OVERVIEW: Justin Chance committed to running Attica Raceway Park for the entire 2012 season and made the most of it with a solid second place finish in the final points tally. Splitting time between his own #01 and the Doug Heath owned #2, Chance contended for more than more win and became one of the drivers to watch on Friday nights at the fairgrounds oval.
WHAT WE KNOW: He'll start his season on March 22 at Attica but, with a baby expected in May, it's not unlikely Chance will run the entire Attica schedule in 2013. When he's not racing Attica on Fridays, he plans to attempt Eldora's Sunoco ALMS races, The Dream, and he wants to make another run at the World 100 Best Appearing Car award. He'll be piloting the Heath #2 all season unless the team can get a motor ready for Chance's own ride later in the year. The team is also building a new race shop during the offseason.
WHERE HE'S GOOD: When he finds his rhythm, Justin Chance is legit contender at Attica. When he starts near the front, he's better than when he has to deal with the traffic in the middle of the pack. The Mansfield, OH native is definitely fast on a heavy race track, which makes him even better the first few months of the season.
WHERE TO IMPROVE: Consistency, both throughout the night and throughout the season is the biggest area of improvement for Chance. He started 2012 off pretty strong, but seemed to lose that rhythm later on in the season. Maybe it was the switching of cars, but nevertheless something seemed to be just a tick off the second half of the year. Likewise, there were times when Chance was solid early on in the evening, but seemed to fade at the end of the night. If he polishes up that consistency, he should be in victory lane a few times in 2013.
DRIVER'S THOUGHTS: "I'm looking forward to running Doug's car again this season and, although we won't be able to chase the Attica points title this year, we're looking forward to being back full-time in 2014."
Newark, Ohio's Aaron Scott has wheeled a few different rides during his tenured career. His journey began in his own Subway sponsored #33, and his Late Model career wrapped up in the Halcomb Racing #1. However, in 1993 and 1994, Scott wheeled the Hydro Innovations #h2o to several wins at Muskingum County Speedway among other tracks. Currently, he drives an open wheel Modified at Muskingum County on Saturday nights.
OVERVIEW: Perhaps no Late Model track in the state of Ohio has done more to raise its profile over the last five years than Attica Raceway Park. In that time span, they have gone from unsanctioned limiteds to UMP Late Models averaging nearly 30 cars a night. Sunoco ALMS races, World of Outlaws Late Model shows, and UMP Summer Nationals events have been held at the 1/3-mile fairgrounds track during that time.
WHAT WE KNOW: Just three Late Model specials highlight the 2013 card this season with the Lucas Oil Series finally getting a date at the racy Seneca County facility on Friday, August 30. The UMP Summer Nationals are back for the fourth year in a row with their date being shuffled back one week to July 19, a move that, with the series' expanded schedule, pleases Yours Truly as it no longer conflict with the King's Royal at Eldora. Only one Sunoco ALMS race is on the grid this year, with that date being April 26. Attica's season kicks off one week earlier in 2013 with opening night slated for Friday, March 22. As for the points battle, Ryan Missler will once again be the man to beat unless, as noted a few weeks back, Garrett Krummert indeed commits to running the entire schedule or Jon Henry decides to comes out of hibernation and opts to run locally.
WHERE THEY'RE GOOD: A better question would be, "Where ISN'T Attica good?" Let's get serious here for a minute. Nine times out of ten, the racing at Attica is absolutely phenomenal. The show they put on starts on time, is efficiently run, and gets fans out in a timely fashion thanks to great organization, no intermission, and excellent communication. Their prices are reasonable given both the quantity and quality of cars you get to see in the top two divisions (410 Sprints and UMP Late Models). Over the last few seasons, Attica has risen to the top of the Friday night Late Model wars with the highest car counts of any track in state of Ohio, Skyline included. Simply put, this place has quickly become one of my favorite tracks. Since 2011, I've been to Attica more than any other track (besides Eldora, of course) with 16 visits. That's three times more visits than any place else.
WHERE TO IMPROVE: Several folks, myself included, were hoping for a Late Model purse increase for 2013, but it looks as though that didn't happen. With Wayne County being less than 70 miles away and paying $1200 to win and $200 to start (and over $2000 more in total purse money), many people were expecting Attica to up the ante this year, especially considering the loyalty of the UMP Late Model division there.
FINAL THOUGHTS: The Late Model car count at Attica may drop a few cars this season, but it shouldn't be anything to worry about. The UMP Summer Nationals and Lucas Oil shows are "must-see" events and, honestly, just about any weekly show at Attica will be well worth the price of admission.
