Head-To-Head-To-Head: How The Ultimate Top Three Got There
Head-To-Head-To-Head: How The Ultimate Top Three Got There
With consistency and strength, Tyler Millwood assumed the points lead over Jason Welshan and Rambo Franklin. We break the season down for you.
Tyler Millwood enters the Ultimate Super Late Model series with a 21-point lead over Jason Welshan and a 59-point advantage over third-place Dennis Franklin, so we wanted to break down how the drivers got to this point before they head into this week’s pair of races at 311 Speedway in Pine Hall, NC, and at Dublin (NC) Motor Speedway — which will stream LIVE on FloRacing.
Millwood has earned the top spot in the Ultimate Series rankings with consistency and strength. While both Welshan and Franklin have outperformed him when comparing their best results, Millwood has managed to keep from struggling more often in regard to these three drivers.
Millwood’s best result in 17 results this year was a third at Dixie (GA) Speedway on July 29. Welshan has one win and Franklin has a second-place finish — but Millwood has almost never finished behind both of those drivers in head-to-head competition. In fact, until the most recent Ultimate race at Senoia (GA) Raceway, he had never been the worst of the three.
Instead, he was almost always in striking distance of the top finisher. Both Millwood and Welshan were the highest-finishing driver among the top three six times. On two occasions, Millwood earned top fives when Welshan was the top earner and that minimized the damage.
In terms of best finishes among the top three points leaders, the drivers are as evenly matched as it is possible to be in a 17-race schedule. Millwood and Welshan have been the top performer six times, and Franklin has five top finishes. But where they have really separated from one another is in the worst results.
Millwood’s single bad performance gives him the advantage, and that is one of only four times he finished outside the top 10.
Welshan finished outside the top 10 only five times, but he finished behind both Millwood and Franklin on six occasions. (Franklin missed the May 19 race as Carolina Speedway in Gastonia, NC.)
Franklin was the worst finisher nine times during the season. Four of those came in the first four races to put him behind the eight ball. From the season opener through late April, he failed to score a single top 10 in Ultimate competition.
Welshan and Franklin have four more opportunities to catch Millwood and fans of the series have two chances to see if they can accomplish that task.
FloRacing is LIVE-streaming the series' October 7 race from Dublin (NC) Motor Speedway and also its finale at Screven (GA) Motor Complex on Nov. 17-18.
| Race Breakdown | Millwood | Welshan | Franklin | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top Fives | 9 | 4 | 4 | |
| Top Finishes | 6 | 6 | 5 | |
| Worst of Three | 1 | 7 | 9 | |
| Date | Track | |||
| March 4 | North Georgia Speedway (GA) | 9 | 1 | 15 |
| April 8 | Virginia Motor Speedway (VA) | 14 | 18 | 22 |
| April 15 | Modoc Speedway (SC) | 5 | 10 | 15 |
| April 22 | Senoia Raceway (GA) | 14 | 5 | 18 |
| April 28 | Rome Speedway (GA) | 5 | 8 | 3 |
| May 7 | Rome Speedway (GA) | 6 | 17 | 13 |
| May 19 | Carolina Speedway (NC) | 4 | 8 | |
| May 29 | Volunteer Speedway (TN) | 11 | 17 | 9 |
| June 3 | Virginia Motor Speedway (VA) | 4 | 11 | 13 |
| June 16 | Lavonia Speedway (GA) | 4 | 9 | 3 |
| June 17 | North Georgia Speedway (GA) | 4 | 3 | 12 |
| July 28 | Lavonia Speedway (GA) | 5 | 2 | 17 |
| July 29 | Dixie Speedway (GA) | 3 | 8 | 14 |
| Aug. 17 | Volunteer Speedway (TN) | 8 | 14 | 5 |
| Aug. 18 | Crossville Speedway (TN) | 8 | 6 | 17 |
| Aug. 25 | Laurens County Speedway (SC) | 5 | 11 | 2 |
| Aug. 26 | Senoia Raceway (GA) | 15 | 10 | 13 |
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