KNOXVILLE, IOWA (January 15, 2011) - Jon Stanbrough of Brownsburg, Indiana, today was named the 2010 “Driver of the Year” by the North American Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll voting panel of media members, promoters, sanctioning officials and manufacturers for the third time. The King of Indiana Sprint Series (KISS) and Indiana Sprint Week champion, and 2006 and ‘07 “Driver of the Year,” earned eleven (11) of the eighteen (18) first-place ballots cast in the year-end poll. His car owners, brothers Brad and Steve Fox, will receive the 2010 non-winged sprint car “Team of the Year” award for their third time as well. They had also previously earned it in 2006 and ‘07.
Those drivers ranked second through fifth, respectively, are United States Auto Club (USAC) national champion and 2005 and ’09 “Driver of the Year” Levi Jones of Illinois, Damion Gardner of California, Bryan Clauson of California, and USAC-California Racing Association (CRA) champion Mike Spencer of California. Rounding out the ‘top ten’ are Dave Darland, Kokomo Speedway champion Chris Windom, 2008 “Driver of the Year” Jerry Coons, Jr., Midwest Sprint Car Series (MSCS) champion Blake Fitzpatrick, and Shane Hmiel, respectively. Levi Jones captured the remaining seven (7) first-place votes. Blake Fitzpatrick, who won the USAC-sanctioned Indiana Sprint Week finale, earned the “Wild Card Award” for his exciting sprint car performances in ’10.
According to poll coordinator Bob Baker, “Our National Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll voting panel is regionally balanced between the Midwest and the Southwest, but for whatever reason, the 2010 year-end awards are all headed back to Indiana. It shows what a great state Indiana is for traditional sprint car racing in this country!”
Sean Buckley, “Follow the Corn” documentary filmmaker and web master for www.jackslash.com, will receive the North American Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll’s “Media Member of the Year” award for the first time. Indiana promoter Dave Rudisell of the Lawrenceburg Speedway will earn the “Promoter of the Year” honors for the second consecutive year.
Lincoln Park Speedway feature winner Wes McIntyre of Indiana will receive the 2010 North American Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll “Rookie of the Year, presented by Jack & Sharon Jory” award from the voting panel. Joe Devin of DRC Chassis will receive the “Builder/Manufacturer of the Year” honors for his fourth time.
The North American Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll is an annual awards program of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum Foundation, Inc., of Knoxville, Iowa. All awards will be distributed in the spring of 2011 at tracks throughout North America. The awards were announced on the fifth day of the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Final 2010 North American Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll
rank, driver (first place votes), hometown, state/province, points
1., Jon Stanbrough (11), Jamestown, IN, 1298
2., Levi Jones (7), Olney, IL, 1240
3., Damion Gardner, Concord, CA, 545
4., Bryan Clauson, Carmichael, CA, 463
5., Mike Spencer, Temecula, CA, 360
6., Dave Darland, Walton, IN, 254
7., Chris Windom, Canton, IL, 220
8., Jerry Coons, Jr., Tucson, AZ, 213
9., Blake Fitzpatrick, West Terre Haute, IN, 128
10., Shane Hmiel, Pleasant Garden, NC, 111
11., Robert Ballou, Rocklin, CA, 105
12., Tracy Hines, New Castle, IN, 99
13., Brandon “Bud” Kaeding, Los Gatos, CA, 82
14., Cory Kruseman, Ventura, CA, 70
15., Dickie Gaines, Mitchell, IN, 57
16., David Cardey, Riverside, CA, 49
17., Danny Sheridan, Santa Maria, CA, 46
18., Tony Hunt, Inglewood, CA, 36
19., Matt Mitchell, Yorba Linda, CA, 31
20., Craig Stidham, Fresno, CA, 28
21., Charles Davis, Jr., Buckeye, AZ, 27
22., Andrew Elson, San Jose, CA, 24
23., Blake Miller, Yorba Linda, CA, 44
24., Thomas Meseraull, San Jose, CA, 21
25., Shane Hollingsworth, Indianapolis, IN, 15
Also receiving multiple votes: Henry Clarke, Shane Cottle, R.J. Johnson, Troy Rutherford, Brady Short, Chase Stockon.
JERRY COONS, JR., NAMED NORTH AMERICAN NON-WINGED SPRINT CAR POLL “DRIVER OF THE YEAR” FOR 2008
KNOXVILLE, IOWA (December 11, 2008) - Jerry Coons, Jr., of Tucson, Arizona, today was voted the 2008 “Driver of the Year” by the North American Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll voting panel of media members, promoters, sanctioning officials and manufacturers for the first time ever. The United States Auto Club (USAC) national champion earned twelve (12) of the eighteen (18) first place ballots cast in the year-end poll. His Dynamics, Inc., car owners, Richard and Rob Hoffman, will receive the 2008 “Team of the Year” award for their first time. Richard is the son and Rob is the grandson of deceased National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee August “Gus” Hoffman.
