All photos included here are courtesy of Scott Tjabring of Action Track Photography, the official track photographer of the speedway.
Car Count
Division (points events) - Average - High - Low
Modified (13 events) – 20.4 - 28 - 13
Stock Car (14 events) – 13.6 - 18 - 10
SportMod (15 events) – 18.7 - 32 - 14
Hobby Stock (15 events) – 14.7 - 23 -11
Sport Compact (15 events) – 12.0 - 16 - 8
TOTAL – 79.4 - 100 - 69
Points
* 203 drivers have earned points this season.
* No driver has led the points of his division after all nine weeks. The current points leaders include: Joe Docekal (Modified) has led the points the last 12 weeks, while Danny Dvorak (SportMod) and Scott Pippert (Hobby Stock) have led the points every night except following week two. Steve Miedke (Sport Compact) has led the points for five weeks this season, including the last four, while Phil Holtz (Stock Car) has led the standings for the last 10 weeks.
IN THE HUNT
* 20 drivers have remained in the top-10 in the points every night of the season. Those drivers include:
Modified (3): Joe Docekal, Patrick Flannagan, Jerry Luloff;
Stock Car (3): Norman Chesmore, Jason Deshaw, Jay Schmidt;
SportMod (3): Danny Dvorak, Kyle Olson, Dave Schulze;
Hobby Stock (4): Matt Brown, Doug Laughridge, Cale Petersen, Scott Pippert.
Sport Compact (7): Merv Chandler, Nathan Chandler, Travis Losenicky, Steve Miedke, Gary Peiffer, Brett Vanous, Bill Whalen Jr.
* 5 drivers have remained in the top-5 in the points every night of the season. Those drivers include:
Modified (2): Joe Docekal, Jerry Luloff;
Stock Car (0): No Stock Car driver has spent every week in the top-5 in points;
SportMod (1): Danny Dvorak;
Hobby Stock (2): Scott Pippert, Matt Brown;
Sport Compact (0): No Sport Compact driver has spent every week in the top-5 in points.
Feature Winners
* There have been 33 different feature winners in 72 feature events this season.* Current points leaders account for only 25 of the 72 feature wins.
* Joe Docekal (Modified) is the only current points leader without a feature win. Every other points leader has at least four victories.
Top-10s
* 153 drivers have earned at least one top-10 finish this season. The top-10 leaders in each division are as follows:
Modified (32 drivers with at least one top-10): Joe Docekal (13); Scott Hogan, Jerry Luloff (11 each); Scott Hogan (7); Patrick Flannagan, Ronn Lauritzen (10 each); Jeff Streeter (9);
Stock Car (26): Jay Schmidt (14); Norman Chesmore, Jason Deshaw, Phil Holtz (13 each); John Emerson, Curtis Roster (11 each);
SportMod (42): Danny Dvorak (14); Kyle Olson, Jim Buhlman (13 each); Dave Schulze (12); Curt Hilmer (10); Rick Paulson (9);
Hobby Stock (28): Scott Pippert (15); Rod Grother, Jacob Keiser, Doug Laughridge (13 each); Matt Brown (12); Vince Buchholz, Justin Wacha (11 each);
Sport Compact (25): Steve Miedke, Travis Ross (14 each); Merv Chandler (13); Bill Whalen Jr. (12); Nathan Chandler (11); Brett Vanous (10).
Top-5s
* 89 drivers have earned at least one top-5 finish this season. The top-5 leaders in each division are as follows:
Modified (17 drivers with at least one top-5): Joe Docekal, Scott Hogan (10 each); Patrick Flannagan, Ronn Lauritzen, Jerry Luloff (7 each); Mike Burbridge (5);
Stock Car (18): Phil Holtz, Jay Schmidt (9 each); Norman Chesmore, Jason Deshaw (8 each); Damon Murty, Curtis Roster (6 each);
SportMod (24): Danny Dvorak (13); Jim Buhlman (9); Kyle Olson (8); Curt Hilmer (7); Dave Schulze (5); Racer Hulin, Mike McDonald (4 each);
Hobby Stock (16): Scott Pippert (13); Matt Brown, Vince Buchholz, Jacob Keiser (8 each); Rod Grother, Brian Happel, Doug Laughridge (6 each);
Sport Compact (14): Merv Chandler (13); Steve Miedke (12); Nathan Chandler, Brett Vanous (9); Bill Whalen Jr. (6); Travis Losenicky (5).
