Timothy McDonnell, Rick Jackson, Zach Michael and Dave Miller come into Richmond less than 100 points from being swarmed by a four-driver brigade. Dakota Wilkins, Logan Sheets, Ryan Heuser and Matt Raboin are all within 48-points from passing any of them, with Miller and Wilkins only six-points apart for the final spot. Heuser and Raboin dominate this facility more than anyone, with Markell Murphy ready to pounce if he can pull off a miracle victory! Stand aside and enjoy the festivities!
Points Standings (After 25 of 36 Events) 7. Timothy McDonnell: +95 (+3) 8. Rick Jackson: +90 9. Zach Michael: +85 (-2) 10. Dave Miller: +6 (+1) ---------------------------------------- 11. Dakota Wilkins: -6 (-2) 12. Logan Sheets: -15 13. Ryan Heuser: -46 14. Matt Raboin: -48 (2) 15. Markell Murphy: -92
Chauncey Redmond Jr. earns his first career pole! A second-place start in last years Sharpie 500 was his previous best, leading 60 laps early in the go. Look for him to stay up front longer tonight. A fifth and a seventh in the previous three races brought the #64 New England Patriots team inside the top-35 for the first time all season. He finished 19th or better in both races last year. Look for him to crack the top-10 tonight!
Bill Werkheiser misses his first race since 2011! His collarbone injury at the Pepsi 400 was the talk of the garage area. Scott Jackson forced him to eat boneslaw; a scallion-based coleslaw with shredded chicken-bone to help settle the cartilage. Bill would go on to win Homestead later in the year. This time the #6 Piper team flat-out failed to qualify, finishing dead-last in the 80-lap qualifier. A morbid blow to a revered Extravaganza mainstay. The Southern 500 is next; a race Bill nearly won two years ago. Look for a bounce-back performance at the "old" facility for Old Man Bill!
There's only one road to Watkins Glen! All 46 teams found it, driving around "coon alley" in Apline Junction to reach the speedway. "We saw Woodstock last night" said Tony Gunk, attempting his first Watkins Glen event. "We picked up a five-leaf clover and put it the car." Zakk Miller and Timothy McDonnell start on the front row.
The #30 Bepis Mustang held off McDonnell through the inner-loop to lead lap 1. A spin by John Battista and a hard crash by Kevin Corbat and Donald Stewart brought out the first caution early. Both Corbat and Stewart were okay despite a blow to the pit wall. Battista would fall to the back, hindering his effort at a fourth-straight Watkins Glen victory.
Miller and McDonnell continued their battle after the restart, with the #22 Caterpillar Volkswagen taking the position. A Tony Long and Dan Johnston spin brought out the next two cautions, each off the final corner. Both John Tharp, winner of the first two road course events and John Battista, winner of the last three Watkins Glen races topped off on fuel. Zach Michael would do the same, leading the field on the possible one-stop strategy.
Tony Pizzaro found his way past Zakk Miller for the second position. The #12 Fenway Frank machine made several attempts to pass by, racing side-by-side entering the inner loop several times without capitalizing. Miller found his way by Pizzaro on lap 35; making his bid on McDonnell in the same corner but to no avail.
Both Steven Spears and Ziggy Moonglow suffered woes during the mid-point of the event. The #65 smacked the wall after getting loose off the final corner, ending his day. Moonglow endured a faulty ignition, losing four laps and finishing 39th. Up front, Timothy McDonnell gets spun! A dive to the pits resulted in contact with Dan Johnston, spinning in front of the field! Miraculously, everyone avoided him. Teammate Johnny Reed Foley drove by to lead his twelfth-straight event.
A David Baldinger spin brought out the caution during green flag stops. Jimmie Stevens took advantage by leading some laps before Matthew Dominique took the point. He, Alan Nesfeder and Craig Lee battled ferociously for the Halfway Bacon Bonus, with Dominique coming out on top. Racing for fifth, Zakk Miller and Johnny Reed Foley made contact through the esses, both slapping the right-side wall. Miller would eventually fall to a crash, with Foley power-driving to a top-5 despite the damage.
Craig Lee took the top-spot on lap-48. A stuck-throttle by Jeremy Hebel sent him into Rod Weston, both slapping the turn-1 tire-barrier but continuing on. Up front, Matthew Dominique blew a tire in the same corner while running second! David Baldinger slammed into the rear of the #25, ending his day while Dominique limped to a 37th-place finish.
