NSSCRA 7- Everything Thread (IC)

[Hampton Island]

Scene: Stafford City Speedway in Hampton Island

Marketing Guy: “Hello, is this the KMS Modeling Institute? Hook me up with one of your most gorgeous blonde models between the ages of 18-21.” ..... Provides Credentials..... “Yes, yes, the Speedway”..... “Yes, yes sure, use my credit card on file”..... “Ok, good bye”.

Forty minutes later, a vehicle pulls up to the arranged meeting spot, and a man and a stunning young woman get out. “This is Lexi.” The man says, “You bought the three hour package, so I will be back at two.” The marketing guy nods and takes Lexi by the hand.

“So, is this ok?” Lexi asks pointing to her chosen attire, “They didn’t tell me what I had to wear.”

“We have an outfit for you to wear but yes you are absolutely beautiful.” He says as they walked to the track.

“Put this on,” the man says, giving her a firesuit and helmet while pointing out where she could privately change.

“Sure!” Lexi struggles to put on the firesuit in the changing area as this is not what she is used to wearing on photo shoots, but comes out smiling, “Well, this is different! How do I look?”

An assistant retrieved one of James McCurty’s #23 race cars, with permission of the race team.

“Get in the car, and drive.” the executive said.

Lexi looked confused about it, but did as instructed. But then was confused. “There is no door!” she exclaimed.

The assistant was eager to run over to Lexi and advise her to climb into the window, and to provide assistance in doing so. With Lexi in the car, she is told to drive the vehicle.”

“But there is no drive!”

“Dammit!” the executive exclaimed, “She can’t drive a stick.”

Just as they were about to give up at that point, Lexi exclaimed, “Wait its one of those cars like my ex-boyfriend had with the shifts and stuff. My bad.”

“Well that’s good. Go ahead and drive. Drive as fast as you can.”

Lexi begins to inch the car forward. “Where is the turn signal?” she asked.

“You don’t need one!” the executive exclaimed.

“Oh okay, just like my real car I just didn’t want you to think I never used it.”

“As fast as you can!”

Lexi drives the first lap around the short track in 41 seconds. The lap record is just over 16 seconds. She stops the car in front of the guys.

“How was that? I couldn’t find the speedometer, though.”

“It’s a start, now just do about ten laps and try to get faster each time.”

Lexi was really confused, but did as she was told. After ten laps, it was clear that at best, she could only average about 25-30 seconds around the track.

“You did great, Lexi!” the executive exclaims. “I declare you the next best driver in Hampton Island!”

Lexi only laughed.

“No really, we are going to make you a great race car driver. Through that and seductive photo shoots and TV advertisements, you will be very popular!”

“But I don’t really want to be a race car driver. I just want to be a model.”

“Nonsense, you will be a great one. Stacie Houston, Thea Alvarez, Ellie Lindskog, move over, the next great one is here.”

Lexi only laughed. "Who are they?"

“Nevermind. By the way, what was your last name?”

[Cassadaigua]

Quietly off to a strong start,
by Chelsea Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

A driver from Team Cassadaigua has not won yet, but when you look at the point standings, we are off to a great start. Stacie Houston, who was not her best at Jeblund, is third in the standings, but the surprise is that Meghan Sharpe is sitting there in fourth. Sharpe was the best Cassadagan driver at the Fortress Run, running 5th. Houston had her moments, at times, but a 16th place finish was a disappointment for her standards. Jenna Logan was one spot ahead of her, and is 20th in the standings.

Looking back at last year’s results on this track, you’ll see that Houston actually fared much better, leading some laps early before dropping a back just a bit. She improved her running spot in the late moments, and placed third, behind winner Skip Stiller of Saint Kanye. Stiller, by the way was second in this race. Houston told reporters, “Had a hard time getting the Five Star Mobile machine going. We used a lot of our notes from last year, and that was not really the best way to go, it seemed. We expect to be better then 16th. Congrats to the 25 team on the win.” Another pit road reporter asked her about her running side by side with Jeremiah Brooke, and the rumored relationship that they have. Houston smiled, “Gotta start that again, huh? I just like spending time with him, he is a great guy, and we have a lot in common in terms of racing so we have a lot to talk about.” Meghan Sharpe’s top five was the top moment of the day for us, and a vast improvement over her 17th place performance last year. Of the race, Meghan told us, “Great car, we’re getting closer. Thanks to everyone from Spacebook who help with this effort. Still want that win. We know we can pull it off and get that automatic chase berth. It’s so important.” Sharpe was happy to be fourth in points, but added, “Way too early, but I’d rather be in the top four then to not be in the top four. Again, we are doing very well, just want to win.” The same pit road reporter who asked Houston about Brooke asked Sharpe if Stacie ever talks about the relationship. Sharpe grinned and stared, “Maybe you can find something out on Spacebook.” We tried, but there was nothing new on Spacebook, and it was just a ploy to re-name her sponsor again.

Jenna Logan had a decent 15th place finish, and was happy to get by the 27 in the waning moments. “We need better performances, this race team is too good not to have better performances. I don’t want to be happy about finishing fifteenth. This could be a building block, but that is all it will be.” Logan was not part of the race team yet when they raced here last year. Tyler Abbott turned in a ninth place showing in that ride last season.

[The Sherpa Empire]

‭

----o-֎-o----

‭The video screen and push button system that Tsering Chu used to communicate with her pit crew went out 80 laps into the Kermania Fortress Run. She drove a few more laps while the pit crew tried to get it working without forcing her to pit under a green flag, but it was distracting and Chu found that she was losing ground even without pitting. The car was slightly looser than she liked as well as the problem with the video screen, and eventually she got irritated enough to go ahead and pit. They got the screen to work again, but it took longer than it should have. It wasn't something they had practiced and got down to a routine the way they did with normal things like changing tires or fueling. They hadn't expected the comm system to go out. Chu dropped from 9th place to near the back of the pack as a result of all this trouble.

‭She gained back some of the time when other drivers had their own problems or just had to pit, but she continued to have trouble with the video screen and/or her car's handling at times throughout the race, and she finished a disappointing 30th place overall. It was frustrating.

‭Worse still, she had a history paper due and she hadn't even started because she put it off to allow more practice time. Now she had sacrificed that time and didn't even have a good result to show for it.

‭

----o-֎-o----

‭As Liangmei Li fought her way up toward the front of the pack, she found herself behind Kai Qiang, riding his draft. She was getting ready to shove him into the wall and overtake him, but then Skip Stiller came up from behind and bumped Qiang aside before she could make her move. Li laughed. "Haha, seeya sucker!" Qiang hurled curses and obscenities at them in about twenty different languages as he struggled to regain control of his car and get back up to speed. In the meantime, he had fallen back several places.

‭When Qiang got out of his car after the race, he threw his helmet down in disgust, and his crew chief had to yank him off his feet and hold him until he calmed down so he wouldn't go and start a fight with Stiller. It only took a few moments for Qiang to realize he was making a fool of himself and regain his composure, but Houzhi Chang was still annoyed at having to grab him at all. "Come on, we went through this last year," Chang said. "You can't let Stiller get under your skin like this."

‭Li came strutting by with a suave hairflip and a nasty smile. "Is that Qiang Kai or one of those racing ferrets? I think it might be rabid."

‭Finishing in the top 10 and having the best time of the three drivers from the Sherpa Empire meant she got more attention than usual from the media. She milked it for all it was worth, posing like she was at a fashion photo shoot, looking seductively into the camera. She looked great, but it was all a bit tacky.

‭

----o-֎-o----

[Brittany Normandy Aquitaine]

Nantes Times

Playing 3 Cards


Yael Erwann had an excellent first race, finishing 21st, and he was in a good spot all day long


Race Stats

Gael Erwann
Start: 27th
Finished: 28th
Highest: 12th
Lowest: 38th

Mael Erwann
Start: 39th
Finished: 36th
Highest: 21st
Lowest: 42nd

Yael Erwann
Start: 32nd
Finished: 21st
Highest: 13th
Lowest: 36th


Yael had the highest finish between the 3, Gael the highest position in the race, and Mael the lowest position in the race.

Not a big day for Mael, but Gael and Yael are surely happy about performances, and their all 3 hoping Yael can get more racetime in the future by the odds of qualifying in.

[Vangaziland]

Racing | Track Life | Off Grid | Fast Women

Vangazi Sweep Pole And Race

The race weekend started with some controversy. The news to come out of Qualifying for the Kermania Fortress Run, wasn't just that Floyd Hackerbee had won the pole position. At a time when he knew all the cameras would be on him, Floyd brandished a can of REDUP energy drink. Although the drink was the main sponsor for Kev Schorebrook's #25, the company had sponsor placement on both the #75 and #50 cars.

This comes at a time when an Oceanic energy drink is bidding for naming rights on the pole award. Cameras in many nations may have edited out the display. For now, it would be one of the most prominent product placements of the season.

Floyd would start first. Race day would find a much less healthy Hackerbee. "Be careful what you eat if you come here", said Floyd. It appears a late night dining choice proved to set the driver back. "Me and a few of the pit guys decided to go out for a late night bite." The driver sounded weak, as if his stomach was hurting him. "I... I didn't know what I was eating."

It turns out Hackerbee at locally prepared rat. "I thought it was.. A little pork skewer", said the driver known for his hair. "When I found out what it was, I couldn't even!" A team doctor ruled that the meat just didn't sit in his stomach well. There was no food poisoning or allergy. The meal just didn't agree with his body's chemistry, maybe because he had never had that kind of meat before.

Floyd was asked how it tasted. Sullenly, he answered, "it was spicy. Tender." He looked a little lightheaded. "And a little sweet. Excuse me." Hackerbee ran to a nearby port-a-potty as he seemed to regret enjoying the taste of the food. Perhaps the memory disturbed him.

As a result, Floyd fell from the pole quickly. He had to fight nausea as much as he had to battle the field. He would begin falling back as far as 33rd in the early first fifth of the race. With lap times just under a minute, the fortress had to be a fast, tight road course. It would take precision to succeed here.

Enter Kev Schorebrook. He entered NSSCRA with touring car racing on his resume. "It adds pressure to do well at road courses", Kev said about his experience. His best placement in the HGTC was 4th in the Yakumicha GT Endurance Challenge. Kev would return for the event the following season, where he would be the fastest of the three co-drivers. This performance secured his future spot as a stock car driver. James Lark and Jon Stansen failed to make a mark in Hodori GT2.

Kerbania would not turn out to be Floyd's race. He held out late during one of the stops around the second of 5 checkpoints. This put him near the top of the field for awhile. Floyd climbed as high as 4th. After he made his stop, he found himself running between 29th and 32nd for much of the middle of the race. Floyd even managed to climb back into the top 10. Again, he was stretching his pit stops. Eventually, he would have to stop. Hackerbee tried to make up time. He would finish 20th.

Kev Schorebrook was running a different kind of race. As a GT2 driver, he seemed to get the most out of the car. Schorebrook started 30th and explained why. "I thought I could bring a car that was slightly loose into qualifying. I wanted just a touch of oversteer. We brought a little too much. I ended up fighting the car more than I had to. We worked up some different settings. A new gear ratio really helped make a difference too."

The Vannish Motors Hammerhead ran so well, that it moved from 30th to the lead in the first fifth of the total distance. This was on a short road lap time of under a minute. Precision was an understatement. This race may be the statement of Kev's stock car career.

Schorebrook won two races last year, the Empress Jessica 500 and another in Northwest Kalactin's Gold Coast. Despite his early lead, the race was far from over. He played a cautious pit strategy. It saw him fall back a little between the second and third checkpoints. With the way his car was running, he was going to try to stretch out the number of stops to be one less. If it worked, calculations showed he had the pace. Now it was about execution.

As the middle of the race came and went, Schorebrook found himself back in the top 5. The top of the pack was filled with cars from Saint Kanye, Cassadaigua and the Sherpa Empire. They would change places between checkpoints 3 and 4. It was a constant battle for position. This wasn't like any other course; with its clandestine, underground nature. There was something extremely fluid about the way the bright cars flowed across the dim track.

The timing of one of Kev's pit stops saw him fall to 14th. He had to fight back up the field, but he seemed to have found his line by now. His car was also dialed in. As the race wore down, Kev found himself in 5th place. He faced a tough battle for the lead. "This was a moment where I just had to trust my car", Schorebrook said. "I could see where the car had to be, as if there were rails. The car just had the power to really make the most of each turn's exit."

Everything came down to a late pass between Skip Stiller and Kev Schorebrook. Skip had the lead for some time. As the cars came around a turn to one of the straights, Kev adjusted his angle behind Skip's #3. The Vangazi drifted a little outside, only to cut sharp to the inside. He also managed to draft just a little off the corner of Skip's car as they started down the straight. The crew chief told Kev he had the pace for the pass.

As the cars came around the turn, Kev bucked towards the wall, then back inside to make the daring pass. The Vannish engine roared, looking strong for the day. By the time the next turn came, the others had to tuck behind Kev as he won the battle of the straightaway.

Ellie Lindskog had a rather uneventful race. She spent much of the early half running between 18th and 23rd. She made a late run to end up 8th for some time. As the pace picked up in late stages, Ellie fell back to 12th. "I've got to pace myself", said Lindskog. "I've made the Chase. I know I can turn things up when that time comes. For now, this was great experience on a road course." Ellie is still finding her place in the world of stock car racing.

Her early win is a great sign. Now Floyd Hackerbee is the only Vangazi not to have a victory this season. His pole award may be of little consolation if he finds himself the only Vangazi not to advance. The pressure is on for Hackerbee, but does he feel it?

