The Championship Breakdown

USAR ProCup, Paul Warner (September 13, 2006)   (Click Here for Original Article)

Myrtle Beach, SC - It's the time of year that Hooters Pro Cup Series fans live for: The Championship Series.

Fifty-six drivers have qualified for the final six-race shootout to determine the 2006 Hooters Pro Cup Series National Champion. Seedings are based upon driver's finishes in the final point standings in the Northern and Southern Divisions. Divisional winners from the North and South received a 25-point bonus going into the Championship Series opener, the Soy Biodiesel 250, at Iowa Speedway on Sept. 15.

Drivers who attempted to qualify for all of their division's races were awarded a 10-point bonus, and drivers who finished inside the top 15 in their divisions will be eligible for two provisional starting spots during the Championship Series.

Below is a listing of the top-10 drivers from the Northern and Southern Divisions, a regular-season review and an Iowa Speedway preview.

10. Jody Lavender (No. 84s H&R Block Ford)   Regular Season Division: South Championship Series Points: 114 Regular Season Avg. Finish: 13.46 Races Led: 1 Laps Led: 25 Last Five Races Avg. Finish: 12.0 Best Finish in 2006: 4th (Peach State)

Regular Season Review
Lavender's season was solid, but it was a little less than what he probably expected. At times, Lavender showed he could run at the front, but those kinds of runs were few and far between. In the fourth race of the year, Lavender finished fourth. He backed it up with a fifth-place effort in the six race of the season. But after that, Lavender's best finish the remainder of the season was an eighth-place showing.

Iowa Preview
Lavender is going to need a spark to push him back into contention for the overall title. Iowa might not be the place he gets it going. But if he can leave there with a top-five finish, it would be a good start to the Championship Series.

 

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