rebelracewriter Posted September 7, 2007 Report Share Posted September 7, 2007 ASCS / Wesmar Challenge Leader Board and The Scenarios Lonnie Wheatley, TULSA, Okla. (September 6, 2007) –With an all new Wesmar Racing Engine up for grabs, the clock is ticking on earning berths into the upcoming ASCS / Wesmar Challenge with just the next two weekends of action remaining to accumulate points. While time is short, ten American Sprint Car Series Regional drivers have already secured invitations to the ASCS / Wesmar Challenge. Drivers already locked in include Florida's Kenny Adams, New York's Justin Barger, Missouri's Brian Brown, Michigan's Dustin Daggett, Louisiana's Michael Dupuy, North Dakota's Lee Grosz, New York's Chuck Hebing, Kansas' C.J. Johnson, Texas' Kevin Ramey and New York's Jared Zimbardi. The ASCS / Wesmar Challenge will put the wraps on the Devil's Bowl Winter Nationals in Mesquite, TX, which will feature two full nights of competition for the O'Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour National series on October 12-13. The field for the ASCS / Wesmar Challenge will be comprised of the top two point earners from each ASCS Region along with the top O'Reilly ASCoT National competitors. Drivers battling for spots into the invitational ASCS / Wesmar Challenge have seven Regional races over the upcoming weekend and then another six races on the weekend of September 14-15. The deadline for earning points towards the ASCS / Wesmar Challenge is September 15. The ASCS / Wesmar Challenge will be run in multiple segments, with an inversion in place after the opening segment. Passing and finishing points will be in effect for each segment, with the top points earner winning a new Wesmar Racing Engine. Drivers earn points towards the Wesmar Racing Engines Challenge by earning three points for a feature win, two points for a runner-up finish and one point for each third-place feature finish. A driver must compete in at least 60% of a respective Region's events and be a registered member of the American Sprint Car Series to represent that Region in the ASCS / Wesmar Racing Engines Challenge. Thus far in 2007, 64 different drivers have reached ASCS victory lane on at least one occasion in the 138 winged ASCS features throughout the country. A total of 706 different drivers have competed in at least one of the 138 winged ASCS events through September 2, with the wingless Canyon Region drivers bumping the total to 763. Current ASCS / Wesmar Racing Engines Challenge Points: The only drivers that are listed are those that currently meet eligibility requirements for the ASCS/Wesmar Challenge. O'Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour National: 1. Gary Wright (Hooks, TX) 49 2. Jason Johnson (Eunice, LA) 41 3. Wayne Johnson (Oklahoma City, OK) 33 4. Travis Rilat (Forney, TX) 14 5. Darren Stewart (Bixby, OK) 5 6. Foster Landon (Collinsville, OK) 1 ASCS Coastal Region: 1. Michael Dupuy (Amite, LA) 18 2. Lane Whittington (Denham Springs, LA) 6 3. Michael Herrington (Gonzales, LA) 6 4. Shane Morgan (Biloxi, MS) 3 5. Chris Sweeney (Channelview, TX) 1 Coastal Races Before Deadline: Southern Speedway (Hattiesburg, MS) 9/7, Deep South Speedway (Loxley, AL) 9/8, Fast Trax Speedway (Chatham, LA) 9/15. Coastal Locked-In: Michael Dupuy; with seven podium finishes including five wins, there is no catching Dupuy with just three races before the 15th. Coastal Scenario: Whittington has the edge on Herrington right now with the tiebreaker of one win versus none for Herrington, but the second spot is still wide open with three races to go. In addition to Whittington, Herrington, Morgan and Sweeney, other drivers that could snare the second invite by catching fire over the next three races would include Robert Casada, Todd Fayard, Timmy Thrash, Hunter Phillips and Chris Sweeney. ASCS Gulf South Region: 1. Brandon Berryman (Missouri City, TX) 8 2. Travis Rilat (Forney, TX) 8 3. Johnny Miller (Burleson, TX) 6 4. Ray Allen Kulhanek (Conroe, TX) 6 5. Skip Wilson (Mesquite, TX) 5 6. Tommy Bryant (Montgomery, TX) 3 7. Lane Whittington (Denham Springs, LA) 1 Gulf South Races Before Deadline: Fast Trax Speedway (Chatham, LA) 9/15. Gulf South Locked-In: None. Gulf South Scenario: Already locked in via O'Reilly ASCoT National status, Rilat falls out of Gulf South eligibility if he misses the September 15 card at Fast Trax. And with ASCS Sooner Region events at Heart O' Texas and Cowtown that same weekend, it is likely that Rilat will skip Fast Trax. With two wins and a