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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The second and final stop of the Mid-West tour! Michigan provides the fruits of entertainment, especially last year. A pineapple hit the roof of Zach Michael's car during his Norwegian victory lap. He'll try to win the Miller Lite 400 again without the escapades. Dakota Wilkins earns his first pole since Homestead in March, hoping to duplicate his efforts with another victory from the top-spot! Points leader Johnny Reed Foley looks to extend his races-led streak to ten, starting from the 6th position. He's sure to nab one early, with he, Wilkins and Ryan Heuser as the three favorites coming in.
A dominant stretch by two struggling superstars. Ryan Heuser and Tony Pizzaro nabbed three-straight top-5's, turning their seasons around at opportune times. They were 29th and 28th in points just after Chicagoland. Now they stand 16th and 17th. Johnny Reed Foley's flat tire at Indy was the only transgression in keeping him on par with the two. Look for the #138 and #12 to finish up front again. All three will start inside the top-20; hopefully ahead of the three-wide mania after the green flag waves. Dave Miller pulled to a huge 87-point advantage over #87 Matt Raboin for 10th in the standings. This is the largest Chase-cutoff gap by far in 2024, hoping to cash in at one of the "Marlboro Man's" favorite racetracks. Ahead of him, Dakota Wilkins hopes to solidify his first Chase birth by cashing in on his pole in the Miller Lite 400. Big guns Matt Raboin, Timothy McDonnell, John Battista, Ryan Heuser, Tony Pizzaro and Scott Jackson will show no mercy in stealing his spot away. With four races left, expect at least one of them to crawl their way in.
Points Standings (After 22 of 36 Events)
1. Johnny Reed Foley: +556 2. Ken Pettit: +519 3. Zakk Miller: +333 4. Alex Crapser: +217 (+1) 5. John Tharp: +206 (-1) 6. Dakota Wilkins: +166 7. Zach Michael: +113 8. Rick Jackson: +108 9. Craig Lee: +108 10. Dave Miller: +87
----------------------------------------------------- 11. Matt Raboin: -87 12. Timothy McDonnell: -104 13. John Battista: -153 (+1) 14. Logan Sheets: -192 (+2) 15. Markell Murphy: -211 16. Ryan Heuser: -221 (+5) 17. Tony Pizzaro: -222 (+1) 18. Scott Jackson: -232 (-5)
The Brickyard 400 has been dominated by the Quick-Silver Motorsports team over the recent years. This high-horsepower facility is perfect for their dominant engine program, eclipsing 9500 RPM's with pistons still in tact! Zakk Miller and Johnny Reed Foley reached the same number in qualifying, starting first and second for the 160-lap event.
The #30 Team Danger Zone Bepis Mustang ties Dave Miller for most poles this season with three. He would lead the first lap, with Tony Pizzaro getting a draft from Markell Murphy to take the top-spot away exiting turn-4. The Fenway Frank machine would lead through the first caution flag. Miller endured a devastating crash on the first lap a few years ago, possibly taking it easy early in the go.
Cristian Torres went for a spin on lap 13. He, Philip Parker and Rob Scarberry lost sight of each other, tagging the #26 and sending him in a whirlwind of the ages! Miraculously, all he hit was the inside wall and would continue unhindered. Despite his lack of damage, his car was tight all race long and finished 25th. Dan Johnston would lead the independents by finishing 13th.
A miraculous restart by Alex Crapser sent him past Johnny Reed Foley into the second position. By the end of the lap, he would pass Tony Pizzaro for the lead! A tandem by Johnny Reed Foley and Bink Lucas shot the #3 AC-Delco machine back to the front on lap-21. He would dominate the remainder of the stint.
Johnny Reed Foley and Alex Crapser would tag-team away from the pack. Foley entered the pits on lap-53, exiting with a three-second advantage over Crapser and a seven-second gap over third-place William Perry. A blown engine from Adam Crapser brought out the second yellow flag on lap-65. Foley would remain on top after pit stops.
The #4 Packers Chevrolet tied an Extravaganza Series record with their third-straight last place finish. They would drop from 15th to 25th in the standings after their miracle victory at Daytona, with teammate John Battista enduring much of the same misfortune. Up front, Ryan Heuser would take the lead from Johnny Reed Foley on lap-81, with the #3 barely able to nab the Halfway-Bacon-Bonus.
