2023 All HammerDown! Team – December 27, 2023. Rocklin, CA.

HammerDownUSA.com is proud to announce the 2023 All-HammerDown! Team. Rico Abreu, 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 were awarded over 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 152 drivers that earned points at the biggest races in the United States.

“The sport of sprint car racing has never had a year like 2023,” said Bobby Gerould, editor of HammerDownUSA.com. “The Eldora Million, Kings Royal, Huset’s High Bank Nationals, Dirt Cup, Knoxville Nationals, Tuscarora 50, and the National Open all paid more than $50,000 to-win. We used to struggle to find 60 events that paid $10,000 to-win. Now, if the race isn’t paying $15,000 to-win it’s probably not making our schedule of the 60 biggest races.”

Donny Schatz became the only driver to make the All-HammerDown! Team in each of the 21 years since the honor was created in 2003. Four drivers made the All-HammerDown! team for the first time in their careers: Corey Day, Cole Macedo, Chase Randall, and Justin Sanders.

The age range of the 40-driver team extends from Day at age 18 to Lance Dewease at age 58.

The 21st annual All-HammerDown! Team, in alphabetical order:

  • Rico Abreu – St. Helena, CA. – Age 31. Rico’s Racer’s Racing Series Championship season included 15 wins in eleven different states (California, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Oklahoma, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Washington, and Wisconsin). Among his biggest wins: the Jason Johnson Classic (81 Speedway, Wichita, KS.), the Rayce Rudeen Foundation feature (Plymouth, WI.), the second Twin 25 at the Eldora Million (Rossburg, OH.), the Summer Nationals (Williams Grove Speedway, Mechanicsburg, PA.), and High Limit wins at Grandview, Huset’s, Bridgeport, and Lincoln Park.
  • Jacob Allen – Hanover, PA. – Age 29. Allen made the All-HammerDown! Team for the sixth time in his career. Running a partial season, Allen finished 13th in World of Outlaws points with four top-five finishes. His best run in RRS points earning events was a third-place finish at Cedar Lake, WI.  
  • Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN. – Age 19. Axsom made his second All-HammerDown! Team after posting three wins in a non-winged sprint car. The 2023 USAC National Sprint Car Eastern Storm champion won in Indiana, and Pennsylvania respectively. Axsom was runner-up at the BC 39 (Indianapolis Motor Speedway Dirt Track, Speedway, IN.)
  • Brady Bacon – Broken Arrow, OK. – Age 33. Bacon exemplified a Racer’s Racer by winning in three divisions in 2023. The Indiana Sprint Week Champion won a USAC Silver Crown event as well as seven non-wing sprint car features including the Haubstadt Hustler (Tri-State Speedway, Haubstadt, IN.) He added one winged sprint car A-main victory to earn his 14th All-HammerDown! Team selection.
  • Spencer Bayston – Lebanon, IN. – Age 25. Bayston finished eighth in World of Outlaws points with one A-main win, and eleven top-fives. He was on the podium at his preliminary night of the Knoxville Nationals, and he finished eleventh in the Nationals’ finale. Bayston added a USAC Midget victory for good measure. This is Bayston’s fourth All-HammerDown! honor. 
  • Brian Brown – Grain Valley, MO. – Age 45. Brown earned his 13th consecutive All-HammerDown! Team honor. “Brownie” won eight A-Mains in 2023, including the Tuscarora 50 (Port Royal, PA.) which paid $62,000 to-win! He also won the Knoxville 360 Nationals in dramatic fashion (Knoxville Raceway, Knoxville, IA.).
  • Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN.  - Age 29. Courtney won eleven features in eight different states on the season. He was the Ohio Sprint Speedweek Champion, and he finished third in All-Star points. This is Courtney’s seventh straight All-HammerDown! selection.
  • Kyle Cummins – Princeton, IN. – Age 37. Cummins made the All-HammerDown! Team for the second time. He won seven A-Mains in three different states in 2023. He finished fourth in Indiana Sprint Week points and he was sixth in USAC National Sprint Car points.
  • Corey Day – Clovis, CA. – Age 18. Day further proved himself on big stages in 2023. He won the Gold Cup (Silver Dollar Speedway, Chico, CA.), the Trophy Cup (Thunderbowl Raceway (Tulare, CA.), and the King of the West / NARC championship. Day won 13 A-mains in total.
  • Lance Dewease – Fayetteville, PA. – Age 58. Dewease won four of the 49 races he entered in 2023. He continued to win the battle against Father Time, coming up with a huge win in the Bob Weikert Memorial (Port Royal, PA.) This is his 14th All-HammerDown! selection.
  • Danny Dietrich – Gettysburg, PA. – Age 35. Dietrich earned All-HammerDown! status for the eleventh year in a row! He won seven A-Mains in 2023, all coming in Pennsylvania or Ohio. Dietrich entered 87 events on the year. He was runner-up in the Dirt Classic at Lincoln Speedway (Abbottstown, PA.). 
