It's Prediction Time

It's Prediction Time!

By Brad Vores February 14, 2008

With the start to the local racing season just over a week away, we will put out our infamous yearly predictions for who to look for to win championships on the local and national dirt racing scene.

Obviously there are many factors that can play into who wins a championship but we like to take a chance and see how close we come and of course we will check back with a column following the season to see how close or how far off we are.

WILLIAMS GROVE
Don’t look for Fred Rahmer to win just one feature this season at the Grove like last year. Look for a few more wins that will lead to yet another Cindy Rowe Auto Glass 410 Sprint car championship for the all-time leading track feature winner.

Pat Cannon had one heck of a 2007 season for the Highlands Racing team and we’re told they will run for the 358 Sprint title again despite dabbling in the 410 ranks, that makes it an easy choice in Cannon to repeat in the 358’s.

It’s impossible to go against Frankie Herr in the Saturday Night Series Super Sportsman division as he is at the top of his game and is always there to bring home the championship.

The 358 late models and street stocks are tough because we just don’t know who will be regulars but let’s go with Gene Knaub in the late models and another title for Kory Sites in the street stocks.

LINCOLN
Can you say eleven. That’s how many championships Rahmer will have following the 2008 racing season in the Pigeon Hills. He says it’s his year and he’s probably going to be right.

Adrian Shaffer finished third in 358 sprint car points at Lincoln last year and he will turn it up a notch this year and bring home his first championship and we will go with Neil Smith to take top honors in the Lincoln thundercars.

PORT ROYAL
Keith Kauffman put together the 410 Sprint car title last season at the Port but can Kauffman, who turns 58 this year repeat? We say yes. A new look for the team and good results at his hometown track.

Scott Haus has become Mr. Port Royal in the late models and like Kauffman, Haus will repeat again in 2008 while Derick Garman puts a first career pro stock championship on the resume.

SELINSGROVE
Blane Heimbach returns with a vengeance after his season ending leg injury and will return to the top of the 358 sprint ranks again this year. Heimbach was on top last season before his injury and will pick up where he left off.

There is no way anyone can go against Jeff Rine in the late model division at Selinsgrove and we take Brad Trump to score a pro stock title run.

HAGERSTOWN
J.T. Spence won a down to the wire late model championship at Hagerstown last year but look for Alan Sagi to notch the championship this season driving for the LeBarron Motorsports team.

SUSQUEHANNA
Late model racing is alive and well at Susquehanna and Carl Billet is king of the 358s! Look for another championship for Billet and Company in 2008.

TRAILWAY
Jeff Rohrbaugh is back at it in 2008 with the 358 sprint car title at the track. Rohrbaugh receives stiff competition each week but is good enough to repeat.

URC SPRINTS
New team, new chassis, new crew chief. Same driver and Curt Michael remains the URC kingpin with sixth championship. He will have some competition but Michael knows how to win championships.

WORLD OF OUTLAWS
Three in a row for Donny Schatz. He’s turned into the best sprint car racer in the world and with the unlimited finances of car owner Tony Stewart, it will be all Schatz again this season with the Outlaws.

ALL STAR SPRINTS
It’s been all Greg Wilson but look out boys, Lance Dewease is coming to town. In his first year with his new team, Dewease is going after the $50,000 All Star title and while Wilson makes it tough, it will be Dewease cashing the big check.

SPEED DAWG
This is an added category this season to our picks and for a third straight year, it’s Fred Rahmer taking the check at the end of the season for this award.

FLORIDA ACTION
Five different drivers visited Victory lane during last week’s 410 sprint car races at Volusia Speedway Park.

Donny Schatz was the only repeat winner but Schatz was only able to score wins with the All Stars and was shut out during World of Outlaws action.

Schatz won Tuesday night over Jason Meyers, Steve Kinser, Lance Dewease and Daryn Pittman with locals Chad Layton in 11th, Fred Rahmer 14th, Jeff Shepard 16th, Lucas Wolfe 17th, Mark Smith 18th and Greg Hodnett 21st.

Wayne Johnson pulled off the upset in All Star action Wednesday night winning over Sam Hafertepe, Jr., Danny Lasoski, Craig Dollansky and Schatz with Mark Smith sixth, Hodnett 11th, Wolfe 14th, Layton 16th, Rahmer 19th, TJ Stutts 20th and Cody Darrah 21st.

Schatz defeated Joey Saldana on the final All Star night with Meyers, Dewease and Dollansky the top five. Rahmer was sixth, Wolfe 10th, Darrah 17th, Stevie Smith 20th and Shepard 24th.

The Alltel DIRTcar Nationals and the Outlaws were at the track Friday night where it was Dollansky winning for new car owner Larry Woodward. Schatz was second, Terry McCarl, 23rd starting Dewease and Meyers were the top five. Layton was sixth, Rahmer 11th, Shepard 13th, Hodnett 14th and Mark Smith 18th.

Meyers turned in the winning performance Saturday night taking the win over Schatz, Saldana, Shepard and Dollansky with Dewease eighth, Layton 14th, Wolfe 15th, Stutts 22nd, Darrah 23rd and Rahmer 26th.

Danny Lasoski scored a season first win for JEI Chassis in the finale at VSP winning over Dollansky, Meyers, McCarl and Steve Kinser with Dewease 11th, Wolfe 13th, Darrah 20th, Layton 21st, Hodnett 22nd and Shepard 26th.

Monday night, East Bay Raceway held a non sanctioned 410 sprint car event attracting just 16 cars with Rahmer taking the win over Danny Smith, Dewease, Tim Kaeding and Greg Wilson. Layton was sixth.

Tuesday’s event at East Bay was rained out and not rescheduled.

PIT STOPS
Shaun Jones will be driving for Jerry Bard Racing this season in a second team car. Jones was the 2007 Lincoln Speedway 358 late model champion…

Selinsgrove Speedway’s annual motorsports show begins this Sunday at the Susquehanna Valley Mall and will run through next Saturday, February 23...

Hagerstown Speedway’s Race-A-Rama car show will be held Wednesday through Friday at the Valley Mall in Hagerstown…

Openers are still scheduled for next Saturday, February 23 at Lincoln and Hagerstown and Sunday, February 24 at Williams Gove…