OVERVIEW: In 2012, Brandon Thirlby finally had that "breakout" season he was looking for. With 15 wins, two track titles, and a Michigan Dirt Cup championship, the former power boat racer is poised to leap over the bar he raised last season.
WHAT WE KNOW: Thirlby plans to travel a bit more this year, possibly chasing a UMP National Championship. After crewing for his brother Collin during the Modified portion of Florida's Speedweeks, Brandon will make his own racing debut at Clarksville, TN's Tuckassee Toilet Bowl Classic on March 1 & 2. From there, Thirlby may defend the Michigan Dirt Cup title, depending on what that series' schedule looks like. He doesn't, however, plan to chase track championships like he did last season at Cherry and I-96. Armed with a new truck and trailer, Thirlby is equipped with the same cars and motors as last season. Once he gets settled into his Late Model, you may see the Traverse City, MI driver behind the wheel of the Homestead Motorsports MasterSbilt Modified for a few races.
WHERE HE'S GOOD: Regionally speaking, you'll be hard pressed to find a driver who's improved more than Brandon Thirlby has over the last few seasons. He's made a conscious effort to branch out and race at different tracks, and that's helped him tremendously. He's got several of the Michigan tracks nailed down and is a threat just about anywhere in the Wolverine State.
WHERE TO IMPROVE: Brandon's hard and passionate driving style can occasionally get him in trouble with overdriving the car. He's taken a big step in correcting that the last few seasons in learning that, sometimes, slower means faster. If he continues to sharpen his game in that area, he'll be a legitimate contender everywhere he goes.
DRIVER'S THOUGHTS: "I may have the possibility of finally picking up a well known crew chief to guide me through the season, but the details have yet to be ironed out.
OVERVIEW: Ryan Missler is now a four-time and defending track champion at Attica Raceway Park. After going winless at Attica in 2011, the Bellevue, OH driver rebounded with a pair of victories in 2012. In recent years, he's gone from running solely at Attica on Fridays to becoming a semi-regular at Oakshade Raceway on Saturdays.
WHAT WE KNOW: Not much is known about Missler's 2013 plans at this time, mostly because Missler is still up in the air on several things. During the offseason, Ryan and his wife Amber welcomed their second bouncing baby girl into their lives and, as you may guess, that's taken up the majority of his time. The most likely scenario is that "The Missile" remains a fixture at Attica on Fridays and, when time (and family) allows, Oakshade on Saturdays. Off the track, Ryan has the wheels in motion for a fun program in 2013 in which fans can register for his fan club (via his website www.ryanmisslerracing.com) and have their name on his Late Model throughout the 2013 season in addition to receiving a custom Ryan Missler Racing t-shirt.
WHERE HE'S GOOD: You don't win four straight track championships without being good at your home track, and that's exactly what Missler has done over the last four years at Attica. Although his consistency has fallen off just a tad in the last two years, he's been strong enough to rebound the following week after mechanic issues and/or ill-handling race cars. He also seems to be one of the better pill drawers at Attica, and we all know good luck is a fortune much needed to be successful in the sport.
WHERE TO IMPROVE: If he's going to win an astonishing fifth straight championship at Attica, Missler will need to be more consistent in 2013. The competition for the track title seems to close in on him more and more each year, and nobody expects that to change this year, although we do know that Justin Chance most likely won't be at Attica every week this season. One other small area of improvement would be to hone his skills at Oakshade where - as Ryan will admit - he occasionally misses his mark.
DRIVER'S THOUGHTS: "I'd like to say we are going to light up the map this upcoming year and travel all over the country, but that isn't possible...nothing new and exciting....we plan on winning races and trying to have fun while we're at it."
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| (Stacy Holland photo) |
OVERVIEW: As I've mentioned on here before, I don't talk about Eldora as often as I probably should simply for the fact that I don't want anyone to think I'm a "homer". I do my best to spread the love and make sure everyone gets an ample amount of airtime. With that in mind, however, I think most will agree that Eldora speaks for itself. Because of its history, long-standing reputation, and ownership the track has the opportunity to do things most others can't.
