100 drivers were selected by the 45-man Extravaganza panel to compete in the Nashville Superspeedway Duel-Qualifying heats this weekend. This included 48 Extravaganza Series regulars, 33 Bonanza Series regulars, 5 Tundra Cup Series regulars, 4 ARCA Bonzai Series regulars, 3 local Late Model drivers, 2 Indy Car drivers, 2 Wrangler Outlaws, a former Formula Europe driver and 2 celebrities. 84 drivers of the 100 were able to qualify their way into the show via two-lap time trials, with the top-35 in Extravaganza Series points earning provisionals into the heats.
Heat #1: 42 of the odd-numbered qualifiers (1-83) will re-qualify and race a 50-lap heat. The top-15 finishers of the 42 drivers will advance to next week's 300-lap feature.
Heat #2: 42 of the even-numbered qualifiers (2-84) will re-qualify and race a 50-lap heat. The top-15 finishers of the 42 drivers will advance to next week's 300-lap feature.
Heat #3: The top-35 in Extravaganza Series points who didn't advance will get a final chance to race into the show. For drivers outside the top-35, the top-finishers in the first two heats who didn't advance will fill up the remainder of the field until it reaches 42 drivers. They will all re-qualify and race a 50-lap heat. The top-15 finishers of the 42 drivers will advance to next week's 300-lap feature.
Consolation: There are no provisionals for the top-35 in Extravaganza Series points if they don't qualify after Heat #3. With bad luck or an improper setup, one big-name driver could easily miss the feature. In consolation, The 16th to 24th place finishers of Heat #3 will receive Extravaganza Series points (16th will get 28, 24th will get 1), and be credited for an Extravaganza Series start.
Heat #1: Friday, June 16th, 6:00 ET
Heat #2: Friday, June 16th, 6:45 ET
Heat #3: Friday, June 16th, 7:30 ET
Frank Womack has endured a struggling season in the Tundra Cup series, currently 10th in the standings after several DNF's and a lack of a victory. He has been asked to replace Ziggy Moonglow in the #02 Delta Sim Racing car, solidifying his presence in the big time after racing over a decade in the top divisions of N.O.R.L. Racing. There is no timetable for Ziggy's recovery, with Moonglow out indeffinately with a desicrated abdomen, broken ribs and a hardcore concussion. This could be a full-time ride for the rest of the season for Womack, who will make his second attempt at an Extravaganza Series field at the same track he tried his first, one year ago. The team is currently 53 points ahead of Steven Spears for the provisional cutoff, so making the race at Nashville is imperrative. Like his newfound teammate Trae Larkin last season, this could be the audition of a lifetime for Frank. In the meantime, his brother Rabo will take over his Tundra Cup Series ride in the #48 Lowe's Silverado.
Ziggy Moonglow was rushed to the Sonoma Valley hospital after a terrifying accident at the turn-11 pit wall on lap 35. The #02 Coca-Cola classic Chevrolet for Delta Sim Racing smashed passenger-side first into the tire barriers on pit entry, coming to a complete stop on impact. The entire cockpit bodywork was demolished, with Moonglow strapped inside the car with a collapsed a-frame and shattered windshield glass all over his firesuit. He is confirmed to be breathing normally, otherwise no word yet on his condition. Our prayers go out to the Extravaganza rookie and the entire Extravaganza racing family.
Before the accident occurred, Moonglow was enjoying the race of his life. He was remarkably leading the race by two seconds over Markell Murphy, taking 25 laps to drive from 5th to first. The crash happened the lap after his only pit stop, making contact with another car off of turn 10 while waiting for his tires to heat up. Then disaster struck. It was the fifth race he has led all season, and was a well needed boon as the team came in 34th in the standings. Here are his results so far this season:
Average Start: 22.8 Average Finish: 28.9 Points Standings: 35th
No word yet on who his replacement will be for Nashville, in the inevitable event that he won't make the trip back east. The #02 team will enter 53 points ahead of the Team Danger Zone #65 for the provisional cutoff. Some say Trey Larkin might switch from the #00 to the #02. It's all speculation, but they will desperately need to make the field in the 84-car qualifiers next Friday. Without Ziggy, it may be a tough road ahead.
