DAYTONA BEACH, Florida --Four of the top eight drivers were new this week in Division II of the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series, as Bobby Oglesby, Pete Anderson Jr., Doug Manmiller and Jean Francois Bouvrette made their way into the upper echelon of the rankings.
Although there were many changes in the top 10 this week, one thing remained the same. Former NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series national champion Joe Kosiski continues to hold down the top two spots. The Omaha, Neb., driver is ranked twice in the standings (first and second) by virtue of leading the NASCAR points at both facilities where he competes – I-80 Speedway at Nebraska Raceway Park and Adams County Speedway in Corning, Iowa. Kosiski scored his fourth consecutive win at I-80 Speedway on Sunday, giving him eight wins so far in 2006. He leads the standings with 1,070 points.
Oglesby, of Bloomingdale, Ga., returned to fourth in the standings after a one week absence. With a runner-up finish at Oglethorpe Speedway Park over the weekend, he has 800 points – with four wins, 14 top-five and 16 top-10 finishes.
Meanwhile, a wild weekend at New Hampshire International Speedway got better for Modified driver John Blewett III, of Howell, N.J. After a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race that included eight lead changes in the last 20 laps, Blewett emerged as the winner of the New England 100, his third Whelen Modified Tour victory at the 1.058-mile track. Blewett didn’t have time to celebrate as he hastily exited the track for a flight back to New Jersey, for last Saturday night’s NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series race at his home track, Wall Township (N.J.) Speedway. The long haul paid off as Blewett won the Modified feature at Wall, helping him preserve his sixth-place ranking in the NDWS Division III standings.
NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series
Division II Leaders as of July 18 (best 16 points finishes)
Driver, Hometown, Home track, NDWS points
1. Joe Kosiski, Omaha, Neb., I-80 Speedway, 1,070 points
2. Joe Kosiski, Omaha, Neb., Adams County Speedway, 1,070
3. Dave Byrd, Pacific Grove, Calif., Altamont Motorsports Park, 908
4. Bobby Oglesby, Bloomingdale, Ga., Oglethorpe Speedway Park, 800
5. Pete Anderson Jr., Stockton, Calif., Stockton 99 Speedway, 646
6. John Blewett III, Howell, N.J., Wall Township, N.J., 632
7. Doug Manmiller, Wyomissing, Pa., Grandview Speedway, 602
8. Jean Fran Bouvrette, St. Jerome, Quebec Autodrome St. Eustache, 594
9. Stuart Ricks, Myrtle Beach, S.C., Myrtle Beach Speedway, 572
10. Shane Brafford, Concord, N.C., Concord Motorsport Park, 544
11. Steven Gannon, Redding, Calif., Shasta Raceway Park, 448
12. Joe Aramendia, Schertz, Tex., San Antonio Speedway, 446
13. Eric Dowler, Sherwood Park, Alberta, Edmonton International Raceway, 442
14. Mike Leaty, Williamson, N.Y., Spencer Speedway, 348
15. Dean Weber, Weare, N.H., Lee USA Speedway, 302
New to the Top 15:
Bobby Oglesby, Bloomingdale, Ga.
Pete Anderson Jr., Stockton, Calif.
Doug Manmiller, Wyomissing, Pa.
Jean Francois Bouvrette, St. Jerome, Quebec
Dropped out of the Top 15:
Shane Riner, Guyton, Ga.
Eric Humphries, Chowchilla, Calif.
Benoit Juteau, Ste. Sophie, Quebec
