OVERVIEW: Little by little, Andrew Reaume is becoming more and more of a household name. From an ALMS win at Oakshade to a start in the prestigious World 100, last year was a season of firsts for the Blenheim, Ontario driver.
WHAT WE KNOW: Reaume will be back with the same car as last year, a former Darrell Lanigan Rocket that helped propel him to a runner-up finish in the final Eldora Speedway points standings. Two fresh Cornett Engines will provide the fire under the hood when the Canadian hotshoe starts his season at either Florence, KY's Spring 50 or Brownstown, IN's Icebreaker. From there, nothing is set in stone, but the team plans to make another run at the Eldora points title as well as focusing more on regional ALMS events and big money shows. And, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Reaume venture out on the Hell Tour later this summer, if not for the entire tour, at least for select races.
WHERE HE'S GOOD: The 29-year-old driver is solid at places like Eldora, Oakshade, Attica, and South Buxton. His strong runs at Eldora in 2012 has given him a huge confidence boost. He seems to be better on a slick surface and he noticeably rises to the level of his competition.
WHERE TO IMPROVE: Now that Reaume has polished his program locally, we'd like to see him spread his wings and fly just a little more. Venturing out to new and different tracks will certainly help, and achieving the same level of consistency on those new tracks will continue to make him a household name.
DRIVER'S THOUGHTS: "We are going to try and focus on some of the bigger shows this year because I seem to push myself harder when the competition level rises. Then, you are forced to learn or you will never make a show."
OVERVIEW: Former Modified standout Kent Robinson set sail on the entire World of Outlaws Late Model tour in 2012 and finished the season with a respectable 11th place tally in the final points standings, making 37 of the series' 40 A-Mains. He finished the season strong, including a ninth place run in the World Finals at Charlotte.
WHAT WE KNOW: K-Rob will start the season with the intention of running the WoO tour again this year. After running the Outlaws gig through the Georgia/Florida Speedweeks, Robinson plans to evaluate how things look and make a decision on the rest of his season. If he opts out of the WoO tour, look for the Bloomington, IN driver (who is running the same cars and motors as last year) to run some UMP Summer Nationals races as well as other big shows close to home, including those sanctioned by WoO and Lucas Oil. In his spare time, Robinson will return to his roots and run 10-15 UMP Modified races for a team based out of southern Indiana. With a new car and motor, the new combination plans to hit select Mod shows in Indiana and Ohio.
WHERE HE'S GOOD: Last year's traveling helped make Robinson a more well-rounded driver. You always hear drivers say things like "the more you race, and the better the competition...the better driver you become". And that adage is certainly true with Robinson. If he doesn't run the full Outlaws tour in 2013, he'll be considered a threat to win at any regional show. As far as the Mod gig is concerned, I look for that team to be a solid top three runner in every race they enter. Guaranteed.
WHERE TO IMPROVE: Injured race cars and hurt motors killed Robinson about halfway through the season in 2012. He and his team have to find a way to keep the cars and motors in one piece this year. If they can do that, he'll certainly have a strong year no matter which route he chooses.
DRIVER'S THOUGHTS: "We don't really have anything set in stone for 2013. I'm going to run the Outlaws through Georgia and Florida, then make an assessment and decide if we want to continue on with the tour or drop off and run more of a regional schedule while still hitting the big shows like Eldora, Knoxville, Cedar Lake, Florence, etc."
Here's one that probably slipped under the radar of some people. Does anybody remember when Steve Francis piloted this ride?
OVERVIEW: Jeff Babcock is good ... let's go ahead and get that out of the way. He comes from the old school way of racing, working his way up from the Stocks, then Modifieds, and now Late Models. Basically, he's a guy who will race anything with four wheels ... and he does, racing a Late Model and Mod full-time while still dabbling in the Stocks when the opportunity presents itself. Once the Halcomb Racing team finally got rolling in 2012, Babcock shrugged off a somewhat sluggish start to become one of the fastest drivers by the end of the season. In the Best Performace Motorsports UMP Modified, Babcock was a legit contender in every single race.
WHAT WE KNOW: The Wayne, Ohio driver plans on doing even more racing in 2013 with a highly ambitious schedule mapped out. Halcomb Racing is joining forces with Best Performance Motorsports to form one powerhouse operation which will kick off with Babcock in the team's Modified at North Florida Speedway in February. The newly combined program will hit every Mod show at Ocala and Volusia and, from there, will drag out the Late Model for a March swing that's likely to include Clarksville, TN's Toilet Bowl Classic and Florence, KY's Spring 50. During the summer months, look for "The Wayne Hurricane" to run select UMP SummerNationals events with the Late Model and Modified as well as some USMTS Modified shows in the midwest. Aside from the traveling more and hitting some bigger shows, Babcock's number one priority is a track championship at Eldora with both the Late Model and the Modified. Oh, then there's that NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Eldora. He's running that too.
