A horrendous crash in last month's Indiana 500 hasn't stopped Indy Car driver Jogu Abushi from maintaining ultimate glory. Abushi pulled off the qualifying lap of the century, winning the Extravaganza Series pole in a CFM Motorsports R+D car at 162.385 miles-per-hour! His teammate Tim McDonnell qualifies directly behind, hoping to see the one-off #52 Mello Yello Chevrolet hang on to make the Bepis 400 field. "NASCAR has Greg Sacks, we have Jogu." said McDonnell. "I'm going to pass him on lap one. It's up to him from there."
Five drivers outside the top-35 in points already qualified for the big show. Ben Geer, Mark Heron, Philip Parker, Steven Spears and Geno Sphere occupy five of the first 30 drivers that make the Bepis 400 field, all finishing 12th or better in their respective heats. Rob Scarberry, Markell Murphy, Rick Jackson, Cristian Torres, Tim McDonnell, Tony Long, Dan Johnston, Matthew Dominique, William Perry and Frank Womack take advantage of their owners points by pre-qualifying into the third and final transfer heat. They will face 32 of the highest heat finishers outside the top-35 in points, all arguably hungrier to make the Extravaganza field. One blown engine, one crash, one mishandling racecar..... could result in one week at home. Only 15 spots remain.
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!
