RACE SUMMARY
The final race of the season was held on the first night of the EuroQuest convention and with top driver and team
honors still undecided, the tension was high. The DEI and Dodge teams had both drivers in gear for the final
event, but series leader Steve Lollis was looking for a teammate. Newcomer Kevin Wood was drafted into the #01
US Army car and into the snakepit of the final race of the GCOM McGartlin series. Three independents (Hal Haag
in Joe Gibbs green, Brian Stallings carrying the Hooters banner and Doug Hoylman of the Cereal Killers) rounded
out a field of nine for the final race, a 300-lap short track race billed as "Thunder Valley II at EuroQuest III."
(Thunder Valley, of course, is the nickname for the Bristol Motor Speedway, which features the fastest short track
racing in the world.
Qualifying saw Leigh Eirich take the pole in the #9 Dodge car with her husband Pete second quickest to make
it an all-Dodge front row. Leigh pulled away at the start and led the initial 12 laps. There was lots of jostling
for position and Scott lost two challenges to put him down tire wear early on. Brian in the #1 Hooters car lost
traction and fell behind the lead group. Kevin, who was new to the series but not the game, got by Doug on the
outside to make a move for the lead. He put the #01 US Army car in front until a crash on lap 48 brought out the
caution. Scott, Leigh and Pete elected to make pit stops, and Scott and Leigh took on two tires as well. Pete,
who gambled and took no tires, lost his final tire wear in a speed duel with John. Hal also dropped his final tire
wear as the attrition began to take its toll. Hal nonethelss was able to move from last to first for a short-lived
six laps but was soon thereafter overtaken by Leigh. A crash on lap 96 brought out the second caution, and
everyone except Scott and Leigh pitted. Steve gambled and took no tires while everyone else took two except tire
who opted for four fresh ones. After the round of stops, it was Leigh and Scott in front followed by Steve, John,
Doug, Kevin, Brian, Pete and Hal.
At this time Hal and Brian were sporting the Holy Trinity (all three good cards) and were then joined by Doug. On
lap 134 Doug coasted to the pits with a Blown Engine, and everyone but Brian and Hal took advantage of the yellow
flag to make a pit stop. Kevin took some time to repair some engine trouble, so that put him in the back with Doug.
Steve and Scott made perfect stops and were soon contending for the lead. Brian used two Pull Aways to solidify his
position with a total of 68 laps in the lead (something new and unexpected for Brian in McGartlin races this year).
As the lap count hit 206, John pulled to the lead while Brian and Hal were forced to make green flag stops, putting
both of them a lap down. Leigh moved past John to regain first, but then Pete moved to the inside to take the lead,
blocking Doug's effort to get past. Steve slipped past Doug into second as the inside lane had the top three cars,
with Scott, Leigh and John stuck on the outside.
Lap 230 saw Steve make a move for the lead, his first laps led of the event. Lap 238 brought out the fourth yellow
of the race as John was saddled with transmission trouble. Final round of pit stops saw Doug win the battle with the
fastest time, a 16.0-splash and dash with Pete and Kevin (16.1 seconds) almost as quick. Leigh, Scott and John opted
for the conservative approach and took two tires. Hal, as the Lucky Dog, got his lap back but Brian was still a lap
down because of the earlier green flag stop. Kevin slipped by Doug for the lead on the outside as the race entered its
final 50 laps.
Kevin and Hal battled for the lead, and then Doug (with drafting help from Kevin) forced Hal to expend his last
tire wear. Final race of the year, and everyone was letting it all hang out. Leigh then slipped back Doug to leapfrog
into the lead. Pete pulled alongside on the inside but allowed his Dodge teammate (Leigh) to lead the 12 laps as the
extra bonus points for most laps led were in sight. Lap 274 brought more excitement as Steve made a move on the
outside of Pete for the lead. Kevin lost his last tire wear in a speed battle with Leigh. John got by his rival Steve
with a Pass Outside then used a Two Wide to hem him in while his teammate Scott dove to the inside lane and used two Pull
Aways to put the pressure on Pete. Pete had the Holy Trinity in play as the Dodge cars of Leigh and Pete looked very
strong a this point.
