The Southern 500 is seen as a vortex of Extarvaganza Championship glory! It's also perceived as the deli-slicer of pain, ending some title hopes after week one. Last year every contender except Ken Pettit fell to the wayside, with Pettit leading the points through Rockingham after his immaculate victory that ended a near five-year winless streak! The #8 Bob Marley Chevrolet is back to try it again, with Ryan Heuser miraculously making the chase after seven-straight top-10 finishes to end the regular season. He will begin to defend his title hopes tonight!
Johnny Reed Foley and Ken Pettit have dominated so far! They're the only two teams with an average finish under 15th on the year, swapping the points lead numerous times to secure their status as favorites to win the 2024 title! Multi-Champions Ryan Heuser and Timothy McDonnell sneaked their way into the chase with recent good runs. Heuser will start on the pole tonight! Zach Miller and Zach Michael hope to finally clinch a Team Danger Zone crown with a top-10 run in the Southern 500! Miller will start second. John Tharp will represent the lone Toyota again! Craig Lee, Alex Crapser and Rick Jackson will be the dark-horses. Good luck!
Timothy McDonnell, Rick Jackson, Zach Michael, Dave Miller, Dakota Wilkins, Logan Sheets, Ryan Heuser, Matt Raboin and Markell Murphy all fight for Championship supremacy! Miller enters the Funai 400 just six points ahead Dakota Wilkins for 10th, hoping to race each other while holding off the Richmond elite. Ryan Heuser and Matt Raboin each come in less than 50 points behind both, dominating this facility more than any other driver. Logan Sheets hopes to play spoiler, while McDonnell, Jackson and Michael pray for a decent finish to solidify their title status.
The first career pole for sophomore-man Chauncey Redmomd Jr.! He would hold off Alex Crapser and Matt Raboin for four laps before the Pennzoil #04 took the lead, with Raboin passing Redmond three laps later. A turn-2 crash between Adam Crapser, Dalton Lucas and Bink Lucas re-settled the field on lap-9.
David Butterworth inherits the lead by staying out, with Ryan Heuser and Ken Pettit taking two tires behind. The #81 Coors Light Dodge led only three laps the entire season, holding off the field for 15 more before the second caution flag. While the Coors Light driver leads, the Coors Field car falls to the frontstetch wayside. A morbid blow! Dakota Wilkins is out after only 24 laps, ending his Championship bid after a four-victory season. They entered Indianapolis 166 points ahead of 11th-place Matt Raboin. Now they are out, racing for most victories against Johnny Reed Foley for the remainder of 2024!
Alex Crapser and Ryan Heuser battle ferociously for the top-spot around the lapped car of Rod Weston. The #04 tapped the wall off of turn-2, handing the lead to Heuser while hoping to take advantage of Wilkins' misfortune. The #138 would pull away from the field in-shades of previous years of Richmond dominion. He would lap Rick Jackson. He would lap Timothy McDonnell. Zach Michael, Dave Miller and Logan Sheets hope to capitalize on the #22 and #44's lack of early speed.
A mortifying engine failure for Dave Miller! The drivers 10th and 11th in points are out, joining Wilkins as the remainder of the field roars around in a vortex of glory! Steven Spears, Timothy McDonnell and Trae Larkin crashed on the backstretch to end Heuser's domination. Not long afterwards, pole-sitter Chauncey Redmond Jr. went for a spin, slamming into Markell Murphy, who ricocheted into Timothy McDonnell's front radiator. McDonnell is out! Redmond would also fail to continue, with Murphy enduring on to limp the 400-mile distance. McDonnell came in 106-points ahead of Logan Sheets, 135 ahead of Ryan Heuser and 137 ahead of Matt Raboin. He will have to await word in the garage.
