Competition Starting To Heat Up
Ruckersville, Va., driver Philip Morris is chasing history as he looks to become just the second driver to win back-to-back NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national championships. While Morris is off to a strong start – seven wins and 13 top fives in 16 starts and is second in points as the racing season hits the unofficial halfway point, challengers are abundant and come from all over the map.
Joining Morris at the top of the standings are drivers from Connecticut, California, Iowa, South Carolina and Nebraska. They all race different cars, on both dirt and asphalt.
This is the point in the season in which drivers can start to erase poorer finishes earlier in the season with better runs. A driver’s best 18 results are counted toward their state and national points totals.
Keith Rocco maintained his hold on first place with a pair of top five finishes this past weekend. Racing an asphalt Modified at the Connecticut circuit of Thompson International Speedway, Stafford Motor Speedway and the Waterford Speedbowl, Rocco has seven wins and 14 top fives in 18 starts for 681 points.
Philip Morris, racing primarily at his home track of Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Va., but also taking his Late Model to other asphalt ovals in the southeast like South Boston (Va.) Speedway, sits in second with 651 points.
NATIONAL TOP 500 | STATE & PROVINCE TOP 20
Andy Eckrich is third with 581 points, racing at three Iowa dirt tracks: Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway, West Liberty Raceway, and Farley Speedway.
Nebraska’s Bill Leighton Jr. is fourth with 540 points, while Marty Ward of Greenville (S.C.) Pickens Speedway rounds out the top five with 498 points.
Sitting in sixth place is Nick Joanides, who is not only locked in a battle for the Super Late Model championship at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale (Calif.) and the California state title, but is also leading the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series with his 44.7 points per race average. Joanides has 492 points in 11 races – including eight victories.
One of Morris’ biggest challengers may be in his own backyard.
Chad Harris swept the Late Model features this past Saturday at Motor Mile, edging Morris by .028 seconds at the line in the second race, to take the track’s points lead away from Morris. It was the first two wins of the season for Harris, who is second in the nation with a 42.2 points-per-race average thanks to eight top fives in nine starts.
A look at the points-per-race average also spotlights several other drivers who don’t have enough races to crack the top 10, but have put together remarkable seasons to date:
Wayne Ramsey has three wins and four top fives in his four starts at South Boston for an average of 41.3. Jesse Kennedy of Delaware Speedway in Ontario, and Bradley Powell of LaCrosse (Wisc.) Fairgrounds Speedway, round out the top five in average at 41.0 and 40.7, respectively. Each have run seven races. Morris also has a 40.7 average.
Rocco has an average of 37.8, which puts him third behind Joanides and Morris among drivers with 10 or more starts. CE Falk III of Langley Speedway in Virginia and Jeff Strunk of Grandview Speedway in Bechtelsville, Pa., follow with average of 37.5 and 37.1.
The deadline for races to count toward NASCAR Whelen All-American Series state and national championship points is Sunday, Sept. 13. The final points standings are scheduled to be released Wednesday, Sept. 16.
Track, state and province and the national champion earn invitations to the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Awards Banquet in Concord, N.C., Friday, Nov. 13. The NASCAR Whelen All-American Series champion also earns a secure spot in the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown, to be held at the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale in 2010.
Under the points structure for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, the race winner will receive two points for every car in the event up to 23 cars. Second place will receive two fewer points, and so-on through the field. For example, if there are 23 cars, the winner receives 46 points, second gets 44 and third 42. If there are 15 cars, the winner receives 30 points, second gets 28 and third 26. Race winners receive an additional five bonus points.
Sources: Jason Christley/NASCAR PR