"It's definitely on. There's no point to racing if it isn't fun though. So it's not just about the win or loss. I need to enjoy every race weekend. If that happens, results will follow through. The passion. That has to remain strong within me."

NSSCRA will travel to a little place called Blue Coast for the next race. The city is rolling out the red carpet for visiting tourists. It may prove to be a different kind of place than many are used to, with casinos, strip clubs and cannabis markets. There's also really good coffee.

"Blue Coast is one big party", Jessica Franssen said in a podcast. "This is the kind of place where it's easy to get in trouble if you don't have a good head on your shoulders. Big government isn't going to do the regulation you should be able to do on your own here." Vannish police should be expected to be courteous and understanding of tourists. "It'd be best to just bring chill vibes." Franssen will be competing in her first international stock car event.

"I don't have any expectations", Franssen said about the Blue Coast 400. "I don't think it's going to be pretty", she said laughing. "But it's really about the linkup between the World Grand Prix Championships and the Nationstates Stock Car Racing Association. This is just a victory lap for Vannish Motors. It's also an homage to my dad Fred and his stock car career."

For those that had never heard of Jessica Franssen, she wasn't just a pretty face. Those who raced against her would see her closer to a hellacious beast. She was a harpy on the track. Of course, things would likely be different in NSSCRA. This was her time to familiarize herself with the car. She may come back in a later season, if she ends her WGP2 management role.

"It's starting to become appealing", Jessica admitted about the prospect of a future charter. "A lot of people who have success in one league are hesistant to branch into other leagues. It'd look bad to flame out in another type of car." For now, Jessica is focused on the next race.

"I'm looking forward to getting the Vannish Motors #'Zero-One' some track time." The Vannish Motors line up will be full when the track moves to Sonrise Motorway on the Southeast coast of the Northern Mainland.

[Vilita and Turori]

---

Ezis back on track in Jebslund but Struggles to match Lonngeylin performance

:: twii.tur Trending ::

twii.tur is a short message communication service that originated from Turori and allowed users to exchange content of 140 characters. The service was conceived as a way to allow officials to receive alerts and key information such as incoming weather notifications, major events and the ability to stay coordinated during a time of crisis but was under-utilized and doubts were raised as to whether the overhead of the infrastructure was worthwhile to maintain. As capabilities of interconnected and handheld communication devices improved, the Turorian Weather & Information Interchange (Twii) was adapted into a public facing service where users could sign up to create their own twii nodes where users would sign up to a twii group to receive all the twii messages delivered by members of that group. Ultimately, as demand grew, a fully public release of twii came at the connected location twii.tur where all users can participate in the public twii, selecting which messages to receive by adding individual users, groups or topics to their twii.tur feed.

More recent developments and additions to twii.tur included the introduction of quick bangs, images, emotitags and users with high overall ratings can even post video of 30 seconds or less onto their twii feed. twii.tur recently served as the Official Global Messaging & Communications Partner for World Cup 81 in Banija and the Free Republics, where its number of active user accounts and overall system activity level nearly doubled. twii.tur decided to branch out into sponsorship of an NSSCRA vehicle for Team Tropicorp at the Lonngeylin Ring but the result was not what Team Tropicorp, twii.tur or Cocoabo #28 would have hoped as the vehicle ended the race upside down and causing a spark of controversy as its driver was knocked out of action through injury as a result.

The two Vehicles at the center of the discussions, #60 Rockii Ezis and the #28 of Cocoabo #28 race side by side early in the Toys '4' All 500

I believe #Cocoabo28! Get Well Soon!

:: Behind the twii :: Team Tropicorp driver Cocoabo #28 was injured in an accident during the NSSCRA Toys '4' All 500 at the Lonngeylin Ring. The fact that there was an incident which saw car #28 crash hard into the wall and flip over onto its roof is known, there is photographic evidence and live video from the incident. The fact that Cocoabo #28 appeared in discomfort after being removed from the vehicle was also apparent. Now, however, one Vangazi publication, the Imperial Motorsports Magazine, has suggested that somehow there is a conspiracy related to the injury to Cocoabo #28 and that in reality financial considerations were responsible for Cocoabo #28 missing the Kermania Fortress Run. Whether he Imperial Motorsports Magazine is suggesting that somehow Cocoabo #28 is faking their injuries to enable the charter to be transferred with haste, or, even more heinously, suggesting somehow that Vilita & Turori Motorsports and/or their CoCoCo backers somehow influenced the events that resulted in the incident that left Cocoabo #28 injured, they are all non-sensical allegations. While it was widely known that Vilita & Turori Motorsports were pursuing arrangements with any existing charter holder to return the charter that was previously taken from them for the #60 machine, the transfer of Cocoabo #28's charter to Vilita & Turori Motorsports for Rockii Ezis to use in Jebslund was a result of the injuries suffered by Cocoabo #28 not the cause of them. Vilita & Turori Motorsports had been talking with multiple teams regarding the potential acquisition of a charter including Central Shanesville and Team Tropicorp. The close relationship between VTM and Team Tropicorp certainly aided the paperwork being done quicker to ensure Team Tropicorp did not lose their charter due to non-use in the wake of the Cocoabo's injury, or, did not force them to rush their Cocoabo trainee back behind the wheel.

@VTMracing lost 2 charters this season so why fuss when they get one back?

:: Behind the twii :: In the wake of signing the deal to allow Rockii Ezis and the #60 CoCoCo Dart to compete in the 4th race of the NSSCRA 7 season at the Kermania Fortress Run in Jebslund, some backlash was directed at both Vilita & Turori Motorsports and the NSSCRA Sanctioning Body for allowing the Vilita & Turori development driver to compete in an additional event in place of Cocoabo #28. The Imperial Motorsport Magazine hypothesized about a future where "This means we may one day see a race when VTM fields five cars" while one Kardashia Kibitzer user "Stacemiah2718" quipped about the fact that a future NSSCRA race could potentially include five VTM cars. However, one does not need to look to the future to see VTM fielding five cars in a race. In fact, Vilita & Turori Motorsports held five full-time charters during NSSCRA 6 and at times ran as many as 6 VTM cars in a single event. While Vilita & Turori Motorsports were compelled to return two of their charters to the sanctioning body ahead of NSSCRA 7 for re-distribution, there were no restrictions or limitations applied that would then prevent Vilita & Turori Motorsports from then negotiating a deal to transfer or utilize the charters acquired by other teams to get their #60 car back in the field on a weekly basis and VIlita & Turori Motorsports had been in discussion with both Team Tropicorp and Central Shanesville regarding the potential of charters for use by Rockii Ezis on a weekly basis. Rockii Ezis as well as the three full-time VTM drivers were all full-time chartered drivers at the conclusion of NSSCRA 6 in addition to he WGP2 bound Jama'obo Pegasii meaning that Vilita & Turori Motorsports have competed the entire NSSCRA 7 campaign with two fewer guaranteed spots in the field than they had during NSSCRA 6. As such, perhaps it is Rockii Ezis and Vilita & Turori Motorsports who should be upset at not having been able to compete in the opening two races of the season before finally getting on track and picking up where they left off from season six.

Alright maybe this isn't working out for team #CoCoCo...

---

Money can't buy you win$

:: Behind the twii :: While Rockii Ezis and the #60 CoCoCo Dart ultimately were able to start the Kermania Fortress Run in Jebslund after being granted permission for a temporary transfer of the second Team Tropicorp charter after the inability for Cocoabo #28 to compete in the event was confirmed, the race was a much biggest struggle for Ezis than was the preceding Toys '4' All 500. The #60 machine never cracked the Top 10 and perhaps it was the unfamiliarity of the environment. While Rockii Ezis had not specifically studied the Kermania Fortress Run course as it was not part of the originally planned schedule for the #60 car, it was also the first time Ezis had ever driven a race car underground no less in a subterranean city. The environment likely took a decent amount of adapting to for Ezis who struggled to a 27th place finish in their first ever race in Jebslund. The NSSCRA circuit moves on to Vangaziland for the fifth race of the Season, the Blue Coast 400.

NSSCRA's last visit to Vangaziland was a good one for Vilita & Turori Motorsports as Centur Tiones recorded their first ever NSSCRA victory in the Gryphon Supermarkets 250 at the Imperial Speedway. There won't be a lot to take away other than customs procedures, however, as the next event on the NSSCRA 7 schedule is actually the Blue Coast 400 at Sonrise Motorway in Vangaziland.

---

[The Sherpa Empire]

‭

----o-֎-o----

‭For Tsering Chu, Blue Coast was overwhelming and intimidating. There was too much going on. Too much glitz, too many lights, too many rowdy people that might do something wild and unpredictable. She didn't like the streets around the casinos and strip clubs, the way the men leered at her when she walked by, even though one glance should have been enough to make it obvious that she wasn't a stripper or a showgirl. She didn't have the looks for that sort of work, and she didn't dress the part either.

‭Kai Qiang didn't like the strip clubs either. Too many women trying to get his attention and sell themselves to him in one way or another. He was happy to have a beer and play some low-stakes poker at one of the casinos, but he didn't like treating women as a commodity and he didn't think much of the women who allowed themselves to be used that way. If he was going out and he had to go past the strip clubs, he would try to bring a woman with him -- whether it was Thea Alvarez, Mendok Sherpa, Tsering Chu, or one of the deaf girls from Chu's crew -- and he walked arm in arm with whoever it was, so that the strippers would assume they were married and leave them alone. Sometimes it worked out nicely for the women, since it was also a way for them to go out without being pestered.

‭Liangmei Li, on the other hand... She practiced every day and partied every night in the days before the Blue Coast 400. She had a field day entering a wet T-shirt contest and pole dancing at a strip club that was having amateur night. Ningxiao Hong went along to watch her dance, and a couple guys from Qiang's crew also hit the strip clubs as customers rather than performers.

‭On the day before qualifying, Li was showing a mechanic the stack of gazis that people had stuffed in her thong at the strip club. Kai Qiang was nearby, explaining some last-minute adjustments that he wanted his crew to make, and he overheard Li talking to the mechanic. He turned around and told Li, "Selling your body isn't something you should be proud of."

‭"You're just jealous that I've got something people want to buy," Li answered. "Nobody would pay money to watch you dance or see you naked."

‭"Oh, really?" said Qiang. "You wouldn't pay to see me take my clothes off right here and dance around naked in the pits?"

‭Li laughed. "You wouldn't do that even if I paid you."

‭"I'll do it if you give me those gazis."

‭"Okay, I gotta see this," said Li, and she handed the money to Qiang.

‭"I knew you were secretly obsessed with me!" said Qiang. He flipped through the bills to see how much she had made. It was a lot for one night of "work," but less than the prize money for the top finishers at a typical NSSCRA race. He tried to hand the money back to Li, but she didn't take it. She just folded her arms and glared at him impatiently. "You can keep your money," Qiang said. "I'm not going to take my clothes off and dance around naked."

‭Li still just glared at him.

‭"Come on, take the money so I can get back to work," said Qiang.

‭Li thought it over for another minute, then angrily snatched the money out of Qiang's hand and stormed off, angry that he had duped her into offering him money in the first place.

‭

----o-֎-o----

[Vangaziland]

Ellie Lindskog and Jessica Franssen decided to spend a night out on the town. Vannish drivers were known for flying to Blue Coast as often as possible between races. Some analysts think the city itself was responsible for Jessica's early struggles in WGPC 16. As soon as she stopped flying out to the chilly coastal paradise, her on track performance improved.

A cloud front had hung over the city for much of the week leading to the race. There were a few light showers. This was pretty far in the North Atlantic. The climate still had a subtle gentleness to it, with low humidity. At this time of the year, it was mid Autumn on the Vannish Mainland. Although it may have been too cold for many tourists to go to the beach, 60 degrees Fahrenheit and a few clouds was Vannish beach weather.

By the time the sun set, people ran indoors of course. This made for an action packed nightlife. Jess and Ellie decided to see a show that was playing at a local casino. There was a cover band playing Vannish rock from the 1960s. Back then, the music was psychedelic and creative. It made for a colorful, interesting event.

Jess and Ellie sat in a small booth at a restaurant known for its pastries. They decided on a perk up at Marsha's Café. Jessica was drinking Sativa Turbo coffee with an infused blueberry muffin. Lindskog had the same drink, but had a cinnamon bagel with cream cheese. The pair had been laughing and joking for some time.

One interesting part of the conversation dealt with NSSCRA. Jess had read the latest issue of Imperial Motorsports. An article by Mr. Conspiracy caught her attention. Laughing, Jess said, "I think it's all overblown. Of course he got hurt."

Ellie shrugged as she finished a bite. "Yeah. But Mr. Conspiracy is obviously poking at a bigger issue." Ellie had first read about it after checking a website that tracked racing press releases. She had heard about the article first from VTM themselves. "I think its funny they mention their company should be upset about losing two charters."

"One company shouldn't have two permanent charters to lose", Jess said laughing. "I think Mr. Conspiracy was also hinting that the entire reason Tropicorp was entered in the first place was just to help VTM get a charter. I mean, wouldn't that be a ridiculous level to stoop to get one more seat?"

Ellie started to feel uncomfortable. She really didn't want to speak ill of a team she really did respect so much. "I mean, you hear that they want to take the charter from Central Shaneville. Why can't Central Shaneville use their charter?"

"The league suspended charter trading for a reason", Jess replied. "It worked and helped VTM win a championship last season. This season, the league seems to be stepping in to keep things more even with the charters."

"I guarantee there are cars that want to run 6 charter events", Ellie said. "There are 6 development drivers total right? About 12 regular season races? Sounds like an easy way to keep that fair."