The one-race west coast string starts and ends at the Sonoma Raceway in Sears Point California. Zakk Miller and Alan Nesfeder occupy the front row, with each arguably enjoying the best seasons of their Extravaganza careers to date. Look for each of them to stay towards the front and possibly steal the victory away.
An accident across the start-finish line by Scott Deutsch and Alex Crapser brought out the first caution. Points leader Tony Pizzaro narrowly escaped, with Deutsch out after one corner and Crapser enduring right-front damage for the rest of the race. Both the #04 and #12 would miraculously earn a top-10 by the finish.
Pole-sitter Zakk Miller endured a vibration heading towards the caution flag, handing the lead to Nesfeder. Tim McDonnell, Ken Pettit, Ziggy Moonglow, Markell Murphy, Matthew Dominique, John Battista and Matt Raboin all meander and swap spots behind the leader. Moonglow goes from 5th to 2nd by lap 20.
Several dives into turn-7 came out with Nesfeder still up front. On lap 24, the #02 finally made the pass exiting the esses, leading for the first time all season without inheriting it through pit stops or qualifying. Markell Murphy would pass the #22 and #78 in an effort to catch Moonglow.
Disaster struck on lap 35. Moonglow had just made his pit stop, enduring cold tires off of turn 10 and making contact with Zakk Miller. Moonglow's car slid passenger-side first into the pit wall, demolishing the tire barrier and destroying his racecar. Ziggy was helicoptered to the nearest hospital, going from hero to devestation in just one lap of action. There is no word yet on his official condition.
The restart saw Markell Murphy fail to defend his lead. Matt Raboin jumped to the outside lane entering turn 1 and flew by off the exit of 2. He would remain there through lap 45, when Tim McDonnell made the pass for second place in the same part of the course.
The #22 Caterpillar Volkswagen made his bid for the top-spot on lap 47 on the left side of the esses. McDonnell would complete the pass by the end of the lap, remaining up front through lap 73. He earned the bonus points for most laps led with 26 on the day.
A turn-1 accident between Chauncey Redmond Jr. and Johnny Reed Foley brought out the second caution flag just before the cycle of green flag stops ended. This sent McDonnell back to 5th on the restart, with Rick Jackson leading the field to the green in hopes of winning his first ever road course race.
Leader Rick Jackson was forced to pit after a loose lug-nut, removing him from the lead and back to 30th place. Matthew Dominique occupied the top-spot with Jimmie Stevens, Zakk Miller, Scott Jackson and teammate Matt Raboin ready to pounce from behind. An immaculate dive-bomb into turn-11 stuck for the #38, giving Scott the lead in hopes of another road course victory with 28-to-go. He would pull away from the field.
An incredible battle for the fourth position was won by Zach Michael, watching Jackson, Raboin and McDonnell from well afar. Raboin was able to pass all of them and made his way to the bumper of the ATEUP #38 with 10 laps remaining. Several dive attempts entering turns 1 and 7 came to no avail, with Jackson still up front with three laps to go. Miraculously, he would run out of gas, handing the lead to Raboin with ease as Jackson stopped-and-go'd to hold on to second place. Raboin would cross the finish line with a 20-second lead over the field, the greatest interval from first to second in this Millenium.
It was a huge victory for Matt Raboin, who had remained winless after a four-victory 2022 campaign. He had pulled off a respectable four-straight top-20 finishes entering the day, going from 28th to 15th in points after Texas just ten races ago. This could be the year all three Quantum Racing teams make the chase. Congrats to Mat
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The one-week west coast swing enters the fray with Zakk Miller and Alan Nesfeder over the 93-MPH barrier, occupying the front row positions. Nesfeder has earned a quiet eleven top-13 finishes in 16 events so far, looking to continue hisCchampionship bid and right as the most competitive independent over John Tharp. Tharp has been the dominator at Sonoma over the past four years, earning an average finish of 5.75; best in the series.
