Website Designed, Hosted & Maintained by RACE22.com
Website Designed, Hosted & Maintained by RACE22.com
Preview: Top 10 Young Drivers to Watch in 2010
Here are the Top 10 Young Drivers to watch for the 2010 Season with some having little to no Late Model Stock Car experience and others having more experience, but time to perform has come and some will perform and some won't ...
Welcome to RACE22.com ... The Home of Late Model Stock Car Racing ... RACE22.com
#10 - Ronnie Bassett, Jr.
Ronnie Bassett, Jr. isn't exactly a household name in Late Model Stock Car racing, but fresh out of Legends racing, this young future star is stepping up to tackle the UARA-STARS Series. Bassett competed in only one tour race last season at Dillon getting caught up in a crash and prematurely ending his night, but with the off-season aquistion of former LMSC champion, Rock Harris as his crew chief things are looking up for Bassett. The young driver also has LMSC legend, Greg Marlowe in his corner along with Harris and that could put a unproven driver in a position to prove himself quickly despite racing against the toughest competition in LMSC racing.
#9 - Robert Johnson
In NASCAR racing there's the Petty's, Earnhardt's, Jarrett's, Allison's and now you can add the Johnson's to that list. Robert Johnson, the son of NASCAR Hall of Famer, Junior Johnson is just one season into his racing career starting in Limiteds last season and now also moving into the UARA-STARS Series. Junior's legacy however won't help put him in the forefront of the tough touring series, but his crew chief may well help guide this young driver. Ed Berrier, can easily be credited as the guy behind Alex Yontz LMSC sucess winning both at Martinsville & Bristol, LMSC's two biggest races and if Johnson can connect with Berrier he could easily go from being the fourth seeded rookie to 2010 UARA-STARS Series Rookie of the Year.
#8 - Blake Jones
Here's the third driver in a row that we admit we don't a lot about and Tennessee driver, Blake Jones is the third driver in a row that we believe his success will come as much from his crew chief as anything. Jones will have former NASCAR Blue Ridge Region Champion, Wade Day turning wrenches on his car this season. Day, who has worked with NASCAR Nationwide Series driver, Trevor Bayne in the past and last year led Dylan Presnell to three wins at two different tracks. This season Jones will race both the LMSC and the Charger division at Lonesome Pine Raceway as well as periodic starts at Newport Speedway and in the UARA-STARS Series races.
#7 - Ryan Wilson
With one win each of the last two seasons racing around Caraway Speedway, 2010 easily represents Ryan Wilson's chance to break through and become one of the hot young properties in Late Model Stock Car racing. Wilson, who has made huge strides over the last two seasons first winning a race at Caraway and later in 2009 making the Bailey's 300 at Martinsville on time as well as making the Myrtle Beach 400 at Myrtle Beach Speedway on time. Though both races ended with some torn sheet metal, Wilson out-performed many of the top LMSC stars and showed that he is climbing to the top, but 2010 is go time for the young driver, who needs to win more than one race in his third straight full-time season at Caraway.
Jeff Oleen burst onto the scene in late September of 2009, driving one of Frank Deiny, Jr's, FDJ Motorsports entries in the inaugural Limited Late Model race at Martinsville Speedway. A top five finish in that race, his first ever in a Late Model Stock Car type car, was just a sign of things to come as in five starts he had a worst finish of 7th at Orange County Speedway. Oleen's 2010 plans has the young driver going for the Rookie of the Year at Motor Mile Speedway as well as the Virginia State & overall NASCAR National Rookie of the Year. With Deiny in his corner and the five already impressive performances late last season, Oleen may be the surprise of the season as no one really knows who he is and he has a chance to pencil his name into the battle among the front runners at the always competitive, Motor Mile Speedway.
#6 - Jeff Oleen
#5 - Michael McGuire
Michael McGuire has the legacy with 1988 Motor Mile Speedway champion, Tim as his father and two-time Bailey's 300 winner, Tony as his uncle. The young McGuire also has the stats to back up his jump from Limiteds to the UARA-STARS Series after winning the season opening event in 2009 at Franklin Co. Speedway and winning multiple races and the division championship at Orange Co. Speedway. Now, the young driver steps up to ultimate level of Late Model Stock Car racing and while we'll only find out how ready he is by how he performs at that level, McGuire certainly has to be one of the kids everyone will have their eyes on. That's a lot of pressure on a teenager, but this teen withstood a lot of pressure last season and performed above expectations.
#4 - Clint King
2008 Pro Challenge Series National Champion and four-time winner in 2009 behind the wheel of a Late Model Truck for Clint King leads one to believe that this young driver will be one of the kids to watch when he straps in for all 16 of the UARA-STARS Series races this season. King's credentials are impressive for sure and even when he made his single start at Concord Speedway last season he was impressive. In that race he was fast in practice and despite having a problem in qualifying, the young driver had a great race going before having a tire problem and crashing out of the race. However, everyone took notice of what is easily the #1 seed for the Rookie of the Year award in 2010 in the UARA-STARS Series and he's certainly one to watch.
In 2009, Dylan Presnell won his first Late Model Stock Car race in only his second start at Lonesome Pine Raceway and won a total of three races during the season. The flip side of that was Presnell's dismal performances in the UARA-STARS Series, where he was never a factor in any race. In 2010 Presnell is expected to race in a mix of LMSC and Super Late Model(SLM) events and while the SLM races are important for him, this young driver has something to prove in the UARA. Presnell will come into the 2010 season with a chip on his shoulder after his 2009 performances and that could help the young driver really start to make some noise and he knows he has to, to be taken seriously.
#3 - Dylan Presnell
Brandon Dean is on the verge ... no one can deny that he was the surprise of the 2009 season, competing agressively and competitively up front week-in and week-out at Motor Mile Speedway. Though, Dean never won a race he did keep himself in the thick of the points battle until the last few races of the season, that despite making a team change around mid-season. Dean's performance did seem to slump slightly after the change, but by the time the season was over, they were starting to get it together to get Dean back among the front runners. In 2010 he'll be back with Kiker Motorsports and with a half season and all winter under their belts, they could easily be a threat to win again this season, but unlike last season, he has break through to consider his season a success.
#2 - Brandon Dean
Brennan Poole easily asserted himself as a household name last October leading laps and coming home third in the Bailey's 300 at Martinsville and even picked up a win earlier in the season at Tri-County Motor Speedway. However, his UARA-STARS Series performances were little more than lack luster until late in the season when he was easily a top five driver. This season all eyes will be on Poole and how he performs right out of the box and his Fat Head Racing team knows that and they've stepped up their game including several off-season tests and new cars. Poole, the 2009 UARA-STARS Series Rookie of the Year has to be ready to take the reigns of the touring series and easily is the youngest driver with any chance of winning the championship, but up against the likes of Alex Yontz, Kyle Grissom, Frank Deiny Jr., Lucas Ransone and Lee Tissot, he has his work cut out for him.
#1 - Brennan Poole
