Divisional points battles

Here's a quick rundown of what Divisions are still up for grabs and which titles are clinched.

A quick lesson on Divisional points. Racers can claim points at the best five out of the first eight divisionals they attend. For the Div. Championship, three of those races must be in division. You can claim your best two out of the first three out of division events you attend. I need to check on tiebreakers, but I think the first is in division points then in division wins. I believe the third is head to head.

Div. 1

TAD
John Finke has a solid 75 pt lead over Darren Nicholson, but that it deceiving. Nicholson has a win, a ru and 3 first round losses to improve on. He has attended no out of division races, so he definitely has a shot at catching him. With four divisional events left (Atco, Reynolds, Noble and Vegas), he needs a win at one of them. He can catch with a win and a ru or a win and two semis. Finke has one more event left he can claim, in division or out of division. Both are already qualified for the resumption of the rained-out Atco race. He must reach the finals to improve on his points total.

TAFC
Manzo. Another World Championship and his 757th Division 1 title. There is a pretty tight race for second as Terry Munroe, Marty Nothstein, Paul Gill, John Anderika and Frank Schuster all have a viable shot for duece spot.

Div. 2

TAD
This one is pretty wide open going into the final stretch. Left Coast invader Duane Shields holds a 'scant' 42 point lead over defending Champ Artie Allen and Bill Evans, who are tied for second place. All three have went to 6 events, two of them out of division. That leaves the final Div. 2 race, Reynolds, Ga., and one out of Division race for each. Artie has 3 ru's and two semis for his total, so he needs to reach the finals to earn points. If Duane does not add to his total, he can tie him with a win or two runner ups. Bill has a win, ru and three semifinals to his credit. He also can tie Duane with one win or two ru's. Duane has 2 wins, a ru and two semifinals. He can put some distance between him and his challengers with final round appearances at his final two races. This will be one of the more interesting races to watch down the stretch.

TAFC
This is another interesting race. Northeastern invader Mickey Ferro is currently in the lead with a 32 point lead over perennial Div. 2 champ Jay Payne. 65 points back is Mark Billington, who could be the wild card. Payne has one race remaining to claim points at, and with four out of division trips this year, it must be Reynolds. He must win the event and keep Ferro out of the final at any events. Ferro has two wins, a ru and two semi's to his credit in only five races attended. He has one out of division win at Reading, so he can only add one more win out of division. Billington has only attended five races as well, one of those being an out of division DNQ. So a win in Reynolds could catapult him into the points lead, given Ferro doesn't improve. His total includes a win, two ru's, a first round, and DNQ, so he has plenty of 'easy' ground to gain points. This will be another fun one to watch.

Div. 3

TAD
Bill Reichert has already clinched the Div. 3 title this year, but the race for second could be interesting as only one point seperate Ken Perry and Marty Thacker. There are no Div. 3 events left this year, so it's all out of division from here. Thacker has two first rounds he can improve on, while Perry must go to the finals to improve.

TAFC
Privateer Andy Bohl currently leads this race by 43 points over Mick Snyder. Both Bohl and Snyder are done adding points to their total with the Division 3 season over. Bohl has scored two out of division wins already, so he's maxed on out of division points, while Snyder has already attended three out of division events. One point behind Snyder is Chris Foster, who has one more out of division he can attend. Foster must win his final race to overtake Bohl, as he is trying to improve on a first round loss. A potential spoiler is Bobby Martin. Martin has attended five events, none of them out of division. Two wins would tie him with Bohl. If the first tie breaker is in division points, Bohl would win. If the first tie breaker is in division wins, Martin would win. If Foster wins, he clinches the division.

Division 4

TAD
Brandon Lewis comes into the final stretch with the points lead and the hot hand with two wins at his last two events. He leads second place, Malcolm Wahle by a mere 32 points. Back in third is rookie Chase Copeland 75 points back. Lewis has already attended seven events, three of them out of divisionals, so his home track of Noble is the only chance for him to gain points. He has a first round to improve on, so a win would go a long way towards helping his chances. However, both Wahle and Copeland have two first rounds they can improve on. Copeland needs to keep Lewis out of the finals to keep his hopes alive. Both challengers have one more out of division race they can attend. Way back in fourth is Shayne Lawson, who is 85 points out only attending four races. If he jumps back in Todd Odem's potent ride again, he could make it interesting as well. He already has one out of division win, so he could only pick up one more win besides Noble. All eyes on Noble...

TAFC
This one still isn't decided with points leader and defending Div. 4 Champ Steve Harker holding a 53 point lead on Kebin Kinsley. Harker can clinch with a win in Noble. Kinsley has two first round to improve on with one more in division race and two out of divsions left, so nothing is ruled out. A win in Noble would put him in a tie for first if Harker loses first round.

