Seven drivers enter upstate New York's grand facility within 100 points of the chase cutoff, with road-ringers Matthew Dominique, Jimmie Stevens and John Tharp occupying the final three spots. Just two points out in 11th, Matt Raboin enters the third road course event of 2023 with an average finish of 1.5 in the previous two. Behind him just 19 points out is Alex Crapser, who starts this event on the pole attempting redemption after his horrifying crash in the esses last season. Behind him just 27 points out is Johnny Reed Foley, who led 30 laps last season and won this event in 2019. Logan Sheets, Ken Pettit and Alan Nesfeder are all well within reach of the chase as well, gridding 9th, 17th and 14th respectively.
John Battista has absolutely dominated this facility during the last five season. During his pre-rookie season, his #94 McDonald's self-owned ford flipped over in his entrance to the inner-loop on lap 1. Ever since, he has endured an immaculate disdain for this racetrack. The dominance over the last five season is restitution for that day, with three victories and no finishes worse than fourth in his last five races here. Battista will grid 10th in 2023, looking for his third-straight win at The Glen and his sixth on the season.
Watkins Glen Winners: Last Five Seasons 2018: John Battista 2019: Johnny Reed Foley 2020: Zach Michael 2021: John Battista 2022: John Battista
Ken Joynt is back and ready to roll! The former Rockingham pole winner has healed from his tumultuous accident at Indianapolis. Canadian and American Extravaganza fans alike are excited about the news, including his Bandit Racing teammate Mark Heron. "Joynt is the glue that binds our organization" said Heron. "His fifth-place at Nashville gave me the funds to buy my first waffle iron. I used it to heat my dip yesterday." Unfortunately, both drivers did not make the field.
Points Standings (After 24 of 36 Events) 1. Tim McDonnell: +622 2. Ryan Heuser: +554 3. John Battista: +442 4. Zach Michael: +424 5. Tony Pizzaro: +319 (+1) 6. Rick Jackson: +255 (-1) 7. Zakk Miller: +213 8. Matthew Dominique: +56 9. Jimmie Stevens: +45 10. John Tharp: +2 (+2) --------------------------------------------------------- 11. Matt Raboin: -2 (+3) 12. Alex Crapser: -19 (+1) 13. Johnny Reed Foley:... Read more »
Matthew Dominique, Jimmie Stevens and Logan Sheets attempt to maintain their distance from 11th place in points with three events left in the regular season. All three drivers start 20th or worse, proving a boon for John Tharp, Alex Crapser and Alan Nesfeder to pounce after gridding near the pole. Zakk Miller and Crapser start on the front row, with Cristiano De Sa pulling off a miracle 9th place run.
The green flag waved with three-wide action broiling mid-way through the pack. The high-intense mania continued through lap 2, with Timothy McDonnell passing Alex Crapser for second and taking the lead away through the uphill chicane. Miller would pass him back on the same corner two laps later.
Tony Pizzaro found his way to the third position as McDonnell and Miller continued to battle for the lead. The field remained close behind due to the swapping, producing continuous two-wide action towards the tail-end of the top-10. Miller would fly through lap 20 as the leader with Alex Crapser close behind.
The #04 Pennzoil car led his first lap of the race on lap 21. He would earn his well needed five bonus-points, coming in 62 points behind 10th-place Logan Sheets in the standings who was struggling outside the top-20. Timothy McDonnell would re-take the top-spot on lap 23, relinquishing the position to John Battista before taking it back a couple laps later.
An accident off the downhill into the Sam Posey straightaway brought out the first caution of the race. Rick Jackson ran wide coming off of the final corner, lifting with Philip Parker directly behind. The two made contact, with Parker exiting the corner without anticipating the check-up. Both cars catapulted into the inside tire-barrier. The #44 flew back up the racetrack and into Bill Werkheiser. All three cars received massive damage and failed to continue.
