Impeccable starlight dominates the horizon of Daytona International Speedway! The starlight shines like the Extra-Terrestrial's fingertip, pointing at one of 46 cars as the "chosen winner" of the Coke Zero 400. 400,000-strong encapsulate the grandstands in hopes of their driver achieving immaculate glory; winning at the famed 2.5-mile coliseum.
The smoke-rings of cigarettes fly! The carbonation of beverages create a deafening sizzle across the bleachers, popping like eardrums as they await the 160-lap spectacle. Matthew Dominique and Ryan Heuser occupy the front-row as the green flag flies! Heuser would take the first lap, with Adam Crapser and Tony Pizzaro at the helm early.
A dominant early performance by the #4 Packers Chevrolet sent shock-waves across the garage area. Lucas Racing has dominated in the past, but Adam's respectable performances never saw him lead the field for more than a couple laps. Lucas Racing teammate John Battista and Zach Michael would joining the parade, hoping to race themselves back inside the top-10 in points.
Bonanza Series winner Mike Carroll stands within the Lucas Racing pit, searching for opportunities to develop his driver talent. Staring at Johnny Reed Foley's #3 might be his best option, coming in as the points leader and exiting pit road leading the front-running pack. Fourteen cars found their way to the top in hopes of pulling away from the rest.
Another morbid blow for Ryan Heuser! His Chevrolet would detonate while leading the outside line, causing intense chaos from behind with the billowing smoke. "My eyes felt like they were stung by an electrified wasp" said Wilkins, after narrowly escaping through the black smog. "Even my soft drink suffered. His exhaust was contaminated with some venomous alloy, turning my Coke green and my ice cubes purple!" The NOS Energy #138 would fall again, dropping to 29th in the standings with nine races left. He and Ben Geer dominate the DNF statistic, with Alan Nesfeder and Chauncey Redmond Jr. adding their own. The #78 crashed into Ken Pettit while entering the pits, becoming the first race-sponsored car to finish outside the top-43 in Extravaganza history. The #64 got caught in a three-wide skirmish while exiting, slamming into the William Perry car.
A Steven Spears spin brought out the first caution flag. The field re-grouped, allowing a second cycle of leaders including Zach Michael, Adam Crapser, Dave Miller and John Tharp. Dalton Lucas would win his first career Halfway Bacon Bonus, while Alex Crapser's crew chief Cheato Jacobsen downed a Whiplash Whopper from atop the pit box. "We're having fun while we still can" said Cheato. "The carnage is about to start. I can feel it in my esophagus."
Cheato was right. A myriad of accidents would occur during the two-thirds mark of the event. Ben Geer, Dan Johnston and Dakota Wilkins suffered during the first melee in turn-3. The second crash saw John Tharp, Superspeedway dominator Cristian Torres and Dalton Lucas fall victim to the same corner. Torres would fail to finish a restrictor-plate race for the first time since 2019, ending his near world-record run. Wilkins and Geer also failed to continue.
The final caution flag brought out by Jimmie Stevens, Dan Johnston and Rick Jackson set the pace for the remaining 30-lap stint. Jackson worked his way back to the lead lap after early race struggles, only to fall to the garage. Up front, Tony Pizzaro and Johnny Reed Foley would set the pace, leaving room for miracle-man Ken Joynt to take his shot at the victory!
The fortunes flowed in several directions. Craig Lee took his turn at the front, hoping to redeem Quick-Silver Motorsports after Ryan Heuser's engine woes and Dave Miller straggling deep in the pack. Matthew Dominique and Alex Crapser dominated the stint towards the end, swapping the lead several times while occupying the top-two spots with seven laps-to-go. Johnny Reed Foley made his move to the inside of the #04 with draft help from Pizzaro. They would tag-team past him, capturing Domninique the ensuing lap and sky-rocketing the #3 AC Delco Chevrolet to the top of the heap!
