Then while the Oddy team sat stunned and seemingly unable to move, the next-to-last pair fired and, unbelievably, Mike Castellana qualified his nitrous oxide-injected Camaro into the field with a solid 6.30 lap, bumping Stott down to the number eight spot and putting Tim McAmis on the outside looking in. Suddenly the Stott team looked a little nervous and there was a glimmer of life in the Oddy camp.

The last car in line was. . .you guessed it. . .Tim McAmis. If he qualified, Hahn could still win the title. McAmis recorded a 6.29, putting Stott out of the program and the quest for the Championship. Hahn immediately went over to a dejected Stott, who in a matter of about 10 minutes had gone from seemingly clinching the World Championship to being eliminated.

Now Thomas Patterson, Tim McAmis and, incredibly, Fred Hahn were still in the Championship race.

But wait there is more. A quick look at the ladder confirms that Patterson and McAmis will meet in the first round on Sunday. Patterson must defeat McAmis and everyone else to win the Championship; McAmis just has to win one round.

SUNDAY MORNING

For the first round of Pro Mod eliminations the ESPN crew searches out Jim Oddy, Fred Hahn and the rest of Summit Racing Equipment-backed Corvette crew and takes them to the finish line. They want to film their reactions should McAmis beat Patterson. They are the second pair in line. Hahn and Oddy watch intently as the pair of cars speed down the track and the win light flashes in Patterson's lane, his 6.336 besting McAmis' dead game 6.347. Patterson crosses the finish line fourteen-thousandths of a second in front of McAmis.

A stunned McAmis (photo left with Fred Hahn) gets out of his car while Patterson is being mobbed by his crew and congratulated by the Oddy crew. A stunned Jim Oddy can only pace aimlessly and shake his head in disbelief.

The race for the championship is down to two racers: Fred Hahn and Thomas Patterson. Patterson has his destiny in his own hands; Hahn can only sit on his and watch. He has no control whatsoever of his future.