Rauscher Finally Wins @ Daytona & Claims 9th Championship, Full Points Rundown!

 

Monday, March 1st, 2021, 12:25 am.....

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    On February 14th, the 2021 SSRA N3OCS season concluded at Daytona International Speedway with the 17th annual running of the running of the Neil Bonnett/ Dale Earnhardt Memorial 150. "Big" Gregg Rauscher won his 3rd pole of the season which earned him co-champions honors in the season long Bud Pole championship with Matt Yeager (who wasn't entered at Daytona). Just taking the green flag earned Rauscher his 9th consecutive SSRA N3OCS title. Then despite never winning in 16 previous attempts at the 2.5 mile tri-oval, Rauscher who was aided by an excellent handling car and some good pit strategy scored the win in convincing fashion. 2019 Daytona winner Dusterman finished 2nd,  6 seconds back while Eddie Sedlacek finished a season's best 3rd. 2017 winner Ghostface Racer came in 4th and Steven Hyde earned his 7th runner-up in the championship by finishing 5th.

  Here are the top 5 finishers from the Daytona International Speedway. Be sure to check out the SSRA website for complete results.

Neil Bonnett/ Dale Earnhardt Memorial 150 @ Daytona International Speedway:
Pole: Gregg Rauscher
1. Gregg Rauscher
2. Dusterman
3. Eddie Sedlacek
4. Ghostface Racer
5. Steven Hyde

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    With the 17th anniversary 2021 SSRA N3OCS season now in the record books, here is a rundown of all the drivers who scored points in the 2021 SSRA N3OCS season, some info about their seasons, their prospects for 2022 and where possible some comments from the drivers on their seasons.

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  2021 Final SSRA N3OCS Championship Standings (Once again check out the SSRA website for more detailed points standings.)
 

1. Gregg Rauscher 124******
2. Steven Hyde 82
3. Chris Primerano 80
4. Ghostface Racer 71
5. Todd Primerano 66
6. Dusterman 61
7. Matt Yeager 54***
8. Eddie Sedlacek 51
9. Jeff Primerano 25
10. Randy Cowen 18
11. Jeff Hill 10
* represents a race win.

 

    2021 SSRA N3OCS Champion & Bud Pole Co-Champion- Gregg Rauscher- After narrowly winning the 2020 SSRA N3OCS championship (after a season-long battle with Matt Yeager) winning the 2021 championship was easier for the 17 year veteran. Scoring wins at Phoenix, the Las Vegas Dirt Track and Stockton 99 Speedway to start the season left Rauscher with a comfortable lead over Chris Primerano is his quest for a 9th straight championship. After a season's worst finish of 5th at Sandown, he got back in championship form in the Florida swing by finishing 2nd in the first 25 lapper at New Smyrna, then winning the 2nd race. After a runner-up finish to Matt Yeager on the Daytona RC, Rauscher won a spirited battle with Steven Hyde at Daytona Beach to claim the win. In the season-ending Neil Bonnett/ Dale Earnhardt Memorial 150 at Daytona Int'l Speedway he parlayed a pole position into his first ever win at the 2.5 mile tri-oval. The end result was he won his 9th consecutive championship by 42 points over long-time rival Steven Hyde. In addition to the title, "Big" Gregg also tied for the 2021 Bud Pole Championship with "the Qualifying Machine" Matt Yeager, as both drivers scored 3 pole positions. The all-time career leader in wins (80), top 5's (303) and starts (337), Rauscher is the odds-on favorite to win the title again 2022, but if he runs a full season Matt Yeager could provide plenty of competition as could veterans like Steven Hyde and Chris Primerano.

 

    In his own words, "There might not have been quite as much competition as other seasons, but I feel I might have run the best I ever have in 2021. Other than Sandown which I really struggled at and was pretty much just point racing, I was in contention to win every other race, which I'm very proud of. Winning 9 championships means a lot, but the highlight of my season was finally winning Daytona. If Randy was there it might have been more difficult, but I had the car on rails and I think from here on out we will be serious contenders every year there. A big shootout to Steven Hyde, Chris Primerano and Matt Yeager for their great seasons, as well as all the other competitors and the talented individuals who created and continue to create great content for N3. It means a lot to be associated with and compete against such great people. Hopefully in 2022 I can win #10 and get better at Sandown too!"

 

    Runner-Up- Steven Hyde- After have one of the worst seasons of his career in 2020, in which he finished 8th in standings, Steven Hyde returned to his position as a perennial championship contender by finishing runner-up in the championship for the 7th time in his career. Starting the 2021 season with an extremely disappointing 10th place finish at Phoenix, the Camillus, NY campaigner would finish every other race in the top 5. Highlights of his season including strong 2nd place finishes at Stockton and Daytona Beach, handily beating champion Gregg Rauscher at Sandown by finishing 4th and winning the pole position at Daytona Beach. If he can improve his performance even slightly and Gregg Rauscher has some bad luck don't be surprised to see Steven Hyde win his first SSRA N3OCS championship in 2022

 

     In His Own Words, "After starting the season with miserable results, I contemplated running only a few races but I discovered a problem with my wheel. After removing and reinstalling, I was back in action and started having top 5 finishes. This encouraged me to keep running the season. Although I didn’t win a race, I had a couple runner up finishes and the first pole in several years allowing me to climb to my 7th runner up points finish. As of now, I hope to be running a full season again next year."

