The drivers of the NHRA Xplod Sport Compact Racing Series know how to keep the fans entertained. At the upcoming NHRA Sport Compact World Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, no fewer than 10 drivers in five categories have a shot at winning a world championship.
The sportsman categories will also be competing for their second annual West Region Sportsman Championships. The leaders include Ali Afshar in Sport RWD, Cortney Green in UrbanRacer.com Sport FWD, Frank Silovangkluth in BFGoodrich Tires Street Stock, and Karl Martin in Quick 16.
The only category not competing for a championship is Pro RWD. In Englishtown, N.J., Brad Personett clinched his third consecutive championship in four years of racing.
Pro FWD has three drivers chasing each other for the championship. Gary Gardella took the top spot, and leads fellow competitors Marty Ladwig (-36) and Jason Hunt (-37), after winning the last four races. He also raced to a national time record in Englishtown which earned him 20 extra points. This exciting battle in Pro FWD should go down to the very last elimination race on Sunday.
“This has been something (World Championship) we have been working on getting since I started drag racing,” said Gardella. “I was pretty far back at the start of the season and have had some pretty strong wins lately. It will look great to have that extra trophy, that big Wally, on the shelf. I appreciate all the support from Red Bull, Dupont and Chevy this year. They have been a big part of the success.”
Like Pro FWD, Modified has been a battle of three drivers. Ken Scheepers (-63) came out of the chute with three wins at the first three races. Paul Efantis (-31) has been the picture of consistency with three runner-up finishes, but no wins. And, points leader Brent Rau has come out and won three races, runner-up at one, has been the No. 1 qualifier at six races, and has set the national record for time several times. It appears that this year is no different from 2006 where the championship chase came down to the final race.
“Anybody’s got a shot at the championship,” said Rau. “I am real excited. This is my first year racing NHRA. There is one final race, so anybody has a chance. You can’t count Paul (Efantis) or Ken (Scheepers) out. Paul is a past champion with two championships, and Ken has won his share of races. We will do what we can.”
Stephanie Eggum is in a position to claim her first Xplod Series world championship in Hot Rod. All season long she has battled her closest rival, Kenny Tran (-37). She has won four races to Tran’s three wins. Eggum ran a national record time at the last event which garnered her the coveted 20 points that go along with that achievement.
Norris Prayoonto knows that sometime this weekend he will face Jeremy Lookofsky. Unfortunately, he also knows that whoever wins that round will win the championship. Prayoonto has a 36-point lead over Lookofsky. This is due to his three wins and his three runners-up this season. The other thing he has on Lookofsky is his record of five wins in his seven final rounds against him.
“Winning this championship would be all the hard work in the past years finally paying off,” said Prayoonto. “I am excited.”
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