Chad Sorce

Team Sorce/Leinenkugel's Racing Leinen kugel's/V arious/(G)

5th

78 pts.

0 win O pole

The Trokan Cup- Presented by Harley-Davidson

A, true team effort, since the crew turned the smoothest and quickest pit stops of the bunch. For the second year in a row. Chad made the Final Four here, helped to third in this case by a Jim Kaehny D:\F. Still, a strong start for the kid from West Allis.

The Deerccoss Indy Cha11enge

Two races, two third places. Sorce drove strong in the Final, but during the final fueling stop, Chad stalled the car and it cost him several laps to the leaders. Still, the trip to Indy was a profitable one. boosting the Leinie's guys into a virtual tie for second place in the FedAFX Championship Series.

The Ford 500

Outdoors and at home. "Mr. Consistency" made the Final again, the only driver to do that in the first three races of the season. Chad slipped to fourth in this race, but was still all smiles after the effort. And why not?

The Parma Fall Classic

They did it again! Another Final Four. .. another podium finish in third. Another clean pit stop helped secure the position and boost Chad into a tie for the PPPG Cup points lead. It marked the first time ever Chad had been atop the heap, even if it was a tie. The Final Four string was now at four, the only driver able to pull that off in the season.

The Halloween 250- Presented by LCI

Haunted by bad luck on Halloween, this was a night to forget for these guys. The worst effort of the season to date... seventh place, the podium streak was snapped at four and a slip from a share of the points lead to third in the standings.

The Hobby Town Turkey Trot

The team was not in a gambling mood in the annual de-slot event. They chose to play it safe and hope others would crash out. That strategy worked to an extent, giving Chad a solid fifth place. but it was a little too safe to get them into the Final Four.

The TOMY Christmas Classic

Something happened at Halloween, because it was downhill from there and it continued at Christmas. where Chad had the car running fine and seemed headed into the Final. When all of the sudden he crashed into Lake Murex. A wet and lowly eighth place. Ho, Ho Hum.

The Line?

Knocking at the door of being a contender, but will someone answer the door?

Dan Margetta Dangerous Racing

Motorola/Reynard/Ford(G)#22

6th

75 pts.

0 win O pole

The Trokan Cup- Presented by Harley-Davidson

History repeated itself, as Dan quickly knocked the rear wing off the new Motorola car. He had to snatch the final spot in the field in a runoff during qualifying, a nice victory in itself. An early DNF left him in sixth place in the opener.

The Deercross Indy Challenge

Dan was running around the paddock and drivers lounge taking pictures, clearly having a good time in Indy. And clearly, part of his good mood was because the Motorola car was quick from the time it arrived at the new track. A heat race \',,·in and  a great battle with Ev Kamikawa down to the wire. Oh so close in second place by onl - two laps.

Tbe Ford 500

Racing luck is a funny thing. Consider the Motorola team's heat race here. Had Dan been in the other heat, he would have won. But in his own heat, he finished third, fifth overall in the event. Still, car and driver are clicking thus far this season.

The Parma Fall Classic

Did Not Participate.

The Halloween 250- Presented by LCJ

Back to the podium at Halloween with a nice third place effort. Smooth pit stops, smooth laps, plenty of speed, but not quite enough handling at H.O. Road America's twisting layout. Solid mid-pack in the points nearing mid-season.

The Hobby Town Turkey Trot

The Motorola driver makes it no secret, he is not a fan of the Inside Edge track. He doesn't really have the patience yet for success in a de-slot event either. That added up to a sixth place finish. Not bad really, in an event that won't roll around for another year.

The TOMY Christmas Classic

"Another second place, but we'll take it," was Dan's comment at Christmas. And why not? Take a look at this team and you'll find a finish of no lower than sixth, and in sixth in the points without competing in one of the races. Solid at Christmas and ready to make a run in half number two of the season.

The Line?

If this were horse racing we'd have to think a betting man would want to sneek over to the window and quietly lay down a chunk of change on #22 to win.

Dave Austin

Austin Motorsports

LCI Reynard/Honda/(G) #31

3rd

86 pts.

I win 2 poles

The Trokan Cup- Presented by Harley-Davidson

New sponsor LCI Communications was treated to a clean sweep. Every point possible won by Austin, becoming the "·inningest driver in the history of the series (13). The only thing tainting the night was an altercation with another driver after the heat race. Austin with

the early points lead and probation for the next race.

The Deercross Indy Challenge

Probation survived. Austin and the crew grabbed his second pole in a row in Indy. He put the LCI Reynard Honda into the Final Four again, but found himself falling further and further back with a loose condition on the im;ide groove of the new track. Fourth place in a solid effort that lea,es them atop the points heap after two races.

