2022 All HammerDown! Team – December 27, 2022. Rocklin, CA. HammerDownUSA.com, today, named the 2022 All-HammerDown! Team. David Gravel, the Champion of the Racer’s Racing Series, heads the list of the 40 driver “team”. The All-HammerDown! Team includes drivers that finished in the top 40 in HammerDownUSA.com’s, Racers’ Racing Series point standings. Points are awarded for a 60-race schedule of big events. Drivers must finish in the top eleven positions in an A-Feature to score points. This year there were 148 drivers that earned points at the biggest races in the United States.

“Sprint Car and Midget Racing is in a good position, historically speaking,” said Bobby Gerould, editor of HammerDownUSA.com. “Narrowing down the 60 races that make the schedule is getting harder. That’s a good thing. It means there are more high paying events that bring out the best in the competitors. I believe the All-HammerDown! Team provides a snapshot of the present drivers that are getting the job done nationally in open-wheel racing.”

Donny Schatz became the only driver to make the All-HammerDown! Team in each of the 20 years since the honor was created in 2003. Six drivers made the All-HammerDown! team for the first time in their careers: Emerson Axsom, Kyle Cummins, Jason McDougal, Thomas Meseraull, Mitchel Moles, and Jake Swanson. The age range of the 40-driver team extends from Axsom at age 18 to Lance Dewease at age 57.


The 20th annual All-HammerDown! Team, in alphabetical order:

  • Rico Abreu – St. Helena, CA. – Age 30. Rico made the All-HammerDown! Team for the tenth year in a row. He started the season with a runner-up finish at the Chili Bowl (Tulsa Expo Center, Tulsa, OK.). Abreu won seven A-Mains in 2022, six in a winged Sprint Car, and one in a Midget. He beat the Outlaws at Eldora Speedway (Rossburg, OH.) in late September.
  • Jacob Allen – Hanover, PA. – Age 28. Allen made the All-HammerDown! Team for the fifth time in his career. He won the Jason Johnson Classic (Lake Ozark Speedway, Lake Ozark, MO.), his preliminary night at the Knoxville Nationals (Knoxville Raceway, Knoxville, IA.), and the Gold Cup (Silver Dollar Speedway, Chico, CA.) He finished ninth in World of Outlaws points with four WoO wins.
  • Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN. – Age 18. Axsom made his first All-HammerDown! Team after posting four wins in a non-winged sprint car. The 2022 USAC National Sprint Car Rookie of the Year won in Arizona, Florida (USAC Winter Dirt Games), and Indiana. Axsom was on the podium at the Perris Oval Nationals (Perris Auto Speedway, Perris, CA.) as well.  
  • Brady Bacon – Broken Arrow, OK. – Age 32. Bacon won seven A-Mains in five states in 2022. The perennial All-HammerDown! Team member was victorious in the $20,000 to-win Perris Oval Nationals. He was on the podium at the Tony Hulman Classic (Terre Haute Action Track, Terre Haute, IN.) and the Smackdown (Kokomo Speedway. Kokomo, IN.).
  • Robert Ballou – Rocklin, CA. Age 34. Ballou won eight features in 2022, a resurgent year for the veteran driver. He captured the Tony Hulman Classic (Terre Haute Action Track, Terre Haute, IN.), and he finished fourth in the final USAC National Sprint Car standings. This is Ballou’s fifth All-HD selection.
  • Spencer Bayston – Lebanon, IN. – Age 24. Bayston won two World of Outlaws features in 2022. He was victorious in April on the high banks of Bristol Motor Speedway (Bristol TN.), and he won a late June event at Huset’s Speedway (Brandon, SD.). This is Bayston’s third All-HammerDown! honor. 
  • Brian Brown – Grain Valley, MO. – Age 44. Brown scored his 12th consecutive All-HammerDown! Team honor. He won the Knoxville Raceway (Knoxville, IA.) championship for the fifth time. “Brownie” won seven A-Mains in 2002, including a victory over the World of Outlaws at Knoxville in June.
  • Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN.  - Age 28. Courtney won eleven features in five different states on the season including the Dirt Cup at Skagit ($76,000). He won the All-Star Circuit of Champions points title as well. This is Courtney’s sixth straight All-HammerDown! selection.
  • Kyle Cummins – Princeton, IN. – Age 36. Cummins made the All-HammerDown! Team for the first time. He won the Smackdown at Kokomo as well as the Fall Nationals at Lawrenceburg Speedway, (Lawrenceburg, IN.). Overall, Cummins snared ten A-Main wins on the season, nine in non-winged sprint cars, and one in a midget.
  • Lance Dewease – Fayetteville, PA. – Age 57. Dewease won ten of the 41 races he entered in 2022. The edler statesman won the Williams Grove National Open (Williams Grove Speedway, Mechanicsburg, PA.) for the fifth time. The race paid $75,000 to-win. This is his 13th All-HammerDown! selection.
  • Danny Dietrich – Gettysburg, PA. – Age 34. Dietrich earned All-HammerDown! status for the tenth year in a row! He won 14 A-Mains in 2022, all coming in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Dietrich entered 93 events in 2022. He was on the podium at the Williams Grove Summer Nationals (runner-up), as well as the Dean Knittel Memorial (Portsmouth Speedway, Portsmouth, OH.) and the Tuscarora 50 (Port Royal Speedway, Port Royal, PA.).
  • Cory Eliason – Selma, CA. – Age 31. Eliason made the All-HammerDown! Team for the sixth straight season. He won three A-mains in winged 410 competitions. His best run in HammerDown! points earning events was a runner-up in the World Finals second feature (The Dirt Track at Charlotte, Concord, NC.).
  • Shane Golobic – Fremont, CA. – Age 31. Golobic made the All-HammerDown! Team for the fifth time. He won ten A-mains in 2022, eight of which were winged 360 features. Golobic was also the 2022 Trophy Cup Champion (Thunderbowl Raceway, Tulare, CA.) and the Silver Dollar Speedway (Chico, CA.) track champion.  He added a 410 winged win as well as a midget victory.
  • Justin Grant – Ione, CA. – Age 32. Grant won a whopping 16 A-Mains across Sprint Cars, Midgets, and Silver Crown events. Grant won the USAC National Sprint Car Championship, the Indiana Sprint Week title, and he was runner-up in USAC National Midget points. Grant capped his great season with a Turkey Night Grand Prix victory (Ventura Raceway, Ventura, CA.). He made the All-HammerDown! Team for the sixth year in a row.
  • David Gravel – Watertown, CT. – Age 29. Gravel won the Racer’s Racing Series points title for the first time in his career. He scored seven victories in six states. Gravel was victorious in the DIRTCar Nationals (Volusia, FL.), and the Skagit Nationals (Burlington, WA.). Gravel was runner-up at the Knoxville Nationals as well as runner-up in World of Outlaws points. This is Gravel’s eleventh All-HammerDown! honor.
  • Sheldon Haudenschild – Wooster, OH. – Age 29. Sheldon finished fifth in World of Outlaws points, winning nine WoO A-Mains (ten overall), with 30 top-five WoO finishes. He won the High Bank Nationals at Huset’s Speedway (Brandon, SD) as well the JB Boyd Memorial at Beaver Dam, WI. This is Haudenschild’s eighth All-HammerDown! selection.
  • Buddy Kofoid – Penngrove, CA. – Age 21. Kofoid was the USAC National Midget Champion for the second consecutive year. He won an impressive 20 A-Mains combined across Midgets and Sprint Cars in 2022. Among his big wins: the opening night of the High Bank Nationals (Huset’s Speedway, Brandon SD), and the Hangtown 100 (Placerville Speedway, Placerville, CA.). Kofoid also won the Indiana Midget Week Championship.
  • Kyle Larson – Elk Grove, CA. – Age 30. Larson earned his eleventh All-HammerDown! honor.  He found time in his busy schedule with NASCAR commitments, to win seven winged sprint car A-Mains. Larson’s four Racer’s Racing Series victories were: The Front Row Challenge (Southern Iowa Speedway, Oskaloosa, IA.), the WoO stop at Tulare, The Brad Doty Classic (Attica Raceway Park, Attica, OH.), and the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup at Lernerville Speedway (Sarver, PA.).
