Tony Pizzaro and John Battista sit atop the front row, attempting to hold off the hungry make-it-or-break-it crowd from behind for 60 laps. Dakota Wilkins, Geno Sphere, Ben Geer, Philip Parker, Mike Carroll, Kevin Corbat, Scott Drake, Chauncey Redmond Jr., Jonathan Cheeseman, Scott Deutsch, David Baldinger, Glenn Kaufmann and Stephen Lowe attempt to make the Daytona 500 field by being the best four out of thirteen. Good luck!
Dan Johnston and Zakk Miller took turns at the helm before disaster struck on lap 2. Kevin Corbat and Scott Jackson made contact in turn 3, sliding both cars into the apron with the #38 flying into oncoming traffic. Dakota Wilkins slammed the rear-end of Jackson's ATEUP chevrolet hard, flying head-first into the outside wall for a second massive blow. Matt Raboin knocked the passenger side of Wilkins and hit Tony Long in the aftermath. All four cars fell out of the race, with Wilkins unable to make the show due to the accident.
As the damages healed up, the racing began with John Tharp and John Battista dominating the event. Battista led laps 9 through 13 before Tharp made his move on the backstretch inside lane. Zach Michael, Mark Murphy, Dan Johnston and Donald Stewart all had their share of laps led before the halfway point, giving hope that the dominant cars won't run away with the show.
A debris caution on lap 26 saw John Tharp re-take the lead and dominate the rest of the event, leading 21 straight laps. With 12 to go, Tharp passed the lapped car of Stephen Lowe as the rest of the pack fell behind, leaving Battista enough momentum to pass entering turn 1 with the Red Bull draft help of Mark Murphy. He would only stay atop the heap for 1-lap.
Battista was freight-trained by Murphy and the rest of the pack, including Chauncey Rednond Jr. and Glenn Kaufmann who were fighting to make their first and last Daytona 500's. Tony Pizzaro made his mark at the front for one lap before Murphy re-took the spot, proving that the Danger Zone horsepower was no fluke during the Shootout.
It was certanly flukeless, as the Zach Michael Danger Zone mustang pushed Tharp back to the front coming to three laps remaining. The white flag lap saw Tony Pizzaro and John Battista's high-horsepower engines tag-team, still struggling to keep up with the independent John Tharp. From behind, Glenn Kaufmann and Geno Sphere were battling for the final spot in the Daytona 500.
Tharp would cross the line in first place after a completely dominating performance, leading 29 of the 60 laps en route to another Daytona victory. Congrats to Tharp for the victory and the Daytona 500 pole, and to Scott Drake (6th), Chauncey Redmond Jr. (9th), Philip Parker (11th), and Glenn Kaufmann (12th) for making the Daytona 500 field!
21 drivers battle for the final 7 spots in the 2022 Daytona 500! Ben Geer is among the laggards, attempting to revitalize his career with the newly found "Junkyard Twinkie" chevrolet. Two big-named rookies in Logan Sheets and Geno Sphere will be on the outside looking in as well, looking to stay out of the provisional vortex in 2022. Glenn Kaufmann will attempt what could be his final race of his illustrious independent career, handing the reigns to Ben Geer for good. Will he make the show? It will be more difficult than ever. Duel #1 will take in 3 of 8 drivers. Duel #2 is takes in only 4 of 13. There will be many disappointed souls during the aftermath of these two 60-lap features. Good luck!
The 2022 Big Budweiser Shootout started off with a Craig Lee and Matthew Dominique front row. Behind them, 17 drivers attempt their way through the field and into the laps of the Extravaganza gods, wishing to earn the coveted prize of first winner of 2022. It's a 50-lap shootout for the ages!
Rick Jackson took the lead on lap 2 and stood his ground with the field in tow for a few laps, relinquishing to Johnny Reed Foley. He and Foley endured superlative horsepower throughout the event, becoming the odds-on favorites for the lap-10 bookies. Alex Crapser, Scott Jackson and Zach Michael all sought turns at the front, only to have the #44 and #3 at the helm by the next lap.
Last year's winner Johnny Reed Foley emerged as the leader on three different occasions, first by passing pole-sitter Craig lee on the backstretch of lap 1. He would lose it one lap later to Rick Jackson, but found himself drafting to the front five different times for 17 laps of leading before the mandatory pit stop. It would be the most of anybody all night
The fervent crowd roars after the lap-40 mark as an incursion of Extravaganza superstars take their way to the pits. Everyone went for the splash-and-go strategy, except for John Tharp. Tharp went in-and-out of his pits without servicing the car, coming out as the leader with just a handful of laps to go. His fuel cell from the gods may play a role in earning his third Daytona 500 victory in four years, and may deliver him the Big Bud Shootout crown.
With six laps to go it was a four-car breakaway at the front, battling their way to the top-spot as new-found teammates Johnny Reed Foley and Tim McDonnell easily handle Tharp and Dominique. The side-by-side battling shot Zach Michael, Dave Miller and the rest of the field back to the lead draft, creating a three-lap circus for the victory.