Top-3s
* 71 drivers have earned at least one top-3 finish this season. The top-3 leaders in each division are as follows:
Modified (15 drivers with at least one top-3): Scott Hogan (7); Ronn Lauritzen (6); Mike Burbridge, Patrick Flannagan (4 each); Troy Cordes, Richie Gustin (3 each);
Stock Car (14): Phil Holtz (8); Jason Deshaw, Damon Murty, Jay Schmidt (5 each); Norman Chesmore, John Emerson, Curtis Roster (3 each);
SportMod (18): Danny Dvorak (9), Jim Buhlman (6), Curt Hilmer (5), Racer Hulin (4), Dave Schulze (3);
Hobby Stock (12): Scott Pippert (13); Jacob Keiser (6); Matt Brown (5); Rod Grother, Brian Happel (4 each); Doug Laughridge, Chris Luloff (3 each);
Sport Compact (12): Merv Chandler (11); Steve Miedke (10); Nathan Chandler (9); Brad Chandler, Brett Vanous, Bill Whalen Jr. (3 each).
Feature Lap Leaders
* 66 drivers have led at least one lap of feature competition.
* Division lap leaders include:
Modified (11 different lap leaders): Mike Burbridge (55 laps led); Ronn Lauritzen (39); Troy Cordes (32); Richie Gustin (30); David Brown, Kyle Brown (19 each);
Stock Car (14): Paul Shepherd (38 laps led), Phil Holtz (28), Curtis Roster (26), Damon Murty (22), Norman Chesmore (20);
SportMod (18): Danny Dvorak (43 laps led); Duane Van Deest (31); Mike McDonald (30); Curt Hilmer (24); Tyler Droste, Matt McCahen (14 each);
Hobby Stock (11): Scott Pippert (66 laps led), Brian Happel (34), Jacob Keiser (25), Doug Laughridge (24), Matt Brown (18);
Sport Compact (12): Nathan Chandler (82 laps led), Steve Miedke (41), Merv Chandler (30), Adam Gates (6), Travis Ross (5).
ALWAYS A THREAT: Nathan Chandler (22) has led more laps of feature action than any other driver in Vinton this season. Chandler has led 82 of the total 180 laps of IMCA Sport Compact feature competition. Chandler has earned eight feature wins and has held the lead during 11 of 15 features this year.
Heat Races
* There have been 60 different heat race winners in 164 heat races.* 36 drivers have won multiple heat races this season.
* The heat race wins leaders in each division are as follows:
Modified (14 winners in 37 heats): Scott Hogan, Ronn Lauritzen (6 each); Troy Cordes (5); Kyle Brown (4); Joe Docekal, Jeff Streeter (3 each);
Stock Car (10 winners in 28 heats): Curtis Roster, Paul Shepherd (5 each); Norman Chesmore, Damon Murty (4 each); Jay Schmidt (3);
SportMod (16 winners in 39 heats): Danny Dvorak, Mike McDonald (6 each); Curt Hilmer (5); Jim Buhlman, John Schaefer (4 each);
Hobby Stock (12 winners in 33 heats): Jacob Keiser (7); Doug Laughridge (5); Erick Knutsen (4); Matt Brown, Brian Happel, Scott Pippert (3 each);
Sport Compact (8 winners in 27 heats): Nathan Chandler (8), Steve Miedke (7), Merv Chandler (4), Gary Peiffer (3), Brett Vanous (2).
HEAT ADVISORY: Jacob Keiser (07) has earned more IMCA Hobby Stock heat race wins (7) than any other driver in the division.
Efficiency Stats
* 238 races have been run this season.
* 2,359 green flag laps have been completed.
* 229 caution flags have been thrown (an overall average of 0.96 per race).
Cautions Per Race Ratio
Sport Compact: 17 cautions in 42 races (0.40 cautions per race)
Hobby Stock: 31 / 48 (0.64)
Stock Car: 30 / 42 (0.71)
SportMod: 72 / 56 (1.28)
Modified: 79 / 50 (1.58)
Race Laps Per Caution Ratio
Sport Compact: 342 laps with 17 cautions (average of 20.11 green flag laps between cautions)
Hobby Stock: 492 / 31 (15.87)
Stock Car: 435 / 30 (14.50)
SportMod: 535 / 72 (7.43)
Modified: 555 / 79 (7.02)
Races with No Caution Flags
Sport Compact: 29 of 42 races have run green to checkers without a caution (69.04%)
Hobby Stock: 31 / 48 (64.58%)
Stock Car: 25 / 42 (59.52%)
SportMod: 32 / 56 (57.14%)
Modified: 16 / 50 (32.00%)
133 of 238 (55.88%) races have gone green to checkers without a caution
Feature Cautions
Modified: 48 of 79 total cautions were thrown in feature races (60.75%)
Sport Compact: 12 / 17 (70.58%)
SportMod: 58 / 72 (80.56%)
Hobby Stock: 25 / 31 (80.64%)
Stock Car: 25 / 30 (83.33%)
108 of 142 (76.05%) total cautions have been thrown during feature racing
Average Lap of First Feature Caution
Sport Compact: 7.27
Hobby Stock: 5.47
Stock Car: 5.00
Modified: 3.71
SportMod: 3.67
Stuff Nobody Should Know…
* Of the 72 feature winners, 40 have come from inside starting spots and 32 from the outside.