The Ford 500

Dave caught a bug outside at the race. Literally. His LCI car ran over a giant earwig several times before the bug actually got caught up in the car and forced a pit stop. Sixth place and a drop from the points lead into second place in the standings.

The Parma Fall Classic

For some reason, Austin seemed a bit too wired at this race. He picked up a language warning. follo\ved by a marshal abuse warning and nearly lost three points for rough driving on top of all of that in the Consi. In the end, fifth place and probation for the next race. Third in the points, and time to settle the former champ down.

The Halloween 250- Presented by LCI

The probation he was on was not the problem. Brakes were. Specifically, the lack thereof. With a mushy pedal Austin had to fight the LCI car in the outside groove in the Final and rode around to a fourth place finish. Still, enough to move into 2nd in the points.

The Hobby Town Turkey Trot

A de-slot D:\'F at Thanksgiving this year, but luckily for the team it came during the Final Four, so Dave brought home fourth place. Nothing fancy, but the LCI guys put themselves in a position to play catch up at Christmas, 19 points down to the leader Ev Kamikawa who was nor expected to enter that race.

The TOMY Christmas Classic

Ffrst, we must tell you this is no joke... it really happened! The team forgot to bring the LCI cars along to the track. An embarrassed Austin had to borrow a car from Chad Sorce in order to compete. To his credit, he managed sixth place despite the miscue supreme.

The Line?

If he keeps his head about him and drives smart it could mean his second championship.

IAf,V

JrLA

Ev Kamikawa Team Ferrari

Ferrari/Ferrari/Ferrari (G)#27

The Trokan Cup- Presented by Harley-Davidson

2nd

97 pts.

2 wins 2 poles

This was not the start Ev wanted, finishing below now Fl and long-time rival Tony Perkins. Ev crashed the car badly on lap 64, maintaining his all-time leader status in the series when it comes to DNF's. Seventh place in the Trokan Cup race.

The Deercross Indy Challenge

There's something about this guy and Indy perhaps. The winner of last season's H.O. U.S. Indy 500 made the historic trek to Indy for this event and promptly battled to his fourth career win. It went down to the wire with Dan Margetta, but Ev's red lane was too much to his liking to be denied the victory.

The Ford 500

The Ferrari fold couldn't have come any closer to two in a row here. Ev raced John Baas to the line and after 500 laps it was too close for even the camera to call. The team was disappointed to hear the tiebreaker went to Baas, but in the big picture Mr. Kamikawa just became the points leader for only the second time in his career.

The Parma Fall Classic

In the old days a solid sixth place performance would have put smiles all around the crew. But these are different times and the bar is set higher for this team now. It was an unspectacular sixth in a small field of seven. A Consi win pulls in one valuable point and keeps Ev in a tie for the PPPG Cup lead.

The Halloween 250- Presented by LCI

The team turned a corner at Halloween. With a solid second place finish, Ev became the points leader for the first time ever this deep into the season. A rear tire losing pressure at the end of the race kept him from challenging for the victory.

The Hobby Town Turkey Trot

Face it. Ferrari, which once helped designed the Inside Edge road course, owns this place. Kamikawa became the first repeat winner of the season here, helped in part to Lady Luck, when he drew his favorite red lane. Had it been green lane instead... well, it wasn't.

Another pole, another heat race win and a 19 point lead in the standings.

The TOMY Christmas Classic

DNP

The 19 point lead evaporated, leaving Ev just short of the points lead by virtue of the second tie breaker utilized by the series.

The Line?

There may very well be a new name on the PPPG Cup this season.

Jim Kaehny Extreme Racing

Jelly Belly/Swift/Ford/(G)#28

1st

97 pts.

2 wins 3 poles

The Trokan Cup- Presented by Harley-Davidson

Leading the heat race, Jim thought Dave Austin punted him out of two points on the final lap and the two got into a shoving match. Kaehny never made it past the halfway mark in the Final, clearly rattled by the incident. He crashed out early. Fourth place. Ugly fight.

The Deercross Indy Challenge

DNP

Kaehny's first miss eyer.

The Ford 500

The new team's D P at Indy put them down but not out, as Jim debuted a new Jelly Belly-sponsored car and promptly placed it on the podium in third. This was a solid yet unspectacular effort that got the team some much needed points early-on in the season.

The Parma Fall Classic

"My fault. Racing accident." The Kaehny quote. But this one really hurt. The team put the brand new Jelly Belly car on pole for the first time this season. They jumped out to an early lead and had the field coyered until an incident with Chad Sorce in Kaehny Corner. The Swift chassis bent and Jim's night was done. Seventh place.

The Halloween 250- Presented by LCI

Proving the new fast car was no fluke, the Jelly Belly guys won every point possible on Halloween. Kaehny took home a full bag of treats, including the $33 (thousand) bonus money for winning from the pole. It doesn't get any better than this.

