FEATURE DIVISION

Carlson Inching Closer To NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Title

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Sept. 26, 2007) – All that’s left is to wait.

Steve Carlson has already wrapped up the track championship at LaCrosse (Wisc.) Speedway and sits atop the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series championship standings. He maintains a 12-point cushion over second-place Woody Pitkat.

Pitkat’s points season is over at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway and he has one race remaining this weekend at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway before the Sept. 30 deadline.

Following the weekend of racing, NASCAR will verify the results and issue the final official points standing. Until then, Carlson is spending his time “wondering … and watching Woody.”

“My car owner (Tim Jacobs) checks on it regularly and calls me,” said Carlson of tracking his fellow challengers around the country. “We had such a good year at my home track. At the end of the year, I did some traveling to gain some more points, and we realized just how difficult it is just to gain even two points.”

Carlson has 862 points, while Pitkat has 850. Defending champion Philip Morris from Motor Mile Speedway in Virginia, is third at 844.

After that, there is a gap to Keith Rocco, who won the Thompson track title and also races at Stafford. Rocco has 828. Carlson’s teammate at LaCrosse, Kevin Nuttleman, is fifth with 808.

Former national champions Ted Christopher from Stafford and Joe Kosiski from I-80 Speedway in Nebraska are sixth and seventh, respectively, followed by Andy Burgess of LaCrosse, Al Humphrey of I-80 and Kerry Malone of Stafford and Thompson.

The national championship won’t be the only thing decided this weekend.

The 24 U.S. state and four Canadian provencial champions will also be determined. It resumes a tradition that dates back to the earliest days of NASCAR, where the best racers in each state are recognized.

For example, Morris is poised to become the first Virginia state champion since former NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series driver Geoff Bodine took the state’s Late Model Sportsman title in 1981. And Mark Day heads into the final weekend at Nashville’s Music City Motorplex with an eight-point lead over Josh Adams in the battle for the Tennessee state championship – a lineage that traces back to two-time Daytona 500 winner Sterling Marlin winning the Grand American Stock Car title in Tennessee in 1981.

For Carlson, though, the main focus is on the big picture.

And he’s more than happy to watch and wait.

Under the simplified point structure for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, the race winner will receive two points for every car in the event up to 25 cars. Second place will receive two fewer points, and so-on through the field. For example, if there are 25 cars, the winner receives 50 points, second gets 48 and third 46. If there are 15 cars, the winner receives 30 points, second gets 28 and third 26.

Roberts Looking To Make GPS History In NASCAR Whelen All-American Series

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 25, 2007) – David Roberts doesn’t have to look far for motivation.

The South Carolina driver needs only to look around the one-half mile of Greenville-Pickens Speedway, where he races his Late Model on a weekly basis. The outside retaining wall at the historic track bears the name of each of the track’s champions back to Grady Hawkins in 1957. Legendary names like David Pearson and Ralph Earnhardt are there, as are current drivers like two-time champion Randy Porter and four-time champion Marty Ward.

“The biggest thing is the history of the place,” Roberts said. “I’m just an old county boy coming from dirt (racing). Getting to race there is one thing. Getting to win is a whole different thing. If we can get this championship, and pull that off, I can’t even begin to imagine what that would be like.”

Not only is Roberts leading the Greenville-Pickens point standings – by 24 over Porter – but is also in the lead to become the first South Carolina state champion since Donnie Bishop in 1981. After a win and a second-place finish last weekend, Roberts also has moved up from 28th to 11th in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national points.

Even more impressive, Roberts is averaging 42.3 points per race. He has 14 starts, with three wins. The only driver in the top 15 with a better per-race average is Steve Carlson of Lacrosse (Wisc.) Fairgrounds Speedway, who is seventh overall with 608 points in 13 starts and a 46.8 average.