Matt Raboin pulls off a three-wide move off of turn-4 to take the lead from Heuser! Battista takes it back one lap later, earning the top-spot before the Redmond accident. Heuser would go for a spin on the backstretch to the delight of the #22 Caterpillar crew, though the #138 would not be denied! They'd come back out in 20th, driving to 16th after 10 laps in a seemingly unhindered racecar. Up front, Adam Crapser and Scott Jackson battled for the top-spot after staying out, with Jackson coming out on top. The old man "ATEUP" Jackson and "Fenway Frank" Pizzaro would dominate the remaining stint.
Jackson and Pizzaro swapped the lead several times after the halfway-point, with Pizzaro clinching the $100,000 slab! Miracle-man Steve Inkman battled ferociously to catch both of them hoping for the Cinderella story of the millenium! It was too good to be true. Rod Weston blew a tire off of turn-2, getting slammed by Alex Crapser before immaculate horror!
Timothy McDonnell, Rick Jackson, Zach Michael and Dave Miller come into Richmond less than 100 points from being swarmed by a four-driver brigade. Dakota Wilkins, Logan Sheets, Ryan Heuser and Matt Raboin are all within 48-points from passing any of them, with Miller and Wilkins only six-points apart for the final spot. Heuser and Raboin dominate this facility more than anyone, with Markell Murphy ready to pounce if he can pull off a miracle victory! Stand aside and enjoy the festivities!
Points Standings (After 25 of 36 Events) 7. Timothy McDonnell: +95 (+3) 8. Rick Jackson: +90 9. Zach Michael: +85 (-2) 10. Dave Miller: +6 (+1) ---------------------------------------- 11. Dakota Wilkins: -6 (-2) 12. Logan Sheets: -15 13. Ryan Heuser: -46 14. Matt Raboin: -48 (2) 15. Markell Murphy: -92
Chauncey Redmond Jr. earns his first career pole! A second-place start in last years Sharpie 500 was his previous best, leading 60 laps early in the go. Look for him to stay up front longer tonight. A fifth and a seventh in the previous three races brought the #64 New England Patriots team inside the top-35 for the first time all season. He finished 19th or better in both races last year. Look for him to crack the top-10 tonight!
Bill Werkheiser misses his first race since 2011! His collarbone injury at the Pepsi 400 was the talk of the garage area. Scott Jackson forced him to eat boneslaw; a scallion-based coleslaw with shredded chicken-bone to help settle the cartilage. Bill would go on to win Homestead later in the year. This time the #6 Piper team flat-out failed to qualify, finishing dead-last in the 80-lap qualifier. A morbid blow to a revered Extravaganza mainstay. The Southern 500 is next; a race Bill nearly won two years ago. Look for a bounce-back performance at the "old" facility for Old Man Bill!
There's only one road to Watkins Glen! All 46 teams found it, driving around "coon alley" in Apline Junction to reach the speedway. "We saw Woodstock last night" said Tony Gunk, attempting his first Watkins Glen event. "We picked up a five-leaf clover and put it the car." Zakk Miller and Timothy McDonnell start on the front row.
The #30 Bepis Mustang held off McDonnell through the inner-loop to lead lap 1. A spin by John Battista and a hard crash by Kevin Corbat and Donald Stewart brought out the first caution early. Both Corbat and Stewart were okay despite a blow to the pit wall. Battista would fall to the back, hindering his effort at a fourth-straight Watkins Glen victory.
Miller and McDonnell continued their battle after the restart, with the #22 Caterpillar Volkswagen taking the position. A Tony Long and Dan Johnston spin brought out the next two cautions, each off the final corner. Both John Tharp, winner of the first two road course events and John Battista, winner of the last three Watkins Glen races topped off on fuel. Zach Michael would do the same, leading the field on the possible one-stop strategy.
Tony Pizzaro found his way past Zakk Miller for the second position. The #12 Fenway Frank machine made several attempts to pass by, racing side-by-side entering the inner loop several times without capitalizing. Miller found his way by Pizzaro on lap 35; making his bid on McDonnell in the same corner but to no avail.