Sonoma Average Finish (2019-2022) 1. John Tharp: 5.75 2. Jimmie Stevens: 7.50 3. Craig Lee: 7.75 4. Tim McDonnell: 8.25 5. Scott Jackson: 8.25 6. Ryan Heuser: 10.00 7. Matthew Dominique: 10.75 8. Ken Pettit: 11.00 9. Johnny Reed Foley: 12.75 10. Zach Michael: 13.75
Tony Pizzaro has held the points lead since his victory at Bristol. Despite earning no finishes worse than 23rd since, Ryan Heuser comes in only 10 points behind with the title of defending winner. Road racing favorite Tim McDonnell has gone from 277 points back to only 90 since Martinsville, looking to make it 4 out of 5. He'll be the only one out of the three to qualify inside the top-10. The #12 broke an ignition box during his qualifying round, starting in the back with Alex Crapser. Look for these two to make headway towards the front.
Points Standings (After 15 of 36 Events) 1. Tony Pizzaro: +284 2. Ryan Heuser: +274 3. Tim McDonnell: +195 (+2) 4. Logan Sheets: +158 (+2) 5. John Battista: +123 (-2) 6. Zakk Miller: +68 (+1) 7. Zach Michael: +64 (-3) 8. Dave Miller: +40 9. Rick Jackson: +32 (+2) 10. Alan Nesfeder: +1 (+3) --------------------------------------------------------- 11. Jimmie Stevens: -1 (-2) 12. John Tharp: -28 (+3) 13. Matthew Dominique: -32 (-1) 14. Adam Crapser: -70 (-4) 15. Markell Murphy: -140 (-1) 16. Matt Raboin: -140 (+1) 17. Ken Pettit: -184 (-1) 18. Johnny Reed Foley: -211 (+1) 19. Alex Crapser: -246 (-1) 20. Scott Jackson: -262
Ben Geer misses the show just weeks after Natick Massachusetts overproduced their Twinkie supply in honor of G
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A miracle front-3 will take the green in front of 200,000 faithful St. Louis fans. Bill Werkheiser and Ben Geer take the front row, with neither driver leading a lap all season. Kevin Corbat is a miraculous third, with the two points leaders Ryan Heuser and Tony Pizzaro directly behind. This will be an incredible ten-lap shootout after the green.
The grid started without Ben Geer in his outside-pole qualifying position. He would lose two laps after stalling on take off, with Ryan Heuser in fourth swiping the lead away from Bill Werkheiser on lap 1. Bill would remain a lapless leader on the season despite his pole position. Miraculously, Geer would regain both laps to finish 20th after a high attrition rate.
Several accidents followed the green flag through lap 100. Markell Murphy, Alex Crapser, Steven Spears and Adam Crapser all fell out after severe impacts to the outside wall. Dave Daniels and Zach Michael would retire from engine failures. Bink Lucas would pull off a miraculous 14th place effort without a hood after his turn-1 crash with the #47 car. Donald Stewart and Philip Parker would fight all day for their eventual top-30 finishes despite their damage.
Excellent pit strategy put John Tharp, Kevin Corbat, Ziggy Moonglow and Ken Pettit in front after the restart on lap 62. Prior to that, Tony Pizzaro had led most of the laps, but failed to find his way back by despite the slightly fresher tires. These two would remain dominant top-5 forces throughout the night.
A crash between Craig Lee and Cristian Torres forced both drivers to endure damaged racecars for the rest of the evening. They would finish 30th and 31st, ending the race 29th and 30th in the points standings. Up front, Pizzaro finally found his way by the Zig-Zag machine on lap 85.
Tim McDonnell remained in the tire tracks of the front two throughout the run. A turn-1 accident from Aaron Cummings brought out the caution flag once more, closing the field back to an equal distance. This gave McDonnell the opportunity to pounce, taking the lead from Pizzaro on lap 108 to lead the halfway bacon bonus.
Laps 131 through 152 saw miraculous racing up front between the #22 and the #8. Ken Pettit failed to lead a lap despite edging him out in other parts of the racetrack. In a horrendous turn of events, Pettit was involved in a debilitating pit road accident, breaking the radiator and ending his night after their best run of the season. After a Bill Werkhesier and Cristian Torres spin, McDonnell continued to lead with an outstanding run by Ziggy Moonglow inside the top-3.
A spin from Ryan Heuser brings out the caution flag again on lap 163. John Tharp would make his way past McDonnell for the lead after the restart, with John Battista jumping from 9th to 3rd in a matter of laps. The #39 would pass by McDonnell, flying past Tharp with 50 laps to go en route to his 5th victory of the season.