Ken Pettit would steal the top-spot away from Heuser on lap 105. The #138 came in to pit the following lap, handing himself a three-second advantage before a debris-caution accordioned the field. Foley's pit stop was not so fortunate, losing a lap to the field after stalling the engine on pit road. He would finish 38th on the day after another excellent run for the standings leader. Ken Pettit would finish the race only 37-points behind.
Points leader Johnny Reed Foley comes in with two-straight victories at New Hampshire and Pocono, out-driving dominant runs from Ryan Heuser, Zach Michael and Tony Pizzaro to capture the checkered flag! Indianapolis has been a morbid racetrack for Foley, capturing his first career top-10 finish at the Brickyard 400 last year in over a decade of competition! Heuser, Michael and Pizzaro each love the facility, hoping to ride their new-wave momentum to a $10,000,000 victory! Lucas Racing's Alex Crapser and Adam Crapser have won the two Crown Jewel events so far, each also with limited success at the Brickyard facility. Adam has nothing to lose after two-straight last place finishes, dropping out of points contention with five races left in the regular season. Alex comes in a full-race ahead of 11th place Matt Raboin, just needing a decent top-20 run. Former Brickyard 400 winners Rick Jackson, Craig Lee and Dave Miller all come in on the bubble, hoping to hold off Matt Raboin, Timothy McDonnell, Scott Jackson, John Battista and Markell Murphy and give themselves some decent Championship leeway. Zach Michael will go for his second-straight Indianapolis victory! His Team Danger Zone teammate Zakk Miller will start on the pole.
Extravaganza Series 2024: Last 12 Events
Ryan Heuser, John Battista, Timothy McDonnell, Rick Jackson, Tony Pizzaro, Dave Miller and Matt Raboin all remain winless during the 2024 season. Three drivers who combined for one victory last year have dominated the competition, showing no mercy during the final stages and stealing the spotlight away from the Extravaganza Series elite. Dakota Wilkins has four victories with his immaculate speedway mastership! Adam Crapser pulled off a miracle charge in the Coca-Cola 600, winning again at Daytona to become the Crown-Jewel master of 2024! If he wins again at the Brickyard, that moniker will hold true. Points leader Johnny Reed Foley leads the standings with immaculate consistency, currently on a stretch from the Gods since Talladega in April. None of these drivers have ever won at the Brickyard 400.
Ryan Heuser's Brickyard 400 Finishes
Nobody has enjoyed more success than Ryan Heuser at the Brickyard 400! Six-straight seasons of top-5 finishes have been the plague of his competition, knowing they'll have to endure the wrath of the NOS Energy #138. Zach Michael was able to break the Quick-Silver domination last season with a late-race charge! Can anyone do it again? Heuser comes in 241 points behind 10th-place Dave Miller in the standings. He's gained 90 points over the last two weeks, finishing 2nd and 3rd during the Northeast stretch at New Hampshire and Pocono. With five races left in the regular season, a top-5 finish is imperative. Heuser's waited 24 races to pass Roscoe Riker for third on the Extravaganza Series win list; currently with 82. With Indianapolis and Richmond coming up, this team might finally break the barrier.
Points Standings (After 21 of 36 Events)
1. Johnny Reed Foley: +596 2. Ken Pettit: +438 3. Zakk Miller: +310 4. John Tharp: +218 5. Alex Crapser: +160 6. Dakota Wilkins: +133 7. Zach Michael: +92 (+1) 8. Rick Jackson: +60 (-1) 9. Craig Lee: +42 10. Dave Miller: <
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The top-11 make the Brickyard 400! 42 teams from all walks of racing attempt to field a car in the Crown Jewel event at Indianapolis later this week! This 80-lap qualifier will feature dozens of drivers attempting to make their first Extravaganza Series race at one of our highest venues. Molemar Diggs finished 9th last season to earn his first career Extravaganza Series start. Now, he is a full time Rookie of the Year leader!
Geno Sphere took the green on the pole! A huge accident on lap-2 sent Scott Drake pulverizing into the outside wall! Rod Weston just made his return, making contact with the #71 while clipping Bernard Person in the rear. Steve Inkman, who's made every Extravaganza Series start in 2024, dropped five positions from the first lap and could not avoid the sliding #56 NAPA Dodge. Inkman would limp through 36 more circuits before a gearbox issue took him out completely. He, Drake, Person, Nigel Ramasawmy, Patrick Cowgill and Ron Stout all were involved in the accident. None could make it close to the top-11 transfer spot.