Both Steven Spears and Ziggy Moonglow suffered woes during the mid-point of the event. The #65 smacked the wall after getting loose off the final corner, ending his day. Moonglow endured a faulty ignition, losing four laps and finishing 39th. Up front, Timothy McDonnell gets spun! A dive to the pits resulted in contact with Dan Johnston, spinning in front of the field! Miraculously, everyone avoided him. Teammate Johnny Reed Foley drove by to lead his twelfth-straight event.
A David Baldinger spin brought out the caution during green flag stops. Jimmie Stevens took advantage by leading some laps before Matthew Dominique took the point. He, Alan Nesfeder and Craig Lee battled ferociously for the Halfway Bacon Bonus, with Dominique coming out on top. Racing for fifth, Zakk Miller and Johnny Reed Foley made contact through the esses, both slapping the right-side wall. Miller would eventually fall to a crash, with Foley power-driving to a top-5 despite the damage.
Craig Lee took the top-spot on lap-48. A stuck-throttle by Jeremy Hebel sent him into Rod Weston, both slapping the turn-1 tire-barrier but continuing on. Up front, Matthew Dominique blew a tire in the same corner while running second! David Baldinger slammed into the rear of the #25, ending his day while Dominique limped to a 37th-place finish.
Zach Michael's one-stop strategy put him atop the board! He would hold off David Butterworth, Rick Jackson and Ken Joynt from behind before a miraculous crash in the esses halted his progress. Adam Crapser and Zakk Miller pulverized the right-side guardrail after contact; shades of Adam's accident here two years ago. Both would exit their cars without serious injury. The #4 Packers Chevrolet now leads the league with nine DNF's on the season.
John Battista is the only driver to clinch a Chase birth every year since the 2018 season! During the same stretch, he has absolutely obliterated the field at Watkins Glen. Four victories, a third and a fourth place finish; not long after his "heart attack" inner-loop flip during his rookie campaign. Lucas Racing keeps that #94 McDonald's Ford in their "Junk-Pile Necropolis" as a reminder of what not to do. The #39 Wendy's Chevrolet comes in 111 points behind Timothy McDonnell for the final Chase spot. Look for a near-inevitable gain in the Bud at The Glen!
Watkins Glen Results (2018-2023)
Two races remain in the regular season! Only three of the twelve mainstream chase contenders qualified inside the top-10 for the Bud at The Glen. Dakota Wilkins looks to rebound from his horrid two-race stretch by methodically crawling from his 44th starting spot to a top-20 finish. Timothy McDonnell hopes to stretch his nine-point advantage over Dave Miller at one of his favorite racetracks. He will start on the outside pole. Watkins Glen master-mind John Battista will come from the 26th spot, with Markell Murphy, Ryan Heuser, Logan Sheets hoping to block his path to the front. Rick Jackson and Dave Miller just hope to finish.
Points Standings (After 24 of 36 Events) 5. Alex Crapser: +183 (-2) 6. Craig Lee: +77 7. Zach Michael: +65 (+2) 8. Rick Jackson: +60 (-1) 9. Dakota Wilkins: +12 (-1) 10. Timothy McDonnell: +9
--------------------------------------- 11. Dave Miller: -9 12. Logan Sheets: -74 (+2) 13. Ryan Heuser: -89 (+2) 14. John Battista: -111 (+2) 15. Markell Murphy: -116 (-2) 16. Matt Raboin: -117 (-4)
The Litchfield County hamlet of Lakeville, Connecticuit; nestled in the Southern Berkshires where Yankee and Red Sox fans alike can take refuge in immaculate glory! The world's greatest 1.5-mile course consistently serves it's purpose as the backwoods sanctuary of Extravaganza Series racing. This event was deemed a two-to-three year experiment just six years ago. Now it's become a staple on the Extravaganza Series tour, with road-ringers and rungers alike favoring the facility to high reviews! The sixth annual Country Time at The Lime should endure no exception.