Zach Michael's one-stop strategy put him atop the board! He would hold off David Butterworth, Rick Jackson and Ken Joynt from behind before a miraculous crash in the esses halted his progress. Adam Crapser and Zakk Miller pulverized the right-side guardrail after contact; shades of Adam's accident here two years ago. Both would exit their cars without serious injury. The #4 Packers Chevrolet now leads the league with nine DNF's on the season.
John Battista is the only driver to clinch a Chase birth every year since the 2018 season! During the same stretch, he has absolutely obliterated the field at Watkins Glen. Four victories, a third and a fourth place finish; not long after his "heart attack" inner-loop flip during his rookie campaign. Lucas Racing keeps that #94 McDonald's Ford in their "Junk-Pile Necropolis" as a reminder of what not to do. The #39 Wendy's Chevrolet comes in 111 points behind Timothy McDonnell for the final Chase spot. Look for a near-inevitable gain in the Bud at The Glen!
Watkins Glen Results (2018-2023)
Two races remain in the regular season! Only three of the twelve mainstream chase contenders qualified inside the top-10 for the Bud at The Glen. Dakota Wilkins looks to rebound from his horrid two-race stretch by methodically crawling from his 44th starting spot to a top-20 finish. Timothy McDonnell hopes to stretch his nine-point advantage over Dave Miller at one of his favorite racetracks. He will start on the outside pole. Watkins Glen master-mind John Battista will come from the 26th spot, with Markell Murphy, Ryan Heuser, Logan Sheets hoping to block his path to the front. Rick Jackson and Dave Miller just hope to finish.
Points Standings (After 24 of 36 Events) 5. Alex Crapser: +183 (-2) 6. Craig Lee: +77 7. Zach Michael: +65 (+2) 8. Rick Jackson: +60 (-1) 9. Dakota Wilkins: +12 (-1) 10. Timothy McDonnell: +9
--------------------------------------- 11. Dave Miller: -9 12. Logan Sheets: -74 (+2) 13. Ryan Heuser: -89 (+2) 14. John Battista: -111 (+2) 15. Markell Murphy: -116 (-2) 16. Matt Raboin: -117 (-4)
The Litchfield County hamlet of Lakeville, Connecticuit; nestled in the Southern Berkshires where Yankee and Red Sox fans alike can take refuge in immaculate glory! The world's greatest 1.5-mile course consistently serves it's purpose as the backwoods sanctuary of Extravaganza Series racing. This event was deemed a two-to-three year experiment just six years ago. Now it's become a staple on the Extravaganza Series tour, with road-ringers and rungers alike favoring the facility to high reviews! The sixth annual Country Time at The Lime should endure no exception.
Johnny Reed Foley hopes to claim his 11th-straight race with a lap-led and reboot his Championship effort! He would succeed, holding off Jeremy Hebel, David Baldinger and teammate Timothy McDonnell to lead the initial 14 circuits. Lucas Racing would struggle mightily during the tenure. A lap-12 crash by Dalton Lucas saw him pulverize the turn-4 barrier, dropping him out. Teammate and Michigan winner Alex Crapser blew an engine on the frontsrtetch just two laps later, dropping from 3rd to 5th in the standings.
Johnny Reed Foley and Timothy McDonnell make contact battling for the lead! The #22 Caterpillar Volkswagen hit oil from the Dalton Lucas accident, traversing to the left and tapping his teammate. Both shot into the guardrail, with David Baldinger tearing his nose after a second impact with Foley. All three drivers would miraculously continue on, handing the lead to Scott Jackson. It would be Jackson's 7th lap led the entire season, pitting with a tire vibration during the yellow.
John Battista inherited the top-spot before devastation at the West Bend corner. Scott Jackson and Tony Gunk flew across the embankment after contact, sending the #38 ATEUP Chevrolet into a series of violent flips before a hit from Molemar Diggs stopped his momentum. Miraculously, Jackson came out of the car beaten but alive. He and Diggs would fail to continue. Gunk would limp home to a 30th place finish despite driving a crushed soda-can for the remainder of the race.
John Battista led from laps 14 through 19. John Tharp took the advantage after the accident, leading through lap 25 before another crash at the uphill chicane. David Butterworth, Adam Crapser and Jonathan Skrabacz entered the corner three-wide, with the #48 and #81 into the tire barrier and unable to continue. Only 39 drivers remained, leaving Foley, McDonnell and Baldinger feeling fortunate to still be on the track despite their misfortune.