slight edge over the rest in points, knocking Berryman out of the ASCS / Wesmar Challenge would take a convoluted combination of events. But Johnny Miller, Ray Allen Kulhanek and Skip Wilson are all in position to slug it out for at least one of the spots on September 15. ASCS Mid-Atlantic Region: 1. Chuck Hebing (Ontario, NY) 8 2. Justin Barger (Montrose, NY) 5 3. Kenny Adams (Malabar, FL) 4 4. Bryan Howland (Auburn, NY) 1 5. Tim Hogue (Lumberton, NJ) 1 Mid-Atlantic Races Before Deadline: None. Mid-Atlantic Locked-In: Chuck Hebing and Justin Barger. Mid-Atlantic Scenario: See above; Hebing and Barger have the most points and no races remain. ASCS Midwest Region: 1. Brian Brown (Grain Valley, MO) 11 2. Jack Dover (Springfield, NE) 5 3. Natalie Sather (Fargo, ND) 3 4. Toby Chapman (Lincoln, NE) 2 5. Jason Danley (Lincoln, NE) 2 Midwest Races Before Deadline: U.S. 36 Raceway (Cameron, MO) 9/7. Midwest Locked-In: Brian Brown; with just Friday's finale remaining and three points available, "Black Jack" cashes in an ASCS / Wesmar Challenge invitation. Midwest Scenario: A Dover (Jack) run of second or better assures him a spot in the Challenge. A third-place finish for Dover eliminates Chapman and Danley but Sather could tie with a win. If Dover finishes outside the top three, Chapman or Danley can tie with a win and Sather can tie with a runner-up finish. Basically, it's all up to Jack. And anything less than a win for Chapman and Danley or a runner-up finish for Sather is of no value in this chase. ASCS Northern Plains Region: 1. Lee Grosz (Harwood, ND) 7 2. Eric Lutz (Sioux Falls, SD) 3 3. Dave Glennon (Casselton, ND) 3 4. Curt Lund (Redwood Falls, MN) 2 Northern Plains Races Before Deadline: Casino Speedway (Watertown, SD) 9/8. Northern Plains Locked-In: Lee Grosz; a win in the Mighty Axe Nationals finale not only virtually assured Grosz of the series title but also put him out of reach in Challenge points. Northern Plains Scenario: Lutz, Glennon and Lund will have a race within a race Saturday at Casino Speedway and a podium finish could pay off huge with an ASCS / Wesmar Challenge invitation. And a win by Chris Graf without any of the aforementioned three on the podium would really complicate matters. ASCS Patriots: 1. Chuck Hebing (Ontario, NY) 33 2. Jared Zimbardi (Salamanca, NY) 15 3. Justin Barger (Montrose, NY) 8 4. Bryan Howland (Auburn, NY) 7 5. Bobby Breen (Savannah, NY) 4 6. Scott Kreutter (Alden, NY) 2 7. Blake Breen (Savannah, NY) 2 8. Don Adamczyk (Williamsville, NY) 2 9. Ray Preston (Romulus, NY) 1 10. Chris Muhleisen (Arkport, NY) 1 Patriot Races Before Deadline: Fulton Speedway (Fulton, NY) 9/8. Patriots Locked-In: Chuck Hebing and Jared Zimbardi. Patriot Scenario: No scenario, the ASCS Patriots race to the ASCS / Wesmar Challenge is pretty much a done deal unless the racers agree to award at least triple Challenge points in Saturday's finale to put Zimbardi within reach. And that won't happen. Hebing is one of two drivers ranked among the top two in a pair of Regions, and to answer the question, no alternates or third-place from either Region will be taken. ASCS Rebel Region: 1. Kenny Adams (Malabar, FL) 6 2. T.J. Winegardner (Pierson, FL) 6 3. Matt Linder (Hoschton, GA) 2 Rebel Races Before Deadline: Deep South Speedway (Loxley, AL) 9/8. Rebel Locked-In: Kenny Adams; with two Rebel wins this year, nobody can knock Adams out of one of the top two positions. Rebel Scenario: There's only one combination that can prevent T.J. Winegardner from NOT receiving an invite to the ASCS / Wesmar Challenge; T.J. would have to finish outside the top three and Shane Morgan would have to win Saturday's feature at Deep South Speedway (Morgan will be there as the event is a combined Coastal vs. Rebel event). Morgan will reach 60% of Rebel races competed in on Saturday night and with three points already, a win would push him into a tie with Winegardner. Morgan would get the nod on the tiebreaker with one win to T.J.'s none. But if T.J. finishes third or better, or Morgan finishes any lower than first, this entire paragraph has been for naught. ASCS Rocky Mountain Region: 1. C.J. Johnson (Quinter, KS) 12 2. Keith Rauch (Thornton, CO) 8 3. Patrick Bourke (Edwards, CO) 4 4. Ricky Montgomery (Lakewood, CO) 2 5. Bob Schaeffer (New Castle, CO) 2 Rocky Mountain Races Before Deadline: Aztec Speedway (Aztec, NM) 9/14 and 9/15. Rocky Mountain Locked In: C.J. Johnson; while Rauch could overtake him, there's nobody else close enough to knock Johnson out of the top two. Rocky Mountain