NSSCRA 10- Everything Thread (IC)

[Vilita and Turori]

Race #4 Leaderboard

1 [156] :: @melvin_tha_gr8

2 [155] :: @LCarter11

3 [152] :: @MeghanWolcottOfficial

4 [151] :: @eelcat827

5 [150] :: @Kristen01SH

6 [149] :: @Paine_Andrews

7 [145] :: @DMizushima63

- [145] :: @fillygurl27

9 [142] :: @NuclearBreeze

- [142] :: @DJCleverPork

Overall Standings

1 [548] :: @covehopper

2 [535] :: @PinkHKluvs2718

3 [534] :: @DJCleverPork

4 [529] :: @DMizushima63

- [529] :: @LCarter11

6 [527] :: @Paine_Andrews

7 [525] :: @Kristen01SH

8 [517] :: @Cocoabo_luvr

9 [503] :: @pegasiifan37

10 [490] :: @NuclearBreeze

Kermania Fortress Run, Kermania Citadel, Jebslund ::For third consecutive NSSCRA Pick 'em Contest Week the participant with the highest score of the round would be a user residing in the same home country as that of the NSSCRA Race Winner. After @Paine_Andrews of Saint Kanye was propelled to a tie-break victory in Round 2 thanks to the triumph of Thea Alvarez in New Northwesteros and Vilitan celebrity participant @SurfinSummer took the top score and the guaranteed spot in the NSSCRA Playoff Chase after fellow Vilitan River 'Shark' Suzgar II took home the checkers at the Cocoa-bo Speedway in Cassadaigua, it was perhaps no surprise to see another Kanyean participant atop the NSSCRA Pick 'em scoreboard once the proceedings had come to a close underground at the Kermania Fortress Run.

In fact, user @Melvin_tha_gr8 went all-in on the Glorious Free Republic Motorsports trio with the bulk of their points coming from their drivers #18 Jeremiah Brooke, #46 Thea Alvarez and #3 Sage Caldwell. @melvin_tha_gr8 even managed to post the top score in Round 4 of the Pick'em Challenge despite having received no contributing points from their Grade 5 driver - the former Valkyrie Motorsports driver Jolyn Maxine Helen Ceeta who is now employed by the Garden at 6th Mile Road.

It was a massive turnaround for @melvin_tha_gr8 who posted the lowest score among all competitors in the first round of the competition co-existant with the Tundra Falls 500 Race weekend. There was a similar drop off in the results this week for the celebrity participant #SurfinSummer who was the winner just one round ago following the NSSCRA Race at Cassadaigua. @SurfinSummer's low total following the Kermania Fortress Run is directly tied to the poor performance across the Board from Vilita and Turori Motorsports who missed expectations wildly after having won the event at the Kermania Citadel near the end of the NSSCRA's 9th season. While Conlin did collect points from all five of their drivers unlike @melvin_tha_gr8, the performances left much to be desired with Frank Bronson's 11th place finish the best on the day for the @SurfinSummer entry.

The top finisher for Vilita and Turori Motorsports at the Kermania Fortress Run was once again Centur Tiones who salvaged a bad day with a 13th place position. River 'Shark' Suzgar II, at the top of the @SurfinSummer ticket, struggled after an early incident and was completely out of the conversation with the chance to both win two consecutive NSSCRA events as well as two consecutive races at the same NSSCRA Venue, limping the #14 Toys '4' All Dart home in 30th position after starting on the outside front row.

The result would drop Suzgar to 7th in the NSSCRA Regular Season standings, 25 points behind leader Jenna Logan and 1 point ahead of the more consistent Cetur Tiones in 8th position. Teammate Yraaga Gilli'i currently holds on to the final transfer spot into the NSSCRA Chase in 16th.

As for the NSSCRA Pick 'em Standings, the result in Kermania had little effect at the top of the table with @covehopper and @PinkHKluvs2718 each putting in performances outside the Top 10. The gaps did shrink however with @covehopper's lead down to just 13 points over the reigning champion from Cassadaigua while a trio of new faces have joined the challenge as @DJCleverPork of New Northwesteros just 1 point behind while the inseparable pen-pals Dario Mizushima and Lane Carter seem bonded at the hip as they maintain a tie for the Celebrity lead and 4th overall on 529 points heading into Round 5.

Tropicorp Headquarters, Tropicoast, Tropicorp :: When the Race Schedule for the first ever season of iBen Toralmintii's Race of Stars was revealed there were four confirmed race dates and a single TBD right in the middle of the schedule. Race of Stars representatives would only state that details would be announced at a later date. As the checkered flag fell on the festivities at the Talbott Autodrome in Liventia with Abdoulaye Goita taking the checkers in the second iROS race, the drivers actually had not yet been informed as to where the third round of the competition would be contested. That has all changed now with a surprise announcement coming today at Tropicorp Headquarters in Tropicoast. Along with the Director of Competition of the Race of Stars, Juracai Klianiota, Tropicorp Officials announced that the third race of the race of stars would be held at the Mavalaiao Motorplex, a small dirt oval racing facility on the southern most point of Turoki Island. The Mavaloiao Motorplex is just a short walk from the Port of Mavalaiao and the main transportation dock for Ferry connections between Mavaloiao and Tropicoast.

The inclusion of the Mavaloiao Motorplex on the Race of Stars schedule was completely out of left field as the small Dirt Facility is mostly not known outside of central Atlantian Oceania - unlike the other four circuits on the Race of Stars schedule which are some of the most well known and historic circuits in the multiverse. However, the Mavaloiao Motorplex does offer a unique signature at the fundamental root of what the Race of Stars stands for - cross discipline Motorsports. While Tropicorp officials had initially discussed holding the iROS round and the partially sand Tropicoast Beach Course or even on a makeshift course utilizing only the Beach portion of the speedway, it was ultimately decided that a true local dirt track would provide the most unique experience for drivers and fans alike.

The iRoS Round 3 event at the Mavaloiao Motorplex will take place the night prior to the Tropicorp 500 with the Everlong Contenders series race scheduled at the Tropicorp Beach Course getting an 11:00 Local Start time to ensure completion with enough time for whichever driver ends the event as the Contenders Series Points Leader to hop on the Mavaloiao Ferry in time for the open shakedown of the iRoS cars on the dirt of the motorplex. While Ferry service between Mavaloiao and Tropicoast is already set to be at triple the normal frequency for the duration of the Tropicorp 500 Race Weekend, it is expected that there will be additional surge ferry service going to Mavaloiao following the Contenders series race as well as returning to Tropicoast.

Race of Stars officials have not yet announced who the Fans Choice driver for the iRoS round at the Mavaloiao Motorplex will be but the Curriculum Vitae's of a number of dirt-specialist drivers began popping up on twii.tur shortly following the announcement.

---

New Users can complete team selection to sign up for V&T Racers NSSCRA Pick 'em Regular Season competition. Users already signed up who wish to make changes to their rosters using the updated Tier allocations can submit their changes to Vilita and Turori Racer at a cost of 2 points from that users total score.

---

VILITA & TURORI RACER ✓

@VTRacer

Congrats to @melvin_tha_gr8 for posting the top score in Round 4 of the V&T Racer Pick'em and securing a spot in the NSSCRA Pick 'em Playoff Chase Challenge!


#NSSCRA : #nspickem : #FortressRun

[The Sherpa Empire]

Tsering was still struggling to keep pace with the other two Sherpa drivers, but Rinzi and Qiang had a good race in Kermania. It was immediately obvious, from the start of the race, that they had plenty of speed. They drafted together as they made their way up the field. Qiang was leading with Rinzi behind him when Thea Alvarez got in the mix and cut in between them. "Hey, Qiang, you're a married man! Tell Thea to find someone else!" Rinzi complained over the radio.

"I'm not married to you!" Qiang retorted.

"A Muslim man should have four wives if he can afford it," said Rinzi. "I want you, Tashi, Tsering, and Mendok."

"Does Tashi know about this?"

They were interrupted by Rinzi's spotter warning him that Jeremiah Brooke was trying to pass him on the left. Rinzi blocked Brooke and held him off for a while, but eventually Brooke found an opening and slipped ahead.

A caution and a string of pit stops shook up the field, but it wasn't long before Qiang, Rinzi, Thea, and Brooke were back near the front of the pack. Brooke, Thea, and Rinzi would make it onto the podium while Qiang got snarled in a duel with Jenna Logan and bumped down to 5th. When a reporter from Beihua asked Qiang about the race afterwards, he shrugged and said, "I don't know when Logan got so aggressive."

"We had a good race today," said Rinzi. "I'm still looking for a win, but it'll come. When God is ready."

---

After reading the weather forecast for Nuuk, Kai Qiang was in no hurry to get there. On the other hand, wedging iRoS into his schedule and traveling to Liventia meant he had spent a lot of time on planes lately. He and Tsering considered going home to Guilin for a couple of days, but decided it wasn't worth the long flight.

There were some things Qiang liked about Valentine Z -- the food, the pretty architecture, the friendliness of the people -- but there were other things he could never get used to. The people were friendly, but their size still made them intimidating. Qiang felt like he had to worry about getting stepped on. He was used to looking up when he talked to people, but he wasn't used to their butts being at eye level.

The Sherpa NSSCRA teams went directly from the airport to the Starlight Speedway, not wanting to stop anywhere that they would be out in the cold -- or anywhere that their haulers would be sitting out in the cold. It was cold enough for the temperature to kill batteries and cause problems for motor vehicles that were parked outdoors. When they arrived at the track, Tsering was the only one who could get the back of her hauler open immediately. Rinzi and Qiang found that theirs were both frozen shut, and they had to wait for the haulers to thaw out in the infield before they could get their cars out. They had all gotten "rained" on in Kermania when the underground city used a sprinkler system to water its trees, and apparently the haulers were still damp enough to ice up the doors when they drove through Nuuk.

Eventually they managed to get everything thawed out and unpacked. It just took longer than expected and left everyone a little annoyed.

[Abanhfleft]

RUSTAM ILYICH YUDIN

@39YudinRustamIlyich

Sun City doesn't agree with me @CeroatLav. My body just doesn't like that kind of heat. But I'll come back stronger like Ceroat!


#NSSCRA : #EverlongSeries : #SunCitySpeedway : #ForAUnitedCeroat

LESTER LEONIDAS BAXTER ✓

@The_Leo_Baxter_420

@SageTheRacer Told u man, really just can't grow my hair long enough. Genetics and that kinda stuff. Do got an afro wig tho so there's that


#NSSCRA : #BrothersFromAnotherMother

This wasn't even the hottest that Sun City could get, at least if the official information packet he received was to be believed. But if the pamphlet was indeed telling the truth then Rustam Ilyich Yudin did not want to be anywhere near Sun City during the summer season. Ceroat wasn't even that cold of a country as far as he could remember but Rustam was just melting underneath this sweltering sun. He had been keeping himself locked in his room with the air conditioning turned to the absolute coldest setting, and on the advice of the team doctor he had been keeping himself hydrated by drinking only water and avoiding coffee and energy drinks.

Qualifying for the Everlong Series had been decent, 15th place, but by the start of the race itself Rustam was simply not feeling like himself. His mouth felt dry and his throat parched. He couldn't understand why that was; he had been keeping up with his hydration regimen to the letter. Yet here he was, parched as an autumn leaf as he sat inside his car. Rustam was already wondering if he would be able to go all 420 laps of this race. And then at just 30 laps in, Rustam found it more and more difficult to keep the car in a straight line, and then when a turn came up he almost plowed head on into the wall. Rustam was able to recover in time and so ended up just scraping the wall with the right side of his car instead of the front. Right then and there he decided that he couldn't do it anymore. "Guys, I am sorry, but I cannot race anymore tonight," he said on the radio, and then he drove his #39 into the pitlane and squeezed out of the window. He would be the first of seven drivers to retire from the race.

Rustam's fellow former Ceroat driver Pyotr Lavrentiev, now driving under the Saint Kanye flag and for Glorious Free Republic Motorsports, had sent out a twii urging Rustam not to feel so down about his DNF, but then Pyotr also sent Rustam a private message asking about what the latter knew about the current situation in Ceroat. Rustam sighed and shook his head. Not because he didn't want to say anything to Pyotr; on the contrary, Rustam felt that Pyotr deserved to know about the situation in Ceroat just as any other Ceroat native. Rustam's problems lie in the fact that there was just little to make sense of about the situation itself. Nevertheless, Rustam resolved to do his best.

Brother, things are very confusing back home at the moment. There's little if any news coming out of the country at the moment, and what little I've heard all contradict each other. Some say that the military has launched a coup because the government failed to respond to some sort of natural disaster, while others say that a natural disaster wiped out the military and left the government with no way of stopping Ceroat from collapsing into anarchy. I tried asking my family about what they saw before they got to Abanhfleft but they're all also not making any sense. Checkpoints, curfews, chaos, none of it makes any sense, Pyotr.

Lately though, there's been something that's been coming up regularly. They call themselves the "Movement For a United Ceroat" but apart from that, little is known about them. What they want to do is to "reclaim Ceroat for the Ceroatians", but then you wonder: what are they reclaiming Ceroat from? My brother, who was in the military before what happened in Ceroat happened, told me that much of the military had been deployed to one of the mountains in the south, but then something happened on that mountain that apparently killed a lot of the military, and those that survived were forced to scatter and regroup.

The Movement claims that whatever was on that mountain and killed the military is now in control of Ceroat. Not just the government, but the whole of Ceroat itself. The Movement doesn't really know what's going on but they seem really determined to remove this... thing, whatever it is, from Ceroat. The members of the Movement have taken to twii.tur and are using the hash #ForAUnitedCeroat to spread the message that there are still those who will fight for Ceroat among those who managed to make it out before the incident at the mountain. You've seen me use the hash before, and I'm glad that you've also used it even though you might not have known what it originally meant, but now you know what it actually means.

If what the Movement says has happened on Ceroat is true then it appears that we have both been lucky to have been out of the country when it happened. But at the very least we know that there is still hope for us returning to our motherland. One day we will be able to return to Ceroat as proud Ceroatians, and our fellow Ceroatians will be proud of us as well.

For a United Ceroat, brother.

[Space]

Only things about JUPITER COSMOS

Driver Name: Jupiter Cosmos
Age: 34
Team Name: The Team from Outer Space
CAR NUMBER: #1

Jupiter Cosmos is 34 years old. On December 26 it will be age 35 for Jupiter Cosmos and everyone who can make it to SPACE is welcome to have a party.

Jupiter will respond to the nick name COSMO

In the youth COSMO was very aggressive driver on gravity tracks. This is because in SPACE there is an extra dimension to move in. Jupiter has spend most of the career racing only in SPACE but there was a time at the age 26 when Cosmo drives in gravity for the experience. The success had limitations and Jupiter returns to driving in SPACE after this time.

Let us discuss about the style that COSMO is known for.

The best thing about Jupiter Cosmos always Jupiter will try to finish a race. There is not a quit button on COSMO even if there is a roof missing on this car or a wheel is in the engine Jupiter will still make the car go. Jupiter does not have a preference on a type of track but the speed on the big track like the super size track is going to be an appeal for this driver.