Those drivers ranked second through fifth, respectively, are Dave Darland of Indiana, 2005 “Driver of the Year” Levi Jones of Illinois, Cole Whitt of California, and Tony Jones of California. Rounding out the ‘top ten’ are USAC-California Racing Association (CRA) champion Mike Spencer, 2006-2007 “Driver of the Year” and 2008 King of Indiana Sprint Series (KISS) champion Jon Stanbrough, Tracy Hines, Jesse Hockett, and Blake Miller, respectively. Dave Darland and the retiring Tony Jones captured four (4) and two (2) first place votes, respectively. Jesse Hockett of Missouri and Tony Jones of California will share the honors for the “Wild Card Award” for exciting sprint car performances in ’08.
According to poll founder Tom Schmeh, “The words ‘classy’ and ‘champion’ are both great adjectives to describe Jerry Coons, Jr., and the entire Hoffman family. It is fitting that we are able to honor them together for their remarkable achievements in traditional sprint car racing in 2008.”
Dean Mills, veteran sprint car racing videographer and founder of Mills Video Productions (MVP), will receive the North American Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll’s “Media Member of the Year” award for the first time. Tom Helfrich, promoter of the Midwest Sprint Car Series (MSCS) and the Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Indiana, captured the “Promoter of the Year” honors for the second consecutive year.
Jesse Cramer of Indiana and Cody Williams of California, the son of champion racer Rip Williams, will share the “Rookie of the Year” title for 2008 from the North American Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll panel following a tie in the voting process. Joe Devin of DRC Chassis will receive the “Builder/Manufacturer of the Year” honors for his third time in the last three years.
The North American Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll is an annual awards program of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum Foundation, Inc., of Knoxville, Iowa. All awards will be distributed in the spring of 2009 at tracks throughout North America. The awards were announced late on the first day of the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show in Orlando, Florida.
Final 2008 North American Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll
rank, driver (first place votes), hometown, state, points
1., Jerry Coons, Jr. (12), Tucson, AZ, 1385
2., Dave Darland (4), Walton, IN, 631
3., Levi Jones, Olney, IL, 624
4., Cole Whitt, Alpine, CA, 427
5., Tony Jones (2), Garden Grove, CA, 392
6., Mike Spencer, Temecula, CA, 217
7., Jon Stanbrough, Jamestown, IN, 206
8., Tracy Hines, New Castle, IN, 200
9., Jesse Hockett, Warsaw, MO, 158
10., Blake Miller, Yorba Linda, CA, 98
11., Damion Gardner, Concord, CA, 97
12., Shane Cottle, Kokomo, IN, 94
13., Hunter Schuerenberg, Sikeston, MO, 91
14., Danny Sheridan, Santa Maria, CA, 68
15., Brad Sweet, Grass Valley, CA, 66
16., Darren Hagen, Riverside, CA, 62
17., Robert Ballou, Rocklin, CA, 48
18., Billy Puterbaugh, Jr., Brownsburg, IN, 38
tie, Jeremy Sherman, Phoenix, AZ, 38
20., Kevin Swindell, Germantown, TN, 37
21., Dickie Gaines, Mitchell, IN, 36
22., Jeff Bland, Jr., Bloomington, IN, 30
23., Cory Kruseman, Ventura, CA, 29
24., Kyle Cummins, Princeton, IN, 18
25., Scotty Weir, Marion, IN, 14
Also receiving multiple votes: Brady Bacon, Tyler Brown, David Cardey, Garrett Hansen, Kevin Kierce, Brady Short, Casey Shuman, Tanner Swanson.
Jon Stanbrough NAMED NORTH AMERICAN NON-WINGED SPRINT CAR “DRIVER OF THE YEAR” FOR 2006!
Those drivers ranked second through fifth, respectively, are USAC Sprint Car Series national titlist Josh Wise of California, USAC-California Racing Association (CRA) point champion Cory Kruseman of California, USAC-CRA runner-up Damion Gardner of California, and veteran racer Dave Darland of Indiana. Rounding out the ‘top ten’ are Levi Jones, Tony Jones, Jerry Coons, Jr., Bryan Clauson and Shane Cottle, respectively. Wise captured the remaining six (6) first place ballots.
According to poll founder Tom Schmeh, “It really is ‘big news’ that the poll voters, all industry insiders, named independent Jon Stanbrough the top non-winged sprint car driver for 2006. It marks the first time in four years, since J.J. Yeley was named ‘Driver of the Year’ in 2002, that the USAC national champion or the USAC-CRA/Sprint Car Racing Association (SCRA) champion hasn’t claimed the honor.”
