W.E. ROCK :: World Extreme Rockcrawling

Upsets in the shootout highlight second half of Reno Rocks!

By: Aaron Campbell

W.E.ROCK Live Editor-In Chief

With the opening shots of the 2009 W.E.ROCK Reno Rocks event in the books, it was time for the main event. The W.E.ROCK Pro-National West Series Pro-Modified and Unlimited classes would be the featured. The opening two rounds of the championship have been breathtaking to say the least. Coming into Reno, the Unlimited Class has seen two different winners.

Cody Waggoner was golden on the debut circuit in Tucson. He would snap the four event winning streak of Jesse Haines in Tucson. However, Jesse Haines would return to the top step of the podium with a come from behind win in Cedar City. The Pro-Modified class has been nothing short of a down and dirty street fight. Brad Lovell may have been victorious in both Tucson and Cedar City, but the rest of the field has been right on his heels. So far both events this season have come down to the shootout to decide the winner. Brad Lovell was flawless in Tucson and came from fourth to win in the Shootout, and in Tucson, Lovell, was under attack the whole time. It wasn’t until the checkered flag flown and the dust settled for Lovell to be declared the winner in Cedar City. Now with the target placed firmly on his back, Brad Lovell, will attempt a three-peat on the season with a run for the win in Reno.

The Unlimited teams would kick things off on the “A” courses, and the Pro-Modified teams would be split on both the “A” and “B” courses. For the purposes of the story and since the courses were not changed, the Pro-Modified teams, will be discussed as one group, and not split between the course sections.

For this major event a few teams would make the trip to compete that has not been at an event so far this season. In the Unlimited class, we would see James Tracey and Matt Heimsoth, for the first time. In Pro-Mod, Dana Verdoorn, would not make the trip to Reno. However, a super special team would make their W.E.ROCK debut. Japanese team, Tsuda Racing, would purchase the Toyota FJ chassis from Tracy Jordan. They would come to the USA armed with their driver, drifter Masanori Tsuda, and spotter Daiten Izumi. The Tsuda Racing team would also debut the Nitto Mud Grappler tire to W.E.ROCK competition. Shannon Campbell would have to skip this round, but would have his brother, Nick, in the driver’s seat for this race. Dean Bulloch would also debut a new generation chassis at this event, and Tom Allen from PSC steering would take over the spotting duties for rookie driver, Barry Beadle.

The competition courses for this event would be described best as different on both sides of the competition course. The “A” courses would be technical, but more wide open to the drivers at the same time. The “B” courses would be set up in a very exact and technical manor. For teams to get through the “A” courses more risk and chance would have to be used. While on the “B” courses the entire game would come down to line selection. If a team misses the line, then they would be in store for broken parts, penalties, and worse a DNF on the course. With the pressure on, the teams would be in store for one wild event.

The Unlimited class would tackle the “A” courses for the first half of the competition. A total of 11 teams would make the trip to Reno. The first hazard for the teams would be obstacle “A1”. This technical obstacle would for the teams to drive through a crack. Drive across a gap into a super narrow valley, and back around the obstacle to the finish. A total of 7 teams would make it through the finish gate. Jesse Haines would kick off the event as the low scorer on A1. His score of -9 would give him a 9 point advantage over Matt Messer and Todd Young who would come out of the gate tied at zero points. Cody Waggoner would cross the line with 1 point. James Treacy would take 6 points, and in the race for the shootout Rick Mooneyham would be in 6^th with 12 points, and Brent Bradshaw would be right on his heels with 14 points. Matt Heimsoth, Jason Paule, Andrew Paulson, and Nate La Russo would not finish the obstacle.

Obstacle A2 would offer the teams a chance to attempt a shot at the double camel hump jump, almost vertical bonus, and wide open throttle assault. Jason Paule would recover from his DNF on the opening to set the low score on this obstacle at -4 points. Cody Waggoner would put up strong numbers and would finish the obstacle with two points. Jesse Haines would put up three points. Matt Heimsoth would impress the crowd and come across with 6 points. Matt Messer, James Treacy, Brent Bradshaw, and Andrew Paulson would make it through the finish gate. Rick Mooneyham, Nate LaRusso and Todd Young would fail to find the finish gate.

