UARA-STARS Series: Hot Six Drivers(Pre-Season)

#6 — Ronnie Bassett, Jr.
After a lackluster rookie season in 2010, not many people would ordinarily be watching Ronnie Bassett, Jr. more than any other second year driver, but the fact that he’s taking over the ride that Brennan Poole vacated, makes it all different. Bassett will be in the same equipment, as will his teammate, George Miedecke as Poole drove to six wins last season and that puts the pressure squarely on their shoulders. With Miedecke’s lack of experience, it’s on Bassett to be the top driver out of the FHR stables and all eyes will be on this young driver.

#5 — Matt DiBenedetto
After soaring through the Late Model Stock Car ranks in recent years, Matt DiBenedetto made it to the ranks of the NASCAR Nationwide Series for select starts with Joe Gibbs Racing. However, now he’s regrouping as he doesn’t have much going on in the upper levels of racing due to a lack of sponsorship and he’s back in a Late Model Stock Car once again. The former UARA-STARS Series Rookie of the Year will be behind the wheel of Steve Dewalt’s, Marlowe Racing Chassis and should be one of the drivers to beat in what will be one of very few Late Model starts for the young driver this season.

#4 — Becca Kasten
Most of you recognize this name from the Drive 4 Diversity program last season where she was one of the drivers in Late Models for the organization at Hickory and Tri-County. Kasten however is a pretty well known Super Late Model racer in her own right and even picked up her first win of this season at New Smyrna in February against some of the toughest competition anywhere. She’ll be in a strong Performancenter LTO chassis this weekend and could easily find herself in the mix against the best of the best in Late Model Stock Car racing.

#3 — Andy Mercer
It’s hard to ignore a two-time track champion, especially when you’re racing at his home track in his backyard. Andy Mercer is out to prove that he can compete in the UARA-STARS Series and that he’s not just a one-track jack. Mercer, who has 32 wins at Hickory in the last three and half seasons will be one of the drivers that people are watching this weekend as he’ll be embarking on his first season in the UARA-STARS Series, which kicks off at his home track of Hickory.

#2 — Brandon Dean
The 2010 Motor Mile Speedway champion has seen his fair share of changes this off-season as he’s been dropped from his championship winning ride in favor of a more experienced veteran driver. Now he’s back behind the wheel of his family owned car with the support of Performancenter Racing Warehouse with his LTO chassis. He said recently on RACE22 Radio that he’s looking to become a “dominant driver” and he wants to win practice, qualifying and the race to close out a perfect weekend and while he knows that a lofty goal, he’s proven he can win races against the best drivers in the region at Motor Mile Speedway.

#1 — Brennan Poole
When it came to number one, it wasn’t really even something we had to think twice about. After six wins on the tour last year, the most ever won in a single season in UARA and his other record breaking efforts last season, Brennan Poole was an easy choice. He’s back again this year to try and close in on the championship that he missed out on last year, by just a few points. He’s built his own team, but has his same crew chief and spotter, so there’s no doubt he’ll still be strong and still be one of the drivers to beat.

Missing the Cut — There were many other drivers, who could have easily found themselves on this list such as Kyle Grissom, Robert Johnson, David Roberts and Alex Yontz among others. Also, there’s plenty of potential stars on the entry list for the UARA race, which has swelled to 29 for this weekends race.