Pat Sullivan, announcer at Bloomington Speedway and a writer in Sprint Car & Midget magazine, received the North American Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll’s “Media Member of the Year” award for the third time. Jim Naylor, track preparer, announcer, and promoter of the Ventura Raceway in California, received the “Promoter of the Year” honors for the first time. Hunter Schuerenberg of Missouri received the “Rookie of the Year” title for 2006 from the North American Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll voting panel. And for his exciting sprint car performances this year, Daron Clayton of Missouri, the self-proclaimed ‘Modern Day Cowboy’, received the “Wild Card Award”. Joe Devin of DRC Chassis received the “Builder/Manufacturer of the Year” honors for the first time.
The North American Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll is an annual awards program of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum Foundation, Inc., of Knoxville, Iowa. All awards will be distributed in the spring of 2007 at tracks throughout North America.
Final 2006 North American Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll
rank, driver (first place votes), hometown, state, points
1., Jon Stanbrough (11), Jamestown, IN, 1221
2., Josh Wise (6), Riverside, CA, 990
3., Cory Kruseman, Ventura, CA, 658
4., Damion Gardner, Concord, CA, 399
5., Dave Darland, Walton, IN, 347
6., Levi Jones, Olney, IL, 306
7., Tony Jones, Garden Grove, CA, 235
8., Jerry Coons, Jr., Tucson, AZ, 188
9., Bryan Clauson, Noblesville, IN, 170
10., Shane Cottle, Kokomo, IN, 138
11., Mike Spencer, Temecula, CA, 128
12., Daron Clayton, Sikeston, MO, 125
13., Darren Hagen, Riverside, CA, 117
14., Mat Neely, Robinson, IL, 69
15., Tony Hunt, Fair Oaks, CA, 65
16., Brandon “Bud” Kaeding, Campbell, CA, 32
17., Jeremy Sherman, Phoenix, AZ, 24
18., Kevin Briscoe, Mitchell, IN, 22
tie, Danny Sheridan, Santa Maria, CA, 22
20., Rip Williams, Yorba Linda, CA, 14
21., Dickie Gaines, Mitchell, IN, 10
22., Bobby Santos III, Marlboro, MA, 7
23., A.J. Anderson, Stateline, IN, 6
tie, Jesse Hockett, Warsaw, MO, 6
tie, Mike Murgoitio, Boise, ID, 6
KNOXVILLE, IOWA (July 13, 2006) - Damion Gardner of Concord, California, is the number one ranked driver in the “Salute to Indiana SprintWeek” Mid-Season 2006 North American Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll, according to the select voting panel of media members, promoters, manufacturers and sanctioning officials. Gardner, the current point leader of the United States Auto Club (USAC)/California Racing Association (CRA), received seven first-place votes and 960 points. According to poll founder Tom Schmeh, “Damion Gardner appears to be the class of the field headed into the traditional sport’s second half of the season, which starts this week with the annual USAC-sanctioned Indiana SprintWeek. He is an exciting driver to watch and he’s armed with an excellent mechanic in Bruce Bromme, Jr., and a great sprint car owner in Ron Chaffin.” Ranked second through fifth in the mid-season poll are Cory Kruseman of California, King of Indiana Sprint Series (KISS) champion Jon Stanbrough of Indiana, USAC National Series point leader Josh Wise of California and Levi Jones of Illinois, respectively. Kruseman earned two first-place votes, while Stanbrough claimed five. Wise scored one blue ribbon from the voting panel.
The North American Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll is an annual awards program of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum Foundation, Inc., of Knoxville, Iowa.
Mid-Season 2006 North American Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll: “Salute to Indiana SprintWeek” rank, driver (first place votes), hometown, state, points
1., Damion Gardner (7), Concord, CA, 960
2., Cory Kruseman (2), Ventura, CA, 615
3., Jon Stanbrough (5), Jamestown, IN, 520
4., Josh Wise (1), Riverside, CA, 452
5., Levi Jones, Olney, IL, 252
6., Shane Cottle, Kokomo, IN, 185
7., Bryan Clauson, Noblesville, IN, 169
8., Dave Darland, Walton, IN, 166
9., Jerry Coons, Jr., Tucson, AZ, 158
10., Mike Spencer, Temecula, CA, 135
11., Mat Neely, Robinson, IL, 94,
12., Tony Jones, Garden Grove, CA, 87
13., Darren Hagen, Riverside, CA, 67
14., Rip Williams, Yorba Linda, CA, 65
15., Brandon “Bud” Kaeding, Campbell, CA, 49
16., Tony Hunt, Fair Oaks, CA, 48
17., Kevin Briscoe, Mitchell, IN, 44<> 18., Brian Tyler, Spring Arbor, MI, 40
19., Jay Drake, Val Verde, CA, 28
20., Jeremy Sherman, Phoenix, AZ, 18
21., A.J. Anderson, Stateline, IN, 15
22., Dickie Gaines, Mitchell, IN, 13
tie, David Steele, Tampa, FL, 13
24., Danny Sheridan, Santa Maria, CA, 11
25., Bobby Santos III, Marlboro, MA, 9
Also receiving multiple votes: Rickie Gaunt, Matt Westfall.