Scenario: Either the 17-year-old Montgomery or the 54-year-old Schaeffer can move into a tie with Rauch with a two-night Aztec sweep and Rauch outside the top three on both nights. Long odds at best, but odds nonetheless. Bourke could bump Rauch, but he'd have to show up first for that to happen. Even if he does, Rauch can make it all a moot point by winning on one of the two nights or with a combination of a second and third place finish. ASCS Sooner Region: 1. Kevin Ramey (Fort Worth, TX) 12 2. Brian McClelland (Tulsa, OK) 6 3. Gavin Punch (Collinsville, OK) 3 4. Cody Branchcomb (Sapulpa, OK) 2 5. Sherman Davis (Sand Springs, OK) 1 6. Nick Smith (Broken Arrow, OK) 1 Sooner Races Before Deadline: Lawton Speedway (Lawton, OK) 9/8, Heart O' Texas Speedway (Waco, TX) 9/14, Cowtown Speedway (Kennedale, TX) 9/15. Sooner Locked-In: Kevin Ramey; Brian McClelland could surpass Ramey or Punch could tie Ramey, but those things can't both happen. Punch can only tie Ramey by virtue of three consecutive wins and three Ramey runs outside the top three. If that were the case, the best McClelland could do is three runner-ups, which would move him into a three-way tie with Punch and Ramey. Punch would have the tiebreaker over Ramey (3 wins to 2), while Ramey would have the tiebreaker over McClelland (2 to 1). Long story short, Ramey will be in one of the coveted top two positions regardless of what happens. Sooner Scenario: As defined by the applicable laws of mathematics, with three races and nine available points remaining, a total of 19 drivers are still in contention for the second Challenge invitation. While Brian McClelland has the greatest control of his own destiny in this Sooner campaign, others that can still earn the spot include Cody Branchcomb, Gavin Punch, Michael Brown, Ray Allen Kulhanek, J.P. Bailey, Derek Cottrell, Nick Smith, Eric Baldaccini, Sherman Davis, Johnny Miller, Travis Jenkins, Kathryne Minter, Skip Wilson, Justin Melton, Matt Covington, Michael Lang, Kenneth Walker and Forrest Sutherland. All clear? Should be a bit more defined following Saturday night's festivities at Lawton. ASCS Southern Tour: 1. Kenny Adams (Malabar, FL) 15 2. Johnny Bridges (Cherryville, NC) 10 3. Brian Smith (Mooresville, NC) 10 4. Bryn Gohn (Malabar, FL) 4 5. T.J. Winegardner (Pierson, FL) 2 Southern Races Before Deadline: Fayetteville Motor Speedway (Fayetteville, NC) 9/15. Southern Locked-In: Kenny Adams; a five-point advantage with one race to go puts Adams out of reach. Among the top two in a pair of Regions, the same goes for Adams as does for Hebing - no alternates or third-place finisher from either Region will be taken. Southern Scenario: This one is as straightforward as it gets. All eyes will be on Johnny Bridges and Brian Smith at Fayetteville Motor Speedway on September 15. The one that finishes highest among the top three gets the invite. If they both finish outside the top three, the invite goes to Bridges by virtue of the tiebreaker that has Bridges with two feature wins and Smith with one feature win. ASCS Sprints on Dirt: 1. Dustin Daggett (Portland, MI) 26 2. Tim Norman (Warsaw, IN) 11 3. Steve Irwin (Columbiaville, MI) 10 4. Ryan Grubaugh (St. Johns, MI) 10 5. Ben Rutan (Jerome, MI) 10 6. Brett Mann (Goshen, IN) 6 7. Gary Fast (Kalkaska, MI) 5 8. Dain Naida (Belleville, MI) 1 9. Joe Bares (Traverse City, MI) 1 10. Jake Stebner (Elmira, MI) 1 Sprints on Dirt Races Before Deadline: Hartford Speedway Park (Hartford, MI) 9/8. Sprints on Dirt Locked-In: Dustin Daggett; with seven feature wins in the series first ten events of the season, wasn't Daggett locked in around mid-July? Sprints on Dirt Scenario: As if a three-way battle for the series championship going into Saturday night's finale weren't enough, the four-way battle for the second ASCS Wesmar/Challenge invite just adds some spice to the mix. A win by any of the four (Norman, Irwin, Grubaugh or Rutan) assures that driver of the second invite. If none of those four win, any multitude of second and/or third place combos could ensue that would invoke tiebreak procedures that would make the NFL envious. The 2007 season is the 16th year of sanctioning Sprint Car racing for the American Sprint Car Series, with the series set to sanction approximately 240 nights of racing at more than 100 different race tracks throughout nearly 30 different states and Canada. Additional information regarding the American Sprint Car Series is available at www.ascsracing.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.