Championship Races heading down the stretch...

Here's our take on the championship races in TAD/TAFC...

TAD -
1. Sean O'Bannon - Current points leader is in the driver's seat. Good car, the driving has been there, and so has the weather man. Could seal the deal with a few more divisional wins.

2. Arthur Gallant - Superb divisional track record has the 2002 Champ in the No. 2 spot, but his championship hopes are not really in his hands. Has been to 5/5 races with little success on the national level. Needs to win out and to have O'Bannon, Reichert and Massey fall on their face down the stretch to have a shot at the title. Should be No. 4 or 5 at the end of the season.

3. Bill Reichert - Just like his racecar, look for a late season charge out of Reichert. In our preseason predictions, we said if Reichert can pull some wins out of the summer months, look out. A very convincing performance in the heat scored him a win at the Joliet divisional. Anyone remember the way he finished last year? I would put him about even money to win it with O'Bannon. Dallas will be the deciding race.

4. Spencer Massey - Rookie phenom Massey has a good looking season and alot of races left to claim. Needs to come through with a Sonoma win to slow down O'bannon and get some valuable points himself. An even smarter chess move might be for him to run the Sonoma divisional...

5. Steve Federlin - Currently sixth in points, behind Steve Torrence, who does not plan to return to TAD. Has a strong divisional record, but would really have to win out on the national level to have a shot.

Outside longshots: Ashley Force, Aaron Olivarez, Lee Callaway

TAFC

1. Bob Newberry - The defending Champ has went rounds nearly everywhere, but only has one Wally on the year with a 5/5 season under his belt. Needs to win out and get some help to win a second straight championship.

2. Jay Payne - After a very strong start to the season, it looked like this might be Payne's year. Has been very hit and miss ever since. Usually good for the top spot in qualifying, but has not been reaching the winner's circle. Good for another top 5 finish, but Championship hopes are slim at this point.

3. Frank Manzo - Has a good season going, with several wins to his credit, and only a 5/3 set of races thus far. Has some tough battles in Div. 1 ahead of him which may open the door for someone else. Right now, he's in the driver's seat, and we'll put even money on him.

4. Cy Chesterman - Has a nice group of races going. Two runner ups on the national level with two wins and a runner up on the divisional side. Only has claimed 5/3 so far, so his chances look bright. Has a history of dominating Division 5, so we give him the upper hand on the divisional side vs. Manzo. However, with no wins yet on the national side, needs to win 2 out of his next 3. We put him on 5 to 2 money.

5. Jimmy Jones - Dr. Jones has put together a very impressive track record on the divisional side with three wins and a runner-up. Has the best position to win the championship out of the top five with only a 2/5 schedule, whether or not they decide to chase the national points remains to be seen.
If they can make some more national appearances, they have a legit shot at the championship.

Outside shots - Mick Snyder, Steve Gasparrelli, Doug Gordon