By Marty Czekala
Championship weekend is around the corner for the A-Verdi Storage Containers CRSA Sprints powered by Super Gen Products.
The series makes its lone trip to Utica-Rome Speedway Friday for the I-90 Pit Stop Challenge finale as part of Short Track SuperNationals weekend. It is followed up with the overall points finale at Land of Legends Raceway Saturday for the DisBatch Brewing Company Challenge finale.
Kyle Pierce and Tomy Moreau are tied for the points lead and looking for their first series championship, while Dalton Herrick, not too far behind, is competing for his second title after winning it all in 2022.
Nine drivers are mathematically eligible in the I-90 Pit Stop Challenge. Jordan Hutton leads by 10 on Jeff Trombley, who is looking to defend his I-90 championship from last year.
As for the DisBatch Brewing Company Challenge, a whopping 14 drivers look to take the title at Land of Legends. This year’s track champion in the 305 Sprint category, Bobby Parrow, leads Tomy Moreau by five markers.
Here’s a look at the news and notes for this weekend.
Tune In: Action can be seen live Friday night on FloRacing then Saturday for free on Land of Legends TV with a simulcast on DIRTVision. For $5.99 a month, you can expand your race night experience at the track or online through the MyRacePass app or at www.myracepass.com, which features entries, lineups, fantasy and results.
Last Time Out: CRSA made its third trip ever to Skyline Raceway Motorsports Park Sept. 20 and saw Dalton Herrick join the double digits club with his 10th career win and first of the season.
Herrick drew the pole for the 25-lap feature, leading green to checkered to take the win.
“We’ve drawn terrible all year, [Takla, girlfriend] put us on the front and I got Mike VanDusen turning the wrenches tonight,” said Herrick in victory lane. “He gave me an incredible hot rod. I gave him some feedback and he knew what to do to make this thing fast. The track was a little different. I like the reconfigure with the wiped out backstretch and being able to get on the fence. They gave us a really fun track tonight.”
In his CRSA debut, Mikey Smith finished second while Scott Landers tied his season-best finish in third.
With a sixth place finish, Kyle Pierce won the Joe’s Garage Southern Tier Series championship by four points over Herrick, adding on to the Dandy Triple Play championship he recently won.
Points Standings: It’s the closest you can get going into the final weekend of the championship. Kyle Pierce and Tomy Moreau are tied with two races to go. Both have to be careful, as Dalton Herrick is 21 points behind.
Approaching Utica-Rome, Herrick has the advantage in experience, as the No. 29 has three fifth-place finishes there. Kyle Pierce is the only driver amongst the top three who has won there in 2021. Moreau is one of the latest drivers to score a top five, finishing fifth the last time CRSA was at Utica-Rome last year.
As for Land of Legends, Herrick has recorded four top fives, including a win last year. Pierce has three top fives with a best finish of second in 2022. Meanwhile, Tomy Moreau has two with a best finish of third from last July.
There is also a three-way battle for fourth to conclude the season. Ron Greek is 22 points above Blake Warner in the spot. John Cunningham has now entered the tango in the No. J27 for the fourth spot, 30 points behind Greek.
The rest of the top 10 are Cliff Pierce, Adam DePuy, Jerry Sehn Jr. and Dustin Sehn.
Miniseries scenarios: Nine drivers are mathematically eligible to win the championship in the I-90 Pit Stop Challenge. Jordan Hutton leads Jeff Trombley by 10 points, Dalton Herrick is third, 27 points behind, Tomy Moreau is fourth, 33 points back and Adam DePuy is fifth, 43 points behind.
Should points from heat races keep the gap the same Friday, a top-five finish for Hutton would clinch the championship. Should the No. 66 finish fifth and Trombley win, the points are tied, with Hutton owning the tiebreaker in wins.
If Trombley wins, Hutton must be sixth or worse for the No. 3A to take the championship. If neither wins, Trombley must beat Hutton by six spots.
For Dalton Herrick in third, he must finish ahead of Trombley by nine spots, then finish ahead of Hutton by about 14 spots, 13 should he win.
For Tomy Moreau in fourth, he would have to finish ahead by at least three spots of Herrick, 12 spots in front of Trombley, and 16 in front of Hutton.
14 drivers have a chance in the DisBatch Brewing Company Challenge. Bobby Parrow leads Tomy Moreau by five points. July 4 winner Dillon Paddock is 12 behind in third, Blake Warner is 16 back in fourth, and May 18 winner Matt Rotz rounds out the top five, 29 back.
Sixth through 10th lie with the No. 23 of John Smith in sixth, 38 behind, Ron Greek seventh, 39 back, Jordan Hutton and Dan Craun tied for eighth, 42, with Randy Years rounding out the top 10, 43 points behind.
