JEGS PRO MOD TITLE WIDE OPEN
Hernandez in control, but title chase still wide open
With a 59-point cushion in the current JEGS ProMod Challenge championship point standings, reigning series champion Josh Hernandez
has a comfortable but not insurmountable lead heading into this
weekend's third annual Virginia NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports
Park.
In all, seven racers remain mathematically alive in the chase for the
2008 JEGS ProMod Challenge title as the tour hits its ninth of 10
events. Following Hernandez in the rankings is Tony Pontieri, former
series champion Jay Payne, Danny Rowe, Kirk Kuhns, Joe Baker, and Ray
Commisso.
Hernandez in control, but title chase still wide open
With a 59-point cushion in the current JEGS ProMod Challenge championship point standings, reigning series champion Josh Hernandez
has a comfortable but not insurmountable lead heading into this
weekend's third annual Virginia NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports
Park.
In all, seven racers remain mathematically alive in the chase for the
2008 JEGS ProMod Challenge title as the tour hits its ninth of 10
events. Following Hernandez in the rankings is Tony Pontieri, former
series champion Jay Payne, Danny Rowe, Kirk Kuhns, Joe Baker, and Ray
Commisso.
Assuming
a national record could be set at each of the final two races -- the
JEGS ProMod Challenge ends Halloween weekend in Las Vegas -- one racer
could earn a maximum of 276 points with back-to-back sweeps. A sweep
would constitute qualifying No. 1, setting a national record, and
winning the race, which would be worth 138 points at each event.
The chase pack needs Hernandez and his Team Rage Camaro to hit a speed
bump, something they haven't done much in the past two seasons. The
reality is the reliable Texan would probably be ready to clinch the
title in Virginia if he hadn't been forced to skip a race earlier this
year due to a scheduling conflict. Although, he did have a rare
first-round loss in Bristol, proving he's human, he's since raced to
the final round at every event, winning twice to push his season total
to three victories.
Pontieri, who led the way in his Quality Plus Compressors '57 Bel Air
after three events earlier this season, has the most realistic shot at
catching Hernandez. His current deficit of 59 points puts him three
rounds down with eight left on the table. He needs Hernandez to bow out
early in either of the last two races while he goes for broke and
reaches at least the final round of both events to make it interesting.
Conversely,
if Pontieri loses in the first round this weekend, Hernandez would have
an outside shot at clinching should he out-qualify his Canadian
counterpart and go on to win the race, or at least reach the finals and
set a national record.
The next three racers on the grid -- Payne, Rowe, and Kuhns -- are
within four points of one another but find themselves more than 180
points off the lead (-185, -187, and -189 points back, respectively.)
Bottom line, these three men need Hernandez to either DNQ or lose in
the first round at both of the remaining races, while they storm to the
finals with some record numbers along the way to catch and pass him.
Considering Hernandez has qualified for all 40 JEGS ProMod Challenge
events he's entered, he'll likely make the cut in Virginia and Vegas,
meaning Payne, Rowe, and Kuhns need to set records at both races,
collect the trophies, and have Hernandez lose in Round 1 to catch him.
If Hernandez reaches the final round at VMP, everyone but Pontieri will
be eliminated.
In the "mathematically alive" column are Baker and Commisso. If
Hernandez reaches the semis in Richmond, Baker is done. If he simply
qualifies for the race, Commisso is out. It was still a great year for
the two professionals. Baker won his first two events, while Commisso
recorded a runner-up finish and was No. 1 qualifier twice.