Rauscher Kicks Off 20th SSRA N3OCS Season With Wilkesboro Win, LVMS Dirt Track Results Due This Sunday Night!

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Tuesday, November 14th, 2023, 1:16 am.....

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    The 20th anniversary 2024 SSRA N3OCS season kicked off on November 5th, with the running of the 150 lap Carolina Clash at the North Wilkesboro Speedway. In the SSRA's first appearance at the newly refurbished, historic NC oval since 2019, defending series champion "Big" Gregg Rauscher won his 63rd career pole position. When the green flag flew, Rauscher took the lead and with the exception of some early pressure from Eddie Sedlacek and having to avoid a large wreck on the backstretch with 17 laps to go, had relatively smooth sailing for the entire distance. At the checkers Rauscher claimed his 92nd career win by 10 seconds over Sedlacek, who scored his best finish since Daytona in 2022 (in which he also finished 2nd). Todd "Primo" Primerano demonstrated his short track prowess by rounding out the podium in 3rd.

 

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

 

Carolina Clash @ North Wilkesboro Speedway:
Pole: Gregg Rauscher
1. Gregg Rauscher
2. Eddie Sedlacek
3. Todd Primerano
4. Steven Hyde
5. Ghostface Racer

 

    Being the opening race of the 2024 season the point standings mimic the finishing order of the Carolina Clash which awarded double points.

 

    Here are the top 10 in points. Once again check out the SSRA website for more detailed points standings. * represents a race win.

 

1. Gregg Rauscher 22*
2. Eddie Sedlacek 16
3. Todd Primerano 14
4. Steven Hyde 12
5. Ghostface Racer 10
6. Chris Primerano 8
7. Dusterman 6
8. Tony Plumadore Jr. 4
9. Randy Cowen 2

 

    Round 2 of the 2024 season takes place at the Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The Cyndi Peck Memorial 50 will be the 4th race at 0.5 mile clay oval and the 56th dirt race in SSRA N3OCS history. Gregg Rauscher won all 3 previous races held on the Las Vegas clay, besting "Chicago" Chris Primerano in the inaugural race and Chris' nephew Todd Primerano the past 2 years. Settings for the race have been posted on the SSRA website. Results are due this Sunday night, November 19th). A big thank you to all the drivers that helped kick off the 20th SSRA N3OCS season at North Wilkesboro. Good luck at the LVMS Dirt Track!

 

Gregg :-)

2023 Season Top 10 Championship Points Rundown!

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Tuesday, March 7th, 2023, 2:54 am.....

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    With the 19th anniversary 2023 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 2023 SSRA N3OCS season, some info about their seasons, their prospects for 2024 and where possible some comments from the drivers on their seasons.

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    2023 SSRA N3OCS Champion & Bud Pole Champion- Gregg Rauscher- After winning 6 of 9 races during the 2022 season enroute to his 10th consecutive SSRA N3OCS championship, Gregg Rauscher had another strong championship winning season in 2023. Starting out with a win in the Carolina Clash at the Bowman Gray Stadium, Rauscher would go on to win a total of 5 races and claim his 11th consecutive championship by 24 points over Todd Primerano, who remained in championship contention all season. Never finishing off the podium, Rauscher scored wins at Bowman Gray Stadium, the LVMS Dirt Track, Autódromo Ciudad de Rafaela (Argentina), Homestead Miami Speedway and the Daytona Beach Road Course, recorded runner-up efforts in the first New Smyrna race, the Daytona International Speedway RC and the season ending Neil Bonnett/ Dale Earnhardt Memorial 150 at Daytona International Speedway and finished 3rd in the first 25 lapper at New Smyrna. "Big" Gregg also won 4 poles, the most any driver has won since the N3OCS' winter format started in 2020, earning him the 2023 Bud Pole Championship. The all-time career leader in wins (91), top 5's (321) and starts (355), Gregg Rauscher is arguably the favorite to win the title again 2024, although a constantly improving Todd Primerano could provide some serious competition for the Port Colborne, ON driver.

 

    In his own words, "2023 was another good season for me. The competition keeps improving and just about anybody that shows up can contend for wins, at least on occasion. Todd really stepped up his game. Starting out the season with 4 wins was great. We were a bit off at New Smyrna, but I don't think I could have done much better at the Daytona RC or Daytona International, but we'll keep trying. Congratulations to the boys from Pr1mo Racing on their season and thanks to everybody for providing great competition. We'll be back next year to try for #12!"

 

    Runner-Up- Todd Primerano- After finishing 5th in points the past 2 seasons, 2012 IDEA ROTY Todd "Primo" Primerano stepped it up another notch in 2023. Like in previous seasons Primerano was strong on the short tracks, winning poles at the Bowman Gray Stadium and winning the first 25 lapper at New Smyrna and finishing 2nd in the other 3 short track races, but unlike in past seasons he also finished strong on all the other tracks as well. So much so that Pr1mo became the first non-championship winning driver in SSRA history to finish in top 5 in every race in a season. In 2024 Todd Primerano will try to prove that his successes this past season weren't a fluke and if he can improve only slightly, especially on the speedways he could be the first driver not named Gregg Rauscher to win a championship in over a decade.

