Chris Owens’ Picks …
1. Travis Swaim: Swaim is the 2009 and most likely the 2010 track champion at Caraway. With 4 wins this year, Swaim has to be the favorite to win the 250 lap LMSC portion of the Mid-Atlantic Championship 400. Swaim hasn’t won since May so he is more then hungry to get a win to close out the season at his home track.
2. Alex Yontz: Yontz was one of the fastest cars at Martinsville throughout the race on Sunday. He brought his Jay Hedgecock house car home with a top 5 and comes to Caraway where he is always a threat when he walks through the gates. Back in the same car from Martinsville,
3. Ryan Wilson: After a succesful start at Rockingham Speedway this past Saturday, Wilson returns to the Late Model Stock Cars and his home track. With 1 win this season, Wilson is trying to close the season on a high note. He has been fast at Caraway all season and I think he will have a solid top 5 showing come Sunday.
4. Frank Deiny Jr.: Frank ran the first UARA race at Hickory this season and has been out of a car since. He makes his return this weekend at Caraway. I’m not looking for him to set the world on fire or anything, but I think he will be able to bring the car home with a top 5 maybe top 3 finish and prove that he still has the skill to wheel in a Late Model Stock.
5. Dan Moore: Moore has come on strong as of late. Winning the Rusty Harpe Memorial back in July, Moore has won 3 more times since then and will be tough come raceday. If Moore has the same car he had back in July, everybody will be racing for 2nd once again.
Corey Latham’s Picks …
1. Alex Yontz: Back on his way to the top. The last two years have been nothing but trouble for Yontz, he has won some races but after being DQ’d numerous times and staying with the same company that got him in that situation had people thinking the worst. Now that he has shed his problems he was carrying, he is in reputable chassis builder Jay Hedgecock’s house car. First time out of the box was at Martinsville and it was a great success. Look for Yontz to rise to the top once again at Caraway.
2. Frank Deiny Jr.: The FDJ Army looks to invade Caraway this weekend and Frank is driving, only his second start of the 2010 season. Since he has started his own chassis/driver development company, the championship driver has let the driving take a back seat. This weekend will be a little different, as he will be in a FDJ car, but driving for the Kiker Racing Team, the same team that Brandon Dean drives for as he won the 2010 Motor Mile championship. It will be like riding a bike for Frank, he’s always been a master at the “Big” races.
3. Matt McCall: Do we really need to explain this one? McCall is feared at any track he races at, and after his second place run at Martinsville he looks to up that one spot more this weekend. He has always been one that other competitors hated to see pull through the gate, and now that he is with Jamie Yelton’s Fathead Racing, that statement is as true as ever.
4. Robert Tyler: Driving all the way from Atlanta GA to race at Caraway this year, Tyler has become a car to be reckoned with. And he hasn’t done it without controversy, as his feud with former track champion Jason York hit fever pitch at the end of the year with both teams protesting the other and exchanging pleasantries many times. Tyler has his car working good and picked up the last regular season win of the year at the track back in September.
5. Ronnie Bassett Jr.: Here’s your dark horse, that may not be dark at all. Bassett has ran good at times this year in the UARA, but problems and wrecks not of his own doing has made his finishes not what the team had expected. He did get BJ Mackey to start turning the wrenches in the middle of the season and the results were immediate, he was running towards the front. Bassett has good equipment under him, and with a little patience he could be a contender, not just for a good finish but for the win as the day comes to a close.
Doc Love’s Picks …
1. Travis Swaim: 4 wins with 15 top 5 finishes this season and can clinch his 4th track championship this week end (he also had championships in 2004, 2005, 2009) Travis is always a threat for the win at Caraway especially when it is a big race.
2. Dan Moore: 4 wins with 12 top 5 finishes this season. Dan won one of the biggest races at Caraway this year, the 4th Annual Rusty Harpe Memorial. Dan is a crafty veteran at Caraway with years of experience at the facility.
3. Frank Dieny Jr.: Wheel Man turned car owner. His impressive stable of drivers has seen some great success this season, now its the boss’ turn. Frank has always ran good at Caraway and this weekend will be no exception.
4. Alex Yontz: Multiple race wins at Caraway over the past few years and will roll into the week end with great momentum from Martinsville. Alex will be driving the same Hedgecock House car at Caraway that he wheeled to a top 5 finish at Martinsville.
5. Ryan Wilson: 1 victory this season with 7 top 5 finishes. 2010 is Ryan’s 3rd full season in a LMSC, his last Victory came April 17th at Caraway but has preformed very well on the track. Ryan proved he is a wheel man by winning the Petty Driver Search II and a chance to race in the ARCA series at Rockingham. Ryan qualified 19th and finished 14th in that opportunity to drive for “The King”, Richard Petty …. very impressive.
Kimberly Smith’s Picks …
1. Alex Yontz: How is he not a driver to watch at Caraway Speedway, as last year he crossed the finish line first on four different occasions. This year, while he hasn’t been to victory lane there, he is back with his former crew chief, Ed Berrier, former chassis builder, Jay Hedgecock and former engine builder, Rayvon Clark. That combination has seen this driver take a lot of wins across the region including becoming the only driver to date to have won at Bristol and Martinsville in a Late Model Stock Car. He’ll be one to watch for sure!
