Drivers recover from a 3,000-mile excursion from Daytona to California Speedway, enduring the blocked ear-lobes and hot California sunshine. They have finally landed, driving their own closed-course aircrafts at 190+ in qualifying. 30 divers were able to clinch that barrier, with Scott Jackson, Craig Lee and Champion Dave Miller struggling to find adequate speed during the week.
Timothy McDonnell becomes the first driver in Extravaganza to lead two races in 2023. He passed pole-sitter Rick Jackson and outside-starter John Battista on the first lap, leading the initial 24 circuits. He would battle Zakk Miller side-by-side for a good portion of the stint.
An engine failure on the #51 Aaron Cummings Toyota initiated a cluster of meandering racecars from behind. Rookie of the Year leader Ziggy Moonglow smashed into the back of him, triggering a minor pile-up on the entrance of turn-2. Philip Parker and Trae Larkin were also involved in the accident.
Before Moonglow and Cummings went to the garage area, Matthew Dominique took his first lead of the night after a three-wide boomerang move atop McDonnell and Miller exiting turn-2. He would remain atop the heap through lap-39 before a draft-train from Miller and Ryan Heuser returned the #30 to the forefront. After green flag pit stops, Donald Stewart and Matthew Dominique found themselves three-seconds ahead of the field with a minor short-pit strategy at the lap-50 mark.
The field began to thin rapidly after some 400-mile engines barely squeaked over 100. The current second-place driver and second-place finisher in the Daytona 500 blew up hard on lap-72, going from points leader to 15th in the standings in just a matter of minutes. Ben Geer and Ken Joynt would also fall to the engine bug, ending the day in 41st and 42nd.
Without draft help from the #25, Donald Stewart dropped into the clutches of the Quick-Silver powerhouse. Craig Lee drove from outside of the top-30 to the lead on lap-97, handing the way to Ryan Heuser a couple of laps later. Heuser would lead the halfway-bacon bonus, handing the top-spot back to Stewart after another short-pit on lap-100.
Stewart's deficit went from six to three seconds as Heuser and Rick Jackson made a paramount effort to catch the Clorox #55. Well behind, Scott Jackson and the lapped car of Chauncey Redmond Jr. slammed hard into the outside wall between turns 1 and 2. Jackson was running 23rd at the time, limping his way to 37th while Redmond finished 35th.
2022 Champion Dave Miller made his first move for the lead on lap 136. He would keep the top spot for the following 40 laps, giving 5-bonus points to all three Quick-Silver Motorsports cars. Bink Lucas, Johnny Reed Foley, Alan Nesfeder, Rick Jackson, Zakk Miller and Dakota Wilkins all meander for the second-position and put themselves in reach for the victory.
Zach Michael and Tony Pizzaro were the first of the leaders to make their final pit stop on lap 170. They, Zakk Miller and Dakota Wilkins all exited the pits in a six-car breakaway pack with a couple of lapped cars to follow. Miller and Wilkins exited the pits two laps after Michael and Pizzaro.
The tire advantage for the Miller-Wilkins duo played well into the hands of the two starving drivers. The Rockie's machine came out of the pits first, leading the initial ten laps before Miller took the top-spot on the high line on lap 184. Six laps later, the #77 attempted the same exact shot off of turn-2 and perfected the pass, putting himself in position for his first career victory in his 50th career Extravaganza Series start.
Last year, Ben Geer missed his second-straight race to begin the 2022 season. This year he made it for California, finishing second in the 20-lap qualifier to Chauncey Redmond Jr. Cristiano de Sa, Philip Parker and Trae Larkin will also start their first event of the year during this one-off West Coast swing. Daytona 500 winner Tony Pizzaro will attempt to go 36-for-36, starting 11th on the grid. He is the reigning Champion of this event. Race-2-Win teammate Rick Jackson and John Battista will lead the field to the green clocking at 191+ miles per hour, a three-second interval from last-place gridder William Perry. It should be an extremely competitive 45-car Extravaganza! Ryan Heuser comes in as the pre-race favorite.
