From NSCHOF
KNOXVILLE, IOWA (January 13, 2010) – For the first time ever, Jason Meyers of Clovis, California, was voted the “Driver of the Year” by the North American 410 Sprint Car Poll voting panel of media members, promoters, sanctioning officials and manufacturers. The 2010 World of Outlaws (WoO) Sprint Car Series point champion earned thirteen (13) of the twenty-seven (27) first-place ballots cast in the year-end poll.
Those drivers ranked second through fifth, respectively, are All Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC) and 50th Knoxville Nationals champion Tim Shaffer of Pennsylvania, Joey Saldana of Indiana, 14-time “Driver of the Year” and National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee Steve Kinser of Indiana, and 4-time “Driver of the Year” Donny Schatz of North Dakota. Rounding out the ‘top ten’ for the season are National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee Sammy Swindell, Williams Grove Speedway and Speed Dawg Central Pennsylvania Point Series champion Greg Hodnett, Jason Sides, Paul McMahan and Lance Dewease, respectively. Tim Shaffer earned eleven (11) first-place votes, while Joey Saldana, Steve Kinser and Sammy Swindell captured one (1) each.
Interestingly, it was Tim Shaffer’s sprint car owners Aaron Call and Janet Holbrook that earned the winged 410-cubic-inch sprint car “Team of the Year” award for his first-time ever.
Brad McClelland of Maryland, the top rookie at the Lincoln Speedway in 2010, has also earned the “Rookie of the Year” award in the ‘410’ division of the North American Sprint Car Poll. Ralph Capitani of Knoxville Raceway in Iowa will take home the “Promoter of the Year” honors for the eleventh time in his career following a very successful 50th Knoxville Nationals. Justin Fantozzi of Gooyear Tire & Rubber earned the “Builder/Manufacturer of the Year” plaque for the ‘410’ poll.
Sammy Swindell, the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee who ran a true ‘outlaw’ schedule in 2010, was named the recipient of the “Wild Card Award” for his exciting ‘410’ sprint car performances. Surprisingly, it was the first-time ever for Swindell to garner the award which was started in 1985. The “Media Member of the Year” honors will again go to Jerry Reigle of Area Auto Racing News, an honor that he first received in 2006. Reigle’s passion for covering the tough Central Pennsylvania circuit has long been respected within the sprint car racing industry, from coast-to-coast and border-to-border.
The North American 410 Sprint Car Poll is an annual awards program of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum. All awards will be distributed in the spring of 2011 at tracks throughout North America. The awards were announced on the third day of the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Final 2010 North American 410 Sprint Car Poll
rank, driver (first place votes), hometown, state/province, points
1., Jason Meyers (13), Clovis, CA, 2040
2., Tim Shaffer (11), Aliquippa, PA, 1475
3., Joey Saldana (1), Brownsburg, IN, 921
4., Steve Kinser (1), Bloomington, IN, 820
5., Donny Schatz, Fargo, ND, 728
6., Sammy Swindell (1), Bartlett, TN, 457
7., Greg Hodnett, Memphis, TN, 392
8., Jason Sides, Bartlett, TN, 283
9., Paul McMahan, Elk Grove, CA, 259
10., Lance Dewease, Fayetteville, PA, 217
11., Craig Dollansky, Elk River, MN, 205
12., Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, OH, 133
13., Brian Brown, Higginsville, MO, 111
14., Brian Montieth, Phoenixville, PA, 87
15., Fred Rahmer, Salfordville, PA, 80
16., Dale Blaney, Fowler, OH, 66
tie, Kyle Larson, Sacramento, CA, 66
18., Tim Kaeding, Campbell, CA, 59
19., Daryn Pittman, Owasso, OK, 50
tie, Lucas Wolfe, Mechanicsburg, PA, 50
21., Billy Balog, Fairbanks, AK, 41
22., Danny Lasoski, Higginsville, MO, 25
23., Chad Layton, Harrisburg, PA, 18
24., Kerry Madsen, Saint.Marys, NSW, AUS, 12
tie, Brooke Tatnell, Sans Souci, NSW, AUS, 12
Also receiving multiple votes: Don Droud, Jr., Chad Kemenah, Kraig Kinser, Byron Reed, Stevie Smith, Greg Wilson.