 

    In His Own Words, "I felt this season was a breakout year for me. Honestly, I expect to be fast on the short tracks, but I really tried to improve my performance everywhere else too. Uncle Chris, Dad & I did a lot of testing and tinkering with set-ups, that was crucial. On the bad days I just tried to bring the car home in one piece, which can be a challenge for me sometimes. lol Ending a long winless drought was nice but to beat Rauscher it will take more than one win. My goal for '24 is to win at least 2 or 3 races and finish in the top 3 in most of the other races. If I can do that Pr1mo Racing will be on top this time next year. Thanks to my dad and Uncle Chris for being great teammates and thanks for putting on the league."

 

    3rd Place- Chris Primerano- The championship runner-up from 2022 "Chicago" Chris Primerano was hoping to win the title this year or at least be a serious contender. Although he finished a respectable 3rd in the standings (which was his fourth career top 3 points finish) Chicago's 2023 season could be considered a disappointment. He was unable to find victory lane and finished out of the top 5 in 3 races, which make contending for championship difficult. Although on a positive note Primerano scored 4 podium finishes, including a strong 2nd place run in Argentina. It will be interesting to see if Chris Primerano will return to his 2022 form (or even improve more yet. If he can do that he will contend for the title in 2024, if not he might settle for being the #2 driver at Pr1mo Racing.

 

     In His Own Words, "My season wasn't the best. I need to make some small improvements and be smoother. I overdrove the car a lot. Once I was out of contention I tried to help Todd more. I'm really proud of him. I put a lot of effort into Daytona and it worked out to secure third pl. Hopefully my work schedule allows me to run full time again. If so I think Pr1mo Racing will have 2 championship contenders. Congrats to Gregg and Todd on their seasons. Looking forward to next year."

 

    4th Place- Ghostface Racer- Finishing tied for 3rd in points last season, 19 year veteran Ghostface Racer had a nearly identical season in 2023, once again scoring 5 top 5 finishes although he did slip one spot in points to 4th. Although winless since 2019, Ghost finished on the podium 3 times, including a solid runner-up result in the series' inaugural trip to Homestead Miami Speedway. However, the short tracks were his Achilles' heel, finishing no better than 5th in any of the 4 (short track) races. With his 4th place points finish, Racer extends his streak of top 10 points finishes to 19, a feat only match by multi-time champion Gregg Rauscher. If the past few seasons are any indicator he will likely contend for another top 5 in the standings again in 2024, but in order to become a championship contender he will have to improve his short track results and also end his 4 year winless streak.

 

    In His Own Words, "This past season was okay but not great. I wasn't that far out of 3rd, but no real chance at 1st. The only race I was really happy with was Homestead. Next year hopefully I'll do all the races again, try to run better and get back to victory. It's been too long!  Congratulations Gregg, Todd, Chris, and everybody else on their seasons. Hope to see everybody back in 2024!"

 

    5th Place- Tony Plumadore Jr.- After a breakout 2022 season in which he won his first career race and stood 2nd in the standings for much of the season (before finishing tied for 3rd), 2016 IDEAL Brake Parts ROTY Tony Plumadore Jr. was hoping to be a serious contender for the 2023 SSRA N3OCS title. Instead, he had his share of struggles and fell to 5th in points. Despite finishing in the top 5 in 3 out of the 4 short track races, T-Plum struggled in the rest of races, producing only 1 other top 5 result. His strongest showing came in the first 25 lapper at New Smyrna where he finished a fighting 3rd, one of only 2 podium finishes he scored throughout the season. Over the past couple seasons Plumadore has shown he can be a frequent top 5 race finisher and contender for short track wins, but in order to move in the standings next year he will need to improve on the speedways.

 

    In His Own Words, "I give myself a B- grade. My season wasn't terrible, there were some bright spots but I actually ran worse than the year before. I was optimistic heading into the season, but never got going well. Wasn't able to practice much and had some bad luck. Will be back next year for sure."

 

    6th Place- Steven Hyde- 7-time championship runner-up Steven Hyde was hoping to rebound from a disappointing 2022 season, in which he was plagued by injuries and struggled to a 6th place points finish. Instead the Camillus, NY campaigner once again finished 6th in the standings and only scored 3 top 5 finishes. Hyde's roller coaster season included a start and park in the season opener at Bowman Gray Stadium and back of the pack finishes in both New Smyrna races, but also included a pole at Homestead and a very strong 2nd place showing on the Daytona Beach Road Course. For 2024, if Steven Hyde hopes to return to his championship contender status of years past, he will need to once regularly finish in the top 5, especially on the short tracks. If he is unable to do this, the upcoming season could produce another middle of the top 10 championship result.

 

    In His Own Words, "Not much good to say about this season for me. Finishing 6th in points after starting the season with a start and park I guess is an accomplishment. Other than a second place at the beach the season was ho-hum boring. I hope to be back for next season but seat time has been very limited the last few seasons so we’ll see how it goes later this year. Thanks Gregg for keeping the league alive and enjoy your summer and 1:1 racing season."

