08/19/2004
NASCAR
DODGE WEEKLY SERIES – REGIONAL RUNDOWN
* Five weeks remain in battle for NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series
championships
* Keys to victory include weather, winning races and withstanding
competition
Daytona Beach, FL -- The
NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series season is winding to a conclusion at 65
participating race tracks in the
U.S.
and
Canada
. Just five weeks remain until the
final night of NASCAR points competition (Sept. 19) and the race for
the championship is on.
The
top prize, for nearly 1,600 NASCAR weekly short track competitors,
are NASCAR’s regional championships, which award up to $45,000 to
eight winning drivers along with a chance at the overall series
title and a $125,000 bonus.
NASCAR
Dodge Weekly Series regional championships are determined by the
Competition Performance Index (CPI), which measures winning
percentage (# of wins / # of starts), top-five finish percentage (#
of top-five finishes / # of starts), starts and other factors to
establish a regional ranking of drivers. The eligible driver with
the highest CPI rating in each of eight geographical regions wins
the regional title. Here’s an
outlook on these NASCAR championship battles…
ATLANTIC
REGION:
Frank Deiny Jr., a
California
native who resides in
Mechanicsville
,
Va.
, has led the Atlantic Region
standings for the past three weeks. After recording eight wins in 17
starts, Deiny is in the driver’s seat to win his first regional
championship.
Keys
to winning: Deiny wraps
up the NASCAR season with three consecutive events at Motor Mile
Speedway in
Radford
,
Va.
– including a 200-lap Late Model
Stock Car event on Sept. 4. To clinch the championship, Deiny will
need to record solid top-five finishes in each of these events –
while winning those races would improve his chances even more. Wins
will be more likely to increase his CPI rating and distance Deiny
from his rivals at Lonesome Pine International Raceway in
Coeburn
,
Va.
, Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway and
South Boston
(
Va.
)
Speedway
. If Deiny fails to reach the
winner’s circle, his CPI could remain even and Lonesome Pine
driver Steve Blackburn
(currently ranked second in the standings) could close in on
Deiny’s lead with a winning effort of his own.
EAST
COAST REGION:
Manassas
,
Va.
driver Danny
Fair leads the East Coast contest, after recording eight wins in
17 starts. Fair, who competes in the Late Model Stock Car division
at
Old Dominion Speedway
in
Manassas
, drives a Dodge car which means a
$2,500 bonus (from Dodge) awaits him if he remains the
highest-ranked Dodge driver in the East Coast Region. Sitting second
in the regional rankings is
Virginia Beach
,
Va.
driver Mark
Wertz, the 2003 regional champion who competes at Langley
Speedway in
Hampton
,
Va.
Wertz has recorded seven wins in
20 starts so far this season – an impressive figure but with only
38.8% percent of his starts resulting in wins, he trails Fair, whose
winning percentage is 47%.
Keys
to winning: The
remainder of Fair’s NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series schedule includes
twin 75-lap feature events Sept. 4, a challenging test for any
driver. Fair must keep a close eye on the track point standings,
which he’ll need to lead after Sept. 19 in order to be eligible to
win the regional championship. Brandon
Butler, a 2001 NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series regional titlist, is
second in the Old Dominion track point standings by a margin of only
30 points.
HEARTLAND
REGION:
Six-time
Kalamazoo
(
Mich.
) Speedway Super Late Model track
champion Andy Bozell has
led the Heartland Region standings since day one of the 2004 season
– and the 41-year-old veteran shows no signs of letting up. Bozell,
of
Portage
,
Mich.
, has won five races in 15 starts
at
Kalamazoo
and has yet to finish outside the
top five.
Keys
to winning:
Kalamazoo
concludes its NASCAR season Sept.
11, one week before the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series championship
window officially closes. The Sept. 11 event will mark Bozell’s 18th
start – the required minimum number of starts to win a NASCAR
Dodge Weekly Series regional title. Any wet weather will become a
factor in Bozell’s championship chase – if any dates are missed
before Sept. 19 he could be out of the running. Under dry
conditions, Bozell’s track points lead is strong but not assured
and he’ll need to keep his No. 83 machine ahead of
Kalamazoo
rival Richard
Sexton to maintain his track and regional lead. Tim
Ice, of
Seville
,
Ohio
, is ready to take advantage of any
miss-steps by Bozell. Ice is ranked second in the standings after
five victories and 12 top-five finishes at Columbus (Ohio) Motor
Speedway.
MIDWEST
REGION
:
The Midwest Region championship competition has been one of the
closest battles of the season, with
Kansas
dirt track driver Tim
Karrick squaring off against
Wisconsin
’s Charlie
Menard. Karrick, who competes at Lakeside Speedway in
Kansas City
,
Kan.