Johnny Reed Foley hopes to claim his 11th-straight race with a lap-led and reboot his Championship effort! He would succeed, holding off Jeremy Hebel, David Baldinger and teammate Timothy McDonnell to lead the initial 14 circuits. Lucas Racing would struggle mightily during the tenure. A lap-12 crash by Dalton Lucas saw him pulverize the turn-4 barrier, dropping him out. Teammate and Michigan winner Alex Crapser blew an engine on the frontsrtetch just two laps later, dropping from 3rd to 5th in the standings.
Johnny Reed Foley and Timothy McDonnell make contact battling for the lead! The #22 Caterpillar Volkswagen hit oil from the Dalton Lucas accident, traversing to the left and tapping his teammate. Both shot into the guardrail, with David Baldinger tearing his nose after a second impact with Foley. All three drivers would miraculously continue on, handing the lead to Scott Jackson. It would be Jackson's 7th lap led the entire season, pitting with a tire vibration during the yellow.
John Battista inherited the top-spot before devastation at the West Bend corner. Scott Jackson and Tony Gunk flew across the embankment after contact, sending the #38 ATEUP Chevrolet into a series of violent flips before a hit from Molemar Diggs stopped his momentum. Miraculously, Jackson came out of the car beaten but alive. He and Diggs would fail to continue. Gunk would limp home to a 30th place finish despite driving a crushed soda-can for the remainder of the race.
John Battista led from laps 14 through 19. John Tharp took the advantage after the accident, leading through lap 25 before another crash at the uphill chicane. David Butterworth, Adam Crapser and Jonathan Skrabacz entered the corner three-wide, with the #48 and #81 into the tire barrier and unable to continue. Only 39 drivers remained, leaving Foley, McDonnell and Baldinger feeling fortunate to still be on the track despite their misfortune.
Sonoma winner John Tharp continued to dominate the show in search of his second road course victory of 2024. The #14 Zig-Zag entry would lead through lap 42 before a Craig Lee and Zach Michael accident brought out the following yellow. Jimmie Stevens and Johnny Reed Foley were the only two drivers to stay out, gambling on fuel strategy and a chance at the Halfway Bacon Bonus. Stevens and Matthew Dominique were able to hold off the anchored #3 Chevrolet while swapping the top-spot. Both entered Lime Rock as the biggest disappointments in 2024. Now they stand 1 and 2. Dominique would lead the Halfway Bacon Bonus.
Geno Sphere and Tony Pizzaro crash on lap 71. Dakota Wilkins and Zach Michael receive minor damage attempting to avoid the melee, both narrowly inside the chase-cutoff heading in. Donald Stewart, Rick Jackson and Matt Raboin were trapped a lap down after coming down for green flag stops. Logan Sheets, Ryan Heuser, Jeremy Hebel, Bink Lucas, Dave Miller, Dan Johnston, Adam Crapser, Michael Henson, and Alan Nesfeder all continued to stay out despite their half-empty fuel tanks.
Ken Pettit clinches a chase birth in 2024! He knocked out Jimmie Stevens at Richmond one year ago, narrowly solidifying his Championship bid. The next week he broke his 169-race winless streak in the Southern 500, leading the points before a snapped camshaft at Rockingham handed the crown to Ryan Heuser. This year he's won at those same two racetracks. The #8 Bob Marley team comes in earning three-straight top-4 finishes; in position to win all three while taking the points lead. Johnny Reed Foley looks to re-capture the throne after winning the Lime Rock pole! He'll have to finish 39th or better to clinch his own chase birth. Rookie Jeremy Hebel will start on his outside.
A Fenway Park horror in turn-3 sent shockwaves across Massachusetts! Tony Pizzaro's accident at Michigan nearly took him out of his second hometown event, eclipsing a season-worst carnage rating of 9,893. The impact to the outside barrier nearly broke his sternum, with the catchfence impact causing whiplash after the sudden stop. Fortunately the #12 Boston Red Sox Fusion was not hit by oncoming traffic. Despite the agony, Pizzaro managed to qualify 14th with help from Lime Rock master Thomas "Correct Race" Feher. He's 253 points out of 10th place Timothy McDonnell with three races left in the regular season. Despite the gap, expect a conservative approach for the 140-lap event.