In the overall standings, Jesse Haines, would continue to lead. He would hold a 9 point advantage over, Cody Waggoner. Matt Messer would hold third. James Tracey and Jason Paule would run forth and fifth in the standings. In the race for the shootout, Brent Bradshaw, would move up to the 6^th position. Todd Young would fall from third to seventh, four points out of 6^th. Matt Heimsoth, would hold 8^th, a total of 8 points out of 6^th. Rick Mooneyham would fall from 6^th to 9^th in the standings. As Andrew Paulson and Nate La Russo would round out the field in 10^th and 11^th place.

The third obstacle the teams would face would be “A3”. This obstacle would have the teams making a climb, driving into a crack line, making the first climb in reverse, hitting the throttle to go through the “S” crack to find the finish. A trio of drivers, (Waggoner, Mooneyham, and Bradshaw), would tie for the low score on the obstacle with -3 points each. Jesse Haines and Andrew Paulson would both cross the finish line with just 1 point. Matt Messer would take 7 points. Todd Young would find his way across the line with 11 points, and Matt Heimsoth would cross with 14 points. James Tracey, Jason Paule, and Nate La Russo would not finish the obstacle.

After three obstacles, Jesse Haines would continue to lead, but Cody Waggoner would continue to close the gap to just 5 points. Matt Messer would continue to hold third. Brent Bradshaw would move up to the 4^th position. A tie for 5^th place would happen between Rick Mooneyham and Todd Young. In the race for the shootout, Mooneyham and Young would also be on the bubble for the shootout. Matt Heimsoth would hold 7^th place just 7 points off the bubble. James Tracey would be just 8 points out in the 8^th position. Andrew Paulson and Jason Paule would be within striking distance of 6^th. Nate La Russo would be totally off the pace in last place.

The final obstacle of the first half of the competition would have the teams facing down the evil Mount Rose. This unfriendly obstacle would start off with the teams driving through a super tight crack line, over a belly hanger break over, and finally driving across both sides of Mount Rose. This staggering obstacle was flat nasty to competitors. The drive back across Mount Rose would be the stopper for most of the field. A total of 6 teams would be denied just feet from the finish. Only four teams would make it across the finish line. Jesse Haines would be the low scorer with just 1 point. Brent Bradshaw would cross the line with an astonishing 4 points. Andrew Paulson would shock the field when he crested Mount Rose twice to make his way to the finish and a total of just 7 points. Cody Waggoner would be the last driver to complete the obstacle, and for his efforts would take 13 points. The obstacle would deny drivers hard. Teams would either nose dive off the top of Mount Rose, or they would find that gravity was not on their side as they would attempt to climb back over the obstacle. Even accomplished hill climber, Jason Paule, would be denied on his attempt.

At the half way mark, Jesse Haines, appeared to have a lock on first place. Haines would go into the second half of the event with a 9 point advantage over, Cody Waggoner. Brent Bradshaw would take over the third position from Matt Messer who would fall to fourth. Andrew Paulson’s brilliant run on A4 would shoot him into the 5^th position at the half way mark. Todd Young and Rick Mooneyham would continue to be tied, but this time it would be for the all important 6^th position. On the outside looking in would be Matt Heimsoth (8^th place / 7 points out of 6^th), James Tracey (9^th place / 8 points out of 6^th), and Jason Paule (10^th place / 21 points out of 6^th). Nate La Russo would withdraw from competition, and would take 11^th place for the event.

The Pro-Modified ranks would be full, as a huge field of 20 teams would make the trip to Reno. The teams would all face the “B” obstacles during the first half of competition. The teams will all be gunning for the all important shootout at the end of the competition. With 20 teams taking part in the event, and only six spots open, the race for the shootout could be more intense than the race for the win.