"That's why I went for two races", said Jess. "It's something to think about. Keeping the Chase purely for exhibition. It's fun. It'll help me get better. It's also nice not to have the pressure." Jessica had been training hard in the weeks leading up to the race. She had brushed up on the discipline over the past year, but has really stepped up her training.

"VTM is also trying to pull a fast one with this 'only 5 cars' thing", Ellie said with a smirk. "So Tropicorp doesn't count? 4 plus 3 is 7 cars. But they should be upset?" Ellie let loose a deep laugh, which shook her body.

"It's a slippery slope", Jess said. "All we need is for VTM, GFR and VMR to push 4 cars plus an affiliate. The field would get choked out. If VTM can do it, I promise GFR will think about it. If GFR does it, Vannish Motors will do it too. The league is watching though. One thing about people from Newmanistan is that you can't just slip something past them. They're very astute."

Ellie leaned forward and whispered, drinking a shot of infused coffee that would give her quite a relaxing boost in an hour or two. "Here's where the Tropicorp conspiracy gets bigger." Lindskog's bright eyes narrowed a little as she spoke. "I could have sworn I heard Tropicorp's entry came in right at the deadline for team submissions. They didn't want other teams to realize it was possible for a group like Tropicorp to enter."

Jess shook her head. Her hand gripped her temples and her elbows rested on the table. "This is so deep!" She seemed exasperated. "Well it's out there now. The tactic might come into play in the future. It's very transparent now though." Jess picked off a piece of the muffin before chomping down on it. It was starting to get late. Jess was about ready to leave.

She was such a household name, that she almost had security escort her. Things seemed to be working out, so she and Ellie walked alone. A few people had come up to them during the night. This was routine. Ellie was less recognizeable. Being with Jess made them notice Ellie a little more often. It made Lindskog a little nervous, though Jess was used to it.

They finished their coffee before heading home. Karli was staying in a hotel. Jess actually had a condo here in town. It was right in the heart of the downtown district and just a short drive from the beach. Jess also had a house outside of Emeros and a small place in South Stead. She travelled enough to make use of the places. The taxes were getting a little high. Sponsorship dollars were pouring in after her performance in last season's WGPC.

Jess seemed to do it all. She even had success managing a team. That was something many top drivers struggled with. NSSCRA would provide a new challenge for her. All Jess thought about was that she would finally see how her father felt, when she races around the Oval at Sonrise.

[Xanneria]

Bad day at the office for KRD

Roman Gwinnett limps his car around after a lap 2 crash

Jebslund - If you ever thought you had a bad day at the office, just remember that you probably didn't do anything embarrassing on an international stage like KRD did. Eddie Walters Jr finally qualified for a race and did so with a decent time, but Tom Bombelli, the Starcomian driver didn't. Bombelli was thrown for a loop by the flowing road course and had several off course excursions. Bombelli ended up the slowest of the drivers at KRD and out of the race with a DNQ. Eddie Walters Jr, who needed a good run after being slow in several races qualified a respectable 28th and Roman Gwinnett was behind him in 36th. Gwinnett told the media he needed another a good quiet run this week. He had friday speed most the weekends and especially cracking the top 20 at Villita last week. But man, this race was not what the team wanted. At the start of lap 2 Walters headed uphill into one of the sweeping turns when *poof* an Oil Line went on the car. It caused Walters to suddenly lose control and spin slowly into an embankment. It very little damage to the car and could easily have got towed back and had the problem repaired. But that was until Jennifer Jane came through. Jane also hit the oil and spun hitting the stranded Walters. This did massive damage to the front of Walters car, especially in the radiator and front chassis department, eliminating Walters Jr and the Jamaican from the race just two laps in. This mean Golden Boy Gwinnett had all the pressure of KRD on his shoulders when just five laps later Gwinnett got into the side of Tsering Chu of Sherpa and spun trying to stay off of the 90 car hitting the tire barrier inside of the track. Gwinnett was able to get back to pit road and back out on the track, but on lap 39 he pulled in with handling issues a direct result of damage from his spin and a shock failure that went un-diagnosed during earlier repairs.

Right now KRD Team Iona is still muddled in the back, Golden Boy Gwinnett is the highest of all Xannerians with 52 points, good enough for 29th and Bombelli's 34 will get him a tie for 36th. Walters though has probably had the roughest time of it in NSSCRA with a lowly 6 points, he's even behind all part-timers. The second generation driver looks for a rebound though as we're heading to some more handling friendly tracks in the next few races.

[Jebslund]

Stop Jinxing It!
You know what they say about Pride...

After topping the standings last week, it would seem some car trouble has put Schnellezeichnung in second by one lousy point after this week's Kermania Fortress Run. It seems that a bit of engine trouble she encountered in her qualifying run was not *quite* as fixed as her mechanics thought, and required a costly extra pit stop midway through the race to fix. Shake it off, soldier! There's always the Blue Coast 400, and working your way back up to fourth was a pretty impressive feat! Almost as impressive as Emperor Jeb managing to sneak his way to the front of the stands (with his fully paid admission and a mountain of snacks) without anyone noticing to watch the race.

You read that right, folks! Turns out the guy in the front road with the "Ich bin mit dummem!" shirt, aviator glasses, and impressively real-looking fake beard was none other than our beloved Emperor. Seems he's taken a bit of a shine to the ol' Bodensporten after all. That, or he needed an excuse to get away from another boring meeting. I'd have chosen a nicer disguise in his place, but hey, whatever works. A fan and loyal Die Sportler reader saw through the disguise and pointed him out to me during the race (Yes, we swapped scribbles.). At the behest of the guys in the shiny red suits, I kept it quiet during the race, and, unfortunately, couldn't score an interview, but hey, this is a sports rag, not a tabloid!

I've also been asked by the Imperial Guard to remind tourists with concerns about imminent attack that Kermania Citadel is closed to tourists in times of imminent attack on the capitol, and all tourists in the city are evacuated with the rest of the civilians during such times. The fact that you're even here in the cheery underground means you're totally safe, folks!

Unfortunately, there's no featured Imbissmeister today. The folks I was going to feature missed the deadline, so I'll be doing a double feature at a future date.

Writing for the Sportler, this has been Eva Kerman wishing you a lucky season!

[Saint Kanye]

(OOC: The comments made in this post are in no way meant to be personal attacks on the user behind Vilita, Turori, Vilita & Turori, and Tropicorp.)



NSSCRA: GFR DRIVERS ENJOYING THE BLUE COAST VIBE

by Ray Wright

BLUE COAST - The Kibitzer caught up with the drivers of Glorious Free Republic Motorsports, St. Kanye's team in the Nationstates Stock Car Racing Association, who arrived two days ago in this Vannish city where the Blue Coast 400, the next race in the NSSCRA season schedule will be held. There was much fun to be had in Blue Coast's laid back atmosphere, according to the Yeezie racers.

First to speak was Jeremiah Brooke, who drives GFR's #18 Chadwick sponsored by Hyde Medical Group. "I love this place. It's like a college town, and it's like I'm a frat boy again. Would you believe that they have Blood Moon [a Kanyean beer which also sponsors part-timer Philip West's #19 Chadwick] here? Aside from drinking, I also joined a karaoke night in one of the bars, and let my inner metalhead come out. I sang a Space Ogres [a Vannish metal band] song in the first round, and then "Only The Wind Calls My Name", a Cosumarite song, in the finals, and I won NS$250 (125 Coinyes). However, the day before qualifying, it'll be no booze and all business for me. Gotta get that win, you know."

"While our friend here is singing his lungs out, I hit the slots and shopped for some nice suits and stuff", said Skip Stiller, driver of the #3 QED Car Rentals Chadwick. "I also visited the strip clubs. Wifey always said 'look all you want, but don't even think of touching anything'. There was even a [Sherpa driver] Liangmei Li lookalike in one of the clubs! Don't know if it was the lighting, or coincidental, or maybe the strip club had a 'driver lookalike night' or something to tie in with the upcoming race. Speaking of the race, I agree that we should have fun now, and attend to racing-related matters afterward."

"There's much to do in the city for girls like me, too", according to Thea Alvarez of the #46 Multiversal Automotive Coatings Chadwick. "I went to a spa, got my hair and nails done, drank coffee, and went to malls. At least three people recognized me! I want to contact [Cassadagan drivers] Stacie [Houston], Meg[han Sharpe] and Jenna [Logan] for a girls' night out, but I don't know if they're already here. Maybe we could get [Vannish drivers] Ellie [Lindskog] or Miss Jessica [Franssen] to show us around." Meanwhile, West flew back to St. Kanye and will join the team later in the week, to have a driver on standby and for practice purposes.

All qualifying sessions and races will be broadcast live on SKYNET (Saint KanYe NETwork) Sports Channel 12, and online at nsscra.skynet.stk.

---

COCOABO/EZIS CHARTER ISSUE CONTINUES TO MAKE WAVES, CONTROVERSY

by Dante Dinkley

The transfer of the injured Cocoabo #28's NSSCRA charter to Vilita & Turori Motorsports is presently one of the hottest and most trending topics among followers of the series. Some, including a conspiracy column in a Vannish racing magazine, point out the possibility that the Tropicorp racer's accident in Lonngeylin was orchestrated to enable VTM to swoop in and get themselves a fourth charter for development driver Rockii Ezis. Others disagree, including SKYNET racing analyst and former driver Max Gannon. "If the incident was real, and I believe it was, shouldn't a driver from the same team as the injured be the one to step in? It's not like Tropicorp, a very big company, hires only one engineer. Or if not, judging by Cocoabo's number, aren't there many more of them? Even if VTM and Team Tropicorp are allied, they should be treated as separate entities here. It's like if [Sherpa driver] Kai Qiang suddenly became sick and unfit to race, and GFR [Glorious Free Republic] Motorsports put Philip West in his place. In that hypothetical situation, at least put West in the 44 [of Qiang], and earn points for the 44, not the 19 [of West].

Long story short: A Tropicorp injury needs a Tropicorp replacement."

Online, the Kibitzer's NSSCRA forum is alive with discussions about the issue. User Stacemiah2718, who had previously spoken on the issue, had more to add after their comment had made the news. In another forum post, the user said: "It was pointed out that VTM can potentially have five cars in a race. Not only did their local press agree with that, they also said it like it's a good thing, which to the rest of the field, it won't be." Another user, FrontRowSchmoe, added: "VTM is making too big of a fuss about them downsizing from six to five or four cars when most other teams have just three." "Let them have four, but don't let them buy it from Team Tropicorp. Other teams, even our very own GFR, don't have the advantage of a team from a big company in the same nation to easily buy charters from", posted LodedDiperFan17.

[Tropicorp]

Tropicorp Statement Regarding Cocoabo #28 Charter Misconceptions

Blue Coast 400, Sonrise Motorway, Vangaziland :: Team Tropicorp have released the following statement in response to recent media reports, including those from professional, social and speculative outlets, regarding the absence of Cocoabo #28 from the Kermania Fortress Run and the temporary transfer of that Charter to Vilita & Turori driver #60 Rockii Ezis.

Team Tropicorp would like to address a series of misconceptions and non-factual assumptions or statements that have been made regarding the use of Team Tropicorp's second charter and the relationship between Vilita & Turori Motorsports and Team Tropicorp:

Regarding the relationship between Tropicorp and the Nation of Vilita ::

Tropicorp is a quasi-governmental corporation created initially to conduct Research, Development and Production activities primarily on behalf of the Tropics of Vilita.

While the Tropics of Vilita and the nearby Island Emirate of Turori are the primary consumers and backers of research initiatives and products developed by Tropicorp, Tropicorp is geographically isolated from both Vilita and Turori. Tropicorp has evolved into both a multi-national corporation and a corporately entrusted community campus based nation with a capital city, Tropicoast, which is self governed.

While the nations continue to have very close and at times inseparable ties, Tropicorp is a self-incorporated company and is no longer reliant on the Tropics of Vilita to operate.

---

Regarding Team Tropicorp's relationship wth Vilita & Turori Motorsports ::

Team Tropicorp purchased the excess inventory of NSSCRA 6 era stock cars that were used for driver #37 Jama'obo Pegasii from Vilita & Turori Motorsports. These vehicles were specially converted for use by Cocoabo #78 and Cocoabo #28. Because of the fact that these are older model vehicles and the modifications required to allow them to be driven by Cocoabo, there is no engineering or analytical data that could possibly be derived from these two cars to feed back into a performance loop for any non-Cocoabo driven cars, including the newer model NSSCRA 7 era vehicles fielded by Vilita & Turori Motorsports. Team Tropicorp, based in Tropicoast, Tropicorp; uses the #28 and #78 entries in strict partnership with Cocoabo Park's Cocoabo Enrichment and Enhancement Program (CEEP) to develop the skills of its Cocoabo athletes. Team Tropicorp uses the #42 entry of Euroli Islander as an experimental platform. Due to these factors, there is no tangible benefit in cooperating with the Vilita & Turori Motorsports team which is based in Rockii Coast, Vilita.

Tropicorp Racing Supply has a sponsorship agreement with Vilita & Turori Motorsports #41 driver Yraaga Gilli'i that pre-dates the formation of Team Tropicorp. Tropicorp Racing Supply is an internally run division at Tropicorp which operates a for-profit model that differs from the primarily Research and Development focused mission of Tropicorp's main campus where the Team Tropicorp entity originates.

---

Regarding Team Tropicorp's use or transfer of their Second Charter (Cocoabo #28) ::

Team Tropicorp requested just one charter for the NSSCRA 7 season with the intention that this one charter would be used for its primary driver, the second Cocoabo to graduate from the driving portion of the CEEP program, Cocoabo #78. Additionally, it was the intent to enter Cocoabo #28 - who had not yet graduated from the CEEP driving program but was the only other Cocoabo in the pipeline that had shown keen interest in the driving sills, as well as Euroli Islander, as non-chartered drivers who would get to run all the practice sessions and make a qualifying attempt with the understanding and expectation that they would not be racing each weekend.

