National Racing Report

We are only five races into the new Mid-Am season but already we have two drivers on the Driver of the Year list looking for the awards to be given by new presenting sponsor SafeRacer. There is a new driver suit awaiting the top 10 on the DotY list at season's end and anybody want to bet two of them might go to Chris Albin and Loren Moore?

We've raced at Gateway, Memphis, Heartland Park (twice) and Hallett, with Mid-America next up -- almost once around the circuit. In some classes drivers are making noise, in others not much happening.

Loren Moore (OzMt) is doing the double again, running SP as well as ITE and already has two wins. ~ Court Whitlock (OzMt) has the only points in EP so far. ~ Ron Davis (Kan) has reeled off three wins in FP, with Phillip Leonard (KC) chasing him home twice. ~ In GP Chuck Leighton (OzMt) already has four starts, winning three. Behind him Chris Albin (SIll) has won both his two starts, but both of these guys went to the Runoffs last year. Will they this year? Will they leave it for Robert Maupins (KC) and Bill Briggen (SIll) who have been picking up the runner-up finishes behind them? ~ Tim McGinley (StL) has the only finish to date in HP.

Not a lot of movement here yet. Mary Daly (StL) has won once in GT1. ~ Britt Brown (KC) has the only finish so far in GT Lite.

John Nelson (KC) has been out three times in S2000, winning two of his starts, but losing once in Bob Henson's (KC) only finish. ~ A three-way tie in SRF has double-winners Rob Sherwood (StL) and Jeff Stehney (KC) at the same total as Dan Axtell's (KC) score from three finishes.

A little confusion in the top Formula class with some races offering Formula SCCA as a separate class, but it is not a Mid-Am class so drivers with F/SCCA cars need to enter and score their points in F/Atlantic. Jason Mabee (KC) did just that at his last race to get on the board, but he's still third to Stephen Williams (Neb) who won the doubleheader at HPT, and Willard King (KC) who has finished second twice, one to each of the others. ~ Tim Williams (KC) has scored twice to stand atop Club Continental. ~ Lee Walther (Okla) scored the first F/Mazda points at Hallett. ~ Three Formula Ford drivers, David Livingston Jr. (MidS), Gary Payne (StL) and Joe Spain (Okla) each have one win and so share the class lead. ~ Michael Dierkes (StL) leads Jim Krispin (StL) in Club Ford, and that's new after Krispin won all five of their matchups last year! ~ In FV Matt Guzowski (StL) and Mike Lauer (Wich) each have a pair of wins and Patrick Hughey (KC) has one. Now we just gotta get them on the same track at the same time.

Jeff Kopp (KC) and Otto Roberts (StL) have each scored once in American Sedan. ~ Steven Burkett (StL) has won four already in the new Touring 3 class.

Forty-two drivers already in this one class, easily topping last year's tally of 33. Thirty have been on track already, but only two have accounted for all the winning. Jim Drago (MidS) took the first two rounds, and Charlie James (NeOk) the next three. But in between them on the scoreboard is Rick Harris (Wich), the only SM driver to make four races so far. It's always been a Mid-Am rule that any finisher not in the top 9 gets half a point -- a rule almost never invoked until SM burst upon the scene.

Bob Gill (KC) has won a couple in ITS, Bill Denton (MidS) and Randy Wagner (NeOk) each have one. Chuck Davis (KC) has no wins, but three finishes are enough for him to lead Gill by one point at this early stage. ~ Steve Bachenberg (KC) took both ends of the HPT twinbill to lead ITA. Ben Bricker (NeOk) and Phil Robinson (SIll) each have won one. ~ Chris Albin (SIll) is in his usual place atop ITB, winning every race run so far. Patrick Findley (MidS) is a distant second just two points up on Harlan Donaldson (DMV) and Bernie Mermis (Wich), but there is plenty of season left for them to score more. ~ Matt Armfield's (Kan) two wins at HPT put him 3-up on Nick Chinopulos (MidS) in ITC. Jarold Boettcher (KC) and Larry Orr (MidS) each have one win. ~ Loren Moore (OzMt) has scored ITE winner's points in all five races, but one is a Mid-Am finish (non-Mid-Am driver was ahead at the checker) and that is the difference at the moment in the DotY ranking. Picking up Moore's leavings have been Ron Pawley (NeOk), Scott Davie (Ark) and Scott Orr (StL), grouped within four points of each other. ~ Lynn Lamb (Okla) scored his first win at Hallett to leap atop IT7, ahead of double-winner Scott Peterson (KC) and Nadeem Bari (StL) who has scored once.

With two races gone in the I.T. Tour only two drivers have been able to win both -- familiar names:
Chris Albin (SIll) in ITB and Loren Moore (OzMt) in ITE.

Paul Lerman (StL) and J.J. Perodeau (Okla) are together atop ITS, one win each.

Larry Orr (MidS) and Jarold Boettcher (KC) took the checkers in the two ITC races.

Nadeem Bari (StL) and Lynn Lamb (Okla) have hooked up at both the first two races, trading wins so they are tied in IT7.

Rick Harris and Charlie James led the Spec Miatas home in the first two races.