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2013 All HammerDown! Team – December 30, 2013. Rocklin, CA. ….HammerDownUSA.com today named the 2013
All-HammerDown! Team. Led by Racer’s Racing Series Champion, Donny Schatz – the
40 driver “team” includes those who performed best at the highest paying and
most prestigious American, grass roots, open-wheel events.
“The
All-HammerDown! Team is our way to show respect to the drivers that performed
at an elite level during the American racing season,” said Bobby Gerould –
editor of HammerDownUSA.com. “We keep points for 60 of the biggest USA events. You have to finish in the
top 15 in an A-Feature to garner points. This year there were 233 drivers that
earned points but only the top 40 receive the All-HammerDown! status.”
Eight
drivers continued their streak of making the All-HammerDown! Team in each of
the eleven years since the honor was created in 2003. The talented eight are:
Dave Darland, Tim Kaeding, Steve Kinser, Danny Lasoski, Jason Meyers, Daryn
Pittman, Joey Saldana, and Donny Schatz. Five drivers made the team in 2013 for the
first time in their career, headed by Rico Abreu. Joining Abreu as first-time
All-HammerDown! Team honorees are Robert Ballou, Christopher Bell, Danny
Dietrich, and Kevin Thomas Jr. All of the “new blood” is 25 years old or
younger.
The eleventh annual All-HammerDown!
Team in alphabetical order:
·
Rico Abreu – St. Helena, CA. – Age 21. Abreu won a dozen features in 2013, starting
an impressive 101 events. He made the All-HammerDown! Team for the first time
on the strength of top finishes in a versatile manner. Rico won the Johnny Key
Classic (Watsonville, CA.), finished third at the Gold Crown Midget Nationals
(Pontoon Beach, IL.), finished third in the Dirt Cup (Alger, WA.), and he finished
third in the final Trophy Cup points (Tulare, CA.).
·
Brady Bacon – Broken Arrow, OK. – Age 23. Bacon earned
his fifth career All-HammerDown! Team selection by running a versatile schedule.
He shined brightest in a non-wing sprint car where he finished second in
Indiana Sprint Week points, third in the Smackdown (Kokomo, IN.), and fifth at
the Oval Nationals (Perris, CA.). Bacon posted a top-five run with a wing on
top in the Ohio Speedweek finale (Fremont, OH.).
·
Robert Ballou – Rocklin, CA. - Age 25. Hard-working Robert Ballou earned
his first All-HammerDown! Team nod in 2013 after posting top 15 finishes in a
half-dozen BIG races. Most notably, Ballou, who maintained his race car, and
even drove the truck to the track, finished fifth in the Four Crown Nationals
(Rossburg, OH.), and fifth in the Hall of Fame Classic (Peoria, AZ.).
·
Christopher Bell – Norman, OK. - Age 19. The youngest member of the
All-HammerDown! Team is Chris Bell. He won the 2013 USAC National Midget (dirt)
championship but also showed the versatility to excel in a winged sprint car. Bell won the Gold Crown
Midget Nationals and finished second in the ASCS sanctioned (winged 360) Short
Track Nationals (Little Rock, AR.). Young superstar Kyle
Larson was quoted in 2013 saying of Bell, “He’s better than me.”
·
Dale Blaney – Hartford, OH. – Age 49. Blaney won
the 2013 All-Star Circuit of Champions title, his fourth career All-Star
championship. He shined at Fremont
Speedway (Fremont, OH.), winning the Ohio Speedweek finale and the Jim Ford
Classic. Blaney finished fourth versus the World of Outlaws in Racer’s Racing
Series points earning events at Haubstadt, IN, and at Fremont.
·
Brian Brown – Grain Valley, MO. –
Age 35. The top Racer’s Racing Series points earner that was not a “World of
Outlaws regular” was Brian Brown. He posted BIG wins on the season in his
Knoxville Nationals preliminary (Knoxville, IA.), the Devils Bowl
Winter Nationals (Mesquite, TX.) and at the Jackson Nationals (Jackson, MN.). Brown finished second
on the final night of the Knoxville Nationals.