It came as a surprise and was contrary to the plans of Team Tropicorp when they were awarded two charters for the NSSCRA 7 season. With only one capable driver in their pool, Team Tropicorp immediately sought an alternate plan for their charter. The decision was made to allow Cocoabo #28 to use the charter despite the Cocoabo having not graduated from the CEEP driving program. As everyone is now aware, that was clearly a mistake which has come back to bite the program as the inexperienced Cocoabo made a driving error at the Lonngeylin Ring which has totalled the #28 machine and injured the driver. As a result of the loss of both driver and specialized race vehicle; Team Tropicorp reached out to the only team that had to that point inquired about the availability of the charter, Vilita & Turori Motorsports. A deal was worked out in principle where their driver Rockii Ezis, who was already a chartered driver during NSSCRA 6, would make use of the charter while the small group assigned to the Team Tropicorp project worked to recover. Team Tropicorp is hard at work retrofitting another older-model NSSCRA 6 era vehicle to allow Cocoabo #28 to return to action later in the season under a more manageable expectation.

---

Regarding the numbering convention on Cocoabo in the CEEP Project ::

Cocoabo who are either entered or graduate from the Cocoabo Enrichment and Enhancement project are generally assigned a number based on two factors, when they entered the project and what their specialties are. When Cocoabo enter the CEEP it is not known whether they will take best to skills in athletic, mental or combined events. The majority of Cocoabo are best fit in athletic activities which involve speed and aerobic endurance, neither of which is of paramount importance in motor racing. While over 50 Cocoabo have been funnelled through the Footsport program which has appeared in both the Men's and Women's Olympic games and the World Cup finals; To date, only two Cocoabo have graduated from the CEEP's driving program - Cocoabo #23 and Cocoabo #78. Cocoabo #28 is close to graduating and the Cocoabo Park team hopes that their experience in NSSCRA 7 will result in their graduation from the program. Cocoabo #23 was the first to take the program on and first to graduate. Now competing in the WGP2 series for Tropicorp Engineering, Cocoabo #23 is currently unavailable for NSSCRA competition but could be made available after the WGP2 season ends if Cocoabo #28 remains unfit to compete. Cocoabo #28 was the second Cocoabo into the program but has not yet graduated. Cocoabo #78 completed the program faster than Cocoabo #23 and is seen as a future top-tier driver who has entered the experience phase of the CEEP program.

---

Team Tropicorp appreciates the attention that has been brought on the issue and hopes that it will have encouraged donations to the Cocoabo Preservation Society, some of which will go towards the Cocoabo Enrichment and Enhancement Program. While Tropicorp itself is a large national entity there are many projects and business area's of which Team Tropicorp is one of the smallest, primarily envisioned as a way to further develop Cocoabo from the CEEP program by taking them outside the relative comfort of the Cocoabo Forest using hand-me-down equipment and junior engineers. Team Tropicorp appreciates that some may question the close relationship between Tropicorp and Vilita & Turori Motorsports regarding the charter transfer, but the simple facts remain that Vilita & Turori Motorsports were the only team to request use of Team Tropicorp's excess charter, so no favoritism could be applied in the decision as there were no other options for Team Tropicorp to consider despite openly shopping options for its second charter since the start of the NSSCRA 7 season.

[Newmanistan]

Race: Blue Coast 400
Track Record: 30.020 sec

Drivers in red needed to qualify into the field, and failed to.

1 #88 Liangmei Li (The Sherpa Empire)                     30.284
 2 #4 Meghan Sharpe (Cassadaigua)                          30.333
 3 #27 Stacie Houston (Cassadaigua)                        30.352
 4 #18 Jeremiah Brooke (Saint Kanye)                       30.362
 5 #2 Centur Tiones (Vilita & Turori)                      30.438
 6 #1 Hauptmann Wilhelm Kerman (Jebslund)                  30.464
 7 #5 Bryan Harrison (Newmanistan)                         30.531
 8 #9 Lício Granado (Lisander)                             30.532
 9 #14 River 'Shark' Suzgar II (Vilita & Turori)           30.541
10 #50 Ellie Lindskog (Vangaziland)                        30.549
11 #75 Floyd Hackerbee (Vangaziland)                       30.576
12 #32 Andrew Holden (Lisander) *Q*                        30.610
13 #3 Skip Stiller (Saint Kanye)                           30.634
14 #24 Ashley Matthews (Newmanistan)                       30.646
15 #23 James McCurty (Hampton Island) *Q*                  30.703
16 #60 Rockii Ezis (Vilita & Turori) *Q*                   30.752
17 #44 Kai Qiang (The Sherpa Empire)                       30.777
18 #11 Jenna Logan (Cassadaigua)                           30.788
19 #46 Thea Alvarez (Saint Kanye)                          30.899
20 #6 Alex Knight (Hampton Island)                         31.038
21 #41 Yraaga Gilli'i (Vilita & Turori)                    31.046
22 #94 Yael Erwann (Brittany Normandy Aquitaine) *Q*       31.062
23 #16 Tom Bombelli (Xanneria)                             31.233
24 #99 Gael Erwann (Brittany Normandy Aquitaine)           31.256
25 #25 Kev Schorebrook (Vangaziland)                       31.432
26 #22 Kevin Cosgrove (Hampton Island)                     31.518
27 #69 Oberfeldwebel Sofia Kerman (Jebslund)               31.563
28 #56 Francis Furheart Jr. (The Ferret Lands)             31.636
29 #7 Lourdina Westgrens (Lisander)                        31.638
30 #98 Adam Poboski (Greythorne) *Q*                       31.650
31 #19 Philip West (Saint Kanye)                           31.706
32 #48 Shawn Curtis (Newmanistan)                          31.732
33 #13 Oberst Eva Kerman (Jebslund)                        31.801
34 #12 Roman Gwinnett (Xanneria)                           31.824
35 #90 Tsering Chu (The Sherpa Empire)                     31.852
36 #71 Mael Erwann (Brittany Normandy Aquitaine)           31.932
37 #70 Larry Toothworth (Greythorne)                       31.957
38 #42 Euroli Islander (Tropicorp)                         32.065
39 #10 Eddie Walters Jr (Xanneria)  *Q*                    32.276
40 #34 Warren Pawstone (The Ferret Lands) *Q*              32.347
41 #76 Kevin von Pressman (Greythorne)                     32.422
42 #8 Jennifer Jane (One Jamaica)                          32.492
43 #49 Melvin Andrew (One Jamaica) *Q*                     32.546
44 #29 Jeff Shreeves (Central Shanesville) *Q*             32.595
45 #20 Shane Wray (Central Shanesville)                    32.626
46 #55 Francis Furheart Sr. (The Ferret Lands)             32.641
47 #78 Cocoabo #78 (Tropicorp)                             32.937
48 #21 Omar Brady (One Jamaica)                            32.980
49 #91 David Land (Central Shanesville)                    32.983

[The Sherpa Empire]

‭

----o-֎-o----

‭Liangmei Li won the pole for the Blue Coast 400, and she was confident that she would be able to capitalize on it when they raced the next day. She said as much to the reporters, and flashed her prettiest smile for the cameras.

‭Kai Qiang and Tsering Chu had a less impressive run, qualifying 17th and 35th respectively. Chu was already guaranteed a spot in the Chase, and she hadn't been able to practice as much as she would have lived because the whole #90 team had been distracted with schoolwork and technical problems, but she was still embarrassed.

‭

----o-֎-o----

‭It was early in the morning before the Blue Coast 400 and Kai Qiang was at a cafe with a couple of guys from his crew. They alternated chatting, sipping tea, eating pastries, and reading the news. Most of the NSSCRA-related news articles were talking about the Kermania Fortress Run and the transfer of Cocoabo #28's charter to Vilita & Turori Motorsports. Suddenly, Kai Qiang snorted tea all over his lap because something had caused him to laugh in the middle of a sip.

‭"What?"

‭"Skip Stiller..." Qiang paused to clear his throat where some of the tea had gone down the wrong way. "He saw Li dancing at that strip club and thought it was a look-alike."

‭"You should tell him it was really her."

‭Qiang was still struggling to talk without choking on his tea. "He thought they had a 'driver look-alike night'."

‭"That's actually not a bad idea..."

‭"We should have that at the Yellow Library when we get home to Guilin."

‭(In the Chinese Territories, "yellow" is slang for smutty. The Yellow Library is one of those clubs where college students can go party and then tell their parents they were "at the library.")
‭

----o-֎-o----

[Vangaziland]

The Golden Shanty sat at the intersection of Boardwalk Ave and Promenade Road. The later street ran north to south, before jutting out to the northwest. The road led to downtown Blue Coast. Boardwalk ran along the southern coast of the city. This was a heavily developed and commercialized area. On the night before the Blue Coast 400, it was alive with energy.

The Golden Shanty was on the same side of the street as the beach, though the actual shores were some distance down the way. A small park ran behind the row of shops to hide the urban storefronts with greenspace. Tall, leafy trees ran between many of the shops. Of course the space behind many of the pubs, restaurants and shops was left open for windows to look out to the coast.

Even now at 9PM, there were segments of the beach that were lit by bright nightlights. The police couldn't be far away, Vannish Motors sedans in dark colors sat with lawmen & women watching over the flock from nearby street corners. Beat officers strolled down streets as bicycle cops ran down alleyways. With a warmer autumn than usual, evening temperatures in the high 50s at night couldn't keep the crowds away.

Colorful neon lights danced around the Golden Shanty's own amber hues. A flashing logo of a tropical hut glowed with bright dark yellow neon. The design had a slight Tainese influence. Many tourists might be surprised by the diversity they would see in Vangaziland. They would assume that with names like Svenson, that they were a land of mostly Nordic people.

The truth was that Vangaziland had a diverse history. It started in the Viking age with tribes of Scandinavian Vanns. By the late Medieval Period, Vannish sailors had traveled to the Gazilian Coast of Northwest Africa. When landing at the site of an organized North African Empire, it was decided that a treaty would be the best course of action. Over the centuries, the Gazilian Migration caused a major shift in the racial makeup of the Vangazi.

Now the most common person seen wandering around Blue Coast had dark, golden skin. It was a land of harmony and peace, protected by a nuclear policy as aggressive as anything else the Vangazi are known for. There were also other groups in town. There were Asians from the Tainese Isles and Bengali from Jhalpharezi. The Tainese competed in one season of the World Baseball Classic and made a decent go of it. The Jhal won the most highly competitive season of Indian Champions League soccer. There were black and white Hispanics from Esportivan Vangaziland to add even more spice.

Although many of these people come from lands associated with the Vannish Empire, there was no history of war, slavery or exploitation to control them. For every nation that accepted the benevolent offer of the Vannish Empire for protection under a mutual banner, many others rejected.

The Golden Shanty was packed. Floyd Hackerbee sat on the shop's second floor. Floyd and his manager, Tony Eriksen, sat at a small booth by a window. They wanted to celebrate being back in Vangaziland. Floyd had a pretty decent qualifying effort. To him, it felt as if the cameras had never been brighter on him. He was here in the Vannish Mainland, Vangaziland proper. Birthplace of the Vanns. Home to the Gazilians. An entire Empire was rooting for him to take the win and advance to the Chase.

"It's just easier said than done", Floyd said to his manager. "It's a lot of pressure." Floyd cut into his fresh fish filet. it was some local Scandinavian species native to these waters. To Floyd, it was comfort food. It was the catch of the day and a rarer species that wasn't always in season. A little bit of lemon really added the tiniest bit of flavor.

Eriksen chewed a bite of his Tainese-style steak before washing it down with a light beer. He had dark black skin and kept his curly hair cut short. "Just hang tight through it. You need to get a win this season. At least get into the Chase. Remember how Ellie's sponsorships almost dried up over the season." The truth was that Ellie was almost lucky to get her charter back. There were a lot of drivers on VMR's extended roster.

"Man, this isn't helping", Floyd told his manager with a snort of a laugh. "I mean, now Jess is talking about wanting to race NSSCRA full time next season. Whose spot is she expecting to take?" Although he tried to laugh it off, Floyd was actually nervous. He could always race domestic leagues. Domestic Vannish stock racing wasn't exactly big time though. NSSCRA was where he needed to be. This meant he would have to dig deep this season.

His manager tried to reassure him. Tony had insight into how VMR operates. "I doubt they'd run two female drivers", Eriksen said. "They'll probably move Ellie to the WGP2. Put Jess in the Royal Imperial."

Floyd wasn't convinced. "Yeah. Unless Ellie wins the title this season. Then she'll be back for sure."

"Well, you have to out do her on the track then." Tony spoke so matter of factly, not getting Floyd's point.

"That's what I'm saying", Floyd replied. "That's pressure." Lindskog would be starting on the row ahead of Floyd at the Blue Coast 400, alongside The Shark. That would not be an easy row to get past. That means cars will likely bunch of behind him and start trying to draft around. It looks to be a fight from the start.

"You'll do fine", said Tony, after a sip of his drink. "Don't think about it. You're Floyd Hackerbee. Besides. I'm your manager. I'll get you a race seat, no matter what."

Floyd stalled with a long swig of his mixed drink. After a bite of his salad, he spoke. "I mean, NSSCRA is pretty hot right now. I'm not sure where else I could end up. It's not like I'll end up in the WGPC. His manager was eating, so Floyd added another thought. "I guess if Jess signs up, they'll probably switch drivers around. I bet Kev won't like losing number twenty five."