Matthew Dominique wins the pole! He, Ryan Heuser and Rick Jackson eclipsed the 213 mile-per-hour barrier, deeming themselves the "grand wizards" of Superspeedway time trials. This breaks the record of 14 different pole-sitters before the halfway mark, with Heuser and Dave Miller currently with two. The biggest challenge will be for John Tharp, Zakk Miller and Craig Lee; each eclipsing 5,000 laps completed last week at Nashville. A early-race shunt could set them back in that category, with Lee in danger of losing his top-10 status. They will all be lucky to defeat Lucas Racing's superior restrictor plate package! Here are their recent victories:
Lucas Racing Superspeedway Wins: 2021 Spring (Daytona): Alex Crapser 2021 Spring (Talladega): John Battista 2021 Fall (Talladega): Bink Lucas 2022 Spring (Daytona): Dalton Lucas 2022 Fall (Talladega): Alex Crapser 2023 Spring (Talladega): John Battista 2023 Fall (Daytona): John Battista 2024 Spring (Daytona): Alex Crapser
Year three of the NEXUS network is in full swing! Dale Rosendaul's pit reporting in 2023 won himself an ESPY award, showcasing the trophy next to his 38-year-old unopened pack of SKOAL. "It's my prize possession" said Rosendaul "I wanted taste it 20 years ago, but my wife Dolores said no." The first race is the Coke Zero 400, with an earlier starting time than the previous 17 races. Look for Steven Spock to dominate the booth, hoping to eclipse "Pinecone Council" as the top-rated show on the channel. Randy Orb will continue his jiffy pop and fresca adventures, and Capers is ready for season five of the acclaimed "Caper's Cafe"! Cheers for another fantastic second-half!
Metamorphic racing will commence at the Nashville Superspeedway! The third-annual Bepis 400 has encapsulated the crowd each year, and continues to do so with 200,000 screaming fans ready to throw their favorite Heineken can onto the track! Drivers like Rick Jackson, Matt Raboin, Dave Miller, Timothy McDonnell, John Battista, Matthew Dominique, Tony Pizzaro and Ryan Heuser all enter in winless on the season. They hope to rectify their misfortune into immaculate Bepis glory!
The Bepis pre-race ceremony saw 1,000 cans fly out of a helicopter! The blades severed the high-hanging cans, spewing corn syrup and citric acid into the grandstands to the delight of thousands! Sharp "can" metal flew into the garage area, legal for use to repair damage throughout the event. On the point is Ryan Heuser, the leader of the Bepis Racing family!
Miracle-man Chauncey Redmond Jr. took the lead on lap three to the roar of the crowd! Many Patriots bandwagoners lie within the Davidson County district, leaving no room for an alternate fan base. Chauncey came in 37th in the standings, hoping to revitalize his career on this glorious concrete cathedral! Heuser took the lead back on lap-5, with Alex Crapser and Matthew Dominique taking the point early.
Winless-wonders Matthew Dominique and John Battista battled frantically for the top-spot, swapping the lead multiple times from laps 12 through 40. An unbelievable drive from John Tharp broke up the fun! He drove from the 44th starting spot to take the lead outright on lap 41. Coming off his victory at Sonoma and second place in the Coca-Cola 600, this is the most dominant we've seen Tharp in years.
Tharp, Dominique and Craig Lee dominated the remainder of the run, persevering through the bumps and grind of the aging concrete. A fantastic run for Rob Scarberry and Tony Gunk as well, running inside the top-10 through green flag pit stops. Both hope to rectify their season, with Scarberry missing the race at Sonoma and Gunk making only four. The newly deemed "Kelpo Cam" has not seen action since Pocono, where a crash took him out by lap 40. Hopefully today will produce a much different result.
Donald Stewart blows up! The Clorox man is the first to leave the racetrack, with smoke devouring the inside groove. Jeremy Hebel suffered a loose lugnut during the same stint, falling to the 44th position and losing more ground in the Rookie of the Year battle. Up front, Alan Nesfeder, Craig Lee, Alex Crapser, Dave Miller, John Tharp and Dakota Wilkins compete frantically for the Halfway Bacon Bonus!
Early pit stops for Dave Miller and Dakota Wilkins put them atop the heap! Craig Lee and Alan Nesfeder meandered three seconds behind the two, with Wilkins able to cross the halfway-line to earn the $100,000 slab. It remained caution free, though drivers like Tony Pizzaro, Ryan Heuser and Zach Michael all suffered trouble throughout the event. Heuser dropped to 28th in the standings after tire trouble. Pizzaro to 27th, two of Extarvaganza's most dominant drivers in recent history possibly out of Champinship contention. Michael dropped to 14th, continuing his streak of four finishes outside the top-20 after a gas tank failure.
The battle for the 6th position was incredible! Bink Lucas, Ken Pettit, John Battista, Rob Scarberry, Ziggy Moonglow, Zakk Miller, Chauncey Redmond Jr., Logan Sheets, Matthew Dominique and Adam Crapser all fought maniacally for the only reachable spot as the top-5 pulled away from the rest. With no cautions through lap 250, the race would go down to Wilkins, Miller, Lee, Nesfeder and points leader Johnny Reed Foley for the final prize!