Johnny Reed Foley led the final lap, putting his new Top-Geer horsepower to the ultimate advantage. His second-straight Shootout victory would be in jeopardy on the backstretch, as Dave Miller leaped to the inside with the draft help of Zakk Miller and Rick Jackson. They would remain side-by-side coming off of turn 4, with all of the momentum on the inside lane.
Rick Jackson would maneuver his way to second place but unfortunately ran out of time. Dave Miller crosses the line in first for the Big Budweiser Shootout victory, leading his only lap of the event at the pinnacle moment. Dave wasn't the fastest car all day, but neither was the entire Quick-Silver Mororsports brigade, leading some to question the rumour that they lowered their horsepower this season to prevent the engine failures that cost them the crown in recent seasons. Either way, congrats to Dave Miller, crew chief Sonny Sundae, and the entire Quick-Silver Motorsports crew for an excellent victory!
Extravaganza record 19 pole-sitters! Mandatory pit stop and a 50 lap shootout. The league winner in victories, and the 2022 Champion will watch from the sidelines because the couldn't achieve the Friday speed needed to make the Big bud Shootout. Will Johnny Reed Foley have the same horsepower as he did with Shake N' Bake? Will the Race-2-Win and Quicksilver teams out-horsepower the show? Can Rockingham pole master Ken Joynt keep up the pace? So many questions for the 2022 Big Bud Shootout. Good luck!
Recently we learned the whereabouts and physical condition of former Extravaganza driver Russ Charneski, who was near-fatally injured after a horrifying accident during the last lap of the 2019 O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas. Charneski was immediately rushed to the hospital after flipping 20 times in 6 seconds after a Steven Spears bonzai attempt through the middle while crossing the white flag. Scott Jackson, who suffered a broken collarbone in the same accident, saw Charneski at the hospital just 30 minutes after the crash. "I knew it was bad. His face was completely red, with parts of his skull peering out of his skin. It was horrible. They were trying to get him to breathe, knowing both of his lungs were completely collapsed. It's a complete miracle he made it through that hour, let alone to still be here today." Charneski was diagnosed with severe head-trauma, a fractured skull, broken collarbone, three broken ribs, two collapsed lungs and a bruised heart the following day.
The last three years have been an enormous struggle for Russ. His situation has been unknown up until recently, where Glenn Kaufmann decided to pay a visit to his fellow New Jersey counterpart at his home in the northern part of the state. Surprisingly, he found that Russ was able to walk around and talk without much impairment. "We had a nice three-hour conversation. We talked about our small-team budgets and independent backgrounds, and how Race-2-Win was prepared to hire him after Butterworth's contract expired at the end of that season. Obviously it never came to be." Recently, Charneski has quoted the media in regards to the visit:
"I've had a total of 16 surgeries over the last three years to help repair my face, brain and chest. Thankfully, my injuries were not neck or back related, so I can still function and walk like a regular person. I am still suffering from severe headaches and seizures, though they have become less frequent over the last year. It's become very difficult to watch the races, knowing that I cannot take part in the playing. Thankfully most of my former crewmen on Action-Ice Motorsports have joined other teams and have become extremely successful. That makes me happier than the physical healing ever could."
Suddenly, Charneski has eclipsed a mere hero persona. He has become an Extravaganza icon, and has achieved more with his story than a racing career ever could. Now, we will see him at Daytona!
February 4th, 2022: Big Bud Shootout* February 11th, 2022: Daytona Duels* February 18th, 2022: Daytona February 25th, 2022: Auto Club March 4th, 2022: Homestead March 11th, 2022: Phoenix March 18th, 2022: Atlanta March 25th, 2022: Texas April 1st, 2022: Richmond April 8th, 2022: Martinsville April 15th, 2022: Bristol April 22nd, 2022: Talladega April 29th, 2022: Dover May 6th, 2022: Darlington May 13th, 2022: Kansas May 20th, 2022: All-Star Race* May 17th, 2022: Charlotte June 3rd, 2022: Gateway June 10th, 2022: Sonoma June 17th, 2022: Nashville Superspeedway Duels* June 24th, 2022: Nashville Superspeedway July 1st, 2022: Daytona July 8th, 2022: Chicagoland July 15th, 2022: New Hampshire July 22nd, 2022: Pocono July 29th, 2022: Indianapolis August 5th, 2022: Michigan August 12th, 2022: Lime Rock August 19th, 2022: Watkins Glen August 26th, 2022: Richmond ----------------------------------------------------- September 2nd, 2022: Darlington September 9th, 2022: Las Vegas September 16th, 2022: Bristol September 23rd, 2022: Martinsville September 30th, 2022: Talladega October 7th, 2022: Charlotte Road October 14th, 2022: Charlotte October 21st, 2022: Rockingham October 28th, 2022: Phoenix November 4th, 2022: Homestead