Eriksen laughed a bit before forcing himself to swallow his bite. After a pause to clear his throat, Tony said, "Jess trumps Schorebrook. If Kev wins a title, he'll probably keep his spot though. I don't know. Maybe they'll just switch numbers on the cars."

Floyd still wasn't sure. "No. They're going to want to put Jessica into the indigo & red #25. Trust me." Deep down, Floyd could see Kev taking over his spot in the Humboltson Hotels car. Ellie could stay in the #50 Royal Imperial Brewery. Jess would hop right into the REDUP Energy Drink #25.

"She might come back in the zero-one", Tony said in a slightly inquisitive tone. He was curious about just how feasible his own thought was. It seemed to make sense.

"Feeling good though", Kev said. "About tomorrow. It's not a bad start."

"Just don't let up", Tony said as he tried to look out of the dark window. He mostly saw only the glare from the restaurant's lighting. "Keep up your pace. A lot of it will come down to the timing of your pit crew. Just follow their commands. if they show up, all will be well. If not? It's out of your control."

"You know what Tony? You're right." Floyd felt his nerves ease a little. Maybe it was the good food and drink. He'd get plenty of rest and show up to Sonrise ready to run. His destiny was in his hands. And Ellie's. And the Shark's. Not to mention his pit crew's. And the entire NSSCRA field of cars. Floyd felt his stomach tighten, as he thought of his future career.

---

Things felt different for Jessica, at least in relation to the two faces she watched staring back at her. She had gotten used to coaching people who wore race suits, with it feeling like forever since she'd worn one. Her last race for the WGPC already felt like a long time ago. It didn't help that her race suit was a different color than she normally wore. This would be the first time she wore red during a race.

Across her chest was the simple, but recognizable logo of Van-Bands. It was surrounded by a purple splotch on the car's red background. The sunglasses company has been Jessica's main sponsor since her first six race stretch in WGPC 14. A few companies were in competition to run on Jessica's car. Van-Bands was approved at the last moment.

There were a few hours until the start of the race. Jess and a few guests were standing within eye sight of the crowded garage. Here at Sonrise Motorway, a paddock style garage connected to every pit lane. This gave each team a covered place to store and work on their cars. The immediate vicinity of the #01 car was a tightly packed mess of pit crew and engineers going over the vehicle. There was always something for them to work on.

Peering in the doorway with Jessica was Jang Xiaopeng and Karli Schmitt. Jess coached Xiaopeng to two Cups in the first season of the WGP2 and raced against him in the following edition of the WGPC. Karli was Jessica's newest protégé. She was a former GT2 driver and a current VMR WGP2 driver. The third guest was Karli's former GT2 co-driver & WGP2 competitor, Ade Imoju. Ade was off on a journey to find a certain concession stand. He was picking up lunch for Karli and Jang. Jess already ate, of course.

The sound of an air wrench tightening a wheel cut through the air with a sharp, jagged blast. Nobody seemed to flinch at the noise, one they've all heard thousands of times. Their conversation had been light. They were trying to keep the pressure off Jess.

Franssen seemed relaxed as she stood with her arms crossed. She couldn't help but think about her qualifying time. It was something she'd have to improve if she gets another shot. "You know, there's a part of me that wishes I wasn't just doing this for exhibition", Jess admitted.

Karli nodded in Jessica's direction. "It still counts", she reassured. "It counts for the sponsors. It counts for the fans that want to see you do well."

"Yeah", Jess replied. "But the Chase. The early season points race. It's the thrill of the hunt." The truth was that she was getting motivated to run. She had a shaky qualification run. NSSCRA laps were so different compared to the open wheel courses. With stock cars, it felt like the same turn over and over again.

Jessica was known for her attention to detail in following her each track's racing line. Things would be different on the oval. She would have about 30 seconds to make 4 turns, before doing the same thing again and again. The way the field moved would also be a new experience for her.

"Just have fun", Xiaopeng reminded her. "People will love you, no matter what you do on the track." The Tainese-Vangazi turned to watch the other cars in various stages of preparation. "Don't forget where you're racing. This is your homeland. You represent all of us drivers. You represent the Vangazi in the stands too."

"I know", Jess said. "I'm glad the Blue Coast Tourism Board sponsored this event." The race suit clad driver became lost in her thoughts for a moment. "I'm surprised no drivers found themselves in trouble. I haven't heard of any major incidents."

They seemed to not have heard of the rumors of the driver Li dancing at a local club. The truth was that somebody had her back. While watching qualifying, a Yeezy driver's comments stirred the club manager's memory. He had all the basic details of everyone who participated in the amateur contest. There was also very clear security footage.

The manager destroyed all records, including the video footage. He knew the Vannish media would have loved the story once they got a hold of it. It was probably worth money. That wasn't how he wanted his club to operate though. If a patron's security tape got leaked, it might dry up amateur night. That was something he couldn't afford. The driver's secret would stay back on that one Blue Coast night.

"I bet people will want to come back", Karli said. "It's a little chilly, but it's a pretty fun place. It's awesome having another race on the mainland though."

"It's not the same as having open wheel cars jetting through downtown Emeros", said Jang. "But it's a heck of an arena... Still!" xiaopeng stretched his arms out and spun around, looking up at the stadium and track around them. This was a rather basic oval, with slight banking on the corners. A large greenspace made up the center of the track. There was even a large parking space where dozens of RVs gathered for the event.

"It just seems like money well spent on the tourism board's part", Jess replied. "I guarantee that a lot of visitors will have a much better understanding of just what Vangaziland is."

Karli laughed a little, flicking back her long golden hair. "Vangaziland has to be confusing. There is Vannish stuff, Vangazi people. There's the Vannish Mainland. Esportivan Vangaziland. Now Oceanic Vangaziland is a thing?" her voice trailed off into a question, as if she wasn't sure.

Jess and Xiaopeng chuckled/giggled. "I hear most people in Oceanic Vangaziland hate us. They say travel isn't exactly advised."

"That's creepy", said Jang. "I thought I heard they lifted those restrictions."

"Maybe", Jess said as she looked up to the sky in thought. It sounded like rough country over there. Even more so than Wrexwic. For a moment, surrounded by friends, Jess drifted away from any anxiety about the upcoming race. By the time she entered the car, all expectations would be gone. She felt refreshed. Supported. The positive energy of the Empire was on her shoulders.

[Saint Kanye]

NSSCRA: STACEMIAH RETURNS
Dagan, Yeezie on second row for Blue Coast 400; Sherpa takes pole

by Yennefer Spencer

BLUE COAST - Liangmei Li, from the Sherpa Empire, drove her #88 car to the fastest qualifying time for the upcoming NSSCRA (Nationstates Stock Car Racing Association) race here at the Sonrise Motorway, known as the Blue Coast 400. Accompanying Li in the front row is second place qualifier Meghan Sharpe, who drives the #4 Spacebook car for Team Cassadaigua.

Behind the two, in the second row, are two drivers that many NSSCRA followers have been pairing together - Cassadagan Stacie Houston (#27) and Kanyean Jeremiah Brooke (#18) on the inside and outside respectively. "After everyone has taken their qualifying laps and the results were shown, I knew that the public will make a big deal about 'Stacemiah' again", said Brooke, mentioning the combination of his and Houston's first names that is the term that the fans gave to their pairing. "I approached Stacie near her hauler and said 'Were you following me?', referring to our positions in the grid. She asked me the same thing, and we had a laugh."

Brooke is the highest qualifier among the three Glorious Free Republic Motorsports drivers that will be competing in the Blue Coast 400. Skip Stiller, who drives the #3, will start thirteenth. Commenting on Li's position, he jokingly said, "Well, would you look at that. Liangmei Li the polesitter, not to be confused with 'Liangmei Li' the pole dancer." Stiller was referring to the Sherpa driver's doppelganger, which he saw dancing in a local stripper joint earlier in the week. "I wonder if Li herself knows about her lookalike."

Thea Alvarez, who drives the GFR #46, qualified nineteenth. "It's okay, we'll climb", said the teenager, who needs a good finish to the race to climb back up to the top sixteen in driver points. "The 46 team is not gonna let that crash [at the Lonngeylin Ring] ruin our season. If we work together, we'll make the Chase despite that happening."

Melvin Andrew (#49) and Jeff Shreeves (#29) continue to be absent from the point standings, with both failing to make the field six times in six attempts each, counting the Exhibition at Tundra Falls at the start of the season. Yael Erwann (#94), Adam Poboski (#98), Eddie Walters Jr. (#10) and Warren Pawstone (#34) all DNQ, as well. Vannish Motors Racing will field four cars in their home race instead of the usual three, with the addition of Jessica Franssen in the #01. World Grand Prix standout Franssen, who will start twenty-ninth, is more than familiar with stock cars - her late father Fred raced in them in the Vannish pro series. A possible move to NSSCRA next season, full time, is in the works for the Vannish racer.

All qualifying sessions and races will be broadcast live on SKYNET (Saint KanYe NETwork) Sports Channel 12, and online at nsscra.skynet.stk.

[Jebslund]

Well... That was certainly an interesting one. Schnellezeichnung knew it was going to be a brutal fight to finish well in this race, after her dismal 33rd-place qualifier, though past races had shown that her best races were often from dismal starts. That said, the Blue Coast would be one more popular tourist location she spent cooped up in her car and her quarters, sacrificing the opportunity to partake in amateur nights and shopping for what would hopefully be a finish she and her fans could be proud of, an attitude a far cry from Nicht-Bill's partying after his run, and Oberfelwebel Sofia Kerman's decision to get some rest and do some retail therapy in hopes that it had been the pressure getting to her, rather than auto racing simply not being her sport.

It was an attitude shared, as usual, by her crew, many of whom found themselves idly wondering if any of the other teams knew they existed, rather than just spontaneously growing at each track and then vanishing each race day. That said, they knew recognition was a distant second to doing right by Schnellezeichnung, so each and every one spent every waking moment learning and practicing as their driver studied and practiced, learning from her mistakes and trying to get to know the course as well as she could in hopes of doing far better in the race. If she was lucky, she could even snag herself a win and a spot in the Chase.

[Vilita and Turori]

---

Centur Tiones :: #2 Tiones Lumber Dart
:: WINS: [ 0 ] :: TOP 5: [ 2 ] :: TOP 10: [ 3* ] -:- POLES: [ 0 ]

Centur Tiones suffered a first truly disappointing finish of the season in the underground maze of the Kermania Fortress Run. After qualifying in the 11th position, best of all the Vilita and Turori Motorsports drivers, Tiones started the race off conservatively and ran just outside the top 10. Despite the conservative approach, Tiones was involved in an incident a third of the way through the race when trying to make a pass going into a tunnel transition. The #2 Tiones Lumber Dart got too loose and the back end swung around causing the car to spin around and make contact with the wall on the left side of the car. The damage was minimal, outside of the aesthetics of a pancaked left side door and a minor tow issue on the front but Tiones looped the car back around once the field had gone by and continued on his way.

After restarting in 43rd place the #2 team worked on the car the rest of the day in hopes of returning it to the fast machine it was at the start but never quite got everything lined back up. At the end of the day Tiones had to settle for a 23rd place finish. The result put a hit on Tiones position in the NSSCRA drivers standings although it could have been much worse if the #2 team had been unable to to keep going after the incident in the first half. By races end Tiones had dropped to 8th place in the standings 30 points off the points leader Kev Schorebrook of Vangaziland and just 17 points above the cut line.

Luckily for the driver of the #2 there was reason to believe that the next event would be a strong event as the circuit headed to Vangaziland for the Blue Coast 400. The last time the NSSCRA circuit had travelled to Vangaziland, even though it was at a different circuit, Tiones was the star of the show winning the race from pole position. Sure enough, Tiones was quick off the truck once again ultimately qualifying the #2 in the top five and setting themselves up for a strong race weekend.

---

River "Shark" Suzgar :: #14 Vilitan Tourism / Vilaye Energy Drink / Toys '4' All Dart
:: WINS: [ 0 ] :: TOP 5: [ 0 ] :: TOP 10: [ 1 ] -:- POLES: [ 1* ]

After a slow start to the NSSCRA 7 season, defending series champion River "Shark" Suzgar collected their first top 10 finish of the season at home in Lonngeylin to give the team some momentum heading into the first road course event of the season in Jebslund. After a lacklustre qualifying performance, the Shark showed speed early in the event climbing into the Top 5 until an unscheduled pitstop got the #14 team off sequence through the middle of the event. The speed allowed Suzgar to climb back up through the field but with the tires and fuel out of cycle with the rest of the pack, Suzgar had to short pit in the final segment losing track position. Suzgar ultimately would finish in 14th place - an improvement over the opening two rounds of the season but not the kind of result that would help the defending champion climb back into the Top 16 in line for a potential spot in the chase and a run at defending the series title.

After four events Suzgar sat 22nd in the series point standings over 20 points behind Hauptmann Wilhelm Kerman of Jebslund occupying the last project spot in the NSSCRA chase with less than double the points of fellow Vilita and Turori driver Rockii Ezis who had competed in half the events making Suzgar the lowest points-per-race performer amongst Vilita and Turori drivers through four events. Suzgar would bring he Vilaye Energy Drink colors to Vangaziland for their second primary appearance of the season after having previously been featured as the primary sponsor on the #14 Dart at the Pink Love 350 in Cassadaiagua. While Vilaye Energy Drink continues to pursue the naming rights to the NSSCRA series pole award they have doubled down on their support of Suzgar despite the unimpressive start to the season.

