DAYTONA BEACH, Florida John Allen finished 25th – second-to-last place – in last Friday’s dirt Modified race at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kan. It’s not the result a NASCAR championship contender is looking for, but thanks to the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series points format, it won’t deter Allen too far from his goal. Allen, of Chante, Kan., rebounded with a win last Saturday at Linn County Speedway, in Pleasanton, Kan., and returns to the top of the NDWS Division I standings this week.
Last weekend’s races were Allen’s 23rd and 24th races of the year. For the drivers who have collected the most NASCAR points at their home track and are therefore ranked in the Division standings, only their best 16 finishes are used to determine their total. Friday’s poor showing by Allen is not counted – but the victory is. And, as the NASCAR point leader at Linn County, Allen re-gained the lead in the NDWS Division I standings.
Elsewhere, veteran asphalt Modified driver Junior Miller, of Pine Hall, N.C., advanced to second in the NDWS Division I standings after recording third- and second-place finishes in last Saturday’s twin feature events at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C. Miller, a five-time track champion, recently became the Bowman Gray’s all-time win leader and has 66 career victories at the historic quarter-mile track.
To date, it is Miller’s best showing in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series point standings. In the past, drivers were rated on an index and had to complete a minimum of 18 starts to win a regional championship. Since Bowman Gray’s schedule often included fewer than 18 events, its drivers were not eligible for the overall title. Under NASCAR’s new format, however, the playing field is level with each driver ranked on their best 16 finishes and no minimum number of races needed.
The best previous performance by a Bowman Gray Stadium driver in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series (regional) standings was third, by Tim Brown in 1997. Miller finished fourth in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series (regional) points in 1983.
Allen, Miller and the rest of the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series championship contenders will collect NASCAR points in each race until the season concludes Oct. 1. The 2006 NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series Division I champion can win up to $25,000 in post-season awards and become eligible for the $50,000 national championship bonus.
NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series
Division I Leaders as of July 18 (best 16 points finishes)
Driver, Hometown, Home track, NDWS points
1. John Allen, Chante, Kan., Linn County Speedway, 1,048 points
2. Junior Miller, Pine Hall, N.C., Bowman Gray Stadium, 966
3. Kerry Davis, Parksville, Mo., Lakeside Speedway, 934
4. Rodney Cook, Reidsville, N.C., Ace Speedway, 916
5. Jonathan Cash, Oxford, N.C., South Boston Speedway, 880
6. Randy Porter, Easley, S.C., Greenville-Pickens Speedway, 810
7. Randy Benson, Rockingham, N.C., Caraway Speedway, 802
8. Jamie Stephens Jr., Conyers, Ga., Lanier National Speedway, 762
9. Nick Parker, Kearns, Utah, Rocky Mountain Raceways, 736
10. Kelly Kingery, Wirtz, Va., Motor Mile Speedway, 720
11. Mark Wertz, Virginia Beach, Va., Langley Speedway, 708
12. Sherman Davis Jr., Fayetteville, N.C., Southern National Raceway Park, 630
13. Ricky Bilderback, Rockton, Ill., Rockford Speedway, 546
14. Bill Rodgers, Old Orchard Beach, Maine, Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, 486
15. Randy Smith II, Canton, Ohio, Mansfield Motorsports Speedway, 432
16. Doug Davidson, Monroe, Wash., Evergreen Speedway, 282
New to the top 16:
Kerry Davis, Parksville, Mo.
Dropped out of the top 16:
Tim Karrick, Basehor, Kan.