Dave Miller exited the pit road directly behind the Dakota Wilkins' #77 Colorado Rockies Chevrolet. He passed Wilkins with 33 to go, in line for his first victory of the season! It was not to be. Wilkins re-passed him two laps later, only to swap again with 25-to-go. Again, Wilkins would take the spot back with 13 laps remaining. The two battled ferociously for the following seven laps with Wilkins back out front. This time with the lapped-traffic slip-stream ahead, he would keep it for good.
Morbid qualifying attempts for the points leader and last week's winner at Sonoma! Johnny Reed Foley will start 40th after the tire pressures failed to build up by the second lap. Teammate Timothy McDonnell endured the same issue, gridding 34th. "It was like four erasers sliding on the concrete" said the three-time Champion. Heat winners Bink Lucas and Ziggy Moonglow also qualified outside the top-30. John Tharp will grid 44th, putting his four-out-of-five lap led streak in jeopardy. Up front, Ryan Heuser put his backup car to the point, earning only his second pole of 2024. He stands 27th in points, needing to dominate this event and start a 10-race rally to the promiseland! He nearly did in in 2022 after his injury. With John Battista, Tony Pizzaro and Matthew Dominique mired back with him, it may be a more difficult effort. Look for either of these four to nab heir first victory of the season!
Ben Geer and Canadian Roadhouse Inc. make a 3.6-million dollar deal to put Ben Geer in the #007! This gives Joe Polson a full-fledged effort for the Bonanza Fairgrounds event, with Geer able to hold off Trae Lakrin, Michael Henson, Bill Werkheiser, Steve Inkman and Dalton Lucas to remain inside the top-35 in points. "Our goal is to finish" said Geer, who currently leads the league in DNF's with seven. Speedways like Nashville seem to be his specialty. We'll see if he can out-perform the car and run at a competitive pace. (Update) Miracle-man Ben Geer qualifies 7th in the Montreal Canadiens newly adorned #29 Pontiac! A miracle run, possibly able to keep his Top Geer General Motors powerplant in the car. If that's the case, look for the Twinkie Man to drive the race of his life! Regular teammate Donald Stewart will grid 39th, with fellow ride-buyers Molemar Diggs and Dalton Lucas starting 38th and 43rd. Scott Deutsch will start his first race since 2022, qualifying 36th.
Points Standings (After 16 of 36 Events) 1. Johnny Reed Foley: +412 (+1) 2. Ken Pettit: +398 (-1) 3. John Tharp: +294 (+1) 4. Zakk Miller: +198 (-1) 5. Alex Crapser: +189 6. Molemar Diggs: +80 7. Rick Jackson: +67 (+1) 8. Dakota Wilkins: +50 (+1) 9. Zach Michael: +31 (-2) 10. Matt Raboin: +6 (+2)
42 cars enter the final-chance heat! Ben Geer, Trae Larkin, Jonathan Skrabacz and Dalton Lucas all start outside the top-15. Dan Johnston and Molemar Diggs have a cataclysmic effort ahead of them, needing to rummage from the 27th and 30th positions in only 50 laps. Miracle-men Thomas Fehrer, Steven Davis and Jim Fitzmaurice start inside the top-15, hoping to hold off the field in their glory of the ages!
A crash on lap 1 brought out by contact between Jonathan Skrabacz and Mark Heron! Mike Carrol gets sandwiched into the outside backstretch wall, leaving Ben Geer, Molitor Hill, Ken Joynt, Kevin Corbat and Brian Phillips nowhere to go but into the plume. Phillips would fail to continue. The rest of the victims failed to re-capture their same speed, forcing Geer out of the Bepis 400 despite being 31st in points!
Dan Johnston and Molemar Diggs made a miracle move underneath the accident, putting themselves inside the top-15. Dalton Lucas blew a tire just before the accident and lost two laps, taking the man 32nd in points out of the Bepis 400. Two of the top-35 were already mired out of the big race, leaving another Cinderella hopeful for an opportunity with 40 laps remaining.
Up front, Geno Sphere won the pole but failed to hold off the field. Bill Werkheiser, Jimmie Stevens, Scott Jackson, Dakota Wilkins, Ziggy Moonglow, Chauncey Redmond Jr. and Ryan Heuser all took turns at the top before lap 30. Molemar Diggs and Trae Larkin loomed in the 16th and 17th positions, hoping to find the speed to pass Cheez-It man David Courtney for the final transfer spot.
Ziggy Moonglow took the lead on lap 34 and relinquished it only once. He and Scott Jackson battled for the victory late, with the #38 taking the top-spot with four laps remaining. Moonglow stole it right back, meandering through the lapped traffic better than the #48 to take the win and the $500,000 grand prize! Congrats to Moonglow, crew chief Gary Creswell and the entire Delta Sim Racing team for an excellent victory!
