Gio Ruggiero will have a chance to do something that no other driver has done before at the Winchester 400.
The Massachusetts teenager won the ASA Southern Super Series title by just 25 points and is now closing in on the ASA/CRA Super Series title. He holds a 109-point lead in the standings going into next weekend’s Winchester 400 — the season finale for the Champion Racing Association.
With a total of 110 points up for grabs in every CRA race, Ruggiero is all but certain to be crowned ASA/CRA Super Series champion barring anything catastrophic taking place before the green flag.
He would become the first driver to win CRA and Southern Super Series championships in the same year.
Former NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Daniel Hemric is the only driver with championships with both sanctioning bodies, winning the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour title in 2012 before becoming the inaugural Southern Super Series champion in 2013.
With the success of his Southern Super Series championship and potential ASA/CRA Super Series title to go along with an ASA STARS National Tour win at Hickory Motor Speedway and a CRA win at Salem Speedway, one might find it surprising to hear that this is Ruggiero’s rookie season in a super late model.
He jumped onto the scene in pro late model competition in 2022, winning the Show Me The Money Series title at Montgomery Motor Speedway with Anthony Campi Racing. He also made three super late model starts last season, which included a second-place run at the All American 400 and a Snowball Derby appearance in his first race with Wilson Motorsports.
Ruggiero made the jump over to super late model racing full-time, joining Wilson Motorsports for a run at championships with the ASA STARS National Tour, ASA/CRA Super Series and ASA Southern Super Series.
He sits third in the ASA STARS standings with his win at Hickory, having passed NASCAR Cup Series driver William Byron in the final corner to take his first super late model win.
He now heads to Winchester Speedway with a second championship looming.
He appeared to be on his way to the win at the half-mile during the ASA/CRA Super Series race on Labor Day weekend, but a flat tire ended his race with just eight laps to go while leading. He finished third in the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour race during Winchester 400 weekend last year after setting fast time in qualifying.
Watch the Winchester 400 on SPEED SPORT affiliate MidwestTour.tv.