User blog:Ajaxcupseries/2023 13th Annual Windows 300 Preview

The Fallon Corner - October 2023

Its rather astonishing that we are already approaching the halfway mark of the 2023 ASCA calendar this weekend, considering it feels like just yesterday we were just prepping for the start of Speedweeks two short months ago!

Through the first half of the new year we’ve seen records shattered, breakout stars, and what’s shaping up to be another highly contested championship fight with the top four in the points separated by just 10 markers heading into this weekend’s 13th Annual Windows 300.

With that in mind, lets take a look at some of the biggest storylines I’ll be following on Sunday night’s 200 lap journey for the biggest prize this sport has to offer.

The Most Star Studded 300 Field…..Ever?
Brandon Books. Marco Garidelli. Ryan Taylor.

Recognize any of these drivers?

You probably do considering these three household names have combined to win THREE championships and an ADRA All Star Race dating back to the start of the 2018 season.

The craziest part about all of this is that all three of these drivers will be on the same track, in the same race, ALL in pursuit of a Windows 300 trophy come Sunday night.

When you already factor in the record equaling car count expected for the 2023 edition of the most prestigious event in the ASCA, the stiff competition the Cup Series already produces on a weekly basis, and add these three elite level championship drivers into the mix…..if you thought last year’s 300 was the best ever, we might REALLY be in for a show this time around.

Will CBR Dominance from All-Star Night Carry Over?
In last Saturday night’s All-Star Race, with no practice for a race weekend for the first time in ASCA HISTORY, it was evident very quickly which teams did their homework on Computer Motor Speedway and which camps just decided to show up to the track and adjust on the fly.

From the second qualifying wrapped up on Friday afternoon, you could tell CJ Barrymore Racing was clearly the most prepared for such an oddball scenario, putting their cars 1-2-4 on the grid and then backing that performance up the following night.

Sweeping the segments, leading every single lap, and a war between Chris Barrymore and Cameron Atwood in the closing stages with Barrymore coming out on top, while Norm Lester and Randle Woods tried their best, there was no other team that was in the same zip code as CBR throughout the event.

Assuming that the organization did not bring “illegal” cars to the track (a preposterous conspiracy theory from a salty Greg Healey fan I saw on Twitter), will the two practice sessions this weekend be enough for the rest of the sport to catch up to whatever CBR found rolling right off the truck last Saturday night?

Its also important to remember that CJ Barrymore Racing gets those same practices to tune on what they’ve already found over All-Star weekend, and if they can make their trio of cars even more dominant than they were last week….LOOK OUT.

I’d say we’re in for another classic 17 v. 21 battle as we’ve grown all too familiar with at Computer Motor Speedway, and after what we say just a few days ago I’m all for another Cameron Atwood vs. Chris Barrymore duel with even greater stakes of a 300 trophy this time around.

Does Randle Woods FINALLY Complete the Crown Jewel Sweep?
It feels like we ask this question every year, but something about this year just feels different for Randle Woods.

I mean, he did actually win the Ajax 200 in his 10th attempt after all, so the question becomes - can he capture his first Windows 300 in his 13th?

The last time Woods entered this race weekend as the points leader, he qualified on pole position and led 114 laps before an engine expiration while leading took him out of contention to score the big prize.

Granted, Woods also had a car that year that captured pole in every race it entered at Computer Motor Speedway that year, led all 70 laps and took the victory in the All-Star Race the week prior, and would lead 108 of 150 laps in the Apple 225 to score the win in that race as well. That piece was easily one of the most dominant cars we’ve ever seen in ASCA history, while this No. 18 he’s slated to run this weekend needs quite a bit of work to get there.

However, at age 35 one has to wonder, just how many more 300 attempts does the two time champion have left in him? Especially while he’s still in his prime like he is right now?

We all know Father Time can sneak up and bite you at any time, and as Woods continues to inch into his late 30’s, it may get him too sooner than you might think.

A Season Defining Race?
Jared Ayers, Chris Barrymore, and Norm Lester.

Those three drivers I just listed many of us expected to be championship contenders at the start of the season, but currently sit 12th, 13th, and 15th in the points standings respectively.

These are three of the top 10 highest paid drivers in the sport, and all of them have had a solid amount of success at Computer Motor Speedway, with Barrymore coming off of his huge All-Star victory last week and Lester being a former All-Star and Windows 300 winner.

This will be a CRITICAL race weekend for all three of these drivers if they want to salvage any shot at a championship in 2023.

Maybe they don’t have to win the race, sure. But it would certainly help their title hopes quite a bit and put the big names in the sport on notice.

Even a top five outing from any of these drivers could give them the critical boost of momentum needed to go on a run and salvage what’s been a disappointing start for all three of them over the second half of the campaign.

And my Windows 300 Pick is…..
A win in the Windows 300 is what a driver DREAMS of when they first enter the ASCA, potentially even more so than an Ajax Cup championship.

This race tests a driver’s mental fortitude more so than any other. Not just because of the added pressure of it being the most prestigious trophy this sport has to offer, but also the endurance aspect in that this event is 100 miles longer than 95% of the races on the calendar.

Add in the household names from the SFCS, Panhead, and the NDRL all in the show along with a record tying 26 cars competing this year, and I really do believe this year’s 300 has the potential to be the best EVER.

With that being said, the driver that seems to have everything going his way throughout the first half of 2023 is Cameron Atwood. And as boring of a pick as it is, he’s who I’m going with to get the job done for his FOURTH win of the season already on Sunday night.

This No. 17 team clearly has had the most raw speed of anyone this year, the record tying three wins in a row and four top 2 finishes in four weeks prove that.

Plus when you add in the advantage CJ Barrymore Racing already seems to have heading into this weekend over the competition, if there’s a driver I trust most to capitalize on that, its him. Don't forget, Atwood was also the guy I picked before the season even started to capture his first 300 trophy, a rare prediction of mine that's aged like fine wine.

Sure, Chris Barrymore did outdrive him last Saturday night, I’ll give you that. But that was a ten lap sprint with no points and only a million dollars on the line. How many other times have we seen Barrymore throw this race away when his tactics of running an inch off the wall backfire on him?

I rest my case.

Nonetheless, be sure to tune into the 13th Annual Windows 300 this Sunday night at 8 PM EST, it might just be another race for the history books!