The field of drivers would face the technical “B” side first, and “B1” would be the opening shot of the race. This obstacle would offer the teams the most open territory they would face for this side of the course. The tight cone sections would have plenty of open territory for teams to maneuver. However, don’t let the openness of this obstacle fool you, the teams would have to be able to get around the cone sections. With the lack of rock to stack, the teams would need to rely on good old fashioned fundamentals to make it through the obstacle. For a majority of the teams, good quality fundamentals were easy to come by. In all, a total of 17 teams would complete the first obstacle. Becca Webster would show the way early, and would be the low scorer for the first obstacle of competition. Her score of -3 points was nothing short of impressive. Hal Frost would come through with a score of -1 points to take second place. Point leader, Brad Lovell, would be strong with a score of zero to place third overall. Troy Bailey, Ted Wiens, and Dean Bulloch would round out the top three with scores of one point, two points, and three points respectively. With Bulloch on the bubble, a total of 9 teams would be within a 20 point striking distance of 6^th place.

Obstacle B2 would be the second test for the crew of drivers. This tight technical obstacle would put the teams through the ringer as a total test of a teams steering ability. A lack of rock to place underneath the wheels to aid in turning will cause teams to play strategy to come out ahead. A total of 11 teams would make the finish line on this obstacle, time, would work against a majority of the teams that could not finish. Tracy Jordan would be the driver to set the low score at 9 points. Jordan would barely nudge Craig Thompson for the low score as Thompson would score 10 points on his run. John Hall would use his skills to take third on the obstacle with a run of 18 points. That would be one point better than Troy Bailey who would check in with 19 points. Dean Bulloch and Buzzy Bronsema would both tie for 5^th on the obstacle with 23 points in their runs. Hal Frost, Brad Lovell, Becca Webster, Barry Beadle, and Masanori Tsuda would round out the field of drivers that would complete their runs.

A hotly contested race would be underway as Tracy Jordan and Craig Thompson would become the overall leaders tied at 19 points. Troy Bailey would be right on their tails just one point off the pace in third. Hal Frost would fall to fourth place just five points out of first. Becca Webster would fall from the early lead to fifth place, and would find herself tied with Dean Bulloch just seven points off the leader. On the outside looking in would be the drivers tied for 7^th place, John Hall and Brad Lovell, just three points off the bubble. Ted Wiens and Bill Kunz would round out the top ten. A total of 10 teams would still be within a 40 point margin of the bubble.

Next up for the teams would be an obstacle that would demand the teams to make a climb twice with it having to be done two different ways. The very tricky B3 obstacle would face the teams next. The field of Pro-Modified teams would be on their game with this obstacle. Only the team of, Ted Wiens, would fail to finish. Wiens would run out of time just feet from the finish line, or all 20 teams would have completed the obstacle. A three way tie for the low score would break out as Tracy Jordan, Brad Lovell, and Troy Bailey would all score -2 points. A three way tie would follow those teams as Dean Bulloch, Jason Blanton, and Barry Beadle would all finish just one tick off the pace of the low scores. Jason Willis would take be 7^th on the obstacle with a score of zero points. Craig Thompson and Nicole Johnson would come across the line tied with two points, and Becca Webster would finish her run with three points.

A dog race was underway in the overall standings. Tracy Jordan would hold on to the lead, but lurking just one point back was Troy Bailey. Craig Thompson would fall to third overall just four points out of the overall lead. Dean Bulloch would move up the standings to fourth overall just 8 points back of the lead. Brad Lovell would make his presence known and would fly into 5^th place just 10 points back of the lead. This would put Becca Webster firmly on the bubble. Becca would be 12 points off the pace, and would hold a 10 point lead over the 7^th place runner of John Hall. Bill Kunz, Nicole Johnson, and Hal Frost would round out the top ten runners. A total of 8 teams would still be within a 40 point range of 6^th place.

The final obstacle on the “B” side of things could easily be described as one of the hardest obstacles to ever come down the pike in all of professional rock crawling. Imagine an area made of all crack lines. Not wide crack lines either, but instead tight crack lines just a few feet across. Now imagine that you have to manage to go through the crack lines having to avoid cones placed in what could best be described as in a maze, and that would be B4. A grand total of four teams would finish their run on the obstacle, and those finishes were not pretty.