 

    3rd Place- Chris Primerano- A driver that has improved almost every season since his roty season in 2011, "Chicago" Chris Primerano finished a disappointing 6th in 2020, but rebounded nicely with what (despite not winning a race) could be called a career season in 2021 by finishing a fighting 3rd in the points. A model of consistency "Chicago" finished in the top 5 in all but two races and never finished worse than 6th. He held 2nd place for much of season, but his 6th place finish in the season finale dropped him down to 3rd, only 2 points behind Steven Hyde. Primerano's best results were a pair of runner-up finishes on the dirt at Las Vegas and at Sandown where he was a serious contender for the win. Likely returning again for a full season in 2022, expect Primerano to once again be a contender for a top 2 points finish, possibly even a championship if he can up his game even slightly, especially at Daytona.

 

    In His Own Words, "This year I picked things up quite a bit. It was the opposite of last year as I had more time to run the races and better luck. Losing second at the end hurt, we really need to find what were are missing at DIS. Next year I hope to step it up even more and win a couple races. Thanks to my Pr1mo Racing teammates and to Gregg for running the SSRA for so many years."

 

    4th Place- Ghostface Racer- A top 10 points finisher in every year of the SSRA N3OCS' existence Ghostface Racer had what could be described as a below average season by his standards. Finishing 3rd in 2020, many expected Ghost to contend for a championship in 2021, but thanks to a season of mostly mid-pack finishes that never happened. Despite finishing 3rd at both Phoenix and Daytona Beach, he was never a serious contender for wins and only scored 4 top 5 finishes in the 9 races held which left him 4th in the final standings. In 2022 Ghostface Racer will hope to get back to his form of 2020 where he only finished out of the top 5 once and also end a 2 year winless streak, but in order to do so he will have to find significant performance gains.

 

    In His Own Words, "No lies my season wasn't very good, most of the races I was in a rush and the couple times I wasn't I just couldn't find the necessary speed. I guess I'm lucky to finish 4th. Next season I plan to be better and more than that I want to win again. Congratulations to Gregg on his championship. Hope to see everybody again 2022."

 

    5th Place- Todd Primerano-  Coming off 3 straight top 5 points finishes (including a fighting 4th place finish in 2020), Todd "Primo" Primerano was a realistic contender for a top 3 points finish in 2021. Although he was unable to accomplish that feat, the 2012 SSRA N3OCS roty still had a solid season enroute to a 5th place points finish. Always a contender on the short tracks "Primo" finished 3rd at Stockton and in both New Smyrna races (after starting from the pole in race 1) and finished 4th at the Dirt Track at LVMS. But like many past seasons he struggled on the bigger tracks and the road courses finishing no better than 7th in any of those events. If Todd Primerano can improve his performance on the speedways and the road courses he could easily earn his first career top 3 points finish in 2022, if not he will likely finish behind the well rounded drivers like Gregg Rauscher, Steven Hyde, his uncle Chris Primerano and Ghostface Racer.

 

    In His Own Words, "I had high hopes for 2021, but didn't really deliver. At all the smaller tracks I was pretty good but not great, everywhere else I was relying on attrition or luck it seemed. Still it could have been worse so I guess I can't be upset with 5th. I'm going to try to run all the races again next season because I find it is an escape for me and it fun to run against my dad and uncle. Speaking of them, I want to thank them for their set-up advice, in some races it helped a lot. Thanks for putting on the league"

 

    6th Place- Dusterman- Hot off a career best 5th place points finish in 2020, everybody's favorite underdog Dusterman had another respectable season in 2021, finishing in 6th place, only 5 points out of the top 5. Although he had several mid and back of the pack finishes, the Missouri driver finished every race on the lead lap and posted 3 top 5 finishes, including a runner-up finish in the Neil Bonnett/Dale Earnhardt Memorial 150, a race in which he won in 2014. Coming back for his 9th season in 2022, Dusterman will hope to find more time to perfect set-ups and practice for races. If this works out in his favor, expect him to finish solidly in the top 5 at seasons end.

 

    In His Own Words, "First off congratulations to Gregg Daytona victory, second thank you for doing this series. Now my summation of this season is that I still need to work on better finishes to get into the top five. I was really proud of my time for Daytona, but it wasn't enough to top the series Champ."

