Season 7, last week highlights

The last weekend of the regular season is here and players had 3 tournaments to battle through including a bonus bracket featuring some of the best cars from seasons past.

Checkered Flag VII - The annual Checkered Flag tournament had quite a mix of racers from the veteran Dieselboy to the relatively un-raced Aston Martin. Everyone had their favorites but I'm not sure anyone was ready for what went down.

Things started off as expected with Dieselboy and Screamin Hauler making quick work of their opponents but then the Aston Martin did something somewhat unexpected...it won. It beat out the well-versed Mustang convertible without much effort. Much like the bass player in a band, the Vantage just sat back and watched the drama unfold all season then stepped up and made quite a statement. Actually, the Vantage was the star of the tournament that kept the crowd buzzing as it defeated the F Racer and then made another shot up the nose of expectations when it raced passed the Screamin Hauler. And just like that the V8 found itself in the final round going up against a determined VW Thing. Everyone was on the edge of their seat...would the Aston Martin continue its streak, or would the 181 put Mr. Martin in his place? Well, while the Volkswagen admired his European brother's efforts and speed, the German wasn't about to cut anyone a break. It was a quite a battle but once all the dust settled, the VW 181 found victory while the Aston Martin headed back to the pits...but he drove back with his head held high.

The Silent Bob of the league

Gypsy Road - Redline Derby keeps racing thanks to support from players and racers around the country. This tournament called upon donated cars to show off their stuff, and it was quite a sight to see them all line up...you had everything from a Ferrari to a Toyota to a Radio Flyer wagon. This would end up being a tournament of close battles that would make one racer very happy to see his donated car reach the winner's circle.

Going into the tournament, the GT Racer was a likely favorite but it quickly met its match in the Corvette C6, but it was race that had to up to the reply booth. To call this race even would be an understatement, but the slow-mo showed the Vette had the edge. The 80s Corvette and Ferrari dispatched their opponents as anticipated, as did the Honda FTE and Mercedes, but then the Evo and Studebaker pulled up to the starting line and it all changed.

The Evo is one of the most raced cars in the league and was certainly a favorite in the tournament, but the old Studebaker truck wasn't going to go without putting up a fight...and fight it did. Maybe the Evo hit a bump in the road or maybe the Champ was fueled up with 93 instead of the usual 87, but either way it was a spectacular display that saw the start of the Studebaker's long road to the final. And it was a long road as the truck barely edged out the heavier Mercedes and shocked the Spocket FTE. Meanwhile, the 80s Corvette was waiting as it rolled its way into the final without much drama.

The final showdown was a close one that saw two evenly matched cars do their best to wow the crowd and make their owners happy. But the happiest owner in this race was Worpex, who saw his entered 80s Corvette slide on by the Studebaker. However, Worpex needs to thank JDC442 for donating the car and making his win possible.

Clash of Champions - For the crowd bravely the cold Central Ohio weather, the Clash of Champions tournament was like going to see the Harlem Globetrotters...you really didn't know what to expect but you knew it was going to be a good. This was a pure exhibition match to settle some bets and give players a chance at some bonus points going into the championship. It was great seeing all these retired cars go at once again.

To say this was the tournament of tournaments this season would be an understatement. It was full of nothing but close races settled by layers of bumper chrome. It's hard to say what the upsets were as much as it is to say what the expectations were. Most of these races could have gone either way, and many of them did, but as the sun set the fans saw Rescue Ranger drive off with the trophy after a narrowly outing the Funny Car.

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Now it's time to settle the score. The Season 7 Championship is next weekend and will see all cars that won this winter going up for the coveted title. A mere 25 points separates first and second place with third being only a good bracket pick away as well. It's a tight race both on and off the track. Hold on to the butts...