It was not to be. Battista led the remaining 9 laps before his engine exploded on the backstretch, ending his night in 34th place. This is the first race since Lucas Racing's four car inception that neither of the four would cross the finish line. A horrifying Randy Dobbins and William Perry crash maculated the #96 entry into smithereenes. Fortunately, both drivers would walk away with only bruises. There is 34 laps to go.
Timothy McDonnell struck gold once more by avoiding all ten accidents and being in eyesight of leader John Tharp by the end. He made his move with 17 laps remaining, racing side-by-side for two laps before taking the lead outright exiting turn-2. A Jonathan Skrabacz and Trey Larkin accident gave the field a four-lap shootout to surpass the #22. Only Alan Nesfeder could get close. McDonnell would narrowly take the checkered flag by a couple car lengths over the #78 at his hometown track!
Dalton Lucas has missed the show at Gateway! The #88 Little Ceasar's pizza finished 14th in the pre-qualifier on Thursday, six spots out of the 43-car field. After the 24-lap shootout, passionate Extravaganza fans ignited the grandstands in their agony!!! A burning inferno of disappointment from the St. Louis faithful have charred and scarred the hearts of all. Extravaganza's Most Popular Driver heads back to Buffalo.
Dave Miller won the inaugural Extravaganza Series Gateway event last season, under the lights in front of 200,000 mid-west race fans. It was the only victory during his Championship bid, taking the lead with 12 laps to go and narrowly defeating his namesake . A miracle 29 drivers finished on the lead lap, the most of any racetrack under 1.5-miles in series history. This historic pace continues with a top-3 in qualifying by drivers 25th or lower in points:
1. Bill Werkheiser: 25th 2. Ben Geer: 36th 3. Kevin Corbat: 48th
First and second in points Tony Pizzaro and Ryan Heuser will round out the top-5 of the grid. Miller looks to make it back-to-back from the 15th position. Current domninator Tim McDonnell starts lower than 40th for the second straight week at his hometown track. Logan Sheets and Adam Crapser come into the show inside the top-10 in points, both looking for their first Extravaganza Series victory. With the equality of unknowns for all at this racetrack, their lack of experience may prove less of a disadvantage. This could be the night.
Zakk Miller won the 600-mile race last season on a pass over Tim McDonnell with 10 laps to go. He also won the first quad-oval night race of 2023 at Texas, and starts fifth on the grid tonight. Look for the #30 Bepis Mustang and other dark horses to take the crown jewel trophy away from the usual dominators, through supremacy and attrition alike.
An engine stoppage on the #20 Coca-Cola Team Danger Zone Mustang initiated a pit-road crash involving he, Trey Larkin and Matt Raboin. The latter two would sustain hindering damage for the remainder of the event, while Michael continued on after a trip to the rear. Up front, pole-sitter Tony Pizzaro, Craig Lee, Alex Crapser and Adam Crapser intertwined the top-spot during the early going.
A lap-50 spin by Ben Geer brought out the first caution flag, ensuing with leader Adam Crapser exiting the pits with a damaged hood after fuel stops. He would be rendered uncompetitive for the remaining 500+ miles. His brother would endure the same fate after the restart, slamming hard into the inside wall after contact with John Tharp while exiting turn-2. Despite leading 29 of the initial 69 circuits, he would finish 45th and drop to 18th in the standings.
The subsequent restart initiated some of the best racing for the lead to date. A triumvirate of Chevrolet's battle for the top spot with the chief-less Craig Lee coming out on top. He would relinquish the position to Alan Nesfeder before leading a lap. John Battista would straddle his Lucas Racing horsepower to the front as the lone-dog for the company, remaining there for 28 laps.
Timothy McDonnell drove from the 41st starting spot to the front on lap 105. He would lead four laps before points leader Tony Pizzaro flew by in his race-sponsored Chevrolet. Dave Miller's Quick-Silver horsepower took the heap one lap later, creating a conga-line over fourth place Dan Johnston and the rest of the field.
