The 2022 All-Star Race will consist of the 17 drivers who have won in the previous 36 events. A 42-car duel-consolation showdown prior to the main event will add four more to the fray. The first duel will consist of 40-laps, with all 42 non-qualified entries battling for the top-20 positions. Those top-20 will run a final 40 lap dash that will determine the top-4 advancements to the 21-car All-Star Race field. Drivers like David Butterworth and Cristian Torres will attempt to gnaw their way through the Bonanza regulars after starting in the 39th and 40th positions. Chauncey Redmond Jr. will round out 27th in the Adam Crapser machine without a practice lap attempt prior to qualifying. Dave Miller and Zakk Miller will lead the way to the green flag.
The 100-lap All-Star Race feature will include longshot drivers like Dalton Lucas, Markell Murphy, Bink Lucas and Alan Nesfeder attempting to undertake the top-dogs of Extravaganza. There will be a seperate qualifying session to determine the 21-car starting lineup, with transfer drivers able to take their shot at the pole position. Our last three All-Star Race winners will be in the field including Alan Nesfeder, who's victory prompted Pepsi-Co out of Extravaganza competition after the 2019 event. Can he win it again?
All-Star Race Entry List Tony Pizzaro: Talladega, 2022 Zach Michael: Homestead, 2022 Johnny Reed Foley: Darlington, 2022 John Battista: Martinsville, 2021 Alex Crapser: Road America, 2021 Bink Lucas: Talladega, 2021 Scott Jackson: Bristol, 2021 Matt Raboin: Kansas, 2022 Craig Lee: Dover, 2022 Donald Stewart: Rockingham, 2022 Mark Murphy: Martinsville, 2022 John Tharp: Bristol, 2022 Rick Jackson: Homestead, 2021 Dalton Lucas: Daytona, 2022 Alan Nesfeder: Texas, 2022 Tim McDonnell: Daytona, 2021 Ryan Heuser: Rockingham, 2021
Adam Crapser has been released from the University of Kansas Hospital this morning after a terrible accident at last week's Extravaganza Series race. The diagnosis is positive, only suffering a concussion and a fractured left shoulder blade. This is a near miracle considering the nine flips, a solid impact with the catchfence, and the impact of falling three stories down back into the asphalt. Fortunately Adam wasn't hit by any oncoming traffic, a fate that Ryan Heuser wasn't able to secure at Homestead just a couple of months ago. For now, it appears Adam will miss the All-Star Race and rehabilitate back home in Wisconsin to run the 600-mile event the upcoming week.
Worst Crashes of 2022 (Carnage Rating) Ryan Heuser (Homestead): 10286 Adam Crapser (Kansas): 10071 Markell Murphy (Rockingham): 9357 Tim McDonnell (California): 8904 Johnny Reed Foley (Talladega): 8297 Ryan Heuser (Daytona): 8143 Dan Johnston (California): 7012 William Perry (Richmond): 6933 William Perry (Homestead): 6905 Zakk Miller (California): 6900
A stupendous achievement to put this racetrack back on the schedule, as the mid-country fans devour the racing atmosphere once more. On the pole is John Battista, who has amassed a 54-race pole-less streak with 8 victories in between. Can he get his first one in 2022? Favorites Rick Jackson and 2020 winner Ryan Heuser also start inside the top-10.
A crash off the exit of turn-4 sent the field for a frenzy of the ages. Logan Sheets was tagged from behind and clipped Scott Jackson, sending both cars hard into the outside barrier. Jackson slammed into the #16 who flew directly into the path of Connor Germain. The #21 spun directly into oncoming traffic while crossing the start-finish line before Craig Lee nailed him from behind. Deutsch was the only driver to fall out after the accident. Lee, Jackson, Germain and Sheets all meandered through the attrition to finish 31st or better.
John Battista was ahead during the first 23 circuits before giving way to Rick Jackson. Both drivers have led a lap in all but two races this season and look to monopolize the field once more at Kansas. Jackson only held the top-spot for 7 laps before Ryan Heuser took the helm. Dave Miller took his turn on lap 54, with Battista, Jackson, Tim McDonnell and Zach Michael all in tow ready for their shot at five bonus points.