CFM teammates Tim McDonnell and Johnny Reed Foley completed an extremely impressive feat during the Daytona 500. Both drivers finished inside the top-5 and led exactly one lap. It was an excellent points day to say the least, with McDonnell ready to roll in fourth place to take the green. Foley will start 26th with his Shake N' Bake replacement Cristiano de Sa only one spot behind.
Extravaganza Series driver Jonathan Skrabacz posted pictures at a Norfolk Admirals game on February 18th, 2023. Our crew recognized his supposed "respite" and we did some research. The Admirals franchise went defunct in 2015, and hasn't hosted a game since. It is impossible for him to be at any facility due to on-track commitments the same day. This conspiracy raises a lot of questions. Who is Jonathan Skrabacz? Is this a cover-up to some unknown corruption? Our Extravaganza enforcement affiliates are currently on the case.
The 2023 Daytona 500 starts out with your stereotypical front-row. Tony Pizzaro is on the pole, looking for his second Daytona 500 victory and second since 2015. Ryan Heuser is on the outside front-row looking for is third victory in this grand event. They'll have to hold off 43 of the hungriest drivers in America to make the dream happen again.
Ken Pettit flew by Pizzaro on the opening lap, hoping to make it a Race-2-Win domination at the front of the field. John Battista would destroy the party on lap four, swapping the lead with Pettit twice before Battista took it outright. He would remain there for the entire green flag run.
A crash between Quick-Silver Motorsports teammates Ryan Heuser and Craig Lee brought out the first caution of the event. Heuser was not up to speed after coming out of the pits, drifting up into the pathway of the #101 and slapping the outside wall. Both drivers spun towards the pit road and would struggle for most of the remaining laps.
John Battista dominated the event through lap 68, leading practically all the laps before Tony Pizzaro made his charge on the bottom lane. He would only lead a couple of circuits, as Alex Crapser, Jimmie Stevens and Johnny Reed Foley all took their turn at the top-spot. Crapser and Stevens would lead three laps total on the night, with Foley leading his one and only.
Alex Crapser found his way back to the front on lap-75. He would relinquish the spot to Zach Michael, who dominated the following 9 laps. Potential Championship contenders Craig Lee and Matt Raboin had lost the draft from behind as Michael power-housed the pack at 205 miles-per-hour.
Some high-level teams went down early during the event. Bink Lucas blew an ignition on lap 42. Rookie Chauncey Redmond Jr. and Scott Jackson fell to the engine bug as well, finishing 45th, 44th and 43rd on the night.
The lead was handed back to Tony Pizzaro on lap 85, towing the field before Matthew Dominique flew by on the inside lane. The #25 led the field to green flag pit stops on lap 113. It was a 9-car breakaway by the time they came out, pulling away from the massive swarm of racecars just four seconds behind.
Ken Pettit, Alan Nesfeder and Michael Henson led the field for a few laps before Pizzaro re-took the top-spot for a third time. Lap 170 initiated the final round of fuel stops, leaving Alan Nesfeder, Tim McDonnell and WIlliam "Tex" Perry at the head of the field in a three-car slipstream. Pizzaro, Dominique, Dan Johnston and Michael Henson would attempt to run them down during the final 25-lap stretch.
It was not to be. A debris caution clustered the field back to it's regular size before the 20-to-go mark. Tony Pizzaro took only five laps to pass Alan Nesfeder for the lead. Behind them, it was complete mahyem from the front to rear of the pack. Michael Henson, Ken Pettit and Jimmie Stevens careened towards the wall after contact while battling for the 15th position. Mark Heron and Zakk Miller narrowly missed avoiding the crash, completely destroying their automobiles. They and Jimmie Stevens would retire from the event. Henson and Pettit limped home to 26th and 29th place.