The Hobby Town Turkey Trot

Had the roll of the die turned up an outside lane instead of an inside lane on the Inside Edge things may have been different. Still, a solid third place performance and a lot of strategy late in the race, waiting for a Cianciola de-slot that never came.

The TOMY Christmas Classic

The team proYed here that they and driver Jim Kaehny are the hottest thing on the circuit, once again winning from the pole and defending his title at the Christmas Classic. Kaehny again took home every point possible, hoisting him into the PPPG Cup points lead.

The Line?

Red hot, but has to shed the monkey on his back by winning the big one and becoming a true champion. He's been in this position before- twice. Must turn the corner.

John Baas

Marlboro Team Penske H.O. Marlboro/Penske/Mercedes/ (G)#3

8th

50 pts.

1 win O pole

The Trokan Cup- Presented by Harley Davidson

John and the team set the bar higher for this season, and he missed it badly. He crashed only two laps into the race, after a solid qualifying effort. It shocked John and left him only to say "nerves, just nerves." Eighth place seemed to be a big disappointment.

The Deercross Indy Challenge

On the drive from Milwaukee to Indy, Baas studied hard and planned strategies. Nothing worked when he got to the new track. Eighth place and a DNF, meaning these guys were 0-for-2 when it comes to finishing races. "The Captain" grows impatient.

The Ford 500

Well, well. For the second year in a row this race provided the series with a first-time winner and it was Baas this year. He had to wait the entire weekend to find out he was declared the winner because the finish was too close for the naked eye or the camera to call. Maybe it was his new Marlboro driving gloves. Wow. Super effort from the team.

The Parma Fall Classic

He was expected to do well at his new home track and he did. For the second race in a row Baas made the Final Four. He could do no better than fourth however, due to some tricky handling on the car. A lack of a rear wing didn't help. That was smacked off earlier in the night when he made contact with a wall.

The Halloween 250- Presented by LCI

Here's a strange one- Leaking water bed+no sleep=DNQ. John was clearly struggling to stay awake prior to qualifying after a self-described "near fatal" waterbed incident in the middle of the previous night. Ninth in a field of nine, almost 30 laps off pole pace!

The Hobby Town Turkey Trot

The slip continued in the de-slot race. Just a handful of laps before John had to park the Penske. Nearing the midway point of the season, Baas needed to rekindle some of the magic that he once had back around the Ford 500 event.

The TOMY Christmas Classic

Not unlike Chad Sorce, Bass' fortunes went sour at Halloween and just never came back. He could manage only seventh place at Christmas, despite having a fast car. He also tested for this race on this track, so the results should have been better.

The Line?

The Ford 500 win proves he can do it. But it will still take time to develop.

Phil Cianciola                                         4th

Marlboro Team Penske HO              83 pts. Marlboro/Penske/Mercedes(G) #1 1 win O poles

The Trokan Cup- Presented by Harley-Davidson

A long pit stop due to a loss of radiator fluid in the middle of the race was costly. But after opening on the podium in second place, Cianciola admitted afterward he probably didn't have enough to challenge for the win anyway. A solid start.

The Deercross Indy Challenge

Being in historic Indy was a trip to forget. Phil said he never really got a 'feel' for the new road course. Trailing by numerous laps in the heat, he crashed hard and suffered leg burns when his car caught fire and course help was slow to arriYe. Sixth place and a trip to the hospital were not the things the Penske team was dreaming of in Indy.

The Ford 500

With his leg heavily taped from the burns received in the Indy crash. Phil qualified in a tie for seventh on the grid, then promptly had to be helped from the cockpit. He immediately announced he could not continue due to the pain and withdrew from the race. Clearly there was trouble in the camp of the defending series champ.

The Parma Fall Classic

The healing process goes a lot quicker from the winner's cirle, a place Phil hadn't been since last February. He became the first man to ever win a race at the ne,Y tri-oval, Vernon Farms Super Speedway... a steady win that reminded race fans of the Cianciola of old. From a last place finish to a first place finish in two weeks. That's racing.

The Halloween 250- Presented by LCI

Phi] was in position to take a transfer spot in his heat except for two things happening after the break- a Penske that developed an understeer problem and a hard-charging Dan Margetta. Sixth place in the end for Cianciola.

The Hobby Town Turkey Trot

The team went to its radical open-class modified body for the de-slot race and came close to a win. Phil battled with Ev Kamikawa wheel to wheel until the two minute mark when they bumped wheels and the Penske was offed. Team orders--back off from the fight and take second place points rather than risk a DNF.

The TOMY Christmas Classic

"That was ugly," was Phil's quote. He was right. Heading for a heat race win, he plunged the Marlboro car into Lake Murex unexpectedly on the final lap! Fifth place instead of what would have been a strong run in the Final.

The Line?

Said it before, say it again. He's a three-time champion. That commands respect.