Similar to the Dandy Triple Play, the points are very tight and anything can happen. If the gap is the same approaching the feature, a top-two finish from Parrow will seal the championship.
Tomy Moreau can claim the Challenge with a win and a third or worse by Parrow. If neither wins, Moreau must be three spots ahead of Parrow to have a shot at the title.
For Dillon Paddock, the driver of the No. 8 must finish four positions ahead of Tomy Moreau, three with a win, and six spots in front of Parrow, five with a win. Should the points be tied, the current tiebreaker belongs to Paddock with a win.
Finally, for Blake Warner, if he can finish three spots in front of Dillon Paddock, six spots ahead of Tomy Moreau and nine spots in front of Parrow, the title is. Should those points tie, the tiebreaker belongs to Parrow due to his second place finish in May.
More moolah in Canandaigua: Last Sunday, iFreeze Storage & Distribution Center announced that they increased Saturday’s purse at Canandaigua up to $1250 to win and $210 to start.
iFreeze Storage & Distribution Center, located in Fulton, N.Y., is a fully updated 120,000-square-foot facility offering storage and distribution for items needing refrigeration or to be kept frozen. The facility can store at temperatures as low as -18 to -20 degrees Fahrenheit.
“I think more people will appreciate that structure,” said Adam DePuy, Operations Manager of iFreeze. “Post it up and let’s get some cars to finish the season strong!”
iFreeze has also stepped up to add more tow money for those who do not make the 25-lap feature. The top four will transfer, fifth through ninth will receive $100, 10th-14th will receive $85 and 15th-20th will receive $75.
Speaking of DePuy…
New Wall of Famer: Land of Legends announced earlier this week that Adam DePuy will be inducted Saturday onto the Land of Legends Wall of Fame.
Before hopping into a 305 sprint car last year, the driver of the No. 99 was a three-time Street Stock track champion and stands second on the all-time street stock wins list with 48.
With his induction, DePuy joins Darryl Ruggles as the only other sprint car driver inducted onto the Wall of Fame.
The ceremony begins at 6:40 p.m. between hot laps and opening ceremonies.
Last Time at Utica-Rome: July 15, 2023, was the last time CRSA ran at the “Home of Heroes.”
Jordan Hutton got a run on Dillon Paddock on lap 11 into turn three to throw a slide job and take the win. Hutton had a fast car right out the trailer. From starting last to win heat one to starting third in the feature, the No. 66 was tough to beat.
It was “J-Hutt’s” first win at Utica-Rome, a track he had struggled to run at, and his fifth career win at the time.
By the Numbers: At Utica, the average car count since 2015 is over 22 cars. 47 different drivers have finished in the top five. Utica has also been known for its parity of winners, with 17 other drivers taking a checkered flag. Jeff Trombley and Jeff VanSteenburg each lead the way in top fives with six. Mike Kiser has a win and four top fives at “The Home of Heroes.” Previous winner Jordan Hutton has a pair of top fives.
At Land of Legends, the last three winners in CRSA series action have been first-time Canandaigua winners (Dalton Herrick, Matt Rotz and Dillon Paddock; the latter two won their first CRSA event). The car count in the last three races have averaged 35 drivers. Land of Legends Wall of Famer Darryl Ruggles leads in series top fives with 13, including five wins. Jeff Trombley is not far behind with 10, including three wins. The same goes for Alysha Bay, with nine top fives, three of those victories.
From the Frontman: “When I heard the points were tied for the lead and three drivers have a shot at the overall title entering the weekend, I was excited. You can’t miss out on this weekend, whether at the track or watching from home. We are eager to crown an overall champion and a pair of miniseries champions by the end of the week.” ~ Mike Emhof
From the LOLR Track Promoter: “It’s exciting and fitting to see this great group of drivers coming to Land of Legends to capture the title. It will be a “must-see race of the year,” just like most 305 races each week.” ~ Paul Cole
Up Next: The 2024 CRSA season concludes with a non-points race at Cornwall Motor Speedway for the Canadian CRSA/Crate Challenge, a part of RaceFest. It will be CRSA’s return to Canada for the first time since 2008 and is the first CRSA-sanctioned race in Ontario.
Standings
1. 9K Kyle Pierce 2030 pts
2. 22 Tomy Moreau 0
3. 29 Dalton Herrick -21
4. 28 Ron Greek -167
5. 21B Blake Warner -189
6. J27 John Cunningham -197
7. 4 Cliff Pierce -257
8. 99 Adam DePuy -357
9. 410 Jerry Sehn Jr. -380
10. D9 Dustin Sehn -538