The top-11 make the Brickyard 400! 42 teams from all walks of racing attempt to field a car in the Crown Jewel event at Indianapolis later this week! This 80-lap qualifier will feature dozens of drivers attempting to make their first Extravaganza Series race at one of our highest venues. Molemar Diggs finished 9th last season to earn his first career Extravaganza Series start. Now, he is a full time Rookie of the Year leader!
Geno Sphere took the green on the pole! A huge accident on lap-2 sent Scott Drake pulverizing into the outside wall! Rod Weston just made his return, making contact with the #71 while clipping Bernard Person in the rear. Steve Inkman, who's made every Extravaganza Series start in 2024, dropped five positions from the first lap and could not avoid the sliding #56 NAPA Dodge. Inkman would limp through 36 more circuits before a gearbox issue took him out completely. He, Drake, Person, Nigel Ramasawmy, Patrick Cowgill and Ron Stout all were involved in the accident. None could make it close to the top-11 transfer spot.
Leader Geno Sphere took four tires on his pit stop while everyone else took fuel only. He would drop to 28th on the lap-7 restart with Tony Long, Rob Scarberry and Jonathan Skrabacz leading the field to the green. The #15 Budweiser Chevrolet attempts to repeat his victory from one year ago. He would hold them off through lap 16 before Philip Parker took the advantage. Rob Scarberry took his first lead on lap 27.
Mark Heron has qualified for the last two Brickyard 400's, eclipsing a top-20 finish last season. The Energizer #01 would take the lead three laps before halfway, relinquishing the spot to come in for tires and gas. Amazingly, nobody attempted to stretch out their fuel to nab the Halfway Bacon money, handing Heron the top-spot just before the mark. A tag-team effort between Geno Sphere and Steven Spears put the #444 back up front! His four-tire strategy paid off, traversing through the field to reach the lead pack before the halfway pit stops. Spears would take the lead two laps later.
Steven Spears ran top-3 in this event one year ago before a blown tire decimated his efforts, forcing him to miss the Brickyard 400 field. That same fate would fall to Tony Long on lap 48. A blown right-rear tire while running in the 9th position sent Jaxson Vaccher, Scott Deutsch and Doug Spark into a frenzy to avoid the nearly stopped #15. They would all wreck attempting to avoid, with Vaccher failing to continue on and Long limping home and failing to make the Brickyard 400. Up front, Aaron Cummings took a splash-and-go to assail from 25th place to the top-spot! He would lead the field through lap 57 before Steven Spears, Jonathan Skrabacz, Philip Parker and Chauncey Redmond Jr. flew by him with relative ease on the fresher rubber. Jonathan Skrabacz took the advantage away with 20 laps-to-go.
Chauncey Redmond Jr. passed the Castrol #48 exiting turn-2 with defiant speed! Miracle-man Dave Daniels came out of the weeds to pull Philip Parker by him, hoping to rectify for his teammates accident with a Sim World Motorsports victory! It was not to be. The #64 Patriots Chevrolet passed by Daniels with 6-to-go, then taking the top-spot for good after clearing Parker exiting turn-2. From there, nobody could catch the Wizards of Speed man!
Chauncey would cross the finish line first for the first time in his Extravaganza Series career! For the transfer spot, Aaron Cummings ran out of fuel while running in 9th, having David Courtney hold off a hard-charge from Frank Womack to earn the 11th and final spot! Courtney, Redmond, Philip Parker, Steven Spears, Jonathan Skrabacz, Ziggy Moonglow, Dave Daniels, Geno Sphere, Kevin Corbat, David Baldinger and Rob Scarberry all raced their way into the Brickyard 400 in immaculate style! Race winner Redmond finished second to Zach Michael in the Crown Jewel event one year ago, hoping to win his first career Extravaganza Series race later this week! Congratulations to Redmond, crew chief Cortez Strong and the entire Wizards of Speed Racing organization for an excellent victory!
Rod Weston makes his return! The crash at Sonoma took him out for six weeks, ready for 200 mile-per-hour action in the Brickyard 400 qualifier! He and several Extravaganza and Bonanza Series regulars will attempt to make the Brickyard 400 field during the 80-lap, 42-car shootout. Here are the credentials to run the event:
- Must be outside the top-35 in Extravaganza points with at least one race run. - Remaining entries are based on Bonanza Series points.