The ensuing restart saw Craig Lee stay out without re-fueling, desperate for five-bonus points after coming in 175 behind the chase cutoff. He could only maintain pace for a full lap before McDonnell re-took the lead. Lee and second place Zakk Miller would swap the second position several times, causing McDonnell to pull away from the field. The #22 would inexplicably short-pit despite his advantage, leaving Alex Crapser and Zach Michael to battle for the top-spot.
A crash between Ben Geer and Jonathan Skrabacz on the righthander brought out the second yellow flag. This would trap chase contenders Matthew Dominique, Craig Lee and Adam Crapser one lap down. Fortunately, a multi-car spin between Dave Miller, Frank Womack, Rob Scarberry and Trae Larkin would hand Lee and Dominique their lap back. Nobody involved in the accident received significant damage. Logan Sheets earned five bonus-points in the process. Cristian De Sa earned the Cinderella halfway bacon bonus!
The ensuing restart was led by John Battista after the pit cycle, fighting his teammate Adam Crapser to keep him one lap down. Lap 79 saw Zach Michael take advantage of the battle, taking the top-spot on as the #4 continued to fight for his 2023 season. The #20 pulled to over a two-second advantage. Battista, Alex Crapser, Tony Pizzaro, Matt Raboin and Scott Jackson fought hard for the second position as we reached towards the 100-lap mark.
The final pit stops ensued around the 40-to-go mark. John Battista and Tony Pizzaro were the first to take tires, with Matt Raboin, Alex Crapser and Scott Jackson making their stops just one lap later. Timothy McDonnell exited the pits just behind Jackson and Raboin, who battled for the lead of the drivers that already came in. Zach Michael and Ryan Heuser stayed out as long as they could while anticipating a caution flag. It would never come. Fortunately, the #20 crew pulled off a miraculous two-tire stop with 28 laps-to-go, handing Zach a five-second advantage on the field.
The Coca-Cola Mustang was suddenly in a struggle of the ages, enduring the best he could to earn his third-straight victory. It was to no avail. Matt Raboin slowly grinded at the lead, finally making the pass on Zach with 11 laps remaining. The entire CFM brigade were sud
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Last years' event saw the leaders in utter calamity towards the finish. David Baldinger, Zakk Miller, Scott Jackson, Rick Jackson, John Battista and Ryan Heuser all battled ferociously for the lead during the waning laps only to fall to the wayside. Donald Stewart won the event, with Randy Dobbins, Dakota Wilkins and Tony Long occupying the top-4, proving that purely staying on the race-course could lead to a dominant finish. It was a season-best effort for all four drivers, and set the impetus for Dakota's upset victory at California this season. Look for the regulars to stay up front this time. Baldinger is back for his first road course event in 2023, with Matt Raboin looking to follow up his Sonoma victory in the midst of a possible chase birth.
The points standings took a slight spread after last week, with drivers Markell Murphy, Alan Nesfeder, Logan Sheets and John Tharp either failing to finish or wound up disfigured by the end. Ken Pettit was able to jump five spots from 16th to 11th due to the misfortune, with the top-10 now pulled away by 43 points. Ten drivers are still within one race-length from a chase birth with only three races left in the regular season. Johnny Reed Foley and Craig Lee are coming from impossible distances to possibly find their way in. Despite their dominance, Matthew Dominique and Jimmie Stevens continue their consistent runs to remain in the bottom-half of the top-10. A bad finish for one of them will be the time to strike for the ten outsiders. Good luck at Lime Rock!
