Content by: Langley Austin ~ [email protected]
*List Voted On by RACE22.com’s Panel of Late Model Stock Car experts
Salisbury, NC(August 12, 2011) — So, after taking the month of July off due to a number of rainouts and a bunch of tracks taking several weeks of vacation, the FDJ Motorsports Power Rankings are back in business for the month of August and we’ve got the Top 22 Drivers in a Late Model Stock Car.
You may or may not agree with the drivers on our list and their rankings, but we’re still going to be here dishing out “expert” opinions on the top drivers throughout the region. RACE22.com is the exclusive home of the Late Model Stock Car Power Rankings, our readers consider us the Authority on that subject and we try to live up to it.
You’ll notice we went back to just the Top 22 after testing the waters with a list of 44 in June, but never fear, we have the “Best of Rest” list below. Check it out and let us know what you think on our Facebook by CLICKING HERE. The September 2011 List will be out before you know it and your favorite driver has the chance to make a move up or …. down.
22nd – Tommy Lemons, Jr./Motor Mile & Caraway Speedway
Slipping out of the Top 22 last month, Tommy Lemons, Jr. is back on the list this month as he slips in at number 22. Lemons, has been a roller coaster racer over the span of his career really and this season is no different from starting the season off strong at Caraway to slipping at Motor Mile and now bouncing back with a handful of strong runs including a second place effort in Race #4 of the Super 5 Series at Caraway. Look for Lemons to move up over the next month as he usually tightens up his program just before “big race season”.
21st – Davin Scites/Motor Mile & Caraway Speedway
His season couldn’t have started off any better with a $5,000 triumph at Caraway in race number one of the Super 5 Series, but since then ….. Scites hasn’t been up to his usual standards. He ran strong early on at Motor Mile Speedway as the second place guy to Lee Pulliam, who has won 13 races there this season, but now he’s having trouble contending in the top ten. Scites may have slipped, but he always come back and with “big race season” right around the corner, Scites is sure to be back on his game.
20th – Kyle Moon/Hickory Motor Speedway
While he isn’t as hot as he was earlier this season, Kyle Moon isn’t exactly going away unnoticed. The young New York native has made a name for himself this year at Hickory Motor Speedway with a couple of wins and sticking right with some seasoned veterans for the points championship. His season isn’t over and he made it known in his last start he’s close to being back in victory lane as he missed winning by less than a car length.
19th – Brandon Brown/Old Dominion Speedway
Brandon Brown was a complete unknown last season …. turn the page to 2011 and he’s the second winningest driver at Old Dominion Speedway, a track known to be tough to win at. Brown has had to fend off veteran and former track champion, Mike Darne the whole way, but has managed to get three wins to his credit this season and he’s not ready to stop yet. This is a talent that could easily climb this list before the season is over.
18th – Bobby Measmer, Jr./Concord Speedway
Concord Speedway isn’t exactly a hot bed for Late Model Stock Car racing and the guys racing there aren’t getting a lot of credit, but there comes a time when we have to stop overlooking their winningest driver. Bobby Measmer, Jr. is that guy, after all he’s won eight races there this season with only two other drivers picking up a win on the 1/2 mile tri-oval this season. Measmer isn’t going to climb this list much winning at Concord, but as good as he’s running there, we’d like to see him travel around a little bit to see where he stacks up.
17th – Garrett Campbell/UARA-STARS Series
From the first FDJ Motorsport Power Rankings list this season, Garrett Campbell has been in the Top 22. However, he’s been sliding since his top five debut and now he finds himself in jeopardy of falling out of the top 22 for the first time this year. The kid has the talent and he’s been one of the drivers to beat in every race he’s run this season and that has to speak for something, but he’s gotta get back to victory lane soon to keep his Top 22 streak up.
16th – Barry Beggarly/Ace Speedway
Ace Speedway over the last few seasons has had a few drivers who just totally dominate from Speedy Faucette’s reign to Rodney Cook’s multiple championships and double digit win seasons. This season, it’s a toss up with Barry Beggarly, Jason York and Jeb Burton splitting wins pretty evenly with a win a piece by Rodney Cook and Ryan Robertson. Beggarly however has kept his post with us and remains in the top 22 for now.
15th – Greg Edwards/Langley Speedway
Greg Edwards started off this season on fire …. now however the flame is slowly being extinguished as the flames have turned blue for fellow Langley Speedway racer, CE Falk. Edwards has remained the “second place guy” as he continues to stay strong at Langley, but he needs a boost to move back up this list.