 

    7th Place- Eddie Sedlacek- A top 10 points finisher and race winner in the SSRA N3OCS' inaugural season back in 2005, Eddie Sedlacek improved slightly in 2023 from his 8th place points finish the past 2 seasons. Starting the season off on a high note with a 4th place effort at Bowman Gray Stadium, "Fast Eddie"produced mostly 8th and 9th place finishes over the next 7 races before ending the season with a solid 5th place in the season finale at Daytona, a result which earned him a tie for 7th in the final standings. Over the years Eddie Sedlacek, has on occasion shown the speed necessary to win races, but often rushing to run races and being short of practice time continues to hurt his chances at being a regular top 5 race finisher and top 5 points finisher. It remains to be seen if 2024 will be more of the same, although the potential is there to move up higher in the standings and with some luck even end the longest winless streak in the SSRA.

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    7th Place- Dusterman- A perennial underdog, 2014 IDEAL Brake Parts ROTY Dusterman finished 7th in the final points standings duplicating his 2022 season result.  Going into the season ending Neil Bonnett/ Dale Earnhardt Memorial 150 at Daytona International Speedway, Dusterman endured a tough season, finishing 8th or worse in all but one race (he finished 6th in the 2nd 25 lapper at New Smyrna). But Daytona turned out to be dramatically different for him. Qualifying 5th, Dusterman drafted his way to the lead early on and never looked back besting defending race winner "Big" Gregg Rauscher by nearly 8 seconds at the checkers to earn his 2nd career win and first since 2019. That double points win, along with the 20 perfect attendance bonus points moved Dusterman up 4 spots into a tie for 7th in the final standings, his 9th straight top 10 points finish. If Dusterman hopes to be a top 5 championship finisher (like he was in 2020) or even move up in the standings he needs to get additional practice time to improve his race pace. If not 2024 will likely be another year of struggles outside of Daytona and possibly a couple of short track events.

 

    In His Own Words, "I have been trying to push myself to be able to compete with the rest of you guys. I had the speed at Homestead, but couldn't get the gas mileage. I look forward to next year to try and get some podium finishes.

 

    9th Place- Randy Cowen- Finishing 9th for the second consecutive year the SSRA's elder statesman "Rocket" Randy Cowen had another tough season in 2023. Other than an impressive pole winning run in qualifying for the inaugural Argentine 100, the Rocket's season had no other bright spots. In the season's 9 races Cowen had 3 dnf's and his best result was a trio of 7th place runs. For the second straight year he was the only full-time competitor that didn't score at least one top 5 finish. The good news is that in 2024 there is really only way to go for Randy Cowen to go. If he can devote more time to running the races, he has more than enough speed to contend for wins on the big tracks and top 5 finishes at most other races, if not it will be another season of disappointing results for the Golden State racer.

 

    In His Own Words, "Thanks to everyone who participates in SSRA and many thanks to the commissioner, Big Gregg Rauscher, for everything he does. Looking forward to next year"

 

    10th Place- Jeff Primerano- After finishing 11th in points in 2022, the 3rd driver for Pr1mo Racing once again ran 5 races this year and wound up 9th in the final standings, which is his 4th career top 10 points finish in an SSRA career that dates back to 2009. Although plagued by 3 finishes of 8th or worse, the father of championship runner-up Todd Primerano, scored a podium finish (3rd) in the Limbaugh Memorial race at Homestead and also finished 5th at the Daytona RC. Although often times an r&d driver for his team and racing for fun, Jeff Primerano has visited victory lane in the past and if he runs a similar schedule next year don't be surprised to see him score more top 5's and with some luck contend for wins. Depending how many full-time drivers there are, Jeff could also score another top 10 points finish.

 

    In His Own Words, "This year was a bit different for me. Early on I ran good at Miami then the biggest thing was trying to help my kid out. Same with Chris. He ended up doing a great job. Hoping he can move up one spot next year. As a family we are having lots of fun. The #73 CASE Construction Equipment/ BP Lubricants team will be back again next season. Not sure for how many races though. Thank you for running the SSRA."

 

    The Rest of the Field- 11th place "The Qualifying Machine" Matt Yeager and 12th place Jeff Hill both had very similar seasons, each running 2 races, winning one of those races and finishing in the top 5 in the other. 2020 championship runner-up Yeager qualified on pole (the 64th pole of his career!), then won his 7th straight race at the Daytona RC and backed that up with a 4th place finish in the next race at Daytona Beach. While Hill ran the New Years day twin 25 lap races at New Smyrna, finishing 4th in the first race, then ending an 8 year winless streak when he picked up career win #2 in the second 25 lap race.

 

    Overall in 2023 there were 5 different pole winners, 5 different race winners and 11 of the 12 drivers who competed in 2023 had at least one top 5 finish. 9 drivers have started all 9 races held during the SSRA N3OCS' 19th season.

 

    This write-up puts an official wrap on the 2023 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 2024 schedule, which kicks off this November (2023). 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 19 years. Have a great off-season! See everybody at the track in November, as we kick off the SSRA N3OCS' 20th anniversary season!

 

Thanks again & God Bless,

Gregg :-)