When Alex Yontz of Walnut Cove, NC crossed the finish line last Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway winning the Bristol 150 UARA-STARS Late Model Stock Car race for the second time, it got me to thinking .... What's a guy gotta do?

Yontz, who turns 22 years old on July 13th is one of the most successful Late Model Stock Car drivers ever and he's in his shop week in and week out working side by side with his crew chief, Ed Berrier, who is a former NASCAR touring series driver himself. Yontz burst onto the Late Model Stock Car scene back in March of 2002 running the first ever UARA-STARS Series race at Hickory Motor Speedway as a 15 year-old. He's been around the block since then and when he unloads one of his racecars at any Late Model Stock Car event people take notice.

Other racers take notice first because he's always fast, but they've got a lot of respect for Yontz who is the only driver in history to win a Late Model Stock Car race at both the regions Sprint Cup sanctioned short tracks, Martinsville and Bristol. Yontz won the Bailey's 300 at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, VA back in September of 2006, which is the biggest Late Model Stock Car race in the country, but he then went and backed that up with a victory in the Bristol 150 on July 28, 2007.

Winning at these two tracks is the goal of every Late Model Stock Car racer and Yontz at only 21 years old has accomplished both. Add to that his most recent victory in the July 5th, 2008 running of the Bristol 150 UARA-STARS Series sanctioned event and you've got arguably the most successful Late Model Stock Car racer in the country. Yet, he's still just running Late Model Stock Cars in the southeast ...

All of this begs the question .... What's a guy gotta do to get a chance, just a look from one of the Sprint Cup teams? Unfortunately, Yontz has done everything he can do, he's won a lot of races, he's won at Martinsville and Bristol, he's run good in his family owned ARCA ReMax Series team and he's planning to run a couple NASCAR Camping World East Series races later this year. Is anyone paying attention?

It's not just Yontz ... it seems to me looking out at all of this regions talented Late Model Stock Car racers that no one is paying attention. 16 year-old, Matt DiBenedetto has dominated everything he's got behind the wheel of from Pro-4's and Limiteds at Hickory Motor Speedway to being a three time winner in the UARA-STARS Series, which includes a Bristol 150 victory at Bristol Motor Speedway back on May 17, 2008. Darrell Wallace, Jr., 14 years-old is a phenom, he won his first Late Model Stock Car race back on May 24, 2008 at one of the toughest tracks in the country, Franklin County Speedway ... Jake "The Snake" Crum, 17 years-old is another one of those kids who has all the talent in the world and nobody has even given any of these kids a look.

Of the four guys I mentioned none of them have the money it takes to make it to the top three series of NASCAR, they've all got to depend on their talent alone and they've all got it. Some of them have more accomplishments to show for it, but they all are tremendously talented and it's sad .... they all four may just never get even a shot to make it to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series because unlike Paul Menard and others they can't buy their way in.