COPPER HILL, VA :: 2014 saw some of the toughest competition Late Model Stock Car racing has seen in years. Lee Pulliam’s dominance was threatened not just in the national championship but also on the track at several different tracks. Here’s a look at the 14 best drivers of 2014.
14. Mike Darne
2014 was a resurgent year for former Old Dominion Speedway champion Mike Darne. Two years after Darne surprised just about everyone with strong performances in the MDCU 300 and the Thanksgiving Classic, Darne once again turned heads. On August 30th, he snapped a two year winless streak by sweeping twin races at Southern National Motorsports Park and, in the 2014 MDCU 300, he was a contender all race, battling for the win all the way to the end. Darne may possibly be one of the most underrated drivers in Late Model racing and he’ll certainly look for more success in 2015.
13. Brayton Haws
A whole lot can be said about Brayton Haws’ rookie season in Late Model Stock Car competition. Haws’ biggest win of the season came in the Autumn Classic at Southern National Motorsports Park in November. Haws had to beat out some of Late Model Stock Car racing’s most elite competition in that race. He also scored top-10 finishes at Martinsville and Myrtle Beach and scored a mid-summer win at Hickory Motor Speedway. Haws will be running in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in 2015.
12. Greg Edwards
Greg Edwards’ fourth Langley Speedway championship was a hard-fought one as he went head-to-head with Matt Waltz all season long. Edwards prevailed in the championship battle, scoring eight wins on the season. Edwards backed up his season-long performances with a second place finish in the Myrtle Beach 400.
11. RD Smith
RD Smith was the dominator at Ace Speedway in 2014, scoring four wins in the Late Model Stock Car division – three under the track’s regular season points system. Smith went on to win the championship at Ace. Smith also ran at Martinsville Speedway, making the field for the MDCU 300 but falling out early.
10. Matt Waltz
Matt Waltz put the Late Model Stock Car world on notice with an electrifying performance in the MDCU 300 in 2013. He followed that up in 2014 with 12 wins at Langley Speedway, a second place finish in the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown at South Boston Speedway and a seventh place finish in the 2014 MDCU 300. Waltz is planning on traveling throughout the region in 2015.
9. Chad Finchum
Chad Finchum finished the season hot at Kingsport Speedway but was hot all season at Lonesome Pine Raceway where he won the track championship. Finchum scored eight wins at Lonesome Pine and nine at Kingsport to bring his 2014 win total to 17.
8. Kres VanDyke
The only driver at Kingsport and Lonesome Pine who overshadowed Finchum was Kres VanDyke. In 2013, he snapped a winless streak that dated back to 2002 with an early summer victory. In 2014, VanDyke’s career was reignited in a big way as he scored 10 wins (six at Kingsport) and won the track championship at Kingsport. He also made the field for the MDCU 300, finishing 15th in car number 15.
7. Deac McCaskill
Deac McCaskill scored eight wins at two different tracks in 2014 with a majority of those wins coming at East Carolina Motor Speedway. McCaskill’s 2014 season wasn’t as electric as his 2013 campaign, where he mounted a serious and legitimate charge at the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series National Championship, but he was still a factor any time he showed up to a racetrack.
6. Josh Berry
2014 was a season of dreams for Josh Berry who won his second NASCAR track championship, this time at Hickory Motor Speedway. He also landed an opportunity to compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports on two occasions. Berry scored wins at three different tracks in 2014 – Hickory, Myrtle Beach and Southern National. He also finished the season on a strong note, finishing fifth in the Myrtle Beach 400.
5. Tommy Lemons, Jr.
Tommy Lemons, Jr. entered the 2014 season on cloud nine after his upset victory in the 2013 MDCU 300 at Martinsville Speedway. He picked up right where he left off right off the bat, scoring a victory in the first Late Model Stock Car race of the season at Southern National. He went on to win seven more times in 2014, including scoring a victory in the closest finish of the season at Motor Mile Speedway in late June. He also won his first track championship, scoring the title at Southern National. Lemons finished the season with top-five finishes in the MDCU 300 and the Myrtle Beach 400.
4. Peyton Sellers
Peyton Sellers looked like the Peyton Sellers of old in 2013 and he continued doing so in 2014, winning races at three different tracks (Caraway, Motor Mile and South Boston), winning his second South Boston Speedway track championship and challenging for the track championship at Motor Mile. Sellers looked like the man to beat at Martinsville as well, scoring the pole at Martinsville and challenging for the win all race before getting caught up in an accident with a few laps remaining.
3. Anthony Anders
What more can be said about Anthony Anders’ 2014 season. 30 wins, 44 top-five finishes and 48 top-10 finishes in 52 starts. Anthony Anders recently took over as the promoter of Greenville-Pickens Speedway, a track he won more than 20 races at en route to winning the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series National Championship. Anders also scored wins at Anderson Motor Speedway and Myrtle Beach Speedway and, perhaps most impressively, made the field for the MDCU 300 in his first attempt.
2. Lee Pulliam
While Lee Pulliam’s quest for a third consecutive NASCAR Whelen All-American Series National Championship came up short, he was still one of the hottest drivers all season long. Pulliam piled up wins all season long at Caraway Speedway, Motor Mile Speedway, South Boston Speedway and Southern National Motorsports Park. His biggest triumph came in the month of October with a clutch win in the MDCU 300 at Martinsville Speedway, his second victory in Late Model Stock Car racing’s most prestigious event. Pulliam plans to mount another charge at his third national title in 2015.
1. Dillon Bassett
There was probably nobody better than Dillon Bassett in 2014. Bassett scored 14 wins at five different racetracks (Ace, Caraway, East Carolina, Hickory and Motor Mile). Bassett was willing to race anywhere, and anywhere he went, he either won or came close to it. His victory at Motor Mile came in his first ever start at Motor Mile. He was also a contender in the Hampton Heat 200 at Langley Speedway despite never seeing the track until a few days prior to the race. Bassett might be small in size but, behind the wheel of a Late Model Stock Car, he’s simply an unstoppable force.