  • C.J. Leary – Greenfield, IN. – Age 26. Leary earned his fourth All-HammerDown! Team selection. He won ten A-Mains in four different states in 2022. Leary was runner-up in Indiana Sprint Week points as well as a second place finisher at the Smackdown. He finished seventh at the Chili Bowl, and he was on the podium at the Little 500 (Anderson Speedway. Anderson, IN.)
  • Carson Macedo – Lemoore, CA. – Age 26. Macedo won 16 features on his way to earning his seventh All-HammerDown! Team selection. Macedo finished third in World of Outlaws points, winning a series-high eleven A-Mains. He won the $25,000 top-prize at the Jackson Nationals (Jackson Motorplex, Jackson, MN.), and he captured his first USAC National Midget win (Merced, CA.). 
  • Anthony Macri – Dillsburg, PA. – Age 23. Macri made the All-HammerDown! Team for the third time. He won 23 feature events in a standout season! Macri’s BIG wins included the Weikert Memorial ($29,000), the Nittany Showdown ($25,000), and the Tuscarora 50 ($60,000) all at Port Royal Speedway (Port Royal, PA.) He also took home the $26,000 winner’s share of the Rayce Rudeen Foundation feature at I-70 (Odessa, MO.).
  • Kerry Madsen – Saint Mary’s, New South Wales, Australia. – Age 51. Madsen is the all-time international leader in making the All-HammerDown! Team. 2022 marks Kerry’s 16th selection. Madsen was runner-up at the Dirt Cup (Skagit Speedway, Burlington, WA.). He finished sixth in the World of Outlaws Bristol Motor Speedway stop (Bristol, TN.), and he was also sixth at the Brad Doty Classic (Attica Raceway Park, Attica, OH.)
  • Brent Marks – Meyerstown, PA. - Age 32. Marks had another great season. He won 18 A-mains across six different states. His biggest scores included The Historical Big One ($100,000) and the Kings Royal ($175,000) at Eldora. Among his BIG wins: The Morgan Cup (Williams Grove Speedway, Mechanicsburg, PA.), Dean Knittel Memorial ($20,554 to-win at Portsmouth Raceway Park, Portsmouth, OH.), and the Dirt Classic IX at Lincoln Speedway (Abbottstown, PA.).
  • Jason McDougal – Broken Arrow, OK. – Age 25. McDougal made his first All-HammerDown! Team. He was on the podium at the annual Haubstadt Hustler (Tri-State Speedway, Haubstadt, IN.), and he finished fourth in the Sprint Car portion of the Four-Crown Nationals at Eldora. McDougal closed his season with a tenth place run at the Turkey Night Grand Prix. 
  • James McFadden - Ormeau, Queensland, Australia. -  Age 33. McFadden finished seventh in World of Outlaws points, winning one A-Main with the series. He scored 22 top-five WoO finishes. McFadden was on the podium at the High Banked Nationals, the Ironman 55 (I-55 Raceway, Pevely, MO.), and the Tarlton Classic (Keller Auto Speedway, Hanford, CA.). This is J-Mac’s fifth All-HammerDown! selection.
  • Thomas Meseraull – San Jose, CA. - Age 41. Meseraull earned his first All-HammerDown! Team honor. He finished third in the USAC National Midget points standings. T-Mez started the season with a tenth-place finish in the Chili Bowl. He followed that up with a February $10,000 victory with the X-Treme Outlaws series at Volusia Speedway Park (Barberville, FL.). Meseraull won ten features in five states on the season.
  • Mitchel Moles – Raisin City, CA. – Age 23. Moles made the All-HammerDown! Team for the first time in his career on the strength of his non-wing performances. He won six A-mains, including five USAC sanctioned events. His $12,000 score at the Huset’s USAC Nationals (non-wing Sprint Car) was his highest profile win.  
  • Justin Peck – Monrovia, IN. – Age 24. The super-busy Peck entered 99 winged sprint car events in 2022. He won nine features in five different states (MI., NJ, NY, OH., PA.). The biggest win was a $12,000 score with the All-Stars at Bridgeport Speedway (Bridgeport, NJ.). Peck was runner-up in All-Star points for 2022.
