run, hoping to find late-race speed as the sun pokes out from the overcast. For now, nobody could catch the "Coca-Cola" and "Wendy's" man.
Another miracle pit stop puts Battista back up front with a full-second advantage! A debris-caution on lap 253 hands Michael the top-spot again, leading the field before another hard-charge by Battista on lap 269. Michael would hold him off. Pressure from Timothy McDonnell and Matthew Dominique forced Battista to battle from behind, droping the second-spot from Dominique with just 35-laps-to-go.
Phoenix comes back to Spring! Markell Murphy hopes to revitalize his inaugural victory in 2020, beating out Alex Crapser during the waning stages. "The iron ripped my flesh to the bone." said Murphy, referring to his steering wheel. "Blood poured out like cranberry sauce, but we paid the medical fee with the winnings!" Another flesh-ripping crash occurred in 2023, when Randy Dobbins jack man John Sherman flew his motorcycle into a cactus. He would sit comatose for the remaining year. Up front, Johnny Reed Foley nabs his first pole of 2025, hoping to stimulate his progress after a dead-last effort at The Rock. Ken Pettit, John Tharp, Scott Jackson, Ben Geer and David Butterworth pray to the Gods for a top-20 effort.
Ryan Heuser and Zach Michael command the 2025 campaign so far. The only two drivers to complete every lap, with Ryan out-edging Zach on bonus points. Despite the early success, both drivers from Blazin' Pedals Racing remain close. Dakota Wilkins' worst finish is 20th, with sophomore-man Jeremy Hebel sneaking a top-3 finish last week after the late-race Dominique-Perry crash. "Our fame has been glorified!" said six-time winner Dakota, wanting Jeremy to equal his newfound success. "He was a short-track God in the Mid-West. Nobody could defeat his "Craw Cola Special" at Madison and Golden Sands. Not even me!" Look for Jeremy to earn his first victory in 2025.
The chisel is ready! Names etched into "The Rock" include rarefied hotshots Leonard Gerkin, Parker Anderson, and Markell Murphy. Matthew Dominique ended a 147-race winless streak last fall, hoping to electrify the crowd once more. "I won more popcorn than Christ himself." said Dominique, discussing the famous Bethlehem kernel feast of 20 A.D. "We shoved the excess in the microwave. Now we can't cook it!" A Jiffy Pop 400 win will nullify his current predicament.
The "Stars and Bars" waved freely throughout the crowd, singing Dixie with immaculate pride! Mid-West domineer Adam Crapser leads the first lap, with Ziggy Moonglow taking the top-spot for the first time in 2025. Moonglow held pace through lap six, avenging his season-ending crash at Sonoma in 2023; the last time he led more than three laps in a race. Craig Lee ended Moonglow's reign with Ben Geer and Rick Jackson in tow.
Despite two front-row starting spots to begin their campaign, the #101 NOS Energy Chevrolet leads it's first laps of 2025! Race-2-Win teammates Rick Jackson and Tony Pizzaro attempt the "dehydrate to win" strategy, leading laps 43 through 76 after a waterless pre-race ceremony. Milwaukee-man Jeremy Hebel leads the field to pit stops after lapping Doug Spark, Steve Inkman and Alan Nesfeder.
Cristian Torres, Trae Larkin, Ken Pettit, Michael Henson, Matthew Dominique, Ryan Heuser, Matt Raboin, Rob Scarberry, Molemar Diggs, Geno Sphere, Dalton Lucas, Tony Gunk, Steven Spears, Logan Sheets and Chauncey Redmond Jr. all fall down a lap after stretching their fuel tanks. Torres, Larkin, Pettit and Heuser stole it back from leader Jackson before Dave Miller took the helm. The "Marlboro Man" trapped Michael Henson, Jonathan Skrabacz, Ziggy Moonglow, Bink Lucas, Mike Carroll, Molemar Diggs and Cristian Torres back down a lap.
Dave Miller dominated the mid-race stretch! Laps 107 through 277 and a near ten-second advantage over William Perry before first caution flag. Ken Pettit and John Tharp made contact off of turn-4, sending the "Marley-Man" hard into the outside wall. Rod Weston and ninth-place Ben Geer slammed into the #8, crushing their radiators and into the garage. Pettit and Tharp dropped to 40th and 41st in the standings after another hard-luck effort. Weston and Geer fell to 37th and 43rd.
William Perry's last victory was Martinsville in 2016. He takes the lead from Dave Miller with 110 laps-to-go, hoping to rectify his dry-spell by etching his name into "The Rock". Champion Johnny Reed Foley blows an engine, failing to lead only his third race since last years' Coca-Cola 600: a streak of the gods! A spin by points leader Zach Michael and John Battista brought out the second yellow, with Michael recovering to finish 11th. Battista dropped to 21st with his damage.
William Perry and Ryan Heuser pulled away from the pack! Dakota Wilkins, Donald Stewart, Rick Jackson, Tony Pizzaro, Zakk Miller, Craig Lee, Bink Lucas, Dave Miller, Matthew Dominique, Markell Murphy and Zach Michael remained on the lead lap, praying for a hard-charge or a set of miracle tires to run the top-2 down. A miracle stop from the #70 crew pulled Perry out to a three-second advantage, languishing his lead to Heuser and Jackson as the laps winded down.
Adam Crapser and John Tharp smacked the outside wall with 30 laps-to-go! Michael Henson failed to avoid Tharp's sliding Toyota, zig-zagging into the racing
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45 drivers ready to roll! Matthew Dominique and Markell Murphy won their lone race here in 2024, hoping to capitalize on another 400-mile mind-bender. Misfortune plagued Ken Pettit, Rick Jackson, Dave Miller and Logan Sheets at Daytona and Atlanta. A victory here will propel them from 30th to 10th in the standings, with Rob Scarberry, Ziggy Moonglow and Mike Carroll hoping to stay inside the top-20. Pole-sitter Adam Crapser obliterates the time trials with a 22.491. If he fails to lead a lap, it'll be the first time since 1995 that the pole-sitter fails to earn a bonus point in two-straight weeks. Look for a more dominating effort at The Rock!
Five drivers lead the pack! Zach Michael catapults to the points lead after his Atlanta victory, topping "miracle-men" Dakota Wilkins, Alan Nesfeder, Ryan Heuser and Alex Crapser. An average finish of 9th and better keeps them all in line. Nightmares overflow for the rest! "I wish I was that Rip Van Winkle guy" said Rick Jackson. "He seems to have it made." John Tharp choked on a doughnut on Tuesday. "I thought it was an onion ring." A good finish at The Rock will prevent more delusions.