·
Bryan Clauson – Noblesville, IN. –
Age 24. Clauson continued to be a consistent winner in 2013. He captured
A-Mains on U.S. soil in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, and Nevada. The Illinois win came with a wing
on. He also was the Indiana Sprint Week champion, and he won the Lawrenceburg
Nationals (Lawrenceburg, IN.).
·
Dave Darland – Lincoln, IN. – Age 47. “The
People’s Champ”, Dave Darland, had an incredible season, scoring the most
points by a non-wing driver in the Racer’s Racing Series scoring system.
Darland invaded Perris, California and won both the Oval
Nationals (USAC National Sprint Cars) and Turkey Night (midgets). He also won
the Smackdown at Kokomo, and finished fifth at
the Chili Bowl (Tulsa, OK.).
·
Cody Darrah – Red Lion, PA. – Age 24.
Darrah finished seventh in the World of Outlaws points for the second year in a
row. He made the All-HammerDown! Team for the third straight year. Darrah won
two WoO A-Mains for Kasey Kahne Racing in 2013. Darrah’s fifth place run in the
Iron Man 55 (Pevely, MO.) was his best finish in
Racer’s Racing Series points earning events.
·
Danny Dietrich – Aspers, PA. – Age 25.
Dietrich earned his first All-HammerDown! Team berth by running strong in BIG
races in 2013. He defeated the World of Outlaws in their May event at Lincoln
Speedway (Abbottstown, PA.), he won the Mitch
Smith Memorial in July at Williams Grove (Mechanicsburg, PA.), and he was a runner-up
finisher on the opening night of the National Open. Dietrich also earned Rookie
of the Year honors at the Knoxville Nationals.
·
Craig Dollansky – Elk River, MN. – Age 47. Dollansky
won six World of Outlaws features on his way to his tenth consecutive
All-HammerDown! Team selection. The “Crowd Pleaser” won three RRS points
earning main events in 2013: the World of Outlaws March stop at Thunderbowl
Raceway (Tulare, CA.), the JB Memorial
(Beaver Dam, WI.) and the Iron Man 55 (Pevely, MO.).
·
David Gravel – Watertown, CT. – Age 21. Gravel
further proved in 2013 that he will be a future force in winged sprint car
racing. Gravel won his preliminary night at the Knoxville Nationals, as well as
a World of Outlaws feature at Fergus Falls, MN. en route to making the
All-HammerDown! Team for the second time.
·
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX. - Age 28. Never scared
to get off the porch, Hafertepe again traveled the country in 2013, winning
four A-Mains. He won a Pennsylvania Speedweek show at Big Diamond Speedway (Pottsville, PA.), had a strong run with
the World of Outlaws at Lernerville in the Don Martin Silver Cup, and he
finished sixth in Skagit’s Dirt Cup (Alger, WA.). Hafertepe has now
made the All-HammerDown! Team for six straight seasons.
·
Jac Haudenschild – Wooster, OH. – Age 55. The “Wild
Child” enjoyed an All-HammerDown! Team season in 2013, picking up seven feature
wins in Ohio and Illinois. He finished second in
the WoO season opener at Volusia, and also had a runner-up run without a wing
in the sprint car portion of the Four Crown Nationals at Eldora (Rossburg, OH.). ‘Haud’ started the
season with a third place finish on his preliminary night at the Chili Bowl.
·
Justin Henderson – Sioux Falls, SD. – Age 34. Henderson made the All-HammerDown!
Team for the third time in his career. In 2013, his season was highlighted by a
podium finish (third) in the Knoxville Nationals! Henderson was also third in the
World of Outlaws season opening finale at Volusia, FL.
·
Greg Hodnett – Thomasville, PA. – Age 44. Hodnett
captured seven feature wins, and the Pennsylvania Speedweek championship in
2013. All of Hodnett’s A-Main victories came in the “Keystone State”. His best result in
Racer’s Racing Series points earning events was a second in the Williams Grove
Summer Nationals versus the World of Outlaws.
·
Jason Johnson – Eunice, LA. – Age 37. Johnson won
his fourth ASCS National championship in 2013, along the way, scoring a huge
$25,000 victory at Cocopah Speedway (Somerton, AZ.). He also captured top
honors at the ASCS stop at Gray’s Harbor Raceway in Elma, WA. In total, Johnson won 12
A-Mains in 2013.
