Last week Alce Correndo looked to be cruising to a win in a truck that was strong all day, and then misfortune struck. This weekit was gong to take just the right circumstances to win. The 00 and its driver are just not very good at California. The first break came before they race even got underway. Bumpdraft was not in the pits. The veteran TNT driver battled Rowdy O'Neil to the wire in the last race at Cali. The 11 missing from the pits meant everyone that was there would have a better shot at success.
    In qualifying Rowdy O'Neill made it very clear that his truck had not skipped a beat. he took the pole with a lap of 40.813. The lap was over a half second faster than qualifying here last season. Other notables in qualifying included Larry Dee. The 88 had been fastest in practice, and held down the 2nd fastest time of the "live: guys. The time was good enough for 6th overall when the AI cars were included.
    Early laps saw the 88, 00 and 3 all head high to chase down Rowdy. For the next few laps Larry Dee would be in the middle of most of the action. First was a spin out of two. The Rte 1 Chevy spun to the inside where a bit of pinball wizardry resulted in  an unbelievable save. Next was  a battle with Carl Edwards. Larry nosed him out of the way and into the wall. This was the start of a race long confrontation. Next was the 73. Both cars wanted to draft off of the 10. Larry was on the outside. The 73 held his line. Larry could not save it this time. The 88 crashed bringing out the first caution.
     Most of the AI cars stayed out so Rowdy and company would have to race for position while navigating through the pack. Alce, Larry Dee and  GoRusty2 worked the high side while Rowdy and X-Mod sliced there way though low. On lap 11, as if doing a synchronized stunt, both the 51 and 3x spun. The dual spins would bring out caution number two.
   AI cars do not count in the standings. If a car is mid-pack, but first amongst the live guys, then he is leading.  Larry Dee took the point on lap 17 but spun one lap later.
     X-Mod was trying to get a share of the top spot when he and the 42 of Montoya tangled. The resulting spin collected Larry Dee. Correndo faired no better while leading. he spun coming out of turn two while on the low side. It was not long before things settled in, and that is when Rowdy took over. He broke free of the pack and sailed effortlessly out front. Correndo could close to about 8 car lengths, but that was it. A car no one was paying attention to was the 2. In typical GoRusty2 fashion, the 2 sliced his way though the field, and on lap 55, Correndo would be demoted to third. The competition caution flew on lap 60. When it did, it was apparent that GoRusty2 had a truck capable of winning.
       The field charged down pit row. Out first was the 51, but there was a speeding infraction and the 51 would be heading to the end of the longest line. The official leader was now GoRusty2 with Larry Dee in second. Larry was ready for another charge. He blasted by the 2. The 88 had plenty of damage, but still was fast. Rowdy was charging from the back to the front. Alce was also making a move up high. Fighting for some drafting space, the 88 fell victim to a scrum for position again. Larry spun up the track and into the wall. The 00 also slapped the wall trying to avoid the melee. Both drivers would head to pit row for repairs. The race now looked to be between the two fastest trucks, Rowdy O'Neil and GORusty2.
   Rowdy played his hand first. He headed to pit row for fresh tires and fuel. GoRusty2 stayed out. The battle was on. Rowdy was charging from the back again while the 2 tried to get as far ahead as possible. By lap 77 Rowdy had hunted down the leader. Rowdy swooped low going into turn three. The 51 had stuck there all night long. It could have been the extra speed carried by the draft, or it just could have been tires a bit abused getting to the front. Rowdy's truck did not stick. It pushed up the track and contacted GoRusty2. Rowdy spun down and into the pit wall. The 2 crashed hard high. Both drivers that appeared headed for the top two spots were out of contention. The table was reset. it was a whole different race.
     On lap 79 there was a new leader, Larry Dee. It was up to Correndo to catch him. With 10 to go it looked as the 88 , damage and all, just might hold on. There were times when the 88 could sprint out to 2 to 3 car lead. Again and again the lead would stretch and the close up due to the effect of the draft. Then it happened. Heading out of turn 2 the 88 pushed up and  scuffed the wall just enough to let the 00 by.
     Larry would have to settle for second. For Alce Correndo it was his 13th win. Tonight you needed to be there at the end.
     The Pro-Tour heads off to MNRL next Wednesday.  Hope to see you there.  
                                                                                                              Larry Dee leads with less than 10 to go!

