2020 Top Alcohol National Championship Scenarios

2020 Top Alcohol National Championship Scenarios

Well we are down to the final stretch for the 2020 season. Considering where we were during the lockdown phase of the pandemic, I'm happy to say there was a 2020 season, even if it was significantly shortened. 2020 has given us some phenomenal performances like Megan Meyer's 5.09 in Indy and some great head to head action in both categories. TAFC is down to essentially a two horse race, while TAD is a sprint to the finish between four to six cars.

This year's shortened National Championship format is to claim your best five out of six nationals (that's all there were this year) and your best two of five regional events.

TAFC

Let's get the easy one out of the way first. Doug Gordon's magic number to clinch is 57 points, so if he reaches the finals this weekend, he will be the 2020 National Champion. Gordon has attended all four national events this season and reached the final in all of them, winning two. He has a "perfect" regional scorecard with two wins, so he is maxxed out on that side. There are ten cars entered this weekend in Houston, so it will be a four round race. If he wins the first round, Sean Bellemeur and Brian Hough cannot lose a round the rest of the year. Bellemeur has already won two regional races, so he will have to win the Houston and Vegas National events, while Hough has a win and a runner-up on the regional side, so he will not only have to win Houston and Vegas, he will have to win the Vegas Regional as well.

TAD

Defending Champ Megan Meyer is the current points leader, and in a normal year, would be the favorite to win it again, but this isn't a normal year. Due to the pandemic, her original wedding date had to be moved, and this weekend is the weekend they moved it to (before Houston was rescheduled to this weekend). After regaining the points lead with a big win last weekend in Dallas, Megan will fly into Houston to make the first qualifying run, then fly home to get married on Sunday. Shawn Cowie is right behind her in second, followed by her teammate Julie Nataas in third. Jackie Fricke and James Stevens both have mathematical shots as well. There is 76 points separating first place Meyer and sixth place Fricke. There are still a lot of potential scenarios, but the picture should be a lot clearer Sunday afternoon in Houston.

The weatherman could play a pivotal role in this year's TAD Championship. We have seen A/Fuel cars fly in Vegas if the air is cool and dry. However a hot weekend at the Vegas finals could spell trouble for the A/Fuel cars and become a 'home field' advantage for Cowie.

Stay tuned to our race coverage presented by GRP Connecting Rods on Facebook for updates as the weekend unfolds.

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