2024 SSRA N3OCS Season Top 10 Championship Points Rundown!!

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Tuesday, March 5th, 2024, 1:50 am.....

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    With the 20th anniversary 2024 SSRA N3OCS season now in the record books, here is a rundown of the drivers who finished in the top 10 in points during the 2024 SSRA N3OCS season, some info about their seasons, their prospects for 2025 and where possible some comments from the drivers on their seasons.

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    2024 SSRA N3OCS Champion & Bud Pole Champion- Gregg Rauscher- After winning 5 of 9 races during the 2023 season enroute to his 11th consecutive SSRA N3OCS championship, "Big" Gregg Rauscher upped the ante even more in 2024, winning 7 of the 9 races held, which translates to a 77.7% win percentage shattering the previous record of 68.1 which he also set in 2019. Starting out with the season opening Carolina Clash at North Wilkesboro Speedway, Rauscher would win 5 consecutive races (Wilkesboro, LVMS Dirt, Stockton, Rafaela and the first feature at New Smyrna) before he had problems getting through traffic in the second 25 lapper at New Smyrna on New Year's Eve, which resulted in a 3rd place finish. In the next race held at the Daytona RC, Rauscher finished 2nd to road course ace Matt Yeager before ending the season with wins at Daytona Beach and in the season ending Neil Bonnett/Dale Earnhardt Memorial 150 at DIS. Aided by "The Qualifying Machine" Matt Yeager running only one race and also by placing more emphasis on qualifying, Rauscher also easily won the 2024 Bud Pole Championship, winning 7 of 8 possible pole positions. (Matt Yeager won the pole at the Daytona RC in his only start of the season). The all-time career leader in wins (98), top 5's (330), starts (364) and now poles (69), Gregg Rauscher is the odds-on favorite to win the title again 2025 unless another driver can elevate their game significantly or unless Gregg has an unusually large amount of bad luck.

 

    In his own words, "2024 was a very good season for me. Winning 7 out of the 9 races was a bit of a surprise but I had good pace at just about everywhere. I think if had gotten through traffic quicker I could have won the 2nd New Smyrna race too. I'm very proud of the convincing win to close out the season at Daytona. That place took me a lot of years to figure out. I really improved my qualifying too which was a goal going into the season. The only things that frustrated me was making a couple dumb mistakes at Daytona Beach which nearly cost me the win and really having no chance to beat Matt at the Daytona RC. I'm not really sure how to get quicker there, but I'm going to try. It's going to be tough to have a repeat of this past season in 2025, but I'm going to do my best. Todd seems to get better every year and there are a few guys that I feel are under-performing and/ or having bad luck and could start winning races at any time so that will make having another dominant season like I just had difficult. In closing I want to thank all my competitors for their efforts this past season. It's an honor to race against all of you."

 

    Runner-Up- Todd Primerano- Once known as a short track specialist who often produced inconsistent results 2012 IDEAL ROTY Todd "Primo" Primerano has evolved into one of the top drivers in the SSRA, finishing in runner-up slot to Gregg Rauscher for the 2nd consecutive year. In a season that was very similar to his 2023 effort Todd only won 1 race, but was a contender in a few races and was the only driver not named Gregg Rauscher to finish in the top 5 in every race. In addition to a stellar run through the field that resulted in a win in the second 25 lap feature at New Smyrna, Primo also was a fighting 2nd at both the Las Vegas Dirt Track and in race 1 at New Smyrna and also finished 2rd in the season opener at North Wilkesboro. Todd Primerano has proven he can contend for championships, but it remains to be seen if he can up his game (especially on the bigger tracks) and apply serious pressure to Gregg Rauscher for the title or even dethrone him.

 

    In his own words, "2024 was a good season for me in a sense, but I was very close to winning a couple more races which if I did that I probably would have put more pressure on Gregg and given myself more confidence. But it is what it is, there are 7 or 8 other guys that probably would be happy being 2nd. During the off season I going to do more testing, especially on the speedways and hopefully improve one spot. I always have a blast running the different tracks and racing against my dad and Uncle Chris, so I'm looking forward to next season Thanks for putting on the league."

 

    3rd Place- Ghostface Racer- A top 10 points finisher in all 20 years of the SSRA N3OCS' existence Ghostface Racer improved slightly from a 4th place finish last season to 3rd place in 2024, which was the 4th time in his career he finished 3rd. Despite enduring a long winless drought dating back to 2019 at the Springfield Mile, Ghost scored 6 top 5 finishes including a solid runner-up effort in Argentina and 3rd place in the season finale at Daytona and never finished worse than 7th all season. Second in all-time starts only to Gregg Rauscher, Ghostface Racer has announced he will be back for another full-season in 2025 and if he can find a bit more speed at even a couple venues he could become a more serious championship contender and possibly finish in the top 2 in the standings for the first time in his career.