Two of the three most dominant cars of the event fell out early in the going. Rick Jackson blew an engine on lap 64 while battle for the fourth position. He would finish 41st. Ryan Heuser led most of the first half of the event before slamming into an Aaron Cummings and Connor Germain accident in turn 1. He would wind up 40th on the day, with Germain and Cummings limping to 29th and 33rd. After the restart, Markell Murphy and William Perry pulverized the outside wall off of turn-4, also involving Dalton Lucas.
Johnny Reed Foley found his way to the front after Matt Raboin inhereted the lead from Heuser's devestating predicament. He would win the halfway bacon-bonus for the second straight week, looking to earn a league-leading third victory for 2022. Alex Crapser. Tony Pizzaro, David Butterworth and Michael Henson were all in tow from behind.
Several attempts to pass Foley went for naught despite a hard charge from both Henson and Donald Stewart late into the green flag run. Donald Stewart finally found his way by on the inside lane coming to the 100-to-go mark. The two would remain side-by-side coming to green flag pit stops.
Tony Pizzaro miraculously progressed from 6th to 1st after the cycle was through. He lurked behind Foley for 27 laps before making his charge with 50 laps to go. Donald Stewart, Matt Raboin and Bink Lucas all caught up during the side-by-side battle, with Raboin eventually taking the top-spot just 20 laps later.
The most devastating accident of the season occurred with 19 laps to go. Geno Sphere and Ken Joynt made contact while exiting the tri-oval. Geno bounced off of Bink Lucas and corralled into the path of Michael Henson, who was having a season-best day in 5th position. Adam Crapser attempted to avoid the #144 on the apron and flew into the air blazing with black smoke.
Adam Crapser went for a gyration from hell, suffering three flips before cheese-grating into the top of the catch fence. The Alvin machine was just a foot from exiting the racetrack and falling 50 feet into the oustide banked-terrain. Fortunately, he fell back onto the asphalt from three stories high, flipping a total of nine times while winding up right-side up on the turn-4 apron. There is no word on his condition as of yet.
Aaron Cummings, Jimmie Stevens and Rob Scarberry brought out the final caution of the night entering turn-1, leaving an 8-lap shootout in the midst. Matt Raboin took the restart flag and jumped to a two car-length advantage with Johnny Reed Foley and Tony Pizzaro ready to pounce on the parade. An unbelievable charge from Foley found the two side-by-side coming to the white flag lap.
Thunderstorms roam the skies in severe devastation, cracking the surface of the racetrack with thumps of electric ferocity, devastating the asphalt and scaring away any lifeforms that roam around it's premisis. A horrifying spectacle for all who are involved as the track is prepared to be in repair status after the purple skies fall back into the moonlight. With that being said, qualifying had just finished before the vortex of doom began. John Battista won his first pole since the fall Talladega event of 2020, locking himself into the Big Bud Shootout after missing the race this season. Second in points Zach Michael is on the outside row, looking to reel in the 23-point distance behind Fenway Frank Pizzaro. He and Johnny Reed Foley come in as the favorites after amassing 33% of the victories so far this season. Look for the streak to end with Ryan Heuser still on the verge of victory after his Homestead hospital hop put him virtually out of the Championship. He was the last winner here two years ago as we head towards the center of Extravaganza country. Good luck at Kansas!
After a year filled with pure consistency but only 13 laps led on the season, Scott Jackson looks to earn a victory at a track he has dominated in the past. We will never forget the 2009 spring event, blowing up at the flag and wrecking across the finish line in first place. He comes in 6th in points, with points leaders Tony Pizzaro and Zach Michael starting 12th and 28th on the grid.
Pole-sitter Craig Lee takes off for the green with his teammate Ryan Heuser on the outside front-row. The Crapser brothers started directly behind, with Alex making the first lead change of the night. Tony Pizzaro, Johnny Reed Foley, Matt Raboin and John Tharp all took their turns at the front early.