It was Delta Sim's first Extravaganza Series victory of any kind! Towards the back, Stephen Lowe put out a performance of the ages as well, crawling from the 38th starting spot, avoiding the big wreck, and passing Kevin Corbat, David Courtney and Molemar Diggs to make his way into the field! Molemar came in 6th in the standings and currently stands out of the big event. A huge blow to Wizards of Speed! We will see if they make any moves heading forward to keep the #41 in the Championship hunt.
50 laps of hardcore domination commence at Nashville Superspeedway! Young guns Adam Crapser and Jeremy Hebel start at the front, hoping to hold off the enemies from behind and make the Bepis 400 field. Dave Miller, Bink Lucas, Alex Crapser and Molemar Diggs all grid outside the top-15. They will need a turbo boost from the gods to make the 300-lap event.
Alan Nesfeder has a vibration on the start, forcing him to come in and lose his opportunity to make next weeks' feature. Miracle-man Michael Henson found his way to the lead after the second lap, only to relinquish it to Ryan Heuser who looked to have space-shuttle technology under the hood. Molemar Diggs, Mark Heron and Kevin Corbat flew into the outside wall in turn-3 while racing for the 15th position. All would continue, but neither could make up the lost track position.
Ryan Heuser's 50-lap powerplant turned into a 19-lap inferno from hell! His car went ablaze, with John Battista unable to see through the charring embers of the Quick-Silver machine. Alan Nesfeder, Matt Raboin, and Philip Parker all slammed the Wendy's mobile thereafter, each failing to continue on. The two most dominant cars in 2023 still remain winless. Now Heuser and Battista are in danger of missing the next race. Raboin, Nesfeder and Parker would also fail to tansfer.
The restart saw Craig Lee on top, with Jeremy Hebel, Zach Michael and Dave Miller all taking turns at the top-spot with 20-laps to go. Bink Lucas got past the wreck and took the lead shortly thereafter, being challenged by only Lee, Michael and Alex Crapser for the remainder of the event. Bink would go on to win his second career Nashville Heat victory, with a miraculous effort by Joe Polson to finish 6th! Joe started in the 32nd position, directly behind the first big wreck and easily meandering past the second. An immaculate performance!
The big crash gave opportunity to the other Busch Bonanza regulars. Scott Deutsch and Adriano Fraporti found themselves in the fray for the final transfer spot after the final restart, miraculously finishing 13th and 14th to make the Bepis 400 field! Tony Gunk made a last lap effort underneath Ben Geer for the final transfer spot! He would make it, sending Ben Geer to Heat #3 with a struggling Twinkies Chevrolet.
A devastating last ten races turns into eternal bliss for Bink Lucas! He's failed to record a top-15 finish since his victory at Texas, falling to 29th in points in line with his teammate Jimmie Stevens in 30th. Congrats to Bink, crew chief Doug Wilcox and the entire Lifesaver racing organization for an excellent victory! Also congratulations to Craig Lee, Zach Michael, Alex Crapser, Joe Polson, Jeremy Hebel, Matthew Dominique, Michael Henson, Dave Daniels, Adam Crapser, Steve Inkman, Adriano Fraporti, Scott Deutsch and Tony Gunk for making the Bepis 500 field!
Lucas Racing one-ups the Molemar Diggs deal with a $4,800,000 offer to the struggling Shake N' Bake Racing team. Former Indy Car driver, part time Bonanza-man and full-time road ringer Adriano Fraporti miraculously put the six-year old Johnny Reed Foley dodge-converted chassis into the field. Dalton Lucas now has the ride, giving away his season earnings to keep himself inside the top-35. "We heard Shake N' Bake will be bought by a food mogul." said Lucas. "This might be enough to keep their enterprise alive, at least for one more week." Like the Molemar deal, Lucas can't convert his team equipment due to the manufacturer change. Dalton has never driver a dodge in his life, once equating Chrysler aerodynamics to a floating pizza box.
The first transaction has been made! Wizards of Speed and Lowe Racing make a deal for $4,600,000 to put Molemar Diggs in their #24 Ring of Elysium Toyota! It will be their first entry since Charlotte of 2021, with Stephen Lowe finishing 35th in he field of 42. Molemar currently stands 7th in points, a huge boon to give Chevrolet the okay to drive this car. "Our plan is to let the Lowe's have complete control of the weekend" said Molemar. "We've raced with them in the past and they know how to build an automobile." The biggest drawback is the engine, unable to use their usual Lucas Racing powerplant with the different manufacturer. If they can go the entire 500-mile distance, expect a top-30 finish.
