ANTICIPATION BUILDS FOR ASA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE

Source: Thunderhill Raceway Media Relations/dh
Date: 09/22/2008

And the winning didn’t stop there. Stapp claimed first- and second-place finishes on Sept. 6 in double-feature events.

This past Saturday night, Stapp visited the Winner’s Circle yet again – for the seventh time this season. Fourteen cars took the green flag and Stapp started in the seventh position. He took the lead from Duane Toyne (Leander, TX) on Lap 11 of the 40-lap feature race.

“I followed Duane as I worked my way up to the front. He created the holes, and I followed closely behind him,” Stapp commented. “When Duane took the lead, he held his own and I had to try several times to pass him. Even though he’s a friend of mine, Duane is a racer first. I knew he wouldn’t just give me the lead without a challenge.”

Stapp’s latest victory gave him the THR track championship in the ASA A-Line Super Stocks with one race to go. However, the national standings don’t get posted until Tuesday each week, so Stapp is forced to sit on “pins and needles” for a couple more days to see if his latest victory will help him maintain his national lead.

“I was concerned about the car count on Saturday,” said Stapp. “I know that Linny White from Orange Show Speedway (San Bernadino, CA) is close behind me in both the regional and national rankings. And he’s been doing well while running in bigger (car) fields. I just hope my win on Saturday will help me stay on top.”

Looming on the horizon is the final race of the 2008 season – the Allstate Texas Stock Car Spectacular, set for September 26 and 27 at Thunderhill Raceway. This race could affect Stapp’s standings in the regional competition. Although another possible victory this weekend could be a big boost to Stapp’s point average, the team is unsure of what they’re up against with all of the other tracks involved in this title championship quest. ASA member tracks all over the nation have a September 28 deadline to complete their races for this title.

At least 14 races are required to give drivers a fair chance to win the coveted title, so getting the most recent race in the record books has helped Stapp breathe a small sigh of relief. But he’s not sure how the additional race next weekend will affect his national standings.

“From what I’ve read, I’m not sure how my finish in the 15th race will be figured into the point average,” Stapp stated. “We’ll be lining up by qualifying results instead of point averages, so hopefully I can come up with a good finish, especially since I’m uncertain how a bad finish next week would affect my point average.”

Chase Stapp, who is Cary’s crew chief and “race analyst,” is feeling a little more hopeful about this brother’s chances to win the national title.

“I think we now know a little more about what it takes to win the national title and I’m feeling a little better about it than I was a few weeks ago,” said Chase. “I really didn’t think Cary had a chance about a month ago, and I was thinking that a driver in the East Region would come out on top. But now our biggest threat is coming from someone in our own (West) region. If Cary manages to hold on to the national lead going into the last weekend of the competition, it will certainly be a good thing.”

Several known factors that are considered in the performance indicator computation include track point standings (must be the track’s leader in points), the field sizes (number of cars competing in each race), the starting/finishing positions, the number of races entered and the number of wins and top finishes.

Since Stapp’s victory on Saturday clinched his championship title in the track’s ASA A-Line Super Stocks class, one factor is in the bag towards the national title.

The ASA Short Track National Champion will win bragging rights for a year (actually, a lifetime), the Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oil Champion Award, a cash prize and something that money cannot buy – a test session with Joe Gibbs Racing and a chance to show his talents to those who can get things done at the pinnacle of motorsports.

Much of Stapp’s success on the track can be attributed to his family who helps give his team the winning combination. “I’m responsible for setting up the car,” said Chase. “Dad (Ed) helps provide the finances and Cary can drive well in anything we put together for him.”

Cary is also competing as a rookie the TSRS Late Models and he finished eighth in the “Deb Williams 75” on Saturday night.

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