  • Cory Eliason – Selma, CA. – Age 32. Eliason made the All-HammerDown! Team for the seventh straight season. He won two All-Star Circuit of Champions A-mains. His best runs in HammerDown! points earning events were a pair of third place finishes in High Limit action.
  • Shane Golobic – Fremont, CA. – Age 32. Golobic made the All-HammerDown! Team for the sixth time. He won ten A-mains in 2023 (seven winged 360, two 410 winged, and one midget) in 2023. He finished fourth in the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals. Sugar Shane was on the podium at the Hangtown 100 (Placerville Speedway, Placerville, CA.) and he was third in overall Trophy Cup points (Thunderbowl Raceway, Tulare, CA.)
  • Justin Grant – Ione, CA. – Age 33. Grant won the USAC National Sprint Car Championship for the second consecutive year. Always a threat to win a feature, Grant scored 15 A-Main victories in 2023. He showcased his versatility with one Silver Crown, two Midget, and 12 Sprint Car triumphs. His biggest wins came at the Smackdown (Kokomo Speedway, Kokomo, IN.) the BC39, and the Fall Nationals (Lawrenceburg Speedway, Lawrenceburg, IN.)
  • David Gravel – Watertown, CT. – Age 30. Gravel captured 13 A-Main wins in 80 starts on the season. He took home $250,000 as the winner of the Huset’s High Banked Nationals (Huset’s Speedway, Brandon, SD.) in June. Gravel was runner-up at the Knoxville Nationals as well as runner-up in World of Outlaws points. This is Gravel’s 12th All-HammerDown! honor.
  • Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX. – Age 38. Hafertepe returned to the All-HammerDown! Team for the first time since 2017. He won six features on the year, including the Ohio Sprintweek finale at Eldora Speedway (Rossburg, OH.), and the 50th annual Devil’s Bowl Winter Nationals (Devil’s Bowl Speedway, Mesquite, TX.)
  • Sheldon Haudenschild – Wooster, OH. – Age 30. Sheldon won the JB Boyd Memorial  (Beaver Dam WI.) for the second consecutive year. He finished seventh in World of Outlaws points, winning three WoO A-Mains, with 18 top-five finishes. This is Haudenschild’s ninth All-HammerDown! selection.
  • Cap Henry – Republic, OH. – Age 33. Henry earned his third All-HammerDown! nod on the strength of eleven feature wins in 2023. The Attica/Fremont Champion won the Pete Jacobs Memorial at Wayne County, OH. He finished in the top-ten in 31 of the 52 nights of racing he contested.
  • Buddy Kofoid – Penngrove, CA. – Age 22. Kofoid earned his fourth straight All-HammerDown! selection. He won seven A-Mains in 2023 (five in a winged Sprint Car, and two in a midget. He was in the top-ten at both the Eldora Million and the Knoxville Nationals. He won races in four states with five different sanctioning bodies.
  • Kyle Larson – Elk Grove, CA. – Age 31. Larson won the 2023 High Limit Championship and the Knoxville Nationals. He added the Brad Doty Classic, Ironman 55, the Don Martin Silver Cup, Hangtown 100 and Turkey Night as prestigious wins on the season. In winged Sprint Cars, and Midgets he won 13 features. This is Larson’s 12th All-HammerDown! Team honor.
  • Carson Macedo – Lemoore, CA. – Age 27. Macedo won nine features in six states on his way to earning his eighth All-HammerDown! Team selection. He won the Knight Before the Kings Royal, and the Jackson Nationals. Carson finished third in World of Outlaws points. He was runner-up at the Eldora Million and he won his preliminary night at the Knoxville Nationals. He added a podium finish at the Turkey Night Grand Prix to close his USA season.
  • Cole Macedo – Lemoore, CA. – Age 23. Cole Macedo earned his first All-HammerDown! Team selection, winning six A-mains in three states on the season. He finished fifth in the High Limit event at Kokomo Speedway (Kokomo, IN.).
  • Anthony Macri – Dillsburg, PA. – Age 24. Macri made the All-HammerDown! Team for the fourth time. He won eight A-mains in 2023 with seven of those coming in his home state. He won the High Limit stop at 34 Raceway (Burlington, IA.).
  • Kerry Madsen – Saint Mary’s, New South Wales, Australia. – Age 52. Madsen is the all-time international leader in making the All-HammerDown! Team. 2023 marks Kerry’s 17th selection. Madsen won two A-Mains on USA soil on the year. His best points earning nights for HammerDown! purposes were a runner-up with the All-Stars at Ransomville, NY., and a top-ten finish in the Knoxville Nationals.  
  • Brent Marks – Meyerstown, PA. - Age 33. Marks won 13 A-mains across four different states. His biggest score came at the National Open (Williams Grove Speedway, Mechanicsburg, PA.). He also won the Dean Knittel Memorial (Portsmouth Raceway Park, Portsmouth, OH.), the Dirt Classic at Lincoln Speedway (Abbottstown, PA.), and one of the World Finals A-mains (The Dirt Track at Charlotte, Concord, NC.).
