2012 Late Models By the Numbers
A Fun Look at Some Digits to End 2011 and Look to 2012
51 Staff
Numbers sure are fun and they are a big part of short track racing. I sat down and pulled some numbers together to cover the Late Model world as we prep for another big season. We know that sometimes it's like comparing apples and oranges, but it creates an interesting debate. We hope you enjoy the facts below and remember it's all for fun.
0 - Derek Griffin, from what we can tell, has absolutely nothing going on for 2012. It's a tough deal seeing the defending CRA Super Series Champion on the sidelines after nearly winning the Winchester 400 last Fall. Griffin also won a Outlaw Super Late Model title in 2010 so he's got two championships in two season and no rides as of right now.
2 - What's next for DJ VanderLey? The driver of the number-2 Pro Late Model won the track title at Five Flags Speedway (FL) without winning a race, but what he did at the Snowball Derby almost put him on the map for life. His side-by-side battle with Chase Elliott in the final laps made the Snowball Derby finish epic. VanderLey is still in college, so he will race around the Southeast. We expect to see him win a race or two or maybe event the Blizzard Series title.
4 - As the season came to an end we saw the 4 car of Erik Jones come to life and win the Governor's Cup 200. We expect to see lots out of this driver who will be at the big Super Late Model shows while he runs the ARCA short tracks in 2012.
6 - Johnny Clark has six PASS North Super Late Model championships and going for seven in 2012. Clark has been in a class all by himself in the PASS North Super Late Model ranks, but will it be a cakewalk to title number seven? Someone is going to have to step up to stop Clark from padding the stat sheet.
8 - The National Short Track Championships at Rockford Speedway (IL) is home to one of the toughest races to win. Two short track legends top the win list in a tie. Joe Shear and Scott Carlson each have eight wins at the event and this year's running could push Carlson past if he wins. We are not about to begin the argument about who is better.
9 - As of this week a total of nine Canadians will be racing in Pro Late Models at Smyrna Speedweeks. The growth of the class has been steady with neighbors from the north coming south to race. Last year they took the week long title with Martin Latulippe, who will move up to the Super Late Model class this year.
10 - It came down to only 10 points as Zan Sharp won the Rocky Mountain Challenge Series for the third time in his career. Sharp won only one race and only missed one race. The combination of that and a 15th-place finish made the season finale an interesting night. We hope this year's battle will be just as close.
12 - June 12th will be a very important date for race fans and race car drivers who will head to the Milwaukee Mile for the Howie Lettow Memorial 150. The race which is in the middle of the week could produce a stellar field with some NASCAR influence. Thumbs up to the ASA Midwest Tour for this event.
16 - The PASS South schedule will consist of 16 races in 2012 which will be the highest total yet. Last year three drivers entered the final race with a shot at the title, which made for an interesting final event. Hopefully the same will happen again and it should as the title has come down to the final laps four of the last five years.
19 - It will be hard to top the 19 100-lap-race wins that Bubba Pollard had in 2011, but records are made to be broken. Pollard's win total was the most among the guys who run 100 lappers every week. Philip Morris won 20 events in 2011 and Keith Rocco won 24 times all over their respected regions. We will watch the win totals in 2012 and start to wonder if reaching 20 wins will be accomplished at all.
37 - It's a record that for a while looked to be out of reach, but Ben Rowe's 37 career PASS North wins could be in jeopardy as Johnny Clark has pulled to within six victories after 2011. Rowe still has the overall advantage (North + South) as he runs down south more often. Rowe holds that advantage 44 to 33. Another cool stat is Rowe has never missed a PASS North show.
39 - Car number 39 of Andrew Morrissey was not a heavy favorite to with the ASA Midwest Tour title, but Morrissey rose up and took the challenge on and won the Championship. He took home a pair of runner-up finishes, but did not win a race. That will be the goal out of the gates to get to victory lane and defend that title.
42 - Finally, Phil Bozell trumped his dad Andy Bozell by 42 points for his first track at Kalamazoo Speedway (MI). Phil's title kept his dad from winning the track title for the 13th time. To sweeten the deal some more Phil also won his first Kalamazoo Klash.
51 – Kyle Busch wins up in NASCAR and he wins on the Short Tracks with his number-51 Late Models, as well. Busch has won the last five races he has run with a Kyle Busch Motorsports car. Busch's run started with the Rowdy 251, followed by the Slinger Nationals, PASS at Oxford, Oxford 250 and this year's SpeedFest. He will look to keep it going in a few months, we just don't know when and where yet.
