Content by: Langley Austin ~ [email protected] (@langleyaustin on twitter)
List Compiled by RACE22.com Staff and Industry Experts

Copper Hill, VA(January 2, 2012) — Limited Late Model racing at one time was just a gap stop between a Street Stock or a Mini Stock and the Late Model Stock Car division, but today it has evolved into so much more, a division all itself with veterans, rookies and everything in between.

That has changed the division as you often see a veteran dominating or leading the charge in the division at most tracks, but not always as some of the best up and coming drivers roll through the division on their way to the Late Model Stock Cars or above.  That has certainly been the case the last few years and that has created a great group of rookies as it did this year.

Now, just to define this before someone starts complaining … figuring out who is and who isn’t a rookie is a daunting task, one that I wish hadn’t have been my job, especially in the Limited Late Model division.  It’s amazing how poor some of the websites are for race tracks out there, with a lack of valuable information, serving only to exist rather than help promote the drivers.  That, has led us to have to figure out who is or isn’t rookie ourselves and I can’t guarantee you that we got it right, but we tried, so if someone is missing from this list that should be on there, call there home track and complain, because it’s their fault that they didn’t make it not ours.

Hickory Motor Speedway would be the lone exception to this rule as they define the rookies inside the top ten and give us more info than any other track.  We appreciate their hard work and hope that other tracks take notice, so that their racers can get more exposure.

OK, I’m done ranting about the lack of info on track websites … let’s unveil the Top 11 Rookies in the Limited Late Model division.

 

11 – Brandon Meeks

You might not know who Brandon Meeks is, but the young man, who jumped from a Legends car to a Limited Late Model this season at Ace Speedway, had a good transition.  Though, he struggled at the beginning of the season, he came on strong toward the end and earned himself a spot on this list as one of the best rookies of the 2011 season and with a little more experience heading into his sophomore season, he might be a challenger week in and week out.

 

10 – Casey Pierce

Casey Pierce is another unknown racer, but the 2011 season proved that he could run with the big boys as he kept himself in contention for top ten finishes every race at Hickory Motor Speedway.  The young man did exactly what you do at a tough venue like Hickory as a rookie … you stay out of trouble, earn veteran drivers respect and learn your craft.  He did a great job and put himself on this list with a successful rookie tenure.

 

9 – Trey Marcham

If not for the young drivers choice to run the SouthEast Limited Late Model series, where the competition is as tough as anywhere, Trey Marcham might well have been one of the top two or three rookie drivers in Limited Late Models.  Had he chose to run a weekly track, the Oklahoma native would have been winning races left and right driving for Roger Johnson’s proven winning team.  Instead, the youngster learned the ropes against the best in the business in SELLM and came away with three top five finishes in the six series races, with his best finishes coming at the toughest tracks on the series; Ace, Dillon and Orange County.

 

8 – Blake Stallings

A second generation racer, Blake Stallings certainly lived up to expectations in the 2011 season, his rookie campaign at South Boston Speedway.  Finishing in the top five more often than anywhere in the field during the course of the season, Stallings proved that he could run with the best that SoBo has to offer as the young man went toe to toe with veterans Justin Snow, Danny Willis Jr. and Brian Pembleton without blinking an eye.

 

7 – Jake Morris

Jake Morris was a beast in a Legends car and when he moved up with his Legends team at Chase Pistone Inc., he was able to continue to run strong, although never able to get to victory lane.  Morris was solid week in and week out in a limited schedule that put him on the short, but tough six race schedule in the SouthEast Limited Late Model series.  Morris was one of the standout drivers in the tour and proved that talent could overcome experience.

 

6 – Austin Thaxton

Austin Thaxton is another of those young drivers that you knew was just destined to shine in the Limited Late Model division.  When you see a car with the Fallen Trucking name on it, you know that the man kid behind the wheel can get the job done, because that sponsor has only been associated with some of the best Late Model Stock Car drivers over the years.  Thaxton certainly lived up to that reputation, putting his car in the top five week in and week out at South Boston Speedway and proving that he could run with some of the best known Limited drivers in the region.  Austin solidified himself as a top rookie as he picked up a single victory toward the end of the season and put himself on the map.

 

5 – Darrell Gilchrist

Darrell Gilchrist comes from a racing family, as his brother, Derrick made it as far as the NASCAR Nationwide Series back in 1999 and the younger brother certainly shows the family talent.  Gilchrist raced much of the season in the SouthEast Limited Late Model tour, but also raced at Coastal Plains Raceway on off weeks, where he picked up his first career win on June 11th.  Gilchrist proved that the talent runs deep with his family and in 2012 he’ll be behind the wheel of a Jim Dean Motorsports entry as Philip Morris’ teammate.

 

4 – Annabeth Barnes

At Hickory Motor Speedway, the Limited Late Model division has traditionally been owned by veteran drivers like Tyler Church, but in 2011, it was the rookies that owned the division as four of the seasons wins fell to a rookie and the championship even went to a rookie driver.  Annabeth Barnes, star of the GAC(Great American Country) reality show, Born to Drive, proved her talent on the track in the 2011 season as she raced among the leaders right out of the gate at Hickory, scoring her first and only win early in the season on June 18th.

 

3 – Pietro Fittipaldi

Hopefully we spelled his name right, but either way, Pietro Fittipaldi turned out the rookie performance of a lifetime at Hickory Motor Speedway.  Winning three races on the season en route to winning the championship in one of the toughest divisions at one of NASCAR’s most historic tracks.  Fittipaldi impressed everyone with his performances on the tough track and earned himself a spot in this list as one of the best drivers of the 2011 season driving for Lee Faulk Racing.

 

2 – Bobby McCarty

After making his way into the top 5 on the Top Drivers in Limiteds for the 2011 season, you had to expect to see Bobby McCarty near the top of the rookies list after having such a successful campaign at South Boston Speedway.  McCarty turned the Limited Late Model division at South Boston on it’s ear at mid-season when he ripped off five wins in five weeks(though, he lost one due to a disqualification).  He made the tough track his very own playground for the middle to late part of the season and finished just shy of the wins leader for the season against the likes of Justin Snow, Danny Willis Jr. and Brian Pembleton.

 

1 – Dillon Bassett

Yeah … it was a pretty unanimous and obvious choice for Dillon Bassett to be RACE22.com’s Limited Late Model “Rookie of the Year”.  I mean on the heels of a 12 win season, 10 of which came consecutive for the youngster, it was much like his domination at Ace, there was really no contest.  Dillon Bassett out performed not only every rookie in the Limited division, but he also out performed every other driver period.