 

    7th Place- Matt Yeager & Bud Pole Co-Champion- After a break through season in 2020, that saw him narrowly lose the championship in the season finale at Daytona, "the Qualifying Machine" Matt Yeager competed in only 6 of the 9 races held in 2021. But he made those 6 races count, winning 3 out of 5 possible pole positions (which earned his co-champion honors in the season long Bud Pole award battle), scoring wins in both road course events and in the first feature at New Smyrna and earning 5 top five finishes. Perhaps most impressive is that despite missing 3 races (including Daytona Int'l Speedway where double points were on the line) and being ineligible for the perfect attendance bonus of 20 points he still finished 7th in the standings. There is no doubt that if Matt Yeager returns to full-time competition in 2022 he will give Gregg Rauscher all he can handle in the championship battle, if he runs another limited schedule expect him to rack up more wins, especially on the road courses and add to his league leading total of 61 career poles.

 

    8th Place- Eddie Sedlacek- A top 10 points finisher and race winner in the SSRA N3OCS' inaugural season back in 2005, Eddie Sedlacek ran only 1 race last season, before embarking on the second full season of his long career in 2021. Often short of time to properly run the races, he was forced to start and park in 3 events and typically finished around 8 place in most of the other races. However, he did have some strong showings including a solid qualifying run at Phoenix, narrowly missing out on a top 5 finish in the second New Smyrna race and finishing a strong 3rd in the season finale at Daytona. Much like Dusterman, Eddie Sedlacek would benefit greatly from more time to race, if he can find this time he could very well score his first career top 5 points finish, if not he will likely be last among full-time competitors again in 2022.

 

    In His Own Words, "Thank you for running the SSRA for so many years it's great to still be able to race N3. I was only able to make a serious effort in a few races so considering that I'm not too upset with finishing 8th. When I can find the time I have a lot of fun running the races and hope to continue to do so".

 

    9th Place- Jeff Primerano- After running a limited schedule in 2020 and finishing 9th in points, the third member of Pr1mo Racing, Jeff Primerano had an almost identical season in 2021, scoring two top 5 finishes and finishing 9th in the standings. The highlights of Jeff's season were a 3rd place at Sandown and a 4th place finish at the Daytona RC. In his 3 other outings (all on bigger ovals) he struggled, finishing between 6th and 9th. Most likely running another limited schedule in 2002 Jeff Primerano will have a hard time moving up in the standings, however if he can return to the level of competitiveness he had in 2019 when he won a race at Heartland Park Topeka, he could become a more regular fixture in the top 5 on race day.

 

    In His Own Words, "I ran good on the road courses, but for the most part struggled in the oval races. I hope to get better next year, but I'm still having fun trying to beat my kid and brother, which isn't easy. I'll probably run a similar schedule unless I do well early on, then I might add more races. Congratulations to Gregg on another championship and to all the other competitors for providing such good competition."

 

    10th Place- Randy Cowen- The SSRA's elder statesman "Rocket" Randy Cowen ended a lackluster 2020 season (in which he finished 7th in points) with big win in the season ending Neil Bonnett/ Dale Earnhardt Memorial 150. Starting off the 2021 season, he appeared to have momentum on his side as he finished a strong 4th in the season opener at Phoenix. But unfortunately for the 2008 Raybestos ROTY and 10 time SSRA N3OCS race winner, it was all downhill from there. Other than a mid-pack finish at Sandown, Cowen finished last in every other race he entered. Plagued by ever worsening steering issues at New Smyrna, "the Rocket" was forced to end his season early to allow himself to get a new wheel and be ready for 2022. The end result was a disappointing 10th place finish in the final standings. Despite a career plagued by inconsistency Randy Cowen is still capable of running with the SSRA's best, especially on the speedways. Assuming he can get his mechanical woes straightened out and find time to properly prepare for races, he is almost assured of a top 5 points finish, possibly even a top 3 points finish in 2022. However if his problems of 2021 are not sorted out, 2022 could be another rough season for the likable driver from San Francisco.

 

    11th Place- Jeff Hill- After retiring at the conclusion of the 2019 season, Brantford, Ontario's Jeff Hill made a one race comeback in the season opening Copper World Classic at Phoenix Raceway. Hill ran a very strong race, starting 2nd and leading early, before finishing 2nd to Gregg Rauscher. That turned out to be the only race he entered. His plans remain uncertain for 2022, although he has left the possibility of running more races open.

 

    In 2021 there were 4 different pole winners, 2 different race winners and all 11 drivers who competed in 2021 had at least one top 5 finish. 7 drivers have started all 9 races held during the SSRA N3OCS' 17th season.

 

    This write-up puts an official wrap on the 2021 season. Congratulations and thank you to all 11 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 2022 schedule, which kicks off this November (2021). So be on the look out for that. Also, I continue to add various N3 and NL files to the new website, so if you need any files hosted or are looking for any files please let me know. Please note that all the content from the old Freewebs hosted SSRA website (which is shutting down on March 31st) is now on the new SSRA website. In closing I want to thank everybody for their support of the SSRA N3OCS (and N3 in general) the past 17 years. Have a great off-season! See everybody at the track in November as we kick off season #18!

 

Thanks again and God Bless,

 

Gregg :-)