COMP
The National Championship chase in Comp certainly has a strong divisional element to it. With five races counting towards the national championship vs. three nationals, a strong divisional effort can go a long way towards a single digit number. Here are my picks for the Comp Championship this year.
- Frankie Aragona (1) – Current points leader has had a phenomenal divisional season. In six starts on the divisional level, he has logged four wins and a semifinal. He has a strong car with plenty of index left, so another win is not out of the question. He has a win and a quarterfinal finish in five national starts, so another strong national outing will go a long way to keeping the championship out of reach for his competition.
David Rampy (46) – Rampy, who is arguably the best Comp racer in the history of the class, has clearly focused on national events this season. With a much better payout at nationals, it only makes sense when you’re a professional sportsman racer. He has been to a staggering eleven events this season and only one divisional event. While he was still claiming points, “Rambo” logged one win and two runners-up, giving him a very strong national scoring. On the divisional level, he has a first round loss at his only event attended. With seven divisionals left to claim, it’s certainly not out of the question for Rambo to match Aragona’s four win total. Has a fast hot rod and has stayed remarkably clean through his wins. Of course, he’s Rambo.
- David Eaton (5) – David Eaton is having a career year in his A/Altered Planetary. He recently scored his first national event win to go along with a runner up and semi in five national event starts. Has a car that can win anywhere, so another “W” is not out of reach
for the Florida runner. Has a good start to his divisional season with two wins in three starts, so he is in very good position to make a run at Aragona.ADVERTISEMENT
Jim Cowan (6) – Cowan has been the class of the left coast this year with his potent D/Econo Altered. Really needs to win out the year to have a shot at the title. In his two national event starts thus far, he only made it out of round one once. However, he has been strong on the divisional level, scoring two wins and a runner-up in five starts. Has a shot, but needs to win out.
- Sal Biondo (6) – One of the best sportsman drivers in the business still has an outside chance at this point, and the car and driver combination to do it. On the national level he has one runner-up, one semi and a quarter in three starts. In four starts on the divisional level, he has one win, one runner up. Sporting the No. 2 on the window shows he can do it. I’m not writing him off just yet.
Jeff Taylor (65) – Strangely, we haven’t seen much of JT this year. Sitting in a distant 65th place right now, it would take a run much like the one he put together in 2005 to win the Championship, but considering he has a car and the skills to win anywhere he shows up, it’s still possible. He has one quarterfinal finish in four national event starts. He really needs wins in his next two nationals to make the run happen. On the divisional side, he has one divisional win at the only event he’s attended this year. He’s a long shot, but if you can find a bookie to give you odds on him, the payoff would justify the bet.
Well, you should be up to speed on the championship races in the top three sportsman eliminators now. Feel free to drop your projections at one of my websites. InsideTopAlcohol.com is devoted to Top Alcohol racing, while InsideCompRacing.com is about all things Comp Eliminator. Don’t forget about InsideFastBrackets.com, which covers Top Dragster and Top Sportsman. You can also drop us a line here.
Now that you’re On the Tire, go forth and spread the good word!
will.hanna@insidetopalcohol.com
