Fri, 9 Nov 2001, 01:07 PM And Just Who Will The Sportsman Champions Be?

By Bob Frey

As the final race of the year is about to begin, several of the sportsman championships are still up for grabs. While the top, two classes have been decided, four of the other seven classes could still go to several drivers. Now I know that we touched on this last week, but believe it or not, only one of the remaining titles was actually finalized at the Division 7 event in Vegas. Kevin Helms, who drives that really neat big block Chevrolet Camaro, locked out all of the other Stock eliminator competitors to claim his first world championship. That leaves Super Stock, Super Gas, Super Comp and Competition Eliminator still undecided. And, for a great follower of the sportsman classes, that'll just make this last race even more exciting.

Don Stratton

While Rick Santos and Frank Manzo have won, again, the next class on the sportsman hierarchy, Competition Eliminator, has come down to two remaining drivers. Mike Saye, the 1995 Super Stock world champion, and Don Stratton, are the only two with a mathematical chance at winning. And, as I always say, in the interest of fair reporting, Mike has a much better chance than Don. You see, Mr. Stratton must win the race in order to take the title away from Mike. Even if he runs Saye in the finals and loses, Mike will still have enough points to win his second, season title. Ironically, Don hasn't won a national event this year, so if he wins, it will be that much sweeter for the roadster driver from Ohio. Both guys have had good seasons, obviously, and it will be hard to see either one of them lose. If Mike drops it, he'll probably look back on his early exit at the Brainerd race as the one the got away. Don, on the other hand, may have to look no further than Las Vegas last week, when he tried to beat one of the toughest fields of the year. Of course, the field at Pomona will be loaded, and will include the likes of Andy Manna, who was in the running until last week, the unpredictable Hurley Blakeney and a host of those front-engine, nostalgia dragsters that are very competitive. So, good luck to Mike and Don and, as the expression goes, may the best man win.

Super Stock is, probably, the most interesting class that is still unsettled, and that's because of the participants, Jimmy DeFrank and Dan Fletcher. DeFrank, the former champ, has a daunting task, he must win the race in order to beat Fletch by one point. One point! The interesting thing about this is that DeFrank, a west-coast guy, can obviously have some help if he wants it. His brother, Tony, teammate John Schiess and other D-7 guys could serve as blockers or, they could simply beat some of Jimmy's competitors along the way. Whatever, it would be really neat if Jimmy and Dan met in the final to decide the title. You know, winner takes all.

Billy Maddox

The two, super categories, comp and gas, have yet to be decided. Rodney Costlow, who has led the points virtually most of the season, is the leader in the clubhouse, while Billy Maddox, the A.C. Delco national's champ, is the only one who can catch him. After a marathon point's race in Vegas, beating a field of 128 or so this weekend ought to be like stealing money. Billy has to reach the quarterfinals this weekend in order to pass Rodney who has put all of the points on the board that he can for this year. And, while Billy is certainly capable, as he proved last week, if there's any class where going rounds is tough, it's probably Super Comp. That's because every driver can cut a light and run the number every round. So, for Billy, who has come from way back in the points to put himself in position to win, it should be an interesting couple of days for him and his dad.

Ed Staute

Super Gas is the only class that has more than two drivers who can still claim the title. Scotty Richardson and Ed DeStaute are the leaders, but both of them are out of races to claim. That leaves Ed Alessi, Jed Bourquin and Todd Heins as possible heirs to the throne. Of course, as competitive as the Super Gas class is, it should come as no surprise that, in order to win, two of the guys, Bourquin and Heins, have to go to the finals, while the other, Alessi, needs to go at least four rounds. Interesting, huh? In a class that is packed with great racers, for Alessi, an east coast guy to come all the way out here, to a track that he's never raced at before, and go lots of rounds is certainly not an easy task. The job for Jeb and Todd isn't exactly easy, either, but it's better to be in their position than the rest of the guys in the 9.90 class, isn't it? Oh, by the way, there is one real, real, real, real long shot in Super Gas and that's Craig Anderson. With his win at the huge Division-7 race last week, Craig put himself into position to score one of the greatest comebacks in sportsman history. If he could manage to win this race, he would come from about 200 points back, with two races to go, to be the champion. Hey, I said it's a long shot, but at least he has a chance, and that's cool.

However this whole thing shakes out, we'd like to congratulate all of the sportsman racers this year, for another sensational season. And, to all of the guys who still have a shot, no matter how slim, to win the Federal Mogul World Championships, we'd like to wish them the best of luck. I hope you all enjoy the racing as much as we enjoy watching it.