Div. 5

TAD
This division will be a sprint to the finish between current leader and rookie Dan Kracht and defending Champ Ed Schmeekle. Kracht holds a slim 32 point lead. Like Division 3, the Division 5 season is over, so both must travel out of Division. Both have two more out of divsion races left to claim with two first rounds to improve on. Noble seems to be one of the likely races we'll see these two at.

TAFC
This race has already been clinched by defending Champ, Roger Bateman. Vern Moats is currently in second, but Lance Van Hauen and Kirk Williams have legitimate chances at moving into second. All of them have first rounds to improve on.

Div. 6

TAD
With 5 in division wins, Shawn Cowie has this one locked up. Justin Davis and defending champ Joey Severance are tied for second. Dale Carlson trails by 11 points in fourth, with Doug Hegge having a shot at second as well. Davis has already attended 8 races, so he is maxed out on points. Severance has one more race he can claim, and must go to the finals to pick up any points. Carlson has two more out of division races he can go to and can tie Severance and Davis by winning the first round at one of those events. He also has a second round loss he can improve on as well.

TAFC
First and second place in this division are already decided. Defending Champ Brian Hough has already locked up the Championship, with rookie Ken Webster locked in second. Clint Thompson resides in third, but could see challenges from John Evanchuk and Sean Bellemeur.

Div. 7

TAD
This is another race that has been decided, with defending Champ Jim Whiteley keeping the crown. Chris Demke and Cody Perkins have a legitimate battle going for second, as Perkins has only attended four races and will gain full points at his next event, and only trails Demke by 33 points. So he must win first round at his next event to overtake Demke. Demke has one race left he can claim, presumably Vegas, with a first round to improve on. If Perkins does decide to travel, he has two first rounds he can improve on.

TAFC
Sean O'Bannon seemingly has this one locked up with a 116 point lead over Doug Gordon, but it's not 'clinched' yet. Gordon has only attended five in division events. With one more in-division event remaining, Gordon could tie O'Bannon with any combination of two wins and a runner up and overtake him with three wins. Improbable, but we've seen it happen before. O'Bannon can clinch with a Vegas win.

So what do we look for?

The Atco Division 1 event is this weekend. This race originally started in June, but was rained out after one session. Aside from the normal Div. 1 competitors, Mickey Ferro in TAFC is the only out of division car that will be there.

The next stop will be in Reynolds, Ga., for the Division 2 finale. As we mentioned above, this will be a fun one to watch in both classes, as we will see a showdown of the title hopefuls.

If Nicholson is going to chase the Division 1 TAD title, it's probable we'll see him in the mix. Division 4 title hopefuls Wahle, Copeland and Lawson will more than likely make this their final out of division stand opposed to Vegas. It wouldn't be a surprise to see Dan Kracht there from D5 either. We would expect Schmeekle to make his two out of divisionals Noble and Vegas, trying to take advantage of altitude. TAD could be a bloodbath.

As mentioned, along with the in-division fight for TAFC to go down in Reynolds, there could be some out of Division action. If Bobby Martin is to make a go at the Division 3 title, he either needs to pick up races, and Reynolds more than likely would be one of them. Chris Foster has one race remaining to claim, so it's anyone's guess where he'll show. If Doug Gordon is going to make a hail mary shot at the Div. 7 crown, he'll have to be in Reynolds. Steve Harker makes his home just up the road in Gainesville, Ga., so it would be no surprise to see him there and potentially Kebin Kinsley if he's going to make a go at the Div. 4 title.

The following weekend will be Noble, Okla. The outcomes of Atco and Reynolds will have a big influence on who makes the trip and who's still alive. In TAD, it will be a huge showdown of in division title contenders, and you can just about bet the bank both Kracht and Schmeekle will be in the house. Again, if Nicholson and the Cantrells decide to chase Div. 1, Noble may be an option, as will Vegas. Despite not being title contenders, the Conway tuned juggernaughts of his own car and Mike Manners could very well play spoilers. Oh yeah, did we mention the Div. 2 title contenders Shields, Allen and Evans could be there as well?

Again, depending the outcome of Reynolds, we could see the Div. 2, Div. 3, Div. 4 and Div. 7 TAFC title fights going down in Noble. If Payne wins Reynolds, expect to see him there along with Ferro and Billington duking it out. Geographically this race makes the most sense for Foster, and if Martin decides to make a run at it, he could be there as well. We wouldn't rule out Bohl coming down to block, either. Noble usually has a strong contingent of Div. 5 cars, so we could see Moats, Van Hauen and Williams trying to pick up the No. 2 spot in Div. 5. Will Noble be stop No. 2 for Gordon's hail mary trip? Again, with this being the next to last divisional for the year, this race is always interesting.