Sonoma winner John Tharp continued to dominate the show in search of his second road course victory of 2024. The #14 Zig-Zag entry would lead through lap 42 before a Craig Lee and Zach Michael accident brought out the following yellow. Jimmie Stevens and Johnny Reed Foley were the only two drivers to stay out, gambling on fuel strategy and a chance at the Halfway Bacon Bonus. Stevens and Matthew Dominique were able to hold off the anchored #3 Chevrolet while swapping the top-spot. Both entered Lime Rock as the biggest disappointments in 2024. Now they stand 1 and 2. Dominique would lead the Halfway Bacon Bonus.
Geno Sphere and Tony Pizzaro crash on lap 71. Dakota Wilkins and Zach Michael receive minor damage attempting to avoid the melee, both narrowly inside the chase-cutoff heading in. Donald Stewart, Rick Jackson and Matt Raboin were trapped a lap down after coming down for green flag stops. Logan Sheets, Ryan Heuser, Jeremy Hebel, Bink Lucas, Dave Miller, Dan Johnston, Adam Crapser, Michael Henson, and Alan Nesfeder all continued to stay out despite their half-empty fuel tanks.
Ken Pettit clinches a chase birth in 2024! He knocked out Jimmie Stevens at Richmond one year ago, narrowly solidifying his Championship bid. The next week he broke his 169-race winless streak in the Southern 500, leading the points before a snapped camshaft at Rockingham handed the crown to Ryan Heuser. This year he's won at those same two racetracks. The #8 Bob Marley team comes in earning three-straight top-4 finishes; in position to win all three while taking the points lead. Johnny Reed Foley looks to re-capture the throne after winning the Lime Rock pole! He'll have to finish 39th or better to clinch his own chase birth. Rookie Jeremy Hebel will start on his outside.
A Fenway Park horror in turn-3 sent shockwaves across Massachusetts! Tony Pizzaro's accident at Michigan nearly took him out of his second hometown event, eclipsing a season-worst carnage rating of 9,893. The impact to the outside barrier nearly broke his sternum, with the catchfence impact causing whiplash after the sudden stop. Fortunately the #12 Boston Red Sox Fusion was not hit by oncoming traffic. Despite the agony, Pizzaro managed to qualify 14th with help from Lime Rock master Thomas "Correct Race" Feher. He's 253 points out of 10th place Timothy McDonnell with three races left in the regular season. Despite the gap, expect a conservative approach for the 140-lap event.
Ageless wonder Bill Werkheiser has hinted retirement for the entirety of the 2024 season. With W.A.S.P. Motorsports ownership possibly selling the team, the performance of the Piper Archer #6 has gone down the drainpipe. They fell to 36th in points after a seventh finish of 33rd or worst in their last eleven events. Fortunately, they were able to qualify for the Country Time at The Lime. Bill will start 38th at a track he constantly struggles at, needing to gain seven points on Rob Scarberry to earn a provisional for Watkins Glen.
John Battista entered his local Domino's food chain and prayed for victory in the Miller Lite 400! When the local neighborhood joint became a temple of the Extravaganza Gods is yet to be determined, but he did order a a cinnamon-twist box with a triple order of icing. The liquified cinnamon-sugar leaked through the undercarriage of the box, signifying elite dessert domination. Papa John's can learn a thing or two.
The winless Battista, Jackson, Raboin, McDonnell, Pizzaro and Dominique all enter the starting line in hopes of high horsepower fury! Dakota Wilkins and Adam Crapser raced side-by-side for the first two circuits; each grabbing bonus points in the process. With Adam's chase hopes extinguished, he looks for an all-or-nothing approach to his program. Wilkins will gladly limp to his first chase birth, coming in 166 points ahead of 11th-place Matt Raboin.
A serenade of packed-racecars prevails the speedway! Two-wide from first to last in hopes of tasting the front-pack marinade, with Scott Jackson, Craig Lee and Markell Murphy mired behind them all. Up front, Johnny Reed Foley, Tony Pizzaro and William "Tex" Perry made attempts at taking away the top spot. None could prevail over the Green Bay Packers. Jim Valvano would agree!
Three-wide mania engulfed the mid-pack, with Championship contenders Ken Pettit and Johnny Reed Foley immersed into the frenzy. Surprisingly, none of them wrecked or even scraped the wall, entering the first pit stop without a mere blemish. Matt Raboin was forced to come in twice after suffering a pit-exit violation. He would never recover, finishing down a lap in 40th position. They would drop one spot in the standings to 12th with three races left in the regular season.
Adam Crapser ripped the middle-groove to lead the field from lap-2 on. A three-wide divebomb from Johnny Reed Foley sandwiched himself between Adam and John Tharp for the lead, with the AC-Delco Chevrolet prevailing! It would be Foley's 10th-straight race with a lap led, leading the league with 724 on the year. Miracle-man Chauncey Redmond Jr. took the helm just six laps later in search for his first top-5 finish of the season.