LEVI JONES NAMED NORTH AMERICAN NON-WINGED SPRINT CAR POLL “DRIVER OF THE YEAR” FOR 2005
KNOXVILLE, IOWA (December 1, 2005) - Levi Jones of Olney, Illinois, was voted the 2005 “Driver of the Year” by the North American Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll voting panel of media members, promoters, sanctioning officials and manufacturers. The United States Auto Club (USAC) point champion earned eight (8) of the fifteen (15) first place ballots cast in the year-end poll. His car owner, Scott Benic, also received the 2005 “Team of the Year” award for the first time.
Those drivers ranked second through fifth, respectively, are USAC-California Racing Association (CRA) point champion Damion Gardner of California, Dave Darland of Indiana, 2001 “Driver of the Year” Cory Kruseman of California, and defending “Driver of the Year” Jay Drake of California. Rounding out the ‘top ten’ are Rip Williams, Brandon “Bud” Kaeding, Josh Wise, Dickie Gaines, and Shane Cottle, respectively. In addition to Jones, others receiving first place votes were Gardner (three), Darland (three), and Kruseman. Pat Sullivan of Sprint Car & Midget magazine received the North American Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll’s “Media Member of the Year” award. Emmett Hahn, founder of the Sprint Bandits in its first year as a non-winged sprint car sanction, received the “Promoter of the Year” honors. Brady Short of Indiana received the “Rookie of the Year” title for 2005 from the North American Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll voting panel. And for his exciting sprint car performances this year, Damion Gardner of California, also known as ‘the Demon’, received the “Wild Card Award”. Keith Kunz of Bullet Chassis received the “Builder/Manufacturer of the Year” honors for the first time.
The North American Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll is an annual awards program of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum Foundation, Inc., of Knoxville, Iowa. All awards will be distributed in the spring of 2006 at tracks throughout North America.
Final 2005 North American Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll
rank, driver (first place votes), hometown, state, points
1., Levi Jones (8), Olney, IL, 1050
2., Damion Gardner (3), Concord, CA, 750
3., Dave Darland (3), Walton, IN, 710
4., Cory Kruseman (1), Ventura, CA, 470
5., Jay Drake, Val Verde, CA, 240
6., Rip Williams, Yorba Linda, CA, 232
7., Brandon “Bud” Kaeding, Campbell, CA, 180
8., Josh Wise, Riverside, CA, 132
9., Dickie Gaines, Mitchell, IN, 113
10., Shane Cottle, Kokomo, IN, 97
11., Jerry Coons, Jr., Tucson, AZ, 87
12., Mat Neely, Robinson, IL, 71
13., Mike Kirby, Torrance, CA, 55
14., Brandon Petty, Alexandria, IN, 50
15., Mike Spencer, Temecula, CA, 43
16., Darren Hagen, Riverside, CA, 29
17., Rob Chaney, Wooster, OH, 25
18., John Wolfe, Parker City, IN, 20
19., Kody Swanson, Kingsburg, CA, 19
20., Jeremy Sherman, Phoenix, AZ, 17
21., Jon Stanbrough, Jamestown, IN, 16
22., Rickie Gaunt, Torrance, CA, 11
23., Kevin Briscoe, Mitchell, IN, 10
24., Chad Boespflug, Hanford, CA, 8
25., Charles Davis, Jr., Buckeye, AZ, 6
tie, Eric Gordon, Indianapolis, IN, 6
JAY DRAKE NAMED NORTH AMERICAN NON-WINGED SPRINT CAR POLL “DRIVER OF THE YEAR” FOR 2004
KNOXVILLE, IOWA (December 9, 2004) - Jay Drake of Val Verde, California, was voted the 2004 “Driver of the Year” by the North American Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll voting panel of media members, promoters, sanctioning officials and manufacturers. The Mopar-powered United States Auto Club (USAC) point champion earned seven (7) of the seventeen (17) first place ballots cast in the year-end poll. Drake was previously named the “Driver of the Year” in 2000. His car owner, Tony Stewart, again received the 2004 “Team of the Year” award.
Those drivers ranked second through fifth, respectively, are USAC-California Racing Association (CRA) point champion Rip Williams of California, 2001 “Driver of the Year” Cory Kruseman of California, Brandon “Bud” Kaeding of California, and Damion Gardner of California. Rounding out the ‘top ten’ are Mike Kirby of California, Levi Jones of Illinois, Jon Stanbrough of Indiana, Non-Winged World Championship (NWWC) and Sprint Car Racing Association (SCRA) titlist Rickie Gaunt, and Dick Gaines of Indiana, respectively.
