User blog:Ajaxcupseries/2020 Windows 300 Preview

By: Charles Fallon - The Fallon Corner

Its hard to believe this season’s Windows 300 will be the 10th edition of the biggest race of the ASCA season! Ever since 2010, every season (besides 2013) we’ve seen this race run, and numerous big name drivers now have made a name for themselves in this race. Diego Orkedi, Dan Rodgers, Jimmy Hood, Nick Orkedi, Brynn Rennerd, Caleb Henderson Jr. are six of the seven different winners we’ve seen in this race that have gone on to make a name for themselves in the ASCA. Here’s what I think you should watch out for on Sunday night:

The Most Prestigious Sweep In ASCA History?
Dan Rodgers, Randle Woods, and Chris Barrymore are the only three Ajax Cup drivers to go down to the Craftsman Series and win the TreatMyPC.com 150. However, none of them were able to use what they learned in that race to come back the next night and take home the Windows 300.

This season may just be a different story.

Greg Healey quite frankly has OWNED Computer Motor Speedway over the past two weeks.

The Cup points leader dominated the All-Star Race and won it, swept the poles for the TreatMyPC.com 150 and the Windows 300, and pulled off an economy run yesterday afternoon to steal the win from Doug Bowden in the 150 in the final turn.

Now, he just has the Windows 300 left to go to cap off what could potentially be a perfect weekend for Snoots Enterprises and the Ajax Cup points leader.

Its crazy to think that just 3 short seasons ago, this #3 team was a total joke. They finished last in the S3 Windows 300 with a blown motor, and there really wasn’t any reason to be optimistic about what Snoots Enterprises had going on.

Now here we are in Season 6, and Greg Healey has an opportunity to pull off the unthinkable. And believe it or not, I think he could do just that.

Is This Season Finally Woods’ Season?
Randle Woods has accomplished pretty much what 99.9% of people dream of when they begin racing in the ASCA.

He’s the defending champion, has 20 Ajax Cup wins, 49 overall ASCA wins, won the S3 Northern 200, and has won at nearly every track on the circuit.

However, Woods and the Windows 300 simply don’t get along.

Its remarkable to think that in the previous 9 renditions of this race, Woods has yet to win one. The closest he has come to victory was a fantastic battle with Nick Orkedi for the last 20 laps of the S1 Windows 300, but Orkedi prevailed in the end.

In Season 3 Woods was the only guy that could pass Caleb Henderson Jr’s ridiculous “Plan A” car on track, but even still he was only able to bring home a 3rd place finish.

Last season Woods looked like he had about as good of a car as his teammate Dan Rodgers, starting alongside him on the front row. However, only one car is able to get clean air at a time, and Woods’ car was so bad in dirty air he eventually fell a lap down before rallying back for an 8th place result.

Tonight, Randle Woods rolls off 17th, his 2nd worst starting spot of the season. It remains to be seen whether this will be the season he tames his Windows 300 demons, or whether this season will add to his long line of heartbreaks in this race.

Is It Finally Barrymore’s Time?
Out of this current group of young guns in the ASCA, Chris Barrymore has by far been the closest to tasting a Windows 300 victory.

The Season 3 Craftsman Series Champion has been leading with under 10 laps to go in the last two Windows 300’s, but has not been able to hold on for the win either time.

This season however, I think that changes.

Barrymore was my pick to win the 300 in my season preview, and I’m sticking with him to get the job done. While Healey seems to have the dominant car this weekend, Barrymore overall is the more consistent driver at Computer Motor Speedway. Besides his 16th place finish in last season’s Windows 300, since Season 3 Barrymore has finished 4th, 2nd, 1st, and 4th in the 300 and the Apple 225, along with winning the last two TreatMyPC.com 150’s that he’s been entered in. He’s the best driver I’ve ever seen ride the cushion at the top of the track, and if he stays out the wall all 300 miles he’s definitely got a shot to win this thing and shake the “overrated” label that’s been put on him recently.