'Stars' drivers striving to claim divisional crowns while keeping their eyes on the big prize HILLIARD, OH - As the Stars National series rolls in to its final Western and Eastern Divisional races, the points battles for the respective Divisional Championships are coming to a close. Of the 275 entrants who have scored points in Stars national competition this year, the battles are, not surprisingly, coming down to a handful of competitors who are fighting for the recognition of winning his or her division. With two race drops allowed out of the eight divisional races in East and West, some of the calculations and permutations are extensive, and Stars makes no guarantee the estimations are accurate. Racers cannot be overly focused on the divisional races, though, as each competitor will carry his or her points into the single National Championship race at the California Speedway in November, where East meets West and the points count double. Those who bring a higher total into Fontana have a better chance at emerging as a Stars National Champion. One specter hangs over the head of every competitor. A disqualification in the final of a race cannot be dropped. Drivers and teams need to be very careful to navigate the Stars technical and competition rules and it is their responsibility to ensure their kart passes technical inspection, that they weigh in after a race even if they do not score points, and they conduct themselves in a professional manner on and off the track at the events. Eastern Division In 80cc Junior, Kyle Rahal leads Canadian Kevin LaCroix with a 131 to 114 points margin. With a worst finish of third, any finish below second will not improve Rahal's points total due to the two-drop rule. LaCroix has to win both races without Rahal scoring a second either race to claim the Eastern Division title. Otherwise, Rahal is the Eastern Division champ in 80cc Junior. In Intercontinental A (ICA), Robbie Pecorari has clinched the Eastern Division points championship. Teammate Josh Hunt did not participate at BeaveRun thus those need to be used as his drops. Michael Giessen has run very well all season. He needs to keep close to the J&J juggernaut to have realistic hopes in Fontana. Likewise, Bobby Wilson has clinched the Eastern championship for Intercontinental C (ICC), carrying four wins and a worst finish of fifth into the final event in Jacksonville, Florida. Remy Maltais leads Graham Rahal by only two points for second while Phillipe Gelinas is 15 back in fourth. Cale Mead is just a single point back in fifth. Wilson's pursuers have struggled at different times this year but must score in Jacksonville to have any chance at the title in California. In Junior Superbox, current points leader Chris Keller can score a single second place finish to lock the title over Matthew Lee. With a 24 point deficit and Lee's worst finishes of fifth and seventh, Lee has to score 45 points minimum (a win and a second) to have a chance, if Keller finishes below fourth in both races in Jacksonville. If Lee does score a first and second, Keller only needs one finish of third to clinch. Grand Products Cadet is a very tight race with Robert Thorne holding a slim six-point gap over Sergio Pena and three more thirty points back. Susie McIlroy has decimated the eastern Rotax field and is looking to maximize her points with one win in Jacksonville to be on even footing against the westıs Clark Sanchez-Figueras in California. West Division In 80cc Junior, Billy Scyphers III leads Justin Moon 98 to 82. Justin has three wins to Billy's two and by virtue of the drop rule, Justin stands a good chance at taking the Divisional Championship. Billy still has his fate in his own hands, however, and can go to Fontana with the Western point's lead. Any finish below fourth does not score Scyphers any points from what he has accrued already. If Scyphers scores a second and a third in British Columbia and keeps Moon behind him, he will be Western Champion. Moon has to score 16 points more than Scyphers in Chilliwack for the title. That means Justin can finish with two eighth place finishes and if Scyphers does not score higher than a fifth the nod will go to Moon. Grand Products Cadet is up in the air, with five drivers within 21 points of one another. Miles Maroney currently leads Jacob Neal, 93 to 86. The one to watch in BC is Jahana Mongul, who scored double wins in Buttonwillow and a second at Sonoma but missed the Colorado round. Mongul has 76 points - a 17-point gap from Maroney. Maroney's worst finish is a sixth, but that means he needs to score higher than that to improve his total. Considering the close nature of Cadet racing, Chilliwack stands to be a thrilling affair. In Intercontinental A, the Sonoma rounds were disastrous for early-season point's leader Andrew Alfonso. Alfonso had a decent fourth place finish in the Saturday race, but broke while leading the Sunday event. Nemesis Kevin Glover capitalized by scoring his third and fourth consecutive wins in the direct drive class and leads Alfonso 121 to 98. Glover needs only a single third place finish to lock the Western title. Alfonso's hope is that Glover will stumble badly, leaving the door open for the Danville, California driver to put some big numbers up and hope for the best. Not to be forgotten is that Glover lives less than an hour from the Chilliwack, BC track. Early favorite Chris Giumarra has struggled since the opening round at Buttonwillow and must try to overcome a DQ during the Colorado rounds that cannot be dropped from his points total. Giumarra still stands a mathematical chance of winning the national title, though, and his performance in September will give everyone a clearer picture if he will be fighting with Glover and Alfonso come November. Improving Joshua Harris and hard-luck Joel Miller are out for the Western Championship but still have mathematical hopes for the National. The shifter class of Intercontinental C shows Californian Jason Bowles leading teammate Alan Sciuto by 15 points with fellow race winners Nick Halen and Tom Dyer following. Unlike the East, where Bobby Wilson has clinched and is pointing towards the championship event, these four drivers will be simultaneously trying to claim divisional honors and set themselves up well for the face off with Wilson. Given the competition in this class and B.C. drivers like Jordy Vorrath and fellow Canadian Jake Thompson lurking and still in championship contention, Chilliwack stands to be a pressure-packed frenzy of shifter racing. If one warning can be given to these young guns, it's this: look out for Lorenzo Mandarino. Lorenzo's star-crossed season hasn't produced the points, but you can be sure that with seemingly nothing to lose he will be going for the win. Yet, even Lorenzo needs to be cautious, as the ICC field will likely be capped for the Fontana event and championship points will be the first thing that will be considered. Two strong points results in Canada will help this talented driver put on a show for the Champ Car crowd in November. The same goes for part-timers like Alex Speed and Brett Buckwalter, who won races but have not competed the entire season. A visit to Chilliwack with good results will set them up well for a face-off with the best drivers in the country at California Speedway. James Kennedy has locked up Divisional honors in Junior Superbox. Drivers like Cole Nelson and Cole Whitt can capitalize from their early successes with good results at Chilliwack to set themselves up to shine in Fontana. Likewise, Clark Sanchez-Figueras has clinched, already scoring the maximum of 150 points for the regular season. The Rotax Max class is awaiting the Rotax Battle of the Sexes, pitting Clark against Eastern dominator Susie McIlroy in Fontana. Second place Western combatant Kelsey Nash needs to perform in B.C. to keep herself in the running for the National Championship as anything more than a 49 point lead by Figueras or McIlroy will make the Rotax championship a two person battle. These final regular season rounds represent a key event for many drivers as some are looking to roll into California with strong leads and divisional trophies, while others are scratching to get back into the hunt and big-time kart racing glory. The Champ Car 'Stars of Tomorrow' presented by RACER karting series is the official first level in CART's driver development system and an officially sanctioned series of WKA/SCCA Pro Racing. Founded by racing star Bryan Herta and now owned in conjunction with a group of racing veterans, including three-time CART champion and Indy 500 winner Bobby Rahal, the Stars of Tomorrow serves as the first step for the CART driver development ladder. Stars focuses on recognizing the skills of the drivers rather than the technology development within the machines, using FIA/CIK International standards. More information can be found at www.cartstars.com. Snap-on Incorporated is a leading global developer, manufacturer and marketer of tool and equipment solutions for professional tool users. 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