A total of 16 teams would score 38 points or higher. Plus, out of a possible combined score of 800 points possible between the 20 teams, the field would score 756 points. That is 94.5% of all points available on the obstacle. Tracy Jordan would be the low scorer with an astonishing 32 points. He would be followed closely by, Troy Bailey and Brad Lovell, who would both check in scores of 34 points. Bill Kunz would be the final driver to make his way through the obstacle and take 35 points.

At the half way mark of the competition, Tracy Jordan, would be the leader. Jordan would hold just a three point advantage over, Troy Bailey. Craig Thompson would hold on to the third position overall, 10 points, out of the lead. Brad Lovell would check in 4^th overall 12 points out of the lead. Dean Bulloch would check in 5^th overall, 16 points, out of the lead. On the shootout bubble, Becca Webster, she would be 20 points off the lead in 6^th place. John Hall would still hold 7^th overall and would be just 10 points out of the shootout. Bill Kunz, Nicole Johnson, and Hal Frost would round out the top 10 and would sit just 22 points out of the shootout with four obstacles left. At the halfway point positions, 6-14, would sit just 38 points apart.

With all of the teams sitting at the half way point, all of the teams would make the switch to the other obstacles. The Unlimited Class would move their race to the very technical “B” courses. The Pro-Modified would move their race over to the more wide open and wild “A” courses. This would also include the Pro-Modified facing down the ominous Mount Rose. All of the teams would have in their mind the final shootout. With only six spots open for the final obstacle. All teams on the inside want to stay in, and the teams that are sitting on the outside are going to be looking for a way into the big dance. So strategy is going to be the name of the game. Let the fireworks begin.

The Unlimited Class would jump to the “B” side of the game. The drivers that can hang the technical stuff are going to be the ones that have the best shot at going all the way. So with that said the teams would face down “B1”, and the teams would come out of the gate fighting. A total of 9 of the 10 teams running would finish the course. Brent Bradshaw has been lurking near the top of the standings, and he would start the second half of the event by setting the low score. Bradshaw would clear the course with a score of -1. Cody Waggoner would be right there, and would cross the line with zero points. Matt Heimsoth and Jason Paule would put up three points on their runs. Overall leader, Jesse Haines, would not have the run he would want and would take a score of 12 points.

Jesse Haines may not have had the run he wanted, but he would continue to hold the overall lead. However, Cody Waggoner, would that lead down from, 17 points, to 5 points. Brent Bradshaw, Matt Messer, and Todd Young would hold the third, fourth, and fifth positions. The race for the shootout would be was still going at full speed. There would be a tie for sixth place. Matt Heimsoth and Rick Mooneyham would be sitting tied with just three obstacles to go. All teams that were sitting off the bubble would still be in contention for the shootout. The margin from 6^th to 10^th would only be 17 points.

Now the teams would move over to the “B2” obstacle. Like B1, obstacle B2, would again see 9 of the 10 teams still running complete the obstacle. Todd Young was having an awesome event, and obstacle B2 would be huge for the Idaho team. Young would complete the obstacle, and set the low score at 9 points. Brent Bradshaw would cross the line just one point behind Todd Young. Jesse Haines and Jason Paule would check in with 11 points. Matt Heimsoth, James Tracey, Matt Messer, and Rick Mooneyham would also finish the obstacle. Cody Waggoner would take the highest score of the finishers with a score of 20 points.

The race for the lead would see some space when Cody Waggoner would finish the obstacle off the pace. Jesse Haines would see grow his lead from, 5 points, to, 14 points over Cody Waggoner. Brent Bradshaw, Matt Messer, and Todd Young would continue to hold their positions. The race for the shootout would begin to narrow as, Andrew Paulson, would fall out of contention in 10^th place. However the space between Matt Heimsoth in 6^th and James Tracey in 9^th would be just 13 points.