Woody Pitkat used a win at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway last week to take over the top spot in the championship standings with 702 points. Guy Jubinville and Jean Francois Bouvrette, both of Autodrome St. Eustache in Quebec, are second and third, respectively, with 656 and 650 points. Jamey Caudill of Southern National Raceway Park in Kenly (N.C.) is fourth with 648 points. Kerry Malone, who like Pitkat runs at Stafford and Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway, is fifth at 644.

Jubinville and Bouvrette both have 17 races. Pitkat, Caudill and Malone have all reached 18, meaning that with each successful finish, they can begin dropping their poorer performances. Only a driver’s top 18 finishes count toward the championship.

Roberts, meanwhile, has four races remaining to reach that limit. But he also doesn’t have any bad finishes to drop. He has finished fourth twice and in the top three the other 12 times.

“My goal at the beginning of the year was to finish in the top three every race, which is a pretty stiff goal,” said the 46-year-old Roberts, who has raced for more than 20 years including on-and-off for nine years at Greenville-Pickens. “We felt we had the car to do it.

“(Winning the championship has) kind of been a dream of mine for a long time. … Being able to have your name on the wall would be really big. Especially this year, with all the past champions running.”

Two weeks ago, Roberts had two of his best runs of the season that produced nothing to show for it. He led the initial 22 laps of the first 50-lap race, but had to settle for second behind Kenneth Headon. In the second feature, he led 45 laps before finishing second to Porter.

“I was trying to forget about that one,” Roberts said. “That’s why winning right out of the box was good this week.”

Saturday night, the Late Models will run a single 50-lap feature at Greenville-Pickens, but points will count double toward the track championship.

“If we can get through this week, and just keep doing what we’ve been doing,” Roberts said, “we’ll be in good shape.”

Under the simplified point structure for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, the race winner will receive two points for every car in the event up to 25 cars. Second place will receive two fewer points, and so-on through the field. For example, if there are 25 cars, the winner receives 50 points, second gets 48 and third 46. If there are 15 cars, the winner receives 30 points, second gets 28 and third 26.

Competitors will count their 18 highest point finishes through Sept. 30. The national champion will earn a reserved spot in the 2007 NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown at Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway in October.

Kosiski Watching More Than His
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Points

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 18, 2007) – Joe Kosiski has raced for enough NASCAR weekly championships that he knows you don’t start really looking at the national standings until the middle of August.

And that’s also when the driver from I-80 Speedway in Omaha, Neb., turns 50 this year.

Kosiski, who was named in 2006 as one of NASCAR’s All-Time Top 25 weekly series drivers, is already thinking about his retirement years from racing – a thought that’s been spurred on by watching his son Andrew’s accelerated learning curve in the driver’s seat.

“He’s really picking up and really doing a good job,” Joe Kosiski said of his son, who turned 16 in January. “I’m getting ready to have my last couple years to compete with him and have fun.”

Before he’s through, though, Kosiski may just add some more hardware to the trophy case.

Kosiski won last Sunday night’s Super Late Model feature at I-80. It was his second win and fourth straight top-two finish, helping Kosiski climb up to fifth in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national standings. He was seventh last week.

“I started off slow,” Kosiski said. “I had a couple of crashes early in the year, so that slowed me down some. I’ll start throwing (the poor finishes) away and I’ll start picking up a few spots.”

Kosiski has 608 points. Guy Jubinville of Autodrome St. Eustache in Quebec had a fourth-place finish this past weekend to maintain his overall lead. Woody Pitkat, who was third at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway last Friday, is second. Both Jubinville and Pitkat have 652 points, but Jubinville has the tiebreaker by virtue of more wins (6-2). Jamey Caudill of Southern National Raceway Park in Kenly, N.C., is third at 648 and Jean Francois Bouvrette of Autodrome St. Eustache is fourth at 646.

Kosiski isn’t worried about them, just yet.

“I always look at the track and state championship first. And then we look if there’s a possibility further than that,” Kosiski said. “I start looking at nationals when you get to the middle or latter part of August.”

Kosiski has already won 16 track titles, five regional/divisional championships and the 1986 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national championship. He came within two points of adding another national title last year.