The most important thing for the SPACE racing car is only one thing. Aerodynamics. The engine is maybe not the best in power but it will be reliable. The chassis is not great. Aerodynamics are the best. The pit crew train without gravity and also with gravity. they can be fast and reliable but the tight of the pit road may need an adjustment.

With the discussion of the car, a look at it now.



This will be a partnership on Xanneria a fine nation with SPACE.

[South Newlandia]

Robin Dragonovic was quite happy that he got to go home. In South Newlandia, he got to see his family again. The racing featured mixed results for him, with an extremely hot (also literally) qualifying lap. The race, however, was quite a different story. A midfield position was the best he could do that day. It just didn’t go to well for him. Maybe he felt a little bit of anxiety about what was going to come for him.
After the race, he was going to have to talk to Maddy. Robin had kind of mixed feelings about it, but he couldn’t let her down here. He was going to have to man up and thank her for looking out for him. At the end, it was her walking up to him as he was planning to approach her.

MRJ: A-are you a-alright there?
RD: Uh, yeah, hi. How are you?
MRJ: U-um, yeah...I’m good. D-did you g-get my...letter?
RD: Yeah, yeah, I did. Thank you. I needed that that day.
MRJ: No p-problem! I just thought you might n-need some...uh...good karma, y’know? You l-looked pretty rough so I thought i-it was best if I tried t-to make c-contact. Was it a-alright?
RD: Yeah, thank you, I really did need that I think. It was really nice that you reached out. Can you- read minds or something? Because that was- what's the word? Impressive?
MRJ: I-if TJUN-ians could read minds, w-we would dominate everyone! But I j-just saw it in you, ya know? Y-you looked really...dejected and out of your e-element. You looked l-lost. Are you f-feeling any better n-now that you’re...home?
RD: Oh no, was I really being that obvious? That’s… almost embarrassing, honestly. But yeah, thank you for reaching out, I’m feeling better now; thanks to you and because I got to see my family yesterday, I’ve really missed them.
MRJ: I bet you d-did. And don’t worry, t-there’s no need to b-be embarrassed by t-that stuff. I w-was feeling similarly, too. T-the first race weekend I w-was with T1 JR, Michael and Alfonso and a-all the rest, and it was a blast...but when I had to s-spilt off to go to Banija, t-the reality of it all kicked in. It w-was hard and I saw that in y-you, too.
RD: Wow, I… I don't know what to say, honestly. I’m sorry. I really couldn't see that, I’m not very observant sometimes. I bet you are looking forward to seeing them again soon in Nuuk?
MRJ: Certainly! It s-seems a bit..weird that we’re going from the literal Sun City t-to the freezing c-cold of Greenland, right?
RD: Definitely! Negative 60 degrees? Indoor racing? I’m not sure how that’ll be like yet, but I sure am excited for it! Sun City is kinda boring by comparison, honestly.
MRJ: N-never thought I’d h-hear someone think Greenland is b-better than their o-own city, but what ever f-floats your boat, I guess.
RD: Well, better and more exciting are still two different things, but I bet Nuuk is going to be great! And Sun City isn't really my home city, I’m actually from Trunkst, all the way up north, where we have much more… reasonable temperatures. But I’m talking way too much about myself again, what about you? I’d love to learn more about one of Everlong’s top drivers!
MRJ: T-top driver? W-w-well, thanks I guess! Anyway, I hail from the UO - specifically Wollongmatta Bay. It’s k-kinda like a beach city, y’know? The UO always g-gets good temperatures in comparison to the rest of TJUN-ia, so it’s a-always been a favourite tourist hotspot for TJUN-ians and beyond. I came to JR because they saw p-potential in me and as one of a few w-women to participate in sport for the n-nation, I guess that makes me s-some sort of p-pioneer a-already!
RD: That’s pretty cool! I’ve been really impressed by your driving so far, you’re certainly among the top candidates to win it all, at least for me. How have you been enjoying South Newlandia so far?
MRJ: I-I guess it‘s solid so far. I like it. A b-bit hotter than I’d have thought, but yeah. W-wait, there’s something else I’d like to give you. The Jungle Fever II, a party after the TJUN 600. Y-you’re invited! Well, everyone is, but so are you. A-are you planning to go?
RD: For sure, that sounds like a ton of fun! Alright, I’ve got to go now, I hope to stay in touch, it was nice talking to you.
MRJ: Alright, have a good day!

(this conversation has been jointly written by me and TJUN-ia, so TJUN deserves their portion of RP bonus for it, ideally :) )

[Jebslund]

Qualifying for a race had been great for Lexi. It had given her a chance to prove she could still race. It had restored some faith in her from her sponsors. The fact that she had qualified in 5th had been a great morale boost.

Unfortunately, fate, it seemed, had other plans for her.

The race had started with a very early pit costing her several positions when the safety HUD seemed to be having issues. A quick reboot had her back in the action, but not before losing a lot of ground that had to be made up quickly. And make that ground up she did, until late in the race when a spark plug failed, causing a lengthy pit and a near-DNF. How she managed to claw her way back to finish 33rd, Lexi still didn't know for sure, but she was nonetheless not happy with it. Her first full season, Lexi had made it into the Chase on points. It was clear that this season would not be a repeat of that feat.

Vanda Rosa, meanwhile, was happy to have managed to place 27th in what seemed to her to be the toughest field yet. Being in Kermania was still strange for her, especially racing underground, and she had never quite gotten used to the simulated weather and day/night cycle. Despite all that, she still managed to finish in a position that wasn't dead last, in spite of not qualifying in to any of the previous races (or indeed this one. She had been given the open charter due to there being no other requests for it.). All in all, not bad, even if it was an indication of how much she needed to improve.

Eva had mixed feelings about her 19th-place finish. On the one hand, top 20 was better than she'd been doing this season. On the other hand, it wasn't nearly good enough for her. But it was improvement. Bit by bit, the rust was flaking off.

[Filindostan]

Hana thought she would be able to break her lowly finishing streak at the Kermania Fortress Run after qualifying, but she struggled in the race. She was running in the top 20 when she spun out of the middle of the track and lost positions, finishing 26th. It was another disappointment though for Fiona as she failed to qualify again for the race and was forced to watch the race from the sidelines. With the race at Valentine Z looming, the team hopes that by Race 8, charter adjustments would enable to 00 team to qualify easier and a driver swap would not be necessary.

Rumors of a Hispinian investment group purchasing a majority stake at Badai Angin Tim have raised speculation about Itzal Lasterketa being involved in the driver swap, as they are rumored to ditch Dahon and switch to Badai Angin for the remainder of the season, which may also affect Shigeru Tsuchie and Kiki Lambosa's futures in the team.

[Saint Kanye]

Kermania Citadel, Kermania, Jebslund
The Kermania Fortress Run

"Even as we speak, our crews are already making sure that any issues we had today would get straightened out once we hit the track tomorrow."

It appears that Jeremiah Brooke's crew did a good job doing what he said they would, as the #18 climbed from thirty-first to the front pack pretty quickly, never straying too far under green, and also leading a fair amount of laps. Thea Alvarez capitalized on a great start at third and similarly found herself among the class of the field, battling with Brooke and a couple of Sherpa drivers. The last few laps came down to these two, neither of them going soft on the other, even though they're teammates. Or maybe especially because they're teammates.

"She's in my sight. Staying on her tail," Brooke told spotter Raymond Goldfarb on the radio. "He's on my tail. Trying to shake him off," was Alvarez's similar message to Naomi Hoff, Goldfarb's counterpart on the #46 camp. The two Kanyeans started pulling away from the rest of the field and encountering the backmarkers, sending them more laps down. Upon leaving Hengxing Tian behind, Goldfarb radioed to Brooke, "66 is gone, clear outside." His driver replied "Good. I'm making the pass."

Once the two were side by side, Alvarez gave Brooke a tap to prevent him from advancing. The latter fell a little behind, but responded to the former's contact by giving her the bumper to the rear. It was on. As the cliches go, the #18 and #46 kept beating and banging and swapping paint and the lead for the next few laps. White flag. Third place Rinzi Aogar Zakhilwal and his #06 were closing in, maybe hoping to steal the win from Alvarez and Brooke who were still going at it. But as it turned out, he wouldn't be able to out-Yeezie magic the Yeezies themselves. Brooke managed to pull away on the final turn and cross the line first, a little over a car length ahead of Alvarez in second and Zakhilwal a close third.

"What a day! What a lovely day!" shouted Brooke on the radio after the win. Crew chief Ben Warwick responded "Chase, here we come!" while Goldfarb added "Win number eleven, brother!" Meanwhile, Hoff told Alvarez, "It's alright, Thea. You fought hard." Crew chief Kaley Curtis said "Yeah, still a solid finish. On to Val Z!"

Sage Caldwell, the third member of GFR, also had a decent outing. Starting thirty-third, he moved up to the top 10-15 range, but had to fall behind after a spin and contact with the wall of the underground track. He recovered though and climbed up once again, eventually finishing twelfth.

The festivals in Jebslund were still in full force, so the Kanyeans decided to make the most of them before they have to leave for Valentine Z tomorrow. "Can't wait to see Lav and Daryl again," said Caldwell, referring to the team's drivers in the second tier Everlong series, which is also racing there. "There'd be lots of catching up to do." "Yeah," agreed Brooke, before continuing "I myself can't wait to see Val Z itself again. The beautiful cities, nice people, good food, you know?" Alvarez said, "I miss that steampunk place. Victoriaans Nederlands, is it? Might buy me some souvenirs from there. How about you guys?"

"Souvenirs? Well, I ain't wrecking my new house for a Valentian bed, but I wonder if they sell some huge-ass pillows separately," was Caldwell's response.

"Get me some of them pillows too then," said Brooke. "And the food. Bet a bag of cookies there would last me a couple of weeks."

Ricky Lee, having DNQed for the fifth time this season, didn't watch the race and instead flew to St. Kanye. He was just unpacking when the call from Beiyang's Xuan Tou came. The team boss said that the team is trying on new brands of tires, and that Lee would be given the charter in Vilita and Turori in two weeks if Hengxing Tian puts up another stinker in Valentine Z.

Tian really hasn't been getting results, which got Lee's hopes a little up, but he didn't need to let Tou know that. Instead, he just said "Thanks for the opportunity, Mr. Tou. I hope I don't let you down. Oh, and about the tires, if it won't be too much trouble, would you mind if I switch to Tropicorp for next week? Only they're the ones I found most reliable, even in my street racing days."

---

OFFICIAL STANDINGS: Race 4 of 26 (Kermania)

1. #18 Jeremiah Brooke (STK) (Top Kanyean driver)
2. #46 Thea Alvarez (STK)
3. #06 Rinzi Aogar Zakhilwal (SHW)
4. #11 Jenna Logan (CDG)
5. #44 Kai Qiang (SHW)
----
10. #88 Anavella Ariiki (TRP) (Top unchartered driver)
12. #3 Sage Caldwell (STK)
13. #2 Centur Tiones (VNT) (Polesitter)
15. #80 Ganglie Zhe (AFT) (Top rookie)
19. #13 Eva Kerman (JEB) (Top hometown driver)
27. #1 Vanda Rosa Cordeiro Kerman (Open charter user)
30. #14 River Suzgar (VNT) (Last week's winner)

DRIVER POINTS

▲ 1. #11 Jenna Logan (CDG) - 169
▼ 2. #7 Clarissa Samantha (VEZ) - 168
▲ 3. #44 Kai Qiang (SHW) - 162 (1W)
▲ 4. #18 Jeremiah Brooke (STK) - 153 (1W)
▼ 5. #27 Stacie Houston (CDG) - 150
----
▲ 11. #46 Thea Alvarez (STK) - 137 (1W)
▲ 23. #3 Sage Caldwell (STK) - 94

BATTLE FOR ROTY

► 1. #80 Ganglie Zhe (AFT) - 117
► 2. #40 Shigeru Ishikawa (SQR) - 98
► 3. #91 Tyler Butler (KHD) - 61
▲ 4. #05 Michael Rush (SWO) - 48
▲ 5. #55 Holly Starlight (GSM) - 43

NEXT RACE

Starlight Speedway, Nuuk, Valentine Z

PAINTJOB SCHEDULE

#3: QED Car Rentals
#18: Vylet
#46: Multiversal/Valentine Z Colors

[Sword Island]

Happy Hour on Friday was really informaly put together by the Sword Islandian teams. Kassie and Micheal both wanted track time and so went to the track for some tandem drafting practice. As the two cars locked bumpers the speedometer on Rush's helment read 209 miles per hour. He liked being the lead car in tandem situlations and Kassie was a pretty good pusher. " Ok eye in the sky lead us through here", Kassie said on the radio when they connected. "10-4", Rush responded. The thing about tandem drafting is that the lead car has to act as the eye in the sky for the pusher, and the pusher had to trust that the lead car wasn't leading them into a wall and the leader was at the mercy of the pusher so trust had to go two ways. Not before long Gordon had joined in on the fun in his #05 GoSwordIsland.com car, trying to run down the tandem but to avail. Suddenly a sliver car appeared in his rear view mirror that he recongized as Lexie Shelby's #04 Stevens machine. "Holy shit", he muttered. "Hey Gordon, want to slow down so I can't get to your bumper", she asked. Chris didn't really know what to say in this situlation. Here was his biggest rival asking if they could tandem draft. "Sure", he said as he lifted his foot a bit off the throttle, enough for Shelby to lock bumpers with him. The speed gained by this was felt immediatly has a car that had done 196 earlier in the session was now ticking along at 206 and closing on Rush and Collins. "Want to work together this weekend?", Gordon asked. "Why not", Shelby replied. It seemed Gordon had found his drafting partner, albiet one he did not fully trust. And trust is the key to the two car tango.

[Newmanistan]

Qualifying: Starlight Speedway, Holly's Delights, Nuuk, Greenland, Alanis Star (Valentine Z) (Superspeedway)
Lap Record: 48.052 sec.