Points Standings (After 23 of 36 Events) 1. Tim McDonnell: +587 (+1) 2. Ryan Heuser: +560 (-1) 3. John Battista: +422 4. Zach Michael: +404 (+1) 5. Rick Jackson: +369 (+1) 6. Tony Pizzaro: +340 (-2) 7. Zakk Miller: +265 8. Matthew Dominique: +78 (+2) 9. Jimmie Stevens: +44 10. Logan Sheets: +43 (-2) --------------------------------------------------------- 11. Ken Pettit: -43 (+5) 12. John Tharp: -46 (-1) 13. Alex Crapser: -62 (+1) 14. Matt Raboin: -73 (+1) 15. Johnny Reed Foley: -93 (+2) 16. Alan Nesfeder: -102 (-4) 17. Markell Murphy: -117 (-4) 18. Adam Crapser: -158 19. Dave Miller: -170 (+2) 20. Craig Lee: -175
High-horsepower madness envelops the Michigan faithful. A close points race for the top-10 adds to the excitement, with most of the top-20 starting up towards the front. Points leaders Ryan Heuser and Timothy McDonnell grid second and third, with Marlboro man Dave Miller clinching his Bud-Shootout birth with the pole.
The green flag waved in sheer euphoria as the 46-car field flew under the stand and across the starting line. Dave Miller dominated the entire run, with only a charge from Ryan Heuser and Alex Crapser but to no avail. Drivers were attempting to hog the dominant middle-lane in both corners, making it easy to lose multiple spots if stuck on the bottom.
Logan Sheets entered Michigan 61 points ahead of the chase cutoff. A blown left-front tire on lap 22 sent his car down the racetrack off of turn-2, clipping the Dan Johnston car and into the outside wall. Jonathan Skrabacz slammed into his left-front, sending both into a spin in front of the back-third of the field. Michael Henson slammed into the #48 while the rest of the pack made it through unscathed. Henson would finish 36th, with Skrabacz and Sheets limping to 32nd and 34th. Sheets would drop to 10th in the standings, only 43 points ahead of 11th place Ken Pettit.
It was more of the same at the front of the pack. Bids for the lead between Matthew Dominique and Alex Crapser were unsuccessful, with the #90 keeping the pace up front. This green flag stint would only continue for a few laps.
A monster crash starting with contact between Randy Dobbins and Steven Spears brought out the caution on lap 30. Dobbins bounced off the wall, clipping Markell Murphy after the impact. The Red Bull machine was tagged by Ben Geer and Joe Polson before Dalton Lucas pulverized his passenger-side, devouring the #88's front end while Markell flew miraculously in the air. He would spin 11 times overall, stopping on the frontstretch apron. Both drivers were okay despite the devastation. Markell would drop from 48-points behind the chase cutoff to 117, 17th in the standings.
Six drivers stayed out on old tires, with Alex Crapser taking the green at the helm. He would remain there through lap 40, before Matt Raboin took the top-spot. Both drivers come in within 70 points of 10th in the standings, each earning their five bonus points early. Before long, Dave Miller was back up front.
Lap 57 saw Rick Jackson attempt to take the lead away. He failed, with the outside grip too strong and giving the second-place advantage to Matthew Dominique. Two lap later, the #25 took the top-spot away, staying there for seven circuits before losing the lead to Zach Michael.
Michael started the event in 46th place, only needing 65 laps to make his way to the front. Lap 77 saw Dave Miller take the lead back for the third time, easily the most dominating car of the race while his two teammates barely nip at the top-10. All six drivers who stayed out on the previous caution came in to pit, only for a debris caution to trap them a lap down. Alex Crapser, William Perry, Matt Raboin, Mark Heron, Aaron Cummings and Jonatnan Skrabacz all go down a lap in the process.
Miller, Johnny Reed Foley, Zach Michael, Cristian Torres and Bink Lucas all take turns at the helm before a devastating crash on lap 140. Tony Pizzaro was in fourth position when his engine annihilated spinning in his own oil directly in the racing line. Dan Johnston slammed the rear of the #12, causing he and Jimmie Stevens to pile up against the outside turn-3 wall. Scott Drake pulverized the left-front of Pizzaro's car, spinning into Philip Parker and Johnny Reed Foley. Miraculously, none of these drivers were seriously hurt in the accident.