Leader Geno Sphere took four tires on his pit stop while everyone else took fuel only. He would drop to 28th on the lap-7 restart with Tony Long, Rob Scarberry and Jonathan Skrabacz leading the field to the green. The #15 Budweiser Chevrolet attempts to repeat his victory from one year ago. He would hold them off through lap 16 before Philip Parker took the advantage. Rob Scarberry took his first lead on lap 27.
Mark Heron has qualified for the last two Brickyard 400's, eclipsing a top-20 finish last season. The Energizer #01 would take the lead three laps before halfway, relinquishing the spot to come in for tires and gas. Amazingly, nobody attempted to stretch out their fuel to nab the Halfway Bacon money, handing Heron the top-spot just before the mark. A tag-team effort between Geno Sphere and Steven Spears put the #444 back up front! His four-tire strategy paid off, traversing through the field to reach the lead pack before the halfway pit stops. Spears would take the lead two laps later.
Steven Spears ran top-3 in this event one year ago before a blown tire decimated his efforts, forcing him to miss the Brickyard 400 field. That same fate would fall to Tony Long on lap 48. A blown right-rear tire while running in the 9th position sent Jaxson Vaccher, Scott Deutsch and Doug Spark into a frenzy to avoid the nearly stopped #15. They would all wreck attempting to avoid, with Vaccher failing to continue on and Long limping home and failing to make the Brickyard 400. Up front, Aaron Cummings took a splash-and-go to assail from 25th place to the top-spot! He would lead the field through lap 57 before Steven Spears, Jonathan Skrabacz, Philip Parker and Chauncey Redmond Jr. flew by him with relative ease on the fresher rubber. Jonathan Skrabacz took the advantage away with 20 laps-to-go.
Chauncey Redmond Jr. passed the Castrol #48 exiting turn-2 with defiant speed! Miracle-man Dave Daniels came out of the weeds to pull Philip Parker by him, hoping to rectify for his teammates accident with a Sim World Motorsports victory! It was not to be. The #64 Patriots Chevrolet passed by Daniels with 6-to-go, then taking the top-spot for good after clearing Parker exiting turn-2. From there, nobody could catch the Wizards of Speed man!
Chauncey would cross the finish line first for the first time in his Extravaganza Series career! For the transfer spot, Aaron Cummings ran out of fuel while running in 9th, having David Courtney hold off a hard-charge from Frank Womack to earn the 11th and final spot! Courtney, Redmond, Philip Parker, Steven Spears, Jonathan Skrabacz, Ziggy Moonglow, Dave Daniels, Geno Sphere, Kevin Corbat, David Baldinger and Rob Scarberry all raced their way into the Brickyard 400 in immaculate style! Race winner Redmond finished second to Zach Michael in the Crown Jewel event one year ago, hoping to win his first career Extravaganza Series race later this week! Congratulations to Redmond, crew chief Cortez Strong and the entire Wizards of Speed Racing organization for an excellent victory!
Rod Weston makes his return! The crash at Sonoma took him out for six weeks, ready for 200 mile-per-hour action in the Brickyard 400 qualifier! He and several Extravaganza and Bonanza Series regulars will attempt to make the Brickyard 400 field during the 80-lap, 42-car shootout. Here are the credentials to run the event:
- Must be outside the top-35 in Extravaganza points with at least one race run. - Remaining entries are based on Bonanza Series points.
Rob Scarberry, Steve Inkman, Chauncey Redmond Jr., Geno Sphere, Steven Spears, Ziggy Moonglow, Jonathan Skrabacz, Tony Long, Rod Weston and Tony Gunk will race the Bonanza regulars for the top-11 spots. Those drivers will make the Brickyard 400 field! On a sour note, this is the one year anniversary of Chad Glass's career ending accident during the same event. Let us pray for a safer outcome.
The grasslands of eastern Pennsylvania resides the esteemed Pocono Raceway. High-horsepower will dominate the show, with four-time winners Johnny Reed Foley and Dakota Wilkins commanding the front row. Triangle-man Timothy McDonnell enters the facility without a victory in 2024. Rick Jackson, Dave Miller, Matt Raboin, John Battista, Tony Pizzaro and Ryan Heuser also search for their first win of the season.
An impactful crowd of 250,000 strong roar large! Sights of ghosts from Berwick's Pine Grove Cemetery were rumored to navigate the infield campground during the weekend. Despite the terror, everyone stayed for the 400-mile event. Points leader Johnny Reed Foley prevailed for the first ten circuits. Zakk Miller would take control of the field through lap-18.