The last turn saw a gigantic battle between John and Steve. Steve egged him on by exclaiming "C'mon, let's bring it,
baby," and as a result, both were short of cards. Leigh lost a challenge and her last tire wear. Scott moved past her to
take the lead. Pete made a late charge but fell short. It turned out to be Scott's second win of the year, and he wound
up tied on points with Pete, who finished second. Tiebreaker was most wins and thus Scott finished third overall with
Pete fourth. Steve Lollis wound up the winner as neither he nor John, in second place, finished high enough to gain any
additional points. Doug overcame an early out of race result to place third in the final race. DEI (the team of John and
Steve) took the team title with Smokin GI Joes (Steve and a cast of thousands) in second. Leigh and Pete (who managed
exactly five races each) took third place honors in the Dodge cars. Leigh and Kevin tied for the most laps led (a first
this season) and thus both of them earned the extra bonus points.
| Fin |
Start |
Car No. |
Driver |
Team |
Pts |
Bonus |
Total |
| 1 |
7 |
15 |
Scott Fisher |
DEI |
60 |
5 |
65 |
| 2 |
2 |
19 |
Pete Eirich |
Dodge |
50 |
5 |
55 |
| 3 |
8 |
43 |
Doug Hoylman |
Cereal K. |
45 |
5 |
50 |
|
| 4 |
4 |
01 |
Kevin Wood |
Smokin Joes |
40 |
10 |
50 |
|
| 5 |
3 |
18 |
Hal Haag |
Gibbs |
35 |
5 |
40 |
| 6 |
6 |
23 |
Steve Lollis |
Smokin Joes |
30 |
5 |
35 |
| 7 |
1 |
9 |
Leigh Eirich |
Dodge |
25 |
10 |
35 |
| 8 |
5 |
8 |
John Weber |
DEI |
20 |
0 |
20 |
| 9 |
9 |
01 |
Brian Stallings |
Hooters |
15 |
5 |
20 |
RACE STATISTICS
Number of Turns: 16
Number of Cautions: 4
Caution Flag Laps: 40
Lead Changes: 10
Pit Window: 100 laps
Tire Wear: 50 laps
LAPS LED
Leigh Eirich 78
Kevin Wood 78
Brian Stallings 68
Scott Fisher 26
Steve Lollis 24
Pete Eirich 12
Doug Hoylman 8
Hal Haag 6
TEAM POINTS
Dodge 90
DEI 85
Smokin Joes 85
Cereal Killers 50
Joe Gibbs 40
Hooters 20
Outlaw Event: "Thunder Valley Comes to EuroQuest" (EQ II, 2004)
The Stock Car Championship Racing Card Game
http://www.racingames.com
Chief steward: John Weber
Assistant Chief Steward: Scott Fisher
Thursday, Nov. 11- Demo 9:30, Game Time: 10PM
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The first ever "outlaw" event held on the opening night at this year's
EuroQuest drew 10 determined drivers who raced to capture the top prize in a
simulated 300-lap short track race of the Bristol Motor Speedway (aka as
"Thunder Valley"), the worlds' fastest half-mile oval track. The field included
two "rookies" sprinkled with players of varying degrees of experience and
familiarity with the McGartlin Motorsports "Championship Stock Car Racing Card
Game." Novice driver Alan Gold, after a brief warmup session, removed his
rookie stripes and took the pole position for a 300 lap battle royale over the
short track at the Bristol Motor Speedway. And to round out the field, right
before the race we snared Arthur Field, defending HLS Trophy champion at
EuroQuest. Arthur was new to the game, but we figured he would be a quick study
and have no problem meeting the 20-second time limit to declare his actions and
responses.
Five two-car teams lined up on the track, where advanced and optional rules
for two lane racing, pit stops, tire wear and fuel mileage were in effect.
