To all who defy glory and miracles, this is the place to defy your glory and miracles. The Daytona 500 is here! The past two winners of the Great American Race align the front row, with favorite John Tharp on the pole. The rest of the field attempt to conquer the masses within the rule package of the new 2022 tungsten chassis, hoping to wear their regal crowns by the end of the night. Good luck to start of the 2022 season, where immortality and praise shall vanquish carnage and defeat!
The first Daytona Duel was dominated by one driver alone, leaving some to believe that Duel #2 will be the best of the two events. Logan Sheets, Mark Heron, Mark Guthrie, Connor Germain, David Courtney, Brian Lowe, Jim Fitzmaurice and Ken Joynt will fight for the final three of eight spots to make the Daytona 500 field! Good luck!
A full Top-Gear Motorsports front row saw newfound teammates Tim McDonnell and Johnny Reed Foley ready for 60-lap action, hoping to blockade the field all the way through. It would be all for not, as Logan Sheets immediately power-housed himself to the front, leaving a rotisserie of veterans and rookies alike with their share of the lead.
Every lap seemingly had a new leader through the halfway point, proving that John Tharp's Daytona package may be the one to beat next Sunday. Rick Jackson led a whopping 5 laps during the metamorphosis, the most of any driver. Struggling Ryan Heuser finally found some speed this week and topped the leaderboard, leading laps 31 through 38.
An accident entering the pits with fourteen laps to go halted the record-setting progress, averaging 205+ mile per hour race pace before the crash. Michael Henson and Bill Werkheiser made contact while slowing down for their stops, clipping Jonathan Skrabacz. The #48 spun into oncoming traffic, getting hit by Randy Dobbins, Alan Nesfeder, David Butterworth and Mark Heron. All would continue, though Heron would struggle to keep up and lose his Daytona 500 bid.
Jim Fitzmaurice and David Courtney made a ferocious bid to win the event, attempting to make it on 60 laps of fuel and retaining the #1 and #2 positions. Unfortunately, they would run dry, and separate the pack in the process. Johnny Reed Foley, Tim McDonnell and Mark Guthrie found themselves in the lead during the final 10-lap shootout.
Mark Guthrie and Brian Lowe had easily clinched by staying within the lead pack. Logan Sheets, Ken Joynt and Conner Germain battled heavily in the second pack to earn the final spot, with no chance to catch the leaders. Coming to three laps to go, Alex Crapser made a move to the bottom and took the lead away from the Muzzy machine with draft helf from Shootout winner Dave Miller.
Dalton Lucas found his way to second place, blocking the field for his teammate to earn the victory and front-row spot in the 500. Craig Lee passed him with ease, though a pass on the backstretch failed when Johnny Reed Foley lurked to the inside trying to steal second place away. Crapser crossed the line in first, making it a front row of the last three Daytona 500 winners! Congrats to Alex for the victory, and to Mark Guthrie, Brian Lowe and Logan Sheets for clinching the Daytona 500 field!
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!