Despite hardcore efforts from Zakk Miller and Tony Pizzaro, sophomore driver Redmond would dominate the ensuing 15-lap stretch. It's been an enduring campaign for the #64 Patriots team, entering the race with only nine finishes of 33rd of better. They stand 37th in the standings, hoping to rectify their season after their victory in the Brickyard 400 qualifier. They've made every event despite the immaculate handicap. Now the fruits of their labor prevail!
A mortifying accident sent shockwaves into the frontstretch grandstands. Tony Pizzaro's car was hit from behind after a check-up entering turn-3. He and Dave Miller's cigarette mobile catapulted over the wall with Pizzaro rear-first into the catch-fencing. The impact was horrifying; stopping 122 miles-per-hour after the hit and dreideling upside-down onto the apron. Miller launched front-first for a full second before coming down on four-wheels, unhurt by the crash. Pizzaro's injuries are yet to be determined. He was airlifted to the Henry Ford hospital in Jackson per request by the driver. Even in agony he is loyal to his manufacturer.
Dave Miller dropped to 11th in the standings after the accident, making room for perennial contender Timothy McDonnell to
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The second and final stop of the Mid-West tour! Michigan provides the fruits of entertainment, especially last year. A pineapple hit the roof of Zach Michael's car during his Norwegian victory lap. He'll try to win the Miller Lite 400 again without the escapades. Dakota Wilkins earns his first pole since Homestead in March, hoping to duplicate his efforts with another victory from the top-spot! Points leader Johnny Reed Foley looks to extend his races-led streak to ten, starting from the 6th position. He's sure to nab one early, with he, Wilkins and Ryan Heuser as the three favorites coming in.
A dominant stretch by two struggling superstars. Ryan Heuser and Tony Pizzaro nabbed three-straight top-5's, turning their seasons around at opportune times. They were 29th and 28th in points just after Chicagoland. Now they stand 16th and 17th. Johnny Reed Foley's flat tire at Indy was the only transgression in keeping him on par with the two. Look for the #138 and #12 to finish up front again. All three will start inside the top-20; hopefully ahead of the three-wide mania after the green flag waves. Dave Miller pulled to a huge 87-point advantage over #87 Matt Raboin for 10th in the standings. This is the largest Chase-cutoff gap by far in 2024, hoping to cash in at one of the "Marlboro Man's" favorite racetracks. Ahead of him, Dakota Wilkins hopes to solidify his first Chase birth by cashing in on his pole in the Miller Lite 400. Big guns Matt Raboin, Timothy McDonnell, John Battista, Ryan Heuser, Tony Pizzaro and Scott Jackson will show no mercy in stealing his spot away. With four races left, expect at least one of them to crawl their way in.
Points Standings (After 22 of 36 Events)
1. Johnny Reed Foley: +556 2. Ken Pettit: +519 3. Zakk Miller: +333 4. Alex Crapser: +217 (+1) 5. John Tharp: +206 (-1) 6. Dakota Wilkins: +166 7. Zach Michael: +113 8. Rick Jackson: +108 9. Craig Lee: +108 10. Dave Miller: +87
----------------------------------------------------- 11. Matt Raboin: -87 12. Timothy McDonnell: -104 13. John Battista: -153 (+1) 14. Logan Sheets: -192 (+2) 15. Markell Murphy: -211 16. Ryan Heuser: -221 (+5) 17. Tony Pizzaro: -222 (+1) 18. Scott Jackson: -232 (-5)
The Brickyard 400 has been dominated by the Quick-Silver Motorsports team over the recent years. This high-horsepower facility is perfect for their dominant engine program, eclipsing 9500 RPM's with pistons still in tact! Zakk Miller and Johnny Reed Foley reached the same number in qualifying, starting first and second for the 160-lap event.
The #30 Team Danger Zone Bepis Mustang ties Dave Miller for most poles this season with three. He would lead the first lap, with Tony Pizzaro getting a draft from Markell Murphy to take the top-spot away exiting turn-4. The Fenway Frank machine would lead through the first caution flag. Miller endured a devastating crash on the first lap a few years ago, possibly taking it easy early in the go.
Cristian Torres went for a spin on lap 13. He, Philip Parker and Rob Scarberry lost sight of each other, tagging the #26 and sending him in a whirlwind of the ages! Miraculously, all he hit was the inside wall and would continue unhindered. Despite his lack of damage, his car was tight all race long and finished 25th. Dan Johnston would lead the independents by finishing 13th.