       _______________________________________
     

Jacob Shaughnessy fought back from a lap down to win the Pro-Tour Challenge Season opener at Daytona!
 

  There has been over 70 Pro-Tour events since the series started. If you rated them all, Wednesday night's event would most likely be rated #1.  The race has it all. From start to finish the event was action packed. The finish was quite fitting as Jacob Shaughnessy scored a well deserved win!
     19 Pro-Tour Trucks took the green flag. It was not long before 3 lines of traffic formed as the entire field drafted as one big cluster of trucks. The #11 of Bumpdraft was caught in the middle as the pack came off of turn 4 and headed down the front stretch. THe 11 bounced from low to high groove where the 22 tagged the FedEx machine in the rear quarter. Both trucks spun blocking the entire track. Somehow many of the front runners slipped through. Unfortunatley for Bumpdraft, the 11 would sustain serious damage and not be competitive again.
       The remainder of the first half of the race featured side by side action, with a variety of leaders taking a turn at the point. As the event closed in on half way, the leaders often were 3 wide as no one seemed satisfied with any position but the lead. Alce Correndo managed to take the half way caution in first. A lap down at the time was the 55 of Jacob Shaughnessy. Shaughnessy would be the recipient of the "Lucky Dog". This was a key moment in the race.
    With the caution flag flying, teams made their way to pit row. The 51 of Rowdy O'Neill emerged from the flurry of pit stops in first , Correndo dropped a spot and ran second. Larry Dee was in third. The green flew and  teams were right back at it.  Lap 45  would see another front runner get in trouble. The 3 of X-Mod, running on the outside, squeezed down on the 22 coming out of two. The 22 could not keep his truck down and made slight contact with X-Mod. It was enough of  a hit to cause X-Mod to slam the wall. The 3  was not competitive after that contact.
        With thirty to go things had not settled down a bit. Side by side battles for the lead were the norm. Side by side at 190mph, the battle was on. The speeds soon proved too much on some of the equipment. Lap 60 saw the 88 of Larry Dee go up in smoke. 8 laps later it was teammate  S.Ampaholics #19 erupting in a plume of smoke. With 10 to go the race had settled down to just a few with equipment strong enough to stay up front.
    Correndo looked strong. The 00 had performed flawlessly. His main concern was the black and white 55. Shaughnessy was camped on his rear bumper, and had shown many times throughout the event that he could position himself to draft by.The 00 had a plan. Alce moved up to the second groove to draft away from Shaughnessy. The plan was to open up some space and then draft by for the win. Infortunatley for Alce, Todd Bodine wanted to do the same thing. Bodine turned down on the 00 sending Correndo careening into the infield. "The Onion's " move was just what Shaughnessy needed to close the deal. Shaughnessy avoided the wrecking trucks and cruised on to the win.
   For Shaughnessy it was his seond Pro-Tour win. Correndo would have to settle for second.  Brandon29K adjusted his truck all night and fought his way to third. Rowdy O'Neill, driving with a broken hand from a racing accident Memorial Day weekend would hold on for fourth. The Pro-Tour heads to California next Wednesday. Hope to see you all there!  

  Click here to view a Graphical Race Report (Expand your browser to view-Click image to enlarge)

RACE RESULTS (After 80 laps)

Pos No   Driver                           
 1    55  J.Shaughnessy                     
 2    00  Alce Correndo                     
 3    89  brandon29k                        
 4    51 Rowdy ONeill                       
 5    19 Scott Ampaholic                    
 6    88  Larry Dee                         
 7     3  X Mod                             
 8    11  Bumpdraft                         
      

RACE FASTEST LAPS

Pos Driver              Time    Speed    Lap
 1   Alce Correndo    45.290s   198.720   34
 2   Larry Dee        45.420s   198.151   34
 3  Scott Ampaholic   45.424s   198.133   34
 4   X Mod            45.436s   198.081   34
 5   brandon29k       45.595s   197.390   59
 6  Rowdy ONeill      45.602s   197.360   67
 7   J.Shaughnessy    45.764s   196.661   57
 8   Bumpdraft        45.928s  195.959     3

