Skelton Reigns Supreme in Scrambler Series Regular Season Finale

The regular season finale of the RLR Checkered Flag Auto Supply Scrambler Series Season 22 delivered exactly what Irwindale Speedway promised: tire management, changing track conditions, spectacular wrecks, and a championship picture that came down to surviving the chaos. The Souza Media 150 featured the lower-horsepower ARCA cars on Irwindale’s progressive banking, where the preferred groove gradually became littered with tire marbles and drivers were forced to balance momentum against grip.

At the center of it all was James Skelton, who started from pole and quickly established himself as the driver to beat. Skelton chose the outside lane for the start, recognizing that the extra banking and momentum would give him an advantage over Zach Mitchell on the flatter inside. The decision paid immediate dividends as Skelton settled into the lead and began controlling the opening stages.

The race quickly became a survival contest, however. The first caution came around Lap 12 when Ben Coultes hit the wall, collecting Ethan Troutman and Kyle Haddock in the aftermath. Josh Buckley was caught up in the early trouble and his night went from bad to worse shortly afterward when another incident involving Jeff LeMire collected him again.

Buckley’s problems eventually became mechanical. A damaged rear suspension and broken toe link left his car crab-walking down the straightaways, forcing him to wrestle an increasingly unwilling machine around the track. Despite the damage, Buckley continued rather than giving up.

The pivotal moment came around Lap 45, when another caution presented the leaders with a major strategic decision. With the track temperature falling to around 77 degrees, Skelton and Mitchell elected to take fresh tires, while DJ Anderson and Ethan Troutman stayed out to gain track position.

It didn’t take long for the fresh rubber to prove its worth.

Skelton and Mitchell sliced through the front-runners on the restart, reclaiming the top two positions in just over a lap. Their advantage was especially significant at Irwindale, where the cars could easily become unstable over the bumps and crests entering the corners. The drivers who could preserve their tires and keep the car underneath them had a major advantage.

As the laps accumulated, the high line became increasingly treacherous. Rubber marbles piled up near the wall, transforming what had initially been the preferred groove into a skating rink.

David Odendahl learned that lesson the hard way.

Odendahl had climbed to a career-best fourth position when he carried too much speed into Turn 3 and got caught in the marbles. His car snapped around, triggering a wreck that also collected Chris Worrell, Connor Blasco, and Jeffrey Souza. Despite the incident, Odendahl managed to recover and finish eighth, doing enough to preserve his championship hopes and officially secure his place in the Chase.

The middle of the pack continued to unravel as the race entered its closing stages. Souza and LeMire found themselves occupying the same piece of real estate exiting Turn 4, sending Souza’s car off the racing surface and onto an access road behind the grandstands.

Fred LeClair added another spectacular moment when his car performed an unlikely wall ride, grinding along the outside barrier before later becoming involved in a massive pileup triggered by Sean Single.

Then came one of the night’s wildest incidents. DJ Anderson made contact on the backstretch and went airborne, flipping multiple times and shedding bodywork in spectacular fashion. By the time the car came to rest, it looked less like a race car and more like something that had been put through a blender.

While the rest of the field battled for survival, Skelton remained remarkably composed at the front.

The biggest threat to his victory came from reigning seven-time champion Maxime Theriault. Starting outside the top 10, Theriault took a completely different approach to the changing track. Rather than chasing the increasingly dangerous cushion, he worked the lower groove and concentrated on preserving his tires.

That strategy paid off handsomely.

Theriault avoided much of the late-race carnage and steadily climbed through the field, eventually reaching second place. Chris Hammett also put together a strong run, surviving the chaos to secure the final spot on the podium.

Up front, however, nobody could match Skelton.

The pole-sitter maintained control through the final laps to score a dominant victory and close the regular season with a statement performance. His post-race explanation was almost hilariously understated considering what he had just accomplished.

“This was the one race I really didn’t practice… I guess I just don’t need to study and just wing it.”

Theriault credited his decision to stay low and preserve his tires, knowing that drivers who took fewer tires would eventually find themselves trapped on the marbles and unable to recover.

Hammett’s third-place finish provided an equally important championship boost as he and his 4X teammates headed into the postseason.

The result officially closed the book on the Season 22 regular season and set the stage for the 12-driver Chase. Now the championship fight moves away from the abrasive short-track environment of California and heads to Texas Motor Speedway. The Chase will switch to the O’Reilly Cars, bringing a completely different set of demands and putting the championship contenders into a five-race battle where every mistake carries considerably more weight.

After the chaos of Irwindale, the regular season is finished. The Chase is officially on.