In addition to Drake, others receiving first place votes were Williams (four), Kruseman (two), Kaeding (two), Gardner, and Stanbrough. Dave Despain of Speed Channel’s “Wind Tunnel” program received the North American Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll’s “Media Member of the Year” award. Earl Baltes, out-going promoter and owner of the Eldora Speedway, received the “Promoter of the Year” honors. Davey Ray of Iowa received the “Rookie of the Year” title for 2004 from the North American Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll voting panel. And for his exciting sprint car performances this year, young Bryan Clauson of Indiana received the “Wild Card Award”. Brian and Jeannie Butler of ButlerBuilt Seats received the “Builder/Manufacturer of the Year” honors for their efforts in designing safer seats for the racing community. Hank Gentzler of Hank’s Performance Products was posthumously honored with the 2004 “Outstanding Contribution to the Sport Award.”
The North American Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll is an annual awards program of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum Foundation, Inc., of Knoxville, Iowa. Final 2004 North American Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll
rank, driver (first place votes), hometown, state, points
1., Jay Drake (7), Val Verde, CA, 1078 2., Rip Williams (4), Yorba Linda, CA, 803 3., Cory Kruseman (2), Ventura, CA, 730 4., Brandon “Bud” Kaeding (2), Campbell, CA, 532 5., Damion Gardner (1), Concord, CA, 371 6., Mike Kirby, Torrance, CA, 218 7., Levi Jones, Olney, IL, 196 8., Jon Stanbrough (1), Jamestown, IN, 195 9., Rickie Gaunt, Torrance, CA, 194 10., Dickie Gaines, Mitchell, IN, 116 11., Dave Darland, Walton, IN, 109 12., Josh Ford, Camarillo, CA, 98 13., Tony Elliott, Kokomo, IN, 77 14., Josh Wise, Riverside, CA, 39 15., Charles Davis, Jr., Buckeye, AZ, 37 16., Tony Hunt, Rancho Cordova, CA, 34 tie, Troy Rutherford, Ojai, CA, 34 18., Jeremy Sherman, Phoenix, AZ, 32 19., Shane Cottle, Kokomo, IN, 30 20., Kevin Briscoe, Mitchell, IN, 29 tie., Mike Spencer, Temecula, CA, 29 22., Tracy Hines, New Castle, IN, 16 tie, Michael Lewis, Noblesville, IN, 16 tie, Steve Ostling, Corona, CA, 16 25., Bobby East, Speedway, IN, 9 tie, Kevin Huntley, Bloomington, IN, 9 Also receiving multiple votes: Bryan Clauson, Tony Jones, Bob Ream, Jr., Danny Sheridan, Eric Wilkins, J.J. Yeley.
Jay Drake number 1 in summer poll...
KNOXVILLE, IOWA (July 31, 2004) - 2000 “Driver of the Year” Jay Drake of Val Verde, California, is back on top of the sport’s rankings, according to the Summer 2004 edition of the North American Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll. The voting panel of media members, manufacturers, sanctioning officials and promoters awarded Drake twelve (12) of the eighteen (18) first place votes cast. Jay Drake, driver of the Tony Stewart-owned Mopar sprinter, currently leads the United States Auto Club (USAC) Sprint Car Series point standings.
Ranked second in the poll is Cory Kruseman of Ventura, California, who was the 2001 “Driver of the Year”. Kruseman, the second place point-getter in the USAC national series who collected three first place votes, also pilots a Tony Stewart Racing sprinter. Those drivers ranked third through fifth, respectively, are USAC/California Racing Association (CRA) point leader Rip Williams of southern California, USAC/CRA runner-up Damion Gardner of northern California, and Sprint Car Racing Association (SCRA) point leader Rickie Gaunt of southern California. Williams and Gardner each topped one first place ballot.
Rounding out the ‘top ten’ non-winged sprint car drivers in North America are third place USAC national tourist Brandon “Bud” Kaeding of northern California, Mike Kirby of southern California, Bobby East of Indiana, Dave Darland of Indiana, and Jon Stanbrough of Indiana, respectively. The Summer edition of the poll is released just one week prior to the $50,000-to-win Mopar Thunder at Eldora USAC national non-winged sprint car race at Earl Baltes’ legendary Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.
The North American Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll is an annual awards program of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum Foundation, Inc., of Knoxville, Iowa.
