There are only two weekends remaining in the 2011 Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oil ASA Member Track National Championship chase. While Barry Beggarly may be in the lead on the rest of the competition, he is in a tight points battle at Ace Speedway. Meanwhile, three drivers at Newport Motor Speedway may have their final say in who will be the National Champion and Chrissy Wallace secured her spot to challenge for the top prize of a tryout with Joe Gibbs Racing.
Beggarly continues to lead the National standings with an average of 4.9384. His average did go down a little after a fifth place run last Friday night at the ASA Member Track in Altamahaw, NC.
But, as a reminder, the National Champion must win their track championship first. This could be Beggarly’s Achilles heal in his final event on Friday, September 23.
Why? Last week, Jason York’s second place run, along with Ace Speedway handing out double points, moved York within two points of Beggarly for the track championship.
York has his own interest on winning the track championship because he could also be a factor in the National Championship himself. York is second in the East Region with an average of 4.7942.
But, the National Championship focus is not just at Ace Speedway. Newport Motor Speedway’s top-three drivers will also be a factor when this is all said and done.
Newport’s Late Model Sportsman championship will be decided this Saturday night with a double points event. Two points only separate the top-three in the standings, and those top-three are currently third through fifth in the East Region National Standings and are all within striking distance of Beggarly.
Zack Franks is the current points leader after winning the last two events at Newport, and is third overall in the National Standings with an average of 4.3961. David Flynn is one point behind Franks in the track standings and he has an average of 4.3108. Wayne Webb is two points back and has a national average of 4.2908.
One other thing to consider is that the possibility does exist for a competitors average to go down which could allow others in the standing to step up.
This could help Chrissy Wallace who secured the Late Model track championship last Saturday night at Lebanon I-44 Speedway in Lebanon, MO. She has the highest average among the drivers in the West Region with a 4.5541. She is second overall in the national standings.
“We have so many different scenarios going into the final two weeks, that no one can declare they are the 2011 National Champion today,” Dennis Huth, ASA President said. “Last year, it came down to the final laps and when all said and done, Bryan Wordelman won the National Title by a margin of 0.0028. It is very possible that we could look something like this happening again this year. The next two weeks will be intense.”
Shelby Stroebel remains fourth in the standings with an average of 4.2425. The 2011 ASA Modified champion at Meridian Speedway in Meridian, ID won a non-points event last Saturday night that was named after his father Allen Stroebel, who lost his battle with leukemia last week.
Mike Reichenberger, the 2011 Late Model Champion at Norway Speedway in Norway, MI, is fifth overall with an average of 4.2121.
Michael Hale secured his second Maverik Modified championship in the last three years this past Saturday at Rocky Mountain Raceways in West Valley City, UT. He is sixth overall with an average of 3.9751.
Mark Mackesy, the 2011 Late Model Champion at State Park Speedway in Wausau, WI, is seventh overall with an average of 3.3718.
Ronnie Rihn came from behind to win the Super Late Model championship at Marshfield Motor Speedway in Marshfield, WI last Saturday night. He is eighth overall with an average of 2.9859.
Ryan Stiltner continues to lead the Charger division standings at Lonesome Pine Raceway in Coeburn, VA. He is ninth overall with an average of 2.3278.
Mark Shackleford won the 2011 Super Late Model track championship at Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino, CA last Saturday night. He rounds out the top-ten with an average of 2.2495.
Fans can look at their favorite driver statistics by visiting SpeedNetDirect.com’s Championship Insider at www.championshipinsider.com. It is a free membership site, sign up today!
Drivers from participating ASA Member Tracks across the United States have chosen one of their divisions as their premiere divisions. Those drivers in the premiere division, who are ASA members in good standing, will compete at their ASA Member Track to first win their track championship. Once they accomplish that goal, they will then be matched up against the other premiere division champions to determine the National Champion.
ASA has once again teamed up with speednetdirect.com to create a proprietary point system that is much like a batting average in baseball. Some of the factors used to create an average are wins, number of cars passed, finishes, car count, and number of events. No one knows what has more of a factor over another.
Race fans and competitors can follow the standings on www.speednetdirect.com. The opening page shows the current track point leaders that would be eligible for the National Championship if it ended today. The East and West Region standings give a complete listing of all of the drivers participating this season.
Past National Champions are Cary Stapp, Thunderhill Raceway (2008), Tommy Cloce, Adirondack Speedway (2009), and Bryan Wordelman, Rocky Mountain Raceways (2010).
ASA Racing PR
- Dover Weekend Schedule - April 21, 2024
- Kaulig Racing Race Recap | Ag-Pro 300 - April 20, 2024
- Talladega Superspeedway Weekend Schedule - April 14, 2024