Oct 9, 2005

Surprises were the order of the weekend at Medford at the last Division 6 event of the year.

At a race where title hopes, both Divisionally and Nationally were on the line in many of the 10 classes in competition, a couple very early round exits by contenders changed the standings in short order.

TAD was basically decided before this race unless divine intervention intervened, and it didn't. Steve Federlin had a 64 point advantage over Brandon Johnson and Johnson had to win and Federlin had to be out early. Federlin was out very early in a shocking holeshot loss to Joey Severance. The loss was not the big surprise as Severance is one of the best BADs in the country and is a great leaver, but a surprising .128 rt by Federlin meant he had to run in the mid 5.30's if he wanted the win light. Severance was sharp with an .011 light. Federlin ran low et of the round, a 5.466 to Severance's 5.474 so a sub .020 light was necessary for him to advance. Divisionally it had basically no affect of his title aspiration when Brandon Johnson could not get his car into reverse after the burnout. The division title was Steve Federlin's but his chance to add more points to his National total was thrown a major curve ball. Joey Severance went on to cut the tree down through two more rounds of elimination's, going .006 in the semis defeating Hillary Will and then an amazing .002 against Mike Austin in the Peen Rite Dragster to take the win and jump into fourth in the standings. Those three lights in eliminations were possibly the best three in a row I have ever witnessed at any event.

A great job by Joey Jr and dad Sr.

Hillary Will picked up 11 points with her semi final finish and moved into 5th place in the standings pending the results from Dallas today. Unfortunately for Federlin by not advancing to the final round, Steve Torrence moved past him in the national standings and clinched the Top Alcohol national championship today.

1) Hillary Will, Scotia, Calif., 5.503, 267.76 was unopposed

2) Mike Austin, Medford, Ore., 5.468, 263.01 def.
7) Danny Valadez, Novato, Calif., 8.241, 110.26

5) Joey Severance, Spanaway, Wash., 5.474, 261.42 def.
4) Steve Federlin, Oregon City, Ore., 5.466, 258.47

6) Darren Nicholson, Mission Viejo, Calif., 7.551, 108.69 def.
3) Brandon Johnson, Shelton, Wash., broke

Semifinals
Severance, 5.499, 256.87 def. Will, 5.528, 264.93
Austin, 5.458, 263.45 def. Nicholson, broke

Final
Severance, 5.469, 259.88 def. Austin, 5.449, 263.49

Final qualifying

1 7470 B/AD Hillary Will, Scotia CA, Santos-BAR 5.401 268.12 268.12
2 672 B/AD Mike Austin, Medford OR, Santos-BAE 5.446 264.69 264.69
3 6610 B/AD Brandon Johnson, Shelton WA, Hadman-BAE 5.461 256.87 256.87
4 10 B/AD Steve Federlin, Oregon City OR, Robeck-B 5.495 258.63 258.63
5 613 B/AD Joey Severance, Spanaway WA, Hadman-TFX 5.525 255.78 258.85
6 7051 TA/D Darren Nicholson, Mission Viejo CA, Sant 5.569 253.74 254.30
7 7178 A/FD Danny Valadez, Novato CA, Stirling-KB 7.501 129.74 129.74

Updated points

Steve Federlin 337 8 events
Hillary Will 278 8 events
Brandon Johnson 273 7 events
Joey Severance 235 5 events
Kim Parker 171 4 events

In TAFC, the divisional title was also on the line, and this one really had to go Brian Hough's way if he was to overtake Bucky Austin. Round one went according to plan for Hough, as he got a holeshot win over Don Hudson who had .07 in performance but an untimely .105 disadvantage at the tree spelled the end for Hudson. Austin ran low et of elimination's when he blasted off a great 5.708 to defeat Forrest LaBlanc in his final race in TAFC. Tim Nemeth took out Todd Ashwell to make it past round one at every event he attended this season. Hank Coolidge found the sweet spot in his tune-up as he went 5.837 to just squeeze past Clint Thompson who was only .002 slower in performance.

In the semi finals, the big matchup was Austin vs Hough. Hough needed it bad and gave it a game effort taking .025 at the tree but the Austin HP gave the "Hitter" just enough at the stripe for a 5.799 - 5.829 victory. The difference at the stripe was only .005. That was enough for Bucky Austin to defend the division title in TAFC. This is Bucky's 8th Division six championship in his career.

