LOUDON, N.H. — Christian Barnes is now one official finish away from completing a dominant championship season.
Barnes won Sunday night at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, collecting his seventh victory of the year and expanding his championship advantage to 43 points with only the Iowa Speedway finale remaining in the Ideal Family LLC AARN O’Reilly Open Series Chase.
The No. 27 started third, led 30 of 150 laps and took control after early leader Jayden Porter encountered trouble. Barnes completed the race without an incident, recorded the fastest lap and earned every available performance bonus on his way to an event-high 44 points.
Porter finished second after leading a race-high 72 laps, while Dave W. Allen completed the podium and tightened the battle for third in the championship standings.
The title is not officially secured. Barnes must still take part in next week’s finale and record an official finish before he can be crowned champion.
Barring a complete disaster at Iowa, however, the championship is firmly within his grasp.
Barnes Delivers With the Championship in Sight
Barnes entered the fifth of six Chase races holding control of the championship battle. New Hampshire offered an opportunity to either protect that position or place the title within touching distance.
He accomplished the latter.
Porter controlled much of the first half, leading 72 laps after starting from the pole. Jeffrey Goodpaster also emerged as a factor, pacing 43 circuits before his race ended after 76 laps.
Barnes remained in position as the race developed. When opportunities opened, he moved the No. 27 to the front and led 30 laps, including the most important portion at the end.
Barnes finished 1.244 seconds ahead of Porter and nearly 16 seconds ahead of Allen. He also turned the fastest lap of the race at 30.729 seconds.
His four bonus points came from leading a lap, winning, setting the fastest lap and completing the race with zero incidents.
The victory raised Barnes’ Chase total to 1,270 points and increased his advantage over Howard Peeples from 28 points entering the event to 43 leaving New Hampshire.
Porter Controls the Most Laps but Falls Short
Porter began the race from the pole and immediately established himself as the driver to beat.
The No. 74 led 72 of the 150 laps—more than any other competitor—and remained in the hunt throughout the evening. He earned bonuses for leading, leading the most laps and finishing without an incident.
Porter ultimately could not hold Barnes behind him during the decisive run and settled for second, 1.244 seconds back.
Although Porter is not part of the eight-driver Chase field, his presence at the front affected the points earned by every championship contender behind him.
Peeples’ Title Hopes Take a Major Hit
Peeples entered New Hampshire as the only driver within realistic striking distance of Barnes.
His night quickly moved in the wrong direction.
Starting 10th, Peeples completed only 86 laps before being listed as disconnected. He was credited with eighth place, 64 laps behind the winner, and earned 29 points.
That was 15 fewer than Barnes collected.
The result expanded Peeples’ deficit to 43 points heading into a finale where the maximum available total leaves virtually no room for Barnes to stumble.
Peeples is not mathematically eliminated, but his path requires a near-perfect night at Iowa combined with Barnes failing to record the finish needed to secure the title.
After remaining close through the opening four Chase races, New Hampshire may ultimately prove to be the decisive swing.
Allen Closes on Essenberg for Third
While Barnes and Peeples occupy the top two positions, the closest championship battle is now directly behind them.
Allen finished third at New Hampshire after starting fourth. He led five laps, completed the race without an incident and earned 36 points.
Joseph Essenberg finished fourth, four laps behind the winner, and collected 33 points.
The difference reduced Essenberg’s advantage over Allen to only 10 points entering Iowa.
Battle for Third
- Joseph Essenberg — 1,195 points
- Dave W. Allen — 1,185 (-10)
Allen has now recorded six top-five finishes and three podiums this season. Essenberg remains winless but has built his position through eight top-five finishes and 12 top-10s.
With one race remaining, third place in the championship is completely unsettled.
Thomas Moves Into the Top Five
Jason Thomas finished sixth and moved into fifth in the Chase standings.
Although Thomas completed only 123 laps and finished 27 laps behind Barnes, his 31-point result was enough to move him ahead of Zackery King, who did not compete at New Hampshire.
Thomas now holds a 12-point advantage over King heading into the finale.
Daniel Dunaway finished fifth, while Corey Powell placed seventh. Goodpaster was credited with ninth after leading 43 laps, and Joe Konen completed the top 10.
Testa and Cook Add Another Missing Chapter to Disappointing Chases
Ryan Testa and John Cook once again failed to take the green flag after being listed with pre-race inspection failures.
The absences continued what has become one of the most disappointing postseason collapses in AARN history.
Both drivers qualified for the Chase after doing enough during the regular season to earn their places among the final eight. Once the championship began, however, repeated missed races destroyed any realistic opportunity to contend.
Testa entered the Chase fourth in the standings and only 39 points behind Barnes. He now sits seventh, 142 points back.
Cook entered the postseason seventh and 63 points behind the leader. He has fallen to eighth, 168 points behind.
Their Position Entering the Finale
- Ryan Testa — 1,128 points (-142)
- John Cook — 1,102 points (-168)
Their fall demonstrates how quickly a season can unravel when the week-to-week work disappears. Simply qualifying for the Chase was never going to be enough. Competing for a championship required showing up, preparing and producing results across all six races.
Testa and Cook failed to do that, turning two legitimate postseason opportunities into historically poor Chase campaigns.
New Hampshire Top 10
- Christian Barnes — No. 27
- Jayden Porter — No. 74
- Dave W. Allen — No. 31
- Joseph Essenberg — No. 10
- Daniel Dunaway — No. 15
- Jason Thomas — No. 8
- Corey Powell — No. 92
- Howard Peeples — No. 29
- Jeffrey Goodpaster — No. 60
- Joe Konen — No. 72
Chase Standings Entering Iowa
- Christian Barnes — 1,270 points
- Howard Peeples — 1,227 (-43)
- Joseph Essenberg — 1,195 (-75)
- Dave W. Allen — 1,185 (-85)
- Jason Thomas — 1,154 (-116)
- Zackery King — 1,142 (-128)
- Ryan Testa — 1,128 (-142)
- John Cook — 1,102 (-168)
New Hampshire by the Numbers
Series: Ideal Family LLC AARN O’Reilly Open Series
Chase race: 5 of 6
Track: New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Race distance: 150 laps
Winner: Christian Barnes
Winning margin: 1.244 seconds
Most laps led: Jayden Porter — 72
Laps led by Barnes: 30
Fastest lap: Christian Barnes — 30.729 seconds
Cautions: Two for six laps
Lead changes: Seven among four drivers
Race duration: 1 hour, 23 minutes, 7 seconds
One Race Remains
The six-race Chase now comes down to one final event at Iowa Speedway.
Barnes carries a 43-point lead and needs to record an official finish to secure the championship. Peeples must produce a maximum effort and hope the No. 27 experiences a race-ending problem before completing the requirement needed to clinch.
Behind them, only 10 points separate Essenberg and Allen in the fight for third. Thomas and King are separated by 12 in the battle for fifth.
Testa and Cook arrive at the finale with little more than pride left to race for after repeated absences ended their championship bids.
Five Chase races are complete. Barnes has placed himself on the doorstep of the title.
Now he must finish the job at Iowa.
Leave a Reply