91����

SHINING STAR: Although Bob Tasca III and Robert Hight each own enviable 8-2 win-loss records and each has a win, Tasca’s made the most hay, going from fourth at the Countdown to the Champioship’s onset right into the points lead with semifinal finishes in Reading and St. Louis flanking his Charlotte win, plus he’s beaten Hight both times they’ve faced off, handing Hight his only losses in the Countdown. Could this be the year that Tasca wins his first championship?

"This is gonna go down to Pomona -- we all fully expect it," said Tasca. "No lead is safe, whether it's six points or 60. It's gonna be a wild finish. it's gonna be exciting for the fans and it's going to be nerve-wracking for the teams, but I'm confident because we've proven this year that whether it's a hot track or a cool track, we can run low e.t., and when you're capable of doing that in any conditions, no matter what we run into between Dallas, Vegas, and Pomona, we know we've got a setup that can put us in a position to win. It's a long way between now and holding that championship trophy, but in my career I've never had a better shot than I have right now."

Hight also has made up ground, going from third to second and sits just six points behind Tasca, who’s earned more qualifying points than Hight. With three previous championships under his safety belts, Hight knows the pressure and has been here before.

“We’ve got some work to do heading into the last three races of the season, but we’re still in it,” said Hight. “We’re right there.”

GAINING TRACTION: Matt Hagan’s big win in St. Louis helped him recover from a second-round loss in Reading and a semifinal exit in Charlotte, at the hands of Hight and Tasca, respectively, and beating Tasca in the final four had to feel good, as did keeping top seed Ron Capps from tying him for third in the final. He’s just 13 points behind Tasca for the lead.

After a semifinal to open the playoffs in Reading, Ron Capps got ambushed by a tricky track and Dave Richards in Charlotte, and his runner-up behind Hagan in St. Louis was a get-well outing and gets him back to a plus-.500 record of 5-3. Not the start the NAPA team hoped for, but they’re only 33 points out of the lead.

HOLDING STEADY: Chad Green, the season’s feel-good story, started the Countdown afire with a runner-up behind Hight in Reading but cooled with first-round losses in Charlotte and St. Louis, but he’s still up two positions from seventh to fifth.

The sweetheart of the Countdown, Alex Laughlin, has more round-wins through three races than anyone outside the top four, following a surprising semifinal in Charlotte with another round-win in St. Louis. He’s still down in 10th place and not likely to challenge for the championship, but what a great story for Jim Dunn Racing.

LOSING TRACTION: Pretty much everyone else. With the domination of the Big Four, everyone else is sub-.500 in win-loss records and dropping positions. Alexis DeJoria is 1-3 and has lost two spots thanks largely to drawing Tasca twice and Hagan once in competition, while Toyota teammate J.R. Todd’s similar record has cost him one spot, from fifth to sixth; both went testing this week. Two-time world champ Cruz Pedregon is off to a disappointing streak of three straight first-round losses.
��