Then, the mad dash to the finish line in Vegas. It's the week after the Vegas National, the week before Pomona, and for some strange reason, racers seem to go there for no 'particular' reason. Maybe it's the gambling, maybe it's the track, we don't know. There's always a host of out of division cars in both categories vying for 8 spots. Generally, it's not where you want to go as an out of division race needing to win; just qualifying is a feat.

That said, we could potentially still see Nicholson and the Cantrells chasing the D1 title, and it wouldn't be unlikely to see an appearance from Schmeekle. We seriously doubt any of the A/F contenders will make Vegas their last stop.

TAFC is another matter. Div. 2, Div. 3, Div. 4 and Div. 7 could potentially still be on the line. More than likely Div. 3 and Div. 4 will have been decided, leaving Division 2 and will the Gordon hail mary still be in the air. Regardless of championship implications, it's always a fun race to watch as the best of the best show up for this one. Winning this one ranks right up there with an All-Star win in my book.

We'll keep this updated as the late season dramatics unfold. This weekend: Atco.

 

tie breakers

Here's the tie breakers from NHRA:

NHRA LUCAS OIL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TIE-BREAKER METHOD

If a tie exists (for any position) at the conclusion of the NHRA Lucas Oil National series, it shall be resolved as follows. If, after step one is followed a tie still remains, additional steps are to be followed until tie is broken.

(1) Review full season of scored National and scored Division events (scored events are events at which driver received points). Driver with most rounds won wins tie.

(2) Review full season of scored National and scored Division event racing between tied drivers (both tied drivers must have received points). Driver with most “head to head” victories wins tie.

(3) Apply tie-breaker points from scored National and scored Division events as follows: winner 5 points; runner-up 3; semi-finalist 2; quarter-finalist 1. Driver with most points wins tie.

(4) Apply the 6th National and 6th Division event in TAD and TAFC or apply the 4th National and 6th Division event in Comp, SS, STK, SC, and SG. Driver with most points wins tie.

(5) Apply tie-breaker points based on qualifying at each scored National and scored Division events as

follows: low qualifier 16 points; second qualifier 15 points; third 14 points; and so on. Driver with most points wins tie.

(6) Calculate average qualifying elapsed times from scored National and scored Division events. Driver with the quickest average qualifying elapsed time wins tie

NHRA LUCAS OIL DIVISIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TIE-BREAKER METHOD

If a tie exists (for any position) at the end of the NHRA Lucas Oil Divisional series, it shall be resolved as follows. If, after step one is followed a tie still remains, additional steps are to be followed until tie is broken.

(1) Driver with most points won in scored home Division events wins tie (scored events are events at which driver received points).

(2) Driver with most points won in all home Division events wins tie.

(3) Review full season of scored Division event racing between tied drivers (both tied drivers must have received points). Driver with most “head to head” victories wins tie.

(4) Apply tie-breaker points from scored Division events as follows: winner 5 points; runner-up 3; semifinalist 2; quarter-finalist 1. Driver with most points wins tie.

(5) Calculate average qualifying elapsed times from scored Division events. Driver with the quickest average qualifying elapsed time wins tie

 

Division 2 update

Ferro is advancing to the finals in Atco. If Ferro does not win the final, the best Payne can hope to do is tie Ferro's current point total of 341, but there is hope for Payne. If the tie held out for the year, Payne would win the tiebreaker based on in-division points. If Ferro wins, Payne is mathematically eliminated, but Billington will still have a shot.

 

Division 1 update

Finke just took out Nicholson in the semifinals at Atco. If Finke wins the final, he will clinch the Division 1 title. If he doesn't win the final, Nicholson must win two out of division events to overtake him. A win and ru would tie him, but Finke would win on the second tie breaker of total in division points (claimed and unclaimed).

 

Atco

Richard Bourke defeats Finke with a great 5.33 to 5.37 contest. Nicholson stays alive in Div. 1 TAD, but must score two wins.

Mickey Ferro redlights against Manzo in the final, keeping the Div. 2 chase alive going into Reynolds.

 

Munroe

I didn't catch that. You are correct, Munroe will not be able to place in the division points, so everyone will move up a spot. The points will count towards his national points total.

 

Division 7 TAFC

With Doug Gordon not making the trip to Reynolds this weekend, Sean O'Bannon officially clinches the Division 7 TAFC Championship.

Other challengers not in attendance - Darren Nicholson (Div. 1 TAD), Kebin Kinsley (Div. 4 TAFC), Chris Foster (Div. 3 TAFC) and Bobby Martin (Div. 3 TAFC).