55 - Mark Day won 55% of the Southern Superstars Short Track Series races in 2011 on his way to the Championship. Day is a contender whenever he runs away from his home series that sticks mostly to the Alabama area. He will be Nashville bound come October for the All-American 400, we can almost bet on that.
56 - David Rogers is 56 years old and he pointed out that last year's Snowball Derby top three was not enough to equal his age. The combined ages of Chase Elliott (16), DJ VanderLey (19) and Ross Kenseth (18) comes out to 53. Either way Rogers is still on top of his game and should be a threat to win the Speedweeks title again this year at New Smyrna Speedway (FL).
61 - After putting a year of awful luck behind him Johnny VanDoon hopes to return to the lime light in 2012 with a new focus on his Late Model efforts. VanDoorn will run for a third CRA title hoping the bad luck is behind him.
71 - We think the 71 car will pop up more often on the radar then some people give him credit for. Kyle Benjamin had two wins last year and now makes the Super Late Model jump. Can he be the next teen to best Pollard and Grill?
81 - Last year we witnessed 81 cars taking time at Martinsville for the Virginia is for Lovers 300. It was an impressive sight and we hope to be a part of a year when they have 100 cars on hand. The Late Model Stock event will be moved this year to draw more interest.
84 - The 84 Super Late Model at SpeedWeeks will not be the one driven by Wayne Anderson. The former Speedweeks Champion will assist a fellow Champion, Jeff Scofield. This match up worked well at the RedEye and we'll have another peak at them at the Pete Orr Memorial 100.
90 - Ross Strmiska and Trevor Cristiani are two west coast drivers who both race the number 90. Strmiska had a fine season in his first full year with the SRL Southwest Tour and finished in the top 10 in points. Cristiani won the Airport Auto Brokers Late Model Series title at the age of 16. Cristiani's 2.45 average finish was better then PASS North Champion Johnny Clark's 2.71.
155 - Brennan Poole's point margin of victory for the 2011 UARA title was a record high as Poole simply walked away with the crown. It leaves us with an interesting question…Who will step up in UARA this year? We hope to see some upstart stories.
200 - The Montana 200 is the biggest race in the Northwest portion of the country and for the first time in several years Gary Lewis did not pull into victory lane. This shows that the Northwest racing scene is getting stronger and we at Speed51.com hope to make a few trips north this season if possible. Lewis was third as Shane Mitchell scored the win.
251 - I am not a promoter, but one thing that would draw me to the Rowdy 251 at Berlin Raceway (MI) this year would be if Kyle Busch would agree to start the race from the rear. We know he's a little leery about it because we asked him about last year. It sure would put on a show for the fans. If he does win it for the third time and from the back, then I will start my “Rowdy blindfolded” campaign in July.
300 - The World Crown is back to 300 laps and it moves to July for the first time ever. We think this midweek show could really strike a force as the midsummer classic in the south. The World Crown for years has had to battle SEC Football, other big races and race team budgets running dry. A new date and a new look could add new life. Also, think about this Kyle Busch has not won this race and it's on his bucket list.
400 - This year's All American is advertised as a 400 lap race which will make it the first 400 lapper at Nashville in over a decade. We can only speculate as to the car count that will head to Nashville or how many cars they will start as the sanctioning body PASS has started up to 45 in the past. Either way the date is circled on everyone's calendar.
1623 - That's how many miles there are from Fort Kent, Maine to Cordele, Georgia. Austin Theriualt is going to get the long haul award on several occasions this year as he drives for Brad Keselowski and competes on the American Canadian Tour. This would be a great story if he could make it up the ladder from a small town northern town like Fort Kent.
20,000 - It's the line in the sand that separates the major short track events from the rest. From what we can gather only the Snowball Derby, The All American 400, The World Crown 300, Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 and The Oxford 250 pay more than $20,000 to win. That's cool, but someday we would like to figure how to trump the Dirt Late Model world which has 26 events worth $20,000 to win or more.
Derrick Griffin is looking for a ride in 2012. (Speed51.com Photo)
Erik Jones made a name for himself in 2011 in his number 4. (Speed51.com Photo)
Howie Lettow will have a memorial race in his honor in the coming weeks.
Ben Rowe has 44 career PASS wins. (Speed51.com Photo)
Kyle Busch has been solid in his Super Late Model over the last two minutes. (Speed51.com Photo)
Martinsville Speedway draws close to 100 cars. (Speed51.com Photo)
A true 400 lap race. at Nashville. (Speed51.com Photo)
Lee Pulliam gets a big check on at Martinsville. (Speed51.com Photo)