---

Yraaga Gilli'i :: #41 Tropicorp Racing Supply Dart
:: WINS: [ 1 ] :: TOP 5: [ 1 ] :: TOP 10: [ 3* ] -:- POLES: [ 0 ]

Yraaga Gilli'i returned to the site of their first ever NSSCRA Top-5 finish, a runner showing during NSSCRA 6, one week after collecting the first ever NSSCRA victory at the Toys '4' All 500 in Lonngeylin. Despite a mundane showing in qualifying for the Kermania Fortress Run, Gilli'i at times showed flashes of the strong performance from one season prior that left the #41 machine in second place. This time around as the Tropicorp Racing Supply Dart breezed through the Tunnels of Kermania, however, the sense of urgency wasn't quite the same. Gilli'i wasn't just a young driver trying to prove themself on a weekly basis, battling for every position like their life depended on it. Gilli'i was an NSSCRA race winner who had secured a place in the NSSCRA Chase for the first time in their career - and they now had another 9 races to go before the Chase took place. Nine more races to take the confidence gained from the win in Lonngeylin and turn it into the consistency and top-tier calibre performance to compete for the NSSCRA title as their teammate River "Shark" Suzgar had done one season prior.

While Gilli'i had led for a brief stretch in the second half of the event, the #41 driver eventually decided to back off the pedal as the tires began to lose grip, take a more conservative approach to ensure they didn't accidentally get up close and personal with a tunnel wall and settled in for a Top 10 finish and a decent points day bringing Gilli'i into the Top 10 in points just 9 points behind teammate Centur Tiones the top Vilita and Turori Motorsports driver in the standings.

---

Rockii Ezis :: #60 CoCoCo / Coco-Mart Dart
:: WINS: [ 0 ] :: TOP 5: [ 0 ] :: TOP 10: [ 0 ] -:- POLES: [ 0 ]

All the talk leaving entering Jebslund surrounded Rockii Ezis and the use of Team Tropicorp's #28 charter to get Ezis and the #60 CoCoCo Dart team an assured place in the Kermania Fortress Run, with the public generally split on whether it was a good idea to have allowed the transfer despite the fact there was another Team Tropicorp driver - Euroli Islander, who could have stepped in and taken over the teams second charter. While charter transfers are perfectly legal per NSSCRA rules as announced and agreed to by all participants when submitting their entry forms for the season, many had questioned whether the special relationship between the nations of Vilita and Tropicorp had influenced the charter transfer to the #60 team.

When questioned about it, Vilita & Turori Motorsports driver Rockii Ezis indicated that he had nothing to do with the charter transfer process and, while he would love to drive the Race Car in every single race he understands that there is more to it than just showing up and driving fast.

However, when specifically asked about whether the special relationship between Vilita & Turori and Tropicorp enabled Ezis to be able to race in the Kermania Fortress Run, Ezis provided an interesting response. "I was set to drive in Jebslund either way" Ezis stated. When pressed for details later on outside the Question and Answer session, Ezis was much more forthcoming than he was in front of the masses "As far as I had understood, we were already planning to go to Jebslund as the team were procuring an entry slot from Central Shanesville as they were looking to cash in on the disappointing performance of Shreeves - their guy that has to qualify each week. So if they were able to get the paperwork done in time we were going to race. Then the whole thing with Cocoabo #28 happened and Tropicorp reached out to us asking if we could use the charter so they didn't lose it. So this whole thing with the Charter - it was more us helping the Tropicorp guys out then it was them helping us. Shreeves got a reprieve and a chance to prove himself again but (looking over at the standings board) as you can see I'm sure once the Cocoabo is ready to race again there is certainly a slot in the field available to be used."

While Ezis and the #60 team had acquired the #28 charter from Team Tropicorp, Team Tropicorp reserved the right still to switch which of their original entry slots received their guaranteed charter slots and which were required to qualify into the race, a right which they exercised as the circuit moved on to Vangaziland for the Blue Coast 400. Faced with the challenge of having to qualify on time for the first time in their career, Ezis rose to the challenge posting the 16th fastest time besting Yael Erwann of Brittany Normandy Aquitane by a clear one-quarter of a second to secure a spot in the race. While certainly not as relaxing as entering the weekend knowing they were going racing, for Ezis and the #60 team they were just happy to be back at the track after having to sit the first two events of the season out. Now, Ezis will look to pilot the #60 CoCoCo Dart to its first top 10 finish in the Blue Coast 400 in Vangaziland.

---

[Newmanistan]

Race: Blue Coast 400, Sonrise Motorway, Vangaziland
Track Record: 30.020 sec.
Minimum Time Needed to Avoid DNF: 33.300 sec.

Segment 1:

1 #88 Liangmei Li (The Sherpa Empire)                 30.367
 2 #41 Yraaga Gilli'i (Vilita & Turori)                30.397
 3 #11 Jenna Logan (Cassadaigua)                       30.413
 4 #75 Floyd Hackerbee (Vangaziland)                   30.501
 5 #78 Cocoabo #78 (Tropicorp)                         30.504
 6 #27 Stacie Houston (Cassadaigua)                    30.518
 7 #90 Tsering Chu (The Sherpa Empire)                 30.573
 8 #2 Centur Tiones (Vilita & Turori)                  30.576
 9 #25 Kev Schorebrook (Vangaziland)                   30.626
10 #60 Rockii Ezis (Vilita & Turori) *Q*               30.629
11 #01 Jessica Franssen (Vangaziland)                  30.644
12 #42 Euroli Islander (Tropicorp)                     30.798
13 #46 Thea Alvarez (Saint Kanye)                      30.800
14 #24 Ashley Matthews (Newmanistan)                   30.878
15 #18 Jeremiah Brooke (Saint Kanye)                   31.011
16 #7 Lourdina Westgrens (Lisander)                    31.057
17 #71 Mael Erwann (Brittany Normandy Aquitaine)       31.098
18 #3 Skip Stiller (Saint Kanye)                       31.250
19 #16 Tom Bombelli (Xanneria)                         31.266
20 #56 Francis Furheart Jr. (The Ferret Lands)         31.301
21 #69 Oberfeldwebel Sofia Kerman (Jebslund)           31.322
22 #9 Lício Granado (Lisander)                         31.367
23 #1 Hauptmann Wilhelm Kerman (Jebslund)              31.387
24 #23 James McCurty (Hampton Island) *Q*              31.512
25 #22 Kevin Cosgrove (Hampton Island)                 31.684
26 #76 Kevin von Pressman (Greythorne)                 31.711
27 #50 Ellie Lindskog (Vangaziland)                    31.717
28 #48 Shawn Curtis (Newmanistan)                      31.788
29 #13 Oberst Eva Kerman (Jebslund)                    31.793
30 #70 Larry Toothworth (Greythorne)                   31.801
31 #6 Alex Knight (Hampton Island)                     31.875
32 #14 River 'Shark' Suzgar II (Vilita & Turori)       31.917
33 #55 Francis Furheart Sr. (The Ferret Lands)         31.941
34 #5 Bryan Harrison (Newmanistan)                     32.068
35 #32 Andrew Holden (Lisander) *Q*                    32.122
36 #4 Meghan Sharpe (Cassadaigua)                      32.272
37 #99 Gael Erwann (Brittany Normandy Aquitaine)       32.402
38 #91 David Land (Central Shanesville)                32.428
39 #21 Omar Brady (One Jamaica)                        32.489
40 #8 Jennifer Jane (One Jamaica)                      32.816
41 #20 Shane Wray (Central Shanesville)                32.856
42 #44 Kai Qiang (The Sherpa Empire)                   32.911
43 #12 Roman Gwinnett (Xanneria)                       33.229

Segment 2:

1 #46 Thea Alvarez (Saint Kanye)                      30.359
 2 #75 Floyd Hackerbee (Vangaziland)                   30.398
 3 #13 Oberst Eva Kerman (Jebslund)                    30.428
 4 #11 Jenna Logan (Cassadaigua)                       30.463
 5 #2 Centur Tiones (Vilita & Turori)                  30.490
 6 #1 Hauptmann Wilhelm Kerman (Jebslund)              30.505
 7 #18 Jeremiah Brooke (Saint Kanye)                   30.508
 8 #25 Kev Schorebrook (Vangaziland)                   30.558
 9 #44 Kai Qiang (The Sherpa Empire)                   30.582
10 #41 Yraaga Gilli'i (Vilita & Turori)                30.589
11 #22 Kevin Cosgrove (Hampton Island)                 30.630
12 #48 Shawn Curtis (Newmanistan)                      30.668
13 #78 Cocoabo #78 (Tropicorp)                         30.698
14 #88 Liangmei Li (The Sherpa Empire)                 30.724
15 #27 Stacie Houston (Cassadaigua)                    30.749
16 #69 Oberfeldwebel Sofia Kerman (Jebslund)           30.754
17 #50 Ellie Lindskog (Vangaziland)                    30.782
18 #5 Bryan Harrison (Newmanistan)                     30.817
19 #01 Jessica Franssen (Vangaziland)                  30.933
20 #32 Andrew Holden (Lisander) *Q*                    30.955
21 #16 Tom Bombelli (Xanneria)                         30.977
22 #12 Roman Gwinnett (Xanneria)                       31.048
23 #71 Mael Erwann (Brittany Normandy Aquitaine)       31.073
24 #76 Kevin von Pressman (Greythorne)                 31.130
25 #42 Euroli Islander (Tropicorp)                     31.165
26 #90 Tsering Chu (The Sherpa Empire)                 31.198
27 #6 Alex Knight (Hampton Island)                     31.361
28 #60 Rockii Ezis (Vilita & Turori) *Q*               31.393
29 #24 Ashley Matthews (Newmanistan)                   31.531
30 #3 Skip Stiller (Saint Kanye)                       31.727
31 #7 Lourdina Westgrens (Lisander)                    31.838
32 #4 Meghan Sharpe (Cassadaigua)                      31.926
33 #9 Lício Granado (Lisander)                         31.949
34 #55 Francis Furheart Sr. (The Ferret Lands)         31.983
35 #70 Larry Toothworth (Greythorne)                   32.095
36 #99 Gael Erwann (Brittany Normandy Aquitaine)       32.270
37 #56 Francis Furheart Jr. (The Ferret Lands)         32.328
38 #91 David Land (Central Shanesville)                32.472
39 #8 Jennifer Jane (One Jamaica)                      32.495
40 #23 James McCurty (Hampton Island) *Q*              32.640
41 #20 Shane Wray (Central Shanesville)                32.760
42 #14 River 'Shark' Suzgar II (Vilita & Turori)       32.807
43 #21 Omar Brady (One Jamaica)                        32.830

Segment 3:

1 #18 Jeremiah Brooke (Saint Kanye)                   30.325
 2 #14 River 'Shark' Suzgar II (Vilita & Turori)       30.382
 3 #46 Thea Alvarez (Saint Kanye)                      30.420
 4 #41 Yraaga Gilli'i (Vilita & Turori)                30.454
 5 #69 Oberfeldwebel Sofia Kerman (Jebslund)           30.463
 6 #60 Rockii Ezis (Vilita & Turori) *Q*               30.474
 7 #4 Meghan Sharpe (Cassadaigua)                      30.489
 8 #5 Bryan Harrison (Newmanistan)                     30.506
 9 #48 Shawn Curtis (Newmanistan)                      30.515
10 #11 Jenna Logan (Cassadaigua)                       30.536
11 #50 Ellie Lindskog (Vangaziland)                    30.549
12 #24 Ashley Matthews (Newmanistan)                   30.579
13 #90 Tsering Chu (The Sherpa Empire)                 30.599
14 #27 Stacie Houston (Cassadaigua)                    30.668
15 #22 Kevin Cosgrove (Hampton Island)                 30.813
16 #88 Liangmei Li (The Sherpa Empire)                 30.830
17 #12 Roman Gwinnett (Xanneria)                       31.017
18 #1 Hauptmann Wilhelm Kerman (Jebslund)              31.034
19 #99 Gael Erwann (Brittany Normandy Aquitaine)       31.107
20 #23 James McCurty (Hampton Island) *Q*              31.124
21 #3 Skip Stiller (Saint Kanye)                       31.189
22 #01 Jessica Franssen (Vangaziland)                  31.199
23 #71 Mael Erwann (Brittany Normandy Aquitaine)       31.202
24 #7 Lourdina Westgrens (Lisander)                    31.223
25 #2 Centur Tiones (Vilita & Turori)                  31.366
26 #13 Oberst Eva Kerman (Jebslund)                    31.407
27 #25 Kev Schorebrook (Vangaziland)                   31.451
28 #55 Francis Furheart Sr. (The Ferret Lands)         31.455
29 #44 Kai Qiang (The Sherpa Empire)                   31.670
30 #76 Kevin von Pressman (Greythorne)                 31.674
31 #42 Euroli Islander (Tropicorp)                     31.926
32 #75 Floyd Hackerbee (Vangaziland)                   32.061
33 #70 Larry Toothworth (Greythorne)                   32.121
34 #6 Alex Knight (Hampton Island)                     32.260
35 #21 Omar Brady (One Jamaica)                        32.552
36 #32 Andrew Holden (Lisander) *Q*                    32.606
37 #8 Jennifer Jane (One Jamaica)                      32.765
38 #9 Lício Granado (Lisander)                         32.827
39 #20 Shane Wray (Central Shanesville)                32.932
40 #78 Cocoabo #78 (Tropicorp)                         32.979
41 #16 Tom Bombelli (Xanneria)                         33.025
42 #91 David Land (Central Shanesville)                33.354 DNF
43 #56 Francis Furheart Jr. (The Ferret Lands)         33.559 DNF

Segment 4:

1 #25 Kev Schorebrook (Vangaziland)                   30.348
 2 #27 Stacie Houston (Cassadaigua)                    30.361
 3 #9 Lício Granado (Lisander)                         30.361
 4 #11 Jenna Logan (Cassadaigua)                       30.411
 5 #69 Oberfeldwebel Sofia Kerman (Jebslund)           30.439
 6 #75 Floyd Hackerbee (Vangaziland)                   30.447
 7 #7 Lourdina Westgrens (Lisander)                    30.471
 8 #18 Jeremiah Brooke (Saint Kanye)                   30.492
 9 #13 Oberst Eva Kerman (Jebslund)                    30.508
10 #1 Hauptmann Wilhelm Kerman (Jebslund)              30.539
11 #2 Centur Tiones (Vilita & Turori)                  30.549
12 #4 Meghan Sharpe (Cassadaigua)                      30.647
13 #46 Thea Alvarez (Saint Kanye)                      30.672
14 #5 Bryan Harrison (Newmanistan)                     30.676
15 #3 Skip Stiller (Saint Kanye)                       30.684
16 #60 Rockii Ezis (Vilita & Turori) *Q*               30.725
17 #16 Tom Bombelli (Xanneria)                         30.829
18 #42 Euroli Islander (Tropicorp)                     30.874
19 #88 Liangmei Li (The Sherpa Empire)                 30.960
20 #50 Ellie Lindskog (Vangaziland)                    31.154
21 #23 James McCurty (Hampton Island) *Q*              31.171
22 #71 Mael Erwann (Brittany Normandy Aquitaine)       31.221
23 #01 Jessica Franssen (Vangaziland)                  31.269
24 #41 Yraaga Gilli'i (Vilita & Turori)                31.355
25 #78 Cocoabo #78 (Tropicorp)                         31.407
26 #76 Kevin von Pressman (Greythorne)                 31.442
27 #6 Alex Knight (Hampton Island)                     31.461
28 #55 Francis Furheart Sr. (The Ferret Lands)         31.514
29 #32 Andrew Holden (Lisander) *Q*                    31.530
30 #90 Tsering Chu (The Sherpa Empire)                 31.692
31 #14 River 'Shark' Suzgar II (Vilita & Turori)       31.725
32 #99 Gael Erwann (Brittany Normandy Aquitaine)       31.739
33 #70 Larry Toothworth (Greythorne)                   31.821
34 #22 Kevin Cosgrove (Hampton Island)                 32.046
35 #12 Roman Gwinnett (Xanneria)                       32.148
36 #44 Kai Qiang (The Sherpa Empire)                   32.438
37 #8 Jennifer Jane (One Jamaica)                      32.461
38 #21 Omar Brady (One Jamaica)                        32.570
39 #20 Shane Wray (Central Shanesville)                32.575
40 #48 Shawn Curtis (Newmanistan)                      32.823
41 #24 Ashley Matthews (Newmanistan)                   33.057

Segment 5:

1 #44 Kai Qiang (The Sherpa Empire)                   30.367
 2 #9 Lício Granado (Lisander)                         30.378
 3 #1 Hauptmann Wilhelm Kerman (Jebslund)              30.384
 4 #7 Lourdina Westgrens (Lisander)                    30.400
 5 #13 Oberst Eva Kerman (Jebslund)                    30.426
 6 #48 Shawn Curtis (Newmanistan)                      30.463
 7 #5 Bryan Harrison (Newmanistan)                     30.501
 8 #2 Centur Tiones (Vilita & Turori)                  30.505
 9 #41 Yraaga Gilli'i (Vilita & Turori)                30.625
10 #60 Rockii Ezis (Vilita & Turori) *Q*               30.709
11 #01 Jessica Franssen (Vangaziland)                  30.764
12 #18 Jeremiah Brooke (Saint Kanye)                   30.828
13 #88 Liangmei Li (The Sherpa Empire)                 30.859
14 #11 Jenna Logan (Cassadaigua)                       30.876
15 #22 Kevin Cosgrove (Hampton Island)                 30.885
16 #78 Cocoabo #78 (Tropicorp)                         30.961
17 #50 Ellie Lindskog (Vangaziland)                    31.002
18 #90 Tsering Chu (The Sherpa Empire)                 31.026
19 #42 Euroli Islander (Tropicorp)                     31.036
20 #76 Kevin von Pressman (Greythorne)                 31.064
21 #24 Ashley Matthews (Newmanistan)                   31.064
22 #75 Floyd Hackerbee (Vangaziland)                   31.079
23 #23 James McCurty (Hampton Island) *Q*              31.084
24 #6 Alex Knight (Hampton Island)                     31.113
25 #4 Meghan Sharpe (Cassadaigua)                      31.160
26 #12 Roman Gwinnett (Xanneria)                       31.210
27 #14 River 'Shark' Suzgar II (Vilita & Turori)       31.265
28 #99 Gael Erwann (Brittany Normandy Aquitaine)       31.330
29 #27 Stacie Houston (Cassadaigua)                    31.439
30 #25 Kev Schorebrook (Vangaziland)                   31.484
31 #71 Mael Erwann (Brittany Normandy Aquitaine)       31.532
32 #46 Thea Alvarez (Saint Kanye)                      31.613
33 #55 Francis Furheart Sr. (The Ferret Lands)         31.872
34 #16 Tom Bombelli (Xanneria)                         32.010
35 #69 Oberfeldwebel Sofia Kerman (Jebslund)           32.067
36 #3 Skip Stiller (Saint Kanye)                       32.222
37 #32 Andrew Holden (Lisander) *Q*                    32.441
38 #8 Jennifer Jane (One Jamaica)                      32.511
39 #70 Larry Toothworth (Greythorne)                   32.549
40 #20 Shane Wray (Central Shanesville)                32.687
41 #21 Omar Brady (One Jamaica)                        33.461 DNF

Final Results (Average Segments 1-5)

1 #11 Jenna Logan (Cassadaigua)                       30.540 WINNER
 2 #18 Jeremiah Brooke (Saint Kanye)                   30.633
 3 #41 Yraaga Gilli'i (Vilita & Turori)                30.684
 4 #2 Centur Tiones (Vilita & Turori)                  30.697
 5 #27 Stacie Houston (Cassadaigua)                    30.747
 6 #88 Liangmei Li (The Sherpa Empire)                 30.748
 7 #1 Hauptmann Wilhelm Kerman (Jebslund)              30.770
 8 #46 Thea Alvarez (Saint Kanye)                      30.773
 9 #60 Rockii Ezis (Vilita & Turori) *Q*               30.786
10 #25 Kev Schorebrook (Vangaziland)                   30.893
11 #75 Floyd Hackerbee (Vangaziland)                   30.897
12 #13 Oberst Eva Kerman (Jebslund)                    30.912
13 #5 Bryan Harrison (Newmanistan)                     30.914
14 #01 Jessica Franssen (Vangaziland)                  30.962
15 #7 Lourdina Westgrens (Lisander)                    30.998
16 #69 Oberfeldwebel Sofia Kerman (Jebslund)           31.009
17 #90 Tsering Chu (The Sherpa Empire)                 31.018
18 #50 Ellie Lindskog (Vangaziland)                    31.041
19 #42 Euroli Islander (Tropicorp)                     31.160
20 #22 Kevin Cosgrove (Hampton Island)                 31.212
21 #71 Mael Erwann (Brittany Normandy Aquitaine)       31.225
22 #48 Shawn Curtis (Newmanistan)                      31.251
23 #4 Meghan Sharpe (Cassadaigua)                      31.299
24 #78 Cocoabo #78 (Tropicorp)                         31.310
25 #9 Lício Granado (Lisander)                         31.376
26 #76 Kevin von Pressman (Greythorne)                 31.404
27 #3 Skip Stiller (Saint Kanye)                       31.414
28 #24 Ashley Matthews (Newmanistan)                   31.422
29 #14 River 'Shark' Suzgar II (Vilita & Turori)       31.443
30 #23 James McCurty (Hampton Island) *Q*              31.506
31 #44 Kai Qiang (The Sherpa Empire)                   31.594
32 #6 Alex Knight (Hampton Island)                     31.614
33 #16 Tom Bombelli (Xanneria)                         31.621
34 #12 Roman Gwinnett (Xanneria)                       31.730
35 #55 Francis Furheart Sr. (The Ferret Lands)         31.753
36 #99 Gael Erwann (Brittany Normandy Aquitaine)       31.770
37 #32 Andrew Holden (Lisander) *Q*                    31.931
38 #70 Larry Toothworth (Greythorne)                   32.077
39 #8 Jennifer Jane (One Jamaica)                      32.484
40 #20 Shane Wray (Central Shanesville)                32.762
41 #21 Omar Brady (One Jamaica)                           DNF
42 #91 David Land (Central Shanesville)                   DNF
43 #56 Francis Furheart Jr. (The Ferret Lands)            DNF

Point Standings After 5 Races (*- Denotes Driver With Win, and has qualified for chase)

1 #25 Kev Schorebrook (Vangaziland)                  196*
 2 #13 Oberst Eva Kerman (Jebslund)                   193
 3 #27 Stacie Houston (Cassadaigua)                   183
 4 #18 Jeremiah Brooke (Saint Kanye)                  175
 5 #2 Centur Tiones (Vilita & Turori)                 172
 6 #41 Yraaga Gilli'i (Vilita & Turori)               164*
 7 #50 Ellie Lindskog (Vangaziland)                   162*
 8 #88 Liangmei Li (The Sherpa Empire)                162
 9 #4 Meghan Sharpe (Cassadaigua)                     159
10 #3 Skip Stiller (Saint Kanye)                      154
11 #1 Hauptmann Wilhelm Kerman (Jebslund)             152
12 #11 Jenna Logan (Cassadaigua)                      151*
13 #46 Thea Alvarez (Saint Kanye)                     145
14 #75 Floyd Hackerbee (Vangaziland)                  143
15 #44 Kai Qiang (The Sherpa Empire)                  141
16 #48 Shawn Curtis (Newmanistan)                     140
17 #24 Ashley Matthews (Newmanistan)                  136
18 #69 Oberfeldwebel Sofia Kerman (Jebslund)          136
19 #9 Lício Granado (Lisander)                        135
20 #90 Tsering Chu (The Sherpa Empire)                133*
21 #7 Lourdina Westgrens (Lisander)                   131
22 #14 River 'Shark' Suzgar II (Vilita & Turori)      106
23 #55 Francis Furheart Sr. (The Ferret Lands)         98
24 #5 Bryan Harrison (Newmanistan)                     95
25 #99 Gael Erwann (Brittany Normandy Aquitaine)       86
26 #60 Rockii Ezis (Vilita & Turori)                   85
27 #78 Cocoabo #78 (Tropicorp)                         83
28 #32 Andrew Holden (Lisander) *Q*                    79
29 #76 Kevin von Pressman (Greythorne)                 74
30 #71 Mael Erwann (Brittany Normandy Aquitaine)       73
31 #12 Roman Gwinnett (Xanneria)                       62
32 #70 Larry Toothworth (Greythorne)                   56
33 #22 Kevin Cosgrove (Hampton Island)                 53
34 #56 Francis Furheart Jr. (The Ferret Lands)         52
35 #34 Warren Pawstone (The Ferret Lands) *Q*          50
36 #6 Alex Knight (Hampton Island)                     46
37 #16 Tom Bombelli (Xanneria) *Q*                     45
38 #23 James McCurty (Hampton Island) *Q*              42
39 #28 Cocoabo #28 (Tropicorp)                         41
40 #42 Euroli Islander (Tropicorp) *Q*                 32
41 #21 Omar Brady (One Jamaica)                        30
42 #8 Jennifer Jane (One Jamaica)                      30
43 #01 Jessica Franssen (Vangaziland)                  30
44 #20 Shane Wray (Central Shanesville)                26
45 #91 David Land (Central Shanesville)                23
46 #94 Yael Erwann (Brittany Normandy Aquitaine) *Q*   23
47 #98 Adam Poboski (Greythorne) *Q*                   22
48 #63 Kevin Daniels (Newmanistan)                     20
49 #19 Philip West (Saint Kanye)                       19
50 #17 Tyler Abbott (Cassadaigua)                      10
51 #10 Eddie Walters Jr (Xanneria)                      6

[Cassadaigua]

Logan Stuns Field at Blue Coast 400,
by Chelsea Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

Quick show of hands: How many out there felt that Jenna Logan would score the first win for Team Cassadaigua of this season? If you are raising your hand, you are either lying, or a friend and family member. Or, perhaps a Pink Love executive, who are ecstatic to see the Pink Love #11 in victory lane. Pink and Blue? Nice little combination, there.

Before the race, mostly everyone was talking about row 2, even though Meghan Sharpe did sit on the outside pole. She was beside Liangmei Lei, someone who I am told is pretty experienced with earning poles back home. Interestingly, this meant that females held the top three spots, and quite honestly, women drivers are having a lot of success in this series right now. Row 2 had “Stacemiah”, the pairing of Stacie Houston and Saint Kanye’s Jeremiah Brooke. These two have forged a strong friendship based on hard but respectful driving between the two. They are fun to watch, and there are certainly many out there that are watching, hoping that they will see clues that it is something more. Starting back in the ninth row would be Jenna Logan, alongside Kai Qiang, a teammate of Lei’s, but maybe not necessarily a best friend of hers. Logan has raced in the shadows of Houston and Sharpe as well, and until this race, her season high was a 12th place at the Proving Grounds. This win of Jenna’s seemingly came out of nowhere.

As the race began, Lei was hot and leading a bunch of laps, but as that was going on, Logan was gradually making her way through the field. She was strong early, and on lap 53, she made the pass of Stacie Houston, putting her in third place and getting the crew very excited. It was then that you could hear the confidence of this team. Twelve laps later, she passed the other half, Jeremiah Brooke, of course, for the race lead. The hometown fans, and people from throughout NSSCRA probably thought that 11 would fall from the scoring pylon, but she would not fall out of the top five for the rest of the day. With nine laps remaining, she took the lead for the final time, again passing Brooke. She would pull away from there!