Summer 2004 North American Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll
1., Jay Drake (12), Val Verde, CA, 1345 points, 2., Cory Kruseman (3), Ventura, CA, 728, 3., Rip Williams (1), Yorba Linda, CA, 465, 4., Damion Gardner (1), Concord, CA, 438, 5., Rickie Gaunt, Torrance, CA, 321, 6., Brandon “Bud” Kaeding, Campbell, CA, 320, 7., Mike Kirby, Lomita, CA, 210, 8., Bobby East, Speedway, IN, 178, 9., Dave Darland, Lincoln, IN, 143, 10., Jon Stanbrough, Jamestown, IN, 114, 11., Levi Jones, Olney, IL, 106, 12., Josh Wise, Riverside, CA, 103, 13., Michael Lewis, Noblesville, IN, 91, 14., Troy Rutherford (1), Ojai, CA, 76, 15., Kevin Briscoe, Mitchell, IN, 59, 16., Tony Elliott, Kokomo, IN, 45, 17., Tony Jones, Garden Grove, CA, 40, 18., Dickie Gaines, Mitchell, IN, 38, 19., Charles Davis, Jr., Buckeye, AZ, 30, tie, Eric Gordon, Indianapolis, IN, 30, 21., Bob Ream, Jr., Glendale, AZ, 25, 22., David Steele, Tampa, FL, 24, 23., Brad Bumgarner, Chico, CA, 20, tie, Mike Knopf, Santa Maria, CA, 20 25., Steve Ostling, Corona, CA, 19.,
Also receiving multiple votes: A.J. Anderson, Alan Ballard, Michael Burthay, Ronnie Clark, Bryan Clauson, Shane Cottle, Shane Hollingsworth, Tony Hunt, Jason McCord, Brian McLish, Adam Mitchell, Aaron Pierce, Boston Reid, Jeremy Sherman, Mike Spencer, Danny Sheridan, Brian Tyler, Eric Wilkins.
KNOXVILLE, IOWA (December 4, 2003) - J.J. Yeley of Phoenix, Arizona, was unanimously voted the 2003 “Driver of the Year” by the National Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll voting panel of media members, promoters, sanctioning officials and manufacturers. The United States Auto Club (USAC) point champion earned all seventeen (17) of the first place ballots cast in the year-end poll. J.J. Yeley’s car owner, Tony Stewart, received the 2003 “Team of the Year” award, while his car builder, Wayne Simmons of Twister Chassis, received the “Builder/Manufacturer of the Year” title.
Those drivers ranked second through fifth, respectively, are Sprint Car Racing Association (SCRA) point champion Richard Griffin of New Mexico, Tracy Hines of Indiana, Non-Winged World Championship (NWWC) titlist Brandon “Bud” Kaeding of California, and Cory Kruseman of California. Rounding out the ‘top ten’ for the season are Jon Stanbrough, Jay Drake, Damion Gardner, Troy Rutherford, and Boston Reid, respectively.
Dave Argabright of Speed Channel once again received the National Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll’s “Media Member of the Year” award. Earl Baltes, promoter of this year’s historic “Mopar Million” (-dollar purse) race at his Eldora Speedway, received the “Promoter of the Year” honors.
Mat Neely of Illinois received the “Rookie of the Year” title for 2003 from the National Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll voting panel. And for their exciting sprint car performances this year, “Mopar Million” winner Jac Haudenschild of Ohio and Mike Spencer of California, each received the “Wild Card Award”.
The National Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll is an annual awards program of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum Foundation, Inc., of Knoxville, Iowa.
Final 2003 National Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll
1., J.J. Yeley 1600, 2., Richard Griffin 590,
3., Tracy Hines, New Castle, IN, 456,
4., Brandon “Bud” Kaeding, Campbell, CA, 433,
5., Cory Kruseman, Ventura, CA, 317,
6., Jon Stanbrough, Jamestown, IN, 312,
7., Jay Drake, Val Verde, CA, 284,
8., Damion Gardner, Concord, CA, 280,
9., Troy Rutherford, Ojai, CA, 188,
10., Boston Reid, Logansport, IN, 133.
11., Michael Lewis, Noblesville, IN, 83,
12., Rip Williams, Yorba Linda, CA, 79,
13., Levi Jones, Olney, IL, 65,
14., Tony Elliott, Kokomo, IN, 57
15., Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, OH, 47,
16., Dave Darland, Walton, IN, 44,
17., Dickie Gaines, Mitchell, IN, 29,
18., Mike Spencer, Temecula, CA, 26,
19., Jeremy Sherman, Phoenix, AZ, 25,
20., Tony Jones, Garden Grove, CA, 18,
21., Mike Kirby, Torrance, CA, 15,
22., Steve Ostling, Corona, CA, 14,
23., Matt Westfall, Ludlow Falls, OH, 10,
24., Brian Tyler, Fortville, IN, 6,
25., Tony Hunt, Rancho Cordova, CA, 5,
tie, Derek Scheffel, Columbus, IN, 5,
tie, Josh Wise, Riverside, CA, 5,
tie, Rick Ziehl, Las Cruces, NM, 5,
“J.J.” TAKES OVER #1 RANKING IN NATIONAL NON-WINGED SPRINT CAR POLL
KNOXVILLE, IOWA (August 3, 2003) - Over forty years ago, “A.J.” was the hottest driver in sprint car racing. Today, “J.J.” has unanimously been named the number one driver in traditional (non-winged) sprint car racing by the National Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll voting panel of manufacturers, media members, sanctioning officials and promoters. J.J. Yeley of Phoenix, Arizona, the defending “Non-Winged Driver of the Year”, received all 16 first-place ballots cast in the summer edition of the seasonal poll. Yeley wheels the Tony Stewart-owned, Mopar-powered Twister sprint car in United States Auto Club (USAC) competition. He is the USAC point leader and has recently clinched that sanction’s Valvoline-sponsored Indiana Sprint Week title.