Drivers would be competing for individuals for the overall win, in addition to
racing for team points (using the real-life NASCAR points system). The five
teams lined up thusly:
|
Team |
Car |
Driver |
| Double 00 |
#0 (Net Zero) |
Arthur Field |
| #01 (US Army) |
Stan Buck |
| DEI Racing, Inc. |
#8 (Budweiser) |
Pete Staab |
| #15 (NAPA) |
Scott Fisher |
| Penske South |
#2 (Miller Lite) |
Jim Vroom |
| #12 (Alltell) |
David Bohnenberger |
| Joe Gibbs Racing |
#18 (Interstate) |
J. P. Roberts III |
| #20 (Home Depot) |
Alan Gold |
| Fantasy Team |
#1 (Hooters) |
Paul Haynes |
| #6 (Viagra) |
Keith Levy |
Die-hard NASCAR fans will recognize that three of the selected teams represent
real-life NASCAR pairings: Namely, the Dale Earnhardt, Inc. ("DEI"), Penske
South, and Joe Gibbs Racing team cars. However, the Double 00 pairing brings
together two real life cars that are not real-life teammates, and finally the
Hooters-Viagra team is nothing but a "fantasy" team, although Mark Martin does
drive the #6 Viagra car in real life for Roush Racing, and several years ago,
Alan Kulwicki did win the NASCAR Championship in real life driving a car
sponsored by Hooters Restaurants, and of course he celebrated his win by
driving around the track backward in the now famous and often-repeated "Polish
victory lap."
But back to the race at EQ II. Qualifying took only a few seconds, and rookie
driver Alan Gold surprised the railbirds by snatching the coveted pole position
(inside front row). The green flag fell, but only after the drivers had agreed
to shorten the race from the planned 500 to 300 laps of the super-fast, 30
degree banked half-mile oval at Bristol, Tennessee. Once the green flag fell,
there was green flag racing and LOTS of it. In fact, the race was under way for
216 laps before the first caution flag appeared.
Jim Vroom in the #2 Penske car, emulating real-life short-track ace Rusty
Wallace, moved smartly to the front to lead the first 30 laps, but gradually
fell back as the competition intensified. Tire wear became an issue for many
drivers - as each lost challenge, in additional to normal wear and tear, took
its toll. Newcomer Alan Gold was the first to feel the effect as his tires wore
out, and he had to hang onto the back of the lead group as an early green-flag
pit stop would effectively put him a lap down and out of the running. When the
first pit window was reached, it meant a green flag stop for the entire field -
worn tires or not - on lap 156.
By this time, Pete Staab in the #8 Budweiser car (driven in real life by Dale
Earnhardt, Jr.) was looking like a champion, piling up two 60-lap stints in the
early to all but sew up the extra bonus points available for leading the most
laps. With the able of assistance of his teammate in the #15 car, veteran
driver and assistant GM (for the event) Scott Fisher, could a team championship
for the DEI drivers at Bristol be in the offing?
It was a different story for the two Penske team drivers. Jim Vroom in the #2
car had faded from his early lead and was mired near the back of the field.
Teammate Dave Bohnenberger was also struggling - not a good day for the two
teammates. Arthur Field in the #0 car was running a smart race, conserving
tires. His teammate, Stan Buck in the #01 car, actually led 30 laps (laps
67-96) and was well-positioned heading into the first round of pit stops.
JP Roberts in the #18 Joe Gibbs car, along with the fantasy duo of Keith Levy
and Paul Haynes, spent most of the first part of the race biding their time and
waiting for an opening.
The first round of mandatory green flag stops saw a shakeup of the leaders as
the pack became splintered for the first time. Pete Staab's pit work was
nearly flawless, getting him and in and out with two tires and fresh fuel in
about 20 seconds. Stan Buck, like Pete, elected to go with two tires and
resumed the race in second, but a slower stop meant he had some ground to make
up on Pete. All the other cars (seeing another 150 laps or so of racing left)
took on four tires and wound up, as a result, anywhere from 5 to 7 seconds
in arrears. Thus, Pete was able to coast in the lead, conserving his scarce
remaining tire wear; for the time being at least, it looked like a good
decision as he cinched the extra bonus points for leading the most laps.