All three Quick-Silver Motorsports entries showed speed early. Craig Lee took his first lead of the day on lap-18, hauling Tony Pizzaro's Fenway Frank machine in a 1-2 punch at the front. The duo swapped the lead twice, still pulling to a 3.5-second gap. During pit stops, William Perry and Adam Crapser fell to the wayside after colliding on entry. The #4 Packers machine finished dead-last, dropping to 22nd in the standings. Perry fell to 27th after limping home five laps down.
Another miraculous pit stop by the #3 AC-Delco crew put Johnny Reed Foley in range of the two leaders. He would take the lead on lap 55. A battle or 19th would go awry from behind. Matthew Dominique blew up, causing Michael Henson to spin the #25 into the infield. This would end his string of five-consecutive top-20 finishes, dropping Matthew to 24th in points.
Chauncey Redmond Jr.'s gateway to the top-35 ended in flames! He battled for the lead during the second green-flag stint, blowing up while battling for the 4th position. Zakk Miller and Craig Lee somehow made it through the smoke while the #64 simmered into the infield grass. Surprisingly, the New England Patriots Chevrolet has qualified for every race this season despite their lack of provisionals. They've earned only nine finishes inside the top-33, with their streak of two-in-a-row coming to an end. Indianapolis will be a greater challenge with 70+ cars attempting to make the show.
Ken Pettit takes his first lead of the race on lap 62! The top-2 in points run first and second in the race, each eclipsing their bonus points in hopes of earning the Halfway Bacon money. The Bob Marley team would get it, with he, Foley and Ryan Heuser sharing the top-spot before the second green-flag stop.
The high-strung RPM's produced another casualty in 22nd-place Jimmie Stevens. The team known for being easy on equipment earned their 6th DNF of 2024, dropping to 31st in points with only one finish better than 10th all year. Despite the injustice, he, Bill Werkheiser, Trae Larkin, Dalton Lucas, Michael Henson and Ben Geer would all stay ahead of 36th-place Rob Scarberry and make next week's Brickyard 400 field!
Johnny Reed Foley's crew is completely unmatched. Another incredible pit stop but the #3 five-seconds ahead of the field, tag-teaming with lapped rookies Steve Inkman and Molemar Diggs to pull further ahead. Ryan Heuser, Zakk Miller and Ken Pettit were still able to catch them, with Heuser taking the top-spot back on lap 117. The largest battle was seven-seconds behind for the 8th position, with Matt Raboin, Zach Michael, Alan Nesfeder and Dave Miller each fighting frantically to stay in reach of the lead group.
A debris caution with 26 laps remaining was the first and only of the race! Tony Pizzaro attempted a short-pit strategy just before the yellow, jumping from 13th to the lead for the ensuing restart. In just ten laps, John Battista's Wendy's "All Night Long" burger machine traversed from 13th to the lead in miraculous style! They were easily the class of the field, able to hold everyone off except Johnny Reed Foley, Ryan Heuser and Zach Michael. Still, nobody could even attempt a pass on the #39. It was John's race to lose, still leading by a car-length with three laps-to-go!
Tony Pizzaro's legs felt like celery sticks after his double-down pedaling action last week at New Hampshire! In the end, Johnny Reed Foley powered-down when it mattered most, keeping Ryan Heuser out of victory lane at his home racetrack. The #3 AC-Delco team comes in 138 points ahead of Ken Pettit for the Championship after the victory; his fourth of the year. They will start on the pole for the Pennsylvania 400! The Berwick faithful will rise to the glory of Extravaganza's top-46. Scott Jackson pulled off a miracle in the Spring. Can he do it again?
Points Standings (After 20 of 36 Events) 1. Johnny Reed Foley: +542 (+1) 2. Ken Pettit: +404 (-1) 3. Zakk Miller: +306 4. John Tharp: +240 5. Alex Crapser: +164 6. Dakota Wilkins: +161 7. Rick Jackson: +57 (+1) 8. Zach Michael: +53 (+4) 9. Craig Lee: +26 (+1) 10. Dave Miller: +24 (+3) --------------------------------------------------------- 11. Timothy McDonnell: -24 (-2) 12. Matt Raboin: -39 (+2) 13. John Battista: -58 (-6) 14. Scott Jackson: -60 (-3) 15. Logan Sheets: -132 (+3) 16. Markell Murphy: -152 (+1) 17. Molemar Diggs: -163 (-1) 18. Adam Crapser: -183 (-3) 19. Alan Nesfeder: -205 20. Matthew Dominique: -219