MOST LAPS LED

Driver                       Laps led
Alce Correndo                   52
Rowdy O'Neill                    14
Scott Ampaholic                  5
J.Shaughnessy                    2
 X Mod                           1

DAMAGE COST SUMMARY
(Change part costs in File->Options)

Driver                           Bodywork  Engine Other  Total
Scott Ampaholic                      1000    5000     0   6000
 Larry Dee                            143    4206     0   4349
 X Mod                               2119     635     0   2754
 Bumpdraft                           2143       0     0   2143
 brandon29k                           429       0     0    429
 Alce Correndo                        357       0     0    357
Rowdy ONeill                          143       0     0    143
 J.Shaughnessy                        143       0     0    143

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New Challenge Series Opener Tonight!
Daytona BR
Click here for Race Details

       Series Champion Alce Correndo will start his title defense tonight as he takes on the Pro-Tour regulars at Daytona. Correndo will have his work cut out for him. The Ai set  is new for this week, and are capable of scoring the win themselves. They don't count in the standings but they are capable of pulling competitors by in the draft.
    Trevor Pertteli is expected to give Correndo a run for his money. The runner up in last seasons Championship standings never has been fan of the big tracks, but has shown some muscle on the Superspeedways of late and is expected to contend for the win.
   Challenge Series 6 Champion GaryO-Andretti did not try to defend his title. He only participated in a few events, but won most everything he ran in. The same is true for Rowdy O'Neill.
    Rumors are that the Rte 1 Auto Service teams of Ampaholic, Intimagator and Larry Dee could team up and do some serious damage. The trio specialize in running up front at Superspeedways.
   Go Rusty 2 is another competitor to keep your eye on. He has a laid back style. He'll take care of his race truck for the first half of the event. When the money is on the line expect the 2 to be in the hunt.
   Dave Chappel has indicated he'll be making the show. Distracted by the Detroit Red Wing's run to the championship, Dave has not been a threat in recent Pro-Tour events, but hockey is over, all of the squid is back in the freezer, and Dave and teammate J. Shaughnessy are expected to give the competition fits.
   One driver that is not expected to make the show is Tim Farol. Tim started last challenge series strong. he won on the SuperSpeedways in the mods and ran up front in every race entered. Unfortunately, due to connection issues, we won't see Tim as a regular on the Pro-Tour until fall. Prime Time teammate Brandon29K just might show, and if he does expect the 89 to be a threat even without Tim. At Talladega Brandon did everything but take the win.
    Join us if you can for some of the greatest SuperSpeedway racing on the net!

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   The Pro-TOur ran its final event of the current challenge series this Wednesday night. From early in practice it was clear GaryoAndretti had the truck to beat. In practice the 48 was the only race truck in the high 30's. Qualifying saw the 48 turn a lap of 31.354. X-Mod got close but again the 48 was fastest. Once the race got underway the story was again, all Gary0.

   From the drop of the green to the competition caution, Garyo was never challenged. He lead all 60 laps. There would only be a few times the win was ever in doubt. The first came as the 48 stayed out while the field pitted. The restart after the competition caution would be the first time the 48 would have to perform in traffic. S.Ampaholic led as the field went back to green. Garyo was making a charge to the front and just touched the 2 as the trucks headed down the back stretch. The 48 spun. The 2 nosed into the wall and then was collected by the 00. The incident ended GoRusty2's note.

  The restart on lap 70 had Bones Pertteli on the point with Gary0, S. Ampaholic and  Correndo in tow. Ampaholic headed to pit row to serve a penalty while the 3 leaders cruised by. Garyo immediately headed to the outside and challenged to regain the lead. The next 8 lpas would see a side by side battle between the two leaders. Correndo could not mount a challenge. His truck was damaged from a roll over in the incident earlier and lacked straight away speed. Pertteli held the inside line while Garyo slid around the top. THe inside line would proove too much on the 7's tires. Pertteli faded. Garyo powered by and on to the win.

Garyo's return was fitting whereas it was the last race of the challenge season, a season that he was the defending champ. The win was Andretti's league leading 20th and his 7th pole.  Correndo had the Championship wrapped up when he entered the event. The Pro-Tour will head off to Infineon for a road course event next week. This will be the first event of the Summer Challenge Season.