Rick Osterbri nk High Octane Racing

Shell/Reynard/Mercedes/(G)#11

7th

52 pts.

0 win O pole

The Trokan Cup - Presented by Harley-Davidson

The team seemed in disarray, almost unprepared for the opener. The veteran tied for eighth in qualifying. then lost the spot in a runoff. They did, however. manage to come to life later in the night by raking the first Consi race of the new season.

Tbe Deercross Indy Challenge

Everything seemed in place when Rick tied a career best by qualifying third on the grid in Indy. But something went wrong with the car in his heat race, where he ended early with a D:\'f. The crew managed to patch things together well enough to give Rick a car he drove to Yicrory in the Consi race, his second Consi win of the young season.

Tbe Ford 500

Shame. shame. Rick was ready to race, but the team put off minor paperwork and phone calls... like finding out exactly where the race was. By the time they remembered to cover the details it was too late and Rick missed the race!

The Parma Fall Classic

This time the details were covered, and Rick was ready to rock on the big new tri­ oval. He usually does better on the bigger tracks, and this was no exception. Third in qualifying and second in the race showed his new climb to the top was for real.

The Halloween 250 - Presented by LCI

A fronr row start for the first time ever ... second fast in qualifying. But once again, a tight road course got the better of Rick, and he slipped to fifth by the night's end. A classic solid. yet unspectacular night for High Octane Racing.

The Hobby Town Turkey Trot

DNP

The TOM Y Christmas Classic

In what was anticipated to be his final event before moving to Sicily, Rick was solid aJl night long on the island and drove to a podium finish in third place. He also announced he would be around for a race or two in '98 before leaving the country.

The Line?

It's too bad he won't be able to finish the season to see how close he could come.

Tom Spehert Team Spehert

Harley/Reynard/Ford/(G)#98

10th 18 pts.

0 win O pole

The Trokan Cup- Presented by Harley-Davidson

No points for the rookie in his first ever race. But the team scored more laps in qualifying than his r·ookie competition, which is a little victory in itself. The effort gave him tenth place in the season opener.

The Deercross Indy Challenge

Did Not Participate

The Ford 500

The two-wheelers from Harley-Davidson celebrated their first real taste of racing here, as Tom drove to seventh place and his first PPPG Cup points. There was plenty of team spirit for Team Spehert as he went up six points for Rookie of the Year honors.

The Parma Fall Classic

Did Not Participate

The Halloween 250- Presented by LCI

Did Not Participate

The Hobby Town Turkey Trot

The learning curve for a rookie is tough enough without adding the de-slot rule. Add to all that a car that had a few mechanical bugs, both electrical and boost problems. It all added up to an unspectacular ninth place finish.

The TOMY Christmas Classic

Tom put some testing in and brought out a new car with a Harley orange paint job that brought him luck. Thanks in part to attrition, Spehert advanced to his first Final Four at Christmas in just his fourth series start. A mistake along Gulf Drive early in the race cost him his first career DNF as well. Fourth place and party time at the holiday break!

The Line?

Rookie of the Year honors around the corner, but will there be even more?

Tony Perkins                                               9th

Rothman's Williams Renault                 34 pts. Rothman's/Williams/Renault(G)#8 0 win O pole

The Trokan Cup- Presented by Harley-Davidson

Tony's new team had a solid start to the season with fifth place here, although they really wanted to make the Final. Still. considering the yardstick for measuring success this season, "How did we do compared to Ferrari," Perkins came out ahead.

The Deercross Indy Challenge

Fifth place again. Hosting an event the size of the Indy road trip kept Tony from concentrating on racing as much as he would have liked. Getting slightly banged up in an incident during a pre-race go-karting excursion didn't help either.

The Ford 500

This was a frustrating stop for Perkins and company. They never got the Williams settled. First they pitted for a \Ving change ... then a tire cleaning... then a tire change... but all the while the others '"·ere rurning laps on the 'bullring' and Tony slipped to eighth.

Did Nor Participate

The Parma Fall Classic

The Halloween 250- Presented by LCI

Maybe Tony should ha\·e been in costume this night, then he could have snuck away from the track instead of being grilled by the media about a lackluster eighth place finish and rumors of being dumped by Williams for lack of results this season. Nothing worked.

The Hobby Town Turkey Trot

This is another race that, due to the de-slot rule, has never been a strength for the team. He once again finished toward the back of the pack in seventh place. It was an early DNF with some quick de-slots, just like the year before.

The TOMY Christmas Classic

The season went from bad to worse here. Having been told it was a case of make the Final or the sponsorship is gone, Tony did not even make the race. Not enough laps to be in the field meant bye-bye Williams team, hello what????

The Line?

The new year should bring a new team, a new sponsor, a new car, a new start, which is certainly needed after the mess of a first half of the season.