Former champion Michael Pickens (Auckland) and young Californian star Joel Myers Jr are tied at the top of the qualifying leaderboard after the opening night of the New Zealand Sprint Car Championship at Western Springs Speedway in Auckland.
On a slow and slick track that eventually developed an outside line, Pickens was the only driver to post two heat race wins on night one of the national title. His 4-1-1 scorecard for the evening puts him equal with 2023/24 War of the Wings champion Myers, who posted a 2-3-1 effort.
The leaders are tied on 57 points and Pickens posted the fastest lap of the night with a 14.196secs effort.
Third place is held by Taupo’s Dean Cooper with 54 points, with Nelson racer Connor Rangi and defending champion Daniel Thomas (Hamilton) next on 52 points each.
The top 10 is completed by Baypark’s Ryan O’Connor with 51pts, Matthew Leversedge (Christchurch) and Jonathan Allard (USA) tied on 50pts, while Baypark racer Bayley Betts is tied with Aucklander Deon Kendall in ninth spot with 49pts.
The qualifying heats continue tonight with two more rounds of racing to determine the top 16 qualifiers who progress directly into the 30-lap final.
A number of leading contenders are well down the rankings after night one. Former champions Jamie McDonald (Auckland), Dean Brindle (Hamilton) and Jamie Duff (Christchurch) are ranked 22nd, 24th and 26threspectively in the 35-car field.