Rob Scarberry, Steve Inkman, Chauncey Redmond Jr., Geno Sphere, Steven Spears, Ziggy Moonglow, Jonathan Skrabacz, Tony Long, Rod Weston and Tony Gunk will race the Bonanza regulars for the top-11 spots. Those drivers will make the Brickyard 400 field! On a sour note, this is the one year anniversary of Chad Glass's career ending accident during the same event. Let us pray for a safer outcome.
The grasslands of eastern Pennsylvania resides the esteemed Pocono Raceway. High-horsepower will dominate the show, with four-time winners Johnny Reed Foley and Dakota Wilkins commanding the front row. Triangle-man Timothy McDonnell enters the facility without a victory in 2024. Rick Jackson, Dave Miller, Matt Raboin, John Battista, Tony Pizzaro and Ryan Heuser also search for their first win of the season.
An impactful crowd of 250,000 strong roar large! Sights of ghosts from Berwick's Pine Grove Cemetery were rumored to navigate the infield campground during the weekend. Despite the terror, everyone stayed for the 400-mile event. Points leader Johnny Reed Foley prevailed for the first ten circuits. Zakk Miller would take control of the field through lap-18.
All three Quick-Silver Motorsports entries showed speed early. Craig Lee took his first lead of the day on lap-18, hauling Tony Pizzaro's Fenway Frank machine in a 1-2 punch at the front. The duo swapped the lead twice, still pulling to a 3.5-second gap. During pit stops, William Perry and Adam Crapser fell to the wayside after colliding on entry. The #4 Packers machine finished dead-last, dropping to 22nd in the standings. Perry fell to 27th after limping home five laps down.
Another miraculous pit stop by the #3 AC-Delco crew put Johnny Reed Foley in range of the two leaders. He would take the lead on lap 55. A battle or 19th would go awry from behind. Matthew Dominique blew up, causing Michael Henson to spin the #25 into the infield. This would end his string of five-consecutive top-20 finishes, dropping Matthew to 24th in points.
Chauncey Redmond Jr.'s gateway to the top-35 ended in flames! He battled for the lead during the second green-flag stint, blowing up while battling for the 4th position. Zakk Miller and Craig Lee somehow made it through the smoke while the #64 simmered into the infield grass. Surprisingly, the New England Patriots Chevrolet has qualified for every race this season despite their lack of provisionals. They've earned only nine finishes inside the top-33, with their streak of two-in-a-row coming to an end. Indianapolis will be a greater challenge with 70+ cars attempting to make the show.
Ken Pettit takes his first lead of the race on lap 62! The top-2 in points run first and second in the race, each eclipsing their bonus points in hopes of earning the Halfway Bacon money. The Bob Marley team would get it, with he, Foley and Ryan Heuser sharing the top-spot before the second green-flag stop.
The high-strung RPM's produced another casualty in 22nd-place Jimmie Stevens. The team known for being easy on equipment earned their 6th DNF of 2024, dropping to 31st in points with only one finish better than 10th all year. Despite the injustice, he, Bill Werkheiser, Trae Larkin, Dalton Lucas, Michael Henson and Ben Geer would all stay ahead of 36th-place Rob Scarberry and make next week's Brickyard 400 field!
Johnny Reed Foley's crew is completely unmatched. Another incredible pit stop but the #3 five-seconds ahead of the field, tag-teaming with lapped rookies Steve Inkman and Molemar Diggs to pull further ahead. Ryan Heuser, Zakk Miller and Ken Pettit were still able to catch them, with Heuser taking the top-spot back on lap 117. The largest battle was seven-seconds behind for the 8th position, with Matt Raboin, Zach Michael, Alan Nesfeder and Dave Miller each fighting frantically to stay in reach of the lead group.