Ageless wonder Bill Werkheiser has hinted retirement for the entirety of the 2024 season. With W.A.S.P. Motorsports ownership possibly selling the team, the performance of the Piper Archer #6 has gone down the drainpipe. They fell to 36th in points after a seventh finish of 33rd or worst in their last eleven events. Fortunately, they were able to qualify for the Country Time at The Lime. Bill will start 38th at a track he constantly struggles at, needing to gain seven points on Rob Scarberry to earn a provisional for Watkins Glen.
John Battista entered his local Domino's food chain and prayed for victory in the Miller Lite 400! When the local neighborhood joint became a temple of the Extravaganza Gods is yet to be determined, but he did order a a cinnamon-twist box with a triple order of icing. The liquified cinnamon-sugar leaked through the undercarriage of the box, signifying elite dessert domination. Papa John's can learn a thing or two.
The winless Battista, Jackson, Raboin, McDonnell, Pizzaro and Dominique all enter the starting line in hopes of high horsepower fury! Dakota Wilkins and Adam Crapser raced side-by-side for the first two circuits; each grabbing bonus points in the process. With Adam's chase hopes extinguished, he looks for an all-or-nothing approach to his program. Wilkins will gladly limp to his first chase birth, coming in 166 points ahead of 11th-place Matt Raboin.
A serenade of packed-racecars prevails the speedway! Two-wide from first to last in hopes of tasting the front-pack marinade, with Scott Jackson, Craig Lee and Markell Murphy mired behind them all. Up front, Johnny Reed Foley, Tony Pizzaro and William "Tex" Perry made attempts at taking away the top spot. None could prevail over the Green Bay Packers. Jim Valvano would agree!
Three-wide mania engulfed the mid-pack, with Championship contenders Ken Pettit and Johnny Reed Foley immersed into the frenzy. Surprisingly, none of them wrecked or even scraped the wall, entering the first pit stop without a mere blemish. Matt Raboin was forced to come in twice after suffering a pit-exit violation. He would never recover, finishing down a lap in 40th position. They would drop one spot in the standings to 12th with three races left in the regular season.
Adam Crapser ripped the middle-groove to lead the field from lap-2 on. A three-wide divebomb from Johnny Reed Foley sandwiched himself between Adam and John Tharp for the lead, with the AC-Delco Chevrolet prevailing! It would be Foley's 10th-straight race with a lap led, leading the league with 724 on the year. Miracle-man Chauncey Redmond Jr. took the helm just six laps later in search for his first top-5 finish of the season.
Despite hardcore efforts from Zakk Miller and Tony Pizzaro, sophomore driver Redmond would dominate the ensuing 15-lap stretch. It's been an enduring campaign for the #64 Patriots team, entering the race with only nine finishes of 33rd of better. They stand 37th in the standings, hoping to rectify their season after their victory in the Brickyard 400 qualifier. They've made every event despite the immaculate handicap. Now the fruits of their labor prevail!
A mortifying accident sent shockwaves into the frontstretch grandstands. Tony Pizzaro's car was hit from behind after a check-up entering turn-3. He and Dave Miller's cigarette mobile catapulted over the wall with Pizzaro rear-first into the catch-fencing. The impact was horrifying; stopping 122 miles-per-hour after the hit and dreideling upside-down onto the apron. Miller launched front-first for a full second before coming down on four-wheels, unhurt by the crash. Pizzaro's injuries are yet to be determined. He was airlifted to the Henry Ford hospital in Jackson per request by the driver. Even in agony he is loyal to his manufacturer.
Dave Miller dropped to 11th in the standings after the accident, making room for perennial contender Timothy McDonnell to
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