“It was a fun run,” Cervi said. “[Stingray] was firing. She was at the top of the ground, and I knew I needed to take advantage of it. It was kind of a blur. She was going really fast, and I just knew that I needed to ride her how I always do, and stay out of her way when I needed to stay out of her way.”
Cervi and Stingray were out first in the 8th round, and they made sure that every step they made on the top of the ground counted, turning in a performance for the ages in the process of toppling the previous NFR best of 13.52 seconds set by Brandie Halls and I Am Not Te (“Slim”) in 2006. It was the third win for Cervi and Stingray at the 2010 NFR.
“Warming her up, I knew it was either going to be really good or really bad,” Cervi said of the record-breaking run with Stingray. “She was feeling good, and I knew that she was going to run hard. I just try to make the same run that I do every night. Obviously, it was just a little bit faster.”
Cervi now holds a commanding lead in the World Championship standings, with $256,113.73 in 2010 earnings, nearly $78,000 ahead of Lindsay Sears. She also took control of the race for her second straight NFR Average title, with a time of 110.68 on eight runs—leading Jill Moody by nine hundredths of a second. Cervi can break Charmayne James’ 1986 NFR Average record of 138.93 seconds if she can run a 14.12 or better in each of the final two rounds.
However, even with a third world title, a repeat NFR Average title and a new 10-round record all hanging in the balance, Cervi has no plans to play it safe in the next two rounds.
“I’m just going to keep going as fast as I can,” she said, “and, hopefully, the ground holds and lets [Stingray] make her run.”
8th Go Results: (# of barrel that was tipped)
1) Sherry Cervi and MP Meter My Hay – 13.49 (new NFR arena record) – $17,512.02
2) Kelli Tolbert and RF Firefly – 13.66 – $13,840.14
3) Jill Moody and TR Dashing Badger – 13.73 – $10,450.72
4) Lindsay Sears and Sugar Moon Express – 13.83 – $7,343.75
5) Brittany Pozzi and Yeah Hes Firen – 13.86 – $4,519.23
6) Brenda Mays and Judge Buy Cash – 14.05 – $2,824.52
7) Tana Poppino and Perryman Star – 14.08
8) Angie Meadors and Mulberry Canyon Moon – 14.12
8) SherryLynn Johnson and Leading Tradition – 14.12
10) Nellie Williams and Rebas Smokey Joe – 14.15
11) Benette Barrington and Smooth My Credit – 14.17
12) Sydni Blanchard and Firewater Five – 18.86 (3rd)
13) Christina Richman and Xtrared – 18.96 (1st)
14) Lisa Lockhart and An Oakie With Cash – 19.27 (1st)
15) Jeanne Anderson and Flaming Firebug – 19.32 (3rd)
World Championship Standings—End of 8th Round
1) Sherry Cervi – $256,113.73
2) Lindsay Sears – $178,391.46
3) Jill Moody – $156,416.48
4) Lisa Lockhart – $148,766.45
5) Brenda Mays – $129,341.03
6) Kelli Tolbert – $127,721.01
7) Brittany Pozzi – $126,314.87
8) Nellie Williams – $86,473.46
9) Sydni Blanchard – $82,668.22
10) Christina Richman – $80,791.88
11) Angie Meadors – $69,985.21
12) Tana Poppino – $67,445.36
13) SherryLynn Johnson – $60,746.31
14) Benette Barrington – $58,927.30
15) Jeanne Anderson – $57,543.39
