2022 Season Full Championship Points Rundown!

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Sunday, March 13th, 2022, 5:07 pm.....

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    With the 18th anniversary 2022 SSRA N3OCS season now in the record books, here is a rundown of all the drivers who scored points during the 2022 SSRA N3OCS season, some info about their seasons, their prospects for 2023 and where possible some comments from the drivers on their seasons.

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    2022 SSRA N3OCS Champion & Bud Pole Champion- Gregg Rauscher- After winning 6 of 9 races during the 2021 season enroute to his 9th consecutive SSRA N3OCS championship, the 2022 season was virtually identical for Gregg Rauscher. Starting out with a win in the inaugural Rush Limbaugh Memorial 100 at the California Speedway, Rauscher would go on to win a total of 6 races and claim his 10th consecutive championship by 47 points over Chris Primerano. In addition to race wins California Speedway, Stockton 99 Speedway, LVMS Dirt Track, Race 1 at New Smyrna, Daytona Beach RC and Daytona International Speedway, he finished 2nd in the 2nd New Smyrna race and at the Daytona International Speedway RC. The only race where he didn't finish in the top 2 was at Surfers Paradise, where despite not having the pace of the front runners he still finished 4th. Although not quite as dominant in qualifying as he was in race trim, "Big" Gregg still won 3 poles which was good enough to claim the 2022 Bud Pole Championship. The all-time career leader in wins (86), top 5's (312) and starts (346), Gregg Rauscher is the odds-on favorite to win the title again 2023 unless another driver can elevate their game dramatically or if Gregg has an unusually large amount of bad luck.

 

    In his own words, "2022 was arguably my best season ever. Winning the Rush Limbaugh race to start the season meant a lot to me. That set the tone for the the whole season, other than at Surfers Paradise, where I had no chance at the win and was pretty much points racing, every other track I either won at or was at least in contention. I finished the season very strong, on the Beach I ran my fastest race ever, then at Daytona my winning speed was the fastest ever restrictor plate race speed. Qualifying is an area I could definitely improve in, but other than that hopefully 2023 will be a continuation of 2022. Having said that I don't take anything for granted, there are probably 3 or 4 guys that could win at all the tracks we race at. If one of them gets on a roll it could make my life very difficult. In closing I want to congratulate all my competitors on their seasons. Thanks guys for providing great competition."

 

    Runner-Up- Chris Primerano- A driver that has improved almost every season since his roty season in 2011, "Chicago" Chris Primerano improved to 2nd place after finishing finishing 3rd in 2021. Always one of the best road racers, "Chicago" ended a 2 year winless streak at Surfers Paradise, but he also had strong runs at California finishing 2nd and on the dirt at Las Vegas and at the Daytona RC where he claimed 3rd place finishes. Like in previous seasons his biggest struggles came on the short tracks. The only 3 races where he failed to finish in the top 5 were at Stockton and in both New Smyrna races.  Returning in 2023 for his 11th full season, Chris Primerano could be a legitimate championship contender, but in order to do so, he will have to find more improvement on the short tracks.

 

     In His Own Words, "Realistically I'm pleased with my season. The championship was a long shot but Tony and Todd gave me all I could handle and I'm just happy I beat them. Second and fifth is a great result for Pr1mo Racing. My goal for nest season is to get better at Smyrna and to try to win more than one race. If we can do that maybe I can improve one more position! Thanks to my Pr1mo Racing teammates for all their help and to Gregg for continuing to run the league. It's been fun."

 

    3rd Place- Tony Plumadore Jr.- After not racing at all last season, 2016 IDEAL Brake Parts ROTY Tony Plumadore Jr. embarked on a full season for only the second time in his career and had a breakthrough season. In addition to battling series' standout Gregg Rauscher to earn his first career win in the second 25 lapper at New Smyrna, "T-Plum" had an extremely consistent season, picking up a solid 3rd place at Stockton 99 Speedway and scoring three 5th place finishes throughout the 9 race season. The Michigan racer held onto 2nd place in the points standings for much of the season, only a season's worst 8th place in season ending Neil Bonnett/Dale Earnhardt Memorial 150 dropped him to a tie for 3rd in the final standings. One of the SSRA's better short track racers, Tony Plumadore Jr. proved that he can be a consistent finisher on all types of tracks in 2022. However if he wants to be a serious contender for the 2023 championship, he will have to improve his finishing position on the road courses and at Daytona.