WHAT WE KNOW: 2013 will see several changes to the Eldora schedule, most of which have already been noted. The addition of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on July 24th is drawing tons of buzz and is sure to be one of the most watched race on TV this year. Other new events on schedule this year include the TRAXXAS TORC Off Road Series on May 10 and 11, the All-Star Sprint Speedweek show on June 22, and addition of the BOSS non-wing sprints to Sprintacular on Oct. 12. The format tweaks to the Dream and the World are widely known, but it's the revamping of the UMP Nationals that I'm looking forward to. With a Chili Bowl type of format for the UMP Modifieds, their show expands to three days with half the Mods running Thursday and the other half running Friday. The top "x" cars from each of those shows will be locked into Saturday night's A-Feature with everyone else playing alphabet soup on Saturday. In addition, the complete Late Model program now shifts to Saturday as well. Races that have been axed include the USAC Summer Sprint Car Shootout and the season-ending, 16-division Blue Collar Bash.
WHERE THEY'RE GOOD: Eldora's excellent at evolving with the sport itself in terms of building projects and event changes. This offseason will see wall and gate construction as well as new lights being installed in the Spring. And GM Roger Slack tells me a "major construction project" is tentatively set to begin after the final race in October. The format changes to some of Eldora's top events have given them a fresh look while keeping much of the same tradition fans have grown to love. The atmosphere at the Big E is second to none, especially for the crown jewels, and that atmosphere was intensified in 2012 with addition of new activities in the Fan Zone, the pay-pew-view broadcasts, and the fireworks displays that typically shook all of Darke County.
WHERE TO IMPROVE: In my opinion, Eldora took a big step forward in 2012 to help make the racing even better for the fans and drivers. Thanks to technology, body styles, and tires, it seems to get tougher and tougher each year to see consistent side-by-side racing on the bigger tracks. Of course, there's always going to be exceptions to that - we can all think of a few, I'm sure - but my honest opinion is that the Big E has their ship heading in the right direction in terms of track prep.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Eldora races 17 weekends (some of which are two or three day shows) and the Late Models continue to headline the Eldora schedule with the Dream, the World, and four Sunoco ALMS shows (April 13, May 26, Sept 1, Oct 5). And for that, I'm certainly grateful. As for the format differences, there will always be folks who don't agree with some of the changes, but I personally feel like the race and format tweaks have some really nice perks, and kudos are certainly in order to the Eldora staff for taking a chance and branching out in 2013.
Weston, WV's Tim Hitt was a popular driver throughout the 1990's and the early 2000's. And when you think of "The Hittman", you probably think of that sharp-looking red #68 with gold trim and checkerboard bottom. But Tim stepped behind the wheel of a few other rides in his career, including the two cars above. I don't have dates for either of these pics, but the B45 should be from the late 80's or early 90's, and I believe the 1H should be an early-to-mid 90's ride.
OVERVIEW: Russ King ran only a partial schedule in 2012, racing just 21 times throughout the season, after spending much of his time helping Sharon Speedway Crate champion Will Thomas. In 2013 King vows to get behind the wheel more, racing twice as much as he did last year.
WHAT WE KNOW: The Bristolville, OH driver will debut a brand new orange front-end Rocket in 2013, complete with a new Cornett Racing Engine. Much like last year, King will be turning wrenches in the Rocket camp during the Florida Speedweeks before his own season gets started on Saturday, March 30th at the ULMS-sanctioned "Chiller Thriller" at Mercer Raceway Park. From there, King will following the ULMS Series and hit other $3000-$5000 to win events close to home. Off weekends will find him at Wayne County and Lernerville among other places.
WHERE HE'S GOOD: Since traveling with the World of Outlaws a few years back, King's overall program took a big step forward. He drivers with more confidence than most and that often allows him to sneak his car into holes that others wouldn't dare go. He's noticeably better than most on a heavy track, and he's typically a "fast-outta-the-gate" kind of guy. He's got solid set-up skills which, as noted with Will Thomas' Crate title at Sharon, often puts him ahead of the competition the moment he rolls through the gates. Although he only raced 21 times last year, he won six races. Pretty impressive stuff.
WHERE TO IMPROVE: King has a tendency to overdrive his car at times. It's probably a product of having to be up on the wheel so much when he traveled with the Outlaws. Nevertheless, as mentioned above, that same characteristic allows him be one of the best on a wet, tacky surface. His new orange front-end Rocket - which most will agree is typically better on a smooth, slick track - will certainly makes things interesting this year.
DRIVER'S THOUGHTS: "Last year I got more in-depth with helping some guys as sort of a consultant ... it's cool to help other guys and then see them run good. After going to Florida with Josh Richards last year and being around the Rocket camp and Crew Chief Robbie Allen, I've really learned a lot!"