A debris caution with 26 laps remaining was the first and only of the race! Tony Pizzaro attempted a short-pit strategy just before the yellow, jumping from 13th to the lead for the ensuing restart. In just ten laps, John Battista's Wendy's "All Night Long" burger machine traversed from 13th to the lead in miraculous style! They were easily the class of the field, able to hold everyone off except Johnny Reed Foley, Ryan Heuser and Zach Michael. Still, nobody could even attempt a pass on the #39. It was John's race to lose, still leading by a car-length with three laps-to-go!
Tony Pizzaro's legs felt like celery sticks after his double-down pedaling action last week at New Hampshire! In the end, Johnny Reed Foley powered-down when it mattered most, keeping Ryan Heuser out of victory lane at his home racetrack. The #3 AC-Delco team comes in 138 points ahead of Ken Pettit for the Championship after the victory; his fourth of the year. They will start on the pole for the Pennsylvania 400! The Berwick faithful will rise to the glory of Extravaganza's top-46. Scott Jackson pulled off a miracle in the Spring. Can he do it again?
Points Standings (After 20 of 36 Events) 1. Johnny Reed Foley: +542 (+1) 2. Ken Pettit: +404 (-1) 3. Zakk Miller: +306 4. John Tharp: +240 5. Alex Crapser: +164 6. Dakota Wilkins: +161 7. Rick Jackson: +57 (+1) 8. Zach Michael: +53 (+4) 9. Craig Lee: +26 (+1) 10. Dave Miller: +24 (+3) --------------------------------------------------------- 11. Timothy McDonnell: -24 (-2) 12. Matt Raboin: -39 (+2) 13. John Battista: -58 (-6) 14. Scott Jackson: -60 (-3) 15. Logan Sheets: -132 (+3) 16. Markell Murphy: -152 (+1) 17. Molemar Diggs: -163 (-1) 18. Adam Crapser: -183 (-3) 19. Alan Nesfeder: -205 20. Matthew Dominique: -219
Johnny Reed Foley lost the points lead to Ken Pettit for the first time since Gateway in early June. The #3 AC-Delco Chevrolet won that race, cruising from the 19th starting position to nab the victory over Ryan Heuser, Rick Jackson, and miracle-man Cristian Torres. They come to a similar venue in Loudon hoping to duplicate their flat-track success and earn the points lead back!
Dave Miller won two-straight poles to begin the 2024 season. Despite a drought of zero top-5 starts since and many towards the rear of the field, the #90 Marlboro Chevrolet starts atop the board for the New England 300. Miller would lead the first six laps before hometown-hero Tony Pizzaro took the helm, hoping to rectify his lackluster season.
Despite the progressive banking and the outside marbles, three-wide racing was plenty during the early stages of the event. Up front, Pizzaro led the show, with Craig Lee and John Tharp navigating through the traffic with the two fastest cars in the field. They would both fail to catch Pizzaro, Miller and Bink Lucas at the helm before the first caution flag.
Lucas Racing tried a new gear ratio for New Hampshire, amplifying their speeds at the end of the straightaways. Tony Tonto Sr.'s immaculate power plants fell to he wayside; first with Adam Crapser on lap 28 and then John Battista on lap 76. An enormous blow for the Wendy's Chevrolet, ending their three-race top-10 streak and dropping from 7th to 13th in the standings with their 6th DNF. Adam fell from 15th to 18th in points. On lap 134, Dalton Lucas would struggle with an engine-miss, limping home to 41st.
Battista's engine failure brought out the first caution flag. Miraculous pit work by Dave Miller's "Marlboro Man" crew put them back on top, leading the field to the start for a second time. By the end of the third lap, Pizzaro's Fenway Frank machine would take the lead back. He and Johnny Reed Foley pulled away from the rest of the pack, maintaining the top-2 positions through the halfway point.
Johnny Reed Foley's AC-Delco "Battery Acid" Championship pit crew stopped one lap before the Fenway Frank #12, coming out with a 2+ second advantage and their first lead of the race. Pizzaro endured a minor tangle with Steven Spears on pit entry; now mired with Ryan Heuser and Zakk Miller in a battle for the second position. Heuser would pass the #12 on lap 185. Both drivers would catch Foley who was struggling to meander past the myriad of lapped traffic ahead.