Results:

NSSCRA 10
 1 #15- Anastasia Freya Yadana Aye (Valentine Z)                     48.481
 2 #44- Kai Qiang (The Sherpa Empire)                                48.492
 3 #5- Liangmei Li (Newmanistan)                                     48.612
 4 #46- Thea Alvarez (Saint Kanye)                                   48.632
 5 #78- Cocoabo #78 (Tropicorp) *Q*                                  48.696
 6 #30- Lexi Patterson (Jebslund) *Q*                                48.707
 7 #14- River 'Shark' Suzgar II (Vilita & Turori)                    48.714
 8 #0- Hana Bhe (Filindostan)                                        48.751
 9 #79- Dinggu Wang (Abanhfleft)                                     48.769
10 #41- Yraaga Gilli'i (Vilita & Turori)                             48.792
11 #64- Alfonso Mercado (TJUN-ia) *Q*                                48.819
12 #80- Ganglie Zhe (Abanhfleft) *Q*                                 48.823
13 #28- Cocoabo #28 (Tropicorp)                                      48.856
14 #06- Rinzi Aogar Zakilwal (The Sherpa Empire)                     48.875
15 #31- Gwen Tracer Allison Oxton (Valentine Z)                      48.886
16 #73- Taylor Henderson (Hapilopper)                                48.906
17 #11- Jenna Logan (Cassadaigua)                                    49.066
18 #01- Hossem Nasri (Abanhfleft) *Q*                                49.066
19 #40- Shigeru Ishikawa (Squidroidia)                               49.175
20 #2- Centur Tiones (Vilita & Turori)                               49.304
21 #05- Micheal Rush (Sword Island)                                  49.346
22 #7- Clarissa Alanis Star Samantha (Valentine Z)                   49.354
23 #88- Anavella Ariiki (Tropicorp) *Q*                              49.413
24 #91- Tyler Butler (Kohnhead)                                      49.461
25 #4- Bryan Harrison (Cassadaigua)                                  49.492
26 #81- Drake Stevenson (Hapilopper)                                 49.499
27 #18- Jeremiah Brooke (Saint Kanye)                                49.537
28 #1- Vanda Rosa Cordeiro Kerman (Jebslund) *Q*                     49.571
29 #13- Brigadegeneral Eva Kerman (Jebslund)                         49.592
30 #48- Rockii Ezis (Newmanistan) *Q*                                49.626
31 #9- Lício Granado (Lisander)                                      49.634
32 #56- Chris Holmes (Wreckeria) *Q*                                 49.695
33 #22- Matthew Conrad (Hampton Island) *Q*                          49.736
34 #8- Frank Bronson (Hapilopper) *Q*                                49.743
35 #47- Anthony Barnes (Northwest Kalactin) *Q*                      49.772
36 #6- Alex Knight (Hampton Island)                                  49.795
37 #27- Stacie Houston (Cassadaigua)                                 49.825
38 #3- Sage Caldwell (Saint Kanye)                                   49.829
39 #12- Roman Gwinnett (Xanneria)                                    49.843
40 #66- Hengxing Tian (The Northern Chinese Republic)                49.902
41 #90- Dexter Warner (Kohnhead) *Q*                                 49.964
42 #21- Tyler Linde (New Northwesteros)                              49.985
43 #23- James McCurty (Hampton Island) *Q*                           50.039
44 #97- Darnell Curry (Northwest Kalactin)                           50.183
45 #43- Tsering Chu (The Sherpa Empire)                              50.213
46 #10- Eddie Walters Jr (Xanneria)                                  50.231
47 #70- Gongming Gao (The Northern Chinese Republic) *Q*             50.270
48 #92- Thomas Delgado (Northwest Kalactin) *Q*                      50.342
49 #60- Ricky Lee (The Northern Chinese Republic) *Q*                50.452
50 #96- Mahkas Hynesohne (Vykta) *Q*                                 50.479
51 #57- Gordon Orton (Appalachian Nation)                            50.677
52 #76- Jolyn Maxine Helen Ceeta (Garden at 6th Mile Road) *Q*       50.746 <--- In race, uses open charter
53 #35- Kassie Collins (Sword Island) *Q*                            50.822
54 #54- Scott Hawking (Wreckeria)                                    50.932
55 #00- Fiona Sunarya (Filindostan) *Q*                              50.961
56 #87- Layla Diamantriov (Twicetagram and JYPe)                     51.021
57 #51- Tex Crazy (Kriegiersien) *Q*                                 51.039
58 #29- Shigeru Tsuchie (Hispinas)                                   51.051
59 #07- Michael Stefan (TJUN-ia)                                     51.178
60 #77- Depp Jones (Kriegiersien)                                    51.210
61 #52- Lee Shera (Kriegiersien) *Q*                                 51.252
62 #20- Dail Bernze-Hahdt (Vykta) *Q*                                51.279
63 #25- Ahron Ahndreus (Vykta)                                       51.431
64 #84- Claude Dzibaiyev (Twicetagram and JYPe) *Q*                  51.619
65 #55- Holly Aurora Lapia Starlight (Garden at 6th Mile Road)       52.035

Qualifying: Starlight Speedway, Holly's Delights, Nuuk, Greenland, Alanis Star (Valentine Z) (Superspeedway)
Lap Record: 48.052 sec.

EverLong Contenders Series
 1 #19- Pyotr Lavrentiev (Saint Kanye)                              48.882
 2 #39- Rustam Ilyich Yudin (Abanhfleft)                            48.952
 3 #20- Daryl Calhoun (Saint Kanye)                                 48.979
 4 #98- Jixaka Motorai (Tropicorp)                                  49.003
 5 #0- Tadashi Mitsubishi (Filindostan)                             49.037
 6 #03- Maddison Riley-Jones (TJUN-ia)                              49.237
 7 #71- Barnabas Mate (Filindostan)                                 49.253
 8 #17- Chelsea Taylor (Cassadaigua)                                49.265
 9 #10- Valkyrie Valentijn Samantha Constantine (Valentine Z)       49.288
10 #05- Chris Gordon (Sword Island)                                 49.311
11 #04- Lexie Shelby (Sword Island)                                 49.341
12 #77- Al Shelton (Hapilopper)                                     49.373
13 #27- Maddie Alexander (Cassadaigua)                              49.533
14 #49- Lotara Novorali (Vilita & Turori)                           49.610
15 #47- Edmund Flanders (Hapilopper)                                49.615
16 #97- Robin Dragonovic (South Newlandia)                          49.778
17 #16- Tucker Capps (Xanneria)                                     50.050
18 #25- Paul Nystrom (New Northwesteros)                            50.099
19 #93- Tim Lateman (Kohnhead)                                      50.138
20 #26- Mor Holstein (Lisander)                                     50.751
21 #22- Jason Carrigan (Hampton Island)                             50.835
22 #1- Jupiter Cosmos (Space)                                       50.944
23 #24- Kevin Daniels (Newmanistan)                                 51.113
24 #15- Harrison Cooper (Appalachian Nation)                        51.165
25 #5- Travis Barkley (Newmanistan)                                 51.214
26 #37- Cocoabo #37 (Tropicorp)                                     51.233
27 #4- Jessica Reagan (United Pink States)                          51.337
28 #70- Astigar Armendaritze (Hispinas)                             51.357
29 #23- David Clarke (Sultanate of Oontaz)                          51.559
30 #99- Jelan Ozoemena (Banija)                                     51.578
31 #75- Kiki Lambosa (Hispinas)                                     51.611
32 #41- Turakki Mayelli (Vilita & Turori)                           51.663
33 #11- Martin Finney (United Pink States)                          51.669
34 #40- Agata Kosaryova (Sultanate of Oontaz)                       51.722
35 #32- Andrew Holden (Lisander)                                    51.766

(Minimum Time to avoid DNF: 51.600 sec)

EverLong Contenders Series
 1 #10- Valkyrie Valentijn Samantha Constantine (Valentine Z)       48.643 WINNER
 2 #19- Pyotr Lavrentiev (Saint Kanye)                              48.653
 3 #37- Cocoabo #37 (Tropicorp)                                     48.839
 4 #04- Lexie Shelby (Sword Island)                                 48.851
 5 #77- Al Shelton (Hapilopper)                                     48.876
 6 #71- Barnabas Mate (Filindostan)                                 48.908
 7 #97- Robin Dragonovic (South Newlandia)                          49.081
 8 #93- Tim Lateman (Kohnhead)                                      49.124
 9 #0- Tadashi Mitsubishi (Filindostan)                             49.181
10 #05- Chris Gordon (Sword Island)                                 49.182
11 #17- Chelsea Taylor (Cassadaigua)                                49.299
12 #16- Tucker Capps (Xanneria)                                     49.340
13 #41- Turakki Mayelli (Vilita & Turori)                           49.347
14 #27- Maddie Alexander (Cassadaigua)                              49.349
15 #20- Daryl Calhoun (Saint Kanye)                                 49.376
16 #49- Lotara Novorali (Vilita & Turori)                           49.486
17 #39- Rustam Ilyich Yudin (Abanhfleft)                            49.797
18 #47- Edmund Flanders (Hapilopper)                                49.981
19 #22- Jason Carrigan (Hampton Island)                             50.354
20 #25- Paul Nystrom (New Northwesteros)                            50.357
21 #1- Jupiter Cosmos (Space)                                       50.481
22 #98- Jixaka Motorai (Tropicorp)                                  50.499
23 #24- Kevin Daniels (Newmanistan)                                 50.520
24 #26- Mor Holstein (Lisander)                                     50.762
25 #03- Maddison Riley-Jones (TJUN-ia)                              50.811
26 #99- Jelan Ozoemena (Banija)                                     50.816
27 #5- Travis Barkley (Newmanistan)                                 51.179
28 #15- Harrison Cooper (Appalachian Nation)                        51.384
29 #70- Astigar Armendaritze (Hispinas)                             51.413
30 #40- Agata Kosaryova (Sultanate of Oontaz)                       51.508
31 #11- Martin Finney (United Pink States)                          51.540
32 #75- Kiki Lambosa (Hispinas)                                     51.574
33 #4- Jessica Reagan (United Pink States)                          51.579
34 #23- David Clarke (Sultanate of Oontaz)                          51.746 DNF
35 #32- Andrew Holden (Lisander)                                    51.813 DNF

Point Standings (After 5 Races):

+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+-----+
|    |                  EverLong Contenders Series                  |     |
+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+-----+
|  1 | #10- Valkyrie Valentijn Samantha Constantine (Valentine Z)** | 147 |
|  2 | #27- Maddie Alexander (Cassadaigua)                          | 144 |
|  3 | #05- Chris Gordon (Sword Island)                             | 144 |
|  4 | #77- Al Shelton (Hapilopper)                                 | 138 |
|  5 | #17- Chelsea Taylor (Cassadaigua)                            | 137 |
|  6 | #97- Robin Dragonovic (South Newlandia)                      | 134 |
|  7 | #93- Tim Lateman (Kohnhead)                                  | 133 |
|  8 | #03- Maddison Riley-Jones (TJUN-ia)*                         | 132 |
|  9 | #16- Tucker Capps (Xanneria)*                                | 130 |
| 10 | #04- Lexie Shelby (Sword Island)                             | 124 |
| 11 | #19- Pyotr Lavrentiev (Saint Kanye)                          | 124 |
| 12 | #20- Daryl Calhoun (Saint Kanye)                             | 123 |
| 13 | #37- Cocoabo #37 (Tropicorp)                                 | 117 |
| 14 | #41- Turakki Mayelli (Vilita & Turori)                       | 113 |
| 15 | #49- Lotara Novorali (Vilita & Turori)*                      | 111 |
| 16 | #99- Jelan Ozoemena (Banija)                                 | 111 |
| 17 | #22- Jason Carrigan (Hampton Island)                         | 108 |
| 18 | #98- Jixaka Motorai (Tropicorp)                              | 102 |
| 19 | #71- Barnabas Mate (Filindostan)                             |  86 |
| 20 | #0- Tadashi Mitsubishi (Filindostan)                         |  86 |
| 21 | #47- Edmund Flanders (Hapilopper)                            |  83 |
| 22 | #39- Rustam Ilyich Yudin (Abanhfleft)                        |  81 |
| 23 | #24- Kevin Daniels (Newmanistan)                             |  78 |
| 24 | #5- Travis Barkley (Newmanistan)                             |  56 |
| 25 | #15- Harrison Cooper (Appalachian Nation)                    |  50 |
| 26 | #26- Mor Holstein (Lisander)                                 |  49 |
| 27 | #32- Andrew Holden (Lisander)                                |  47 |
| 28 | #25- Paul Nystrom (New Northwesteros)                        |  43 |
| 29 | #0- Mercy Binayas (Filindostan)                              |  42 |
| 30 | #70- Astigar Armendaritze (Hispinas)                         |  41 |
| 31 | #1- Jupiter Cosmos (Space)                                   |  39 |
| 32 | #40- Agata Kosaryova (Sultanate of Oontaz)                   |  37 |
| 33 | #11- Martin Finney (United Pink States)                      |  36 |
| 34 | #23- David Clarke (Sultanate of Oontaz)                      |  30 |
| 35 | #4- Jessica Reagan (United Pink States)                      |  19 |
| 36 | #75- Kiki Lambosa (Hispinas)                                 |  14 |
+----+--------------------------------------------------------------+-----+

[The Northern Chinese Republic]

Having different drivers requesting different tires was a small extra hassle for Xuan Tou. Now instead of just confirming his usual order with Solymok, he had to contact three different companies -- Solymok, Highland, and Tropicorp. Furthermore, Solymok was annoyed at being dumped, Tropicorp put him on hold for a couple of minutes because their booming business was keeping them busy, and he had to talk to a couple of different people at Highland before he got a client service rep whose English was decent. (They didn't have anyone who was fluent in Chinese.)

It would all be worth it, though, if the Beiyang team could get some better results. Tou was not convinced it would make a substantial difference, but he had to try something.

Morale was low and tempers were short because nobody was happy with how the season was going so far, but practicing with their preferred tires did seem to improve the drivers' moods. The cozy Valentian beds and ready availability of good food helped too.

Soon, the moment of truth arrived: Qualifying.

It wasn't the breakthrough they were looking for, but at least none of their cars were down at the very bottom of the results table in P 60-something. In fact, Tou thought he could make a good case that Lee or Gao deserved a charter more than Ahron Ahndreus. He made a mental note to call NSSCRA's head offices sometime in the next week and argue his case. He didn't know if anything would come of it, but it was worth a try.

He was also rattling around a couple of other ideas. The rumor about Team Blue tampering with their fuel didn't appear to be true, but Tou found himself wondering if it was possible to do something like that and get away with it. Aside from that, he wanted to have a talk with Huliang Ou and ask what the #44 team did that Beiyang wasn't doing -- legal or otherwise.

---

---

Hengxing Tian's workout routine was as much about looking good for the ladies as it was about staying sharp on the track -- but it was also a good way to burn off stress when he was frustrated. He was worried about the race tomorrow, but he still didn't want to back down from blaming the tires for his bad results. He needed to clear his head, so he decided to hit the weight room and hope the Valentians would have some equipment that was small enough for a normal-sized man to use. When he got there, he found Gongming Gao apparently doing the same thing, taking his frustration out on a workout session. Gao had some loud heavy music playing, and he made no move to turn it down when he saw that Tian had entered the room. Tian said hello and Gao returned the greeting, but it was clear from Gao's tone that he wasn't in a conversational mood.

Tian left Gao alone and focused on his own workout. He felt calmer after working up a good sweat. He hoped it would be enough to get him through tomorrow.

[Saint Kanye]

This was Pyotr Lavrentiev's response to Rustam Ilyich Yudin's DM, sent hours after the South Newlandia race.

Well, Brother Rustam, whatever's happening over in the old country, it must really be horrible. We may be out, as well as our immediate families, but what about our friends? All the others we've met and known. Taras [Lakrov, the third Motorsports Ceroat member]. I have no contact with the guy, do you? Remember, no team signed him after ours folded, but I hope he still got out. I'd be happy if I suddenly saw him in a Cassadagan or a Vilita & Turori car, but for now, one's gotta hope for the best.

You know, Rustam, the horribleness of it all just makes me want to know more. You said yourself that hardly any news is coming out, which makes it all the much harder, but even just a tiny mention of Ceroat online gets me staying up all night going down a rabbithole. Would you believe that I kinda get frustrated when it all ends up being articles about me or you? As for the Movement, it does look like a noble cause. I only started using the hashtag because you did, and I believed in it, but yes, now I know what it means, and I wholeheartedly support it. Do you or your brother perhaps have a contact with them? I'd like to donate a portion of my race winnings, maybe even ask if I could give them free advertising on my car (and maybe yours).