Ranked second in the poll is Damion Gardner of Concord, California, who was previously ranked number one in the nation. Gardner, the third place point-getter in Sprint Car Racing Association (SCRA) races, pilots Harlan Willis’ Mike Nigh-wrenched TCR Performance sprinter.
Those drivers ranked third through fifth, respectively, are Jay Drake of California (up from 12th in the spring poll), SCRA point leader Richard Griffin of New Mexico, and USAC runner-up Tracy Hines of Indiana. Rounding out the ‘top ten’ non-winged sprint car drivers in the nation are previously-unranked Jon Stanbrough, SCRA runner-up Troy Rutherford, Rip Williams, Cory Kruseman, and Brandon “Bud” Kaeding, respectively.
The National Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll is an annual awards program of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum Foundation, Inc., of Knoxville, Iowa.
Summer 2003 National Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll
1., J.J. Yeley (16), Phoenix, AZ, 1500 points
2., Damion Gardner, Concord, CA, 561
3., Jay Drake, Val Verde, CA, 511
4., Richard Griffin, Silver City, NM, 475
5., Tracy Hines, New Castle, IN, 352
6., Jon Stanbrough, Jamestown, IN, 336
7., Troy Rutherford, Ojai, CA, 195
8., Rip Williams, Yorba Linda, CA, 173
9., Cory Kruseman, Ventura, CA, 169
10., Brandon “Bud” Kaeding, Campbell, CA, 162
11., Boston Reid, Fairmont, IN, 117
12., Michael Lewis, Noblesville, IN, 94
13., Steve Ostling, Corona, CA, 88
14., Levi Jones, Olney, IL, 65
15., Mike Spencer, Temecula, CA, 59
16., Mike Kirby, Lomita, CA, 32
17., Dave Darland, Lincoln, IN, 25
18., Rickie Gaunt, Torrance, CA, 17
19., Brian Tyler, Parma, MI, 14
20., Tony Hunt, Fair Oaks, CA, 13
21., Eric Gordon, Indianapolis, IN, 12
tie, Tony Jones, Garden Grove, CA, 12
23., Kevin Briscoe, Mitchell, IN, 10
24., Michael Burthay, Kokomo, IN, 9
25., Chris Wakim, Simi Valley, CA, 7
Also receiving multiple votes: Jeff Gardner, Matt Neely, Eric Wilkins.
DAMION GARDNER EARNS #1 RANKING IN NON-WINGED SPRINT POLL
Ranked second in the poll is veteran Richard Griffin of Silver City, New Mexico, having collected one first-place ballot. Griffin, the current SCRA point leader, pilots Ron Chaffin’s Bruce Bromme-wrenched Madera Produce sprinter.
Those drivers ranked third through fifth, respectively, are J.J. Yeley of Arizona, and California friends Cory Kruseman and Troy Rutherford. Yeley leads the current United States Auto Club (USAC) point standings, along with thirteenth-ranked Aaron Pierce. Yeley and Kruseman, the 2002 and 2001 “Drivers of the Year”, each earned two first-place votes. Rounding out the ‘top ten’ non-winged sprint car drivers in the nation are Tracy Hines, Rip Williams, Steve Ostling, Levi Jones, and Brandon “Bud” Kaeding, respectively.
The National Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll is an annual awards program of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum Foundation, Inc., of Knoxville, Iowa.
Spring 2003 National Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll
1., Damion Gardner (10), Concord, CA, 1085 points
2., Richard Griffin (1), Silver City, NM, 657
3., J.J. Yeley (2), Phoenix, AZ, 407
4., Cory Kruseman (2), Ventura, CA, 359
5., Troy Rutherford, Ojai, CA, 298
6., Tracy Hines, New Castle, IN, 256
7., Rip Williams, Yorba Linda, CA, 212
8., Steve Ostling, Corona, CA, 140
9., Levi Jones, Olney, IL, 136
10., Brandon “Bud” Kaeding, Campbell, CA, 125
11., Jeremy Sherman, Phoenix, AZ, 111
12., Jay Drake, Val Verde, CA, 67
13., Kevin Briscoe, Mitchell, IN, 62
tie, Aaron Pierce, Muncie, IN, 62
15., Dave Darland, Lincoln, IN, 46
16., Mike English, Norwalk, CA, 42
17., Tony Jones, Garden Grove, CA, 31
18., Tony Elliott, Kokomo, IN, 26
19., Tony Stewart, Columbus, IN, 21
20., Dickie Gaines, Mitchell, IN, 18
21., Rickie Gaunt, Torrance, CA, 15
tie, Rick Hendrix, Canoga Park, CA, 15
23., Michael Burthay, Kokomo, IN, 14
24., Charles Davis, Jr., Buckeye, AZ, 12
25., Greg Taylor, Ojai, CA, 11
Also receiving multiple votes: Bobby East, Mike Knopf, Marty Miller, Jon Stanbrough, Kevin Thomas.
