Jeff Malave, of Manchester, Conn., returned to the top of the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series Division IV standings this week, after recording a second-place finish last Thursday at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway.
It is the second time in the past three weeks that Malave has held the NDWS Division IV point lead, but with eight weeks remaining before the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series season concludes Oct. 1, Malave’s championship outlook is far from clear. Before considering national rivals such as Minnesota’s Donny Reuvers, the defending NDWS Division IV champion, or Nebraska’s Bill Leighton Jr., who is ranked fourth this week, Malave has to fend off his closest challengers at home.
In order to be ranked in the NDWS Division IV standings, a driver must first accumulate the most NASCAR points at their home track. Points are awarded each week until Oct. 1, along with bonus points depending on the number of cars in each feature race. Once a driver is ranked in the standings, any other results from other tracks in the same Division can be added to their total. To level the playing field, the best 16 finishes of these ranked drivers are used to calculate their overall point totals.
Malave has met the first criteria by collecting the most NASCAR points at Thompson and he represents the track on the NDWS Division IV leaderboard. However, it’s a very narrow lead – only four points ahead of Woody Pitkat, of Stafford Springs, Conn. NASCAR points are awarded in two-point increments, meaning Pitkat can wipe Malave off the leaderboard entirely if he finishes just three positions in front of him. Adding another challenge, Tommy Cravenho, of Raynham, Mass., is just 16 points back of Malave’s NASCAR point lead at Thompson.
In order to maintain his standing, Malave needs to first stay ahead of Pitkat, Cravenho and the rest of his Thompson competitors. A few more good finishes at Thompson or Stafford Motor Speedway, in Stafford Springs, Conn., will be next on Malave’s to do list as he attempts to win his first NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series title.
Reuvers is a familiar foe, as he battled Malave in the closing weeks of the 2005 season before driving away with the NDWS Division IV championship while competing full-time at two Minneapolis-area tracks: Raceway Park in Shakopee, Minn. and Elko (Minn.) Speedway. With 27 races under his belt in 2006, however, Reuvers is under pressure to perform.
Reuvers’ best 16 finishes, to date, include eight wins, three second-place finishes, three third-place finishes, a fourth-place and one ninth-place finish. He’ll need very good results in his next several races in order to drop a previous finish and add to his total. NASCAR’s bonus points are also a factor: each driver in the field gets 10 bonus points if there are between 15-21 cars; or 20 points each if there are more than 20 cars. If Reuvers races in a field of 21 or more cars in his next outing, he’ll need to finish in the top 10 to improve upon his point total and catch Malave. If Reuvers’ next event includes between 15-20 cars, he’ll need a top-five finish to improve his point total.
NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series
Division IV Leaders as of Aug. 8 (best 16 points finishes)
Driver, Hometown, Home track, NDWS points
1. Jeff Malave, Manchester, Conn., Thompson International Speedway, 1,022 points
2. Donny Reuvers, Dundas, Minn., Raceway Park, 950
3. Donny Reuvers, Dundas, Minn., Elko Speedway, 950
4. Bill Leighton Jr., Omaha, Neb., I-80 Speedway at Nebraska Raceway Park, 872
5. Guy Caron, Lempster, N.H., Twin State Speedway, 832
6. Willie Allen, Nashville, Tenn., Music City Motorplex, 824
7. Andy Eckrich, Ina City, Iowa, Farley Speedway, 714
8. Dennis Gada, Salem, Conn., Waterford Speedbowl, 690
9. Van Knill, Tucson, Ariz., Irwindale Speedway, 628
10. Todd Patnode, West Swanzey, N.H., Monadnock Speedway, 592
11. Todd Owen, Somers, Conn., Stafford Motor Speedway, 574
12. Mitch Wendell, Derry, N.H., Star Speedway, 512
13. Richard Mitchell, Bruceton Mills, W V, Motordrome Speedway, 470
14. Mark Smith, Meyersdale, Pa., Jennerstown Speedway, 462
15. Ron Norman, Tucson, Ariz., Tucson Raceway Park, 196
New to the Top 15:
Jeff Malave, Manchester, Conn.
Willie Allen, Nashville, Tenn.
Andy Eckrich, Ina City, Iowa
Todd Owen, Somers, Conn.
Mark Smith, Meyersdale, Pa.
Dropped out of the Top 15:
Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn.
Mark Day, Clarksville, Tenn.
Ron Barker, Dubuque, Iowa
Eric Berndt, Rocky Hill, Conn.
Mark Poole, Eighty Four, Pa.