I definitely will be back for our friends and other family members when (or rather if) things get better, but for now, St. Kanye is my home. I hold dual citizenship now anyway. Do you?

Stay safe, good luck, and for a united Ceroat.

---

A hotel in Nuuk, Valentine Z
Tuesday morning

The GFR quintet (main series trio + Everlong duo) were sitting around a table at the dining room of their hotel. After a good night's rest on their humongous Valentian beds, they all woke up feeling stoked for a day of sightseeing around the place where everything is bigger. It was the middle of the Valentian winter, and the temperatures were reaching fifty below zero, but the race will be held in a heated indoors dome anyway and the Yeezies were sufflciently bundled up.

"Man, this is like South Newlandia, but in reverse," commented Daryl Calhoun. "Did you know that drivers can overheat too, like race cars? I was so close to having a heat stroke at the end of the race there." Calhoun poured himself a cup of coffee, which both he and Thea Alvarez start their day with. "So what's our plans for today, anyway?"

"I don't know about you or Lav, but I'll be checking out the museum," answered Sage Caldwell, who was starting on the bowl of seafood ramen he ordered. "Thea's going to the steampunk place because apparently she's a huge fan of the aesthetic from all the novels she read. And Jeremiah, well...."

"I'm going to Vostrov. My sponsors are there," said Jeremiah Brooke, who was also having ramen for breakfast, but in pork. Pencurve Electronics and internet service provider Vylet were hoping to partner with Valentian scientists and engineers and ask for their help and guidance in improving their products and services. "Then of course I'll be meeting up with Stacie-boo, wherever she planned on hanging out." Alvarez giggled at the mention of Brooke's pet name for Stacie Houston.

"Heard you two had a fierce battle last Sunday," Calhoun said, referring to both Alvarez and Brooke. "How was it?" The latter responded, "Oh, I'm being interviewed now? Well, those last few laps got my heart all pumping. From the moment we passed Rinzi and started running one and two, you can tell it's gonna be intense. Bam bam bam." Brooke used two sugar packets to illustrate the contact between the two of them in the end. "Thea made me bust my ass for that win." Alvarez added, "Yeah. If only channeling my inner goddess worked like it did in Lannisburg."

"Inner goddess?" asked a confused Caldwell. "Wait, what?"

Alvarez looked annoyed at her companions not understanding her reference. "It's from Blue Flag Report."

Blank stares from the Everlong boys.

"Some WGPC thing. I see it from time to time when I'm checking out how Goita did."

"Finally, someone who gets it. Thank you, Jeremiah. Wait, Lav, what are you doing?"

"What?" Pyotr Lavrentiev was pouring himself a glass of whisky. "In Ceroat, people warm up during the winter months with booze. Besides, it's not like the race is today."

---

Starlight Speedway, Nuuk, Valentine Z
The Everlong race

It seemed like the next few days flew by in an instant. The Yeezies toured different places, took many photos, bought many souvenirs, ate lots of food. There was even a snowball fight, in which the main series drivers were defeated by the second tier guys with some help from a passing Tyler Linde. Of course, practice on the simulator and the track was not forgotten. Suddenly, it's Saturday, and the Everlong Contenders Series is back racing. Calhoun would be starting an impressive third, and who would be in front of him but the two Ceroat-born drivers, Yudin in second and Lav earning his second pole of the season. Among the numerous fans in attendance are the main GFR trio. Valentine Z's imposing leader Valentijn was not watching like he did during the NSSCRA's previous visits to his country, but only because he (now she - don't ask) is also participating in the race.

The GFR duo did a great job protecting their place up front as the race went on. However, midway through, Calhoun tried to dodge the disabled purple and orange 32 of Andrew Holden, but hit another car and damaged his front left fender in the process. This caused him to spend more time at the pits for repairs, though he would regain some of the positions he lost, ending up fifteenth. Lav, on the other hand, led coming to the white flag, but got loose on turn four, allowing Valentijn to catch up and then beat him to the start/finish line by just a hundredth of a second.

Lav looked small at the podium, which was not helped by the fact that Valentijn was standing at the highest step. Though it was a close loss, it was a new career best, and so he was still smiling for the cameras. Calhoun, Brooke, Caldwell and Alvarez came out to congratulate him. They decided to go back to sightseeing later, but first, the main trio have to qualify for their own race.

Brooke qualified twenty-seventh and Caldwell thirty-second, and a plan to get closer to each other and tandem draft was hatched. Alvarez channeled her inner goddess during the trials, and will be starting fourth. Jolyn Caulfield will be making her first appearance of the season, taking the open charter and rolling off the grid in thirty-ninth, while her fellow Team G6 driver Holly Starlight will be, perhaps not so delightfully, at the tail end of the field. Chris Holmes and Kanyean-born driver for the Beiyang factory team Ricky Lee earn their fifth DNQ in five points races (sixth in six including the Exhibition). But perhaps the biggest surprise of all is Hapilopper's Frank Bronson. He's sitting ninth in points, but will likely tumble down. Bronson doesn't have a charter, and given his poor qualifying result, he'll have to sit this race out.

Lee couldn't catch a break, even with some extra training in St. Kanye and his car being outfitted with Tropicorp tires as per his request. He's getting the team's charter next week if Hengxing Tian performs poorly, but what if Tian picks this week to get unexpectedly good? If not though, that's still just one of three appearances before the midway point of the season accounted for. The issue with AutoRealm is still not resolved. Gosh, what a rough start it is to Lee's NSSCRA career.

Back home it is, then.

[Squidroidia]

Some called it the biggest dome in all of professional sports - The Starlight Speedway was in the middle of a frozen tundra but its special domed roof off in the middle of Greenland made sure nobody had to worry about frozen tires or cars. The journey to get the cars onto the track? It was anything but hot. As the haulers made their way from the airport to the speedway, they were on thin ice - One slipup and their haulers, as well as all the valuables, would be frozen under the frigid air of Greenland, putting the teams who suffered this unlucky fate out of commission for the weekend. Luckily the Valentinians were very helpful and no major incidents were reported.

Once inside the heated dome, however, all the gloves and jackets were nothing more than heat traps. Mr. Ishikawa soon got back to his normal racing attire and looked around at the 2.78 mile track. It wasn't as huge as Tundra Falls, in fact some people around the #40 team joked that they could fit Starlight Speedway into the Proving Grounds.* But still, it was a track out in the middle of nowhere, thankfully it was a track good enough to race at. Before the Everlong race, the 65 car field finished their setups, including the superspeedway car** that Ishikawa was running.

Once strapped into his hunk of Inklingcraft sheet metal, qualifying began. He was waiting for the times to come in from other drivers - Mainly the backmarkers and some non-charters, although his crew chief Hanzou Yukimura did report on stuff going down.

"Bad time for Michael Stefan in that Jag #07."

"Sage Caldwell does not look good in that #3 car."

"Great time by Lexi Patterson! Nearly got pole!"

"Rookie of the Year leader Zhe got himself a lock for the race."

Before long Shigeru had to warm up his car in preparation for a hot lap around the track. Like all courses on the schedule, the warmup lap was key to get the best time on the track. He had learned a lot from Tundra Falls - Keep the tires hot for the hot lap and do not cool them down. Once he completed his warm-up lap, Shigeru burst out of the gate, making sure to follow the racing line as much as he could. The result? 19th on the grid for the race. This car was actually good! Not River 'Shark' good, that would be great. Just a good car! Hopefully he'll do good at the race tomorrow...

---

*When the Talladega Superspeedway opened in 1969, some people, including the King himself, Richard Petty, joked that the track was so humongous that the Daytona International Speedway could fit inside the infield of Talladega.

**In NASCAR, teams have different cars for different tracks that a team uses throughout the season. Superspeedway cars are used during the Daytona and Talladega events, road course cars are used for traditional road courses, short track cars are used for short tracks like Bristol and Martinsville and speedway cars are used for every other track. In Indycar this system is used too, with oval cars used for events from Texas and Gateway all the way up to the Indy 500, while road course cars are used in tracks like Mid-Ohio and Road America.

[Hapilopper]

Starlight Speedway, Holly's Delights, Nuuk, Greenland, Alanis Star
Following qualifying for the NSSCRA race
“Sit tight, Bronson. We’re going to fix this.”

Following qualifying at Starlight Speedway, Frank Bronson was on the outside looking in. Officially, he had failed to qualify for the NSSCRA race – a massive disappointment, given that he was 9th in points, but it was bound to happen eventually. Team Blue had only been granted two charters for their three teams, and eventually, Frank, who was planning on retiring at the end of the season anyway, was relegated to running without a charter. Team Blue was none the least bit pleased with it, but given NSSCRA’s rules, there was nothing they could do.

This had been an eventuality, though, and Team Blue had prepared a backup plan. So had Preston Autos, who had another car in the field, the car belonging to Scott Hawking from Wreckeria, who had qualified 54th fastest, and was slated to start 40th the next day. With that in mind, representatives from both Team Blue and from Preston Autos went straight to the Hawking-Byrd hauler to cut a deal with Scott Hawking.

The deal? Essentially speaking, Scott Hawking would give up his car, and Frank Bronson would drive it. Sponsor logos would be changed out, and the car would probably start in the back of the field, depending on NSSCRA rules, or if the NSSCRA would even approve it, something that nobody knew at the time. But all that Team Blue and Preston Autos knew was that for the sake of their sponsors, and for the sake of Frank’s championship hopes, he had to be in the starting field, period.

For a couple of hours, Amanda McAlister, team principal for Team Blue, as well as Scott Hawking and Chet Byrd from Hawking-Byrd, and representatives from sponsors Warner Hall Pizza and Hapilopper Airlines discussed the matter. The Hawking-Byrd team wanted something in return for Scott withdrawing himself from the field. Team Blue, as well as Preston Autos, offered more factory support. To Scott, that sounded great, but to Chet, it wasn’t enough.

Chet had still felt a little bit of bad feelings towards Team Blue after being let go a year before following comments made during the Jungle Fever Party in TJUN-ia, where he called the NSSCRA’s lady racers “little dumplings.” Chet wanted a public apology from the team, and space in the Team Blue Center for Hawking-Byrd to work.

Amanda looked at Chet like he was out of his mind.

“I’m not granting you that,” Amanda said.

“Then we have no deal,” Chet replied. “I’m not going to play second fiddle to you guys. Get out of here.”

Scott, meanwhile, shook his head. This could be the chance for his little race team to get a leg up on the competition.

“I think we can discuss a few matters, still, Amanda,” Scott interjected. “I mean, I think this could present a great opportunity for both of us. I’m not opposed to putting Frank in my car, but there are some things that we’d like in return if we’re going to put Frank in the car.”

“We’re not apologizing to Chet Byrd,” Amanda said. “There were things that happened that we needed to do because sponsors were threatening to pull out. HapiCorp Bank was threatening to pull out. We have to cover ourselves if someone misbehaves and makes ourselves look bad. We dropped Chet because we were told to.”

“I got another question,” Chet asked, almost interrupting. This was an opportunity for him. “I’ll be willing to give the seat up… if you let us inspect your fuel cans. I heard a Mr. O’Loppa was talking about them. What was that thing you put in the cans, was it an octane booster? Or was it some kind of nitrous blend?”

Scott looked over at Chet. So did Amanda. Her eyes went wide.

“I had been talking to Mr. O’Loppa, and I was trying to remember what you guys put in those fuel cans, but I couldn’t remember for sure, was it…”

“You piece of SHIT!” Amanda snapped. “I’ve spent the last two weeks trying to explain to my sponsors that that’s not what we do! We don’t use anything in our fuel! And you’re the one?”

“Shouldn’t have fired me,” Chet responded, no change of expression present in his voice. “You know, regardless of whether or not it’s true, it’s nice…”

“Hold on a second,” interrupted Trevor Baker, a representative from Preston Autos. “Are you telling me you intentionally spread that rumor about one of our teams because you were pissed off about them firing you? And it was false?”

“Well, shouldn’t have fired me,” Chet said unapologetically.

“No, that’s not how this works,” Trevor interrupted again. “We’re going to talk about this in the future. But if that’s the case, you’re going to call up Mr. O’Loppa NOW and issue a retraction, and we’re putting Frank in the 54, regardless of if you want it or not. PERIOD.”

“Excuse me, you don’t tell me what to do!” Chet snapped.

“Fine,” Trevor responded. “I’ll give Shawn Hammer a call and tell him we’re cutting support for Hawking-Byrd completely.”

“So you’re going to blackmail us?” Chet asked.

“We’ll take the deal,” Scott interrupted. “We’ll put Frank in the 54. We’ll get the decals changed over right now, and if NSSCRA says we can’t…”

“If NSSCRA says we can’t, just keep the decals on the car,” Amanda interrupted. “And then I’ll tell Hapilopper Airlines and our other sponsors to send the check to you for the race.”

Meanwhile, Frank Bronson was back in the Team Blue Center, being comforted by Drake Stevenson about having failed to qualify. He had competed in every NSSCRA race since Season 8, even in spite of injuries (like in Season 9) and some growing pains (in the start of the 8th season), and couldn’t bear to sit around in the freezing cold in Nuuk watching a race he was not in. If he wasn’t going to race, he wanted to get the hell back to Hapilopper City as quickly as possible.

As he started accepting the reality that he would not be racing the next day, Amanda McAlister and Trevor Baker returned to the Team Blue Center with some news: Frank Bronson would indeed be racing on race day, driving Scott Hawking’s 54 car. The sponsors would be transferred over to the 54 car, and a number of parts and pieces specific to Team Blue would be put into Scott’s 54 car.

A few hours later, as Team Blue and Hawking-Byrd were working on the 54 car, a twii came out from Hap O’Loppa, that appeared to retract that article.

Drake Stevenson and Taylor Henderson, watching a local news show, both got the twii at the same time and looked at each other.

HAP O'LOPPA

@HCH-OLoppa

A retraction: Just heard from my source. There was no fuel tampering of any kind from Team Blue.

#NSSCRA : #Cheating

“Did anyone ever say who the source was?” Taylor asked.

“Pretty sure it was Holmes, but I never…”

“It was Chet Byrd,” Amanda McAlister said, overhearing the two. “Chet admitted it in a meeting today after Frank failed to qualify. He was stonewalling us and Preston pretty much told him that they were going to pull the team’s support because of it, unless they let Frank drive the car. Last time I saw, Scott was reading Chet the riot act.”

“Good,” Drake replied. “That’s a really shitty thing to do.”

[Abanhfleft]

In many ways, the Starlight Speedway was similar to some of the racetracks in Abanhfleft located in the colder parts of the country, specifically those on the Antarctic mainland. It felt just like being back in the likes of Norrdnhammr, Kimmirut, and even Uranium City. Sure, everyone in the UrGa garage wore their thickest parkas, but because they had experience racing in these kinds of conditions, nobody was really that concerned about the conditions just yet.