1) Brian Hough, Junction City, Ore., '04 Firebird, 5.911, 250.02 def.
8) Don Hudson, Stockton, Calif., '02 Camaro, 5.841, 247.38

2) Tim Nemeth, Chilliwack, B.C., '03 Camaro, 6.100, 239.56 def.
7) Jeff Ashwell, Keizer, Ore., dragster, 6.255, 229.88

3) Hank Coolidge, Sunburst, Mont., '02 Firebird, 5.837, 248.81 def.
6) Clint Thompson, Klamath Falls, Ore., '03 Camaro, 5.839, 244.51

4) Bucky Austin, Fife, Wash., '05 Firebird, 5.708, 251.50 def.
5) Forrest LeBlanc, Kent, Wash., '02 Avenger, broke

Semifinals
Coolidge, 5.748, 248.39 def. Nemeth, 6.147, 241.83
Austin, 5.799, 249.90 def. Hough, 5.829, 245.86

Final
Austin, 5.844, 250.00 def. Coolidge, 6.409, 153.13

Final TAFC qualifying

1 6515 Brian Hough, Junction City OR, '04 Firebird 5.858 247.22 247.22
2 67 Tim Nemeth, Chilliwack BC, '03 Camaro 5.865 244.53 244.53
3 64 Hank Coolidge, Sunburst MT, '02 Firebird 5.912 245.61 245.61
4 8 Bucky Austin, Fife WA, '05 Firebird 5.964 248.46 248.46
5 6992 Forrest LeBlanc, Kent WA, '02 Avenger 5.991 235.42 235.42
6 63 Clint Thompson, Klamath Falls OR, '03 Camaro 6.001 240.33 240.33
7 6931 Jeff Ashwell, Keizer OR, Firebird-TFX 6.172 229.35 229.35
8 756 Don Hudson, Stockton CA, '02 Camaro 6.245 232.95 232.95

Updated Points

Bucky Austin 381 7 events
Brian Hough 299 8 events
Tim Nemeth 236 5 events
Clint Thompson 233 6 events
Hank Coolidge 208 3 events

Comp eliminator was the Michael Stone show again, as he got his third win in the last four races he had competed at. He was r/u at the other event. The win was not a points earning race for Stone as he was out of races to claim, but his nearest competitor Dave Barcelon could not advance far enough (second round loss) to gain any points. Michael has a great chance to move into the top two in the world standings with a couple good results at the last two national events.

In Super Stock, Division 7's Greg Luneack defeated Mike Lewis 6283 7031 Greg Luneack def. Mike Lewis (0.075 11.443 102.50 - 0.147 12.146 114.53), in one of those obvious fender races from 800 feet on. Lewis picked up 54 points and moved up into fourth. Point leader Terry Sherrill picked up another 23 points and now has 342 points. Rod Stultz picked up 32 points and is now 5th with 268 points.

In Stock, Tony Hewes, a Division seven racer from Reno took the win over Bill Kost (0.039 11.028 118.73 - 0.050 11.798 110.55). The R/U puts him in the top seven in the standings. Cory Thompson moved into 3rd place just behind Joe Sorenson with a 1/4 final finish.

Super Comp was the Brandon Yoder show, after his long trip back from Chicago against the best in the class, he came home and took out Division 7's David Alves. The win gives him 362 points and a 11 point lead over previous leader Mike Henderson who went out in round three. Brad Plourd made a huge move in the national standings with a semi final finish and he moved into second place behind Gary Stinnett who is well ahead. He has only run one in division race so I am not sure if in fact he can claim 4 out of division races nationally or not.

Super Gas did not go as anticipated, as leader Stefan Kondolay was out in round one and Curt Giese was a round two loser. Neither picked up any points at Medford. Ted Richardson def. David Biancalana 0.046 9.894 149.48 - 0.019 9.868 144.26 on a double break out final.

Super Street saw John Dalrymple make the biggest point gain out of the top ten players, with a r/u finish to Mike Scheffler. Dalrymple moved into fifth in the standings. The top four in the standings all were gone by round two.

Top Comp was much like the top previous classes as the top ten in the class all had early exits. Bracket hitter Randy Johnson defeated Dave Jackson in the all doorcar final. Semi finalist Chuck Glanz moved up from 12th to 5th in the standings. Marc Heritage maintains his lead in the class.

