By Gary Daughtrey

Special to the News-Herald

A $5,000 winner’s payout, plus all-important bragging rights, will be on the line today, as Langley Speedway hosts the Second Annual Racing For Hope Foundation Modified Madness 100, the longest and richest race on the open-wheelers’ 2012 schedule.

In addition to the big Modified tilt, Saturday’s lineup includes points season finales for the Super Streets (40 laps), UCARs (25 laps), Pro Sixes (30 laps) and HRKC Pro Winged Champ Karts (20 laps).

Six-time Langley Modified champ Shawn Balluzzo is the defending Mod Madness 100 winner and brings a seven-race winning streak into Saturday’s showdown.

In last year’s inaugural running of the event, Balluzzo went three-wide in traffic to swipe the lead from Chris Johnson on lap 92, moving out front for good.

While the Modified Madness 100 will command the most attention, down-to-the-wire championship duels in the Super Street and Pro Six divisions are also deserving of notice.

In the Super Street class, Renno Marchetti IV and John Pereira are in a dead heat for the series lead with 264 points apiece. Whoever finishes ahead of the other in Saturday’s 40-lap feature will claim the crown.

Pro Six leader Landon Florian carries a slim two-point margin over Steve Williams into Saturday’s 30-lap season-ender, 218-216. With the tiebreaker edge in his hip pocket, Florian can afford to finish two positions behind Williams and still win the championship. If he can hang on, Florian would pull off the rare feat of winning titles in consecutive seasons in different divisions. He was the 2011 UCAR champ.

Bill Eaker holds a 23-point lead over Sammy Gaita in the UCAR standings, 257-234. He can clinch the division championship by finishing 24th or better on Saturday.

Cruising toward the Champ Kart title, Charlie-Ray Lorah enjoys a whopping 47-point lead over Matthew Dail, 229-182. Mastering the vagaries of the draft, Lorah has posted six wins in nine races. To put Lorah’s dominance in perspective, consider that the division didn’t produce a repeat winner in 2011 until the last night of the season.

Langley Speedway wraps up its 2012 racing season on Saturday, Oct. 20, with the Seventh Annual BNI Day of Destruction. The 10-event lineup includes a 50-lap Enduro ($1,000 to win), a Reverse Race, Import and Domestic Demolition Derbies, an Appliance Race, a Flag Pole Race, a Train Race, a Bag Race and Tug of War and Burnout competitions.