None except Dinggu Wang, that is. Like most, if not all Chinese from the Chinese Territories of the Sherpa Empire, Wang simply didn't know how to deal with these kinds of cold temperatures. He had resorted to wearing his firesuit underneath his parka as well as turned the garage thermostat up to its hottest setting, but he could still the cold biting through to his fingers. Wang also thought about slipping on an additional pair of gloves over the ones he already wore, but he decided against it because he still wanted to have some movement in his fingers for turning the steering wheel and shifting up and down gears. How was he supposed to be able to focus on the race or even just qualifying when his body was telling him that he was still not yet warm enough to even consider thinking about other things? Oh well. More time in the simulator never hurt anyone. Also, there should be some more heat coming off of the simulator rig, so that could help Wang warm up in both senses of the term. At least the race itself would take place inside a heated venue. That was about the only consolation Wang had about this place.

Another man who was holding up much better under the circumstances anyway was Ganglie Zhe, the rookie driver who was exceeding all expectations for him in UrGa. Zhe had been born in Pridnestrovia after all, and while winters there never got as cold as -40 to -50 degrees, he still had experience in cold conditions. Hence why he stuck out like a sore thumb among the rest of the UrGa garage with his jacket, which was noticeably thinner than the parkas everyone else wore.

"Hey, Lee!" Leonidas Baxter called out. Zhe turned around and recognized Leo, and they embraced each other in greeting. "What's it feel like to be an actual NSSCRA driver now?"

"Oh, man," Zhe replied. "Still feels like I'm in a dream, except I don't wanna wake up. I mean, who would've thought? Started off as a wheel gunner for UrGa, then I went to be your spotter, and now I'm an actual driver for UrGa now."

"Not just a driver, Lee," Leo reminded him. "You're also leading the race for Rookie of the Year."

"Oh, man," Zhe repeated. "Like I said, man. Never in even my wildest dreams did I think that this would happen at all." Zhe went silent for a moment, and then he looked at Leo and said, "Thanks again, man. I know I've already thanked you probably a million times already, but I just literally cannot than you enough, Leo. I've always wanted to become a racecar driver, but I just didn't have the balls to say so to anyone, maybe even myself, until you gave me that chance in that XCAR race."

"Funny you should say that, Lee," Leo said. "Because if I hadn't seen you in my car that one time... I can't remember when was it, but you know what I'm talking about, right? If I hadn't seen you in my car, had that talk about you wanting to be in a racecar even just once, well, who knows where we'd be right now? Where you would be right now? Who knows, maybe UrGa would have had to go into this season with only Sheikh Rattle and Roll over there as Mr. Wang's backup!"

"Yeah, speaking of Hossem," Zhe added, "where did he find that pace all of a sudden? Sure, he's been in and out of the must-qualifies but where did he pull that 15th place qualifier for the Exhibition? You don't just go to that from being a backmarker back in ARTS."

"I dunno, man," Leo shrugged. "Maybe he took a leaf out of the Haps and Got Good, you know what I mean?" he said with a wink, referring to the infamous marketing campaign by Good Oil from Hapilopper telling everyone else to "Get Good!"

"Anyway, don't let me stop you from working on the race," Leo said. "Not that you don't need the practice anyway, but you never know, right? Oh, and please don't start no twii.tur war like the previous Rookie of the Year, will ya?"

"Oh, no, no," Zhe shook his head. "I'm not brave enough to go on social media, let alone start a twii.tur war. Speaking of twii.tur though, you saw Gil picking a fight with that Hodori blogger?"

"Yeah, that's because that blogger said she hoped both Prestons would crash in Hapilopper in the WGPC," Leo said. "And Gil's kid William is in one of those Prestons, so of course Gil just had to lay down the law and let her know what's what."

Ganglie Zhe shook his head. "Like I said, I'm not brave enough for social media."

---

RUSTAM ILYICH YUDIN

@39YudinRustamIlyich

It was nice to start in front w/ @CeroatLav but sadly I can't join you on the podium 2day. But one day we will brother!


#NSSCRA : #EverlongSeries : #StarlightSpeedway : #ForAUnitedCeroat

Rustam also sent a DM to Pyotr Lavrentiev before the Everlong Series arrived at the Starlight Speedway for their support race.

I've got dual citizenship as well, Pyotr. Would you believe that the president of Abanhfleft himself actually told me he would take care of my application? Turns out Guillermo Archer was a notable contributor during Matthias Green's presidential campaign, which is how Mr. Archer knows the current Fleftic president. Mr. Archer also happens to know the Senator for Effelenendro, who then proposed the bill that would streamline my citizenship application. Now I've got both my old Ceroatian passport and a brand new shiny Fleftic one, but technically I'm still driving under my Ceroatian one for NSSCRA. I'm still glad to know that you've got dual citizenship of your own. And I agree with you about the last part. Me and my family are currently settled here in Abanhfleft, but once we have the chance to return to Ceroat and live there safely, we will.

I do have some news about Taras, but whether it's good news or not, I will leave up to you. Taras had told me that he wanted to go back to Ceroat after our team was dissolved to take a mental break, which he did before the whole country went silent. Like everyone else still in Ceroat, there's no news at all about Taras, but I did see talk and rumors that Taras is now part of the Movement For a United Ceroat, maybe even a high-ranking leader. Nothing has been confirmed of course, but if it is true, at least Taras didn't fall victim to the chaos in the country.

About reaching out to the movement and donating, brother. Sadly, neither my brother nor I actually know anyone who is part of the movement. I know about the movement; I just don't know anyone who is part of it. Doesn't mean I haven't been trying though. I've been talking to some of our friends who managed to get out of the country as well like Eddie and Harriet to see if they can get me in touch with someone who is actually in the movement, but they tell me it's going to be difficult because like news, it's hard for anyone to communicate from inside Ceroat, at least when using the Internet. They're making some progress through Morse code, but communications is still not regular. At least we're making progress. The fight may be a long one, but at least there is finally a fight for Ceroat.

Stay safe, Pyotr, and good luck in the race in Alanis Star.

[TJUN-ia]

This blog was written by Derrick Carlisle, Jaguar Racing's Social Media Manager

Welcome to Greenland! Yes, Greenland - but with no Ice Climbers to be seen! Were in Alanis Star, an autonomous region of everyone favourite nation of giants: Valentine Z! I know what you're thinking: how can they host a race in the frozen wastelands? Simple: Starlight Speedway in Nuuk is protected by a massive dome which ensures that drivers won't be exposed to the freezing cold whilst on track. An ingenious solution and, as the first race weekend since Tundra Falls where both T1 and T2 are at the same track, we have a lot of action to cover here in the THUNDERDOME!

Let's start with a wacky qualifying in Tier 1 where JR was hoping to continue the good form in the lead up to the TJUN 600 and, more importantly, Jungle Fever II. But qualifying for the T1 guys would be a case of 2 drivers. Alfonso Mercado (@AM64) was once again on fire out there. He seems to be improving from race to race and although his time was only good enough for 4th among the non-charters, that was still good enough to see #64 end up 11th for tomorrow's race, sharing Row 6 with Ganglie Zhe. Cocoabo #78 (5th) and Lexi Patterson (6th) were too hot to handle here, while Hossem Nasri (18th) and Anavella Ariiki (23rd) completed the non-charter lineup. Yes, no Frank Bronson to be seen, but with rumours circulating that he may race in Scott Hawking's car for tomorrow if NSSCRA approves, we may need to watch this space.

As for Michael Stefan (@Stefan07) things...didn't go to plan, shall we say. No one knows for sure how it happened, but Stefan was reporting some issues during his lap and will start tomorrow in 43rd. Forty-Third. It's strange to see a driver a brilliant as Micky so far down the grid but I'm not worried just yet. Jeremiah Brooke won the last race from 30th or something like that so a Stefan comeback tomorrow isn't entirely out of the question. Pole was taken by Anastasia Freya Yadana Aye, the home racer beating Kai Qiang and Liangmei Li (been a while since we saw both of them together...) to the top spot today. Jenna Logan, the current points leader, will start in 17th, one row ahead of 19th Shigeru Ishikawa and Jolyn Maxine Helen Ceeta, or Jolyn Caulfield to you WGPC fans, will be the open charter in 39th.

As for Contenders here in Nuuk, it wasn't really fun for Maddison Riley-Jones (@MaddyRJ03) either. The spirit of Ceroat certainly rose again in qualifying as Pyotr Lavrentiev took pole ahead of Rustam Ilyich Yudin, both now racing for Saint Kanye and Abanhfleft respectively. Maddy would be staring in P6 for this affair but once the racing started, things started to go downhill. Her car just wasn't having it out there, no matter what she tried, and she would slump to 25th come the end of the race. With Valkyrie Valentijn Samantha Constantine taking his 2nd win at home, just ahead of pole-man Lavrentiev and Cocoabo #37, they now lead the standings overall. Maddy slumped down to 8th after today, just behind Tim Lateman and Robin Dragonovic. She's already in the chase, but it just wasn't her day today.

Next time will be an interesting T1 race here in Nuuk but before I go, I think I may have been right about who the mysterious source to Hap O'Loppa was. I mentioned the potential of Frank Bronson starting tomorrow and I think that helped reveal the identity of the leaker because as soon as the Preston guys left Hawking-Bryd, Hap sends a twii not that far after retracting his accusations of cheating in Team Blue. Now, I'm not going to gloat over my accurate call, but I will use this opportunity to tell everyone a lesson that must be learned from this whole ordeal: don't assume that everything against Team Blue was due to Chris Holmes. Like, come on! Leave the guy alone! He's been through enough already without the entire racing community thinking he's a dirty pot-stirrer! Let the man race in peace already!

---

Current Standings: (T1) #07 - 28th (86pts)/#64 - 31st (55pts)/(T2) #03 - 2nd (121pts)
Next T1 Race: Starlight Speedway, Holly's Delights, Nuuk, Greenland, Alanis Star, Valentine Z
Next T2 Race: Starlight Speedway, Holly's Delights, Nuuk, Greenland, Alanis Star, Valentine Z
(Updated on Sundays to avoid confusion)

---

She sat in the team garage with no joy at all, despite the best efforts of everyone around her. Maddy just couldn't shake off the feeling of remorse after what she did out there on Starlight Speedway. Hse knew it wasn't her fault at all, the car just wasn't up to its best today, but even still, she was starting to question everything that had happened before the race, the win and the consistent Top 10 finishes. Was it all just a fluke? Was she just bad all along? Was she just going to faulter in the chase? Those questions were surrounding her like sharks in the water and it was making her very sad indeed.

The T1 guys were trying their best to cheer her up, but to no avail. Michael and Alfonso, desperately trying to hide how close they were to each other, were telling her that it's only one race and that she would bounce back next time but no matter hard they tried, she kept on putting herself down in her head. Both Harpa and Daniel tried as well, telling Maddy that she had already done a brilliant job so far and no matter what happened here, she would bounce back. But even then, Maddy couldn't quite belive that anymore. She didn't know what was fact and what was fiction anymore when it came to her own abilities.

Even when she fought about her meeting with Mr Dragonovic in Sun City, she didn't think she did a good job. The conversation was good and Robin was a nice guy, but Maddy felt that her nervousness got the better of her and she made a fool of herself. Robin clearly wanted to stay in touch, but how was she going to when she acted like a complete fool last time out? She just didn't know what to do anymore...maybe the next race would help?

[Filindostan]

FIONA SUNARYA ✓

@SUNARYAfin

Sorry to let you down guys, failed to qualify again.

#NSSCRA : #BadaiAngin : #GirlsWillCode

HANA BHE ✓

@HanBheZero

- -@SUNARYAfin

Your time will come, shit happens sizt.

#GoFinGo : #NSSCRA

FIONA SUNARYA ✓

@SUNARYAfin

- -@HanBheZero

Good luck in the race tomorrow, Keep slayin'!

#GoHanGo : #NSSCRA

The marketing representatives of MasayaBee are not happy with Fiona's consecutive DNQs in the main series in the #00, despite being an associate sponsor in the #0 car and their logos appearing in the car as well. The Filindo fastfood chain have signed as a majority sponsor of the #00 team, for around sixteen races, but performances like these have slowly been convincing the chain to have second thoughts about sponsoring the team for next season. Werner received a phone call asking if the MasayaBee paint scheme can be transferred to the #0 for the race, as they have learned that Descension is planning to do the same in the Girls Will Code logo replacing the Zalada logo in the latter's paint scheme should the #00 fail to qualify in races 6 to 10 where they will take over as sponsor for those races. Werner declined the request as Descension is the primary sponsor of the organization and has committed sponsor money for the race. The representative asked, "Since our logos would not be displayed for the race, could we ask another qualified team to take our sponsorship for this race? Unless you wanted Sunarya to take the place of a qualified car in the race, it would be fine as well..."

"Fine, do what you want this race, we are unable to find a willing team to have Fiona drive. You may look for one to don your colors for this race..."

"And the next races which we will sponsor Sunarya when she does not qualify."

"Uhm, we'll make sure she gets a guaranteed spot by then. Don't worry, by Race 11 it will be probably settled."

"You better make sure on that promise or we'll be out by season 11!"

"Oh... kay. Sure thing."

With the agreement, MasayaBee representatives asked several unsponsored teams if they can have their paint scheme for this race. The first team to respond will be the one to use the scheme with MasayaBee paying the sponsorship fee for the race.

Meanwhile, Badai Angin Tim would learn that a clerical error in the submitted entry list for the Contenders' Series see them fielding the #0 car for Tadashi instead of Mercy. With a quick sponsor replacement from Orion Company to Konbini 24/7, the purple #0 car qualified within the top 5, and finishing strong in 9th place, putting Tadashi up the order in the Contenders' series standings, while Mercy was forced to watch from the sidelines, with Werner promising her to give her a very competitive car in the Lao Long 380, and if she does not take the chequered flag, she will be given a race to attempt with aside from the two committed attempts later in the season.

Barney meanwhile has been running very well in the #71, qualifying 7th, and running within the top 10 nearly the entire race, finishing 6th. Finally, he is getting a good grip with the stock cars, and with a good backing and familiarity with the Solymok tyres, he hopes to snag his first win soon and make the playoffs this season in an attempt to make it to the main series someday.

Kiki in the 75 car did not finish the first four races, and despite being off the pace the whole race, he was able to finally see the chequered flag. After the race, someone pinged him about the possibility of him losing the seat if the rumored sale of the majority share of Badai Angin to Grupo Varadi is closed, with Itzal Lasterketa probably switching to Badai Angin when the deal is closed and endanger the rides of him and Shigeru.

[The Sherpa Empire]

The Sherpalanders didn't want to go out in the cold too much. They tried venturing into town once or twice, but the cold always drove them indoors and they didn't do as much as they planned. So they spent a lot of time hanging around the indoor track, tinkering with their cars, driving test laps, and slurping hot stews from the local Lhotse Love. Most of them didn't even eat at Lhotse Love that often back home, but it was the most convenient place to get warm chang -- a mildly alcoholic drink that was good for warming up on cold winter days. There were also a couple of rounds of hot drinks from Cocoa-bo -- a fact that was sure to wind up the conspiracy theorists who thought Cocoa-bo was a performance enhancing drug.