 

    In His Own Words, "This season wasn't too bad. I didn't make any big mistakes but the only track i was fast enough to win at was Rafaela which doesn't make me too happy. Hopefully I can get more practice in '25 and get back to victory lane. That's my #1 goal! Congratulations to Gregg, and Todd on beating me. lol Looking forward to next season."

 

    4th Place- Chris Primerano- A driver that has finished in the top 5 in points in all but one season since 2016, "Chicago" Chris Primerano was hoping to improve on his 3rd place points finish from 2023. But despite holding onto the 3rd spot going into the 2024 season finale at Daytona, a subpar 6th place finish dropped him to 4th at season's end. Although he was unable to find victory lane, "Chicago" claimed four 3rd place finishes (at the LVMS Dirt Track, Rafaela, the Daytona RC and at Daytona Beach) and a 5th place in the 2nd race at New Smyrna and finished 6th or better in all but one race. Returning in 2025 for his 13th full season, Chris Primerano will likely contend for another top 5 points finish, but if he wants to return to the top 3 in the standings, he will need to improve his performance in the double points events and at New Smyrna (where in the first feature this past season he finished a disappointing 8th)

 

     In His Own Words, "First I want to congratulate Gregg Rauscher on another championship and my nephew on his strong season. My season was average by my standards. If I would have run better at Daytona I could have been 3rd, but I don't think I could have put much pressure on Todd let alone Gregg. They just seem to be a bit better. But I'm going to keep trying and hopefully I can contend for a few wins. As a team Pr1mo Racing did good placing 2 drivers in the top 5 and 3 in the top 10. We are going to work together to try to get better next season and have some fun in the process. Thanks to my Pr1mo Racing teammates for all their help and to Gregg for promoting the series."

 

    5th Place- Eddie Sedlacek- A top 10 points finisher and race winner in the SSRA N3OCS' inaugural season back in 2005, Eddie Sedlacek is the hands down winner of the unofficial most improved driver award for 2024. After finishing a career best 7th in 2023, Sedlacek made significant gains this season securing 5th place in the standings, on the strength of a solid runner-up finish in the season ending Neil Bonnett/ Dale Earnhardt Memorial 150. Although he only scored one other top 5 finish throughout the course of the season, it was a good one, finishing a fighting 2nd in the season opener at North Wilkesboro. Unlike in previous seasons where Sedlacek often had back of the pack finishes and even made some start and parks, in 2024 he finished every race and had no finishes worse than 8th. Eddie Sedlacek proved this past season that he can bring his car home in one piece and contend for wins on occasion, however if he wants to move up further up the points ladder he will need to finish in the top 5 more regularly.

 

    In His Own Words, "Thank you running the SSRA N3OCS. Even though I still couldn't run as much practice as I liked I tried to clean up my mistakes. I also placed a lot of emphasis on the double points races which really helped me in the points. Next year I'm hoping to be at least top 5 again and winning a race or 2 would be nice too!"

 

    6th Place- Steven Hyde- With 7 championship runner-up finishes (most recently in 2021) Steven Hyde was hoping to return to title contention in 2024 after two disappointing seasons in which he finished 6th in points both years. However, even though the Camillus, NY campaigner was able to score 5 top five finishes (his highest season tally since 2021) and despite being as high as 3rd early in the season and heading into the season finale at Daytona in 5th, Hyde once again ended the season in 6th. Although he finished a very close 2nd to Gregg Rauscher at Daytona Beach, that was his only podium finish of the season. Very few would argue that Steven Hyde is the best driver in the history of the SSRA N3OCS to have never won a title, but if he wants to return to championship contention and win his first race since 2019, he will need to find more time to practice, especially at New Smyrna and the Daytona RC where he finished 7th or worse in those 3 races.

 

     In His Own Words, "Well another SSRA season has passed and it was somewhat average as of late for me. Lack of seat time continues to be most of the issue once again. I'm happy with a few finishes while some tracks continue to puzzle me and I'd rather forget them. Hopefully, we will see what 2024 brings. Thanks Gregg for keeping the league going and giving us a large target on your back, lol."

 

    7th Place- Tony Plumadore Jr.- After finished a fighting 5th last season (and an even more impressive 3rd in 2022) 2016 IDEAL Brake Parts ROTY Tony Plumadore Jr. was hoping to be a legitimate championship contender. But the driver who carries the #24 of SSRA legend Joshua Stephens endured a very tough season that ended with a 7th place points finish, only 1 point ahead of 8th place Dusterman. Although T-Plum was strong like usual on the short tracks, finishing 4th or better in 4 out of the 5 short track races, including finishing a close 2nd to Todd Primerano in the 2nd race at New Smyrna, on the speedways and at the Daytona RC he struggled mightily finishing no better than 8th. If he returns for a full schedule Tony Plumadore Jr. will be one of the great unknowns in 2025. If he can find more speed and avoid mistakes in the non-short track races, he could finish solidly in the top 5 and maybe even contend for the title, if not it could be another season of struggles for Plumadore.