 

    In His Own Words, "I finally had enough free time to run the full schedule properly. To get my first win after coming so close a few different times was really big. Overall I'm happy with my season considering most of these tracks I've only ran on once years a go or in some cases not at all, whereas most of the other guys have been to a lot of the tracks 10 or even 15 times before. So there set-ups are fine tuned and they have tons of laps which I don't so I think there is definitely room for improvement next year."

   
    3rd Place- Ghostface Racer- A top 10 points finisher in every year of the SSRA N3OCS' existence Ghostface Racer improved slightly from a 4th place finish last season to a tie for 3rd place in 2022. Book-ending the season with 3rd place finishes (in the season opener at California Speedway and season finale at DIS) Ghost had an extremely consistent season, posting 5 top five finishes and finishing in the top 6 in all but one race. Second in all-time starts only to Gregg Rauscher, Ghost's best finish of the season came on the sands of Daytona where he finished 2nd. Likely back for another full-season in 2023 Ghostface Racer will try to improve to a top 2 points finish for the first time in his career, but to do so he will need to find a bit more pace and contend for his first win since the Springfield Mile in 2019.

 

    In His Own Words, "This year was okay, it was actually quite a bit better than '21. If I didn't mess up in the 2nd race at New Smyrna, I would have been 2nd in the championship. But woulda, coulda, shoulda. Next season I really want to get back to victory lane. Congratulations to Gregg, Chris, Tony and everybody else on their seasons. See you in November!"

 

    5th Place- Todd Primerano- After finishing 5th in points in 2021, Todd "Primo" Primerano duplicated that result again in 2022, his 5th consecutive top 5 points finish. Like in previous seasons Primerano was strong on the short tracks, winning poles at the LVMS Dirt Track and New Smyrna and finishing 3rd at Stockton, 2nd at the LVMS Dirt Track and 4th and 3rd in the races at New Smyrna. But in the non-short track races he could do no better than 7th. It remains to be seen if Todd can finally improve his performance on the road courses and the speedways (or even 1 of the 2 track types). If he can don't be surprised to see him contend for at least a top 3 points finish, if not it could be another points finish in the middle of the top 10.

 

    In His Own Words, "2022 was a typical season for me. On the the smaller tracks I did everything but win a race, every other track I was running at the back hoping other guys messed up. 5th place is better than 6th, but I'm still not happy with it. It's easier said than done but I need to have some good runs on the big tracks and roadies. I really enjoy running against my dad and Uncle Chris, so we'll give it another try next year. Thanks for putting on the league."

 

    6th Place- Steven Hyde- The championship runner-up in 2021 (for the 7th time in his career) Steven Hyde finished a disappointing 6th in 2022. The Camillus, NY campaigner started the season strong with top 5 finishes in the first 3 races including a strong runner-up finish at Stockton 99 Speedway, but then was plagued with painful injuries. As a result the final 6 races of the season were a struggle, with his only top five in that stretch a 3rd place at Daytona Beach. If Steven Hyde is healthy and pain-free in 2023 don't be surprised to see him contend for his first career championship, especially if Gregg Rauscher has some struggles. If not it could be another season of (literally) painful struggles.

 

    In His Own Words, "I would consider this season as a setback. Personal injuries limited my seat time and it really showed on the track. Other than one runner up early in the season I was never really in contention for a win. Time will see what next season brings."

 

    7th Place- Dusterman- A perennial underdog, 2014 IDEAL Brake Parts ROTY and 2019 Neil Bonnett/ Dale Earnhardt Memorial 150 winner Dusterman dropped one spot to 7th after finishing 6th in 2021. Finishing 4th at both Stockton 99 Speedway and the season finale at Daytona, he struggled in most of the other races finishing no better than 7th and often finishing in the bottom 2 positions. If Dusterman hopes to be a top 5 championship finisher like he was in 2020 he needs to eliminate at least 2 or 3 of those back of the back finishes, which given his past history is quite possible especially on the short tracks.

 

    In His Own Words, "Thank you for keeping the series going. I feel that I could have done better at some of the tracks and look forward to next season."

 

    8th Place- Eddie Sedlacek- A top 10 points finisher and race winner in the SSRA N3OCS' inaugural season back in 2005, Eddie Sedlacek scored his 4th career top 10 points finish, finishing 8th for the second consecutive season. Often short of time to properly run the races, the former Rockingham winner produced only 1 top 5 finish, a strong 2nd place at Daytona to end the season. Start and parking in the 2 road course races, Sedlacek finished 8th or worse in all but two races (7th at Daytona beach and the 2nd at DIS). Now racing mostly for fun Eddie Sedlacek has proven in the past that he can be competitive and contend for wins, but unless he has more practice and time to work on set-ups finishing much higher up in points will be difficult.