, leads the Midwest Region
standings this week but Menard, who races on the asphalt at LaCrosse
(
Wis.
) Fairgrounds Speedway, has led the
region on several previous occasions himself. It’s anyone’s
championship at this point as Karrick and Menard lead
Minnesota
driver Jon
Lemke in the regional rankings.
Keys
to winning: Karrick
needs to complete four more races in order to reach the NASCAR
minimum of 18 starts, while Menard needs three more starts to
complete this requirement.
Al
l other factors equal – both
Karrick and Menard will need to flat out win races to give
themselves a chance at the $45,000 Midwest Region title. If neither
reaches the winner’s circle for the remainder of the season,
top-five finishes could play a factor. Menard, who has recorded 13
top-five finishes in his 15 starts this year (86%), has shown a
slight edge in this category.
NEW
ENGLAND REGION
:
Two-time New England Region champion Ted
Christopher, of
Plainville
,
Conn.
, is back on top after eight wins
and 10 top-five finishes at
Connecticut
’s Stafford Motor Speedway.
Christopher, who also competes full-time on the NASCAR Featherlite
Modified Series, leads Lee USA Speedway driver Richard
Wolf Jr., of
Northwood
,
N.H.
, in the regional rankings.
Keys
to winning:
Christopher’s lead over Wolf in the CPI standings is fairly solid,
so consistent top-five finishes may be all he needs to clinch his
third New England Region crown. A key night for Christopher is Aug.
27, when
Stafford
hosts twin 40-lap features for its
SK Modified® Division. Wolf and the rest of the title contenders
need to add to their win totals in a hurry if they want to catch up.
NORTHEAST
REGION:
Doug Hoffman’s bid for
the 2003 Northeast Region championship was spoiled by rain, as the
track only completed 13 feature events during the year. Hoffman, of
Al
lentown
,
Pa.
, is now in position to win his
first regional title and weather won’t stop him this time. The Big
Diamond Modified field has already completed 19 events (ensuring
that Hoffman meets the NASCAR requirement of 18 starts) and
Hoffman’s eight victories place him on top of the track and
regional standings. Todd
Hoddick, of
Lancaster
,
N.Y.
, is ranked second in the Northeast
with six wins and 11 top-five finishes at Lake Erie Speedway in
North East,
Pa.
Keys
to winning: For Hoffman,
the biggest threat to his regional championship hopes might not come
from around the region, but from his home track. Veteran Craig
Von Dohren and Doug’s brother, Keith, have combined for nine
victories this year. Their efforts will keep Hoffman focused on the
track championship picture first, and regional prizes second. Big
Diamond’s dirt Modified field finishes its 2004 NASCAR Dodge
Weekly Series season Sept. 3.
NORTHWEST
REGION:
The Northwest Region championship picture became less clear after a
post-race inspection by track officials found that the engine in
regional leader Jerry
Robertson’s car did not
conform to the Colorado National Speedway Rule Book
specifications. The resulting disqualifications from twin feature
events held on Aug. 14 dropped Robertson to third in the track point
standings and therefore out of the regional lead as well. Bruce
Quale, who competes at Magic Valley Speedway in
Twin Falls
,
Idaho
, and
Gary
Madsen, from
Utah
’s Rocky Mountain Raceways, now
find themselves within reach of the Northwest Region championship
for the first time this season.
Keys
to winning: Quale and
Madsen, along with Evergreen Speedway driver John
Zaretzke, will now stage a furious battle in an attempt to seal
their chances at the title while Robertson attempts to re-establish
his lead.
Al
l three drivers have shown their
ability to win and finish in the top five; the driver who shows it
the most between now and Sept. 19 may end up a NASCAR champion.
SUNBELT
REGION:
Greg Pursley, who
competes at Irwindale (
Calif.
)
Speedway
, has established a strong lead in
the Sunbelt Region standings after 10 wins in 14 starts. Pursley’s
closest challenger for the regional honors is Cajon Speedway driver David
Beat, an
El Cajon
,
Calif.
resident and 2003 track champion. Mike
Ray, of
Las Vegas
, is ranked third with four wins
and 10 top-five finishes at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor
Speedway.
Keys
to winning: Pursley has
shown a knack for winning races on Irwindale’s half-mile oval –
including victories in eight of the past nine Super Late Model
features. This dominance has helped him establish a healthy lead in
both the track and regional standings, so while a few more wins
would be nice, Pursley could possibly wrap up the prize as long as
he stays in the top five for the remaining weeks’ events.
Editor’s
Note: Complete NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series regional standings are
also available online, at www.nascardodgeweeklyseries.com.
Source: Jeremy
Davidson/NASCAR DWS PR
Posted: August 19, 2004
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