Justin Fulton should have Matt Hennesy and the Muskogee Roughers football team in his cheering section tonight at Outlaw Motor Speedway.

Fulton spent three weeks away from the track earlier this summer to focus on the Indian Bowl press box project being built by his company, FRC construction. During his absence, he fell four spots in the Outlaw Modified Division points standings and now, in 10th place, has the slightest of holds on the final spot to qualify for Outlaw’s “Race for the Championship.” The local track’s version of NASCAR’s “Chase” sets the field for the event with the conclusion of tonight’s racing card.

“Work supercedes hobbies,” the Fort Gibson driver said. “But it boils down to tonight. Anything less than a feature win and anything can happen.”

Fulton has 951 points, three ahead of 11th-place William Gould of Fort Smith, Ark. Drivers get 25 points for qualifying for the feature, and in descending order, five points for winning a heat. The difference in winning the feature and finishing second is five points, the most between any placing in the feature.

The math is simple. Like Fulton alluded to, a win is the only guarantee.

“I’ve won everywhere else this season,” he said, acknowledging that there’s no time better than the present for the first win.

A rainout would send the current top 10 into the stretch battle. The points leader in each division entering the race for the Championship will receive a $300 bonus.

Beginning with the Aug. 15 races, the leader in each division will have 2,050 points, the second place driver will start the Championship chase with 2,045 points and go down five points per position with the 10th place driver beginning with 2,005 points. The top 10 will retain their point average and the eight races of the championship will continue to be lined up using point averages.

Ties in the top 10 after the last point race on Oct. 3 will be broken by season wins. If there is still a tie, the driver with the most second-place finishes will be awarded the higher position.

The Outlaw Modified division is perhaps the most up-for-grabs competition. With 1,312 points, Greg Skaggs has a slight edge on Joe Duvall of Chelsea, who is second with 1,278 points. Although unlikely, a 100-point turnaround could leapfrog Fulton to as high as fourth. A more likely scenario puts the 7-10 spots in a shuffle. Muskogee’s Tate Cole is seventh with 985 points, only 37 points from falling out of the title picture.

“It makes it exciting when you have someone fifth or sixth that could possibly be out of it. So many things can happen,” Fulton said.

“But another thing that makes it enjoyable is that some of us like to travel to other tracks. Before, you miss one week, you could be out of it. That makes it attractive to drivers who want to do that and still compete for a title.”

It’s one of the add-ons that first-year track co-owners Danny Womack and Lynn Skinner have brought about.

“I’d be a fool to tell you it hasn’t increased car count,” said Pure Stock driver James Gillean of Boynton, who is quick to add it might not seem quite fair to a driver like Jason Ward of Tahlequah, whose consistency at the top has earned him a 246-point lead.

Then again, Gillean, who is tied for third with 1,319 points and has won the last two races, has got a shot at a points title because of it. While putting together six wins this season, he’s also suffered a streak in June and July where he finished just three of nine races — one ending in a wreck, the other an array of mechanical issues.