Qiang and Tsering made good use of their cozy Valentian bed. In the mornings, their crews got a little impatient because they didn't want to get out of bed. "It's just so comfortable...," Qiang said one morning as his crew chief tried to prod him out of bed.

"Yes, but we need to eat breakfast and get suited up for practice," said Houzhi Chang, the big burly crew chief.

"I don't need breakfast," said Qiang.

"Yes, you do," said Chang. "Don't you ever wonder how good you could be if you took care of yourself properly?"

Qiang rubbed his eyes groggily and reluctantly pulled the comforter back. "Ughh... I have my wives to fatten me up. I don't need you doing it too."

Getting up for practice and spending all that time tinkering in the garage paid off, though. Qiang had the second fastest lap time in qualifying, being beaten only by local driver Anastasia Freya Yadana Aye.

[Kohnhead]

Tyler Butler to start 24th with his bes qualifying performance

After two new types of tracks for Tyler Butler the main series of NSSCRA traveled to the second superspeedway of the season in Valentine Z at the Starlight Speedway. Coming off of a 34th place finish in Jebslund at his first ever road course, Tyler Butler traveled to qualifying at Starlight Speedway 30th in the points. He was ready to once again have four right turns in a lap as boring as that might seem to some.

Dexter Warner has yet to receive a point as he has yet to qualify into a race; that did not change this weekend as he finished in a respectable 41st in qualifying which was 14th best out of the non chartered drivers. The pressure is mounting on Warner to do anything this season especially with Tim Lateman doing as well as he is in the Contender's Series. Delaney has already confirmed that Kohnhead will be sending three racers to the main series next season and one to the Contender's Series even if we don't get a second charter. We will see Warner next weekend for some more short track racing this time in Vilita at the Toys '4' All 500.

Tyler Butler put up his best qualifying performance of the season on the other hand and finished in 24th behind the non chartered qualifiers meaning he will actually start in 24th on the outside of row 12 next to Anavella Ariiki from Tropicorp who got the final non chartered spot. Starting in the top 25 for the first time will hopefully give Butler a good chance for his best performance and it comes at a superspeedway a track type he has been decent at. Good to see the inexperienced rookie improving as he looks to try and continue to challenge for a fast fading rookie of the year spot with Ganglie Zhe and Shigeru Ishikawa pulling away from the rest of the rookies.


Tim Lateman was also in Valentine Z this weekend with the Contender's Series and after two straight podium finishes lots of eyes were on him to see if he could keep it up. After a dismal 19th in qualifying it looked as though this wouldn't really be possible but he did the same stuff he's done all season which is to vastly outperform his qualifying efforts with an 8th place finish in the race to boost him up two spots in the standings to 7th.

He is only 14 points off of leader Valkyrie Valentijn Samantha Constantine and only a point behind 6th place Robin Dragonovic from South Newlandia whom he has been very close to in the standings and races these past few weeks. He and Dragonovic were tied on points heading into this weekend but Dragonovic finished 7th to Lateman's 8th to pull away by a point. He also put some ground between him and safety for the chase as he is now 17 points clear of 17th place Jason Carrigan.

The Contender's Series will once again go with the main series next weekend as everyone travels to Vilita for some short track racing. In addition it is only three weeks away from when the NSSCRA reveals who the three undecided hosts of weeks 11-13 in the main series will be. The Kohnhead Racing Association is currently in talks to give us a race weekend with a Contender's Series race which is already scheduled on Saturday and a main series race on Sunday. The already scheduled race is The Kohnhead Cruises 400 and while Kohnhead Cruises wouldn't be the sponsor of the 100 miles longer Sunday race no decision has been made on who the sponsor will be. Again this is entirely unconfirmed and negotiations are currently in the process, nothing is official yet.

[Cassadaigua]

What’s Gotten Into Jenna Logan?
By Chelsea Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

At the end of the Kermania Fortress Run, the NSSCRA media would head down to victory lane to congratulate the winning driver of the race, Jeremiah Brooke. Stacie Houston’s boyfriend had run an excellent race on the underground track, and certainly earned his win. It clinches a spot in the Chase for the defending champion of the series, something that seemed like a foregone conclusion. While I was in victory lane, awaiting for Brooke to pull in and celebrate with his team so I could capture it, NSSCRA showed the updated point standings. A reporter standing next to me, who probably did not realize that I was Cassadagan, questioned, “The 11 has the point lead?” A man next to him, replied, “Jenna Logan, hardly have heard of her?” I didn’t say anything to them and would just mind my business as the 18 was about to arrive to begin the official celebrations.

So, yes, my friends. The 11 has the point lead. That would be Jenna Logan. I mean, we are a three car operation here, just like the other countries that are considered to be the better teams in the series. It is not all about Stacie Houston, and it is good to see Jenna having such a good start. Logan finished fourth in the Kermania Fortress Run, and I bet those two reporters forget that Jenna picked up her first ever NSSCRA win right here in this very race. It is way too early to get too excited over this, but it is really good to see her running so well.

The big change with the 11 in the offseason was the sponsorship. Pink Love Clothing was out, choosing to spend their sponsorship dollars elsewhere in the series. That is what they had said at the time, but I really have not seen a spot where they have opted to spend their money in place of it. They still have the advertisements that show up during the race on TV, but for the moment Pink Love has not really been a player in NSSCRA this season. They did post a loss in back to back quarters, as customers have reportedly become more interested in products from rivals. Anyway, the new sponsor, Dagan Airways, obviously has much larger pockets than does Pink Love. They are after all, the naming sponsor of the main stadium in Concord Heights, where the Fillies recently celebrated winning the World Baseball Classic. They will be having a special promotion, which I will get into at the end of this. It is possible that Dagan Airways has given more money to the 11 team, but really that money goes to Team Cassadaigua in general. I don’t really think this is a money issue or a new sponsor issue, though. At the end of the day, we have to remember that Jenna Logan is still the youngest driver on this team. Maybe right now, she is just blossoming and realizing her full potential. If you think about Jenna Logan’s season last year, it was marred by inconsistency. She would have a run like she has had in the first four races this year, but then a bad spell would keep her from being a stronger contender. That is why some people will be reserved about getting too excited about her right now. I asked Jenna Logan to describe her season, and she told me, “I feel a little more relaxed, I guess you could say. I am more comfortable going to these tracks that I have been too before. But really, I do think that I have been better than some of the numbers will show. It has been those periods where mistakes here and there caused me to not finish well, and when that happens too often, then you are not going to be a factor for making the Chase. I have to do my best to keep that from happening, and when it does inevitably happen, that we do not have a string of bad races after it. We have to be able to rebound, and that all starts with me.”

Dagan Airways has announced that they will run their “50/50” promotion for the three races beginning next week in Vilita. It will commemorate our World Cup 50 and World Baseball Classic 50 championship teams with one side of the car congratulating one team and the other side of the car congratulating the other. Soccer balls and baseballs will be present and on each side, the names of the players who played for the respective teams will be present. Dagan Airways will also be awarding 50 fans a voucher to travel anywhere in the World for $50, round trip. That will happen during each of the next three races.

[Newmanistan]

Race: Starlight Speedway, Holly's Delights, Nuuk, Greenland, Alanis Star (Valentine Z) (Superspeedway)
Lap Record: 48.052 sec.
Minimum Time to Avoid DNF- 51.650 sec.

Segment 1:

NSSCRA 10
 1 #41- Yraaga Gilli'i (Vilita & Turori)                             48.486
 2 #27- Stacie Houston (Cassadaigua)                                 48.490
 3 #44- Kai Qiang (The Sherpa Empire)                                48.491
 4 #2- Centur Tiones (Vilita & Turori)                               48.560
 5 #46- Thea Alvarez (Saint Kanye)                                   48.590
 6 #5- Liangmei Li (Newmanistan)                                     48.609
 7 #07- Michael Stefan (TJUN-ia)                                     48.640
 8 #31- Gwen Tracer Allison Oxton (Valentine Z)                      48.669
 9 #15- Anastasia Freya Yadana Aye (Valentine Z)                     48.674
10 #18- Jeremiah Brooke (Saint Kanye)                                48.688
11 #4- Bryan Harrison (Cassadaigua)                                  48.778
12 #81- Drake Stevenson (Hapilopper)                                 48.780
13 #30- Lexi Patterson (Jebslund) *Q*                                48.791
14 #88- Anavella Ariiki (Tropicorp) *Q*                              48.807
15 #73- Taylor Henderson (Hapilopper)                                48.839
16 #64- Alfonso Mercado (TJUN-ia) *Q*                                48.859
17 #78- Cocoabo #78 (Tropicorp) *Q*                                  48.882
18 #3- Sage Caldwell (Saint Kanye)                                   48.887
19 #0- Hana Bhe (Filindostan)                                        48.940
20 #80- Ganglie Zhe (Abanhfleft) *Q*                                 48.950
21 #6- Alex Knight (Hampton Island)                                  48.953
22 #01- Hossem Nasri (Abanhfleft) *Q*                                49.043
23 #66- Hengxing Tian (The Northern Chinese Republic)                49.118
24 #54- Frank Bronson (Wreckeria)                                    49.155
25 #79- Dinggu Wang (Abanhfleft)                                     49.374
26 #11- Jenna Logan (Cassadaigua)                                    49.405
27 #43- Tsering Chu (The Sherpa Empire)                              49.474
28 #28- Cocoabo #28 (Tropicorp)                                      49.488
29 #21- Tyler Linde (New Northwesteros)                              49.537
30 #14- River 'Shark' Suzgar II (Vilita & Turori)                    49.561
31 #13- Brigadegeneral Eva Kerman (Jebslund)                         49.577
32 #40- Shigeru Ishikawa (Squidroidia)                               49.647
33 #97- Darnell Curry (Northwest Kalactin)                           49.765
34 #06- Rinzi Aogar Zakilwal (The Sherpa Empire)                     49.805
35 #9- Lício Granado (Lisander)                                      49.889
36 #10- Eddie Walters Jr (Xanneria)                                  50.568
37 #7- Clarissa Alanis Star Samantha (Valentine Z)                   50.627
38 #05- Micheal Rush (Sword Island)                                  50.681
39 #55- Holly Aurora Lapia Starlight (Garden at 6th Mile Road)       50.693
40 #91- Tyler Butler (Kohnhead)                                      50.730
41 #29- Shigeru Tsuchie (Hispinas)                                   50.752
42 #57- Gordon Orton (Appalachian Nation)                            50.890
43 #76- Jolyn Maxine Helen Ceeta (Garden at 6th Mile Road) *Q*       50.894
44 #87- Layla Diamantriov (Twicetagram and JYPe)                     50.955
45 #77- Depp Jones (Kriegiersien)                                    51.390
46 #25- Ahron Ahndreus (Vykta)                                       51.396

Segment 2:

NSSCRA 10
 1 #44- Kai Qiang (The Sherpa Empire)                                48.476
 2 #27- Stacie Houston (Cassadaigua)                                 48.608
 3 #4- Bryan Harrison (Cassadaigua)                                  48.637
 4 #30- Lexi Patterson (Jebslund) *Q*                                48.648
 5 #41- Yraaga Gilli'i (Vilita & Turori)                             48.657
 6 #0- Hana Bhe (Filindostan)                                        48.658
 7 #11- Jenna Logan (Cassadaigua)                                    48.713
 8 #78- Cocoabo #78 (Tropicorp) *Q*                                  48.723
 9 #81- Drake Stevenson (Hapilopper)                                 48.756
10 #6- Alex Knight (Hampton Island)                                  48.789
11 #2- Centur Tiones (Vilita & Turori)                               48.828
12 #13- Brigadegeneral Eva Kerman (Jebslund)                         48.886
13 #64- Alfonso Mercado (TJUN-ia) *Q*                                48.930
14 #14- River 'Shark' Suzgar II (Vilita & Turori)                    48.963
15 #73- Taylor Henderson (Hapilopper)                                48.967
16 #88- Anavella Ariiki (Tropicorp) *Q*                              48.976
17 #7- Clarissa Alanis Star Samantha (Valentine Z)                   49.044
18 #46- Thea Alvarez (Saint Kanye)                                   49.111
19 #31- Gwen Tracer Allison Oxton (Valentine Z)                      49.130
20 #06- Rinzi Aogar Zakilwal (The Sherpa Empire)                     49.147
21 #43- Tsering Chu (The Sherpa Empire)                              49.188
22 #66- Hengxing Tian (The Northern Chinese Republic)                49.212
23 #10- Eddie Walters Jr (Xanneria)                                  49.234
24 #15- Anastasia Freya Yadana Aye (Valentine Z)                     49.238
25 #79- Dinggu Wang (Abanhfleft)                                     49.247
26 #91- Tyler Butler (Kohnhead)                                      49.362
27 #05- Micheal Rush (Sword Island)                                  49.391
28 #40- Shigeru Ishikawa (Squidroidia)                               49.453
29 #3- Sage Caldwell (Saint Kanye)                                   49.487
30 #01- Hossem Nasri (Abanhfleft) *Q*                                49.543
31 #07- Michael Stefan (TJUN-ia)                                     49.581
32 #28- Cocoabo #28 (Tropicorp)                                      49.597
33 #21- Tyler Linde (New Northwesteros)                              49.750
34 #76- Jolyn Maxine Helen Ceeta (Garden at 6th Mile Road) *Q*       49.834
35 #54- Frank Bronson (Wreckeria)                                    49.846
36 #5- Liangmei Li (Newmanistan)                                     49.962
37 #55- Holly Aurora Lapia Starlight (Garden at 6th Mile Road)       50.106
38 #80- Ganglie Zhe (Abanhfleft) *Q*                                 50.460
39 #57- Gordon Orton (Appalachian Nation)                            50.720
40 #29- Shigeru Tsuchie (Hispinas)                                   50.872
41 #97- Darnell Curry (Northwest Kalactin)                           50.891
42 #18- Jeremiah Brooke (Saint Kanye)                                50.900
43 #87- Layla Diamantriov (Twicetagram and JYPe)                     51.013
44 #9- Lício Granado (Lisander)                                      51.174
45 #25- Ahron Ahndreus (Vykta)                                       51.321
46 #77- Depp Jones (Kriegiersien)                                    51.781 DNF

Segment 3:

