Best of 2007 Sprints

1. Greg Hodnett

(WRT Photos)

Led Central PA with the most wins in his first season with car owners Jim and Sandy Kline… He had 12 feature wins despite missing nearly two months of racing early in the year after suffering a broken shoulder at Lincoln Speedway…Finished third in Grove points, just 330 out of first despite missing several complete points races…He had five wins at Lincoln, three at Port Royal and two at Williams Grove…Consistently fast all season and finished a close runner-up in Pennsylvania Speedweek points…Big $10,000 wins at Lincoln and Williams Grove during Speedweek and the Selinsgrove National Open and also won the Sal Scarpitta Memorial…Hodnett returns to the potent #22 sprinter again in 2008...

2. Todd Shaffer

(WRT Photo)

Ended a long drought between Williams Grove track championships with his second career title this season for car owners Gary and Patty Beam…After retiring just two years ago, Shaffer enjoyed one of his best seasons in years with six total wins on the year and the prestigious Grove title…He had three victories at Port Royal, where he finished third in points…Shaffer will return to the seat of the #88 again next season…

3. Lucas Wolfe

(WRT Photo)

Won the 2007 Cindy Rowe Auto Glass Pennsylvania Speedweek championship and enjoyed a breakout season in the Allebach Racing #5W sprinter…Wolfe had a career high six overall wins in the 410 Sprint and enjoyed a successful part time stint in the Rick Kaylor owned #13K 360 Sprint where he won four more times…Wolfe was fifth in Williams Grove points…He’s back with the same team again in 2008...

4. Fred Rahmer

(WRT Photo)

First season with Chad and Jen Clemens was a record breaking year for the veteran driver. He became the all time leading feature winner at Lincoln Speedway and also clinched his 10th career Lincoln track championship along the way…He led the way with six wins on the year at Lincoln…He had eight total wins on the year including the Octoberfest 350 at Hagerstown Speedway…He was fourth in Grove points for the season…Back with the same deal in 2008...

5. Doug Esh

(WRT Photo)

Disappointing year for the entire Leach Brothers Motorsports #30 team after such a great 2006 season…Esh still had five total wins and was second in both Williams Grove and Lincoln points for the year…Looking at putting together a new deal for 2008 but plans still up in the air…

6. Kevin Nouse

(WRT Photo)

First season for Nouse and the Bryan Golden owned team and a good one it was…Nouse missed a race at Port Royal Speedway on Memorial Day and that cost the team the 2007 track championship as he fell just 35 points shy. He would have received 50 points for attending the Memorial Day show…Nouse won five times, three at the Port and two times at Williams Grove…The team will hit the road in 2008 competing on the O’Reilly’s All Star Circuit of Champions tour…

7. Stevie Smith

(WRT Photo)

He was a semi regular on the local tour this season and have seven feature wins to show for it in the RAACE Foundation #19...Smith had two wins at Lincoln and one each at the Grove and Port Royal…Smith returns to the same team again for the 2008 season with a similar pick and choose schedule as always…

8. Mark Smith

(WRT Photo)

First and last season with car owner Mark Coldren…Smith won six times in the #07 sprinter but suffered a ton of mechanical woes along the way as well…Smith parted with Coldren before the end of the year and is looking for a ride for 2008...

9. Keith Kauffman

(WRT Photo)

Fifty-seven years old and still winning Port Royal Speedway track titles…Kauffman earned his 13th career Port title while winning four times for car owner Dave Middleswarth in 2007...The team scaled back its racing this season and will follow a similar schedule again in 2008 where Kauffman looks to improve on his 126 all time wins at the Port…

10. Lance Dewease

(WRT Photo)

What a disappointment all around for one of the best ever in Pennsylvania…It was a roller coaster season on and off the track for Dewease, who lost his father and enjoyed the birth of his first child this season…On the track, his performance were way off winning just five times…He had four wins for Pete Postupack and then won the first night in his new ride owned by Donny Owens…Dewease will pilot the #30c for at least the next two seasons…

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Brian Leppo (WRT Photo) Won his first career World of Outlaws event at Williams Grove Speedway…Was the first ever Grove win and Outlaw win for his first year car owners Floyd and Joyce Swope…Team finished third in points at Lincoln and will be back next season…	Alan Krimes (WRT Photo) Family owned team was a threat during the season as Krimes drove to two wins on the year at Lincoln…A lot of good runs at the Grove ended in motor trouble and he hopes to have his Grove motor woes figured out for 2008...

Brian Montieth (WRT Photo) A three time winner in 2007 but by far the most exciting on the track…Montieth came from deep in the field on many occasions at Williams Grove for top five finishes…Back with Jerry Parrish next season… Chad Layton	Jeff Shepard (WRT Photo) Three time winner with car owners John and Peewee Zemaitis…Led the points at the Grove until bad luck set in...Not the year he wanted but he will be back again next year with a rumored part time schedule…
(WRT Photo) Finally got a break and earned the seat of the Pete Postupack owned #25 after Dewease parted ways. Layton won two times for Postupack including a career first World of Outlaws event in the Williams Grove National Open preliminary event…Looks like a good bet for the team to return for a full assault next year…