·
Tim Kaeding – San Jose, CA. - Age 35. Driving
for Roth Motorsports, Tim Kaeding had a fantastic season in 2013. He beat the
World of Outlaws nine times despite not racing on the tour full-time. Kaeding
scored Racer’s Racing Series BIG race wins at Las Vegas, and Haubstadt, IN.
“TK” finished second in both the Kings Royal and Johnny Key Classic.
·
Chad Kemenah – Findlay, OH. - Age 42. Kemenah
again ran a national tour on a budget smaller than the competition. And for the
ninth time in his career he made the All-HammerDown! Team. He finished fifth in
the Knoxville Nationals, and had two runner-up runs in RRS races: February at Volusia,
and at the Mini Gold Cup at Chico in March.
·
Kraig Kinser – Bloomington, IN. – Age 29. Kraig
Kinser won a World of Outlaws feature event, and had two top five finishes in
Racer’s Racing Series points earning events to make the All-HammerDown! Team
for the eighth time in his career. Kinser finished fourth at the World Finals (Concord, NC.), and fifth in the
Kings Royal.
·
Steve Kinser – Bloomington, IN. – Age 59. “The
King of the Outlaws” added two more World of Outlaws feature wins to his
incredible list in 2013. He closed the season in strong fashion with a fifth
place finish in the World Finals at the Dirt Track at Charlotte.
·
Kyle Larson – Elk Grove, CA. – Age
21. Just three seasons after his debut on the All-HammerDown! Team, Larson is
now in NASCAR at the highest level. Between major league gigs, Larson raced his
way to the winner’s circle in the Trophy Cup (Tulare, CA.). He also won both the
sprint car and midget portion of the Louie Vermeil Classic (Calistoga, CA.),
and he won his preliminary night at the Chili Bowl. W’s at Placerville, CA., and Kokomo, IN. were included in
2013.
·
Danny Lasoski – Dover, MO. – Age 53. “The Dude” won against World of Outlaws
competition in February in Florida, and also amassed victories in Arkansas,
Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania on his way to another season of
All-HammerDown! status.
·
Kerry Madsen – Saint Mary’s, New South Wales, Australia. – Age 42. Madsen
finished as the highest ranked international driver in the Racer’s Racing
Series in 2013. He won the “Knight Before the Kings Royal” at Eldora in July,
and finished second on his Knoxville Nationals preliminary night. Madsen has
made the All-HammerDown! Team seven times, more than any other international
driver.
·
Paul McMahan – Hendersonville, TN. – Age 43. A
victory at Charlotte, NC. on the final night of
the World of Outlaws 2013 season capped another outstanding campaign for Paul
McMahan. McMahan finished third in both the WoO and Racer’s Racing Series
standings. He won the Mini Gold Cup (Chico, CA.), and finished
second at the Brad Doty Classic (Lima, OH.). McMahan led the WoO
series with 17 “quick-times”.
·
Jason Meyers – Clovis, CA. – Age 34. Meyers
raced sparingly but still managed to ‘run up-front’ in 2013. He won the World
of Outlaws sanctioned Gold Cup at Chico, CA., and finished
second in the final Trophy Cup points. Meyers even earned points by finishing
12th at the Chili Bowl in a midget.
·
Daryn Pittman – Owasso, OK. – Age 35. Pittman won
the 2013 World of Outlaws championship driving for Kasey Kahne Racing. The team
started strong by winning the season opener at Volusia. Pittman finished the
WoO season with eight wins, including a RRS points earning triumph in May at
Eldora Speedway (Rossburg, OH.). He also raced to a
second place finish at the Williams Grove National Open.
·
Fred Rahmer – Salfordville, PA. - Age 55. Rahmer closed his Hall of Fame
driving career in 2013 with a memorable victory in the Williams Grove National
Open. The win paid $50,000. He also captured the 2013 track championship at
“The Grove”, his ninth career title at the famous half-mile.
·
Joey Saldana – Brownsburg, IN. – Age
41. Saldana finished fourth in the Racer’s Racing Series points, beginning a
new chapter in his career, driving for Dan Motter. Saldana won a World of
Outlaws’ event at Chico, CA., and he was “on
the podium” in big events at Las Vegas, Charlotte, and Eldora as well.