Several multi-car accidents protruded the second segment of the event. Dalton Lucas tagged Dakota Wilkins entering turn-4 on lap 149, sending the #77 tail-first into the outside wall. Jonathan Skrabacz and Donald Stewart both crashed in attempt to avoid the accident. The ensing restart saw Delta Sim Racing teammates Trae Larkin and Ziggy Moonglow devour the inside backstretch barrier. Only Wilkins would continue on, limping home to 34th.
Lap 169 saw Tony Pizzaro re-take the lead from Tim McDonnell, who inherited the top-spot after leader Dave Miller strugged with his re-fueling system. Jimmie Stevens would make his way by for his first lead of the night, earning himself the best run of his 2023 season at a crown jewel event. He would remain there to lead the Halfway Bacon Bonus just before an Adam Crapser infield spin brought out the yellow.
The #2 lost the lead after green flag stops, watching Pizzaro and Matthew Dominique trade the top spot from his windshield view. Dominique and John Battista would continue the lead battle through lap 272 before a Chauncey Redmond Jr. spin brought out the caution flag. Markell Murphy and Mark Heron would stay out on seven-lap older tires to take the top-2 spots on the ensuing restart.
The biggest crash of the night set off and abundance of burnt rubber and fireworks into the grandstands. Ben Geer and Dalton Lucas made contact off of turn-4, clipping Craig Lee's hood. The #29 was sent for a tailspin of the century before flying into race traffic. Johnny Reed Foley and Randy Dobbins clobbered him, but were able to slow down enough for a less violent impact. The remainder of the field attempted to scramble through the carnage with little hope of sneaking through. Steven Spears, Ben Geer, Ziggy Moonglow, Dave Miller, Dakota Wilkins, Chauncey Redmond Jr., Rob Scarberry and Geno Sphere were all involved in the accident. Redmond, Moonglow and Geer failed to continue, dropping Ben outside the top-35 in points. Scarberry received minimal damage and finished 14th, giving him a provisional for next week's race in St. Louis.
Markell Murphy and Mark Heron were the only two drivers to take four tires on the next pit stop. Murp
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Last year's 600-mile event saw Zakk Miller steal the victory away from Tim McDonnell during the final laps, ensuring his trip to the 2023 All-Star Race where he finished a middling 15th position. McDonnell redeemed himself by winning at the road course during the fall, earning his All-Star birth and taking full advantage with a victory in the race last Sunday. He has won three-straight for the first time in his entire career. A near-spin entering turn-1 on his qualifying lap will drop him to 42nd on the grid, fairing better than Rick Jackson and Dakota Wilkins who crashed in the same corner. Points leader Tony Pizzaro will lead the field to the green with a 198.340 MPH time. Trey Larkin and Dalton Lucas pulled off two miracle laps to start inside the top-10. A Cinderella may be in the works if the young guys stay hydrated for this three+ hour event. Good luck the the 45-faithful in the 2023 Coca-Cola 600!
Points Standings (After 13 of 36 Events) 1. Tony Pizzaro: +279 2. Ryan Heuser: +245 3. Zach Michael: +168 (+1) 4. Logan Sheets: +162 (+1) 5. John Battista: +145 (-2) 6. Zakk Miller: +139 7. Timothy McDonnell: +88 (+2) 8. Adam Crapser: +83 (-1) 9. Dave Miller: +72 (+1) 10. Matthew Dominique: +7 (+1) --------------------------------------------------------- 11. Jimmie Stevens: -7 (+2) 12. Rick Jackson: -57 (+2) 13. Alan Nesfeder: -62 (-5) 14. Alex Crapser: -75 (+4) 15. John Tharp: -75 16. Ken Pettit: -86 (-4) 17. Markell Murphy: -92 18. Johnny Reed Foley: -110 (-2) 19. Matt Raboin: -114 20. Donald Stewart: -150
Spook Millikan remains unemployed after a full week on the sidelines, divulging in his famous "Cheeto cakes" and "Pop-rock Pizza" with his wife at home. Dave Miller's chief fabricator Jim Kirk and former William Perry crew chief Pokey Reese will share duties atop the pit box in replacement. With that combination, Lee has been lightning fast, inside the top-5 in every practice session while qualifying second on the grid behind Tony Pizzaro. This could easily be the night Lee turns his 2023 misfortune into grandeur and domination.
