The final race, to make the Final Race... (Sun, March 23rd)
With only one race remaining in the regular season, the focus for this week will turn away from the title chase, and instead tube on who will be moving on to the Shootout Finale a week from now. With only the top 5 drivers in each class moving on to the Shootout Finale, drivers outside the top 5 will be keen to put on there best peformance, and haul themselves into the big show. That said, I have recieved several e-mails from drivers who unfortuantely will be missing the final round of the season, and will almost certainly be bidding farewell to there top 5 hopes. Below I will be outlining these battles, seeing who is on the outside looking in, and who may be in danger of being relgated to the role of spectator during the Finale.
Pro Light
In Pro Light the number of contenders has dropped, due to the planned exclusion of Kaupo Tammik from the final round. Sitting 8th in the points, only a single point back from Joey Tanner, Tammik was certainly in the running to make the top 5 this season, especially since he had had a projected starting spot of 2nd for Monday night's race. Alas, it is not to be, and now ony three drivers still have a shot at making the Finale at the end of the month. What makes this battle even more fun to watch, is that all three are lined up to run in the same race group, which will make thier on track battles all the more meaningful.
5th Place- Rob Marssdorf (39 points, -11 from 4th)
A 4 point cushion on the other to contenders is certainly a plus for the veteran, plus he has generally been more consistent than his rivals as well. On top of that, Rob will be driving away from the pole tomorrrow night, and can all but clinch a spot in the Finale with a 1st or 2nd place finish. Right place at the right time comes to mind, and it could be that extra little boost he needs to hold on to the coveted transfer spot.
6th Place- Kevin Fletcher (35 points)
Kevin only ran the final 4 races last season, and damn nearly made the Finale in this class, which shows he can get it done in the clutch situation. 4 points is not insurmountable, but it will be a challenge with both drivers running in the same class. But it's not just Rob Kevin has to beat. If Joey finds his way around Kevin, then he can just about count his 5th place gone, which puts even more pressure on his performance.
7th Place- Joey Tanner (34 Points)
The rookie had a bit of a rough start to the season, learning how to run within the rules of the 'Fun and Sportsmanship' way things are run in the SIRS, but has really been strong as of late. Since coming back from missing the 3rd round, Joey has stayed on the podium, and has been a threat for big points every week. If he can stay smooth and mistake free this next round he'll be able to challenge Kevin, and take the charge to Rob for the 5th spot.
Pro Heavy
Pro heavy looked to have a great battle brewing, as three drivers were within 4 points of each other, but only two were going to make the top 5. I have now learned that current 5th place drievr Greg Olsen will be missing the final race of the season, which basically gift wrap's the final transfer spot to current 6th place driver Scott Santiani. It was going to be a great battle too, as Scott is slotted to start on pole with Olsen supposed to start second. Instead, the final race of the regular season will be soley setup for the Shootout Finale, which will be very important as the points are tight in this class.
Lastly, with a 12 point lead on second right now, Tony Hana does have a chance to clinch the tile this week, needing to gain only another 3 points to sow things up by merely starting the Shootout Finale.
GT Light
Consistency has been the name of the game in this class, and with a field filled with rookies and "GT Senior refugees", the results have been slight predictable at times. However, all drivers are now coming up to pace, which is making for some very exciting racing. It also throws a question mark as to how things will go come race night, as these drivers start pressuring for top 5 and podium finishes. Unfortunately, as far as the top 5 battle goes things are all but wrapped up, with Brent Palmer currently holding on to the spot, and his closest competitor is Richard Lennard, a full 7 points back. It's not clinched, but things are certainly leaning palmer's way.
Adam Kellerman currently leads the points with a massive 19 point lead, and will clinch the title if he can gain 4 more points on second place Brian Cronk. Note: he has done this twice, and score 3 more points than the rookie in five of the six rounds.
GT Senior
As is the case with Pro Light, GT Senior is also effected by Kaupo Tammik's proposed absence from the final regular season round. Currently Kaupo has the 5th spot over veteran Fernando Gaete, holding on to it via the total points tie breaker, which will all become a moot point when he misses round #7. He does actually have a chance of keeping fifth, but he will need Fernando to finish 8th or worse, and score no fast lap bonus points. Judging by Fernando's performances, this is a very slim possibility.
In last week's bizarre turn of events that saw Lon S. Bromley pull in one lap early while leading, current point leader and defending champ Eric Oyague has all but wrapped things up in this class. He now needs only to gain one more point on Lon to clinch the title heading into the Finale, which will be a daunting task since Lon should be starting in second.
GT Sport
This class now hosts the only other actual top 5 battle, which actually encompasses four different drivers, spanning positions 4-7. Currently 4th and looking pretty good to hold on to a top 5 spot is rookie Richard Brindos, although he may succumb to Jerry Hudson who currently owns the final transfer spot. In 6th and 7th are the rookie duo of Nick Koping and James Shepherd, each of whom have a mathematical shot at making the top 5 this season.
For point leader Tony Hana, all he has to do to clinch the title is start the Shootout; he doesn't even have to race on Monday. However, if he does race Monday, and still has his massive 25 point lead on Joe Filipanko, than he can just eat popcorn and watch the Finale from the sidelines as the '08 Winter Season champ.
4th Place- Richard Brindos (24 points, -17 from 3rd)
Richard has consistently finished as "best of the rest" in the GT Sport class, finishing as the highest rookie in the class in 5 out of 6 rounds so far this season. This consistency is what has earned him a six point lead on the rest of the rookie field, and puts him solidly in the top 5. With Jerry's experience it seems he will continue to stay a podium contender, which means that the best Richards rivals can do is a most likely a 2 point gain. This pretty much solidifies him in the top 5. Anything can happen however...
5th Place- Jerry Hudson III (20 points)
Jerry left the Pro Light class at the halfway point, citing a lack of fun as the reason for the switch. Rightly so as the veteran driver was finding his return to the series as tough one, and rarely battled anyone during his races. The move to GT Sport class has shown his competitiveness, finishing second in both rounds he's entered, and may challenge Tony Hana for a win before the season ends. It will take some massive bad luck for Jerry to miss the top 5.
6th Place- Nick Koping (18 points)
Consistently the #2 rookie in the class, Jerry's entry into the class certainly dampened Nick's chances at the top 5, but at the same time, he has also been looking stronger and stronger every week with all the competiton in the field. If he can capitlize on these teachings, and Jerry has a bad run, he might just be able to knock off the veteran, and earn a spot in the Shootout Finale. He will definitely need his best performance to date, and not make any mistakes to have a shot however.
7th Place- James Shepherd (15 Points)
He's mathematically in, but his realistic chances are a bit low. It's not out of the question however, as James has shown solid speed, and real improvement throughout the season. Like Nick, James will need a lot of luck to help him out, but will also need to put in his best performance to date.
GT Heavy
GT Heavy has actually only had 5 full time drivers this season, and thus there isn't really a fight to make it in the top 5. This class does however host the best title fight this season, with Scott Santiani currently holding on to the point lead by 3 points over fellow veteran Bob Segui. As these to guys find themselves on track nearly every week, this one will surely come down to the very last lap of the Shootout Finale.
---Mike Smith
Race Director