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Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Winged 410 Sprint Car Rankings - Volume V

The season is quickly winding down, and thus our periodic sprint car rankings will be doing the same. Don't get too worked up...we've got at least a couple left after this issue. This volume of sprint car rankings dates back to August 20th (when Volume IV was created). Just as always, only winged 410 sprint results will count. So let's get to it.


Donny Schatz continues his dominance with the WoO through late summer

1. Donny Schatz (No Change)

The pilot of the Tony Stewart Racing #15 machine stays atop our Winged Sprint Car Rankings for the 3rd consecutive volume. Since our last rankings, Schatz earned four wins on the World of Outlaws circuit (Skagit Speedway [2], Castrol Raceway, and Grays Harbor Raceway). As the season winds down, Donny has bumped his win total up to 20 and currently carries a 196 point lead in the championship standings.


2. Daryn Pittman (No Change)

If it wasn't for the man that stands atop the rankings, Daryn Pittman is the man that we would all be talking about. Over the past three weeks, Pittman can hold one World of Outlaws win (Southern Oregon Speedway) and four runner-up finishes to his credit. The defending series champion sits second in the championship standings at the moment and has collected 13 wins.


3. Dale Blaney (No Change)

The "King of the All Stars" has once again had another stellar couple of weeks behind the wheel of Tony Kennedy's #14K sprint car. In recent weeks, Dale Blaney has won two more All Star races (Mercer Raceway Park, Attica Raceway Park). In addition, Blaney had strong runs this past weekend at Port Royal, charging through the field Friday night and running in the top five during the "Tuscarora 50" until problems occurred later in the race.


4. Greg Hodnett (Unranked)

Greg Hodnett has made his first season with the Heffner Racing team one to remember. He has seemingly dominated the Central PA circuit, being the fastest and most consistent without question, but it is his recent runs that land him in position 4 on our rankings. His 2nd place run at the Labor Day Classic at Port Royal was just a precursor to his $12,000 "Tuscarora 50" win that ensued at the Speed Palace the following weekend.


5. Danny Holtgraver (Unranked)

Holtgraver, a Pittsburgh, PA resident, makes his debut in our Winged Sprint Car Rankings based upon his strong runs as of late with the All Stars Circuit of Champions. Danny recently won his third ASCoC race of the season (Attica Raceway Park), making a great year for the start-up team Rob Hunter Racing. Holtgraver's #10H also managed a runner-up finish in ASCoC action at Mercer Raceway Park and collected back-to-back top four finishes at Port Royal for the fair weekend.


6. Kerry Madsen (-2)

Though Madsen has dropped two spots since our last rankings just three weeks ago, being just the fourth driver to stay on the ballot for three straight volumes is nothing to scoff at. The Australia-native has cooled down after heating up earlier this summer, but his results still speak for themselves. His recent win was the closest in recorded WoO history (.005 seconds at Antioch Speedway), and he also has a runner-up finish to his credit in recent weeks. He currently sits at fourth in the points standings.


7. Stevie Smith (Unranked)

The "Black Bandit" has continued to impress while running out of the Fred Rahmer stable for the 2014 season. Stevie Smith was the winner of the ASCoC-sanctioned "Night Before the 50" after staving off a charging Danny Holtgraver. Smith then followed that up with a runner-up finish in the historic "Tuscarora 50" at Port Royal Speedway.


8. Carson Macedo/Jonathan Allard/Kyle Hirst (All Unranked)

The trio of California drivers combine to make up our 8th and final spot on the rankings. While Macedo and Allard triumphed against the Outlaws while Hirst lost by a mere 5 thousandths of a second, their lack of 410 results over the span that this rankings includes comes due to the fact that they have limited opportunity to participate in 410 sprint action. Think of this 8th spot as a representation of all California sprint car drivers and the tough competition that they present when outsiders invade their territory.


On the Edge: Drivers that just missed making the cut

Danny Dietrich
Shane Stewart


Drivers that fell out of the previous rankings:

Brian Brown
Brent Marks
Rico Abreu
Paul McMahan

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