KINGSPORT, TN :: As the 2013 season gets ready to commence at Kingsport Speedway we’re ready to take a look at what you’re likely to see this weekend and throughout the season.

A NEW CHAMPION

With Nate Monteith ready to sit out the 2013 season at Kingsport Speedway, the two-time and defending champion of Kingsport Speedway will hand over his crown to someone else.  There’s a large amount of contenders that are hoping to fill the void that Monteith will leave including his closest competitors the last couple of seasons Daniel Pope II, Lee Tissot and Zeke Shell.  There’s also some other guys who made their presence known in 2012 including Adam Long, Blake Jones and Paul Nogradi among others.

A NEW TRACK RECORD

There’s almost certainly going to be some new track records set this season as the switch from Goodyear tires to Hoosier will pick up the pace in qualifying.  With Goodyear abandoning short track racing, this puts Kingsport Speedway on the same tire as nearly every other track in the region.  Not only should the better tire create faster lap times but it should help outsiders be able to have a better chance to win on the tough concrete venue.

KING OF THE CONCRETE JUNGLE

One of those drivers proved to be too much for Monteith late last season as Adam Long emerged as the “King of the Concrete Jungle” winning the final two races of the season in twin events during the East Tennessee State Championship.  Many think Long will take over the reins and dominate much like Monteith did in the past two seasons.

HEIR TO THE THRONE

Daniel Pope II might not like it but after playing second fiddle to Monteith for the last two seasons, he’s in position to be Monteith’s heir.  After a huge rivalry between the two that exploded last season after Pope protested Monteith and got the points leader disqualified and then the two crashed together in the opening laps of one of the next races.  You all know what happened next, Pope was out of the championship and Monteith clawed his way back to become champion.  Now the door is wide open for Pope.

SAME CAR, NEW DRIVER

As Monteith steps aside, he won’t just go away.  He’ll still be at Kingsport at every race and he still expects to be in victory lane with his car nicknamed “Lightning” for its paint scheme over the last couple of seasons.  It has a sharp new look and fresh young driver.  Monteith has his young mentee, Blake Jones, ready to tackle the competition in undoubtedly the best car that’s competed at Kingsport since it reopened in 2011.  Jones will have the best seat in the house but he’ll have his hands full with the strongest competition on the 3/8 mile concrete track.

OLD DOG STILL HUNTS

Lee Tissot might be one of the elder statesmen at Kingsport but he hasn’t let the miles on him slow down his racing effort.  Tissot, a former UARA-STARS Series champion, is always one of the drivers to watch at Kingsport.  Last season, he and his new team J&J Racing struggled through quite a few mechanical failures but this season they’re looking to put it behind him and become the man to beat.

COMING OUT OF HIS SHELL

Zeke Shell made his presence known last season as the green flag waved to begin the season.  Though he had picked up one win in 2011, he never got his footing and challenged for multiple wins.  2012 was a different story as he led many laps in the season opener and only got passed by Monteith late in the race when he was passing a lapped car.  He went on to win two of the first six races but had mechanical problems in many of the rest of the season’s races.

MORE WINS PLEASE

Paul Nogradi has one win each year since Kingsport reopened, but in 2013, he’s ready to get more.  More wins.  Nogradi has been one of the top five contenders the past two seasons and this season he could be one of the guys to beat.  Look for the young driver to make a bigger splash this season and look for him in victory lane many more times.

MR. EXCITEMENT

Kres VanDyke is known for being a little aggressive.  He’s one of the guys the fans love to watch race as he’ll keep you on the edge of your seat.  And, he’s an accomplished Late Model Stock Car racer with his top performance being a second place finish years back in the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 at Martinsville Speedway.  He also nearly won the track championship at Kingsport in 2002.  With much of the 2012 season under his belt after sitting idle for many years, he’s ready to challenge for a championship again.

LOOKING FOR MORE

Ryan Stiltner has been one of those guys who has been hit or miss at Kingsport Speedway.  But, this year, he’s going to be on kill.  Last season, he was a regular in the top ten and often in the top five and, after picking up his first Late Model win at nearby Lonesome Pine Raceway, he’s excited to compete for wins at Kingsport as well.

NATIONAL TITLE CONTENDER

Kingsport Speedway saw its fair share of NASCAR Whelen All-American Series National Championship contenders last season.  Monteith was one of them but he was also joined by Anthony Anders who led the points standings for most of the season as well as eventual champion Lee Pulliam.  This season, there’s one driver who’s looking to use Kingsport Speedway as a springboard to a national championship.  Chad Finchum will compete the full season at Kingsport as well as a full season at Radford, VA’s Motor Mile Speedway.  He’s hoping, with his success in the last couple of seasons in part time stops at both tracks, that he can turn that into a full season of success.

ROOKIE BATTLE

There will be a handful of rookie drivers looking to leave their mark on Kingsport Speedway this season as well.  One of those is female driver Erika Schmidt, but she’ll have her hands full with some other drivers making the move up to the Late Model Stock Car division.  Taylor Coffman, who competed at nearby Newport Speedway last season, will also be a rookie this season along with Legends racer Tyler Goodwin and local racer Adam Gray.

SO MUCH MORE

There’s so much to watch this season at Kingsport Speedway.  We’ve only gave you the top contenders while others could throw themselves into the battle including young guns Hayden Woods and Austin Peters.  Woods was a top five contender in nearly every race last season in just his rookie season and Peters won the Tennessee State Rookie of the Year title.  These two could be ones to watch as well as some of the veteran drivers who don’t get the spotlight as much including Wayne Hale, Joey Trent and Rick Pannel.  And this list didn’t include any of the outsiders who could potentially play into things this season including Mike Looney, Matt Bowling, Lee Pulliam and more.

There’s a great season on tap at Kingsport Speedway and Saturday is just the first of many chapters to unfold this season.