Quite possibly the closest two-way battle in THUD history!!!!

While we do not how the season will end up, it is very clear that we have had one of the closest two-way battles in Thud history. No offense Dogger, but your team has been, shall we say, "thinking about their golf swings" all season long. For the past nine weeks, Stillwell and Hansen have not been more than 400 points apart. I believe that that is the closest such stretch in league history. We have had several close finishes, where the winner hasn't been decided until the final race, but most of those involved dramatic, unbelievable comebacks where the 2nd place finisher nearly pulled off a miracle comeback - but then didn't. Last year, for instance, Stillwell won the final 7 races of the season, but still lost the championship to Dogger. This year, since mid-August, Stillwell and Hansen have been absolutely neck and neck every single race. With just 7 races left in the chase, it will be very exciting to see if Stillwell and Hansen can hang close together or if one of the teams will run away with it.
It's not looking good for Team Hendrick (and Stillwell), as all 3 drivers are in the bottom half of the top 10. We could witness a rookie win the title this year, as Denny Hamlin has been extremely consistent on every track. He appears to be Stillwell's strongest hope of pulling out the THUD league this year. With Talladega coming up next week, everyone will be holding their breath to see who comes out of it alive and who gets caught up in a wreck, damaging all Chase hopes.
We had something happen in week 26 that has never happened before in THUD history. At Richmond, Hansen and Dogger tied for the win with exactly 1,020 points apiece. Therefore, both teams will get half of a win and be credited with 25 bonus points. Speaking of Dogger, he has come on fast of late and has increased his win total to 6 and a half wins on the season. That is a much better showing than the two wins he had at the season's mid-point. It is, of course, too little, too late, as he still trails the championship lead by several thousand points.

After 29 weeks, here are the THUD standings:

Hansen - 31, 453 points (10.5 wins)
Stillwell - 31, 350 points (12 wins)
Dogger - 26,964 points (6.5 wins)

Only 103 points separate 1st and 2nd place!