NSSCRA 10
 1 #7- Clarissa Alanis Star Samantha (Valentine Z)                   48.453
 2 #41- Yraaga Gilli'i (Vilita & Turori)                             48.500
 3 #18- Jeremiah Brooke (Saint Kanye)                                48.540
 4 #0- Hana Bhe (Filindostan)                                        48.584
 5 #30- Lexi Patterson (Jebslund) *Q*                                48.639
 6 #14- River 'Shark' Suzgar II (Vilita & Turori)                    48.765
 7 #5- Liangmei Li (Newmanistan)                                     48.789
 8 #11- Jenna Logan (Cassadaigua)                                    48.789
 9 #28- Cocoabo #28 (Tropicorp)                                      48.794
10 #46- Thea Alvarez (Saint Kanye)                                   48.898
11 #79- Dinggu Wang (Abanhfleft)                                     48.968
12 #06- Rinzi Aogar Zakilwal (The Sherpa Empire)                     49.034
13 #27- Stacie Houston (Cassadaigua)                                 49.052
14 #88- Anavella Ariiki (Tropicorp) *Q*                              49.062
15 #78- Cocoabo #78 (Tropicorp) *Q*                                  49.109
16 #54- Frank Bronson (Wreckeria)                                    49.113
17 #66- Hengxing Tian (The Northern Chinese Republic)                49.149
18 #10- Eddie Walters Jr (Xanneria)                                  49.181
19 #81- Drake Stevenson (Hapilopper)                                 49.239
20 #6- Alex Knight (Hampton Island)                                  49.239
21 #2- Centur Tiones (Vilita & Turori)                               49.248
22 #31- Gwen Tracer Allison Oxton (Valentine Z)                      49.335
23 #05- Micheal Rush (Sword Island)                                  49.409
24 #40- Shigeru Ishikawa (Squidroidia)                               49.669
25 #9- Lício Granado (Lisander)                                      49.669
26 #15- Anastasia Freya Yadana Aye (Valentine Z)                     49.706
27 #80- Ganglie Zhe (Abanhfleft) *Q*                                 49.733
28 #3- Sage Caldwell (Saint Kanye)                                   49.758
29 #76- Jolyn Maxine Helen Ceeta (Garden at 6th Mile Road) *Q*       49.759
30 #91- Tyler Butler (Kohnhead)                                      49.771
31 #44- Kai Qiang (The Sherpa Empire)                                49.969
32 #4- Bryan Harrison (Cassadaigua)                                  50.017
33 #21- Tyler Linde (New Northwesteros)                              50.112
34 #55- Holly Aurora Lapia Starlight (Garden at 6th Mile Road)       50.154
35 #07- Michael Stefan (TJUN-ia)                                     50.461
36 #73- Taylor Henderson (Hapilopper)                                50.560
37 #29- Shigeru Tsuchie (Hispinas)                                   50.631
38 #13- Brigadegeneral Eva Kerman (Jebslund)                         50.723
39 #43- Tsering Chu (The Sherpa Empire)                              50.768
40 #57- Gordon Orton (Appalachian Nation)                            50.855
41 #64- Alfonso Mercado (TJUN-ia) *Q*                                51.093
42 #01- Hossem Nasri (Abanhfleft) *Q*                                51.370
43 #97- Darnell Curry (Northwest Kalactin)                           51.547
44 #25- Ahron Ahndreus (Vykta)                                       51.615
45 #87- Layla Diamantriov (Twicetagram and JYPe)                     51.660 DNF

Segment 4:

NSSCRA 10
 1 #7- Clarissa Alanis Star Samantha (Valentine Z)                   48.483
 2 #44- Kai Qiang (The Sherpa Empire)                                48.545
 3 #0- Hana Bhe (Filindostan)                                        48.557
 4 #41- Yraaga Gilli'i (Vilita & Turori)                             48.561
 5 #06- Rinzi Aogar Zakilwal (The Sherpa Empire)                     48.573
 6 #14- River 'Shark' Suzgar II (Vilita & Turori)                    48.574
 7 #27- Stacie Houston (Cassadaigua)                                 48.576
 8 #11- Jenna Logan (Cassadaigua)                                    48.693
 9 #2- Centur Tiones (Vilita & Turori)                               48.698
10 #31- Gwen Tracer Allison Oxton (Valentine Z)                      48.720
11 #79- Dinggu Wang (Abanhfleft)                                     48.737
12 #30- Lexi Patterson (Jebslund) *Q*                                48.744
13 #81- Drake Stevenson (Hapilopper)                                 48.749
14 #15- Anastasia Freya Yadana Aye (Valentine Z)                     48.811
15 #4- Bryan Harrison (Cassadaigua)                                  48.815
16 #07- Michael Stefan (TJUN-ia)                                     48.854
17 #5- Liangmei Li (Newmanistan)                                     48.857
18 #3- Sage Caldwell (Saint Kanye)                                   48.872
19 #18- Jeremiah Brooke (Saint Kanye)                                48.907
20 #88- Anavella Ariiki (Tropicorp) *Q*                              48.928
21 #73- Taylor Henderson (Hapilopper)                                49.039
22 #43- Tsering Chu (The Sherpa Empire)                              49.093
23 #66- Hengxing Tian (The Northern Chinese Republic)                49.110
24 #28- Cocoabo #28 (Tropicorp)                                      49.257
25 #64- Alfonso Mercado (TJUN-ia) *Q*                                49.257
26 #91- Tyler Butler (Kohnhead)                                      49.285
27 #78- Cocoabo #78 (Tropicorp) *Q*                                  49.297
28 #80- Ganglie Zhe (Abanhfleft) *Q*                                 49.303
29 #10- Eddie Walters Jr (Xanneria)                                  49.388
30 #01- Hossem Nasri (Abanhfleft) *Q*                                49.606
31 #9- Lício Granado (Lisander)                                      49.618
32 #05- Micheal Rush (Sword Island)                                  49.797
33 #13- Brigadegeneral Eva Kerman (Jebslund)                         49.840
34 #97- Darnell Curry (Northwest Kalactin)                           49.909
35 #76- Jolyn Maxine Helen Ceeta (Garden at 6th Mile Road) *Q*       50.029
36 #46- Thea Alvarez (Saint Kanye)                                   50.141
37 #21- Tyler Linde (New Northwesteros)                              50.213
38 #40- Shigeru Ishikawa (Squidroidia)                               50.366
39 #55- Holly Aurora Lapia Starlight (Garden at 6th Mile Road)       50.426
40 #29- Shigeru Tsuchie (Hispinas)                                   50.483
41 #6- Alex Knight (Hampton Island)                                  50.590
42 #54- Frank Bronson (Wreckeria)                                    51.288
43 #25- Ahron Ahndreus (Vykta)                                       51.746 DNF
44 #57- Gordon Orton (Appalachian Nation)                            51.770 DNF

Segment 5:

NSSCRA 10
 1 #31- Gwen Tracer Allison Oxton (Valentine Z)                      48.504
 2 #7- Clarissa Alanis Star Samantha (Valentine Z)                   48.507
 3 #14- River 'Shark' Suzgar II (Vilita & Turori)                    48.529
 4 #46- Thea Alvarez (Saint Kanye)                                   48.540
 5 #30- Lexi Patterson (Jebslund) *Q*                                48.631
 6 #41- Yraaga Gilli'i (Vilita & Turori)                             48.684
 7 #15- Anastasia Freya Yadana Aye (Valentine Z)                     48.713
 8 #13- Brigadegeneral Eva Kerman (Jebslund)                         48.731
 9 #5- Liangmei Li (Newmanistan)                                     48.804
10 #4- Bryan Harrison (Cassadaigua)                                  48.844
11 #06- Rinzi Aogar Zakilwal (The Sherpa Empire)                     48.853
12 #07- Michael Stefan (TJUN-ia)                                     48.860
13 #3- Sage Caldwell (Saint Kanye)                                   48.881
14 #88- Anavella Ariiki (Tropicorp) *Q*                              48.911
15 #44- Kai Qiang (The Sherpa Empire)                                48.928
16 #78- Cocoabo #78 (Tropicorp) *Q*                                  49.013
17 #73- Taylor Henderson (Hapilopper)                                49.018
18 #6- Alex Knight (Hampton Island)                                  49.090
19 #11- Jenna Logan (Cassadaigua)                                    49.104
20 #43- Tsering Chu (The Sherpa Empire)                              49.188
21 #79- Dinggu Wang (Abanhfleft)                                     49.221
22 #81- Drake Stevenson (Hapilopper)                                 49.238
23 #27- Stacie Houston (Cassadaigua)                                 49.265
24 #05- Micheal Rush (Sword Island)                                  49.324
25 #28- Cocoabo #28 (Tropicorp)                                      49.376
26 #54- Frank Bronson (Wreckeria)                                    49.393
27 #80- Ganglie Zhe (Abanhfleft) *Q*                                 49.439
28 #18- Jeremiah Brooke (Saint Kanye)                                49.448
29 #0- Hana Bhe (Filindostan)                                        49.448
30 #64- Alfonso Mercado (TJUN-ia) *Q*                                49.466
31 #76- Jolyn Maxine Helen Ceeta (Garden at 6th Mile Road) *Q*       49.818
32 #55- Holly Aurora Lapia Starlight (Garden at 6th Mile Road)       49.826
33 #21- Tyler Linde (New Northwesteros)                              49.833
34 #10- Eddie Walters Jr (Xanneria)                                  49.927
35 #66- Hengxing Tian (The Northern Chinese Republic)                50.070
36 #2- Centur Tiones (Vilita & Turori)                               50.090
37 #9- Lício Granado (Lisander)                                      50.225
38 #40- Shigeru Ishikawa (Squidroidia)                               50.317
39 #97- Darnell Curry (Northwest Kalactin)                           50.379
40 #29- Shigeru Tsuchie (Hispinas)                                   50.626
41 #91- Tyler Butler (Kohnhead)                                      51.139
42 #01- Hossem Nasri (Abanhfleft) *Q*                                53.588 DNF

Results (Average, Segments 1-5):

+-----+-------------------------------------------------------------+--------+
| Pos |                           Driver                            |  Avg.  |
+-----+-------------------------------------------------------------+--------+
|   1 | #41- Yraaga Gilli'i (Vilita & Turori)                       | 48.578 | WINNER
|   2 | #30- Lexi Patterson (Jebslund) *Q*                          | 48.691 |
|   3 | #27- Stacie Houston (Cassadaigua)                           | 48.798 |
|   4 | #0- Hana Bhe (Filindostan)                                  | 48.837 |
|   5 | #31- Gwen Tracer Allison Oxton (Valentine Z)                | 48.872 |
|   6 | #14- River 'Shark' Suzgar II (Vilita & Turori)              | 48.878 |
|   7 | #44- Kai Qiang (The Sherpa Empire)                          | 48.882 |
|   8 | #88- Anavella Ariiki (Tropicorp) *Q*                        | 48.937 |
|   9 | #11- Jenna Logan (Cassadaigua)                              | 48.941 |
|  10 | #81- Drake Stevenson (Hapilopper)                           | 48.952 |
|  11 | #5- Liangmei Li (Newmanistan)                               | 49.004 |
|  12 | #78- Cocoabo #78 (Tropicorp) *Q*                            | 49.005 |
|  13 | #4- Bryan Harrison (Cassadaigua)                            | 49.018 |
|  14 | #7- Clarissa Alanis Star Samantha (Valentine Z)             | 49.023 |
|  15 | #15- Anastasia Freya Yadana Aye (Valentine Z)               | 49.028 |
|  16 | #46- Thea Alvarez (Saint Kanye)                             | 49.056 |
|  17 | #06- Rinzi Aogar Zakilwal (The Sherpa Empire)               | 49.082 |
|  18 | #2- Centur Tiones (Vilita & Turori)                         | 49.085 |
|  19 | #79- Dinggu Wang (Abanhfleft)                               | 49.109 |
|  20 | #3- Sage Caldwell (Saint Kanye)                             | 49.177 |
|  21 | #07- Michael Stefan (TJUN-ia)                               | 49.282 |
|  22 | #73- Taylor Henderson (Hapilopper)                          | 49.285 |
|  23 | #18- Jeremiah Brooke (Saint Kanye)                          | 49.297 |
|  24 | #28- Cocoabo #28 (Tropicorp)                                | 49.302 |
|  25 | #66- Hengxing Tian (The Northern Chinese Republic)          | 49.332 |
|  26 | #6- Alex Knight (Hampton Island)                            | 49.332 |
|  27 | #64- Alfonso Mercado (TJUN-ia) *Q*                          | 49.521 |
|  28 | #43- Tsering Chu (The Sherpa Empire)                        | 49.542 |
|  29 | #13- Brigadegeneral Eva Kerman (Jebslund)                   | 49.551 |
|  30 | #80- Ganglie Zhe (Abanhfleft) *Q*                           | 49.577 |
|  31 | #10- Eddie Walters Jr (Xanneria)                            | 49.660 |
|  32 | #05- Micheal Rush (Sword Island)                            | 49.720 |
|  33 | #54- Frank Bronson (Wreckeria)                              | 49.759 |
|  34 | #21- Tyler Linde (New Northwesteros)                        | 49.889 |
|  35 | #40- Shigeru Ishikawa (Squidroidia)                         | 49.890 |
|  36 | #91- Tyler Butler (Kohnhead)                                | 50.057 |
|  37 | #76- Jolyn Maxine Helen Ceeta (Garden at 6th Mile Road) *Q* | 50.067 |
|  38 | #9- Lício Granado (Lisander)                                | 50.115 |
|  39 | #55- Holly Aurora Lapia Starlight (Garden at 6th Mile Road) | 50.241 |
|  40 | #97- Darnell Curry (Northwest Kalactin)                     | 50.498 |
|  41 | #29- Shigeru Tsuchie (Hispinas)                             | 50.673 |
|  42 | #01- Hossem Nasri (Abanhfleft) *Q*                          | DNF    |
|  43 | #25- Ahron Ahndreus (Vykta)                                 | DNF    |
|  44 | #57- Gordon Orton (Appalachian Nation)                      | DNF    |
|  45 | #87- Layla Diamantriov (Twicetagram and JYPe)               | DNF    |
|  46 | #77- Depp Jones (Kriegiersien)                              | DNF    |
+-----+-------------------------------------------------------------+--------+

Points: (After 5 Races)