WHERE HE'S GOOD: Babcock is an excellent driver and has solid equipment under him. All the ingredients are there to make him of the the region's top drivers to watch this season, in what could certainly prove to be a breakout year for the 32-year-old. He's a hard driver and usually rises to the level of his competition if given the opportunity.
WHERE TO IMPROVE: As mentioned above, Babcock is a throttle-stomper and, as we all know, that can occasionally get a driver in trouble. A little more seat time against varying levels of competition and on different track surfaces should help sharpen his program. Jeff's a smart driver and adjusts well to most situations presented to him. If he doesn't lose sight of that ability, 2013 will be the year Jeff Babcock picks up some pretty big wins.
DRIVER'S THOUGHTS: "Best Performance Motorsports has really stepped up and I'm hoping to do the same in return!"
OVERVIEW: He's only been racing Late Models a few seasons, but Garrett Krummert is quickly making a name for himself in Pennsylvania and Ohio. A sweep of Attica's Spring Nationals helped put the 24-year-old Butler, PA driver on the Ohio map in 2012.
WHAT WE KNOW: Krummert will start the season racing at Attica Raceway Park every Friday night. After the April 14th show, the team will take a look at the Attica points, the team's sponsorship, and the family business. From there, they will make a decision as to whether or not they will continue to make the 3+ hour drive west for the remaining shows.
WHERE HE'S GOOD: This is a guy who has Attica figured out. He's proven that in his limited visits to the 1/3-mile fairgrounds oval. No doubt his previous experience wheeling a Big Block Modified and a Sprint Car has carried him over to the Late Model side.
WHERE TO IMPROVE: A little more experience at new tracks and on varying track surfaces will help polish the likable driver in 2013. If he has an opportunity to travel a little more, he should take advantage of it and get that all-important seat time. On Saturdays, Krummert will be bouncing around a little as he plans to hit Oakshade for a few select races as well as running ULMS events at Mercer and Sharon among other places. The Saturday night race-chasing should help him up his game.
DRIVER'S THOUGHTS: "It's sometimes hard to drive three hours (to Attica) on Fridays when Lerverville is only 45 minutes away ... I'm really looking forward to the Hell Tour race and the Lucas Oil show at Attica. Last year we showed up late to the SummerNationals race and that put us behind all night, so I want to make up for that poor showing."
OVERVIEW: In the OH/IN/MI region, perhaps no local driver is talked about more than Rusty Schlenk. A former UMP National Champion, Schlenk is also a multiple-time Oakshade Raceway track champion. Last season, he notched his 100th career feature win.
WHAT WE KNOW: Things look to be status quo for the Weston, Ohio driver. He'll be back with the same cars (both his own and the Ron Zeller-owned entry), same motors, and same crew. And he'll be gunning for as many UMP points as possible, in search for his second national title.
WHERE HE'S GOOD: Schlenk is one of the smartest when it comes to UMP points chasing. He maximizes his UMP points opportunities every chance he gets by dodging the inclement weather, and hitting tracks that allow him to look at the big picture of the UMP national title. Depending on how the UMP points (and the team's finances) look, Schlenk may even venture to Eldora's Dream and World 100 in 2013.
WHERE TO IMPROVE: Schlenk got off to a somewhat sluggish start in 2012...at least by his standards. From an outsider's perspective, it seemed like he didn't really kick into high gear until nearly mid-season and was often plagued by bad luck. If he wants to make another run at the overall UMP championship, he'll need to hit the ground running in 2013. And he plans to do just that by starting his season off at the Tuckassee Toilet Bowl Classic in Clarksville, TN.
DRIVER'S THOUGHTS: "Same cars, same motors, same crew, same kick-ass attitude...but it's a new year so we are hoping for some new luck!"
Does anybody remember when Mark Banal (then Dillonvale, OH) drove this car? It was the Fall of 1989. The M&R racing #30 only made a few appearances when Banal wasn't wheeling his familiar #T8.
News, updates, and more are right around the corner. The first "official" post of the new year will be Monday, January 7th. Spread the word...
DJ
