There is one hell of a championship battle afoot.

And no, I'm not talking about Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin and the rest of the field of Sprint Cup Chasers.

That thing's over.

Johnson just hasn't told anyone yet.

I'm talking about the battle for the 2009 ARCA RE/MAX Championship. With two races remaining in their season, Justin Lofton leads second-place Parker Kligerman by 25 points. The two have combined to win 13 of the series 19 races of the season thus far.

And, depending on what happens in the race at Kansas, it's looking more likely that the battle for the ARCA RE/MAX Series title will come down to the championship weekend at Rockingham Speedway October 10-11.

And y'all know how I feel about that.

I don't think there is a better place in the world to crown a champion. Just ask Matt Kenseth who claimed the last Winston Cup at the track. Or Kevin Harvick. He clinched his first Busch Series Championship at "The Rock."

Lofton leads the points courtesy of his six wins, a series-leading 13 top-five and 17 top-10 finishes after the first 19 of 21 races. Kligerman's seven race wins, 12 top-five and 16 top-10 finishes have him nipping at the leader's heels. The ARCA points system works differently than NASCAR's in that drivers receive points for qualifying (15 points for a pole position, 10 for qualifying second and five for qualifying third). That'll ramp up the excitement for Saturday's (Oct. 10) pole day at Rockingham. Kligerman can cut the Lofton's lead to 10 points before the green flag drops.

Neither Lofton or Kligerman ran exceptionally well in the spring race. Both spun early in the running and never challenged for the win, but for the 19-year-old Kligerman and the 23-year-old Lofton, a year's seasoning in the ARCA Series have made them better.

A test session last week also helped them get a handle on the wily old track.

Kligerman posted the third fastest time of the session, while Lofton was sixth quick.

"The biggest thing at the Rock is making the tires last, this is a very abrasive surface," said Kligerman. "In the spring we did a hundred lap run, so we are working towards that. If we keep a consistent, balanced car then the speed will come. Today (Sept. 23), we have changed springs, shocks, a lot of stuff to keep the car balanced."

"The car is really good," said Lofton after turning laps during the test session. "This is the car that we should have brought to the first race. We are really excited about it and glad we got the day in, considering the rain. We have the same car we won Pocono and Chicagoland with, and we are hoping we are going to bring home a win from the Rock.

"(Crew Chief) Mark Rette and I are making really big changes and we have a different set up from previous races. Coming back to the Rock, a track that has so much history, makes me look forward to an exciting championship weekend."

I agree. We'll be trying to sort this thing out with 10 to go.

Much more exciting than when Jimmie Johnson decides to tell everyone that he's winning his fourth Cup in a row.