Regional Masters is Hot! - Championship Finale Preview

[Pork Chop Willie]

Last weekend’s racing at Watkins Glen turned the Regional Masters Series into a dash to the finish line with four drivers contending for the top three spots. RJ Smith went into the weekend with what looked like a lock on the Championship. But after scoring a donut in his first race, those behind him in the standings began to see some daylight ahead. Alas (for us), in his second race RJ scored enough points to maintain his lock on first—as long as he has a modestly respectable showing in the finale.

Bill “Pork Chop Willie” Hammer, David Casey and Jimmy Locke all can take the second and third place trophies. With just one race to go (on the final weekend, masters points are awarded only for the separate finale masters race), the final places will all be decided at Lime Rock on October 9th.

At The Glen, Pork Chop Willie got off the asphalt in both of his expert class races giving David Casey the opportunity to close the gap between them. Strong finishes in both of the championship class races by Pork Chop and Casey lifted them over second placer, Jimmy Locke. This left the following points standings after drops (actually its after drop, singular, because the masters can only drop one race whereas all other classes drop two—go figure):

Smith 264

Hammer 237

Casey 231

Locke 226

The finale is scored with Championship points. A first place finish gets 65 points. The difference between a first and second place finish is 15 points. Ten points separate second and third place finishes. So, boys, get a good night’s rest. It’s all come down to one race!