WSS - Grand Final

J-Mac in action in the #17 car.

Thanks to Corey Gibson for the wonderful pic.

After fourteen races around the length and breadth of Australia The World Series Sprintcar series culminates in Western Australia at the large 500 metre Perth Motorplex clay way. There are just two possible contenders to take the 2019/20 championship, our very own James McFadden and Sydney sider and now US based Kerry Madsen or as we affectionately know him.. The Madman.

As per usual, after hotlaps it was on to qualifying for the evenings event. The thirty one cars waited to be pushed off for qualifying and the crowd waited in anticipation to see where our championship contenders would be in the order. The Madman was tenth off to take his two flying laps and J-Mac was the sixteenth car to set his flyers.
Not only is it about race wins but qualifying points, heat race points and mains points all accumulate over the night and go towards the championship points of the series. James went into this final round with 3554 points with Kerry, the only driver that could beat him on 3512 points. You could throw a blanket over the entire field of thirty one cars with just 1.3 seconds between the fastest and slowest times. Kerry wasn't quite dialled in and could only manage a 14.02sec lap placing him in sixteenth, half a second off the pace. James had the better run going straight to the top with a blistering 13.478 and maximum qualifying points.
Heats:
J-Mac made it up a couple of positions to finish 3rd in his first heat. Young US racer Cory Eliason was to win the second heat, a good start to the night for Cory after his previous nights A-main win. Madsen took the win in the third heat so the championship was still well and truly alive.
Round two of the heats (H4) saw both James and Kerry slugging it out together. Kerry finished in 3rd with J-Mac behind him in 4th. H5 and H6 didn't exactly get the caps and programs waving and it was time for a tea break while we catch our breath awaiting the Shootout.
Shootout:
It's been years and I still haven't figured out or made sense of why the Shootouts, three mini races over three laps between four cars, what's all that about?
Mains:
All sorted and we're on to the B-Main for the eleven cars that didn't make it into the A. This was likely to be a chaotic race which is pretty usual for a B-Main as it's the last change for the first couple of cars to tag on the rear of the A.
A-Main time and the grandstand is rumbling with excitement waiting the grid/starting positions of James and The Madman. James lined up on the front row alongside pole sitter Cory Eliason but Kerry Madsen was way down the order outa nine (Colin). Cory won the start big time with James on his tail for 34 of the 35 laps where he made the pass to take the win... and the series. Kerry blasted away at the green passing five cars on the way to loosing a wheel on lap five destroying his race and his championship.

So now it's back off to the US and the 'World Of Outlaws' form James and Kerry where 'Electric Guitars and Racing Cars' will be keeping a close eye on their progress in the American sprintcar season.

You can check out the A-Main here on the 'Tube, it's well worth a peek.