Obstacle B3 would change the entire complexion of the event. Cody Waggoner needed to do something big to keep the heat on Jesse Haines, and big things would happen right here. Cody Waggoner would cross the line with the lowest score at zero points. Jesse Haines on the other hand would crash, and would not finish. Rick Mooneyham would tie Cody Waggoner for the low score on the obstacle. Matt Messer would finish with just one point. Brent Bradshaw and Jesse Haines would fail to finish the obstacle.

The overall standings would see a shakeup. Jesse Haines, who had been the leader for the entire event, would lose the lead on the 7^th obstacle. Cody Waggoner would grab the lead, and would go into the final obstacle of regulation with a comfortable margin of 25 points. Brent Bradshaw would continue to hold the third position. Matt Messer would sit in the fourth position, 11 points, out of third. Matt Heimsoth would sneak by, Todd Young, and would hold the 5^th position. Todd Young, would find him self on the bubble, one point, out of 5^th. The race for the shootout was going to come down between: Matt Heimsoth, Todd Young, Rick Mooneyham, and Jason Paule. The margin from 5^th to 8^th position would be 11 points. James Tracey would sit in the 9^th position, but would be 26 points off of 6^th place. That wide of a margin is almost mathematically impossible to overcome.

The final obstacle for the teams would be the nasty “B4” obstacle. At this point some teams were secure to make the shootout, but for four contenders the shootout was at their fingertips. One of the contenders for the shootout would be, Matt Heimsoth, who would enter the final regulation obstacle on the bubble. He would deliver. Heimsoth would gain a shootout berth with his low score setting run of 13 points. The tough obstacle would take its toll on the contenders for the shootout. Heimsoth would deliver, but 6^th place overall, Todd Young, would fail to even grab one progression gate. His score of, 40 points, would take him out of shootout contention. Rick Mooneyham would just need to finish the obstacle, and take a score of 33 points or less to look at securing his spot in the shootout. However, Mooneyham would also fail to finish. His score of 38 points would leave him way on the outside looking in. That would put it all on, Jason Paule. The 2006 W.E.ROCK World Champion is someone who can deal with the pressure. All Paule would have to do to secure his place in the shootout is finish the obstacle with a score of 31 points or less. That is exactly what, Jason Paule, accomplished. He would finish the obstacle, score 24 points, and secure his place in the shootout.

The dust had settled, and the field was set for the shootout. Cody Waggoner would go into the shootout the leader. He would hold a 14 point lead over, Jesse Haines. Brent Bradshaw would hold third, 41 points, out of the lead, and 21 points ahead of Matt Heimsoth. Heimsoth would earn his shootout berth and start in the fourth position. Heimsoth, would sit 21 points behind, Brent Bradshaw, but would only be five points ahead of Matt Messer. Messer would finish fifth in the regulation, and would sit 17 points ahead of Jason Paule. Paule would round out the shootout field in the sixth position. Rick Mooneyham and Todd Young would both tie for the 7^th position, and both would miss the shootout by just 6 points. James Tracey would finish in 9^th, and falling out due to attrition would be Andrew Paulson and Nate La Russo.

The Shootout would be a long nasty obstacle. Open with plenty of bonus opportunities, the shootout would span across the entire “A” section. Starting at the crack of “A1” the teams would have to drive through the crack. Once through, they would have to hang a right turn and go for the double hump of “A2”. Once through that section they would have to cross all of the crazy rocks of “A3”, and then head for the crack line that began “A4”. Once over the two humps of the crack, the teams would then have to launch to the top of Mount Rose to find the finish gates.