It took the rest of the field some time to make up the lost track position on
Pete, and the first caution of the race on lap 216 enabled cars to bunch up
behind him. Fortunately, none of our 10 fearless drivers was caught up in the
crash on the track but instead they lined up in single file heading to pit lane
for a second stop. With less than 100 laps remaining, everyone decided to pit
under a caution, not knowing when or if there would be another yellow flag. By
pitting, however, they assured themselves of having enough fuel to go the
distance - but the omnipresent threat of tire wear issues still loomed in the
background.
This time, it was JP Roberts' crew that turned in the best pitwork, enabling
the #18 car to move to the front for the first time. Keith Levy then worked his
way to the front in the #6 car, holding the lead at the 250-lap mark as two
more yellow flag sessions ensued. Cars near the back pitted to take on fresh
rubber, but the leaders did not want to surrender their hard-earned track
position, gritting their teeth to the finish. Pete Staab in the #8 car decided
to pit for four tires, hoping there was enough time left to regain his lost
track position.
When the green flag finally fell, there were less than 30 laps to go, and Paul
Haynes put the crowd favorite, the #1 Hooters car, in front, and actually
attempted to pull away from the field! However, cooperative passing and good
drafting techniques meant Paul's dash to the front was short-lived.
Nonetheless, Paul was in a strong position, holding the lead with less than 20
laps of the Bristol ? mile oval to be run.
Meanwhile, some of the cars began experiencing problems. Stan Buck's tires
wore out with 16 laps to go, and plenty of green flag racing remaining; despite
the tire trouble, Stan soldiered on (after all, he was driving the car
sponsored by the US Army!) and came in a respectable fifth place. Stan's
teammate, Arthur Field in the #0 NetZero car, was plagued with a "tight" car
setup, but without a yellow flag, he too was forced to tough it out to the end.
When the time came to make a late-race move, Arthur found his way blocked and
he actually moved to aside to let his teammate go forward. Jim Vroom in the #2
car was also suffering the effects of tire wear, primarily due to lost
challenges. Scott Fisher in the #15 car shot past Paul Haynes to take the lead
and, with just four laps to go, we were set for an exciting finish in the first
ever "outlaw" event at EuroQuest.
As the cars entered the final lap, there was a lot of blocking going on. Two
wide racing preventing passing on the inside lane, and for awhile cars on the
outside lane were blocked, too. Then the waves parted and who should emerge on
the outside lane but none other than JP Roberts in the #18 Joe Gibbs racing
team car, passing car after car (some of whom had already shot their tire wear,
block and challenge cars and had nothing left) to move to the front -- looking
a lot better than Joe Gibbs has with the Redskins this year. JP, who had been
shuffled to the back in the green flag racing after the last round of pit
stops, was able to seize the initiative at just the right moment, after some
cars with two-wide positions had abandoned them to try to stop some pass
outside attempts.
With JP in front, there was only one driver who could overtake him. Making a
late surge to the front, Keith Levy in the #6 Viagra car passed all the cars in
JP's wake and wound up sitting in JP's back bumper, poised to challenge for the
lead. But alas, the challenge never came as Keith had run out of pass cards and
had no more actions.
In the post-race interview, JP acknowledged that victory in this race had been
even sweeter than his last big win, the Games Day 500, where it was
acknowledged that his win "under the yellow" had left a lot to be desired.
(Some people actually claimed JP was just plain lucky that time.) This time not
only did he win under green flag racing conditions, he actually had to pass
some cars to do it. JP's prize for winning the race was a 1/24th scale replica
of the real-life NASCAR champion (from the 2003 season), Matt Kenseth, along
with a special GCOM commemorative medallion.