Bink Lucas has pulled off another masterful performance during the mid-summer stretch, leading most of the laps between lap 100 through lap 150. It his his fifth race led in his last six events after starting the season with only four total. He lost the top-spot to Zach Michael on lap 149 as he, John Battista and the Jackson cousins made their attempt at the victory.
The auto manufacturer's grab their binoculars to watch their Extravaganza race cars fly by at the 2-Mile Michigan Speedway. Here are your winners the last four seasons:
Michigan Winners: 2019 to Present
2019: Donald Stewart 2020: Rick Jackson 2021: Dave Miller 2022: Ryan Heuser
Pole-sitter Dave Miller has a 1.5 average finish in his last two races here. He comes in 202 points behind 10th place in points, currently 21st in the standings with four races left. With the road course stretch coming up, this is the race the "Marlboro Man" needs to take advantage of if he hopes to successfully defend his 2022 Championship title. Dakota Wilkins goes for victory #2 at California's sister track, with a stereotypical qualifying order otherwise. The only anomaly is Zach Michael, who crashed hard entering turn-1 on his qualifying lap. A hard way to go after his Brickyard 400 victory. Good luck to the Michigan faithful! And to every manufacturer with stakes in this race, including Pontiac!
8th through 17th in the Extravaganza Series standings are within 140 points with four races remaining in the regular season! Matthew Dominique stands on the bubble, finishing 9th, 11th and 16th just enough times to keep within Championship distance. John Tharp stands just 22 points behind with only one top five all year, finishing nearly every lap of 2023 before his crash at Indianapolis last week. Despite more dominant efforts, Alex Crapser and Johnny Reed Foley combine for nearly 700 laps led on the year, mired behind due to early-season accidents. Up front, Ryan Heuser and Timothy McDonnell swapped the lead in the standings. Without a devastating turn of events, they will be the two first drivers to clinch the 2023 chase.
Points Standings (After 22 of 36 Events) 1. Ryan Heuser: +530 (+1) 2. Tim McDonnell: +506 (-1) 3. John Battista: +367 (+1) 4. Tony Pizzaro: +367 (-1) 5. Zach Michael: +298 (+2) 6. Rick Jackson: +273 (-1) 7. Zakk Miller: +184 (-1) 8. Logan Sheets: +61 (+2) 9. Jimmie Stevens: +41 (-1) 10. Matthew Dominique: +22 (+2) --------------------------------------------------------- 11. John Tharp: -22 (-2) 12. Alan Nesfeder: -45 (+1) 13. Markell Murphy: -48 (+1) 14. Alex Crapser: -55 (+1) 15. Matt Raboin: -63 (-4) 16. Ken Pettit: -93 17. Johnny Reed Foley: -101 (+1) 18. Adam Crapser: -179 (-1) 19. Donald Stewart: -183 (+2) 20. Craig Lee: -193
The 2023 running of the Brickyard 400 started the week off with a couple of massive blows in the qualifying race. Chad Glass, Doug Spark and Ken Joynt lay in hospital beds while a field of 46 cars attempts domination and glory at the yard of bricks. $10,000,000 goes to the winner, with Tony Pizzaro and and Rick Jackson winning the first two 2023 crown jewel events in an R2W sweep. Jackson will start on the pole today.
Many worried that the green flag would result in another turn-2 accident, just like last season with Zakk Miller slamming into the catchfence. Despite some lack of experience towards the back-half of the field, all 46 cars would complete the first circuit cleanly. Jackson would lead the field for the initial 13 laps before Ryan Heuser took over the spot exiting turn-1.
A hardcore battle between Jackson and John Battista for the second position gave Heuser a half-second advantage over the field. The #44 regrouped and meandered back by the Wendy's machine, recapturing the lead on lap 30 with a pass exiting turn-4. A turn-2 crash involving Cristian Torres and Aaron Cummings brought out the first caution flag. both failing to finish inside the top-30 due to the damages.