14th – Jeb Burton/Ace Speedway
Jeb Burton started off the season at South Boston Speedway, but he never could find traction there. A mid-season move to Ace Speedway was just the trick as the youngster found his groove and has now three wins to his credit. He’s becoming the driver to beat at Ace and he’s trying to break free from some of the other drivers as he’s in a three-way battle with Jason York and Barry Beggarly.
13th – Randy Porter/Anderson & Greenville Pickens Speedway
Randy Porter really hasn’t got the respect he deserves this season as he has nine wins to his credit this season between his two home tracks, Anderson Motor Speedway and Greenville Pickens Speedway. He’s been good, but he’s been overshadowed by his nemesis, Anthony Anders. The two of them aren’t friends, but they’ve shared a lot of time in victory lane this season at both tracks with Porter having nine and Anders 11. These are easily the top two drivers in South Carolina and with some strong runs outside their home turf they could move up this list too.
12th – Mike Darne/Caraway & Old Dominion Speedway
With six wins this season, five at Old Dominion and a lone win at Caraway Speedway, Mike Darne is having a great season. Darne has been winning at Old Dominion for years and now he’s made it known he can win in the tough Carolina region as well and he could easily move up this list with a trip or two outside of his comfort zone.
11th – Frank Deiny, Jr./Motor Mile Speedway
The only things keeping this driver from a top five spot in the Power Rankings is #1 and #26. Deiny, is easily one of the most accomplished Late Model Stock Car racers, but he’ll admit this season he’s been a bridesmaid to this seasons top two drivers. First it was Philip Morris at South Boston, then it was Lee Pulliam at Motor Mile … FDJ, just hasn’t been able to get into victory lane, but he’s finished second eight times this season to those two drivers. He moved himself up this list, now with his second place finishes, but rather his recent “slip” into victory lane at Motor Mile. He can still get the job done and he’s not far from beating those two regularly.
10th – Lee Tissot/Kingsport Speedway
Despite not having the finances he’s had in past seasons with other teams, Lee Tissot has made the most of his situation at Kingsport Speedway. Tissot has easily been one of the top Late Model Stock Car drivers in the region over the past ten seasons and this season he’s still that driver with five wins against some stout competition at Kingsport.
9th – Anthony Anders/Anderson & Greenville Pickens Speedway
He was one of the hottest drivers at the beginning of the 2011 season, but he might well have peaked too soon. Anders had six wins by May 1st and by June 4th, he had nine to his credit. However, he only has two wins since then as the veteran hasn’t fizzled out, but he hasn’t been as dominant. To the contrast, one of his last two wins was a $10,000 triumph at Greenville Pickens, so he’s not fading, but he will have to find a second wind to climb back into the top five this season.
8th – Ronnie Bassett, Jr./UARA-STARS Series
Despite a couple bumps in the road, Ronnie Bassett, Jr. has been easily the second best driver in the UARA-STARS Series, second only to Brennan Poole. Bassett, who replaced, Poole at Fat Head Racing when Poole launched his own team, has been impressive, having a much better first season for FHR than Poole did and could easily win a handful more races before the final checkered flag drops this season.
7th – Jesse LeFevers #43/Hickory Motor Speedway
Jesse LeFevers set the world on fire from April 30th to late June, but the end of July and the beginning of August has this young man making his mark again. He now has seven wins to his credit this season and he’s easily the leader of the pack at Hickory Motor Speedway, but like too many of the guys on this list, he’s got to get out of his comfort zone to move up the list.
6th – Nate Monteith #44/Kingsport Speedway
Sixth in June, sixth this month, Nate Monteith isn’t making up any ground, but he isn’t losing any either. He has eight wins to his credit at Kingsport Speedway this season and he’s been the guy to beat all season despite a couple of surges from his closest competitors Lee Tissot and Daniel Pope. Monteith could move up the list, but he too would have to load up and head somewhere else, racing against other competition.
5th – Brennan Poole/UARA-STARS Series
He’s beginning to slip …. of course he had nowhere to go, but down after a start to the season like no other. Brennan Poole has been one of the hottest properties in Late Model Stock Car racing since last summer, but since starting this season as the number one driver he’s fallen first to third and now to fifth among the best of the best. And, it’s not really because his stats are slipping, in fact he’s rarely finished outside the top two, but he’s not racing and winning enough to stay at the top.
4th – BJ Mackey/Caraway Speedway
It’s obvious that BJ Mackey has a strong hold on Caraway Speedway … his nine wins this season would attest to that. He’s been dominant this season despite one disqualification(which would have made 10 wins) and no regular at Caraway has beat him yet. He’s only been beat by Davin Scites and Lee Pulliam, but he can’t go any further up this list without traveling to South Boston, Motor Mile, Hickory or somewhere outside of Asheboro, NC … in fact, even if he keeps winning at Caraway, he’s sure to slip on this list if he doesn’t do some traveling.