Reynolds, as projected will feature big battles for Div. 2 TAD & TAFC, and Div. 4 TAD. This will be a fun one to follow on the net.

 

Div. 2 TAD

With Duane Shields reaching the final in Reynolds and with Artie Allen and Bill Evans not making the final, Duane Shields has clinched the Div. 2 TAD Championship.

 

Div. 2 TAFC

Mickey Ferro posts another runner-up finish and Alexis Dejoria scores her first win. Jay Payne's title hopes ended with a first round loss, and despite losing in the first round, Mark Billington is still mathematically alive.

Billington must win the Noble and Las Vegas divisionals to overtake Ferro. He could tie Ferro with a win and runner up, but would lose on tie breakers.

Ferro has one race remaining to claim and is entered for the Las Vegas and Pomona national events, which would indicate he will make his final divisional appearance, if necessary at Vegas.

On to Noble next weekend...

 

Noble preview

And then there were two......events left on the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series.

The Div. 4 LODRS heads into Noble, Okla., for the next to last stop on the schedule. There are still some Division races that have not been decided, so here's the ones to keep an eye on:

Div. 1 TAD
Darren Nicholson must win Noble and Vegas to overtake John Finke. If he is not in attendance, Finke officially clinches Div. 1 TAD.

Div. 2 TAFC
Mark Billington must win Noble and Vegas to over take Mickey Ferro. If he is a no show, Ferro clinches Div. 2 TAFC. Ferro has one race remaining he can claim, but with him entered in both the Vegas and Pomona nationals, we're betting he's going to run Vegas.

Div. 3 TAFC
One of our spies intercepted a team call from Foster Racing confirming they will be in Noble this weekend. Chris Foster must win Noble to overtake Andy Bohl and clinch Div. 3. Anything less than a win will clinch it for Bohl. Could we see Bohl there to block? Our sources indicate yes.

Div. 4 TAD
Brandon Lewis is in the driver's seat going into the final race, but there are three drivers behind him with legitimate shots at the D4 TAD title. Malcolm Wahle trails him by 32 points. Both drivers have first round losses to improve on. This will also be the last race both can claim points at. If Lewis loses in the first round, and Wahle reaches the final, Wahle will tie Lewis and win the in-division points tie breaker. Wahle can also win if he wins the event and Lewis does not reach the final.

Chase Copeland is still alive if he wins Noble and Lewis does not make the final. Shayne Lawson is in the same boat, but has only attended four races this year. He could tie Lewis with a win and a Lewis first round loss, but Lewis would win the tiebreakers of in division points. Both need a combination of a win and runner up at the next two events.

Div. 4 TAFC
Steve Harker is definitely in the driver's seat, but has not clinched. If Harker were to lose first round and Kebin Kinsley were to win, Kinsley could tie him and would win the tie breaker of in-division points. A Noble win clinches for Harker. Kinsley has two first round losses to improve on, so there are still a lot of scenarios he could overtake Harker.

Div. 5 TAD
This is probably the most wide-open race left. Dan Kracht holds a slim 32 point lead over Ed Schmeekle. Both have two out of division races left to claim and both have two first rounds to improve on, so this will definitely be a sprint to the finish.

Potential spoilers in attendance will be cars such as the Conway AFD's (Mike Manners and Monroe Guest) and there's usually a host of Div. 5 cars as well to shake up TAD and TAFC.

It will be a fun one to watch.

 

Noble

With Darren Nicholson not attending Noble, John Finke clinches Division 1 TAD.

Mark Billington didn't make the trip either, so that officially clinches Division 2 TAFC for Mickey Ferro.

While it isn't officially clinched yet, Steve Harker pretty much has Division 4 clinched with Kebin Kinsley electing not to make the trip to Noble. If Harker wins round one, he will clinch.

That leaves Division 3 TAFC, Division 4 TAD and Division 5 TAD as the only undecided races.

 

Div. 4 TAD

With Chase Copeland not qualifying, he is eliminated from contention in Div. 4 TAD.

Lewis is qualified No. 2 and Wahle is No.3, so if they both won first round, they would race each other in second round.

 

And then there was one

Noble, Okla was a great race and saw 3 divisional titles decided on the track:

Brandon Lewis clinched the Division 4 TAD Championship when Malcolm Wahle lost in the first round.

Steve Harker clinched his third straight Division 4 TAFC Championship with a first round win over Ron Morrison.

Chris Foster clinched the Division 3 TAFC Championship with a win over Lance Van Hauen in the final.

The only race not decided yet is the Division 5 TAD Championship and of course, the National Championship.