Motorcycle had the top three in the standings all reach the semi finals. Second place rider was the only one to advance to the final but unfortunately for Buff Kob, he could not get the win and overtake Mike Scott. Scott's semi final gave him 326 points while Kob's r/u was good enough for 323 points. Anita Cunningham had her best ever season finishing in third with 284 points.

Oct 7, 2005

Medford's Champion Raceway is on tap this weekend. Many championship scenerios could be decided this weekend . All Sportsman classes will be in competition including TAD, TAFC, Comp, S Stock, Stock, S Comp, S Gas S Street, Top Comp and Sportmsman Motorcycle.

The race is the last of seven on the division’s schedule and it is the last chance for racers to earn valuable in-division points toward divisional and national championships.

In Top Alcohol Dragster, reigning champ Steve Federlin of Oregon City, Ore., is leading the charge in defense of his title but only 70 points separate him from third-place racer Hillary Will. In the middle of the year, Federlin made three final-round appearances, winning at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Wash., and Woodburn Dragstrip in Oregon and scoring runner-up points at Mission Raceway Park in Mission, B.C. Brandon Johnson, a former division titlist from Shelton, Wash., is just behind Federlin after going to two final rounds. He was runner-up to Federlin at Pacific Raceways and he was runner-up at an out-of-division race in Sonoma, Calif. Will, was runner-up to Federlin at Woodburn Dragstrip and then turned the tables on him, taking the win at Mission Raceway Park. Will is a rookie Top Alcohol Dragster driver from Ypsilanti, Mich. The 25-year-old graduated with a degree in economics from Wheaton College in Massachusetts.

Will has been chosen to drive the new Ken Black-owned, Kalitta Motorsports-managed Top Fuel dragster that will compete on the 2006 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series circuit. Black, owner of the Pro Stock entries driven by Greg Anderson and Jason Line, and drag racing icon Connie Kalitta, owner of and chief tuner for Kalitta Motorsports, announced last month that they had formed a partnership to run a fourth dragster campaigned out of Kalitta’s Top Fuel stable next season.

Bucky Austin, a seven-time Northwest Division Top Alcohol Funny Car champion, is trying to get his third consecutive title. The Fife, Wash., racer leads the points by 27 over Brian Hough of Junction City, Ore. Austin won both of the events at Mission Raceway Park and was runner-up at Woodburn Dragstrip. Hough was runner-up twice, once to Austin in Mission, before going all the way at Intermountain Motor Sports Park in Acton, Mont.

TAD

01 Steve Federlin 337 7
02 Brandon Johnson 273 6
03 Hillary Will 267 7
04 Kim Parker 171 4
05 Joey Severance 150 4
06 Joseph Windham 123 3
07 Bill Edwards Jr 64 2
08 Greg Tacke 64 2
09 ED Verenka 64 2
10 Leo Grocock 42 2

Steve Federlin has a pretty good lock on the division again this season but if Brandon Johnson was to win here and Vegas in two weeks, he could overtake Federlin. A tough task for sure. Hillary can only finish as high as second in the division as she only has one more race to claim. Division 7 will be well represented here as well making it a very tough event.

TAFC

01 Bucky Austin 326 6
02 Brian Hough 299 7
03 Clint Thompson 211 5
04 Tim Nemeth 193 4
05 Forrest Le Blanc 171 5
06 Henry Coolidge 144 2
07 Randy Parker 128 4
08 John Evanchuk 75 2
09 Derek Snelson 74 3
10 Dale Van Gundy III 52 3

Bucky leads but this class has gone back and forth all season long. Hough has to win this race to jump ahead of Bucky but he has to hope the 'Hitter' isn't in the other lane or Austin will win the championship. This is Hough's last race to claim, while Austin still would have one more. Local Tim Nemeth would like a good result to move back a head of Clint Thompson. THis will be tough though as a number of Division 7 cars are expected.

Comp

01 Michael Stone 351 8
02 Dave Barcelon 333 7
03 Jeff Lane 283 6
04 Adam Bowdish 228 5
05 Dennis Myers 227 5
06 Mark Stewart 226 5
07 Steve Wilmoth 196 4
08 Ray Hadford 195 5
09 Jim Warter 195 5
10 Tom Tucker 183 6

Mike Stone is out of races so he will be here as a blocker against Dave Barcelon and to a lesser extent Jeff Lane. Based on a five round race, Barcelon would have to reach the final go overtake Stone in the standings. Lane would need to win and then go a few rounds at Vegas to have a chance.

