Something I've been meaning to do ever since getting my "Solo Stats" book
put together to include the 2002 Nationals. Noting some of the new marks set
for the mirth and merriment of anyone interested. It was a pretty
significant year, and not just for the 30th anniversary.
* John Thomas [Miss] tied Chris O'Donnell [CSCC] for most championships --
11. JT won EP yet again last year while O'Donnell did not come for the first
time since 1983.
* Tom Bootz [SInd] is next up with his 10th championship, won in his 25th
Nationals.
* Bootz also raised his points total on the "Who's Who" list to 369 - which
ties the retired Joyce Looman [SBnd] for the top spot. They also, thus, hold
the top spots on the individual Men's and Ladies "Who's Who" lists. Second
in Men is Bill Goodale [NEng] with 349 points; in Ladies is Karen Babb
[Nwst] with 334.
* Karen Babb extended her victory record to 17. She is also the first to the
mark of reaching 17 championships. Karen and husband Ron now have 21
championships, most by a husband/wife pair.
* Jeff Reitmeier [SanF] won this year, so he and daughter Michelle tied the
Kellys (John, Pat, Katie [SanF]) for most by parent(s) and child(ren) at
10 -- they are second to the Scharnbergs (Sam, Kiersten [DMV]) who have 14.
* New this year was the Silver Circle salute, recognizing drivers who have
competed 25 years (not necessarily 25 consecutive years.) Bootz was one of
three new inductees in 2002, along with Duane Dunham [Dix] and Don Knop
[Neb].
* Those already in the Silver Circle:
(# Charter member who was a 100 Percenter in 1997, the 25th year)
(% still a 100 Percenter today)
Phil Alspach [OhV] - 1997 #
Susan Anderson [SIll] - 1997 #%
Claire Ball [Chi] - 1997 #%
Dick Berger [KC] - 1997 #%
Charlie Clark [KC] - 1997 #%
Rocky Entriken [Sal] - 1997 #%
Bill Goodale [NEng] - 1999
Bill Lane [WNY] - 1997 #%
Del Long [Iowa] - 2001
David Looman [SBnd] - 1997 #
Bill Martin [SanF] - 2001
John Neighbors [OhV] - 2000
Rick Ruth [Chi] - 1997 #%
Greg Scharnberg [DMV] - 1998
Dee Schweikle [CKy] - 1997 #%
George Schweikle [CKy] - 1997 #%
Charlie Smith [KC] - 1998
Bert Swift [KC] - 2000
Seven are eligible in 2003: Jack Burns [NwOh], Bill Cutrer [Kan], John
Kelly Jr. [SanF], Don Kline [Indy], Lindsay Lowe [Atl], Lee Miller [Colm],
and Frank Stagnaro [SanF].
* Northwest Region won seven championships. That's the most by any region
other than San Francisco (and ties a mark set by New England Region in
1985).
* San Francisco evermore remains the big dog in total championships with 230
now. New England is a distant second at 98.
* In the category of most championships by one division, Northern Pacific
and Central rule the roost. But in the "everybody else" list the most won is
10, a mark tied last year by Southern Pacific Division (matching Midwest
Division totals from 1986 and 1988).
* CenDiv won 15, its second-highest total ever (after 16 in 1985).
* Back to John Thomas again -- His winning streak records now extend to 10
consecutive years and his own last 11 consecutive events. And for those
wondering, yes there was a time he actually did not win. Once. His first
Nationals in 1989. He was 3rd.
* On the Ladies side of the winning-streak records, Karen Babb's is the only
current streak working, now at 9 straight. The records are held by Charlotte
King [SanF] who won 11 straight.
* Kyung An Wootton [LnSt] has now gone three straight events undefeated, the
longest active record, tops the Ladies list, and second only to Bob Hayes'
four in 1978-81 among drivers who have never lost. Steve O'Blenes [CSCC] and
Christina Libecco [NeOh] are the only other active drivers to be undefeated
in as many as two Nationals.
* When Stuart Lumpkin [Tex] won CM, he tied the record for the longest time
between two championships -- 12 years (set by Howard Wolf [SanF] in 1992.
* Kathleen Barnes won EPL 12 years after her last EPL win -- second only to
Paula Whitney's [Tex] 14-year spread between two titles. But Barnes has
another all to herself -- she won ESL in 1981 so her 21 years from first
championship to last is the longest on the Ladies side. Tom Bootz matched
that on the Men's side, but that stands second to the 23-year spread set by
Bill Goodale [NEng] between his first and last.
* In total trophies won on the men's side, Bill Goodale is at 24, Frank
Stagnaro at 23, Tom Bootz and Roger E. Johnson [NwOh ] at 22, and Bill
Martin at 21 -- the top 5 on the list and all trophied in 2002. Karen Babb
got her 18th, tying Joyce Looman [SBnd] atop the Ladies list.
* Northwest Region collected 28 trophies -- the most ever by any Region
other than San Francisco.
* As a result, NorPac Division set a new high for its trophy haul at 62.
CenDiv collected 78, its second-highest total ever (after 84 in 2000). NEDiv
took home 48, a new high in the category of "everybody else."
* The final count of competitors (those who actually took a run) was 1106 in
2002 -- a new high. Ladies Class competitors totaled 165, tying the mark of
2000 and second to the 183 in the 25th anniversary year of 1997.
* Divisions that had new highs in competitors: MiDiv at 167 (ties its 2000
total), NPDiv at 145, RMDiv at 92, SPDiv at 83. The other four Divisions
brought their second-highest total of competitors ever: CenDiv's 239
(highest was 266 in 2000), SWDiv's 131 (most was 138 in 1979 when Nationals
were in Texas), NEDiv at 140 (147 in 2000), and SEDiv at 107 (108 in 2000).
* 49 Street Touring S drivers is a new record in a Street class, eclipsing
the 48 ESP entries in 1998.
* 58 CP drivers and 16 in CPL are both second-most in a Prepared class. CP
was also the fifth-largest class ever, regardless of category.
* And there have been a total of 18,861 competitors over the 30 Nationals
held so far. That's 5,626 individual drivers -- 4616 men and 1010 women.
--Rocky Entriken
(Yes, the "Solo Stats" book can be bought. $40 delivered to your door, and
including your own "Your Personal Record" section as well as all 18,861
placings by those 5,626 drivers.)
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