John Battista is looking for his fourth Martinsville victory in his last five attempts. He is closing the gap on his R2W counterpart for the Championship after his win last week at Bristol. John, Ken Pettit and Ryan Heuser will each start outside the top-10, with Matt Raboin on the pole for the second-straight Martinsville race. Matt has endured the devastation of three-straight events of 10th or worse to begin the chase, nearly eliminating him from any hopes of Championship contention. A victory here could diminish some of the torment.
Aaron Cummings answered to the sorrowful news of losing his sponsorship with a third place qualifying effort at one of his least favorite racetracks. Kevin Corbat also qualified inside the top-10, with David Butterworth 7th. Butter has struck the headlines as of late, racing his way back inside the top-35 in points after finishing 3rd and 5th at Darlington and Bristol! The #81 High Octane program has suddenly stepped into the limelight when nobody expected it, wiping away rumors that he would land a Bonanza ride for the oncoming season. This could be the race where somebody finally knocks out the big-guns in 2023!
Points Standings (After 29 of 36 Events) 1. Ken Pettit: -
2. Ryan Heuser: -65 (+1) 3. John Battista: -68 (+1) 4. Alex Crapser: -87 (+1) 5. Zach Michael: -176 (-3) 6. Timothy McDonnell: -179 (+2) 7. Tony Pizzaro: -211
8. Rick Jackson: -216 (+1) 9. Zakk Miller: -251 (-3) 10. Matt Raboin: -319
After a near-decade run of competition, Aaron Cummings and Mello Yello have parted ways. The driver-sponsorship duo started in 2015 after Cummings lost his Waffle House funding, forcing him to change his number from #00 to #51. Mello Yello currently sponsors two cars in the Extravaganza Series, with both teams outside the top-35 in points. They have decided to stay with the #65 Team Danger Zone team for 2024, citing a better engine program and possibility of clinching the top-35 by the end of the year as reasons to stick with the team. Cummings is exactly 500 points behind 35th-place David Butterworth in the standings without hope of making the first six races of 2024. "We've been extremely slow this year." said Cummings, who's average finish dropped from 27th to 31st. "There's a lot of new teams with factory backing, and our in-house engines are failing to keep up." Cummings was referring to Blazin' Pedals Racing and Wizards of Speed, receiving their engines from Lucas Racing during the season. His manufacturer Toyota only funds PHR Racing and one Twisted Metal Racing car, a downgrade from the the old MFI days when they funded six. Cummings will be in sponsorship-search for the rest of the season. "We'll be there for Daytona, but it's a guessing game after that."
Ken Pettit comes into Bristol with the determination of winning his second Extravaganza Series Championship, 125 points ahead of the field after only two events. He will start in the 6th position directly surrounded by John Battista and Ryan Heuser, his primary counterparts for the title. 500 laps of intensity and domination fill the 350,000 strong to witness immortality at the worlds must famous speed-bowl.
Alan Nesfeder wins the pole after nearly clearing the 130 mile-per-hour barrier, looking to continue his recent domination of two top-5 finishes in a row. He would immediately lose the top-spot to rookie Chaucncey Redmond Jr., who dominated the run while Nesfeder failed to lead a lap for the entire event. John Battista would inherit the lead during the first caution flag after a masterful pit stop by the Dave's-Triple burger crew.
A hard-luck caution for drivers already struggling for title contention fell on lap 29. Zakk Miller blew an engine, spinning out in the racing groove directly into the path of Donald Stewart, Bink Lucas and Matt Raboin. Miller and Raboin would finish 40th and 43rd. Raboin becomes the first driver in Extravaganza Series history to follow up three top-3 finishes by finishing 40th or worse in the following three. Zakk Miller likewise earned his fifth-straight result outside of the top-30.
The race went on without any ensuing incident, with a long green flag run in the midst. The early part of the stint saw John Battista and Chaucney Redmond Jr. continue to swap the lead through lap 125. Unfortunately a flat right-front tire would force the #64 to pit, going two laps down with a recurring camber issue. Despite his 60 laps led, he would finish 34th on the night.
The applicably named #26 GameStop Toyota would take lead of the field on lap 126. His dominating run at the Southern 500 two weeks ago proved to be no fluke, dominating the entire stretch and finishing the evening with a race-most 134 laps led. The hobbled and beaten Alex Crapser was miraculously competitive as well, stealing three laps from the #26 in hopes that he could make it to the finish without relief help. He would finish 4th on the day despite the suffering, reclaiming "The only body part that didn't hurt was my neck. I have now won agony scorigami."