2. Frank Deiny, Jr.: Frank’s going to be out to prove that he hasn’t lost the ability to race and win after being out of a car in competition for most of this season. He’s certainly not going to go down like he did at Hickory in the UARA opener and I’m betting he’ll show just why he’s the leader of the FDJ Army!
3. Dan Moore: He’s been on a roll from surprising everyone with a dominating performance in the other “big race”, the Rusty Harpe Memorial and since then he’s kept it going winning three more before seasons end. Now he can bookend the big races with a victory in the biggest race of the season, the Mid-Atlantic Championship 250 this weekend.
4. Ryan Wilson: Coming off of an impressive performance in his first ARCA Series start at Rockingham last weekend and not making the splash he wanted to at Martinsville, getting wrecked out of a heat race, he’s certainly got to be looking forward to going to his home track. He has three wins at Caraway in the last three seasons and he’d like to break through for that first “big race” win to put him in an elite group of drivers.
5. Cameron Hedgecock: I know many of you are scratching your heads right now, but the truth is, everyone likes an underdog … you can’t get much more of an underdog than being a young driver, who will be making his first start in a Late Model Stock Car. Also, it takes a lot of guts to make your first start in a big race against some of the biggest names in the business. It won’t take long to figure out where Cameron stacks up and with the leadership of his father, chassis builder, Jay Hedgecock, I’m betting he’ll get up to speed faster than some other young kids in his same position.
Langley Austin’s Picks …
1. Robert Tyler: Not many others picked him, but the veteran driver had a pretty good season at Caraway, his home track despite him living in Georgia. Tyler won the last race of the season and he could be a threat to win this big race and put his name near the top of the list of competitors at Caraway.
2. Harrison Rhodes: When I picked this young man, most everyone else was reading this and immediately going to google to see if they could find something out about him. Now, it seems even the rest of the staff or some of them, are jumping on the Harrison Rhodes bandwagon, but just remember this is another young driver that I discovered before anyone else knew anything about him. He proved me right at Martinsville, making the race through a heat and proving his skills against the best of the best with much more experience and he’ll likely do that again.
3. Robert Johnson: We admitted in the Power Rankings that this young man has begun to change our minds, well me in particular, I think he may just have started to find his groove. He seemed a changed driver at Martinsville and then he was impressive at Rockingham last weekend and this week at Caraway, he may well be one of the drivers to keep an eye on as he has a candid ability to be around at the end.
4. Corey Strickland: None of my counterparts have shown Corey Strickland, who won a race or two at Caraway last season, but hasn’t visited victory lane this year any respect. So, I’m going to say it now, I expect the young driver to be strong this weekend and give the big dogs a run for their money.
5. Sam Hunt: I know many of you don’t know who Sam Hunt is … honestly, neither do I, but the one thing I know is, is that he’s a new member of the FDJ Army and FDJ owner, Frank Deiny, Jr. gave him a glowing endorsement in a phone conversation this week. And, honestly, that’s an opinion that I respect and like his team owner, who will make only his second start of the season, Sam Hunt will be in the mix in the biggest race of the year at Caraway Speedway.
Mason Dunn’s Picks …
1) Travis Swaim – The four time track champion did not make the trip up to Martinsville and therefore will have a bit fresher equipment then some of his competition as he looks to take home his first big race win of the 2010 season. Swaim was able to win this race in 2009 over a stout 22 car field and will definitely be in contention to claim his second in a row this Sunday.
2) Harrison Rhodes – When Langley first mentioned this kid before Martinsville I too thought, “who the heck is this guy?” But after seeing him race at Martinsville and see the young gun drive the wheels off the car to transfer into the big show after an early spin in the heat race. Now while a 26th place finish isn’t exactly the most impressive thing in the world it is a start for a driver that appears to have a bright future ahead of him.
3) Frank Deiny Jr. – Frank Deiny Jr. is getting back behind the wheel of a Late Model for the first time since the UARA series opener at Hickory Motor Speedway and like anytime Deiny gets on the track he is one to keep an eye on. Deiny will have an excellent piece underneath him and with having Sam Hunt also in one of his cars at Caraway, Deiny will have plenty of data to go off of to make any changes he needs to in order to put the #4 out front.
4) Alex Yontz – Yontz was once again one of the most impressive cars all weekend at Martinsville driving the house car for Hedgecock Racing Enterprises to a fourth place finish. Its been sometime since Yontz has been to Caraway due to some controversy but that should only be more motivation for Yontz to take home the trophy and the big check after 250 laps of racing. Yontz of course is a talented driver who has a shot to win most every where he goes but with this race being in basically Hedgecock’s back yard the pressure will be on Yontz to perform at the top of his game and get the win.
5) Tim George Jr.- Now I really know what you’re thinking right now, “has Mason literally lost his mind telling me to watch Tim George Jr.?” I’m not expecting him to be a threat to win, but Tim George is after all one of the top guys in the ARCA Racing Series, a higher-level series, who has struggled mightily in a Late Model Stock Car. So it will be fun to watch him race this weekend at Caraway and hopefully he’ll make the race.