Intense battling ensued throughout the field, mostly in front of the leaders as drivers frantically attempted to stay on the lead lap. By the end, only 20 cars would achieve the feat without a caution flag to fall. 41 drivers would make it to the finish line despite the enormous toll. Up front, Ryan Heuser made it past Johnny Reed Foley for the lead with 75 laps-to-go.
A morbid explosion for points leader Ken Pettit! The #8 Bob Marley Race-2-Win entry's first engine failure of 2024 couldn't have come at a worse time with the lack of attrition delegating him to a 42nd place finish. It was an all-day struggle, barely riding inside the top-20 before the detonation. Up front, Zakk Miller, Logan Sheets, Zach Michael and Tony Pizzaro battled ferociously for third position with the top-2 completely out of sight.
Ryan Heuser and Johnny Reed Foley came out of the pits side-by-side with the #3 coming out on top with 48 laps-to-go. The #138 NOS Energy Chevrolet would tread the tire marks of Foley for the remainder of the race, diving underneath the #3 on corner entry on several occasions. The progressive banking and lapped traffic gave Foley the edge, gapping himself by a couple of car-lengths to clinch his fourth victory of 2024!
Johnny Reed Foley is back atop the Championship lead! A morbid day for Ken Pettit puts Foley in a 138-point advantage with six races remaining in the regular season. The #3 AC-Delco Chevrolet also ties Dakota Wilkins with most victories on the year, as well as most Top-5
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Last year's Loudon event was a full-fledged effort by five drivers. Ryan Heuser, Rick Jackson, Bink Lucas, Zakk Miller and John Tharp all led 35 laps, with Miller earning his second and final victory of the 2023 season. Like last year, he is well in line to make the chase for a second consecutive year. The #30 Team Danger Zone Bepis Mustang is the only team to finish 30th or better in every race, completing the most laps in the series by over 100. He will start 5th today. Ryan Heuser and Tony Pizzaro come in 29th and 28th in the standings. This is both of their home racetracks and one of their best. Both finished inside the top-5 last year. Look for one of the to earn their first victory of 2024. Heuser's QSM teammate Dave Miller earns his league-leading third pole of 2024.
Zach Michael led exactly four laps during each of his last four races led! He finished 7th three races in-a-row between Darlington and Pocono. He's qualified 11th five times in the last ten events. The most obscure stretch in Extravaganza Series history started with their victory at Martinsville in April. Since then, voodoo has hit the Coca-Cola Chevrolet. Their gas tank broke two weeks ago at Nashville. In practice for the New England 300, a crazed fan threw a bag of olives into the cockpit before the session. "They were flying everywhere." said Zach. "Like I was stuck in a bingo machine. Most of them splattered, but some are still stuck in he crevices." The #20 Team Danger Zone entry will start 9th.
The Chicago faithful raise their orange juice canisters into the stratosphere! Ryan Heuser and Tony Pizzaro come in one race away from Championship exile, both 200+ points out of 10th place Dave Miller. A high-horsepower facility might be what the doctor ordered. They will start 2nd and 38th, ready to ground-and-pound the competition.
Zakk Miller occupies his second pole of the season! 45 drivers take the green flag to kick-start the second-half, with Ryan Heuser taking the point on lap-2 to earn his league-leading 15th race led of 2024! This may be the turning point of their disastrous campaign, with Pizzaro, Rick Jackson, Timothy McDonnell and John Battista also lurking for their first victory of the year.
Donald Stewart spins on the backstretch! Contact from third-in-points John Tharp cleans out the Clorox man, with David Butterworth out of control in turn-3 trying to avoid the melee. Steve Inkman, Ziggy Moonglow, Cristian Torres, Matthew Dominique, Matt Raboin, Dave Miller, Alan Nesfeder, Steven Spears, Dalton Lucas, Markell Murphy and William Perry all suffered major damage in the accident. Inkman, Butterworth, Moonglow and Donald Stewart all fell to the garage. The #55 earned his third DNF in five events, dropping from 10th to 26th in the standings since Gateway last month.