Jason Paule, who had spent the entire event on the outside looking in, made the shootout. However, his run for the top of Mount Rose would end early. Paule would mismanage his time, and would run out after the third gate section. Matt Messer would be the next up. The driver of the Trail Gear rig was stoked just to be in the shootout, and he would not disappoint. He would deliver a show on the rocks, and would cleanly run the obstacle with a score of -15 points. Matt Heimsoth was another driver satisfied to be in the shootout, and like Messer would deliver a show on the rocks. In a display of great showmanship, Heimsoth would make it to the top of the mountain. He would finish with a score of -9 points. Brent Bradshaw is known as a calculating driver, but a mistake out of the gate would send Bradshaw on his side. However, Bradshaw, would get his buggy back on all fours and would continue. That was until the second gate section. Bradshaw would launch his buggy into a staggering roll that would end his run at the shootout. Bradshaw would take 38 points. Jesse Haines would be next. Knowing that he would have to put pressure on Cody Waggoner, Jesse made a clean calculating run at the rocks. Haines would easily crest the top of Mount Rose. His score of -10 would drop the pressure squarely on Cody Waggoner.

A very calm Cody Waggoner would take to the rocks. With the pressure on, Cody, looked flawless. His run was going perfectly, when, out of nowhere his vehicle just quit. A frantic, Jim Waggoner, tried everything, but nothing worked. Cody Waggoner would emerge from his vehicle, and would join his spotter in trying anything to get his vehicle running. Nothing was working, and time was ticking away. With every second off the clock, Cody’s chances at victory were growing slim. The team started wrenching, but it would be to no avail. Cody’s win would evaporate when the vehicle failed. Jesse Haines would be the victor of Reno Rocks, as Cody Waggoner could only watch.

Jesse Haines would win the 2009 Reno Rocks event. His 34 point margin of victory was anything but comfortable, but the big trophy was his. Cody Waggoner would be denied for the second time in the shootout. Matt Messer would be the big winner in the shootout jumping from 5^th to 3^rd in the final standings. Matt Heimsoth would hold his 4^th position. Brent Bradshaw would be the biggest loser, after strategy failed him and he would finish in the 5^th position. Jason Paule would have to settle for a disappointing 6^th place.

The Pro-Modified teams would switch over to the much more open “A” courses for their second half. A tight race was underway for the lead between, Tracy Jordan and Troy Bailey. Only three points would separate the two drivers at the half way point. In the race for the shootout, it would be a fight with more contenders than there are spots in the shootout. A total of 9 teams were still within a 40 point range of 6^th place. The sixth position was going to be a fight to the finish, but in the end 14 teams were going to be going home one obstacle early.

Obstacle A1 would be tough on the teams. It would be the obstacle that would either make your or break you. Half the teams would complete the obstacle, and half would not finish. With every point being valuable, this could be the ender to some team’s shootout hopes. Of the teams that did not finish would be, Becca Webster and Dean Bulloch, both teams would enter the day in the 5^th and 6^th positions. This early DNF would strike a new tone for them as they would have to play catch-up if they would want to see the shootout. Where, Bulloch and Webster, didn’t shine, Troy Bailey and John Hall, did shine. Both drivers would make the obstacle look super simple, and would tie for the low score at 1 point. Craig Thompson and Bill Kunz would also shine checking in three points on their runs. Also shining on their runs would be: Tracy Jordan, Brad Lovell, Hal Frost, and Jason Blanton. They would check in 10 points. Buzz Bronsema would score 12 points, and Nicole Johnson would cross the line with 15 points.

In the overall standings, Troy Bailey would be the new leader over Tracy Jordan. Jordan would fall to second, 6 points, behind Bailey. Craig Thompson and Brad Lovell would continue to hold 3^rd and 4^th respectively. John Hall and Bill Kunz would move into 5^th and 6^th overall. Dean Bulloch would fall from 5^th to 8^th overall, and Becca Webster would have her bubble bust and fall to 11^th in the standings. With three obstacles to go the race for the shootout had Bill Kunz on the bubble. Going into the sixth obstacle, Kunz would find himself with some breathing room. The cushion between 6^th and 7^th (Hal Frost) would be 16 points. However, where Kunz found a cushion, the race for 7^th was close with four teams within five points. The field running for the shootout would take a hit, and it had shrunk to 6 teams within 40 points of 6^th place. With three obstacles left in regulation could survival be the thing that gets you into the shootout?