J.J. YELEY IS NATIONAL NON-WINGED SPRINT POLL "DRIVER OF THE YEAR"
Ranked second in the poll is Sprint Car Racing Association (SCRA) and Non-Winged World Championship titlist Richard Griffin of Silver City, N.M., with four first place votes. Rounding out the top five drivers are USAC national point champion Tracy Hines of Indianapolis, Ind., defending "Driver of the Year" Cory Kruseman of Ventura, Calif., and Brandon "Bud" Kaeding of Campbell, Calif. Kruseman earned one first place vote.
Other point champions in the "top 25" are Chad Nichols of the USAC Western States Sprint Car Series in 17th, and Eric Wilkins of the Arizona Sprint Car Association (ASCA) in 23rd.
The National Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll, and the National 360- and 410-Sprint Car Polls, are official awards programs of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum Foundation, Inc.
2002 FINAL National Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll
Rank Driver (First Place Votes) Hometown/State Points
1. J.J. Yeley (12) Phoenix, AZ 1,400
2. Richard Griffin ( 4) Silver City, NM 940
3. Tracy Hines Indianapolis, IN 517
4. Cory Kruseman ( 1) Ventura, CA 419
5. Brandon "Bud" Kaeding Campbell, CA 324
6. Damion Gardner Concord, CA 323
7. Tony Jones Corona, CA 205
8. Rip Williams Yorba Linda, CA 139
9. Tony Elliott Kokomo, IN 130
10. Jay Drake Val Verde, CA 121
11. Kevin Briscoe Bloomington, IN 119
12. Dave Darland Walton, IN 110
13. Derek Davidson Indianapolis, IN 80
14. Rickie Gaunt Torrance, CA 48
15. Mike Kirby Lomita, CA 42
16. Levi Jones Olney, IL 39
17. Chad Nichols San Carlos, CA 34
18. David Steele Tampa, FL 28
19. Boston Reid Logansport, IN 23
20. Tony Hunt Rancho Cordova, CA 19
21. Steve Ostling Corona, CA 18
22. Jeremy Sherman Phoenix, AZ 14
23. Eric Wilkins Peoria, AZ 12
24. Scott Hansen Simi Valley, CA 11
tie Bob Ream, Jr. Glendale, AZ 11
Also receiving multiple votes: Mike Boat, Jimmy Crawford, Brandon Petty, Travis Rilat, Troy Rutherford, Derek Scheffel, John Wolfe.
YELEY, REID, SIMMONS, SHUMAN, SULLIVAN, GARDNER, AND OTHERS SHARE NON-WING AWARDS
INDIANAPOLIS, IND. (December 6, 2002) - Bob Price and David Waltemath, owners of J.J. Yeley's non-wing sprint car, claimed "Team of the Year" honors from the voting panel of the National Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll. Joining Price and Waltemath in earning the honors were Scooter Ellis, Derek Spaulding, and Wayne Simmons. Yeley also claimed "Driver of the Year" honors at the awards reception at the Westin in Indianapolis on Thursday evening, as part of the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show.
The non-winged sprint "Rookie of the Year" honors went to Boston Reid, of Indiana. The talented open-wheel racer competed successfully with the United States Auto Club (USAC) this year.
Co-emcee, Pat Sullivan, captured the "Media Member of the Year" award for his journalistic skills. Sullivan writes for Elbows Up! Newspaper, Sprint Car & Midget, and FlatOut Magazines.
Ron Shuman of Sprint Car Racing Association (SCRA) earned the National Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll "Promoter of the Year" honors. Shuman also coordinates the Non-Wing World Championship (NWWC) tour.
Wayne Simmons of Twister Chasis was honored as the recipient of the "Builder/Manufacturer of the Year" award by the National Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll voting panel of media members, sanctioning officials, track promoters and sprint car manufacturers.
Damion Gardner of California started the evening by receiving the National Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll's "Wild Card Award", which he earned over the course of the season by his exciting sprint car performances in front of the poll's voters.
The National Sprint Car Polls are official awards programs of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum Foundation, Inc., of Knoxville, Iowa.
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