A miraculous restart by Alex Crapser sent him past Johnny Reed Foley into the second position. By the end of the lap, he would pass Tony Pizzaro for the lead! A tandem by Johnny Reed Foley and Bink Lucas shot the #3 AC-Delco machine back to the front on lap-21. He would dominate the remainder of the stint.
Johnny Reed Foley and Alex Crapser would tag-team away from the pack. Foley entered the pits on lap-53, exiting with a three-second advantage over Crapser and a seven-second gap over third-place William Perry. A blown engine from Adam Crapser brought out the second yellow flag on lap-65. Foley would remain on top after pit stops.
The #4 Packers Chevrolet tied an Extravaganza Series record with their third-straight last place finish. They would drop from 15th to 25th in the standings after their miracle victory at Daytona, with teammate John Battista enduring much of the same misfortune. Up front, Ryan Heuser would take the lead from Johnny Reed Foley on lap-81, with the #3 barely able to nab the Halfway-Bacon-Bonus.
Ken Pettit would steal the top-spot away from Heuser on lap 105. The #138 came in to pit the following lap, handing himself a three-second advantage before a debris-caution accordioned the field. Foley's pit stop was not so fortunate, losing a lap to the field after stalling the engine on pit road. He would finish 38th on the day after another excellent run for the standings leader. Ken Pettit would finish the race only 37-points behind.
Points leader Johnny Reed Foley comes in with two-straight victories at New Hampshire and Pocono, out-driving dominant runs from Ryan Heuser, Zach Michael and Tony Pizzaro to capture the checkered flag! Indianapolis has been a morbid racetrack for Foley, capturing his first career top-10 finish at the Brickyard 400 last year in over a decade of competition! Heuser, Michael and Pizzaro each love the facility, hoping to ride their new-wave momentum to a $10,000,000 victory! Lucas Racing's Alex Crapser and Adam Crapser have won the two Crown Jewel events so far, each also with limited success at the Brickyard facility. Adam has nothing to lose after two-straight last place finishes, dropping out of points contention with five races left in the regular season. Alex comes in a full-race ahead of 11th place Matt Raboin, just needing a decent top-20 run. Former Brickyard 400 winners Rick Jackson, Craig Lee and Dave Miller all come in on the bubble, hoping to hold off Matt Raboin, Timothy McDonnell, Scott Jackson, John Battista and Markell Murphy and give themselves some decent Championship leeway. Zach Michael will go for his second-straight Indianapolis victory! His Team Danger Zone teammate Zakk Miller will start on the pole.
Extravaganza Series 2024: Last 12 Events
Ryan Heuser, John Battista, Timothy McDonnell, Rick Jackson, Tony Pizzaro, Dave Miller and Matt Raboin all remain winless during the 2024 season. Three drivers who combined for one victory last year have dominated the competition, showing no mercy during the final stages and stealing the spotlight away from the Extravaganza Series elite. Dakota Wilkins has four victories with his immaculate speedway mastership! Adam Crapser pulled off a miracle charge in the Coca-Cola 600, winning again at Daytona to become the Crown-Jewel master of 2024! If he wins again at the Brickyard, that moniker will hold true. Points leader Johnny Reed Foley leads the standings with immaculate consistency, currently on a stretch from the Gods since Talladega in April. None of these drivers have ever won at the Brickyard 400.
Ryan Heuser's Brickyard 400 Finishes
Nobody has enjoyed more success than Ryan Heuser at the Brickyard 400! Six-straight seasons of top-5 finishes have been the plague of his competition, knowing they'll have to endure the wrath of the NOS Energy #138. Zach Michael was able to break the Quick-Silver domination last season with a late-race charge! Can anyone do it again? Heuser comes in 241 points behind 10th-place Dave Miller in the standings. He's gained 90 points over the last two weeks, finishing 2nd and 3rd during the Northeast stretch at New Hampshire and Pocono. With five races left in the regular season, a top-5 finish is imperative. Heuser's waited 24 races to pass Roscoe Riker for third on the Extravaganza Series win list; currently with 82. With Indianapolis and Richmond coming up, this team might finally break the barrier.
Points Standings (After 21 of 36 Events)
1. Johnny Reed Foley: +596 2. Ken Pettit: +438 3. Zakk Miller: +310 4. John Tharp: +218 5. Alex Crapser: +160 6. Dakota Wilkins: +133 7. Zach Michael: +92 (+1) 8. Rick Jackson: +60 (-1) 9. Craig Lee: +42 10. Dave Miller: <
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