RACE FASTEST LAPS

Pos Driver                                 Time    Speed  Lap
 1  Scott Ampaholic                     30.825s  175.183    6
 2  Trevor Pertteli                     30.847s  175.058    6
 3   X Mod                              30.875s  174.899    7
 4   Garyoandretti                      30.901s  174.752    8
 5   Alce Correndo                      30.931s  174.582   76
 6  Tim Farol                           30.965s  174.391    3
 7   Go Rusty2                          31.036s  173.992   12

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Rowdy Earns Hard Fought Win
in
Wild Bill Hickok 130

Rowdy O'Neil battles "Bones " Pertteli with 3 to go at Atlanta

   The Pro-Tour headed to one of the favorite tracks on the tour - Atlanta. A mixture of AI cars and Pro-Tour regulars took the green. The early portions of the race was a continuous string of miscues as inpatient drivers tried to force their way to the front. All 7 drivers  took a turn at the top spot at some point. The first real casualty of the race came about when the 20 of Intimagator and the 2 of GoRusty 2 got together. The 2 had a brand new paint scheme for the event. It did not take long to scar it up. The contact with the wall rendered the 2 uncompetitive.
    Lap 52 saw Larry Dee take over the top spot. The Rte1 Auto Service Pro-Truck was flying. The 51 and the 89 had troubles during this stretch. Larry Dee looked to be cruising to a win. Suddenly on lap 84 Larry lost control. The yellow did not fly as the 99 was down off of the racing surface. From this point on the battle settled down between the 7 of Bones Pertteli and the 51 of Rowdy O'Neill.
   If you had to give an award for perseverance, Brandon29K would take it. Each time the yellow flew, Brandon took advantage of the Lucky Dog. By lap 114 the 89 had come from 4 laps down to take the lead.  The comeback was cut short when Brandon made contact with an AI car.
   Brandon's bad luck was Pertteli's good luck. The 7 had lost a lap and needed a break to get back in contention. Pertteli lead first. Then there was a side by side battle that went on for laps. Rowdy was able to complete the pass and looked to be on cruise. Somehow Pertteli fought back and dove low on the 51. With 3 to go they were side by side. Pertelli's move might have come a lap early for Rowdy took advantage of the momentum on the top side to secure the win.
   The win was just the start of the night for Rowdy.  He would go on to win the Late Nite Modified Madness feature later on in the evening. Details of that race can be found at http://www.SimRaceFree.com  . The Pro-Tour trucks will finish out their season at Homestead on June 10th.  The Mods will still be in action on the third as well as a special exhibition Trans-Am event for Road Race fans. Congrats to Rowdy on his hard fought win!

RACE RESULTS (After 130 laps)

Pos No   Driver            Laps   Race Time       Diff    Speed    
 1    51 Rowdy ONeill       130 110m40.320s             108.537              
 2     7 Trevor Pertteli    130 110m40.562s    00.242s  108.533              
 3    89  brandon29k        130 110m53.915s    13.595s  108.315              
 4    88  Larry Dee         126 110m40.716s   4 lap(s)  105.191               
 5    00  Alce Correndo      59  55m05.759s  71 lap(s)   98.947             
 6    20  Intimagator        41  41m49.644s  89 lap(s)   90.572       
 7     2  Go Rusty2          31  29m23.741s  99 lap(s)   97.443 

RACE FASTEST LAPS

Pos Driver             Time     Speed    Lap
 1   Larry Dee        30.459s  182.015    3
 2   Intimagator      30.461s  182.004    3
 3   brandon29k       30.482s  181.878    4
 4   Alce Correndo    30.495s  181.801    4
 5  Trevor Pertteli   30.598s  181.189    3
 6  Rowdy O'Neill      30.602s  181.165   51
 7   Go Rusty2        30.724s  180.446    3

LEADERS

Driver                           Laps
Rowdy O'Neill                     1-5
Alce Correndo                    6-8
Go Rusty2                        9-14
Larry Dee                        15-24
Go Rusty2                        26-26
Intimagator                      27
brandon29k                       28-31
Alce Correndo                    32-33
Larry Dee                        34-37            Larry Dee enters turn 3with a huge lead
Intimagator                      38-41            2nd, 3rd and 4th place can be seen just
brandon29k                       42-51            making their way down the straight.
Larry Dee                        52-64
Rowdy ONeill                     65-68
Trevor Pertteli                  69-79
Rowdy ONeill                     80-113
brandon29k                       114-117
Trevor Pertteli                  118
Rowdy ONeill                     119
Trevor Pertteli                  120-126
Rowdy ONeill                     127
Trevor Pertteli                  128
Rowdy ONeill                     129-130