Another variety-filled Saturday night saw Jonathan Scrabacz dive into the fray, entering the event 33rd in points and only leading four laps on the season. The independent driver needed this run badly, failing to record a top-20 finish in six races or a top-10 finish since Martinsville in April. Other organzations have been looking to make room for him amongst their ranks but to no avail. He is willing to make the independent dream happen, and it worked tonight after leading the field for 47 laps
The #26 and #48 got trapped a lap down after a Zach Michael and Johnny Reed Foley accident in turn-1 brought out the caution flag, just after they made their pit stops. Their 181 laps led combined could only muster them 23rd and 24th place at the finish, with Rob Scarberry and Alex Crapser able to get their laps back after nearly falling to the same fate. For the title, Zach Michael entered the event second in points and the favorite to catch leader Ken Pettit for the Championship crown. It was not to be, failing to continue and earning a 39th place result.
Despite all the adversity during the first 300 laps, the top-3 drivers were inhereted to John Battista, Ryan Heuser and Tony Pizzaro after their veteran moves to stay on the racetrack. Heuser made his first bid for the lead on lap 342 and remained there for 16 laps, handing it off to the Fenway Frank Fusion. Pizzaro would take 16 laps of his own before giving the top-spot back to the #138.
Heuser and Pizzaro continued to swap positions before a lap 383 caution caused by Tony Gunk's blown motor solidified the final green flag stops. Out of the pits it was Heuser, Battista, then Pizzaro all geared up for a 110-lap showdown to the finish. Heuser would lead the entire first-half of the stint, while Pizzaro lost a left-front tire and was forced to pit, finishing in 28th place. His teammate and points leader Ken Pettit went for a spin on the backstretch, already two laps down and driving his way back to 22nd position by the end. He would maintain his strong points advantage despite the mid-pack result.
An irreproachable start to the Championship for Race-2-Win's Ken Pettit has put the entirety of Extravaganza drivers, fans and front office personnel in a state of positive bewilderment. The #8 Bob Marley "Rastaman" chevrolet team with crew chief Slim Horton has pulled off the biggest upset since the turn of the century, recording two-straight top-5's and a victory to begin their title run. No other driver has earned a top-5 finish in the first two races. Nobody has even earned a top-14, with the other nine drivers have dismantling under the pressure against the "nothing-to-lose" mentality of the mid-packers. We're seeing drivers like Dan Johnston, David Butterworth and Steven Spears compete for victories. We've seen Cristian Torres dominate runs at Darlington, with Craig Lee and Alan Nesfeder on fire after missing their opportunity to compete for the crown. Will the variance at the front continue? Can Ken Pettit extend his torrid stretch at the venue of his first career Extravaganza start? We will find out after 500 miles of Sharpie 500 domination!
Average Finish: Last Two Races (Title Contenders) Ken Pettit: 3.0 Zach Michael: 23.5 Alex Crapser: 23.5 Ryan Heuser: 29.0 John Battista: 29.5 Zakk Miller: 31.5 Tony Pizzaro: 34.0 Timothy McDonnell: 38.0 Rick Jackson: 38.0 Matt Raboin: 43.5
Alan Nesfeder is on the pole for the 2023 Sharpie 500, looking to earn his third-straight top-5 finish at one of his favorite racetracks. More importantly, Alex Crapser is going to give it a go after his monsterous frontstretch accident at Las Vegas one week ago. He will grid 18th, with landslide Championship leader Ken Pettit starting in 6th. Some drivers pick Chauncey Redmond Jr. to be the dark horse this week, starting outside front-row in his usual boom-or-bust effort. Ryan Heuser, Matt Raboin and John Battista are the favorites to win this one.
Points Standings (After 28 of 36 Events) 1. Ken Pettit: -
2. Zach Michael: -125 (+1) 3. Ryan Heuser: -143 (-1) 4. John Battista: -151 (+1) 5. Alex Crapser: -155 (-1) 6. Zakk Miller: -188
7. Tony Pizzaro: -193 (+2) 8. Timothy McDonnell: -197 (-1) 9. Rick Jackson: -222 (-1) 10. <
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Negotiations between Lucas Racing team owner Dalton Lucas and the Extravaganza Series 25-man panel began on Saturday morning, attempting to work out an agreement in case Alex Crapser failed one of his injury protocol's before the Bristol Night race on Friday. Lucas waved checks rumored to be in the Millions, flung around his favorite $2 dollar bill collection, and even offered Jeremy Pringle part ownership in the Lucas Hauling corporation. The panel denied every dollar price, but the two sides finally came to an agreement on Saturday night. Lucas sold his ownership to the Little Ceasar's at Goose Creek, South Carolina. In turn, the Extravaganza panel has agreed to re-locate the chain inside the Extravaganza Series Hall of Fame, and let Alex Crapser race if he passed a brain test.