The top-15 drivers in Heat #1 will advance to the Bepis 400! Dakota Wilkins starts on the pole, looking for his second career Nashville Heat victory. Rick Jackson and Tony Pizzaro hold the record by winning two each, with Timothy McDonnell hoping to rectify his mortifying performance in 2023. Scott Jackson, David Butterworth and Dalton Lucas each start outside the top-25 for the 50-lap shootout.
Timothy McDonnell wastes no time, going three-wide on the start to capture the lead on lap 1. A myriad of 11 lead changes would ensue thereafter. Ken Pettit took the top-spot away on lap on lap 3, with teammate Rick Jackson ready to strike from the 9th starting spot. Both Jackson and Pizzaro rummaged through the field in hopes of a 1-2-3 Race-2-Win finish.
The Fenway Frank machine took the top-spot away on lap 13. He and Jackson swapped the lead twice before McDonnell took over, only to hand it back to Pizzaro on the halfway lap. From behind, Rob Scarberry, Steven Spears , Tony Long, Logan Sheets, Bill Werkheiser, Dan Johnston, Geno Sphere, Trae Larkin, Jonathan Skrabacz, Jimmie Stevens, Chauncey Redmond Jr., David Butterworth and Dalton Lucas were battling ferociously for the final transfer spot.
Pizzaro, Jackson and McDonnell monopolilized the remainder of the event. A caution-free stroll to the finish was anything but, with the three drivers battling maniacally for victory and the $500,000 grand prize. William Perry impressed the crowd by entering the top-5, passing the points leader Johnny Reed Foley in hopes of an upset victory. It was not to be.
Rob Scarberry, Steven Spears and Tony Long solidified their way into the field after pulling away from 16th place Dan Johnston during the final five-lap stretch. Pole-sitter Dakota Wilkins blew a tire with 8-to-go, dropping him and Scott Jackson to the wayside as the only two 2024 winners to not make it in on the first attempt. Up front, Pizzaro would lead the final five laps.
Tony Pizzaro earns his record-breaking third career Nashville Heat win. Congrats to he, Neil Justice and the entire Race-to Win Motorsports organization for an excellent victory! Also Congratulations to Rick Jackson, Timothy McDonnell, Zakk Miller, William Perry, Johnny Reed Foley, Ken Pettit, Markell Murphy, Donald Stewart, Cristian Torres, John Tharp, Rob Scarberry, Logan Sheets, Steven Spears and Tony Long for making the Bepis 400 field!
An enormous accident in Heat #2 took out Ryan Heuser, John Battista and Alan Nesfeder, handing opportunities to the fastest Bonanza regulars to make the Bepis 400 field! Adriano Fraporti and Scott Deutsch flew by the accident, putting themselves in position to race Ben Geer and both Solomon-Tark entries for the final transfer spots. They would both make it! Two Cinderella stories in a row, combined with Joe Polson's dominating run in the final heat, with Steven Lowe edging out David Corutney on the final lap to clinch the 45th and final entry!. The #24 Lowe Racing Toyota, #16 Ontario Motorsports Mustang, #18 Shake N' Bake Racing Dodge and Canadian Roadhouse Inc. #007 teams will race in the Bepis 400. With three drivers inside the top-35 in Extravaganza points failing to qualify, deals could be made to finance their Bonanza programs by putting a better driver in the car. Wizards of Speed is already making deals. We'll see where the tarot cards fly.
Last year Timothy McDonnell failed to make the Bepis 400 field, prompting a $4,800,000 buyout of Delta Sim Racing's #02. He finished a miraculous 8th in that race! Yesterday, Ziggy Moonglow won his first Extravagaza sanctioned event in the same exact car, winning Nashville Duel #3 in remarkable style! Sadly Ben Geer, Dalton Lucas and rookie sensation Molemar Diggs failed to finish inside the top-15 in their two allotted heats. They will not be in the Bepis 400 for their regular teams. Molemar currently stands 6th in points with Wizards of Speed in immaculate desperation! Dalton Lucas's hauling fortune is likely to outbid both of them for the first opportunity, with Ziggy Moonglow, Dave Daniels, Tony Gunk, Adriano Fraporti, Scott Deutsch, Stephen Lowe and Joe Polson possibly willing to compromise their starting spot. An estimated $3,000,000 to $6,000,000 could go to any team willing to take out their driver for one of Extravaganza's "Big 35". For now, Diggs, Geer and Lucas go home.
