The 2009 NSDA season has seen great racing since
the season opener at Yuma Speedway in February. There are several intriguing
point series championship battles that are heading down to the final event of
the season to decide. The upcoming NSDA Dan Chittenden Fall Nationals in Top Fuel
The Top Fuel class has come down to a shootout between Scott Whipple &
Geoff Gill. Whipple in the Team Canidae TF Dragster holds a slim one point
advantage heading into the final event of the season. Whipple’s clutch
performance at the most recent NSDA race in Avenal, CA, where he pulled out the
#1 qualifier spot and race win, put him in the lead for the first time this
season. Gill and the Gill/Bettencourt Racing team have two wins on the season
and had led in the point standings up until this point in the season. With one
point separating the two racers; qualifying points and record bonus points
could be a huge factor. Both Whipple & Gill have had one leg on World
Records in at the last two events in Avenal, but were unable to back them up.
Look for both teams to go after as many bonus points as possible in Primm as
they can be the deciding factor.
Geoff Gill heads into Primm looking to retake the lead and the 2009 TF class championship.
Top Alcohol
Normally one of the tightest classes in NSDA competition, this category has
been dominated by Gary Mink and the Bad to the Bone team in 2009. Top Eliminator
Top Eliminator looks to be heading for another dramatic point series finish at
Primm. The TE class had thrilling point series championship conclusions in the
first two seasons on NSDA action and it looks like this year will see the same
drama. The battle heads into Primm with three racers having a distinct
opportunity of taking home the championship. Tiffany Januik vaulted back into
the point series championship lead with her win at the most recent NSDA event
in 
Billy Morris will be trying to chase down point leader Tiffany Januik at the Season Finale.
Leon Januik heads into Primm as the dark horse contender trying to steal the championship away from the top two.
Pro ModThe Pro Mod class is a two horse race with Bob Gill sitting in first place, just 13 points ahead of Clayton Record. This battle should come down to who goes the furthest in class eliminations.
Pro Index
It appears that the Pro Index class will once again see Justin Adamson take the class championship. Justin was the 2007 and 2008 champion in this category with his Raped Ape Jeep.
All Justin has to do is make it to the starting line in
round one to clinch the title. Charlie Johnson will most likely finish in the
second position with Todd Kinney in third.Pro 1
Pro 1 looks to be the most the most wide open championship battle at this point in the season with up to four racers having a shot at the title. The current leader is Tracy Malan in his Altered. Malan sits less than one round ahead of Mike Gazzeny, who sits in second place just six points back. With ten points per round, and up to 10 qualifying bonus points up for grabs these could be crucial in crowning the champion.
Also within striking distance are Todd
Kolstad and Allen Taylor, who are 45 & 47 points behind the leader
respectively. With any luck on their side, they could challenge for the title.
This could be the championship chase to keep an eye on at Primm.
Mike Gazzeny heads into Primm within striking distance of point leader Tracy Malan.
Point Series contenders Allen Taylor (Near Lane) & Todd Kolstad (Far Lane) head into Primm looking to improve on their current positions.
Pro 2
Charlie Johnson has all but locked up the 2009 championship in the Pro 2 class.
Charlie currently sits 51 points ahead of Phil Soper, the second place
competitor. If there are less than 16 entries in the class, all Charlie would
have to do is make it to the starting line first round to clinch the
championship. With more than 16, Charlie would clinch with a first round
victory. Soper looks to be a lock for at least the second place in points with
a possible battle for third in the standings between Steve Anthony and Todd
Kinney.Pro 3
Defending class champion Charlie Johnson has already locked up back-to-back titles heading into Primm. Johnson sits 140 points ahead (120 maximum points possible) of second place Justin Taylor.
Charlie Johnson has already clinched the 2009 NSDA Pro 3 class championship.
Motorcycle Pro 1
The MC Pro 1 class has quite the championship battle heading into Primm.
Brothers Rob & Ryan Winkle are separated by only eight points at the top of
the standings. Mark Ratliff also has a shot at the title, only 32 points behind
leader Rob Winkle. Ryan Winkle will be racing for back-to-back class
championships. This should be a great battle to watch play out on Sunday
afternoon.
Ryan Winkle heads into Primm trying to make it back-to-back NSDA MC Pro 1 class championships.
Mark Ratliff also has an outside chance at breaking up the Winkle Family strangle hold on the top of the MC Pro 1 class points.
Motorcycle Pro 2Joey Weaver has put up a great showing in 2009 and has a nice lead heading into the season finale in Primm. Joey currently sits 39 points ahead of second place Rob Winkle. Weaver has two wins and one runner-up so far in the ’09 season. Shea Marlow sits in third place and it appears unlikely he’ll move up or down as the season concludes.
Sportsman 1
Phil Soper has all but clinched a back-to-back championship in the Sportsman 1 category.
Phil scored the class win at the most recent event in Avenal, CA. All
Phil has to do is make it to the starting line in round one to lock up the
class championship. Tommy Zavala will likely end up in the second position in
the class standings in 2009.Sportsman 2
Justin Taylor has locked up back-to-back class championships in the Sportsman 2 category. Taylor has run
away to nearly a 170 point advantage over class runner-up Arend Schouten. Justin has one win and one runner-up so far in the 2009 season.Motorcycle Sportsman 1
Heather Taylor has emerged victorious at the two most recent NSDA events and now sits atop the MS1 class standings.
Heather Taylor heads into Primm as the MS1 class point leader looking for her first NSDA championship.
Motorcycle Sportsman 2
Joey Weaver will be attempting to be a dual class champion as he also is going
for the MS2 class title. Weaver currently holds a two point advantage over Rob
Winkle heading into Primm. Both racers have been strong and consistent all
season long, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see this battle go down to the
final run of the season. Top Dog Junior Dragsters
The Junior Dragster category is currently led by Austin Ratliff. Ratliff holds
a slim four point advantage over Michael Wright heading in to the season
finale. Peyton Januik sits third in the standings, but looks to be too far
behind to move up in the standings at Primm.Photos Courtesy C3 Productions .