Craig Lee obliterates an engine after leading the field to green! The attrition rate brings the field to a modest 41 cars, with the #101 dropping from 6th to 10th in points despite his stellar early speed. Points leader Johnny Reed Foley narrowly led the 11th lap, re-tying Heuser for the most races led in 2024. John Battista would take the spot away with a constant three-wide battle for the fifth position.
Tony Pizzaro, Bink Lucas and Dakota Wilkins led their share during the first green flag run. Dakota gravitated from the 16th starting position to take the lead after a Timothy McDonnell spin brought out the yellow. From lap 62 to 103, only Zach Michael had enough motor to keep up with the Colorado Rockies Chevrolet; in search for their unprecedented fourth victory of 2024!
An Alex Crapser turn-1 spin on lap 103 brings out the second yellow flag of the night. Just afterwards, John Tharp, Tony Gunk, Jimmie Stevens and Jonathan Sktabacz endure an enormous accident with imperial devastation to the Kelpo Dodge's driver-side door. Tony Gunk walked out under his own power after John Tharp's annihilation, citing the glory of Kelpo cereal as the sole reason for his survival. Up front, Dakota Wilkins would dominate the show; earning the Halfway Bacon Bonus while stretching to a three-second advantage over Ken Pettit.
Two accidents on the same lap between Molemar Diggs, Dave Daniels and Dan Johnston trapped Ryan Heuser two laps down after a short-pit strategy went awry. Another devastating blow to the #138 who can't catch a break with a dip net! He would crawl through the attrition to finish 22nd, still 29th in the standings. More devastation occurred after the restart, sending Geno Sphere into a wall-scraping extravaganza alongside the frontstretch crowd! Tony Pizzaro made a desperate four-side move underneath Geno, Dan Johnston and Tony Long; clipping Cristian Torres and impaling the entire back-half of the field. Long flipped over five times and came to a stop on the turn-1 apron. He was unhurt. Bill Werkheiser, Markell Murphy, Matt Raboin, Molemar Diggs, Rob Scarberry, Willliam Perry, Jonathan Skrabacz and Trae Larkin were also involved in the accident. Most would fail to continue, with Raboin's #87 dropping from 8th to 14th in the standings.
Two-thirds of the field took the restart with 93 laps remaining. Dakota Wilkins and John Battista battled murderously for first place, with the Wendy's Chevrolet earning the spot on the outside with 84-to-go. A Zakk Miller spin ten laps later would bring out the final caution flag, dropping the Bepis man to the 14th position. Only Battista, Wilkins, Zach Michael, Johnny Reed Foley, Ken Pettit, Bink Lucas, Rick Jackson, Dave Daniels, Logan Sheets, Scott Jackson, Trae Larkin, Dan Johnston and Miller remained on the lead lap.
A four-car breakaway to the finish saw Battista, Wilkins, Pettit and Foley pull away from the rest of the pack! Pettit would be the first to pit with 27-to-go, and would exit the pits as the points leader! Disaster would strike for Foley, slamming into the lapped car of Chauncey Redmond Jr.; destroying his radiator and ending his night in the 31st position. He would come out of Chicagoland just five points behind Pettit for the standings lead. Just afterwards, Battista and Wilkins came in, coming out 2+ seconds
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Activist and Cannonball Sap fan Stokely Charmichael once said "The secret to stock car racing is to have no fear; it's the only way to find victory lane!" Markell Murphy and Chauncey Redmond Jr. have broken the barricades, hoping to bring their "Downtown Posse" fan-base to the winner-circle at Chicagoland! Zakk Miller starts on the pole; his first since Atlanta.
The 2019 and 2021 Rookie of the Year winners have dominated the season! Adam Crapser comes into Chicagoland looking for a Coca-Cola sweep, with two victories at the Coca-Cola 600 and last week at the Coke Zero 400. Dakota Wilkins won from the pole at Homestead-Miami, encapsulated the crowd at Talladega, and shocked the world with their Bepis 400 triumph! Meanwhile, the top-ranked drivers in the 2019 edition of Steven Spock's "Extravaganza Series Magazine" come into Chicagoland in a slump of the ages!