He’ll get an added test this weekend when NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series star Carl Edwards runs in the Sunday night feature.

“It’s just part of what really needs to be done,” said Kosiski of Edwards’ appearance. “What makes heroes out of Whelen All-American Series stars is having the big stars come in, and showing that the local guys can race with them.”

Edwards also ran at I-80 last year, crashing out early in an event in which Kosiski finished second.

Kosiski’s biggest thrill, however, was earlier this year when his son, Andrew, won a track “race of champions” event. The race consisted of drivers who had won a big race or championship at I-80 over the last three years driving in cars from the Crate Late Model class.

“He drove one hell of a race,” Kosiski said of his son’s victory.

Andrew, who drives in the Late Model division on I-80’s Saturday night program – which features a separate point system than the division his dad runs on Sundays – picked up his first NASCAR Whelen All-American Series win in May and is 245th in the nation.

Under the simplified point structure for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, the race winner will receive two points for every car in the event up to 25 cars. Second place will receive two fewer points, and so-on through the field. For example, if there are 25 cars, the winner receives 50 points, second gets 48 and third 46. If there are 15 cars, the winner receives 30 points, second gets 28 and third 26.

Competitors will count their 18 highest point finishes through Sept. 30. The national champion will earn a reserved spot in the 2007 NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown at Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway in October.

Pitkat Closing In On Top Spot In
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 10, 2007) – Woody Pitkat hasn’t had enough time to look at the points. Which is just fine with him, since all his free time is spent racing or working in the shop.

“I’m getting paid to do what I love to do,” Pitkat said, “which is work on race cars.”

While Pitkat hasn’t been paying attention to the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series standings, he has been steadily climbing the ranks. A pair of runner-up finishes this past weekend moved the Stafford, Conn., driver from fifth to second in the overall standings.

“Really?” Pitkat said. “Nobody ever tells me anything. Just like last year.”

The 28-year-old Pitkat won the NASCAR Division IV championship last season under the old points format. He drives a Modified at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway and Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway. He also is attempting to defend his Late Model championship at Stafford, while working on James Civali’s NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour car during the week.

And he was tabbed as a mid-season replacement in another NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour ride, finishing 10th and 14th in his first two starts.

“I’m driving so many cars right now, I don’t have any pressure,” Pitkat said.

Pitkat is second in points in the SK Modified at Stafford, trailing only 2001 national champion Ted Christopher. Pitkat is third in points in his Sunoco Modified at Thompson.

Together, Pitkat has two wins, 10 top fives and 13 top 10s in 16 races.

He has 606 points, trailing only Guy Jubinville of Autodrome St. Eustache in Quebec. Jubinville (610 points) took away first place from Jean Francois Bouvrette, also of Autodrome St. Eustache, after finishing first and fourth in twin features. Bouvrette dropped to third with 602 points.

Jamey Caudill of Southern National Raceway Park in Kenly, N.C., is fourth with 584 points. Kerry Malone, Pitkat’s teammate at Stafford and who also runs at Thompson, is fifth with 570 points.

Keith Rocco, who beat Pitkat at Thompson July 5, moved up from 13th to eighth in points behind sixth-place Martin Marcoux of Autodrome St. Eustache and seventh-place Joe Kosiski of I-80 Speedway in Omaha, Neb.

“Our Stafford program has been a lot better – if we can do what we’ve been doing there, the points will come,” said Pitkat, who wants to win the Stafford title as gratitude for all the support he’s gotten from car owner David Rowe. “You just let them keep working on it and get it as close as they can. If it’s messed up, you make up for it.

“We just need to step it up at Thompson.”

Pitkat battled Ruocco for the lead at Thompson Thursday night, and then chased Christopher for the win at Stafford Friday night. Pitkat then celebrated his birthday Saturday.

“Thursday (running against Ruocco), it was definitely the hardest driving both of us ever had,” said Pitkat, who rebounded Friday from a right rear flat with nine laps to go at Stafford to challenge for the lead. “But getting to the back bumper of Teddy and passing him are two different things.”

