With two weekends of racing remaining before Speed Weekend, drivers, crews and fans are focused on the championship point battle in all three of our divisions.
Greg Fahey #20 and Glenn Rasmussen #81 thrilled us last Saturday night with side-by-side Pro-Stock racing!
This weekend we have the Faster Pastor and Mascot Challenge happening, but its all about the points for the top teams in the Coast Tire Street Stock, Martin’s Home Heating Sportsman and Irving Lubricants Pro-Stock divisions.
In Street Stock, Brian Fox has an 18 point lead over Shawn Hyslop and Jason Shannon. “The Flying Fox” is 19 ahead of defending champ Rick Cashol and 26 up on Robert Raynes. This is a critical week for Fox because if he can maintain his current lead he will be in good shape heading into the last point race.
Raynes is a bit of a long-shot, but Hyslop, Shannon and Cashol are all in position to win the title, particularly if Fox falters in the next two weeks. But Brian, a helicopter pilot and instructor with the Canadian Armed Forces, is pretty cool under fire. I think we will see two great weeks of racing for street stock fans before the 2009 title is presented.
In Sportsman, things are a lot tighter at the top. Michael Banks has a slim one point advantage over Wade Harris and John Rankin is only nine points back. Glyn Nott and Brent Roy, the “Camry Kid”, are 18 behind the leader. Banks, Harris and Nott are veteran sportsman drivers who are still looking for their first division title. Rankin and Roy are two young guns who have served notice that they are contenders in this great division.
It seems to always come down to the last point day in the Sportsman Division and I predict that’s the way it will play out again this year. Chances are a dramatic story-line will play itself out before the 2009 Champ is crowned!
In Pro-Stock, Greg Fahey has opened up a seven point advantage over three-time champ Glenn Rasmussen and is 16 up on Big Kevin Moore. Fahey, the defending title holder, has been steady all season long, Rasmussen has returned to championship form after being away most of last season dealing with health issues and Moore has been hanging around the top of the charts for several weeks.
I enjoy these championship chases at Speedway 660. There is always excitement in the final two point races. We will end up with three jubilant championship teams and more than a few broken hearts of folks who will just have to wait until next year to resume their championship dreams.
A couple of notes from last week – first, Pro-Stockers Greg Fahey and Glenn Rasmussen put on some show! Not just once but twice. In the Dash they went door-to-door and Greg made an amazing last lap pass for the win. Then, in the Feature, the same two drivers had one of the best battles of the season and once again Fahey squeaked out the win.
What I appreciated most was in post-race interviews both drivers showed a lot of class and respect for the sport, the fans, their sponsors and each other. Rasmussen and Fahey are two of the best in more ways than one.
I wondered, during the Sportsman Feature, what was going on with the 12 car. Bradley Logan was pinch-driving for Glyn Nott and got the car up to about seventh spot and then pretty much went backwards for the rest of the race. Glyn Sr. told me after the race that the motor laid-down, but at that point wasn’t sure of the extent of the damage. So that explains why Logan’s Run, which started out pretty good ended on a sour note.
I have used up my space for this week, but want to end by inviting you out to the Geary Woods this weekend to cheer for your favourite Saturday Nigh Hero at Speedway 660
