Second Round of Solo National Championships Begins In Topeka with Thursday Runs

TOPEKA, Kan. Sept. 18, 2008 - The second half of Tire RackŪ SCCA Solo National Championship competition began Thursday at Heartland Park Topeka, with the final 32 class championships set to be decided Friday.

Solo is often about families competing together, and the Padberg husband-wife team of Darrel and Desiree, of Muskego, Wis., are searching tonight for a collective 0.010-second so that they can take home a pair of Championships on Friday. Two-time, defending C Prepared Champion Darrel Padberg sits just 0.008-second behind early leader and 2004 Champion Mike Maier, of Livermore, Calif., while 2006 C Prepared Ladies Champion Desiree Padberg is only 0.002-second behind day one leader Kathy Lang, of Mukwonago, Wis. All four competitors are in Ford Mustangs.

The C Prepared and C Prepared L gaps must make Frankfort, Illinois’ Danielle Engstrom’s 0.022-second advantage over Shelly Monfort, of Saratoga, Calif., in her Bunnies Go Fast Chevrolet Corvette seem comfortable. In all, nine classes have gaps of less than one tenth of a second heading into the final day of action.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, three-time Champion Kevin Wenzel, of Longmont, Colo., has built a relatively comfortable 0.655-second margin over the F Street Prepared field in his Sign Edge/Performance BMW 2002. Last year’s runner-up, Jinx Jordan, of Terrell, N.C., sits second in his Hoosier Tire/Koni/RR-AX Honda Civic. Jordan’s wife, Ginette, leads FSP Ladies over Lisa Krueger, of Midland, Mich., by an even bigger, 0.892-second margin.

In the Stock classes, Lance Adams, of Austin, Texas, whose career-best finish is 10th, leads a 57-car Super Stock field in his Road Trip Racing Team Corvette. The pressure is on though, as eight-time Solo National Champion Paul Kozlak, of Litchfield, Maine, is just 0.029-second behind in his Corvette. In C Stock, Ryan Buetzer, of Long Beach, Calif., is halfway home to his second-straight title, driving his Evo School/Chase Cam Mazda MX-5 MSR to a 0.444-second lead over Dan Pedroza, of Round Rock, Texas.

Friday’s action gets underway at 8 a.m. (CDT) as the classes switch courses from West to East and East to West. Today’s best times, along with Friday’s, will be added together to determine the class Champion. For full results visit www.scca.com.