 

    In His Own Words, "If the series was just bullrings I would have finished in the top 3, if not better. But everywhere else, well lets just say everything that could go wrong did. Next season I'm not sure how many races I'll run? Maybe I'll run the first few and take it from there but I don't want to struggle."

 

    8th Place- Dusterman- A perennial underdog, 2014 IDEAL Brake Parts ROTY and 2 -time Neil Bonnett/ Dale Earnhardt Memorial 150 winner Dusterman dropped one spot to 8th after finishing 7th in 2023. Particularly strong on the short tracks, Dusterman's 3 top 5 finishes of the season came at Stockton 99 Speedway where he finished a strong 2nd and in the 2 races at New Smyrna where he scored a pair of 4th place finishes. In the other 6 races he finished no better than 7th, including at the Daytona RC where he struggled to a season's worst finish of 11th. An equally large disappointment came in the season finale at Daytona, where despite being the defending race winner, he experienced some bad luck which resulted in a 7th place finish. Dusterman has proven himself to be a serious threat for wins on the short tracks and at Daytona International Speedway, but if hopes to be a top 5 championship finisher like he was back in 2020, he needs to become more consistent and improve his performance at the other speedways and especially his Achilles' heel the Daytona RC.

 

    In His Own Words, "Well, I'm a little disappointed in some of my finishes. Little things like fuel mileage and ill-timed pit stops just kept me from getting better finishes. I plan on returning next year to try and improve."

 

    9th Place- Randy Cowen- Entering the 2024 season, 10-time SSRA N3OCS race winner "Rocket" Randy Cowen was hoping to return to winning form after finishing 9th in points the 2 previous seasons without scoring a single top 5 finish (although he did win 1 pole position each season). Instead, however Cowen suffered through what is arguably the worst season any full-time SSRA racer ever endured. The Rocket finished only 3 of the 9 races held and finished no better than 9th in any race. About the only glimmer of hope for the likeable veteran was out-qualifying 3 other drivers at both North Wilkesboro and Rafaela. Although I stated the same thing last year, I don't think it's possible Cowen could have a worse season in 2025. The only question is whether there will be only a slight improvement or if he will find more time to better prepare for the races and return to being a top 5 points contender and a race winner.

 

    In His Own Words, "Another disappointing season for me. I really need to make a bigger commitment. Hopefully, that will happen next year. But as always, I enjoy racing in this series and I'm truly grateful for all the guys racing in this league and Gregg's effort that he puts into SSRA!"

 

    10th Place- Jeff Primerano- Running limited schedules for all but one season in an SSRA career that dates back to 2009 the 3rd driver for Pr1mo Racing ran 4 races this past season that consisted of Rafaela and all 3 races in Daytona. Matching his 9th place points finish from 2023, the heavy equipment operator from Chicago had 3 nondescript runs in the oval races he entered finishing between 6th and 8th. However, at the Daytona RC he finished a solid 4th. Most likely running another limited schedule in 2025, Jeff Primerano will likely continue to be a solid contender for top 5 finishes and possibly with some luck earn his 2nd career victory (and first win since August 2019 at Heartland Park Topeka) Depending on car counts and how many full-time drivers there are, Jeff could also return to the top 10 in points.

 

    In His Own Words, "2025 was very similar to my past few seasons. Daytona Road Course went pretty good while the other 3 races weren't that good but not terrible. Because of the weather I was able to work a lot more than most winters which was good for my bank account but not so much so for my sim racing efforts. But it was a great year for Pr1mo Racing overall, especially for Todd! A big congrats to him and also to Gregg on another championship. The #73 CASE Construction Equipment/ BP Lubricants Ford will be back again next season, just not sure how often."

 

    The Rest of the Field- In addition to the top 10 finishers in the standings, 2 other drivers also competed during the 2024. The "Qualifying Machine" Matt Yeager, who is known for his road course prowess competed in the Rolex 24 at the Daytona RC. Yeager made the most of his lone appearance earning his 65th career pole position in qualifying, then dominating the race to earn his 31st career SSRA N3OCS win which earned him 11th in the standings. 12th place points finisher Sean English, also made one start, finishing last at Daytona Beach. What is most interesting about English's appearance is that his most recent start prior to the Daytona Beach 100, came on June 5th, 2011 at Eldora Speedway, a time-span of almost 13 years!

   

    Overall in 2024 there were 2 different pole winners, 3 different race winners and 10 of the 12 drivers who competed had at least one top 5 finish. 9 drivers started all 9 races held during the SSRA N3OCS' 20th season.

 

    This write-up puts an official wrap on the 2024 season. Congratulations and thank you to all 12 drivers that competed throughout the course of the season. In the next couple weeks, I hope to update the SSRA N3OCS website's all-time career stats page and also post the 2025 schedule, which kicks off this coming November (2024). So be on the look out for that. In closing I want to thank everybody for their support of the SSRA N3OCS (and N3 in general) the past 20 years. Have a great off-season! See everybody at the track in November as we kick off season #21!

 

Thank you and God Bless,

Gregg :-)