Total Laps Led

Driver                          Laps
Rowdy O'Neill                     48
Larry Dee                        27
Trevor Pertteli                  20
brandon29k                       18
Go Rusty2                         7
Intimagator                       5
Alce Correndo                     5

DAMAGE COST SUMMARY

Driver             Bodywork Engine Other  Total
Go Rusty2            3143    5000   417   8560
Intimagator          1952     952     0   2904
Alce Correndo        1452     238     0   1690
Erik Darnell          857       0     0    857
brandon29k            643       0     0    643
Larry Dee             357       0     0    357
Todd Bodine           357       0     0    357
Rowdy O'Neill          214       0     0    214
Mike Skinner          143       0     0    143
Trevor Pertteli        71       0     0     71

END OF RACE Damage STATUS

Alce Correndo:
the car has an engine problem.
minor problems with left front bodywork.
rear bodywork is entirely removed.
minor problems with roof bodywork.
minor problems with left side bodywork.
minor problems with right side bodywork.

Rowdy ONeill:
minor problems with left side bodywork.
minor problems with right side bodywork.

Intimagator:
the car has an engine problem.
minor problems with front bodywork.
minor problems with hood bodywork.
rear bodywork is entirely removed.
minor problems with roof bodywork.
medium problems with left side bodywork.
medium problems with right side bodywork.

Trevor Pertteli:
minor problems with right side bodywork.

Larry Dee:
minor problems with left front bodywork.
minor problems with rear bodywork.
minor problems with left side bodywork.
minor problems with right side bodywork.

Go Rusty2:
the engine has exploded.
minor problems with left front suspension.
minor problems with a coolant leak.
minor problems with front bodywork.
medium problems with rear bodywork.
severe problems with roof bodywork.
severe problems with left side bodywork.
severe problems with right side bodywork.

brandon29k:
minor problems with rear bodywork.
minor problems with left side bodywork.
severe problems with right side bodywork.