Jackson, Heuser and Battista took four tires on their pit stops, dropping outside the top-10 while Zach Michael, Logan Sheets, Bink Lucas, Adam Crapser and Bill Werkheiser restart as the top-5 cars with a zero-tire strategy. Michael led the 1/4th mark of the event before relinquishing the spot to Sheets. Sheets had finished 6th the year before, looking to improve on his performance with his first career victory and a $10,000,000 pay check. He would be passed by Johnny Reed Foley on lap 53, keeping up with the fresh-tire cars despite also taking no fresh rubber.
Ryan Heuser helped the #3 draft through the traffic to re-take the top spot on lap 56. Before long, the drivers with fresher tires finally meandered their way through the pack and occupied the top-3 spots. Alex Crapser made his bid on lap 63, taking his first lead of the race exiting turn-2 with Rick Jackson in tow. The #44 stole it away two laps later.
The race for the $200,000 halfway bacon bonus was heating up in grand style. Crapser and teammate John Battista held a Lucas Racing 1-2 punch at the front of the pack, keeping the two legends of Extravaganza speedway racing in their wake. All four leaders entered the pits during the same lap, with Crapser's crew pulling off a miraculous stop to send him up front. Johnny Reed Foley made his stop one lap earlier, gaining track position and drafting with Crapser to pull away from the rest of the field. They would swap the lead multiple times to position themselves for the lap-80 bonus. Crapser would wind up getting earning the money, and the immaculate bacon.
The #04 and #3 dominated the green flag run, with Foley pulling ahead by over two seconds as the field spread out. Twelve seconds were gapped between he and 10th place Zach Michael, with veteran Scott Jackson miraculously lurking in 9th place despite having one of the slowest cars all week long. A second caution flag involving Cristian Torres brought out the yellow with 50 laps to go. It was the same turn he crashed in earlier, this time after contact with Randy Dobbins.
A three-wide maneuver between Dobbins, Tony Long and Trae Larkin proved unsuccessful, with the #96 pulverizing the outside turn-2 wall. Tony Long flew down the racetrack into the path of Dave Miller, slamming into the passenger-side of the #15, nearly flipping the Budweiser chevrolet and clipping Markell Murphy in the process. William Perry bashed Miller with his front end, bringing an end to the accident. John Tharp broke his radiator after slight contact with Philip Parker while braking for the crash. It would result in his first DNF of the season, with Dan Johnston suffering the same fate after an engine failure on lap 44. Timothy McDonnell would finish the day as the only DNF-less driver in 2023.
After the restart, Johnny Reed Foley lost the top-spot to Ryan Heuser only two laps into the run. They would both swap the lead multiple times before the #138 took it for good, crossing the line in first at the 30-to-go mark with John Battista and Zach Michael directly behind. Heuser and Michael pulverized through the air to earn a three-second advantage over the field with just 20 laps remaining, all s
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Tony Long pulled off a miraculous victory in his Brickyard 400 qualifier, exiting the event with renewed confidence after his devastating crash at Chicagoland three weeks ago. Rick Jackson and Ryan Hesuer occupy the front row for the main event, with the #138 closing in on points leader Timothy McDonnell after two-straight second place finishes. He won this race last season, with teammate Craig Lee finishing second in shades of last week's finish at Pocono. Towards the back, Molemar Diggs will run a second Wizards of Speed entry and start his first career Extravaganza Series event. He will grid 38th, two spots ahead of points leader McDonnell. Another go-or-go-homer Geno Sphere pulled off a Cinderella qualifying lap, starting 5th in the fourth W.A.S.P. Motorsports entry. The odds-makers say QSM will win by a landslide. It's 10,000,000 for the victory, so whoever brings home the trophy also brings home the heat!