·
Donny Schatz – Fargo, ND. - Age 36. Schatz scored more Racer’s Racing
Series points than anyone for the seventh time in his Hall of Fame worthy
career. His Knoxville Nationals victory, after transferring out of the B-Main,
will go down in history as one of sprint car racing’s greatest achievements.
Schatz won 23 World of Outlaws sanctioned feature events on the season in the
Tony Stewart Racing #15, including the Brad Doty Classic, the Williams Grove
Summer Nationals, and the opening night of the World Finals.
·
Tim Shaffer – Aliquippa, PA. – Age 46. Shaffer was
the 2013 All-Star Circuit of Champions point standings runner-up. His best Racer’s
Racing Series points earning finish came with a second in the Jim Ford Classic at
Fremont Speedway.
·
Jason Sides – Bartlett, TN. – Age 40.
Sides earned his tenth All-HammerDown! Team selection in 2013. His best results
in Racer’s Racing Series points earning events were a pair of runner-up runs in
World of Outlaws races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and at the World Finals at
the Dirt Track at Charlotte.
·
Jon Stanbrough – Avon, IN. – Age 46. Stanbrough
earned All-HammerDown! Team honors for the sixth time in his career. The
non-wing sprint car specialist was consistent in 2013, earning a fourth place
finish in the Haubstadt Hustler, sixth in the sprint car portion of the Four
Crown at Eldora, and a sixth place ranking in the final Indiana Sprint Week
points.
·
Shane Stewart – Bixby, OK. – Age 37. Stewart
again won the 360 Nationals at Knoxville, highlighting his 2013.
The popular Oklahoma native won 14 features
in 2013, with victories in Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, Washington, and in Canada. This year marks
Stewart’s tenth All-HammerDown! Team selection.
·
Chase Stockon – Sullivan, IN. – Age 25.
Stockon won the Hall of Fame Classic at Canyon Speedway (Peoria, AZ.) to highlight the
second year in a row he has made the All-HammerDown! Team. Stockon was
runner-up at the Lawrenceburg Nationals, and he finished fourth at the Perris
Oval Nationals.
·
Brad Sweet – Grass Valley, CA. – Age 28.
Supplementing his NASCAR schedule, Brad Sweet had a very successful season that
showcased his versatility. He won the Kings Royal’s $50,000 top-prize in a
winged sprint car with the World of Outlaws at Eldora, and finished second at
Perris, CA. in a midget on Turkey Night. Sweet also was on the podium, with a
third, at the 2013 Chili Bowl.
·
Kevin Swindell – Germantown, TN. – Age 24. Kevin,
unbelievably, won his fourth straight Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in 2013. He
finished second in a winged sprint car at the Knoxville 360 Nationals, and was
on the podium on his Knoxville Nationals preliminary night. Kevin also
continued to pursue his NASCAR dreams, racing in 14 Nationwide events, and his
first “Cup” race in 2013.
·
Sammy Swindell – Germantown, TN. – Age 58. Still
winning, Sammy’s biggest score was a victory in the 2013 Short Track Nationals
(Little Rock, AR.). He also captured
three World of Outlaws feature wins, while continuing to excel at the Chili
Bowl in a midget where he finished second to his son Kevin.
·
Kevin Thomas Jr. – Cullman, AL. – Age 22.
Making the All-HammerDown! Team for the first time, Thomas Jr. proved to be a
factor with a Racer’s Racing Series points earning win in the Haubstadt Hustler
(Haubstadt, IN.). Thomas Jr. finished
third in the Indiana Sprint Week points, fourth in the Lawrenceburg Nationals,
and sixth at the Perris Oval Nationals. He was named USAC’s Most Improved
Driver for 2013.
·
Chris Windom – Canton, IL. – Age 22. Windom made
the All-HammerDown! Team for the fourth consecutive season. Windom won both the Silver Crown and sprint
car portion of the Four Crown Nationals at Eldora. He was fourth in the Kokomo
Smackdown A-Main, and he was a top-five finisher on his preliminary night at
the 2013 Chili Bowl.
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