Obstacle A2 would be the next obstacle to see the competitors. This obstacle would be one that would again throw the Pro-Modified teams for a loop. One team that was thrilled to be running the obstacle would be the team of Masanori Tsuda. The Japanese team was just thrilled to be competing here in the United States, and they were here to put on a show. The show was on for this team. Facing down the double camel hump, Masanori would become a throttle ninja. His full throttle assault would send his rig into the air. Astonishing would not be the word for the next thing that would happen. The rig fell out of the air. It looked like Masanori had hit air brakes, and like a skilled gymnast he stuck the landing. Not only that, but his Nitto Tires just took to the rocks like they were made for this obstacle. Masanori would not only set the lowest score for the Pro-Modified at -10 points; he would set the lowest score on the obstacle for the weekend. Not only that, but he would beat Jason Paule’s Unlimited mark by 6 points. Only 9 teams would finish the obstacle, and the scores would span from the low to the high.

The overall standings would change again. Troy Bailey would expand his lead over, Tracy Jordan, by three points to give him a 9 point margin. Bill Kunz would make a charge to the third position from 6^th in the standings. Brad Lovell would continue to hold on to the fourth position. Craig Thompson would take a hit, and would fall from third to fifth overall. The race for the shootout would see some shake ups again. Like last time positions 6-12 would still sit within a 40 point margin. Becca Webster would find herself back on the bubble in 6^th position. She would hold a slim one point lead over, John Hall, who would be in the 7^th position. Hal Frost would sit 14 points out of 6^th in the 8^th position. Dean Bulloch would continue to lurk around in the 9^th position. Masanori Tsuda would make his presence known. Masanori would jump from 17^th to 10^th after his aerial display, 24 points out of 6^th. Buzzy Bronsema and Nicole Johnson would round out the rest of the teams within the 40 point margin of Becca, 25 and 26 points out of the shootout.

Obstacle B3 would start to close the race for the shootout. With only two obstacles left in regulation all eyes would start to concentrate on the 6^th position in the overall standings. A total of 11 teams would complete the obstacle, and the picture would be clear which teams would be fighting for the final qualifying spot. Brad Lovell and Barry Beadle would show the field how to run the obstacle setting low score at 7 points. Bill Kunz and Becca Webster would be just one point off their pace. Nicole Johnson, Tracy Jordan, and Hal Frost would also finish close to the pace set by the low scorers. John Hall, Dean Bulloch, Nick Campbell, and Craig Thompson would also cross the line to take an important finish. However one driver was missing from the list of drivers who had completed the obstacle, overall leader, Troy Bailey. Bailey would have problems on his run and would be forced to take a DNF on the obstacle.

Tracy Jordan would retake the lead in the overall standings. The hard charging Bill Kunz would slide into second place, 14 points off the pace that Tracy was maintaining. Brad Lovell would move into the third position. Troy Bailey’s DNF on B3 would knock him way from the lead. Bailey would fall to 4^th overall and 30 points out of the lead. Craig Thompson would rejoin the top 6 in the 5^th position. Thompson would have a comfortable cushion on 6th, 21 points, going into the final regulation obstacle. Becca Webster would be the driver on the bubble going into the final regulation obstacle. The fight for the 6^th position would be 5 drivers: Webster, Hall, Frost, Johnson, and Bulloch. A 30 point margin would sit between 6^th and 10^th position. With the unpredictable Mount Rose facing the teams, the shootout and going home would be settled on this final regulation obstacle.

Mount Rose had been described may ways throughout the competition, and for the Pro-Modified teams it might have been called Everest. Team by team this obstacle would systematically pick apart and destroy a driver’s talent. The climb over the rock wasn’t the issue for some teams it would be the first drop off the rock, and for most it would be the climb back to the top. Gravity would work against the teams, and only 6 teams would complete the climbs to make the finish. Brad Lovell would make a statement going into the shootout with his low score mark on the final regulation obstacle. His score of zero would play heavily into the mind of one Tracy Jordan.