The two most popular drivers in the Extravaganza Series will conjointly miss the field. Steven Spears and Dalton Lucas failed to make the 2023 Brickyard 400. Spears blew a tire while leading the qualifying race, raced his lap back the hard way, but ran out of time to clinch the top-11. Dalton Lucas started towards the rear of the field and methodically worked his way through. Unfortunately, he was too patient and wound up 18th. Some of the #88's effort will go towards the Molemar Diggs effort, a driver Lucas hand-picked to drive their #40 Bonanza Series entry. Spears's team immediately went home, resting for next week at Michigan.
Points Standings (After 21 of 36 Events) 1. Timothy McDonnell: +447 2. Ryan Heuser: +426 3. Tony Pizzaro: +344 4. John Battista: +291 5. Rick Jackson: +212 (+2) 6. Zakk Miller: +206 (-1) 7. Zach Michael: +189 (-1) 8. Jimmie Stevens: +40 (+1) 9. John Tharp: +31 (-1) 10. Logan Sheets: +19
--------------------------------------------------------- 11. Matt Raboin: -19 (+1) 12. Matthew Dominique: -57 (+3) 13. Markell Murphy: -64 (-2) 14. Alan Nesfeder: -64 (-1)... Read more »
"Chad Glass has suffered a cracked skull, currently in serious condition with moderate facial and brain bruising. The upside-down cockpit impact from Steven Davis's #45 caused the trauma. He is in a semi-coma, after a carnage rating of 10,726, the highest since Forrest Grove in ARCA, and highest since Russ Charneski in our top-three series. Doug Spark is in serious condition, but is able to move and speak. His right legs is broken, his pelvis fractured, but no head injuries. The impact of the head-on collision with Ken Joynt caused most of his wounds. Spark has prayed for the Glass family. We in Extravaganza do the same. Ken Joynt has suffered two broken ribs and a moderate concussion. Despite a horrifying passenger-side impact and several hits afterwards, he looks to make a full recovery. Joynt has also prayed for the Glass family."
Chad Glass entered the Indianapolis weekend 35th in Bonanza Series points, with one top-5 at Texas. Born in Nova Scotia, he is one of several Canadian regulars in the series. It was his dream to make the Daytona 500 or Brickyard 400. In his own way, he did. His first career win was at Richmond in 2021. He replaced Poppa Harding Jr. in the #36 in 2022, after his sponsor Apex Brasil released him from the #6 for the younger Yeray Rodriguez. He would struggle last year, averaging a 29th place finish with 13 DNF's. A miracle victory at Road America was the lone bright spot, and helped him secure his ride for 2023.
64 drivers attempted to qualify for the 42-car Brickyard 400 qualifier field. He time-trialed 42nd with a 183.978 MPH lap, just one spot away from not making the race. His racecar was faster than usual. By lap 10 he had gained ten spots. By lap 25 he was inside the top-30. A miraculous green flag pit stop by his all-Canadian crew sent him out 21st, just ten spots away from making the Brickyard 400 field. After the restart, he would lose the rear end, dropping back to 32nd and hoping just to finish. He wouldn't make it. The enormous crash on lap 74 sent his car into a holocaust for the ages. Let us pray.
Tony Long is back! He will be one of the headline drivers for the Brickyard 400 qualifier, driving the #15 Budweiser Shake N' Bake Chevrolet for the first time since his accident at Chicagoland. Every field this season has been determined by Duels or 10% pre-qualifying heats. The Brickyard 400 qualifying race is an 80-lap qualifying race, with 42 cars attempting to make the field. Only the top-11 will make the 2023 Brickyard 400!
Extravaganza Regulars' Starting Positions
33. Geer-5 Racing #29: 1632 34. Old Farts Racing #42: 1629 35. Delta Sim Racing #02: 1614
-------------------------------- 36. Shake N' Bake Racing #15: 1599 37. Team Danger Zone #65: 1555
After the Tony Long injury, the Shake N' Bake Racing #15 team dropped out of the top-35 in points. This is despite Jared Mogard staying out of trouble and nabbing a decent 22nd-place finish at Pocono.