“We did it! We did it!” Jenna screamed soon after the car crossed the finish line. Jeremiah Brooke, the second place driver, gave her a congratulatory wave, and following Brooke to do so next would be Stacie Houston, but here clearly was a special moment for the young Logan. Remember, Jenna still has not had this ride for a full season, taking over from Tyler Abbott in the middle of the year. Houston, and eventually Meghan Sharpe, would join the 11 team in victory lane!

In her post race comments, Jenna told reporters, “I have to thank Pink Love for giving me the opportunity to drive this fabulous race car. My crew, and everyone back home, thank you. You know, it’s been a battle for this group. For a year and five races, the 11 has been seen as Team Cassadaigua’s third car. But they kept working on it, kept trying to make it happen, and our dreams were kept alive. This baby was fast today, and I really loved this track. We hit it right, and had our day!” As far as making the Chase, Jenna told the reporters, “That’s just great! To be locked into the Chase now, as a team that was not even close to it last year is pretty remarkable. If we can only build on this. We’d love to get all of our cars in the Chase, for sure!”

[Brittany Normandy Aquitaine]

Nantes Times

A Tough One

After coming off of Yael's first race making it into the qualifier, many B-N-A fans rallied to support, but the momentum couldn't stand as Mael and Gael struggled to hold a top 20 when they got it, and late race they fell back, a rough routine for these drivers coming into the season.

Both drivers decided not to take interviews this time.

B-N-A fans at home await the return of Yael Erwann hopefully soon, they rally to sports bars to root him on in the qualifiers, and Gael and Mael in the races.

[Newmanistan]

SERIES ANNOUNCEMENTS

-- The next race, at the Ferrett National Autodrome, will be held on November 7th, with its qualifying on the 6th. On the 7th, prior to the race, we will also award naming rights for the pole award for the series. Any last minute campaigns or product samples should be sent to the league office at this time.

-- At the conclusion of the NSSCRA 7, I think it will be best to draw up an official constitution for the sport as is the case with other sports. Both the last edition and this one have been successful, and should warrant this next step.

SWAPPING CHARTERS:
1) Any charter swap must be approved by the league office.
2) A team wishing to "sell" a charter must publicly state this, and allow for an open bidding process on their charter. They may not just target one nation to sell it too. In the event of multiple bidders for that charter, the league office will decide the purchaser (since real money is not actually swapping hands here).
3) Racing charters attained and acquired in NSSCRA 7 should only be considered valid for NSSCRA 7, and not potential future editions. What we do about this in future seasons can be discussed in the drawing up of a constitution after the series. A feeder series has been discussed (like a Busch/Xfinitiy), which is fine, but Newmanistan will not be the scorinator of such series, another nation must be willing too.
4) A nation that ceases to exist over the course of the season will lose its charters, but regain them if they are refounded. If they are not refounded, then their spots become available to those who need to qualify in. (so if a nation with two charters ceased, then there will be five spots open for those who need to qualify, and not three).
5) In the event of an injury to a driver during the season, the team must fill their seat with a driver from their own nation, or one that will simply drive for that nation. For example, if Newmanistan driver Kevin Daniels was the preferred replacement for a One Jamaica injury, Kevin Daniels would be designated as a driver for One Jamaica, not Newmanistan.

[Saint Kanye]

NSSCRA: LOGAN WINS BLUE COAST WITH LATE PASS ON BROOKE
Cassadagan becomes fourth driver to get first win this season

by Hastur Barreras

BLUE COAST - The seventh NSSCRA (Nationstates Stock Car Racing Association) season is still young, but it's already shaping up to be very different from the previous one. Not only has the Chase grid expanded from twelve to sixteen, four of the five drivers locked in so far with a win are either rookies, or have previously failed to advance.

The latest driver to book a playoffs ticket is Jenna Logan, driver of the #11 Pink Love Clothing machine for Team Cassadaigua, who is in her first season of full-time competition after only coming in as a late replacement to Tyler Abbott last season. Logan got the win in the Blue Coast 400 at the Sonrise Motorway here, taking the lead from St. Kanye's Jeremiah Brooke with nine laps remaining in the race. Brooke, who drives the #18 Hyde Medical Group Chadwick (the "Hyde Ride") for Glorious Free Republic Motorsports, led 78 of the race's 250 laps, but could not catch up with Logan in the end. Still, the runner-up finish boosted him to fourth in the driver points with 175, just twenty-one behind the leading Kev Schorebrook. Hometown driver Kev is in fact the only Chase holdover from last season, so far.

The rest of the top ten were, from third to tenth: Yraaga Gilli'i in the #41 Tropicorp Dart and Centur Tiones in the #2 Tiones Lumber Dart, both of Vilita and Turori; Stacie Houston, Logan's teammate, in the #27 Five Star Mobile machine; polesitter Liangmei Li (#88) of the Sherpa Empire; Jebslunder Wilhelm Kerman in the #1; Brooke's teammate Thea Alvarez in the #46 Multiversal Automotive Coatings Chadwick; V&T's Rockii Ezis, whose presence in the field is surrounded by controversy, in the #60 CoCoCo Dart; and Kev in the #25 REDUP Energy Drink VM. Kev's fellow Vannish drivers Floyd Hackerbee (#75), Jessica Franssen (#01, part-time) and Ellie Lindskog (#50) were eleventh, fourteenth and eighteenth, respectively. Skip Stiller, the third Kanyean entry, settled for twenty-seventh in the "Blue Trey", as his #3 QED Car Rentals car is also known.

"It was one of those races where everything was going well. I did my part, and so did the crew, and as a result, this is the closest we've come to winning in this season. I shall watch the tape of the race with my team, and look at how we still could have improved, and also what Jenna [Logan] did right that caused her to win. There's much to learn about how the 'Dagans run. Not the 'bump the 48 every chance I get' way, but the 'hard, but clean' way", said Brooke after the race, making a sly reference to the run-ins between the #48 car of Newmanistani Shawn Curtis and Cassadagan Tyler Abbott, who lost the #11 ride to Logan as a result of said incidents. The runner-up later went over to the winning team's tent to give his congratulations as well as visit his friends.

Li's #88 led the field to the green flag and the first fourteen laps of the race, with #4 driver Meghan Sharpe and the "Stacemiah" (Stacie Houston and Jeremiah Brooke) pairing hot on her heels. Then on Lap 15, the "Hyde Ride" would take the lead, pulling away from Houston's car and then taking the high line to overtake Sharpe's Spacebook machine. Alvarez and Stiller were in the 15-20 range, while the Vannish drivers were rising.

The field would get shuffled later because of green flag pit stops, but Li and Houston remained in the front pack. Logan, who was also on a steady climb, was with the leaders as well. Brooke fell to as low as 21st, but quickly got back in the top ten, and then the lead, going between Houston and Kev on Lap 41. Logan
continued to climb, and took first from the #18 on Lap 65, but Brooke got the lead back on Lap 73, only to lose it to Alvarez on Lap 79. Stiller was stuck outside the top 25 after he lost control and almost spun out earlier. He was trying to pass Cocoabo #78 for twelfth.

The middle portion of the race was dominated by Brooke, though Alvarez, among others, also led laps. Stiller's progress up the field was rather slow; his highest spot during that time was just 17th. However, a caution flew, caused by Francis Furheart Jr. (#56) of the Ferret Lands. The #3's pit crew was quick, helping Stiller get to the top 10. Alvarez exited pit road as the leader, but she would get passed by Logan six laps after getting back to green. Brooke also ran near the top 10, remaining there for quite some time. On Lap 214, he was twelfth, with Franssen right in front of him. The #18 passed the part-timer's #01 on the inside, but could not leave it behind. Brooke then decided to give Franssen as little room between his car and the wall as possible, then left her behind to deal with lapped traffic. This was part of the Yeezie's charge back to the front, which went well, until Lap 241 when Logan made her pass to take the lead for good. Alvarez, wanting to get as many points as she can, passed a total of three cars in the last lap: Hackerbee and Kev in Turn 2, then beating Ezis to the line.

The #46 driver also congratulated Logan, saying "Always nice to see a friend win. Jenna just showed that she's as good as her teammates there." Stiller's time up front was short-lived, and he fell back mid-pack after rubbing the wall. He said, "I admit, I did screw up. But I'm not going to let all those mistakes bring me down. There's always the next race to look forward to." That next event would be at the Ferret National Autodrome in the Ferret Lands. Before the race, the official pole award sponsor will be made known; so far, Vilaye Energy Drink, Spacebook and Shellshock Batteries have made bids. The three companies are also sponsors of individual NSSCRA cars, being on the hood of the #14, #4 and #22, in that order.

All qualifying sessions and races will be broadcast live on SKYNET (Saint KanYe) NETwork Sports Channel 12 and online at nsscra.skynet.stk. Full qualifying, race, and driver points tables are also found on that website.

---

OFFICIAL STANDINGS - Race 5 of 23 (Blue Coast)

1. #11 Jenna Logan (CDG)
2. #18 Jeremiah Brooke (STK)
3. #41 Yraaga Gilli'i (VNT)
4. #2 Centur Tiones (VNT)
5. #27 Stacie Houston (CDG)
8. #46 Thea Alvarez (STK)
27. #3 Skip Stiller (STK)

DRIVER POINTS

1. #25 Kev Schorebrook (VNG) - 196 (1 win)
2. #13 Eva Kerman (JEB) - 193
3. #27 Stacie Houston (CDG) - 183
4. #18 Jeremiah Brooke (STK) - 175
5. #2 Centur Tiones (VNT) - 172
6. #41 Yraaga Gilli'i (VNT) - 164 (1 win)
T7. #50 Ellie Lindskog (VNG) - 162 (1 win)
10. #3 Skip Stiller (STK) - 154
12. #11 Jenna Logan (CDG) - 151 (1 win)
13. #46 Thea Alvarez (STK) - 145
20. #90 Tsering Chu (SHW) - 133 (1 win)
49. #19 Philip West (STK) - 19

NEXT RACE

Ferret National Autodrome, Aavak City, The Ferret Lands

[Hampton Island]

Scene: Stafford City Speedway

Marketing Guy: “We arranged for Lexi to come back, she should be here in fifteen minutes. I remind you the guidelines, let her win. Even you, James.”

James McCurty, the driver of the #23 in NSSCRA shook his head at the ploy. Five #23 machines were brought from McCurty’s home race shop for McCurty, and three executives to race the 18-year blonde model from Hampton Island’s top modeling agency.

First assistant: “She does not want to be a race car driver. It’s not going to work, she will probably just leave when we tell her to go in the race car again.”

Marketing Guy: “We’ll be financially motivating Lexi to get in the race car again. When she beats all of us, her confidence will go up, and she will want to be a race car driver.”

McCurty shook his head, “You realize how degrading this is to us real drivers? You are implying that anyone can just get in a race car and win, and I really do not want any part of this.”

Marketing Guy: “Do want sponsorship for NSSCRA, James? That’s what I thought. With Lexi’s help, you’ll get it.”

McCurty again shook his head, “You better not be planning to put her in my ride. I earned that the hard way.”

Marketing Guy: “James, would I lie to you? Let’s go meet her.”

Lexi arrives,

“Hello gorgeous,” the marketing executive began, “We have paid your fee, but here, look at what I have in this envelope. All you need is to get in the car again and have a little race against us, including a professional race car driver. That’s about 20-times your fee sitting in the envelope.”

“Oh my!” Lexi exclaimed. “Sure, I guess I will.”

The marketing executive grinned at his assistant as Lexi went to put on the firesuit again. “See, that’s all it takes.”

Lexi emerges in firesuit.

Marketing Guy: “I will help you in the car, sweetheart. You know, I will double what is in that envelope if you can beat at least one of us. Triple it, if you win. Just drive as fast as you can.”

They get in their cars and all initially drive faster then Lexi, though they allow her to catch up, and eventually pass all of them. Lexi wins the race, as planned, by about six seconds. They don’t go particularly fast around the track, but that was not the point.

Lexi gets out of the car with a wide smile.

Marketing Guy: “Oh my lord! Are you kidding me, where the heck did you learn to drive a car like that?”

Lexi shook her head, “I just pretended I was on the freeway.”

Marketing Guy: “Honey, we’re going to make you a superstar! First, I gotta get some more cash to give you!”

[Xanneria]

Bombelli's brilliant day goes down the drain

Spin in front of Bombelli

What was thought to be a much needed run for the Xannaerian KRD team, turned quickly into disaster mid race for the Knox crew. For a while it looked like Bombelli would get a top 25 finish. He ran well from his 21st place qualifying spot and ran well. Bombelli was even holding on to 10th at one point early after a caution for a spin by teammate Roman Gwinnet. Gwinnet had the spin and never truely recovered he would get 34th. Meanwhile Bombelli had started slipping as pitstops had put Bombelli back to 18th. about 10 laps after a caution came out when some debris. That's when it went downhill for Bombelli. heading into turn 1 Francis Furheart Jr and David Land collided, the Furheart ride backed into the wall and Land spun back down the track where he suddenly was infront of the Bombelli car. Bombelli had no where and collided with the 56. This did enough damage to eliminate the 56 as he took the hit square on the rear tire and damaged the axle from the contact. Bombelli was able to get going but spent 5 laps to fix the nose of the already notoriously handling car. He would go on to finish 33rd while Gwinnet got 34th. Hopefully next week the KRD Team Iona cars can show some more promise and stay consistently up front.