3rd – CE Falk III/Langley & South Boston Speedway
CE Falk came into the 2011 season as the man to beat at Langley Speedway and well he should as he’s chasing a third straight championship. Falk is making good on people’s predictions as he’s dominating again at Langley with nine wins to date and he’s even ran strong outside of Langley at South Boston with a couple of second place efforts. He’s one of the guys making the most of this season and he only needs a “traveling” win to propel him into the top two.
2nd – Philip Morris/South Boston & Motor Mile Speedway
Philip Morris … that name says more than any words that we can say. He is easily the best Late Model Stock Car racer of the last decade and is rival the greats of all-time. Morris isn’t showing any signs of slowing down either with 14 visits to victory lane this season, even if they’ve all been at one track. Morris has proven that he can run up front everywhere with a second place finish at Motor Mile and a second place run at Langley that got derailed by a lapped car. He’s just short of being the best so far this season, second only to ….
1st – Lee Pulliam/Motor Mile & South Boston Speedway
Lee Pulliam … yeah, up until late last season, he wasn’t really known to anyone outside of the Pulliam family and diehard fans of the Limited Late Models at South Boston. After five wins at SoBo last season and a pole run at Martinsville, he became the “new kid on the block”. This season, he’s not exactly new and he’s not exactly unknown, in fact his name has probably been said more times this season that Philip Morris’, Frank Deiny, Jr.’s or even the legend, Barry Beggarly’s.
He recently upped the anty for his rival, Morris as he broke his single season win streak at Motor Mile with 13 wins. And, since the last Power Rankings came out with him in second, he’s picked up a win at South Boston and another at Caraway, defeating drivers #2 and #4 on this list. His reign at the top doesn’t come as a surprise, but passing Morris was a huge task and Pulliam isn’t showing any signs of slowing down, vowing to win “the rest of the races at Motor Mile” recently after a rift with Deiny. As long as he doesn’t let himself fall for Deiny’s head games, Pulliam may come away as the #1 driver of the 2011 season in Deiny’s FDJ Motorsports sponsored Power Rankings.
Movement Inside Top 22 ….
Drivers NEW in Top 22:
22nd – Tommy Lemons, Jr.
19th – Brandon Brown
18th – Bobby Measmer, Jr.
14th – Jeb Burton
13th – Randy Porter
Drivers OUT of the Top 22:
22nd – Danny Edwards Jr.
21st – Natalie Sather
18th – Jeremy Burns
17th – George Miedecke
16th – Michael McGuire
Biggest Movers Inside Top 22:
11th – Frank Deiny +9
12th – Mike Darne +7
10th – Lee Tissot +5
8th – Ronnie Bassett, Jr. +4
4th – BJ Mackey +1
3rd – CE Falk +1
1st – Lee Pulliam +1
Biggest Losers Inside Top 22:
21st – Davin Scites -12
20th – Kyle Moon -6
17th – Garrett Campbell -6
15th – Greg Edwards -5
16th – Barry Beggarly -3
5th – Brennan Poole -2
9th – Anthony Anders -1
2nd – Philip Morris -1
The “Best of the Rest” ….
Of the drivers not making the FDJ Motorsports Top 22 Power Rankings, that we feel deserve a little recognition are the guys listed below and short reasons why. Hopefully this gives some of the guys who haven’t been dominant this season a little reason to think they can break into the Top 22 with a little time in victory lane.
(In no particular order)
*Michael McGuire/Motor Mile Speedway
*George Miedecke/UARA-STARS Series
*Natalie Sather/South Boston Speedway
*Dexter Canipe, Jr./Hickory Motor Speedway
*David Polenz/Old Dominion Speedway
*Austin McDaniel/Hickory Motor Speedway
*Danny Edwards, Jr./Langley Speedway
*Peyton Sellers/South Boston Speedway
*Kyle Grissom/UARA-STARS Series
*Kris Bowen/Motor Mile Speedway
*Jason York/Caraway Speedway
*Zeke Shell/Kingsport Speedway
*Josh Berry/Motor Mile Speedway
*David Roberts/UARA-STARS & Anderson Motor Speedway
*Justin Johnson/South Boston & Motor Mile Speedway
*Daniel Pope II/Kingsport Speedway
*Rodney Cook/Ace Speedway
*Adam Brenner/Old Dominion Speedway
*Robert Tyler/Caraway Speedway
*Hunter Devers/Motor Mile Speedway
*Bruce Anderson/South Boston Speedway
*Ryan Robertson/Ace Speedway
*Adam Long/Motor Mile Speedway