_________________________________

Gary-O's Late Race Charge at Talladega
Goes Up in Smoke on Final Lap

     The Pro-Tour visited Talladega for a Super Speedway slugfest Wednesday night.  14 AI cars were added to the field. The use of AI cars is new to the Pro-Tour and the Late Nite Modified Series. Their reception has been luke warm at best. Most servers won't allow them, but NRT has gone out of their way to allow their use.  They require testing to get them just right, and revaluation after each event. Drivers need to learn how to drive against them. Drive clean and give them room and they become an asset.  Squeeze then, or cut them off when you are obviously slower, and you might just wind up in the wall. They do not count in the overall standings. So far we have seen them cause changes in pit strategy, allow a driver to win an event by teaming with them to draft, and cause quite the frustration as faster cars work traffic. When something goes wrong, you might hear drivers complain about them but keep in mind, spin rules were made for human drivers. Most time the AI cars are right. Judging by the race at Talladega, they are here to stay.
     Alce Correndo made it known early that his ride would be strong by setting the pole at 50.850 seconds.The 19 truck of  S. Ampaholic would follow close behind with a lap of 50.879.  1 thousandth of a second behind the 19 was  defending series champion Garyo-Andretti.
     The first caution of the day flew when the 20 of "the Intimagator" got into the back of the 33 of Ron Hornaday. The 33 suffered damage, but Gators drive looked to be unscathed in the wreck.
    The next key moment took pace on the ensuing restart. Scott Amaholic pulled up to challenge the 00 of Alce Correndo on the outside.  3rd place competitor, Garyo dove underneath the two. A hazard on restart is often warping. Such was the case as Garyo's truck seemed to warp into the front of the 00. The 00 went up the track and got into the 19. The 19 contacted the wall with a force great enough to cause damage. The Rte 1 Auto Sponsored truck was never was the same. Meanwhile the 00 had to work his way back to the front on the outside.
    The caution would fly again on lap 7 as the 3 of X-mod made contact with the 13 AI truck sending him into the wall. Garyo Andretti would stay out and in the lead while many of the trucks including the 00 of Alce Correndo pitted. Alce would restart in 9th. With help drafting from the 20 of the Intimagator, Alce Correndo rocketed through the field and back into first.
    Lap 24 the yellow would fly again. The 3 of X-Mod, while fighting hard not to losse the draft, would run too tight with the 8. Both trucks locked together and slammed the wall. This restart would look quite different. The outside row had AI cars in the top 9 positions. The inside row had 4 lapped AI cars. As the green flew, Alce's 00 and Garyo in his 48 motored by the field on the outside. By lap 31 Alce had the top spot. Garyo was in 4th . Gator held down 8th. It was Garo's turn for the miscue. The "Girls Next Door" sponsored Chevy got a bit loose, made contact with the inside row, and then the outside wall.
       The lap 36 restart had X-Mod leading the field. It was not long until Correndo's 00 blasted past on the outside. Correndo would take the halfway caution with Gator's 20, X-Mod's 3 and Gary-o's 48 all n tow. Quietly pacing himself in tenth was the 2 of Go Rusty 2. After the restart GoRusty2 found himself up as hi as tenth. He got shuffled to the outside lane. X-Mod got his nose inside of Rusty. Rusty must have thought he was clear for he moved down ever so slightly and caught the nose of the 3. The contact sent him spinning into the wall and ended his time at the front.
    Lap 50 thru 56 had Alce at the front of the field. Directly behind them there was plenty of jockying for position. Intimagator tried to squeeze the 20 into a hole in the bottom groove. The 99 AI car did not feel like letting him in the spot. Contact between the two trucks ended with the 20 in the wall and out of the race. The incident ruined a great nite for the 20. Intimigator seemed to be able to come through the field with ease and was certainly one of the fastest there.
     The lap 60 restart had the 00 of Alce leading the way with X-Mod in tow. Garyo pitted and was on his way from the back. With just a handful of laps to go, Garyo leaned a bit too hard on the back of the 99. The contact spun the 99 into the outside wall taking Garyo with him. This yellow set up the final dash to the checkers.
    The green flag flew with 4 to go. X-Mod was tucked onto the 00's bumper. Garyo, after visiting the pits, lined up 11th. The 48 crew had done a slew of repairs and taped the 48 to the max. Alce and X-Mod took off in a tight draft in the front while Garyo lined up at the back of a single file restart that included lapped and lead lap cars. Garyo passed 7 cars on the first lap. The 48 would blast by 5 more on lap 2. He was now 4th in line. Coming to the white he was in second. He survived a shot to the rear bumper from X-Mod on the back stretch that would spin the best drivers and still held on to second. What he could not survive is the plume of smoke as the 48 gave up the ghost and blew entering turn 3.
It was Alce's second win in the past three weeks and all but assures the Pro-Tour championship to the 00 team. The series gets back underway May 27th at Atlanta. Hope to see you all there!
   

OFFICIAL STANDINGS

RACE FASTEST LAPS

Pos Driver                               Time    Speed    Lap
 1   Garyoandretti                      48.150s  198.879   40
 2   X Mod                              48.175s  198.776    7
 3   Scott Ampaholic                    48.242s  198.500   19
 4   Go Rusty2                          48.339s  198.101   18
 5   Intimagator                        48.496s  197.460    7
 6   Alce Correndo                      48.501s  197.440   40

LEADERS

Driver                          Laps
Alce Correndo                  1-5
Garyoandretti                  6-15
Alce Correndo                  16-31
X Mod                          32-35
Alce Correndo                  36-40
Garyoandretti                  41
Alce Correndo                  42-76

MOST LAPS LED

Driver                        Laps led
Alce Correndo                   61
Garyoandretti                   11
X Mod                           4

DAMAGE COST SUMMARY

Driver                           Bodywork  Engine Other  Total
Garyoandretti                        643    4841     0   5484
Scott Ampaholic                      357    3889     0   4246
Alce Correndo                       2048    2063     0   4111
Go Rusty2                           1381     952     0   2333
X Mod                               1071     714     0   1785
Intimagator                          500       0     0    500 

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