Crapser was forced to stare at a pendulum swing for six hours on Sunday, locked inside one of Extravaganza's "Protocol Dungeons". "It was a torture chamber. I knew if I screamed once they wouldn't let me back in the car." said Crapser. "Puss flew out of my eye sockets. Blood secreting from both nostrils. My tonsils fell off at one point, but I kept on trucking." Despite multiple stints of quintuple vision and momentary bouts of blindness, Crapser passed the test and is a 50-50 shot to make the Sharpie 500. He and his team took a trip to the local supermarket by camper van in celebration, to get some ibuprofen and "Branned Flakes", his favorite meal. "My Winnebago looks like a kaleidoscope" said Crapser. His brother Adam informed him it was a mailbox.
Crapser also endures a broken left leg from the accident, as well as severe pelvis swelling. "The doctor's told me not to race for the rest of the season. I agree with them, but we'll see how I'm feeling come Friday." Lucas Racing Bonanza driver Molemar Diggs, as well as ARCA Bonzai regular and former crew chief Jeremy Hebel will be ready to take over the ride if need-be.
Only one Championship contender finished inside the top-14 in the first race of the chase. Ken Pettit won the event in grand style, taking over the points lead by 22 in search for his second come-from-behind title in three seasons. He'll most likely complete lap #1 behind the top of the standings, with Ryan Heuser on the pole in search for another dominating Las Vegas performance.
A horrendous break for the pole sitter! Ryan Heuser blows just before the green, crossing the starting line in a cloud of gray smoke. Matt Raboin would also blow on the grid, leaving two QSM engines out of the race without taking a lap. 17 circuits later, Quantum Racing teammate Matthew Dominique also fell to the engine bug, leaving half of the QSM motor brigade out of the event early.
Bill Werkheiser inherited the lead with his third starting spot, leading the field for the first seven laps while holding off Alex Crapser. John Tharp took the advantage after the first caution flag and cruised ahead to lead the entire stint. An excellent pit stop by the Wendy's crew gave John Battista the top spot after the second yellow on lap 40.
A lap 6 accident sent Johnny Reed Foley into the outside turn-1 wall, rebounding to a 22nd-place finish. Cristian Torres brought out the second yellow after smacking the turn-4 wall, spinning out and eventually blowing up on lap 91, finishing 35th. The third yellow initiated with David Butterworth doing the same, careening into Dave Miller while Cristiano De Sa, Zakk Miller, Adam Crapser and Steven Spears all failed to miss the melee, destroying their automobiles.
A pit road accident put Rick Jackson one lap down, becoming the fifth chase driver to endure trouble before the lap-100 mark. Up front, it was John Battista, John Tharp, Bink Lucas, Markell Murphy, Ben Geer and Scott Jackson swapping the top-6 continuously. On the restart after the third caution, Murphy beat Battista out of the pits only to see the #39 take it back on the restart.
The Extravaganza Series points standings practically reversed after the immaculate attrition rate at Darlington last week. Points leader Timothy McDonnell went down immediately, putting an end to his running-at-the-finish streak in 2023, as well as pitfalling to 7th in the Championship race. Ken Pettit put a dagger into his own streak by winning the event in grand style, becoming the final chase driver in 2023 to score a victory, as well as stealing the points lead from the #22. It was also Ken's first Crown Jewel win of his Extravaganza Series career, looking to double his efforts at the esteemed Eddie Money Classic at Las Vegas!
Ryan Heuser ties Rick Jackson for his fourth pole of the season at an irreproachable 203.054 miles-per-hour. He and Alex Crapser occupy the front row with their immaculate record pace, with 39 drivers clinching the 200+ barrier after a "repave of the ages". "My Pontiac was a demonic frisbee." said Mark Heron, who pulled off a miraculous fourth place qualifying effort. "My eyeballs became olives. I could barely see the windshield during the run." Both he and Dalton Lucas qualified inside the top-10, looking for their first top-10 finishes of 2023.
Points Standings (After 28 of 36 Events) 1. Ken Pettit: - (+8) 2. Ryan Heuser: -22
3. Zach Michael: -40 (+1) 4. Alex Crapser: -76 (+6) 5. John Battista: -83 (-2) 6. Zakk Miller: -100 (+1) 7. Tim McDonnell: -115 (-6) 8. Rick Jackson: -122 (-2) 9. Tony Pizzaro: -129 (-4) 10. Matt Raboin: -141 (-2)
Rumors that started at the beginning of 2022 have finally come into fruition. Just eight weeks before the end of 2023, Randy Dobbins has decided to retire. "It's time." "I always said if I ain't competitive, I ain't racing." said Dobbins, who's averaged a career worst 27th place finish." "We're struggling to find the top-30 these days. I feel like an old man racing with a bunch of Elmo's." Dobbins has recorded only one top-30 finish in his last ten races, with four DNF's during that span. He led his first lap of the season last week at Darlington, only to fall to an accident before the halfway point. He currently has 28 career Extravaganza Series victories. He's got nine more races to add one more to the record books.