Tim McDonnell took the lead on lap 17 and remained there for 45 laps. This was an enormous boon for his team, switching crew chiefs during the week and capitalizing by leading their first laps since Daytona. Ryan Heuser would find his way to the front on lap 63 after dropping back early.
Lap 67 saw the first caution flag of the event. Dakota Wilkins decimated his engine entering turn 1, leaving a pathway of oil all over the racetrack. David Baldinger and Mark Heron hit the trail and spun into the outside wall, finishing the event 34th and 33rd respectively with Wilkins the first to fall out.
The restart saw Tony Pizzaro, Johnny Reed Foley and Dave Miller all finding their way to the front. Rick Jackson took the top-spot on lap 84 and remained there for a whopping 48 laps. Unfortunately, Rick would blow a right-rear tire on lap 134, falling two laps and never regaining the track position.
Michael Henson acquired the lead after another Rick Jackson misfortune in 2022. John Tharp and Johnny Reed Foley were able to find their way to the front after meandering through the lapped traffic ahead. Foley would lead the Half-way Bacon Bonus, giving way to David Butterworth, Ken Pettit, Zach Michael, Matt Raboin, Matthew Dominique, Ryan Heuser and Tim McDonnell for the top-spot.
Within a 10-lap period nearing the half-way point, there were five drivers that suffered severe misfortune. Alan Nesfeder broke an axle. Dalton Lucas endured a fuel pick-up problem. Adam Crapser obliterated his engine. Logan Sheets busted a header. Leader Rick Jackson blew a tire. At the current rate of attrition and Aaron Cummings still inside the top-10, we may see an ultimate upset in the making.
Things dimmed to a normal pace once again as we meandered past the lap-200 mark. Bill Werkheiser took the lead away from McDonnell, looking to repeat his dominant performance last season and cap it off with a victory for the ageless wonder. Unfortunately it would not hold, losing the lead to David Butterworth with Matthew Dominique and Zakk Miller leading the field through lap 244.
Jimmie Stevens, Dave Miller and Ken Pettit pulled through the field late to take their turns up front, hoping to pull away from the rest of the pack nearing the 30-to-go mark. A couple of seconds back, Tim McDonnell and Matthew Dominique were mired behind lapped traffic entering the frontstretch. The two cars touched, sending McDonnell's Caterpillar machine hard into the inside wall. He would lurch back onto oncoming traffic, nailing Geno Sphere with the turbulence of a dreidel. Both cars were out, with McDonnell finishing 36th for the fourth time this season after leading the most laps. Geno Sphere would remain 36th in owners points finishing one spot behind.
Miraculously, Jimmie Stevens was still up front after leading only one lap all season. He and Markell Murphy pulled away from the field, leading the pack through 16-to-go before scraping the outside wall and handing it to Murphy. Alex Crapser took the top-spot five laps later. He would hope to hold on for the 10-lap shootout while meandering through the lapped traffic ahead. Johnny Reed Foley, Zakk Miller and Zach Michael were on the prowl from behind.
Extravaganza Series racing at Darlington came back for the springtime in 2020. It became one of the most historic events in recent memory, with four different drivers axed by the Darlington ghouls while leading. There was also a horrific backstretch accident, a driver earning all four of his laps back, and a Sonoco controversy for the ages that put Craig Lee's NOS machine in victory lane. This year, expect nothing less than sheer gratification for the masses. Lee is back on the pole in an all-QSM front row, with the Crapser brothers directly behind. Zach Michael looks for redemption towards the rear of the field from the victory that eluded him two years prior, and for the pit road accident at Dover that sent him 81 points behind Tony Pizzaro in the standings. It's going to be a wild one from top to bottom. Can Dalton Lucas stay inside the top-10 in points? Can Tim McDonnell finally nab his first top-10 of the season? Can Adam Crapser finally add to the win column after leading five straight events? The answers will be provided under Friday night light's at Darlington!