  • Parker Price-Miller – Kokomo, IN. – Age 24. “PPM” made the All-HammerDown! Team for the fourth time in his career. He won three A-mains across South Dakota, Ohio and New York. His NY win paid $12,000 in an All-Star sanctioned race. To score enough points in a season where he was enduring radiation treatments for cancer tells you all you need to know about PPM’s toughness.
  • Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX. – Age 32. Reutzel won the 2022 Knoxville 360 Nationals, as well as 15 other A-mains on the season. His 360 Nationals victory was worth $30,000 after lap money. He scored 2022 wins in 410’s and 360’s with wings. This is Reutzel’s seventh All-HammerDown! selection.
  • Gio Scelzi – Fresno, CA. – Age 21. Scelzi won eight features in 2022, including two with the World of Outlaws.  He captured checkered flags in California, Iowa, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota. He was runner-up in the World Finals A-Main. This is Gio’s fifth consecutive All-HammerDown! selection.
  • Donny Schatz – Fargo, ND. - Age 45. Schatz won the Knoxville Nationals ($175,000), The WoO season opener (Barberville, FL.) and two World Finals features in 2022. He finished fourth in World of Outlaws points with five Outlaws A-Main victories and 28 top-five finishes.
  • Logan Schuchart – Hanover, PA. – Age 30. Schuchart finished sixth in World of Outlaws points, winning seven feature events overall. Schuchart won his preliminary night at the Knoxville Nationals, and he finished third on Nationals’ Saturday night. He won on the Bristol high banks (Bristol, TN), as well as at Keller Auto Speedway (Hanford, CA.) in the Tarlton Classic.
  • Hunter Schuerenberg – Sikeston, MO. – Age 33. Schuerenberg made the All-HammerDown! Team for the second time in his career. He finished third in All-Star points, winning four series A-Mains in four different states. He completed the All-Star season with 15 top-five finishes.
  • Logan Seavey – Sutter, CA. – Age 25. Seavey earned his fourth straight All-HammerDown! selection. He was runner-up in USAC Silver Crown points, sixth in USAC National Sprint Car points, and eleventh in USAC National Midget points. His best Racer’s Racing Series event finish was a second in the Fall Nationals at Lawrenceburg, IN.
  • Chase Stockon – Fort Branch, IN. – Age 34. Stockon returned to the All-HammerDown! Team (his fifth overall, first since 2019). He started the season with strong podium finishes in Florida with the X-Treme Outlaws, and USAC. He won a MSCS feature (Haubstadt, IN.) and he finished fourth in Indiana Sprint week points.
  • Jake Swanson – Anaheim, CA. – Age 29. Swanson secured his first All-HammerDown! selection on the strength of a dozen feature wins. He was fourth in the Kokomo Sprint Car Smackdown, and runner-up at the Perris Oval Nationals. His victories came in Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri.
  • Brad Sweet – Grass Valley, CA. – Age 36. Sweet won his fourth straight World of Outlaws championship and broke through at Williams Grove Speedway with a big win in the Summer Nationals. Among his five WoO A-Main victories was the Iron Man 55 title. Sweet also led the Outlaws in laps led.
  • Zeb Wise – Angola, IN. - Age 20. Wise made the All-HammerDown! Team for the second consecutive season. He finished fifth in All-Star points, winning two Ohio races with the sanctioning body. Wise won the final night of the Trophy Cup and he finished fourth in overall Trophy Cup points.
  • Brock Zearfoss – Jonestown, PA. – Age 32. The “Jonestown Jet” made the All-HammerDown! Team for the fourth year in-a-row. Zearfoss won the World of Outlaws annual July stop at Cedar Lake, WI. He finished tenth in World of Outlaws points, posting 20 top-ten finishes with the series.


Sources: AllStarSprint.com (Tyler Altmeyer), Sprint Car Ratings (Bill Vanselow), USACRacing.com (Richie Murray), Lonnie Wheatley, WorldofOutlaws.com (Brian Walker).

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