In the team championship, Keith Levy and Paul Haynes proved what many have
believed for some time, that Hooters and Viagra are indeed, a winning
combination, as they finished 1-2 to garner the team honors. Each winning team
member received a 1/64 scale replica car.
Here are the final results and standings for the event. Thanks to Scott
Fisher, the assistant GM, and everyone else who participated to make this a
real fun event!!!
THUNDER VALLEY RESULTS --- November 11, 2004 (Simulated
300-lap race of Bristol Motor Speedway)
|
Pos. |
Driver |
Car |
Sponsor |
Team |
Start |
Laps Led |
Pts. |
Bonus |
Total Pts. |
| 1 |
JP Roberts III |
18 |
Interstate |
Joe Gibbs |
5 |
16 |
180 |
5 |
185 |
| 2 |
Keith Levy |
6 |
Viagra |
Fantasy |
2 |
44 |
170 |
5 |
175 |
| 3 |
Paul Haynes |
1 |
Hooters |
Fantasy |
9 |
12 |
165 |
5 |
170 |
| 4 |
Pete Staab |
8 |
Budweiser |
DEI |
7 |
156 |
160 |
10 |
170 |
| 5 |
Stan Buck |
01 |
U.S. Army |
Double Zero |
4 |
30 |
155 |
5 |
160 |
| 6 |
Scott Fisher |
15 |
NAPA |
DEI |
6 |
12 |
150 |
5 |
155 |
| 7 |
David Bohnenberger |
12 |
Alltell |
Penske |
3 |
0 |
146 |
0 |
146 |
| 8 |
Jim Vroom |
2 |
Miller |
Penske |
8 |
30 |
142 |
5 |
147 |
| 9 |
Arthur Field |
00 |
Net Zero |
Double Zero |
4 |
30 |
155 |
5 |
160 |
| 10 |
Alan Gold |
20 |
Home Depot |
Joe Gibbs |
1 |
0 |
134 |
0 |
134 |
TEAM STANDINGS (based on total points)
| Pos. |
Team |
Drivers |
Total Pts. |
| 1 |
Fantasy |
Keith Levy, Paul Haynes |
345 |
| 2 |
DEI |
Pete Staab, Scott Fisher |
325 |
| 3 |
Joe Gibbs |
JP Roberts III, Alan Gold |
319 |
| 4 |
Double 00 |
Stan Buck, Arthur Field |
298 |
| 5 |
Penske |
David Bohnenberger, Jim Vroom |
293 |
OTHER STATS
| Time of race: |
2 hours, 45 minutes |
| Number of game turns: |
13 (using short-track deck, two-lane racing, normal width) |
| Number of cautions: |
3 |
| Laps under caution: |
32 |
| Number of lead changes: |
8 |
| Number of different race leaders: |
7 |
| Pit window: |
100 laps (two required pit stops) |
| Tire wear: |
every 50 laps plus one per lost challenge |
Chief steward: John Weber
Assistant chief steward: Scott Fisher
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Unofficial Event: Crokinole Tournament (EQ II, 2004)
GMs: Stan & Carl Hilinski
Sunday, November 14th, 2004, Noon to 3:00 PM
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The Games Club of Maryland ran the Euroquest II last weekend near Baltimore
Maryland. Carl and I dragged along a bunch of boards, and we held a pairs
crokinole tournament on the closing day, Sunday. Carl took pictures, and you
can see them at
http://hilinski.net/images/GCOM/.
Yes, those two kids who lost in the finals are really that young, and yes,
they are good! Last year they almost made it all the way too. All the kids but
one (Katie McCorry) in the pictures are Samuelsons! (The Samuelsons run
gamesurplus.com and are all a nice bunch of people.)
Carl and I had two 24" crokinole boards in stock, so we decided to have a
drawing to give one away. I think Dillon won the board. At the last second we
decided to give the other one to Katie McCorry. One of the pictures shows board
winners with their new crokinole boards
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