Super Stock

01 Terry Sherrill 319 6
02 Sean Cour 301 5
03 Brad Plourd 290 7
04 James Caughlin 247 7
05 Kevin Cour 247 5
06 Alan Falcone 247 5
07 Rodney Stults 236 6
08 Mike Lewis 226 7
09 Mark Faul 224 6
10 Jody Lang 216 4

Two drivers back of Terry Sherrill have legitimate shots at the division title. Both Sean Cour and Brad Plourd have second round losses to throw away, but Plourd only has one more race to earn points at. James Caughlin, Kevin Cour and Alan Falcone are in the back looking for a win to have a shot at the title.

Stock

01 Jody Lang 382 6
02 Mike Lewis 325 7
03 Joe Sorensen 310 6
04 Cory Thompson 310 6
05 Mark Faul 255 6
06 Don Elgin 234 5
07 Bill Bushmaker 233 5
08 Jim Storms 232 6
09 Jeff Lane 221 6
10 Greg Kielman 218 3

A win would propell Mike Lewis ahead of Jody Lang providing Lang does not go past round two. Joe Sorenson and Cory Thompson have outside shots at the title, with Sorenson having a first rounder to improve on and Thompson having a second rounder. Thompson would still have to go to one more race to have a shot at the title.

Super Comp

01 Michael Henderson 340 7
02 Brandon Yoder 298 6
03 Geoffrey Hughes 285 5
04 Ty Anderson 267 6
05 George Scott III 242 6
06 Dan Benham 235 6
07 Jerry Denton Jr 235 5
08 Ross Souza 225 5
09 Emmett Mc Killop 224 5
10 Brian Phillips 215 5

A multitude of scenerios can be played out in Super Comp, but Mike Henderson is in the drivers seat. This is his last race to claim and he has a round two exit to improve on.

Super Gas

01 Stefan Kondolay 331 6
02 Curtis Geise 329 6
03 Mike Ferderer 306 7
04 Wayne Linder Jr 275 6
05 Rod Andreas 266 7
06 Mike Coltrin 256 5
07 George Scott III 246 6
08 Mark Resen 242 7
09 Chris Cannon 235 6
10 Terry Giese 233 6

The tightest race in the Super classes is in Super Gas with Stefan Kondolay leading by just 2 points. Both he and second place driver Curt Giese have two races to claim and second round losses to improve on. This race is big for both. The 'Ferd" is down to his last race to improve on and he too has a second round loss on his side to improve on

Super Street

01 Dudley Gee 369 7
02 Jason Heard 299 5
03 Jim Boyce 295 8
04 Brian Birky 289 6
05 Gerry Epp 265 7
06 Robert Munoz 255 5
07 John Dalrymple 233 6
08 Brian Engelking 233 7
09 Warren Jacobson 227 4
10 Tony Hopkins 224 5

Dudley Gee won two weeks ago at Columbus and took a big lead over Jason Heard. 70 points back is a large task, but it can be done and he has three more races (if he wants) to find those points. Brian Birky is a long shot.

Top Comp

01 Marc Heritage 289 6
02 Tom Malicki 289 6
03 Shawn Cowie 285 6
04 Todd Hoerner 257 6
05 Tom Koenen 241 10
06 Jessica Juel 233 6
07 Paul Nero 227 5
08 Frank Tamez 222 6
09 Moe Trujillo 213 5
10 Mike Weiss 213 5

The closest overall race as four points separate the top three drivers and all have run six events. All three have first round losses to improve on as well. I don't expect this race to be the decider as they could be heading to Vegas to decide this one. Its great to see the blown alky car of Shawn Cowie in the chase.

Motorcycle

01 Mike Scott 313 7
02 Buff Kobs 289 6
03 Anita Cunningham 271 6
04 Scott Pollacheck 266 5
05 Jeffrey Havens 220 4
06 Danny Patridge 219 4
07 Miles Hauer 217 6
08 James Sibley 204 6
09 Roger Wolff 196 5
10 Douglas Rathbun 186 6