The race for the shootout would be decided on this obstacle. Becca Webster was on the bubble coming into the final obstacle, but a roll trying to climb back up would take her out of the shootout. John Hall saw a chance to sneak into the shootout, but like Becca would end up on his lid descending from Mount Rose. Hall would be denied the shootout. Hal Frost would be denied just like John Hall. However, Dean Bulloch would make the climb, and would finish, but his score of 12 points would not close the gap far enough to put himself in the shootout. Nicole Johnson had flirted with the shootout all events, and when it was time to perform, Ms. Johnson, performed. She would put in a spectacular run over Mount Rose to throw herself into the shootout. Her score of 3 points would tie Troy Bailey for second best score on the obstacle.

The field for the shootout would be a star studded field. Tracy Jordan would persevere to go into the shootout with a 14 point lead over Brad Lovell. Lovell, knowing that his streak was at stake, would have to put it all on the line in this shootout. Troy Bailey was looking to be the major upset. Victory was within sight for Bailey in Tucson, and with an 18 point margin to overcome, victory, could be within sight for Bailey again. Can the driver from Cedar City finally break into victory lane? Bill Kunz was the hard charger for the day, but a DNF on A4 would knock Kunz from sniffing distance of Tracy Jordan to 4^th place overall, 46 points, out of the lead. Craig Thompson would make his first shootout of the year after stringing together a nice set of runs for Reno. Nicole Johnson would round out the field. Her amazing run on A4 would set her into the shootout. It would be her second consecutive shootout appearance.

So the shootout would face the Pro-Modified teams. They would be the final vehicles to grace the rocks on the temporary circuit, and all eyes in Reno were firmly on them. Nicole Johnson would be first up, and she would also be first out. Nicole would run out of time on her obstacle with just a few yards left to go before the finish. Craig Thompson was thrilled being in the shootout and Thompson would deliver a show for the fans. A throttle show would be underway from the time the clock started for Thompson. Thompson would thrash his rig all the way through the rocks, and would be the first driver to crest the top of Mount Rose to finish the shootout. His score of -15 points was incredible. Bill Kunz would be next up, and like Nicole time would work against Kunz. He would suffer a transmission failure while attempting to make up lost time on the obstacle. Troy Bailey would join Kunz and Johnson in running out of time. For Brad Lovell, the pressure would sit squarely on his shoulders. He knew what he had to do, and he was ready to go after the victory. Lovell would start the run on the obstacle, and while going through the first gate section would get too happy on the throttle, and would roll his rig onto its side. For Lovell this would be the end of the line. His perfect season would come to an end. Tracy Jordan was going to win Reno Rocks no matter the outcome of his run. Jordan would go out on the rocks, and would close out the temporary circuit in high style. With lots of throttle and smoking tires, Tracy Jordan would crash his way through the rocks, and on to the top of Mount Rose. Tracy Jordan would finish the shootout, and would stand on top of the mountain the champion. Tracy Jordan would collect his first win in the Pro-Modified class.

With Oroville being the final battleground, Jesse Haines and Cody Waggoner, would find themselves tied for the championship. Will Jesse Haines go two for two in the Pro-National West Series, or will Cody Waggoner pull the biggest upset and steal the 2009 Pro-National West Series crown? On the Pro-Modified side of things, Brad Lovell may have had his winning streak snapped in Reno, but he would still hold the points lead going into the final round of the year. Can anyone stop the Amsoil Ranger, or will Brad Lovell collect his second consecutive driver’s title? Justin Hall may have had his hands full with Todd Stephenson, but the championship is all Justin’s. However, what challenge will Justin have to face in Oroville before he takes his crown as the 2009 Pro-National West Series Modified Stock champion? Can Todd Stephenson shut out the presumed champion one last time before the end of the season? In three events this season, Formula Toyota, has had three different winners. Will we see a fourth driver at the top of the podium, or can Brian Ellinger, John James, or Jeff Mello make a repeat on the top step of the podium? All of these storylines and more will be the order of business when the teams arrive in Oroville, CA for the Pro-National West Series Finale for the July 18 and 19.