+-----+-------------------------------------------------------------+--------+
| Pos |                           Driver                            | Points |
+-----+-------------------------------------------------------------+--------+
|   1 | #11- Jenna Logan (Cassadaigua)                              |    207 |
|   2 | #44- Kai Qiang (The Sherpa Empire)*                         |    202 |
|   3 | #7- Clarissa Alanis Star Samantha (Valentine Z)             |    201 |
|   4 | #27- Stacie Houston (Cassadaigua)                           |    194 |
|   5 | #14- River 'Shark' Suzgar II (Vilita & Turori)*             |    185 |
|   6 | #31- Gwen Tracer Allison Oxton (Valentine Z)                |    180 |
|   7 | #06- Rinzi Aogar Zakilwal (The Sherpa Empire)               |    178 |
|   8 | #18- Jeremiah Brooke (Saint Kanye)*                         |    177 |
|   9 | #2- Centur Tiones (Vilita & Turori)                         |    172 |
|  10 | #5- Liangmei Li (Newmanistan)                               |    172 |
|  11 | #41- Yraaga Gilli'i (Vilita & Turori)*                      |    168 |
|  12 | #46- Thea Alvarez (Saint Kanye)*                            |    168 |
|  13 | #15- Anastasia Freya Yadana Aye (Valentine Z)               |    165 |
|  14 | #73- Taylor Henderson (Hapilopper)                          |    161 |
|  15 | #0- Hana Bhe (Filindostan)                                  |    158 |
|  16 | #8- Frank Bronson (Hapilopper) *Q*                          |    154 |
|  17 | #81- Drake Stevenson (Hapilopper)                           |    153 |
|  18 | #4- Bryan Harrison (Cassadaigua)                            |    150 |
|  19 | #6- Alex Knight (Hampton Island)                            |    149 |
|  20 | #80- Ganglie Zhe (Abanhfleft) *Q*                           |    134 |
|  21 | #79- Dinggu Wang (Abanhfleft)                               |    131 |
|  22 | #88- Anavella Ariiki (Tropicorp) *Q*                        |    129 |
|  23 | #78- Cocoabo #78 (Tropicorp) *Q*                            |    121 |
|  24 | #3- Sage Caldwell (Saint Kanye)                             |    121 |
|  25 | #07- Michael Stefan (TJUN-ia)                               |    112 |
|  26 | #43- Tsering Chu (The Sherpa Empire)                        |    110 |
|  27 | #40- Shigeru Ishikawa (Squidroidia)                         |    110 |
|  28 | #13- Brigadegeneral Eva Kerman (Jebslund)                   |    108 |
|  29 | #28- Cocoabo #28 (Tropicorp)                                |    104 |
|  30 | #64- Alfonso Mercado (TJUN-ia) *Q*                          |     75 |
|  31 | #91- Tyler Butler (Kohnhead)                                |     72 |
|  32 | #21- Tyler Linde (New Northwesteros)                        |     65 |
|  33 | #05- Micheal Rush (Sword Island)                            |     63 |
|  34 | #30- Lexi Patterson (Jebslund) *Q*                          |     59 |
|  35 | #9- Lício Granado (Lisander)                                |     55 |
|  36 | #55- Holly Aurora Lapia Starlight (Garden at 6th Mile Road) |     51 |
|  37 | #10- Eddie Walters Jr (Xanneria)                            |     50 |
|  38 | #97- Darnell Curry (Northwest Kalactin)                     |     48 |
|  39 | #66- Hengxing Tian (The Northern Chinese Republic)          |     47 |
|  40 | #00- Fiona Sunarya (Filindostan) *Q*                        |     36 |
|  41 | #01- Hossem Nasri (Abanhfleft) *Q*                          |     31 |
|  42 | #12- Roman Gwinnett (Xanneria) *Q*                          |     31 |
|  43 | #29- Shigeru Tsuchie (Hispinas)                             |     29 |
|  44 | #54- Scott Hawking (Wreckeria)                              |     25 |
|  45 | #48- Rockii Ezis (Newmanistan) *Q*                          |     25 |
|  46 | #23- James McCurty (Hampton Island) *Q*                     |     24 |
|  47 | #57- Gordon Orton (Appalachian Nation)                      |     23 |
|  48 | #1- Vanda Rosa Cordeiro Kerman (Jebslund) *Q*               |     20 |
|  49 | #77- Depp Jones (Kriegiersien)                              |     20 |
|  50 | #25- Ahron Ahndreus (Vykta)                                 |     19 |
|  51 | #87- Layla Diamantriov (Twicetagram and JYPe)               |     18 |
|  52 | #47- Anthony Barnes (Northwest Kalactin) *Q*                |     16 |
|  53 | #92- Thomas Delgado (Northwest Kalactin) *Q*                |     14 |
|  54 | #59- Ashley Matthews (Newmanistan)                          |     12 |
|  55 | #76- Jolyn Maxine Helen Ceeta (Garden at 6th Mile Road) *Q* |     10 |
|  56 | #33- Liuyong Xu (New Northwesteros)                         |      9 |
|  57 | #17- Tyler Abbott (Cassadaigua)                             |      7 |
+-----+-------------------------------------------------------------+--------+

Next Races:
Main: (Dec. 19/20)- Toys '4' All 500, Lonngeylin Ring, Lonngeylin, Vilita (Short Track)
EverLong Contenders: (Dec 19)- Lonngeylin Ring, Lonngeylin, Vilita (Short Track)

[TJUN-ia]

This blog was written by Derrick Carlisle, Jaguar Racing's Social Media Manager

After a few ups and downs on Saturday, Sunday in Greenland (Alanis Star edition) was expected to be one of the comebacks. With Alfonso Mercado (@AM64) starting high in 11th and Michael Stefan (@Stefan07) starting low in 43rd, anything good was always going to be taken by JR at this point and with a gap to make up on the playoff pack, it was game on in Nuuk!

Michael would certainly do the job of trying to make a comeback, but both drivers would have the traditional TJUN-ian race: a yo-yo. Stefan got as high as 7th. Mercado 16th, including a period where both cars were running towards the back in the circuit that seemingly doesn't like JR at all. Stefan would do a good job to finish up in 21st with Mercado in 27th, a not bad effort by both men out there.

Yraaga Gilli'i booked his place in the chase with victory in the dome, just ahead of Lexi Patterson and Stacie Houston. Jenna Logan remains points leader for now in 9th while Frank Bronson was allowed to run toady, finishing way down in 33rd in that HBM car. 5 drivers failed to make the end of the race but open charter Jolyn Maxine Helen Ceeta wasn't one of them, the driver from the Garden at 6th Mile Road finishing in 37th overall.

Five races are done and the picture of this season is already being shaped. Both T1 and T2 will now head over to Vilita for what could be an interesting weekend at the Lonngeylin Ring...

---

Current Standings: (T1) #07 - 25th (112pts)/#64 - 30th (75pts)/(T2) #03 - 8th (132pts)
Next T1 Race: Toys '4' All 500, Lonngeylin Ring, Lonngeylin, Vilita
Next T2 Race: Lonngeylin Ring, Lonngeylin, Vilita
(Updated on Sundays to avoid confusion)

---

He looked at his work and wondered if this would be good enough at all. He didn't know why, but Derrick Carlisle, the voice of JR himself, felt...off. Like, he had no drive or motivation at all to blog and whatever he got out into the masses felt a bit wrong to him, like it wasn't the best he could do in the situation at all. Why did he feel like this? What was up with him?

Maybe it was the whole Chris Holmes thing. Derrick just wanted the poor bugger to get on with his career in peace but the internet, especially twii.tur, loved to think the worst of that guy and to turn him into a meme. He felt quite bad for this guy and tried to stick up for him on Saturday night, telling the world to just leave the guy alone already, but no one really listened. Chris Holmes was a meme, like "Get Good" in WGPC, and who knows if that will change anytime soon. Derrick just wished that Chris' fortunes could improve, so that he can shut al the noise out and get back to the form Derrick knew he had. But Holmes couldn't be the reason for Derrick's slump, they haven't interacted at all.

Another idea could be a game, specifically V&T Racer's NSSCRA Pick 'Em. He signed up hoping to do something of note but so far, nothing has come of it as far as he knew. Lane Carter, that Galarian boy, was doing well, as were a few others, but @DCarJR was nowhere to be seen so far. But he couldn't think why a mood this sour would be due to a fun little game. If it was, what would Harpa think? Probably that he was a fool, like always.

Wait a minute. It's Harpa, isn't it? Of course, now everything made sense. He must be worried about what Ísfrúin would think about his work, the Ice Queen being known both for kindness and for anger. His boss is the one who has to check his blog before sending it out, the overseeing eye of everything JR sends out into the world. He must be just nervous to talk to Harpa about the work...but that didn't make sense either. Derrick was nervous to talk to Harpa about anything, the risk of saying the wrong thing too great for the Riversider to bare.

Ever since the Ice Queen took over the running of this team from the disgraced Daniel Marx, Derrick had always seen her as someone with great beauty - even if she didn't know that yet, of course. Those Nordic genes were certainly on display and for a while now, he felt that his heart belonged to her. But he was too scared to imagine how she would react to these feelings, the idea of dating your own boss something he felt was insanity. She would probably, politely, tell him that workplace etiquette meant that this sort of thing can't happen. Then again, if your two drivers can be in a relationship with each other then why can't the boss and the blog guy?

He opened a drawer in his desk and took out the first Album TJUN-Tunes ever did as a special - Daft Punk's Discovery. Interstella 5555 itself, the first story TJUN told using an album - and a famous album at that, one that had already written the story. He looked at the back of the cover and looked at one specific song in question: Song 9 - "Something About Us". The 12-Line Song itself. Some bright spark confessed his love to his crush using this song and others copied him, the song turning into a piece of TJUN-ian culture in an instant. As he took the disc out and put in into his portable stereo, his thoughts began to wander into fantasy. One day, Derrick would have to use this song to tell Harpa the truth. Maybe at Jungle Fever II, maybe beyond that. The time would come soon. He skipped all the way to song 9 and allowed it to play, thinking about what this song meant to him. It was a song of TJUN-ian love that will be brought out, one day or another...

[The Sherpa Empire]

While Qiang and Rinzi were enjoying Holly's light show, Tsering and her crew were going over their car discussing possible adjustments they might make after a disappointing qualifying result. Tsering wished she could have kicked back and watched the light show, but race prep had to come first.

"God is truly great to create such a beautiful being," Rinzi mused.

Tashi chuckled at his religious zeal. "Not everything is about God, Rinzi."

"No, it is God's work," Rinzi insisted. "We are all God's creation, even the Valentians with their strange powers. This place reminds me of God's greatness because everything here is so big and so beautiful. It takes something special to create all this."

Starlight Speedway was an odd place with the domed roof and the oversized grandstand where the big and tall locals sat. The widely varying sizes of seats, stairs, and people gave the stands a peculiar cobbled-together look. The track itself, however, was much more typical of NSSCRA. It was an asymmetrical oval with a wide arc through turns 1 and 2, and a sharper corner at turn 3. No dangerous hairpin turns like the one in Brycline Harbor, no janky cliff faces like the one at Li River Speedway, no racing on the beach, no iguanas that might accidentally end up in someone's car. (Since the iguana incident, Kai Qiang checked before every race to make sure nothing had crawled into his car when he wasn't looking. Tsering had tried telling him it was unnecessary, but Qiang kept doing it anyway.)

As the cars took off from the starting line, Qiang stayed near the front, but Tsering and Rinzi both struggled to move up. Rinzi was having handling problems, while Tsering's car was not giving her as much power as she had expected. The sound of the engine was a little uneven too -- not loudly banging or misfiring, but not quite perfect either. Tsering was slow to notice because she couldn't hear it. She could only tell how the car was running by feeling its vibrations and watching how it moved. Even when she noticed that the vibrations were subtly different than usual, she didn't think it was something that could be repaired quickly mid-race.

Rinzi's crew was able to make a couple of tweaks during a pit stop, which improved the car's handling, and he began climbing positions in the 2nd half of the race.

Qiang's race was not very eventful. He led a few laps before Yraaga Gilli'i caught up -- but then Gilli'i pulled ahead well in front of the field in what would prove to be one of Gilli'i's most dominating performances of his career. Qiang would go on to finish 7th.

The day after the race, there was some time to kill before they left for Lonngeylin in the evening. Tsering really wanted to go ice skating. She had learned to skate as a kid, but had not gone skating for a long time. An ad for a local ice rink had triggered some old memories and feelings of nostalgia. Qiang had never gone skating in his life and he wasn't that enthusiastic about going out in the cold, but Tsering promised she would teach him how to skate and eventually he agreed to go. They couldn't stay out very long because it was too damn cold and they were acclimated to hot climates after growing up in the Chinese Territories -- but it was a fun little diversion. And Qiang only fell twice before he got the hang of it. Tsering's dad came along to look after their daughter Sima, and a couple of other NSSCRA people decided to hit the rink too. Rinzi fell a lot, and he was still nursing a sore butt when he arrived in Lonngeylin.

[Hapilopper]

Drake Stevenson’s house, north Hapilopper City
The night after returning from Alanis Star – very late at night
To say the least, Team Blue was very happy to get out of Nuuk after the race there. Nothing against spending a weekend in an area controlled by Valentine Z – they loved spending time there, and they loved the Valentians. But so much went wrong on this weekend, and the team needed to regroup and fast. Frank Bronson had failed to qualify, then got to race after Preston Autos requested that Hawking-Byrd accept an offer from Team Blue. Taylor Henderson’s race could be classified as “unmemorable,” while Drake’s race was marred by blown opportunities.

And Drake was thinking about these blown opportunities as he lounged on a sofa in his living room, late at night, flipping through the channels on Hapiloppian television. There were over 200 channels on his television, and around one in the morning, Drake was wondering if there was anything worth his time on. The local stations were airing local news, or repeats of whatever schlock passed off as prime-time entertainment, like what was airing on the local NBS station. The local Venerable station signed off for the night and a test pattern seemed preferable to the repeat of “Euphoria,” an oversexed drama that was airing on NBS at the time.

As he flipped through the channels, he stopped on Hapilopper City Access, a local public cable access station, to find some guy trying to host a call-in show about the current affairs going on in Hapilopper. The problem, however, was that the guy was getting inundated with prank calls from goofy people who thought it’d be funny to act stupid on television. And it actually was getting kind of funny. For a few minutes, people calling this show and bombarding this poor guy was the funniest thing Drake had ever seen.

After the show went off the air, Drake walked out to the back porch and took a seat. Poplar Prairie, Drake’s neighborhood, was typically not that loud on a normal day. Most everyone in the neighborhood was sound asleep for the night. Many would wake up in a few hours for work or school, so all Drake could hear at this point was the sounds of the highway outside.

It had been a quiet, somewhat brisk evening, and it gave Drake the opportunity to think about how the season had gone. While he had just come off a 10th place finish in Nuuk, he sat 17th in points. Frank was 16th, and Taylor sat 14th in points, which, while was decent, was far below expectations that the team had set for itself.

The team had expected running near the front of the field every week, winning races and competing for the championship. But instead, the team was continuing to have issues, running as also-rans while drivers like Shark Suzgar, Kai Qiang, Jenna Logan, Jeremiah Brooke and Yraaga Gilli’i took the honors. Drake was, to say the least, massively frustrated with the fact that he wasn’t up there.

So was everyone else. Taylor Henderson, figuring Drake was still awake, gave her teammate a call.

“You think we should have won at least once by now?” Hendo asked.

“Yeah,” Drake said. “I was thinking about that just now. I’d like to think we’ve got a great team, but we need to find some way to improve our showing. Before we get to Vilita, I’d like to talk about the ways we could possibly do better each week. Maybe some more aggressive setups? Maybe we get a little more aggressive? Either way, I’m tired of getting outrun by guys.”

“Me too. Let’s get lunch tomorrow,” Hendo replied. “We need to talk about this, and maybe we can tell everyone else what we discussed.”

“Cool.”

[Jebslund]

Nuuk was, to date, the second coldest place Lexi had ever been. Only SogardasPferdwirdfrieren, a city in Nordlund that hosted a race in Jebslund's domestic league (a gruelling 1600km endurance race on a track built around a castle), had been colder, and Lexi was less than thrilled. She wasn't used to being cold. Even the car Sie Nah had prepared for the track didn't really keep her warm enough (the heater was just right to keep her from freezing). But, in light of her highest finish of the season, 2nd place, Lexi wondered if maybe being chilly was good for her. SogardasPferdwirdfrieren had been a good finish in Jebslund, too, and one of her better races. It was food for thought as she enjoyed the light show, then went for snacks and celebration with her pit crew (those that could and would partake, anyway).

As for Eva, the cold itself was of little concern. If the battery was fine, she was. More concerning was the latest in a string of dismal finishes. To be fair, the fault wasn't entirely hers, as the kobolds had once again had their fun with her engine. The Jagdpanther, the engine of the winter speedway Lowe, started off the race sounding fine, but the problems started lap 2 and kept coming, leading to an underperforming, if functional, car hindering her performance.