* All feature winners have come from the first six rows of the feature lineup and every starting position in the first six rows has produced at least one winner.
* 14 of the 72 winners have come from an inside fifth row starting spot. That starting position has produced the most feature winners.
* Outside row six has produced only one feature winner. Racer Hulin came from that starting position to win the SportMod feature on June 10. All other starting spots in the first six rows have produced no fewer than three winners.
* Of the 15 Hobby Stock winners, seven came from the sixth row. Six times, the row six winner was Scott Pippert. Chris Luloff was the other.
* No SportMod driver has won a feature from the pole position. Every other division has seen at least one winner come from the pole.
SPORTMOD ACTION: Curt Hilmer (22H) leads Danny Dvorak (3R) and Jim Buhlman (00) into turn three in IMCA SportMod competition.
* Scott Hogan has earned five second place feature finishes this season in the IMCA Modifieds and Merv Chandler has earned six second place finishes in the IMCA Sport Compacts.
* 87 different drivers have cracked the top-10 in his division’s points for at least one week this season.
* 15 different drivers have held or shared their division's points lead at some point during the season.
* Joe Docekal has finished fourth in the Modified feature each of the last three weeks and four of the last five weeks.
LOOKING FOR 43: Benton County Speedway all-time IMCA Modified wins leader Scott Hogan has been in search of his 43rd career weekly points win on the Vinton oval this season. Although he has yet to visit victory lane in 2012, Hogan has earned five second place finishes through 13 weeks.
Stuff To Tell Your Friends That Makes Them Think You've Lost It...
* A Modified with a "1" in its number has won 12 of 13 features this season. A Modifieds with a "1" in its number has led 217 of 260 Modified feature laps.
* Over a span of nine consecutive weeks, Curt Hilmer and Rick Paulson flip-flopped or tied for the 5th and 6th positions in the SportMod standings.
* Of all drivers who have raced weekly, only five have not dropped in the points at any time this season. The following drivers have either moved up or held the same spot in the standings throughout the entire season: Joe Docekal (Modified), Phil Holtz (Stock Car), Jim Buhlman (SportMod), Justin Wacha (Hobby Stock), Travis Ross (Sport Compact).
* Of 72 feature events, only nine winners led those races in their entirety.
* Nine different Modifieds have earned wins in weekly racing this season. The record is 11, which was set in 2003 and matched in 2011. Three times has a season ended with exactly 10 different Modified winners (1991, 1994, 2002) and five times has a season ended with exactly nine winners (1997, 2001, 2006, 2010, 2011). With 13 Modified events in the books and only six nights remaining, 2012 is guaranteed to be the "shortest" season for the Modifieds in Vinton since the 15-event 2008 season.
* There have been eight different Stock Car feature winners in weekly racing this season. Each of the last three seasons ended with exactly eight different winners. Only twice in the 11-year history of the division in Vinton has a season ended with more than eight winners. There were 10 different winners in 2004 and nine in 2003. There have been exactly four drivers with multiple wins in each of the last six seasons. So far in 2012, three drivers have earned multiple wins.
* Through 15 events, there have only been three different feature winners in the IMCA Sport Compact division. The record for the fewest number of different Sport Compact winners in a season was five in 2007.
* Nathan Chandler has earned eight Sport Compact wins in weekly racing this season. That matches the Vinton record, which was set in 2007. That season, Jena Barthelmes and Gary Peiffer each collected eight wins.
* Scott Pippert has nine Hobby Stock wins this year and 44 for his career in Vinton. He is five wins shy of breaking both the single-season record for Hobby Stock wins (that he set last season) and the all-time Hobby Stock mark in Vinton (assuming Vince Buchholz remains at 48 before Pippert gets to 49.) If Pippert can win five of the final six features in Vinton this season, he will surpass both records on the same night. If he can sweep the season, Pippert will close out 2012 with 50 career Hobby Stock wins in weekly racing in Vinton. Coincidentally, over one-third of Pippert's wins have come in just over the last calendar year. Dating back to July 24, 2011, there have been 23 Hobby Stock features. Pippert has won seven of them. That sounds incredible enough, but it's even more incredible when you consider he went for four straight weeks this season (the entire month of June) without a single win.
* In track history, no Modified driver has won a track championship without a single feature win. With six nights to go, the top two in Modified points have yet to make it to victory lane. While Joe Docekal and Scott Hogan are still looking for their first wins of 2012, their nearest competitor is no closer than 17 points back. By the way, Jerry Luloff, Patrick Flannagan and Ronn Lauritzen complete the top five of the current standings and each of those drivers has won this year.
That's it for the month of July for Benton County Speedway. I'll be back at the end of the season to wrap up 2012. I will not compile a Stats Blitz at the end of August since there are only a couple of races scheduled for September. The early part of September will be focused on preparing for the IMCA Super Nationals.
Thanks for reading and enjoy the rest of your week!
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