Points Standings (After 18 of 36 Events) 1. Johnny Reed Foley: +525 2. Ken Pettit: +430 3. John Tharp: +300 4. Zakk Miller: +236 5. Alex Crapser: +193 6. Craig Lee: +88 (+2) 7. Dakota Wilkins: +68 (-1) 8. Matt Raboin: +53 (+1) 9. Timothy McDonnell: +23 (+4) 10. Dave Miller: +6 (+2)
Impeccable starlight dominates the horizon of Daytona International Speedway! The starlight shines like the Extra-Terrestrial's fingertip, pointing at one of 46 cars as the "chosen winner" of the Coke Zero 400. 400,000-strong encapsulate the grandstands in hopes of their driver achieving immaculate glory; winning at the famed 2.5-mile coliseum.
The smoke-rings of cigarettes fly! The carbonation of beverages create a deafening sizzle across the bleachers, popping like eardrums as they await the 160-lap spectacle. Matthew Dominique and Ryan Heuser occupy the front-row as the green flag flies! Heuser would take the first lap, with Adam Crapser and Tony Pizzaro at the helm early.
A dominant early performance by the #4 Packers Chevrolet sent shock-waves across the garage area. Lucas Racing has dominated in the past, but Adam's respectable performances never saw him lead the field for more than a couple laps. Lucas Racing teammate John Battista and Zach Michael would joining the parade, hoping to race themselves back inside the top-10 in points.
Bonanza Series winner Mike Carroll stands within the Lucas Racing pit, searching for opportunities to develop his driver talent. Staring at Johnny Reed Foley's #3 might be his best option, coming in as the points leader and exiting pit road leading the front-running pack. Fourteen cars found their way to the top in hopes of pulling away from the rest.
Another morbid blow for Ryan Heuser! His Chevrolet would detonate while leading the outside line, causing intense chaos from behind with the billowing smoke. "My eyes felt like they were stung by an electrified wasp" said Wilkins, after narrowly escaping through the black smog. "Even my soft drink suffered. His exhaust was contaminated with some venomous alloy, turning my Coke green and my ice cubes purple!" The NOS Energy #138 would fall again, dropping to 29th in the standings with nine races left. He and Ben Geer dominate the DNF statistic, with Alan Nesfeder and Chauncey Redmond Jr. adding their own. The #78 crashed into Ken Pettit while entering the pits, becoming the first race-sponsored car to finish outside the top-43 in Extravaganza history. The #64 got caught in a three-wide skirmish while exiting, slamming into the William Perry car.
A Steven Spears spin brought out the first caution flag. The field re-grouped, allowing a second cycle of leaders including Zach Michael, Adam Crapser, Dave Miller and John Tharp. Dalton Lucas would win his first career Halfway Bacon Bonus, while Alex Crapser's crew chief Cheato Jacobsen downed a Whiplash Whopper from atop the pit box. "We're having fun while we still can" said Cheato. "The carnage is about to start. I can feel it in my esophagus."
Cheato was right. A myriad of accidents would occur during the two-thirds mark of the event. Ben Geer, Dan Johnston and Dakota Wilkins suffered during the first melee in turn-3. The second crash saw John Tharp, Superspeedway dominator Cristian Torres and Dalton Lucas fall victim to the same corner. Torres would fail to finish a restrictor-plate race for the first time since 2019, ending his near world-record run. Wilkins and Geer also failed to continue.
The final caution flag brought out by Jimmie Stevens, Dan Johnston and Rick Jackson set the pace for the remaining 30-lap stint. Jackson worked his way back to the lead lap after early race struggles, only to fall to the garage. Up front, Tony Pizzaro and Johnny Reed Foley would set the pace, leaving room for miracle-man Ken Joynt to take his shot at the victory!
The fortunes flowed in several directions. Craig Lee took his turn at the front, hoping to redeem Quick-Silver Motorsports after Ryan Heuser's engine woes and Dave Miller straggling deep in the pack. Matthew Dominique and Alex Crapser dominated the stint towards the end, swapping the lead several times while occupying the top-two spots with seven laps-to-go. Johnny Reed Foley made his move to the inside of the #04 with draft help from Pizzaro. They would tag-team past him, capturing Domninique the ensuing lap and sky-rocketing the #3 AC Delco Chevrolet to the top of the heap!