  • James McFadden – Alice Springs, NT, Australia. -  Age 34. McFadden finished tenth in World of Outlaws points, winning six A-mains with the series including the Texas Outlaw Nationals (Devil’s Bowl Speedway, Mesquite, TX.). He scored 20 top-five WoO finishes. McFadden also won the Front Row Challenge (Southern Iowa Speedway, Oskaloosa, IA.) This is J-Mac’s sixth All-HammerDown! selection.
  • Mitchel Moles – Raisin City, CA. – Age 24. Moles made the All-HammerDown! Team for the second consecutive time. He won a USAC National Sprint Car feature at Macon, IL., while finishing tenth in USAC National Sprint Car points. He finished seventh at the Chili Bowl.
  • Justin Peck – Monrovia, IN. – Age 25. Peck won the High Limit race at Kokomo Speedway (Kokomo, IN.) among his two victories in 79 winged Sprint Car starts in 2023. He had a runner-up run in a World Finals feature and he finished in the top-ten in the Eldora Million. This is Peck’s third All-HammerDown! Team honor.
  • Parker Price-Miller – Kokomo, IN. – Age 25. “PPM” made the All-HammerDown! Team for the fifth time in his career. He won two A-mains on the year, and he finished fourth in the Knoxville 360 Nationals after winning his preliminary night at the Sprint Car Capital of the World.  
  • Chase Randall – Waco, TX. – Age 19. Randall won the Knoxville Raceway 360 Sprint Car Championship. He captured eight feature wins in 2023 (four in a 360, and four in a 410). He finished second on his Knoxville Nationals preliminary night, and he was on the podium at the Tuscarora 50 (Port Royal, PA.)
  • Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX. – Age 33. This is Reutzel’s eighth All-HammerDown! selection. He won 15 A-Mains in five different states on the year, with eight coming in 410 races, and seven in 360 events. Reutzel was runner-up in the Knoxville 360 Nationals as well as a second-place finisher in his Eldora Million Twin 25.
  • Justin Sanders – Aromas, CA. Age 31. Sanders, California’s best kept secret, broke out with his best National season to-date. He won nine features in three Western States including the $62,000 top-prize at the Dirt Cup (Skagit Speedway, Burlington, WA.).  He was runner-up at the Gold Cup Race of Champions.
  • Dominic Scelzi – Fresno, CA. – Age 26. Dominic won 13 features in four different states in 2023 (three in 410, ten in 360). He was on the podium at the Tarlton Classic with the World of Outlaws, and he won the Peter Murphy Classic (Kings Speedway, Hanford, CA.).
  • Gio Scelzi – Fresno, CA. – Age 22. Gio finished fourth in World of Outlaws points and he was fourth at the Knoxville Nationals. He won two A-mains on the year (one with WoO and one with High Limit). This is Gio’s sixth consecutive All-HammerDown! selection.
  • Donny Schatz – Fargo, ND. - Age 46. Schatz won the Kings Royal (Eldora Speedway, Rossburg, OH.), among his five 2023 feature triumphs. He finished sixth in World of Outlaws points, and he was on the podium at the Knoxville Nationals.
  • Logan Schuchart – Hanover, PA. – Age 31. Schuchart won the Eldora Million to highlight a seven-win season. He finished fifth in World of Outlaws points, winning six WoO feature events. Schuchart won A-Mains in five different states. This is his ninth All-HammerDown! Team selection.
  • Logan Seavey – Sutter, CA. – Age 25. Seavey had a spectacular season, winning the Chili Bowl (Tulsa Expo Raceway, Tulsa, OK.), and both the USAC National Midget and Silver Crown championships. He added the Indiana Midget Week title on a 17-win campaign. This is Seavey’s fifth straight All-HammerDown! selection.
  • Brad Sweet – Grass Valley, CA. – Age 37. Sweet won his fifth straight World of Outlaws championship in 2023.  Among the Big Cat’s big wins were: the WoO stop at Skagit Speedway, the Tarlton Classic (Kings Speedway, Hanford, CA.), and the World Finals. He captured 13 A-mains on the season, making his 17th All-HammerDown! Team.  
  • Chris Windom – Canton, IL. – Age 32. Windom earned his 12th All-HammerDown! selection. He was runner-up in All-Star points. Windom was on the podium at the Rayce Rudeen Foundation race as well as the All-Stars stop in Ransomville, NY. “Big Daddy” also won a USAC National Midget feature at Eldora.
  • Zeb Wise – Angola, IN. - Age 21. Wise made the All-HammerDown! Team for the third consecutive season. He won the All-Star Championship and eleven A-Mains in 2023. His biggest scores came at Ransomville, NY, Attica, OH., and at Port Royal against the World of Outlaws in the Nittany Showdown.  


Sources: Jim Allen, AllStarSprint.com (Tyler Altmeyer), MyRacePass.com, Sprint Car Ratings (Bill Vanselow), USACRacing.com (Richie Murray), Lonnie Wheatley, WorldofOutlaws.com (Alex Ninten).
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