DAYTONA BEACH, Florida -- A potential showdown between two top drivers could intensify the points race Division I of the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series.
With six weeks remaining before the season concludes Sept. 18, NDWS Division I points leader Peyton Sellers is under pressure from his championship rivals across the nation. Sellers, a resident of Danville, Va. who competes at the 4/10-mile South Boston (Va.) Speedway, has collected 1,078 championship points and led the divisional standings for seven consecutive weeks.
The “law of diminishing returns” however, may be catching up to Sellers. With each passing week, Sellers has potentially fewer opportunities to pad his points lead. Under NASCAR’s new format for the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series, a driver’s best 16 finishes only are counted towards the divisional championship. Once a driver has logged more than 16 starts, their poorer finishes are dropped from their record. It’s an insurance policy for drivers, who won’t need to worry about a few bad nights or rainouts ruining their championship hopes.
Sellers, however, has enjoyed a very successful season – his best 16 finishes include 12 wins and 14 top-five finishes – and he is simply running out of bad finishes to drop.
NASCAR has added a bonus point system to the title race this season, to reward those drivers who race against stronger competition. The more cars in the field, the more bonus points that are awarded to each driver in the feature race. In a race with 15-20 cars in the field, each driver is awarded 10 bonus points towards the NDWS divisional championship. With 21 or more cars in the field, each driver gets 20 points.
A driver’s best points finishes are used to determine their total in the divisional rankings. For example, a finish of third in a field of 21 cars awards a total of 66 points (46 for placing third plus 20 bonus points). A finish of second place, against a smaller field of 15-20 cars, equals 58 points (48 for placing second plus 10 bonus points). Therefore, the finish of third in a field of 21 cars (66 points) is actually considered a better points finish for the driver, compared to a second-place finish in a smaller field (58 points).
If Sellers races against a full field of 21 or more cars in his next event, and finishes seventh or better, he’ll earn at least 58 points and be able to add to his season total. Such a result would displace a poorer finish already on his record. If 15-20 cars compete in Sellers’ next feature race, he’ll need to finish second or better in order to add any points to his total.
Karrick, meanwhile, is ranked second in the NDWS Division I standings and is in close pursuit of the top spot. The Basehor, Kan. Dirt Modified driver has been racing full-time at two tracks and given himself two opportunities each weekend – Friday nights at Lakeside Speedway and Saturday nights at Linn County Speedway – to improve his record. If Karrick races against a full field of 21 or more cars in his next event, and finishes fifth or better, he’ll increase his total to at least 1,078 points – matching Seller’s total unless Sellers comes through with a top finish at South Boston. Karrick can add more points to his total if he records another good finish in his next race of the weekend.
(Driver, Home Track, Track Location, Points)
1. Peyton Sellers, South Boston Speedway (South Boston, Va.), 1,078
2. Tim Karrick, Lakeside Speedway (Kansas City, Kan.), 1,076
3. Tim Karrick, Linn County Speedway (Pleasanton, Kan.), 1,076
4. Tommy Cherry, Langley Speedway (Hampton, Va.), 1,006
5. Philip Morris, Motor Mile Speedway (Radford, Va.), 976
6. Travis Swaim, Caraway Speedway (Asheboro, N.C.), 894
7. John Smith, Bowman Gray Stadium (Winston-Salem, N.C.), 892
8. Duane Howard, Big Diamond Raceway (Minersville, Pa.), 890
9. Nick Parker, Rocky Mountain Raceways (West Valley City, Utah), 810
10. Clay Dale, Lanier National Speedway (Braselton, Ga.), 794
11. Ricky Bilderback, Rockford Speedway (Rockford, Ill.), 784
12. Robert Turner, Ace Speedway (Altamahaw, N.C.), 738
13. Blair Addis, Greenville-Pickens Speedway (Greenville, S.C.), 644
14. Shane Harding, Evergreen Speedway (Monroe, Wash.), 612
15. Bobby Babb Jr., Beech Ridge Motor Speedway (Scarborough, Maine), 586
16. Steve Whitener, JAX Raceways (Jacksonville, Fla.), 200