 

    In His Own Words, "Thank you running the SSRA again in '22. I'm usually rushing to run the races but I'm still having fun with N3 and I like going to the different tracks. Daytona was oh so close. I hope to run all the races again but that's several months off so time will tell."

 

    9th Place- Randy Cowen- After ending the 2021 season 10th in points after having to sit out the final 3 races due to steering issues, the SSRA's elder statesman "Rocket" Randy Cowen was hoping a return to past glory in 2022.  Despite starting the season on a high note by winning the pole position for the inaugural Rush Limbaugh Memorial 150 at the California Speedway, it was all downhill from there for the San Francisco native. The subsequent last place finish in that race set the tone for the rest of Cowen's season. He was the only competitor that failed to record at least one top 5 finish and other than a 6th place finish in the season finale at Daytona he failed to finish better than 8th all season long. Realistically there isn't much chance that 2023 could be any worse than this past season for the 2008 roty and 10 time SSRA N3OCS race winner. So he will likely move up in the standings and at least occasionally finish in the top 5. But it remains to be seen if he can threaten for a top 5 points finish and/ or return to victory lane.

 

    In His Own Words, "Thanks Gregg and to all who competed. Definitely not the season I wanted. Effort needs to be better. Looking forward to next year!"

 

    10th Place- Matt Yeager- 2020 championship runner-up and all-time career SSRA N3OCS pole positions leader Matt Yeager ran a limited schedule for the second straight season. After the 2021 which he ran 6 races enroute to 7th in the standings, "the Qualifying Machine" made only 4 starts in 20022 but still finished 10th in this years championship standings, the highest among part-time drivers. The likable Frenchman started off his season in December at Surfers Paradise where he won the pole and finished 2nd. Then at the next event in New Smyrna he took 3rd and 4th in the twin 25 lappers, before ending his season at the Daytona RC where he won his 63rd career pole position and went on to win the race, his 9th victory at that particular circuit. Although his plans are unannounced for 2023, expect Matt Yeager to run another limited schedule and whenever he shows up he will be a serious contender for victories, especially on the road courses.   

 

    11th 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 5 races this past season that consisted of both road courses and the 3 big ovals. Although he was unable to match his 9th place points finish from 2021, the heavy equipment operator from Chicago still had a respectable season scoring 3 top 5 finishes highlighted by a podium finish (3rd) on the streets of Surfers Paradise enroute top 11th in the standings. Most likely running another limited schedule in 2023, Jeff Primerano will likely continue to be a solid contender for top 5 finishes and possibly even wins. 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, "All-in-all it wasn't that bad of a season. It's tough to win against these guys but I'm not giving up. It was a great year overall for Pr1mo Racing so congrats to Chris and my kid on their seasons and also to Gregg on #10. Depending on the race schedule and how much life gets in the way I'm not sure how many races I'll run, but rest assured the #73 CASE Construction Equipment/ BP Lubricants Ford Mustang will be back next year!"

 

    12th Place- Jeff Hill- After finishing 2nd at Phoenix in his only start of 2021, former Midvale winner Jeff Hill competed in both New Smyrna races in 2022. Often a contender on the short tracks, the Brantford, ON driver finished a close 2nd to Gregg Rauscher in the first 25 lap feature, then backed that up with a 5th place in the second 25 lap race. Hill's plans for the 2023 season are unknown, but if his recent appearances are any indication, expect him to be a front runner when he shows up at the track.

   

    Overall in 2022 there were 4 different pole winners, 4 different race winners and 11 of the 12 drivers who competed in 2022 had at least one top 5 finish. 9 drivers have started all 9 races held during the SSRA N3OCS' 18th season.

 

    This write-up puts an official wrap on the 2022 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 2023 schedule, which kicks off this November (2022). So be on the look out for that. Also, I uploaded some race logos (biglogo.tga's) from the start of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season to the the SSRA website's N3 utilities page. Every month or two I will upload another batch of race logos as the season progresses. In closing I want to thank everybody for their support of the SSRA N3OCS (and N3 in general) the past 18 years. Have a great off-season! See everybody at the track in November as we kick off season #19!

 

Thanks again and God Bless,

 

Gregg :-)