An SK Modified championship at Stafford would complete Pitkat’s collection. He won a Late Model title at Thompson in 2002.

The only thing that could top that would be a national championship.

Under the simplified point structure for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, the race winner will receive two points for every car in the event up to 25 cars. Second place will receive two fewer points, and so-on through the field. For example, if there are 25 cars, the winner receives 50 points, second gets 48 and third 46. If there are 15 cars, the winner receives 30 points, second gets 28 and third 26.

Competitors will count their 18 highest point finishes through Sept. 30. The national champion will earn a reserved spot in the 2007 NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown at Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway in October.

NASCAR WHELEN ALL-AMERICAN SERIES TRACKS

SET TO CELEBRATE INDEPENDENCE DAY

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 3, 2007) – The Fourth of July is marked by celebration.

For some NASCAR Whelen All-American Series tracks, it’s also a chance to have fireworks on the track as well as off.

South Boston (Va.) Speedway will get the racing week started Tuesday, July 3 with its Bailey’s 200 Late Model event. Several tracks around the country will follow suit with special early week shows, like the Miller Lite American Celebration at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, Maine, and the Sprint Invaders & Late Model Firecracker 50 at West Liberty (Iowa) Raceway.

Drivers in Iowa, led by state points leader Jeremiah Hurst, will also run the Firecracker 40s for the Late Models at Farley Speedway July 6 and Dubuque Speedway July 8.

Shasta Raceway Park in Anderson, Calif. and Magic Valley in Twin Falls, Idaho are also scheduled to run July 3.

On July 4, Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, N.C. will hold the Rusty Harpe Memorial 250. The evening, which features a 150-lap Late Model race, is being held in honor of former Caraway Limited Late Model champion John Russell “Rusty” Harpe, who passed away earlier this year after a farming accident. More than 50 competitors are expected for the race, including Jamey Caudill, Speedy Faucette and Deac McCaskill.

Caudill from Southern National Raceway Park in Kenly, N.C., is currently third in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series with 532 points. Ace Speedway’s Faucette, 51st in the standings, has 10 wins in 16 starts this season. And McCaskill is 12th in the nation.

Other regional drivers, including those from South Boston, may also run the July 4 race at Caraway depending on how they get through Tuesday night’s race.

Jean Francois Bouvrette of Autodrome St. Eustache in Quebec jumped to the top of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series standings with 548 points, and Guy Jubinville, also of Autodrome St. Eustache, is second at 536.

Some tracks, like the historic Bowman-Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem (N.C.) will take the Independence Week off. Bowman-Gray will return July 14 with the Craftsman 100 for its Modified division.

Others, like Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway will run enhanced programs on the weekend. Stafford’s Friday night show will be its 13th Annual DiGiorgi Roofing & Siding Late Model 100. The night will also include its regular 40-lap race for the track’s top division, the SK Modifieds. Which just means even more racing opportunities for Connecticut driver Woody Pitkat.

Pitkat moved up to fifth in the national standings – one spot behind Stafford’s Kerry Malone. Both run Modifieds at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway and Stafford. Pitkat is also Stafford’s defending Late Model champion. He is third in Late Model points at Stafford this season, fourth in SK Modified points, and made his second start in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour this past weekend at New Hampshire International Speedway, where he finished 14th.

Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway will host the Auto Club Late Model Firecracker 100 July 4, in addition to the NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series event. Colorado National Speedway in Erie, Colo. will headline its July 4 card with a 100-lap Late Model race, and Georgia’s Lanier National Speedway will have a 100-lap race for its Pro Late Models.

 Under the simplified point structure for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, the race winner will receive two points for every car in the event up to 25 cars. Second place will receive two fewer points, and so-on through the field. For example, if there are 25 cars, the winner receives 50 points, second gets 48 and third 46. If there are 15 cars, the winner receives 30 points, second gets 28 and third 26.

Competitors will count their 18 highest point finishes through Sept. 30. The national champion will earn a reserved spot in the 2007 NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown at Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway in October.