A restart with five laps remaining saw Pizzaro hold the pace for the initial lap. Johnny Reed Foley made it past Nesfeder for the second spot and looked to charge for the victory with draft help from Matthew Dominique. Tim McDonnell would push Dominique past his teammate in the #3 coming to the 2-to-go mark. The two would battle for third for the remaining five-miles while Pizzaro and the #25 pulled away from the pack.
The 2023 Daytona 500 is here! Qualifying and the Daytona Duels are complete, with Zach Michael, Tony Pizzaro and Ryan Heuser winning the thre preliminary events. Now comes the big show, with John Tharp and Lucas Racing dominating this event in the last four years. Rob Scarberry and Dakota Wilkins start inside the top-5 looking to crown their first Daytona 500 victory. Lucas Racing starts directly behind them in 6th and 7th, dominating the Superspeedway races during the past couple fo seasons. Despite this, Ryan Heuser still comes in as the favorite to win, with Tony Pizzaro, Rick Jackson, Zach Michael, Alex Crapser, John Battista and Johnny Reed Foley all at the top of the Vegas listings. Pizzaro and Heuser will lead the field to the green!
Winning is at the eye of the beholder. For drivers like Steven Inkman and Ken Joynt, just being in the field is a victory for the ages. For drivers like Dakota Wilkins and Chauncey Redmond Jr., making the show was only the first hurdle. Both drivers pulled off miraculous qualifying times, starting 5th and 8th on the grid respectively. Wilkins was among the top-drivers during the second Daytona Duel, and has a legitimate shot at winning the race. Ken Pettit looked to be another straggler after a devastating flip during the same event. The car was completely destroyed, forcing himself to use a re-decaled Rick Jackson backup car for qualifying. He was on top of the board in a miracle effort, gridding third for the 500! Bud Shootout Winner Zach Michael, Craig Lee, Tim McDonnell, John Tharp and Donald Stewart are also in backup cars after big crash. Tharp and Stewart put up a decent time despite the handicap, though Michael, Lee and McDonnell gridded 27th and worse. Look for them to persevere through the field despite the setback.
Longtime Tim McDonnell fuel man "Toucan" Sam Elliott has joined the Team Danger Zone #20 team for 2023. Elliott was swapped to Johnny Reed Foley's crew last season after a team swap, winning his sixth-straight Pit Crew Championship for the MFI/Top Geer/CFM Motorsports organization. "Those boys are caffineated with all that free coke. I wanted in" said Elliott, who was the first to roar over the pit wall and celebrate after Zach's Big Bud Shootout victory. He is nicknamed "Toucan" because he can dump two cans of gas faster than everyone in Extravaganza. He and Team Danger Zone are looking to dominate Speedweeks.
Rick Jackson
Tony Pizzaro
Johnny Reed Foley
Jonathan Skrabacz Ziggy Moonglow John Battista
Jimmie Stevens Chauncey Redmond Jr.
Trae Larkin Zakk Miller
Adam Crapser
Tony Long
Scott Jackson William Perry
Mark Heron Matthew Dominique Geno Sphere Bill Werkheiser
Aaron Cummings
Steven Spears Dave Daniels Rob Scarberry
Michael Henson David Courtney Dan Johnston Jonathan Cheeseman
Tony Gunk
Scott Deutsch
*yellowindicates drivers racing their way in. Top-5 will make the race.
Duel #2 Drivers Ryan Heuser
Tim McDonnell Dakota Wilkins John Tharp
Dave Miller
Adam Crapser
Ken Pettit
Cristian Torres
Logan Sheets
Donald Stewart
David Butterworth
Zach Michael
Markell Murphy
Bink Lucas Philip Parker Craig Lee Kevin Corbat
Ben Geer
Cristiano de Sa Scott Drake Dalton Lucas
Alan Nesfeder Rod Weston Randy Dobbins Connor Germain Matt Raboin Ken Joynt
Steve Inkman *yellowindicates drivers racing their way in. Top-5 will make the race.
